Ryan Mclane Interview: A Candid Look at Life as a Male Pornstar
Ryan Mclane is a perfect star to spotlight during Adult Empire’s 25th anniversary celebration. Versatile and beloved by his many co-stars, Mclane has played in everything from Aftermath to the Muse series. In this candid new interview, Mclane opens up about life as a male pornstar, ranging from the roles he wishes he could revisit to the physical toll the job takes. Don’t miss his take on social media!
In a prior interview, you mentioned being an athlete in high school. What sports did you play, and which ones do you most enjoy today?
I played basketball. I was a point guard. I had a handful of scholarship offers, but the short story is that none of them were from the one school that I wanted to play for so I turned down the opportunities that I had and just hung it up.
What’s the key to creating onscreen chemistry with a co-star?
I think the biggest key is the willingness from your female co-star to want to do a good scene. No matter what I do or how hard I try, if she doesn’t want to be there or put forth the effort then the scene will suffer. Aside from that, I’ve just always tried to put an emphasis on being respectful and polite to my co-stars while on set. I think if you can smile and be kind and let them know that you are thankful for them being there it can go a long way.
You’ve appeared in many parodies over the years (Star Wars XXX, Basic Instinct, Psycho, and others). Which ones are your favorites?
This is easy. Magic Mike XXX was by far my favorite. The camaraderie that the cast had was something that to this day I’ve still never been able to experience again. We had so much fun making that film. Brad Armstrong was the person who brought me into the industry and it was the only time that he ever gave me a roll so that was extra special for me. Brad and Stormy are by far the best two big budget feature directors that Wicked has ever had in my time in the industry so it’s always a nice thing when you are able to be on a set of someone who you admire and respect at their profession.
Doing Psycho was an experience that I wish I could redo. I was a brand new performer at the time and honestly had no idea how to be a good performer. And Gary Orona, the director, has a really talented eye and I just wish that I was who I am now, then. But that’s life lol.
Is there a current mainstream franchise you’d love to see spoofed in porn?
Honestly, I have such a deep love for dialogue-heavy films. If I could have one wish as a performer in this regard I just wish that once I could get the lead in a Western. The budgetary constraints on porn features make any production on a big scale very difficult these days. Obviously it would be cool if someone could come along and do an actual really good Batman adult film so that would be on the list as well.
Is there a movie or scene that sticks out in your mind as a must-watch for fans?
I find that answering this question is always the hardest of all questions for me lol! Half the time when we are doing movies as performers we don’t even know the name of the film and then we shoot so much that by the time it’s released . . . it just is really hard for all of it not to get lost in the shuffle. As for scenes, the site that I love shooting for the most is a site called Tonight’s Girlfriend by Naughty America. I consider most of my scenes on that site a must watch for my fans.
You’ve worked with many of porn’s most noted directors. What traits do you most value in a director?
The director is so important. Directors set the mood for the entire day on set, and can have as much impact as any other variable in regard to the quality of the content that is going to be captured. With gonzo scenes I love working for Shelby Black. He is very talented, always looking to improve his craft, and just knows exactly what he wants and what he is doing. What traits do I value most? Directors who are talented and know what they are doing. One of the biggest problems in the industry in relation to fans is that I feel a lot of them have no idea who the actually talented directors are because most of the directors don’t play the awards game. The names, Shelby Black, Eddie Powell, Ben Hoffman, Chanel Preston, all as good or better than any award winning name you know.
What’s an example of a very practical and useful piece of advice a director has given you?
Haha, okay here it is . . . Jacky St. James. Jacky was the first director to cast me in a stepdad role. I hated it. I was so mad. Jacky is one of my best friends in the business and someone that I greatly respect and we had nearly an hour-long blow out conversation over it. I was not pleased and that’s putting it mildly. I said, “Why are you putting me as the stepdad and (unnamed performer) as stepson?! We are the same age!!” For the record I thought categorizing me as a stepdad so early in my career would shorten my career. And Jacky just repeatedly tried to tell me in various different ways, “You just don’t have step son energy.” Fast forward a year and a half later and I am watching Bull Durham and I’m thinking about the casting dynamic of Kevin Costner and Tim Robbins and those guys were like the same age but playing completely different age roles. And I finally understood. I called Jacky and told her, “Hey, I finally get it now. Thank you.”
What are your recollections of the “doggy door” scene you shot with Gianna Dior? (Read more about this scene here!)
LOL! Gianna and I have always had really great chemistry together. We like each other and we have great sex. I just remember thinking “I’m so glad this is you doing this scene. On all the levels haha.”
Also at one point the director left set to go change a light or something and we kept fucking on the bed and then after a pretty long period of time we both just look at each other and go “where the fuck did the director go?!”.
What’s one of the lesser-known challenges of being a male pornstar?
I’m not sure that the average porn fan realizes the toll it can take on the body. I personally don’t think male pornstars have it as rough as females in terms of the physical toll but I don’t think people think about it on the male side.
What advice would you give someone looking to get into the industry?
Be respectful and check your ego at the door.
In what ways (both good and bad) have you witnessed the industry change since you joined?
When I started, it was at the tail end of the big-budget features, which I was fortunate enough to be cast in quite often. I personally loved the dynamic of half my month being filled with long, dialogue-heavy feature days and the other half being short gonzo scene days. I love acting, and objectively I’m one of the two or three best actors, not performers, but actors, in the business. So not being able to act very often any more is really hard for me. I’m very thankful for all of the work that I have these days but the constant gonzo scenes definitely leave me with a certain type of void.
Currently, what are your favorite TV shows, music, movies, books, etc.?
I must admit that I’m not much of a TV show fan. Someone I loved got me hooked on Mr. Robot a few years ago and I really enjoyed that. As for films, I was obsessed with Dune. I also loved Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and Ready or Not. Music, my current favorite band is Lord Huron. I’m at a fairly dark place and their music is just perfection at this point in my life. Books, anything fantasy. I love The Name of The Wind by Patrick Rothfuss.
Talk a little about social media – love it or hate it?
Hate it. It is just so incredibly toxic. Don’t like it at all. I log in about once a week into Twitter, RT my company links, promote my OnlyFans, then log back out. I never check my timeline. Instagram is just completely useless at this point. And TikTok, dude, I’m too old to understand that shit, because to me it comes across as ridiculously stupid.
What does a typical day look like for you?
Start with a big breakfast, and respond to any East Coast texts. Then I either head to set if my call time is early or if I have no shoot then I go to the gym in the afternoon. I work out a lot. But if I have a shoot, that pretty much takes my whole day. I stay in OC and all shoots are in northern LA so when I have a shoot my roundtrip car travel time can range anywhere from 4 to 6 hours just in the car. I don’t ever stay in LA . . . because I hate it there lol.
Tell your fans what they can look forward to seeing from you in the near future!
I’m launching my own site, which is not porn related. It will be based on my world travels, my fashion line and fitness. I’m looking forward to that.
Adult Empire celebrates its 25th anniversary this month. What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think 1997 and/or the late ‘90s in general?
1997? First thing that comes to mind? Easy. Ken Griffey, Jr. MVP. 56 Homeruns. 147 RBIs. The Mariners trading Jose Cruz Jr (the last time I cried tears of sadness over sports lol). And the stupid fucking Baltimore Orioles.
My Family. Happiness.
Sandra Bullock. Pamela Anderson. Cindy Crawford. Men In Black. Minni Driver. Hanson. Coolio.
Similarly, in a perfect world, where do you hope to be in 25 years?
On a rocket headed into Space.