STORY AND BOTTOM PHOTO BY VINCENT LAMBERT
In the opening scene of the latest script that Jordan Young has written, a “proud mother” looks on as her son practices his autograph. He tells her that someday he’s going to be a big star. Eventually, he ends up making a big splash in the porn industry. Not unlike Young himself. And although his own mother isn’t quite sure what her son is doing for a living, she just might be proud of what he’s accomplished in two short years.
Originally from Montana, Young moved to Wyoming with his family when he was in fourth grade. He says that he loves the Midwest, but always felt suffocated by the small-town atmosphere there. “It’s a wonderful place to raise your children if you want them to grow up to be bigoted, hateful people,” he says. Born to a Korean mother and a Greek father, Young’s unique looks gained the attention of casting directors when he was a teenager. At 14, he began modeling for Banana Republic and Calvin Klein. “Modeling is just a higher form of pornography,” he says, “because they are sending the same message, only in a much more glossy way.”
After graduating from high school, Young relocated to Denver, where he got an agent and started dancing. He also sent some pictures to director John Rutherford at Falcon. It was through Rutherford that director Chi Chi LaRue first became aware of the 20-year-old model. “I saw his picture and thought he was cute,” LaRue recalls. “I thought, there are no Asian boys who are considered stars. So I decided that I was gonna make him a star. We hit it off immediately. I think it was fate that brought us together.”
Young soon moved to Los Angeles and became LaRue’s housemate. He was cast in his first film, Nightwatch 2, shortly after that. “The night before,” Young says, “all I could think about was, once I step in front of that camera, I can’t take it back. I can’t buy back the film. There was nothing I could do. It was scary, but I knew that I would never be president,” he laughs, “so I did it.”
He also began writing scripts, and in collaboration with LaRue, they started getting produced. Lost in Vegas (All Worlds Video) and The Taking of Jake (Falcon Studios) are just two of the films he has written. And the porn-star-is-born saga mentioned above will be LaRue’s next big-screen project, Hardcore, which will be shot in New York this month. Young also has his own monthly column in Skin Flicks magazine titled “New Kid on the Cock,” which focuses on the gay adult film industry. And he is prominently featured in director Ronnie Larsen’s documentary, Shooting Porn, which was recently shown at the Berlin Film Festival and will be released later this year.
All this multimedia work hasn’t left Young much time for a personal life, but he has managed to date such fellow porn studs as Tom Katt, Logan Reed and current beau Sam Dixon, an ex–police officer who has since gotten into the business. “When you find someone you’re comfortable with, it’s a fine line you walk,” Young says. “You don't want to mess it up, but you don't want to sacrifice who you are. I didn’t tell Sam about my work until our third date because people have preconceived notions about the way people are in the porno industry—that they’re slutty or trashy or stupid, and it does have its share of that, but so does every other job there is.”
Young’s future plans include more writing and a move into independent films. “I’d like to ‘go legit,’ ” he says, “although I don't consider what I’m doing not legit. I don't deny it. I’m comfortable with it. It’s a form of media that’s out there; it’s just not as widely accepted.”
But would he ever allow his mother to see one of his movies?
“I told my mother that I’m a model,” he says, “but I think she knows what I’m actually doing and she doesn't care. I think she knows that I’m happy. And I am happy where I am. But the bad thing about me is that I want everything, and I want it now. And that causes lots of problems because I’m not taking the time to be a kid. ’Cause I am a kid. I just can’t imagine what my life would be if I hadn't done this.”
Reprinted from HX magazine (1997)
