Mom and I plan to go to Thailand together soon to connect with our culture and visit our relatives. She says I didn’t get my temper from her. I got it from her mother, my grandmother, whom I’ve never met. We’ll see. I never thought I’d get to this place in life: love, success, mental sanity, and family. I feel like I finally have it all.
You ASKED, I ANSWERED:
1. What was the scariest thing that happened on a shoot?—BRIAN, 27, LOS ANGeLeS
In 2001, I was at a shoot for someone else’s movie at Digital Playground at a Muslim’s house in Paris, France. I don’t remember what the shoot was for, but I was just there to hang out and have Ali take some photos of me. The owner of the house was really happy to have a porn shoot going on right before his eyes. He was really into it. But apparently he didn’t tell his wife what he was up to. All of a sudden, the wife storms into the house, screaming at her husband and at all of us in French like a crazy person. She rushed into the kitchen and grabbed a knife and literally chased me out of the house with the knife in her hand. I grabbed the keys to our rented passenger van and bolted for the door as Ali and the others scrambled to collect their equipment. I was so flustered that as soon as I started the van to leave, I crashed it into the wall. Luckily, it was still drivable and we peeled out of there as fast as we could, laughing all the way.
2. What is the most embarrassing moment of your career?—LISA, 24, SAN DIEGO
When my vagina got molded for a toy called the Tera Patrick Fleshlight, which is a custom mold of my pussy. It’s the number-one bestselling male sex toy. I was leaning back, and plaster was over the whole area—from my clit to my asshole—and I totally farted and there was this giant hole in the mold, so I had to do it over again. We couldn’t release a toy with a giant fart-bubble in it!
3. Do you watch your own porn, and is that weird?—JAMES, 32, CHICAGO
No. This may be surprising, but I don’t watch my own movies. I don’t even have copies of all of my videos. I subscribe to this theory that once I do it, it’s over for me. I don’t save them. I don’t watch them. I lived the fantasy. It was done. And I don’t need to see it again. I’ve never even watched any of my movies. Never.
4. What’s your favorite celebrity encounter?—KELLY, 36, FORT LAUDERDALE
Actually, Kanye West was really nervous when he met me backstage at Fashion Week in L.A. in 2007. He told Evan, “Dude, I have the biggest favor to ask you. I really want to meet Tera, but I’m really shy. I don’t know what to say to her.” It was really sweet, though. I’m always flattered when other celebrities come up to me to say hi, or even ask for an autograph or to take a photo of me. It’s weird to think that Kanye West has seen my pussy, but I can’t see his dick. In a way, that’s not fair. Ha!
5. Is it weird to think that people you know and people you meet have seen your porn and masturbate to you?—MIKE, 23, VAN NUYS
Yeah, it’s a little weird to know that someone talking to me has seen my innermost parts and I haven’t seen theirs. But it’s not weird that they masturbate to me. They also masturbate to Cameron Diaz and Carmen Electra and Jessica Alba and the girl at the grocery store. Men are just visual. I’m no different, except they have a little bit more to masturbate to, they see a little bit more of me. It’s just humbling.
6. What advice do you have for new girls getting into the industry?—LEISHA, 21, NEWARK
Make sure you are making the decision with a clear head and that nobody else is influencing you. At the end of the day, you have to live with what you’ve done and remember that your third-grade teacher may see you one day, your father may see you, any kids you have, your nieces and nephews—everybody. So look your best and know this is out there for everyone to see and you can’t take it back. And don’t party or get caught up in the party scene. This business attracts the bad boyfriend, the suitcase pimp who comes into the business and latches onto a porn girl or a model. It’s hard to find a good guy in this industry. And just know that you really can make a lot of money, so invest it wisely. Don’t buy the newest Balenciaga bag. Invest in real estate instead.
7. What’s the most embarrassing thing that happened to you in high school?—ROWYAN, 29, IRELAND
I blossomed early and had 34Cs by the time I was thirteen. So in high school one day when we were changing for swim class, a few of my classmates were teasing me for my big breasts, saying they were like balloons, and they started saying, “Let’s lay her down and pop her!” I was very insecure at the time. 8. Why don’t you speak Thai?—LISA, 38, VANCOUVER, CANADA
I get this from my fans a lot. My mom never taught us how to speak her language. My mom, Preeya, explains, “I wanted the best for her. We lived in California for so many years and it was English or Spanish, no Thai. So I never taught her Thai. When I sent her to school, I just wanted her to know English. No one spoke Thai, so we didn’t teach our girls that. I didn’t think it would be useful. She knew the colors and numbers in Thai, though.” I still know those today. But that’s all I know. Mom and I are going to go to Thailand sometime soon. Now that I’m older and have reconnected with my mom, I want to embrace my Thai heritage more.
9. What is the best pickup line anyone has used on you?—JESSICA, 24, TOLEDO
I love cheesy pickup lines. My favorite line is this: “You know what would look good on you? Me!” I’m easy, haven’t you figured it out yet? Besides, do you really need a pickup line to pick up a porn star?
10. What Teravision movie are you most proud of and why?—JENNIFEF, 22, NEW YORK
I’m truly proud of them all. But one that stands out from a production standpoint is InTERActive, an interactive movie from the point of view of the male user, which we shot in 2006 with Hustler Video. It took the format to a new level by putting a storyline around it and using real cum shots. Evan and I are big fans of sexy storylines, so for this one we hired a Robert De Niro look-alike and I played his lonely, bored housewife having an affair on him. And most movies in this format use fake cum shots, which is a cheat. I’m proud that InTERActive used all real cum shots and they were all by the talented Spyder Jonez. This movie is one of my bestselling DVDs and has the best recurring sales of any of my movies. And it won the Best Interactive DVD Award at the 2008 AVN Awards and set the record as the fastest-selling Hustler release.
11. Weren’t you afraid of catching an STD? How come in some movies you use condoms and in others you don’t?—LEXI, 19, MIAMI
I never worried about contracting an STD because, for one, when I started out in 1999, there were a smaller number of guys working, so everyone either knew them or knew of them and word spreads fast if something’s not right. But I always required that the guys I worked with not only take the obligatory HIV test, but get the full panel STD test, which includes chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and others. And I can honestly say that I think it’s safer to have sex with someone in the porn industry as opposed to picking up a guy or chick at a club. The porn guy can hand you a paper that shows his test results. The club guy can’t. That said, I still do feel very lucky that I never caught anything. As for condoms, some companies require that you work with a condom, others don’t. If they don’t require it, you still have a choice to have the guy wear one. If a guy had the full STD test, I was fine with him not wearing a condom.
12. Do you ever keep going even after the director says cut?—MEAGAN, 24, SEATTLE
Sure! When you’re really into it, it’s hard to stop. One of my favorite female performers to work with was Briana Banks, whom I did Collision Course with. I was really into working with her, because I knew she was nuts—she was just really into sex and loved women and she’s done everything—a lot more than I’ve done. I had a feeling she was going to try to “outfuck” me, so as a preemptive strike, I grabbed her first and laid her down to eat her out. I just went for it. I was licking her pussy and I was really turned on, so when the director, Skeeter Kerkove, said cut, I just kept on going. And I made her cum!