Michael Lucas is a busy man. Emails setting up an interview with XBIZ originated from New York as well as his home in Puerto Vallarta, dubbed “Casa Lucas,” where he films much of the content these days for his own studio, Lucas Entertainment. The actual phone conversation takes place from an office in London.
“I like to get around; what can I say?” Lucas notes with his characteristic dry reserve.
We don’t hire models who will just automatically fuck when they show up and then go home.
The Russian-born mogul — he first moved to the United States in the mid-’90s and earned his American citizenship nearly 20 years ago — has reason to celebrate these days. His popular new exclusive, Kosta Viking, picked up the XBIZ Europa Award for Gay Performer of the Year, an unusual accomplishment for a newcomer. The Italian-born Viking is the third Lucas Entertainment exclusive in a row to take the crown, following Spanish stud Allen King and Swedish hunk Ruslan Angelo.
Lucas’ namesake studio marks its 25th anniversary in 2023 and remains as prolific as ever. “Lucas Men: All-Access” and “Lucas Men: Unleashed” recently nabbed XBIZ Award nominations for Best Gay All-Sex Release. Both feature sweaty, intense orgies and group sex scenes, as well as intense duos. The focus on all-sex intensity is an aesthetic shift away from the big-budget, lavishly art-directed and fashion-forward epics that made Lucas Entertainment an awards magnet.
Fifteen years ago, the director and his creative team produced erotic versions of “Dangerous Liaisons” and “La Dolce Vita” packed with celebrity cameos and location shoots around the world, as well as such notable titles as 2009’s “Men of Israel,” the first gay pornographic film shot on location in Israel with an all-Israeli cast.
Lucas Entertainment earned the XBIZ Award for Gay Studio of the Year in 2011 and 2013, and nabbed Gay Movie of the Year honors twice: for 2012’s star-packed “Assassin” with Rafael Alencar, Cliff Jensen, Adam Killian, Wilfried Knight and Brad Star, featuring a besuited Lucas on the cover, aiming the barrel of a gun at the viewer; and for 2014’s “Original Sinners,” whose A-list cast includes Jessy Ares, Adam Killian, Paddy O’Brian and Jesse Santana.
ADAMS: I’ve been in Los Angeles and New York recently while we’ve been setting up this chat. And you’re in London now. We keep rotating cities.
LUCAS: I know, I know. I’m here in London until tomorrow and then I’m heading to Venice for a five-day vacation. It’s the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen.
ADAMS: I’ve never been. I want to see it before it sinks.
LUCAS: They will not allow Venice to sink. Trust me.
ADAMS: I believe you. So can you give me an idea of where you’re mainly located these days?
LUCAS: I live during the winter in Puerto Vallarta. I bought a small building there and renovated it. It’s called “Casa Lucas.” I live in the top-floor apartment and we film there and live together. The models love it. They come down and film and then often stay for weeks after because it’s such a beautiful spot. Everyone is together, having breakfast and lunch and dinner together, filming for social media with such a beautiful backdrop. You see whales in the ocean, and you have amazing food. It’s a great experience.
ADAMS: How big do these groups become?
LUCAS: We have a big crew of about 10, and we film for about 17 production days each time. It’s an opportunity for the models to bond with everyone and go to the beach and have an amazing time. It’s a very, very good thing to bond with your crew. The models are from all over the world. Coming up for our next shoot we have a guy from Portugal, another from Venezuela and another from Costa Rica, plus Mexico, Puerto Rico, Brazil. I’m looking at the list right now: Czech Republic, Spain, Australia and Italy. There is a guy from Cyprus. Oh, and someone from Los Angeles, and Miami, and another American from Montana. I just found someone from Ukraine. And the cast includes Swedish Tomas Brand, of course, who is incredible, and so popular. They all speak English; that is a must.
ADAMS: Oh, really? That definitely makes things easier.
LUCAS: It is a common language, like sex. Everybody speaks it.
ADAMS: That makes sense, of course, for a variety of reasons.
LUCAS: They all have to bond. Our international flight costs are great. We don’t hire models who will just automatically fuck when they show up and then go home. We have an experience together, and our members can feel it. I think this is why our members never get tired of certain performers. They are all bonded together.
ADAMS: Speaking of your performers, this is the third year in a row that a Lucas exclusive has won the XBIZ Europa Award for Gay Performer of the Year. Kosta is very striking, and you don’t get much better than Ruslan. Allen King has been around awhile, but he’s still as good as he’s ever been.
LUCAS: Yes, they are exceptional. All of the exclusives are unique like that.
ADAMS: Kosta told me that he admires your eye for talent.
LUCAS: Yes, but I think what connects all of our exclusive stars — all of our models, really — is they love having sex. That’s it, really. There is no secret. They give 100% in their pursuit of sex and in their enjoyment of it. All of them are very natural on camera and do not require a lot of direction. We look for performers like that, and those like Kosta who are very easy to be around. Sometimes you try and nurture someone who becomes very successful and it goes right to their head. I’ve seen it happen many times over the years, but not with Kosta.
ADAMS: Yes, we could spend all of our time today just discussing that topic.
LUCAS: I don’t know if you’ve seen the video clips Kosta will do for TikTok. He will dance and show his sense of humor. There is one where he and Allen are dancing together that is very good. The way Kosta moves and uses his voice, it’s very good. He’s very natural and talented, and just a great guy. We like to see that personality from our performers. It makes their shoots with us more interesting than just fucking.
ADAMS: You film a lot of group scenes and orgies. That kind of thing is not so common these days for various reasons; mainly, it’s expensive.
LUCAS: The fans want to see it. I also have a very good team of people that work in both production and post-production. There is so much that goes into them; we spend lots of money, but we always get more members when we film large groups. It’s a big fantasy for our members, and we want to give it to them. I’m excited to keep doing it.
