The following article/interview is from the March 1999 issue of "Giant Robot" magazine. The text and selected pictures appear below.

A line in Asia Carrera's bio reads, "I was grounded for every 'B' I got, and beaten for anything lower than that. I was not allowed to socialize at all..." Shortly thereafter, the future Amerasian (half-Japanese, half-German) porno star, at 17, became a runaway and shacked up on people's sofas to camping tents.

But a high SAT score and her MENSA brains gave her a full ride to Rutgers University. Yet the free room and board was just a temporary stop. When she wasn't at school, Asia brought home the green by getting naked on stage. From her humbling hard times, she was humbling people's hard-ons and soon became one of the top dancers in New Jersey. Asia was bringing in the loot while school took a back seat.

But the stage was only a launching pad for the real big money of video in which she became one of the biggest stars in porno. Asia retired at her peak in 1998 to get into writing and directing while she also learned HTML to master her own website [www.asiacarrera.com]. But in 1999, the 5' 8-1/2" full-figured star came out of retirement because of the lack of sex.

GR: Your academics and education play a role in your life in the industry. What does it take to have longevity in the industry?

ASIA: The only thing it takes to have longevity in this industry is eternal youth. As long as you look young and sexy, you will get work. The academics and education don't come into play unless you want to move beyond just being a starlet, to behind the camera, into the realm of production. That's where you need ingenuity and tenacity to come up with new and different ideas for making movies and money. In an industry that puts out about 7,000 movies last year, making making something that will stand out is no easy task.

GR: How high is your IQ? How many others in porno have one that high?

ASIA: I was was tested at 154 and 156 at different times, but I can only speak for myself. I have no idea what anyone else's IQ is in this industry, since it's not usually the first thing they ask porn stars in interviews- I don't know why I'm so lucky, hahaha.

GR: What does being smart and being in porno have to do with each other? Would you say that many in porno are stupid? Or are people making the assumption that if you're smart you should be doing something else?

ASIA: There is no correlation between porn stars and idoicy levels. The sterotype of the brain-dead bimbo who couldn't get a job a McDonald's is an exaggerated myth. Most of the girls are here because they're trying to do the best they can with a crappy hand that life dealt them. There's a lot of opportunities here for girls who are down on their luck to turn things around for themselves, to make some good money, feed their kids, go back to school, whatever. And a lot of girls do just that. With movies, dancing on the road, personal appearances, fan clubs, Web sites, product endorsement, toy/merchandise lines, etc., there's an endless string of opportunities for any girl to take advantage of in pornoland, if she's willing to put in the time and effort.

PSYCHOTHERAPY GR: Asian men or non-Asian men? ASIA: I prefer Asian men as my fans, because when I do personal appearances, they are always the quietest, most polite, well-behaved, and loyal fans around. I am very lucky that most of my fans are Asian because I never have to worry about my appearances being overrun by rowdy, drunken college kids or rednecks straight out of the bar down the street. But for personal relationships, I prefer non-Asian men because I will always have a problem looking at an Asian man- especially older ones- in a relationship without thinking of my dad. GR: Play-Doh or Silly Putty? ASIA: Definitely Silly Putty. You can copy the comics with SIlly Putty, and Silly Putty doesn't get all crumbly and useless after sitting in your closet for 10 years. GR: Ramen or udon? ASIA: I prefer udon, but I'm lazy, so I only eat ramen.

GR: Hello Kitty or Mickey Mouse?

ASIA: Hello Kitty has always struck me as a really dumb cartoon with no appeal whatsoever. How can a cartoon that doesn't talk or communicate ever hope to have any sort of personality? Mickey Mouse is lame because Disney has made him so politcally correct that he has no personality either, but at least he talks. SEMI-RETIRED

GR: Since you're "retired" from adult films, are you finding enough excitement in running a web site of your own?

ASIA: Um, since I just announced I'm making more movies because retirement is so friggin' boring, I guess I answered that one.

GR: Is there a need to have more sex to compensate for making fewer films?

ASIA: Part of the reason I'm looking forward to making movies again is becuase I was turning into a eunuch sitting around the house on my computer, 24/7. I can barely remember what sex is like anymore. Maybe I'll go watch an Asia Carrera flick to refresh my memory.

GR: Does something happen to your body when you go from making 50 movies a year to one a month and then none?

ASIA: Well, there was definitely a time when I was really starting to get burned out on sex from shooting to much, but I eased up and started shooting less, and that solved that. I'm still not going to feel like hopping in the sack at home after wrapping up a long day of shooting sex scenes, but making movies did definitely raise my appetite for the quantity I like to have in total- whether I'm working or not. Before I started making movies, once or twice a week was plenty for me, and now my ideal is more like twice a day, but I'll settle for once a day.

