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Handsome. Horny. Heavenly.
Eric Hanson is back for good.
Eric Hanson, the Falcon star, the fashion model, that Eric Hanson. I know you know whom I’m talking about. The vaguely mysterious young man with legendary good looks and an undeniable charisma, the adult video star who has only to lower his long, luscious eyelashes and allow to play across his red, red lips a mere hint of a sexy smile that drips with the promise of incipient pleasure, that Eric Hanson, is sitting across the table from me on a rare soggy Southern California afternoon, and he’s talking about Life with a capital L. I’ve known Eric since he entered the porn industry in 1996, and this is the most relaxed I’ve ever seen him. At first he’s his usual somber self, but as the afternoon draws on, he loosens up and even flashes a smile at me now and then. It’s easy to forget that he has a wry, observant sense of humor. His enigmatic persona doesn’t begin to scratch the surface of his authentic self. It’s been a tumultuous year for Eric, both personally (which he is loathe to discuss in great detail), and professionally: At the end of last summer, Eric packed up his life in Miami and moved to Los Angeles. Now free of his exclusive contract with Falcon Studios, he’s appeared on camera for MSR Videos, All Worlds Video and Studio 2000. Eric’s at a crossroads at this moment in time, and right now he wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.
In your last interview with Unzipped Monthly, you said you’d never consider moving to Los Angeles, that you didn’t want to get caught up in the industry. What changed?
This is the place to be for mainstream acting and commercials. This is Hollywood. I did a little bit of mainstream work in Miami, some movie extra jobs here and there. But this is where I should be if I want to really pursue acting as a career. This is probably where I should have moved ten years ago.
Earlier today you were having your headshots taken. Do you have an agent yet?
There’s an agent right now who wants to work with me and mold me into an actor. That’s why I had the headshots done. And I’m going to be taking acting classes starting next week.
Does your agent know you’re also Eric Hanson? You’re not just a porn model; you’re a legitimate star. Have you thought about how you’re going to handle people’s reactions to that news?
He knows. I get a lot of negative [feedback] from a lot of people. They tell me studios won’t touch someone who works on this side of the entertainment industry, that they don’t want any kind of negative publicity. And on the positive side, a lot of people really don’t care. They see others like Traci Lords crossing over. I know everyone always brings her up, but look at how she has crossed over! I guess you can say that I’m at least going to give it a try. And if I get knocked down, and if people don’t accept me, at least I can always say I tried. That’s all I can do: try my best. I’m not looking to become this famous person; if I get work in commercials and bit parts here and there, and I survive, that’s when I’ll be really happy. Because I’ll be doing what I really want to do with my life.
When you started making adult films, did you give any thought as to how they might affect your life further down the road?
I did. But I was with my best friend, and we were young, we wanted to have fun and travel and make money. We didn’t care. We weren’t planning to become president or senators. So what’s the problem? There wasn’t anything happening in Miami as far as mainstream work, and when this opportunity came along, I took it. You know, I’m speaking for everyone in the [erotic] industry who is trying to make a better life or trying to move on, I don’t think [adult films] should be looked at as something that’s bad, because we all need a stepping stone. We all have to start from somewhere. We all change as people, and we grow, and if we’re ready to move on to something new in our life, we should be able to do that without being judged. At least give us the opportunity to prove ourselves.
I’m glad you’re not trying to pretend it never happened.
If they asked, you know what I would say? That’s my past, and I enjoyed doing it. I’m not ashamed.
Is there an Eric Hanson persona that you create on film?
Hmmm. That’s a good question. If you’re asking if I’m any different in my own life, I’d say yes. I’m more of a hard-edged person. Tougher, more thick-skinned. I’m not really Falcon’s sensitive, innocent boy next door.
Especially in French Connections, you were so beautiful and sweet and dreamy.
I was that way in all my movies! I think if I were to create a character [based] on the real me, he’d be tough, someone who doesn’t take any shit and wants things his way.
It was so easy for me to give in to that dreamy image of you that Falcon did so well. It was a nice fantasy.
There was no planning on my part about that. [Laughing] It was part of the Falcon recipe. They didn’t ask much of me. I was just supposed to show up, look dreamy and make sure it seemed like I was having a good time.
Are you applying the lessons you’ve learned making adult films to your mainstream work?
Oh, absolutely. Just [in terms of] being comfortable in front of a camera—being relaxed and more yourself. Back in the beginning, that was a problem I had. I would clam up in front of a camera. I didn’t know what to do. I was nervous. I still get a little nervous. In the porn industry, you have so many photo shoots and sessions for your [glamour] shots, and it all takes so much time to do. Gradually, I’ve become much more comfortable being in front of a camera.
Let’s say you find success as an actor. Are you concerned that, with adult films as a part of your history, the mystery for your audience is gone?
No. If I’m drawn to someone, I want to see more of him. There’s always something new to uncover.
Text by Benjamin Scuglia
See Eric Hanson in all his full frontal glory in the latest issue of Unzipped Monthly, on sale now.
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