For the past decade, Enrique Cruz have became one of the most loved, admired and respected directors of the porn industry. Not only has his films has viewers turned on sexually, they also have viewers (particularly Urban Black and Latino viewers) that it’s ok to be gay, sexy, and intelligent.
Since entering the scene, Cruz has filmed some of the industry’s hottest films including "Cruizing Da Hood, " Off Da Hook 1 & 2, Aprende 1&2, Reloaded, and the classic Tiger’s Brooklyn Tails, launched the careers of Tiger Tyson and T-Malone, both who gone off to have successful careers.
I had the wonderfully opportunity to interview this innovative director at Cosci’s shortly before the holiday where we spoke about his career, the importance of mixing of races, and his upcoming plans which includes shooting a movie as well as a music video for rapper Shorty Roc.
Q: Thanks for the opportunity to allow me to interview you.
A: Just finished Aprende Part 3. And after that, I’m working on a new “Doin’ the Butt” Number 24 and 25. That’s usually first timers on the website and they’re gonna be first time actors that actually are on the camera.
Q: What inspired you to pursue a career as a director?
A: I went to the School of Visual Arts up here in New York City and I was interested in filmmaking, and then afterwards, as a joke, I had said to a friend of mine that I wanted porn because it wasn’t any good porn movies, so I wanted to make porn, and the short stories ended up being a sample video for twenty minutes that I sent out to companies.
Q: You’re primarily known for directing porn movies. How did you get involved in the porn industry and what was the name of your first movie?
A: The first one is called “Learning Latin” when I did the twenty minute sample, I sent copies to different companies and Vivid Video was the company I wanted to work with. The first one was “Learning Latin” then we did “Learning Latin 2,” “Cruzin’ The Hood.” We did the whole series, then I started my own company Enrique Cruz Productions.
Q: What prompted you to start your own company?
A: The success of Vivid Video was overnight and “Learning Latin” was a huge success. It got into every porn video shop and because of that, it gave me a high visibility so I said I wanna do it for myself instead of having Vivid Video make all the money, so like most new artist who are working in the when you start.
Q: I watch you work and I enjoy how your films deal with urban themes and life.
A: I wanted to do something that was inclusive of me and my friends at the time and where I grew u, and where I grew up it was mixed with Blacks and Latin. Our neighborhood our school and all of my friends have been a mixture of people so I wanted to kind of be inclusive and the first company I had was Lamacha, Lamacha is pretty much a mixing of the races and I think in a perfect world, we wanna have a day where Black, White, Latin can get along and it’s kinda the theme in all those videos.
Q: Many fans and critics have label “Tiger Brooklyn Tails” as a classic and favorite. From your perspective, why is that film so popular?
A: I spent a lot of time on the story, and the story behind Tiger Brooklyn Tails was a guy coming out to his best friend who is straight, and just having to be inclusive that a straight guy can be friendly with a gay guy. It was based on the fact was one of the guys was Latino and one of the guys was Black and again a mixing of the races.
Q: The scene in Aprende with Scorpion and Antonio Torres is my all time favorite sex scene. Will you be filming a follow up with those two?
A: OK (both laugh) Unfortunately, Scorpion is as they say away on vacation, which is the code word for locked up. I don’t think he’ll do a follow up anytime soon, but that was a huge favor and Antonio Torres is retired from the business.
Q: You mentioned a great point about mixing Blacks and Latins in your films. I’ve hung with a lot of Latinos, but I’ve heard stories about Blacks and Latinos not liking each other. How false is that story?
A: It depends on how they were raised. In New York, it’s the melting pot. When I go to places like Atlanta, you have the Black clubs and the Latin clubs, and you don’t see a lot of race mixing, but in cities like New York, L.A., and Miami, they have something called the Blatino experience where they have race mixing, and even when I went to Paris France, there was a lot of mixing of the races, but it depends on how you were raised. But now, the younger generation, the younger kids are more accepting, but the older generation, they kind of have a lot of stigma attached to it, so it’s like Blacks sticks with Blacks, Whites stick with Whites, Latinos stick with Latinos, but I think the younger generations are more open to it.
Q: You said you just finished editing Aprende 3. Not giving it away, what can we expect from it?
A: Aprende 3 we shot a lot of stuff for the first time on the beach, so half of the film take place in the Caribbean so that is different for me. We did stuff on the truck. So now we got to the beaches on “Aprende 3” and we shot it on location in the Caribbean and that was a little bit different. So half the scenes was shot overseas which I thought came out pretty good and hot!
Q: The main thing I admire about your films is the sensuality and how you have the guys participate in foreplay and kissing. I love that!!
A: That’s important when you’re doing something erotic. There’s different ways of being dominant. You can have someone be totally dominant a guy can get off on it. Another way is to have a romantic scene it shows guys can be like couples. I’ve been in a relationship for seven years at think it’s possible for guys to be in relationships.
Q: I’ve heard that you’re filming Rapper Shorty Roc’s upcoming video “Stop What You’re Into.” How did that come about?
A: I was working on an erotic short film, and I met Shorty Roc at a taping here and I told him you can do a song for me, and he was telling me he wanted to do a music video so I offered to do the music video that will be on the Logo channel. So we make it sexy. Hot, not too sexy, just sexy enough! It just worked out where you do a song for me and I do a video for you.
Q: How do you think you’re making an impact on the Gay Community and Porn Industry?
A: I think that the impact on the younger generation. You said that this (Off The Hook) was the first porno you saw. When you see yourself on screen, and are inclusive, in the lifestyle, it tells you it’s OK to be gay and you’re not fucked up for being gay. You can be intelligent and you don’t have to be in jail and you don’t have to be in the ghetto. You can go to school and get an education. Those are the things I think are important. Even mixing sexuality, you can get a job and mess around on the side.
Q: That’s another thing I love about “Aprende.” Is how the students were going to school taking care of business while expressing and enjoying their sexuality.
A: When I look at my friends and the people who are gay, they’re going to school, they have jobs, and they’re trying to do things with their lives, and a lot of the earlier films had boys behind bars, and that can be OK if you include the boys who aren’t behind bars, going to school and trying to do something. So that’s my contribution; kinda even it out a little bit so it won’t be everybody behind bars. I hope that continues in the next generation.
Q: What other projects you’re working on
A: We’re doing the short video for the Logo channel with Shorty Roc; “Stop What You’re Into” and that’s gonna be a hot song. We’re gonna have two girls kissing and we’re gonna have two guys kissing that will be Logo friendly, and we will have some boys without their shirts. Some club scenes and then “After Party Babies” is a short I wanna take to film festivals, and it takes place in the night life, the club scene. The night life. We’re gonna have professional actors. We’re doing a party January 22 at Splash with Harmonica Sunbeam hosting a contest with anal ring toss first time on stage. Guys take a double sized dildos, shove it up their ass, toss the ring and you try to get in the thong.
Q: Where do you see yourself in the next five to ten years?
A: Sleeping. Retired. I might retire in five to ten years. Doing something else. It’s been fun. I wanna keep doing it, but I don’t wanna be the old guy on the block doing porn.
I’m staring to get grey hair. I got a few years left, but give it to the young kids. The young bucks.
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