LOS ANGELES — “Aroused,” Deborah Anderson’s coffee-table-book-concept-turned-documentary, is getting another round in the limelight, premiering tonight on Showtime at 11:30 p.m.
According to Anderson, a noted still photographer, Showtime reps expressed interest in her directorial debut when it initially released, explaining, “It was just about timing, trying to find the right platform at the right time, and now it felt like the right time.”
Showtime has signed a two-year contract for rights to the doc, and it is scheduled to air regularly on late-night slots throughout February and March. For a detailed schedule, click here.
Catching up on the critical reception of the film nine months down the road, Anderson tells XBIZ that she noticed how her portrayal of 16 of the adult industry’s top starlets often conflicted with viewers’ expectations.
“I believe that everyone already has an idea about what it is they want to see and so when it comes to pornography they kind of put it in a box, is the best way to put it,” she said. “People wanted to see the car wreck — and there isn’t one. “It was never meant to be a car wreck. It was always meant to be a dialogue between women and an insight into what they love doing.”
Although she insists that the women she spotlighted — Tanya Tate, Kayden Kross, Lisa Ann, Katsuni, Teagan Presley, Belladonna, Misty Stone, Jesse Jane, Francesca Le, Brooklyn Lee, Alexis Texas, Ash Hollywood, Asphyxia Noir, April O’Neil, Allie Haze and Lexi Belle — didn’t have a dark side, she admits that she was initially anxious about encountering the unknown world of adult.
Before conducting her first interview, Mike Moz, an industry publicist who produced the film, critiqued Anderson's approach, telling her that her questions were “really boring” and that the performers were real people, capable of answering intimate questions about their work and private lives.
Anderson recounted the story, “He said, ‘Don’t be scared, just be you. Because you is what’s going to make this work.’ And that was the best advice that he could’ve given me, because the first girl who walked through the door was Lexi Belle and she couldn’t have been nicer, and so down to earth and so sweet.”
“Of course I'm pleased ‘Aroused’ will be reaching such a big audience through Showtime,” Moz told XBIZ when queried for comment. “Nobody but Deborah Anderson could have pulled this off and I am proud to have produced this with her. Deb literally stripped down and put herself out there with the film and book.” He added that the project's success truly hinged on the girls featured in the film, who he descirbed as "real and raw throughout."
Besides landing on Showtime, “Aroused” has been released worldwide, including Australia, Russia, the U.K. and elsewhere. It is also slated to screen in Soho House private members’ clubs in cities located around the globe. Anderson said she will be attending the Feb. 21 SoHo House screening in Los Angeles, most likely along with Tanya Tate, for a Q&A and book signing following the movie.
The film’s companion fine art book of the same name is now available at a discounted price on Amazon and through Anderon’s website, DeborahAnderson.com.
