Saska Sage Interview: The Wisdom of a Trending Trans Star
Saska Sage came to porn later than many stars do, with an Adult Empire filmography weighing it at just under a dozen movies as of June 2023. Even so, you’ll find an impressive variety within those titles: laying the Trans Honey Trap for Gender X, collaborating with Ricky Greenwood in My TS Stepdaughter 4, going virtual in Cock Riding Champion, and more. Step behind the curtain with Saska Sage in this new Adult Empire Pride Month interview.
How did you get into the industry?
I never had a set intention to go into the industry actually! Before the pandemic I had just graduated college and was preparing to be a software engineer at a bootcamp. That ultimately didn’t end up working out and I had the idea to start camming. I did that for a few months and found it fun and fortunately had some early success that kept me going! Along with that I started an OnlyFans and started building my presence on multiple platforms. About a year and half into doing that I decided to jump into studio porn and see what that was all about.
What’s the story behind your stage name?
I studied Russian in college and my name in the class was Sasha, which I loved. I wanted it to be a bit more unique though and found changing it to Saska made it bit more exotic and distinct.
Do you recall the first time you encountered porn?
I must’ve been 12 or 13. Way too young, but I was a curious one and started exploring sex at an early age.
Were you a porn fan prior to entering the industry?
I would say so. I never followed performers on social media or went to conventions or anything like that, but I had a few performers that I really enjoyed watching and kept an eye out for new content, especially on sites like PornHub where a lot of amateur performers I like post on.
How would you describe Ricky Greenwood’s style as a director?
I would say that Ricky is quite hands off in the sense that he lets his performers dictate a lot of the action. Of course the script and theme is set by him and his team, but I felt a lot of freedom in being able to explore the scene with Arabelle which I think lended itself to a more intimate performance and it shows in a lot of the scenes he directs.
In what ways do you think society’s attitude toward the trans community has evolved over the past several years?
I think the trans community has been under a much bigger microscope the last 5-10 years and it’s become very politicized. While I think that our visibility has educated a lot, it’s also done the inverse and has allowed hatred and negativity to thrive in certain areas. So it’s mixed. Being in the industry, it’s eye opening how many people are first exposed to trans people through porn, so I’ve tried to utilize it as another way to educate people on how to treat us respectfully and to continue pushing for the normalization of trans bodies in porn.
What are your favorite and least favorite things about social media?
My favorite thing is being able to connect with all the amazing people in the industry that would be impossible without it! My least favorite thing is definitely the insidious nature of comparing myself to others, or feeling I need to change parts of myself based on how others look and feeling dissatisfied with my body or my success as a result of it, especially when having to look through so many posts of other models. It can be very toxic to look at things like that and I have to remind myself that just because someone looks a certain way or is doing better with their work shouldn’t take away from who I am or the work I’ve done. It’s all about our own personal journeys! Comparison is the thief of joy after all, but social media can make it easy to shift to that kind of negative thinking.
You’ve mentioned you earned a degree in film. How has that influenced your style as a performer?
In terms of creating my own content, I would say I’m a lot more focused on lighting, set design and finding the right shot than most. I’m always fidgeting with the camera to get what I want! To me it’s all about setting a certain kind of mood. It can be freeing to let go of that control when I’m on set, but it can also make it harder to watch the finished product because I might have had different ideas on how to shoot the scene.
Do you hope to branch into porn directing at some point?
Absolutely! I have always adored storytelling and I believe sex is just another medium of expression. Like I said in an earlier answer, I think there’s a lot of space for different voices to fill in the sphere of directing which can lead to more interesting and nuanced forms of porn.
What is a porn cliché that you wish would go away?
Within the trans category I’ve noticed there’s this big cliche of a guy bringing home a girl and discovering that they’re trans and it’s this huge ordeal. I just roll my eyes at that. I understand the fantasy of it, but I would love for trans people and our bodies to continue being normalized to the point where it’s not a big deal and not the center of a porn plot line. One can dream.
What’s the biggest false stereotype about pornstars?
That we’re constantly craving sex and want it all the time! I’ve find that while many in the industry have an above average sex life, a lot of us just treat it as a job and have fairly “normal” sex lives outside of it. I think some fans get too into the fantasy and overlook that we’re people with pretty normal lives outside of our jobs too.
Talk a little about social media. Love it or hate it?
Personally, I’m not a fan. I actually hired on my wife (bless her) to handle most of the online marketing as I found it too difficult on my mental health. It’s a key component to success in this industry though, so it’s been a journey in discovering a good balance.
What movies, TV shows, books, music, etc. are you loving lately?
I just finished reading Nona the Ninth, which is the third book in The Locked Tomb series. All I’ll say is that it’s about lesbian necromancers in space and I’m all about it! I’ve binged the whole series in the last couple months.
Is there anything you haven’t done on camera yet but hope to in the near future?
That’s a long list. First things that come to mind are all girl orgy scene, or maybe a gangbang bukkake scene. There’s so much I have yet to explore that I’m open to most anything at least once.
Is there anyone in the industry that you look up to?
I’ve had a couple of different models that I’ve looked up to in different stages of my career. When I started camming the girl I looked up to the most was NewIvy. She has such impeccable lighting and quality in her stream and she’s able to create a mesmerizing performance just through music and gyrating her hips! She doesn’t even show her face! She’s incredible. When I got into porn I definitely looked up to Natalie Mars the most. I feel I started kind of late (I’m 28 right now) and saw that she also started later. Seeing how much success she’s had and the incredible scenes she’s pushed out really inspired me early in my career.
What upcoming projects are you working on?
For my own content I’m working on overhauling everything. My cam shows, my OF content, trying new platforms and getting out the best stuff I can. Outside of that I’d love to collaborate with more performers and perhaps direct some films myself! I feel there’s a lot of space for trans women to fill in that sphere.