LOS ANGELES, CA – Wicked Pictures is pleased to announce that shooting has wrapped on award-winning filmmaker Brad Armstrong’s groundbreaking production jessica drake is Wicked. An innovative showcase conceived by the titular three-time AVN Best Actress, award-winning sexual wellness advocate and contract superstar, the project features drake in five cinematic fantasies which redefine and transcend the boundaries of traditional mainstream erotica.
“I’ve wanted to do a showcase for a long time, something that reflects where I am as a performer and, more importantly, as a person,” drake says of the project’s genesis. “jessica drake is Wicked does just that. I hope to challenge the viewer’s thoughts and beliefs surrounding sexuality and the confines we often adhere to. When I first started in the adult business over a decade ago, I conformed to what I ‘thought’ my target audience was. After signing with Wicked, as the years passed and I freely explored my sexuality both on and off camera and also became a sex educator, I realized it was more important to give room to the fluidity of my sexuality, and I’m happy that my fans have accompanied me along the way.”
jessica’s cinematic journey has proven transformative not only for her personally but for the adult genre as a whole, with industry press and mainstream media outlets like Vocativ noting that the movie’s rich and varied scenarios include a transgender scene pairing drake with Venus Lux, Aubrey Kate, and Domino Presley called ‘Beauty.’ “This is the first time in 25 years that Wicked Pictures, a legendary porn company, has ever filmed a scene with a trans performer,” notes Vocativ’s Tracy Clark-Flory of the groundbreaking sequence, which represents not only a first for drake and Wicked, but for the industry itself. Of the creative freedom and control she had over this scene and the others which comprise the completed film, the thoughtful star observes, “I am honored to continue to grow along with such a legendary powerhouse in the adult world as Wicked Pictures.”
For veteran director Armstrong, the shoot was a chance to explore the past as well as setting the tone for potential future innovations. “Shooting jessica drake is Wicked was kind of like going back to my vignette roots. That’s mostly what I shot when I started in the mid-nineties. Heavily art-directed and stylized ‘all sex’ movies with the contract girls in most or all of the scenes were my forté. I was shooting ‘showcase’ movies before they had a name. It was great to just do ‘art for art’s sake’ again; styling women to make them look their best and building a cool set where once there was nothing is really satisfying. We got a lot of amazing visuals in every scene, and although each of the concepts is incredibly diverse we seemed to outdo ourselves as the shoot went on. Kudos to the cinematographers, Barrett Blade and Alex Ladd, as well as my set-and-props team, Andy Appleton and Dirk Huge. I couldn’t have done it without them.”
For her part, drake is quick to share her enthusiasm for the way the filmmaker’s visual gifts enhance each scene. From a hyperreal ‘Cirque du Sex’ featuring Abella Danger, Angela White, Vicki Chase, Brandy Aniston, and Anikka Albrite, and an intense interracial blowbang (‘Teamwork’) with Rob Piper, Ricky Johnson, Dirk Huge and Isiah Maxwell, to equally potent encounters with Anna Bell Peaks, Sarah Jessie, Lily Lane, Small Hands, Will Havoc (‘Detention’) and Ryan Driller (‘Original Sin’), the director’s renowned jeweler’s eye for erotic detail is on display throughout. “I’m very grateful for our Wicked visionary, Brad Armstrong,” she enthuses. “With his amazing art direction, set design, wardrobe and styling ability, he created aesthetically sensual environments for some of the best sex cameras have ever captured! This movie is also a showcase for him as well – it showcases his talent as a truly gifted director.”
Of his star, Armstrong enthuses, “she was a real trooper. A lot of showcases get shot over a long period of time, sometimes weeks or even months between scenes. We shot a-day-on-a-day-off all the whole way through, so she definitely had her work cut out for her. She had sex with eighteen people over the five day span of the movie, fifteen of whom she’d never worked with before. So there’s plenty of action, with new and exciting scenes for her fans to enjoy. In short, a great cast, great wardrobe, great sets, great cinematography and great sex. What’s not to love?”
“I am grateful to Brad and Wicked for giving me the chance to bring my dreams and fantasies to life,” jessica adds as she reflects on this groundbreaking production, which will be available on DVD September 20th. “And, most of all, for recognizing the importance of diversity and inclusion.”
For more information visit www.wicked.com.
