Axel Braun Interview: Inside the Mind of a Blockbuster Director
Director Axel Braun has been a trendsetting director from the first moment he walked onto a porn set. The man behind hits like Star Wars XXX and Batman V. Superman XXX is back with a blockbuster porn take on Marvel’s Black Widow! In this new interview, he discusses the behind-the-scenes story of the movie and much more.
Tell us how the Black Widow XXX project came about.
I literally started planning for a parody as soon as Marvel announced the mainstream version. I’m a huge Bronze Age comic fan, and Black Widow as drawn by Gene Colan was a such a strong, sexy and awesome character that I couldn’t wait to bring it to the screen.
Talk about the casting process for Black Widow XXX.
There was never really any other choice for me but Lacy Lennon. I had worked with her before on Captain Marvel XXX and she had impressed me…and yet that was nothing compared to what she brought to the plate for Black Widow XXX. Her sexual performances are off the charts as you would expect, but it’s her acting that’s beyond amazing. Literally Best Actress material. She blew everybody away with how prepared, committed, and focused she was, and with her deep understanding of the character, and the huge success of the movie is a direct consequence of her presence in it.
Are you a Marvel fan in general? What’s your take on the overall quality of the Marvel Cinematic Universe?
Yes, I’m a huge Marvel and DC fan, and like most fans I have mixed feelings about the MCU. I thought Endgame was awesome and so were many others, but some of them didn’t resonate with me at all. But you gotta remember, these are $200M+ movies that need to appeal to a much broader audience than mine, so there are many concessions to be made and a lot of decisions that may have more to do with selling a Happy Meal than with pleasing comic book geeks. I enjoy the freedom of only having to target my fan base, which is literally made of people like myself. If I like my movie, so will they. Also, my movies have something Marvel could never have: boobs. I win.
What qualities do superhero movies have that make them such good porn adaptations?
Sometimes I have fun spoofing the exact storyline of the mainstream versions, like with Captain Marvel and Star Wars, and sometimes I start from the comics and bring to life specific stories or moments that I found particularly interesting. Then there’s characters like Deadpool, who you can just place in absurd situations because of its very nature. It really depends on the project.
Did you face any challenges when directing Black Widow XXX?
Plenty, as per usual. Scheduling, costumes, locations…it’s always a battle, but I was lucky to have a fantastic leading lady and a phenomenal crew, so we ended up getting an awesome movie that I am very proud of.
What’s the secret to getting the most out of a porn-movie budget?
Knowing what you’re doing, and being able to think fast. Also, sheer luck.
What was your most challenging movie project to date?
Justice League XXX, by far. Everything that could have gone wrong did, and at some point I remember thinking that I was never going to be able to finish it. Miraculously I did, it came out great, was a massive commercial success and won a bunch of awards…but the memories I have of the whole experience are horrifying. Like, almost PTSD. On every shoot now, every time something goes wrong I’m like “Uh-oh…I’m getting Justice League vibes!”
Tell us a little bit about the development of the glamcore-style movies you’ve done recently for Wicked.
Growing up in Milan I’ve always been very interested in fashion, and I felt there was a gap in the current adult market for a product that looked a bit like a Vogue editorial. I put a lot of emphasis on styling and gave each scene a different look and feel, starting from the color palettes all the way down to the sexual performances. It paid off in spades, Glamcore was very successful and I will definitely shoot more volumes of it in the future.
When you see other studios drawing inspiration from the distinctive style of your movies, are you flattered or annoyed?
There was a time a few years ago when I would get super annoyed. Parodies were all the rage and everybody jumped on the bandwagon, so there would be a ton of really bad product out and sometimes they would make movies I had been wanting to make. But then Steven Hirsch, the owner of Vivid, told me: “Just make them anyway, yours are gonna be so much better that it doesn’t matter if there’s already another version out”. I followed his advice and magically stopped getting upset.
What was the most important lesson about the business that you learned from your father, Lasse Braun?
“Be kind to everyone on the way up, you’ll meet the same people on the way down”.
Is there a chance of further follow-ups to some of your other notable bestsellers, such as Batman V. Superman or Star Wars XXX?
I actually do have a fantastic script for The Empire Strikes Back XXX . . . we’ll see.
Tell us about the changes, both good and bad, you’ve seen in the industry over the last few years.
Oh, I’ve been doing this for 31 years . . . it would be a very long list, and mostly bad. But you adapt, you survive, and if you believe in yourself and put in the work you will thrive.
On your Twitter profile you have car enthusiast listed – what’s your dream car?
I’m afraid I’ve stopped dreaming . . . I already own all my dream cars 😉
What does a typical day in the life of Axel Braun look like?
Despite most of my civilian friends perpetrating the myth that I spend my days laying on a beach doing nothing while naked girls are feeding me grapes, I’m actually up at 6AM and in bed by 9PM every day…a lot more work and less glamour than you would expect, especially since I became Wicked’s Head of Production when Gamma acquired the company last December. I also have three young kids with a seemingly endless supply of energy . . . which explains why I’m fucking exhausted by 9PM.
What are your upcoming plans and projects?
I’m currently in pre-production on The Batman XXX and two more big parodies for next year, and I’m collaborating with some very talented directors on a few original features that I will produce and oversee. Also working on taking a much needed vacation . . . hopefully before 2035.
