NEW YORK — Longtime performer Lucy Hart has stepped outside the world of adult to star in "Director's Cut," a new mainstream slasher movie that premiered this weekend in theaters across the U.S.
Written and directed by Don Capria, the film — about a punk band that takes an ill-fated trip into the woods of Pennsylvania to shoot a music video — features Hart as the killer.
Hart spoke with XBIZ about landing the role.
"I moved to Brooklyn from Vegas, and about a week later, my dear friend Small Hands told me a movie director wanted to do a Zoom call with me," she said. "What I didn’t know was that Don Capria had asked Small Hands what female porn star to put in the movie. He strongly suggested making it a trans woman instead of a cis woman, and recommended me. Next thing I know, I got the role, so I owe that to Small Hands big time!"
In addition to performing, Hart is deeply familiar with producing and directing, though she noted that she has never done so at this level.
"I have produced and directed thousands of porn movies, so I do have an idea of what they were going through during the process," she said. "Don and Bliss Bussant, the director of photography, knocked out shots with impressive efficiency under wildly tight time constraints while keeping true to their vision. Not many people can do that."
The hectic shooting conditions actually helped the cast and crew bond over the course of production, Hart added.
"It was about 10 degrees in the abandoned mansion we were shooting in for three weeks," she explained. "The whole cast got close under blankets and coats around a space heater for hours in the green room while we waited for our scenes."
She reserved her strongest praise for veteran character actor Louis Lombardi, the film's star and titular "director."
"Working alongside Louis Lombardi was a privilege," she said. "You have to understand that this man has been acting professionally since he was a child. They say it takes 10,000 hours to 'master' a craft. Louis has been at this for decades. Seeing him memorize lines, and his process minutes and seconds before we would roll, talking to him about the business in between takes — I feel like I went to acting school."
Hart also noted some key differences between industry and mainstream shoots.
"For starters, we would wrap for the day, and no one came on anyone or got fucked in the ass!" she joked. "So that was wild. I felt like I was just getting paid to hang out and have fun.
"Also, the crew was dozens of people. We had catering all day — the best sausage, egg and cheese sandwiches I’ve ever had. Most of my experience in porn was three-to-six-hour shoots with maybe four to six people in the room. This was the largest-scale thing I’ve ever been a part of."
Hart expressed her gratitude for how much leeway she was given to make the role her own, as well as the unique trans representation she was able to embody.
"Don let me be me," she said. "He let me flag for BDSM with a black hanky on my ankle the whole movie. I asked him if it would be OK if I didn’t tuck my dick because in real life, I never tuck. Some trans women don’t because it can be really uncomfortable. My wardrobe was tight pink Lycra pants, so about half the movie, my girl-dick bulge is on screen. It might not seem like a big deal to most people, but to me, that’s groundbreaking because it chips away at normalizing real trans bodies.
"Now that I’ve seen it five times at all the premieres, I’ve had some time to really take it in," Hart added. "The story is smart. The talent and crew crushed it. I’m very excited to see what we can pull off with the sequel and the prequel, with some real budget and space to make it happen."
For more information and showtimes, click here.
Follow Hart on X.com.
