This week we catch up with Empress Poison to discuss some of her favorite things, advice she has for new performers, and more.
If you had a theme song that played every time you entered a room, what would it be?
I think the most appropriate piece of music for my entrance is Alexandre Desplat’s composition for Godzilla.
The piece is gratuitously dramatic which can be either utterly terrifying or absolutely absurd which represents me well. Plus, I have fantasies of being a Dommezilla.
If you could have starred in any movie, what would it be and why?
One thing I have been told my whole adult life, by friends, strangers and colleagues is how much I look like Helena Bonham Carter. I personally don’t see it, however many people do.
I’ve been hired into jobs apparently because of my resemblance to her.
Apart from fans on Twitter I’ve had complete strangers go out of their way to tell me which Helena Bonham Carter movie character I look especially Marla Singer and Bellatrix Lestrange.
So I guess, based on that I would play Helena in an autobiographical film.
If you could go to dinner with any celebrity, living or dead, who would you choose?
I would love to dine with Antonin Artaud, who is a French theatre practitioner. Artaud is one of the biggest names in theatre studies, but ironically, while alive, he was considered to a failure within his field. He was ahead of his time, like so many great artists.
The theories and work of Artaud has had a massive impacton the way I perceive the experience of art and performance.
Theatre of Cruelty is a theory that performance must awaken the senses through shock and eradicating the wall between the performer and the passive spectator. I have written numerous essays and dissertations on Artaud. His theories have influenced my art, my perception of reality and latterly my clips.
So it would be dinner with Artaud which I imagine would be an edible shoe on a served on a shattered plate.
What’s the one food you couldn’t live without?
Mushrooms! I’ve been vegeterian for twelve yearsand they’ve been my staple food for all that time. I think mushrooms are so adaptable and can form the basis or add to so many other dishes. Classic garlic or spicy mushrooms are a couple of my favourites.
Do you have any current obsessions?
That’s a question of context!
For the past two and half years I have been training in Aerial Hoop.
I started without any aerial performance experience and quickly realised I was going to need to work on my upper body strength! It was extraordinarily tough physically and mentally and there was a long period of time where I could barely complete the basic moves but I am tenacious. My obsession with accomplishing my fantasy to perform aerial hoop kept me fighting.
Balancing ones body weight on a high up, spinning, thin metal ring is simultaneously terrifying and much more painful than most people realise. Underneath the leotards we are covered in blisters, burns and bruises.I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Hoop has taught me that true success comes from accepting failure over and over again. It has taught me patience and discipline. Most importantly it has taught me that there is no instant gratification and that no one is entitled to skill which can only be earned though determination.
What is your favorite book?
George Orwell’s 1984 and second to that is Orwell’s Animal Farm. The thing I love about him as a writer is many of his books I have read, have a loop effect.
Each character develops an extraordinary amount but often ends up back at the beginning. Almost like a recurring dream. The idea that regression will always follow progression.
Although this aspect of his novels frustrate me greatly, I think it’s very relevant to many aspects of life
1984 and Animal Farm in particular strike a chord as I’m fascinated by totalitarianism and censorship. How often ’truth’ is driven by agenda.
What is your dream vacation destination?
Some of my close fans will know that I have a huge soft spot for animals. As I am writing this I am literally going all gooey at the thought of my dream destination which would be the Sloth sanctuary in Costa Rica. I love sloths so much, especially two toed sloths with their wet pig like noses. I melt whenever I see them. My other destination would be Bunny Island in Japan. My dream is to cover myself in bunny food and be swarmed by hundreds of rabbits.
What is something about you that would surprise your audience?
One thing that seems to surprise everyone is how long it takes me to put on my makeup which is heavy and often elaborate. People will ask how many hours it takes… in fact my full face of makeup is often done in as little as fifteen minutes.
My speed in painting faces came from me being a makeupartist for theatrical productions and working as a professional actor painting my own face in previous jobs. I once had to paint a whole cast of actors with clown paint in the space of an hour. I don’t waste time.
What was the last job you held before joining iWantEmpire?
Before this I worked as a manager in a sex shop. Selling everything from dildos, latex to BDSM gear. I got the job due to my extensive knowledge of kink and fetish, coupled with an ability to put customers at ease to talk about intimate subjects.
How did you get started on iWantClips?
After being a Pro Domme for a while, I wanted to diversify into clip production. I have always had a passion for creating art films and POV Theatre. I saw IWantClips as an opportunity to combine my passions for fetish, art, theater and film. I love the popularity of the POV as I find there is something so intimate about breaking the fourth wall and involving the spectator. In theatre I’m always keen to involve the spectator and I want to do that through film too. IWantClips is the perfect place for me to explore that.
What are bad recommendations you hear given to people just starting out in the industry?
To Focus solely on the popular categories. Whilst ignoring the niche categories.
My advice is always to start by honing ones skills and mastering the fetishes/niches. Which I both understood and enjoyed myself like Femdom, Medical fetish, glove fetishes and even the quite niche apron fetish – it took time and research to be able to branch into other fetish categories.
If you are keen to explore fetishes which you don’t yet have knowledge or experience in then you may be lucky enough to be schooled by a seasoned clip artist, Domme or client. It’s important to always be willing to listen and learn so one day you can use that knowledge to help others.
What advice would you give to a new artist starting out in the industry?
Invest, invest, invest… in your knowledge, your skills and in the right tools that will enable you to perfect your craft and provide you with longevity and growth.
In this industry you can earn a heap of money in a very short period of time. Stop and ask yourself how you can use that money to develop and ultimately make more money… a designer purse is a nice to tweet about but a new computer or camera or better lighting can have a big effect on your sales.
Technology skills are also key. The more time you invest in learning how to use your camera, lighting and editing software the better your product and the less dependent you’ll need to be on others to do those things for you.
For more Empress Poison check out her iWantClips Store or Twitter page