Chat about "Rated X"

Showtime presents

May 13, 2000

Adult film star Marilyn Chambers chats about Showtime's "Rated X," Emilio Estevez and Charlie Sheen's film about the Mitchell brothers and the infamous O'Farrell Theatre. She also discusses her career in film, both of the adult variety and mainstream, and what how the adult film industry has changed in the last 30 years.

Page 1 of 5

Showtime: Welcome adult film star Marilyn Chambers who, along with the Mitchell brothers, is the subject of "Rated X." Marilyn reveals what it was like to go from the "Ivory Snow" girl to the most famous porn star of the 1970s. Both her career and the infamous O'Farrell theatre, home of the Mitchell brothers' live sex shows, are still thriving. To Marilyn, the height of the porn industry was definitely sex, drugs and rock-n-roll. Welcome, Marilyn

Marilyn: Thank You! Nice to be here! Most famous porn star of the '70s? What happened to the last 20 years? It's very nice to be here and I thank Showtime for allowing me the pleasure to answer any and all questions.

Alinsf: Have you ANY desire to go back into showbiz? What are you doing now? How do you feel about the way you're portrayed in the new movie about the Mitchell's?

Marilyn: Actually I never left the business. In my whole career I've done 7 adult films, quite a few less than the ladies today do. That's what I'm known for, but the last 12 yrs, I've been doing R Rated films for Showtime, Cinemax and Pay-per-view. I have recently decided to do 3 more adult films because I kind of miss it, and my latest one is called "Dark Chambers" and will be out in June. I felt that Tracey did a good job. They portrayed me as a Doris Day. I have no qualms about that. I didn't walk in, in the white go-go boots. I was more of a hippie chick. When I did meet the Mitchell brothers the first time, I had my modeling portfolio. I was trying to look professional, and not hippie. I was a hippie.

QuAkE231: Are you really naked in the movie but it got cut of the air?

Marilyn: I wasn't in it. Woops! I don't really know how they shot it. I was not consulted.

Pyro-Patrick: Was the movie fun to make?

Marilyn: First of all I was not personally in this movie. I am portrayed in this movie. As far as doing, "Behind the Green Door," it was scary, but it was fun. You have to remember, I was 19 yrs old. My sexuality - I was very naive and very young. When I did the film, I played the part of Gloria. But I really didn't want to know - for those who haven't seen the film it's about a young woman who is abducted and taken to a very elite sex club and loved like she's never been loved before. So, I really didn't want to know what was going to happen to Gloria, the character. It would be more interesting from the audience point of view by making it more realistic by not knowing what was going to happen. This was one of the first adult films made - besides the old "stag" films, old smokers. This was uncharted territory. Looking at adult films today, in comparison, "Behind the Green Door" was not from the "gynecologists" point of view as today's are. You were really trying to go inside this woman's head.

Milkman71: Were you happy with the choice of the actress that portrayed you in the X-Rated movie?

Marilyn: I thought that Tracey did a good job. She's very fresh and young and very clean cut, and all American, which I certainly was. She didn't have a lot to do, but what she did I thought she did well. The dialogue that went on between myself and the Mitchell brothers in that first meeting was pretty accurate.

Mystery Girl: Did you think the movie portrayed you accurately? Would you have made any changes, and if so what would they have been?

Marilyn: Like I said, it was as accurate as it could be since Emilio didn't consult me and I did ask him later why he didn't. And he said that he didn't even think about it. I thought I could add a little more realism. As far as I was, I was very clean cut and I was a little more of a Hippie than the Doris Day type. She was dressed more mid 60's. I would have changed the look a little bit, and some of her nuances I would have embellished on.

HUD Man: In the movie, you didn't seem to have much to do with the brothers after the film. Is this true?

Marilyn: No, it's not. The chain of events that happened was not portrayed accurately. After "Behind the Green Door" we did "The Resurrection of Eve." I pretty much felt that it was all I could do in those films at that time. What I really wanted to do was play Las Vegas. I starred in 2 shows in Vegas. I wrote 2 books and wrote a column for a magazine for 18 yrs. There were more things I wanted to do. I never intended or set out to become a porn star. It went that way, because in that time in our society it was called "porno chic," it was very new and people like Johnny Carson would go to the movies and stand in line. There was no videotape and if you wanted to see the film you would actually go to the theater. There was no anonymity. My intentions were to be a mainstream actress and I felt, in my naivety, that doing "Behind The Green Door" would be a stepping-stone to bigger and better things. There is still a stigma attached to someone who has actual sex on film. It's still considered "very naughty." So, not only did I become famous, I became infamous. My parents weren't too thrilled. The other part of the question, as far as the Mitchell Brothers, after "The Resurrection of Eve," after they opened the live theater, after video came into existence, they started to make money on the live shows. I started to do 4 or 5 days, and the lines outside the theater were truly amazing. I put on some good shows and I think my fans are happy. We did work after that. I kind of wanted to leave San Francisco, and I had met a guy named Chuck Trainer who used to be Linda Lovelace's manager. And then he became my manager, which the Mitchell's weren't too happy about.

Page 1 of 5