GR: Is making a film going to be more for promo purposes to sell more web products? Is that the direction of big porno stars like yourself?

ASIA: The standard procedure is to shoot a substantial number of movies to establish a name for yourself, and once you have name-recognition, get out on the road and dance to capitalize on it. I decided to be a weirdo, and I never went out dancing at all, opting to work on-line full-time instead, while shooting a handful of movies now and then to keep my name current. That plan was foiled when I realized recently that I'm getting fat and bored sitting at home as a semi-retired has-been, so I'm going to be shooting more movies again.

GR: Is it better to make porno or to star in it?

ASIA: Depends whether you're in it or not- the people not in them would give anything to be there, and the people in them will tell you it's really no big deal. The grass is always greener...

ON THE SET GR: Do you watch porno films? Do you watch your own? What do you look for or at?

ASIA: There is no such thing as a fluffer, except on gang bang films.

GR: What's the longest day you've had on set and why was it so long?

ASIA: Our days frequently run 18 hours or more, and everyone can tell horror stories of 24-hour shoots, or seven-day shoots with three-hour turnarounds every night. The time constraints and budgets force us to push the talent and crew to superhuman lengths to get the product done in time. And pushing for a superior piece of product means beating everyone on the set to death- no exceptions. There isn't a director in Hollywood that could do what we do in pornoland with the budget and time we're given, and nobody but the actual talent and crew will ever know the sheer blood, sweat, and tears that go into even the lousiest of porno projects. Things always go wrong, and delays are inevitable, with the most common causes being late/incapacitated/irresponsible talent, or a failure to get a hard-on/pop shot during a sex scene. Then there's camera/technical difficulties, permit/neighbor/police problems, drunk/drugged-out/primadonna starlets; the list of inevitable shooting delays goes on and on. We like to say, "We work for free. We get paid to wait."

GR: I've seen a few films, and you've played the more submissive character. Is that for the most part true, or do you get aggressive as well? Is there a favorite role to play? Or is it all play-acting or is it part of your "shy" persona?

ASIA: I have played every role out there, from the shy, virginal young girl to the experienced brazen hussy, from the airheaded porno bimbo to the calculating bitchy business woman, and every race that has black hair- Greek, Indian, Gypsy, Asian, Italian, you name it! I've played mothers and daughters, and I've even played a guy, complete with moustache, sideburns, and a strap-on. Because I can act- I took acting specifically to get better roles in pornoland, and studied under two different coaches- I get all sorts of neat roles to play, and I can play pretty much any role they give me, mostly because I am so quiet and I have no personality of my own, so taking on any character is easier because I'm starting with a blank slate and creating it from there.

GR: Why did you copy Tia Carrere's last name? Are you a fan or a friend of hers? Has there been any communication back and forth?

ASIA: When I was a stripper in New Jersey, everyone always told me I look like Tia Carrere. I spelled the name differently to prevent a lawsuit, even though she took her name from Barbara Carrera. I saw her once at an airport, and my husband got her autograph, but I didn't go with him to ask, just in case she knew who I was and wanted to whup my butt!

GR: Why is a facial cum shot so precious in porno? Why is it that many actresses wait or don't want to do it until "later"? Is that the same with anal?

ASIA: Anal is definitely something to hang onto until you can get a premium for it, but facials, not as much. Facials are usually just more of a thing of personal preference for the girls, and I personally find them to be degrading and not very erotic, especially when it's in my eyes and really burning like battery acid.

GR: Do you do anal at home?

ASIA: Yeah. My boyfriend is uncircumsized, and we don't even need lube. Foreskins are a wonderful thing.

GR: Would you like to act in non-porno films?

ASIA: I was in the Big Lebowski, a film from the Oscar-winning Coen brothers team. Can't get much more mainstream than that. But no, I'm not actively looking for mainstream work.

GR: What's a big budget porno film these days since it's all on video?

ASIA: It's not all on video. The big budget videos usually run up to about $50,000, and the big budget films usually top out at $100,000, although my last film, Snow Leopard, was one of the biggest budgeted pornos ever, at over $250,000. GR: What do you think of Japanese porno? Have you been in many? Can you tell us about your experience? How were the Asian men?

ASIA: Never done one of seen one.

GR: Why is there a lack of Asian American male porno stars?

ASIA: I don't know why there aren't any Asian males in the business, but I'm looking forward to working with one if anyone has the courage to get in.

GETTING IN GR: How can I test your rubber mold? ASIA: I don't have one.

GR: How can a die-hard fan lure you into bed?

ASIA: Get a job on a porno set. I married a director, and I'm living with a lighting crew guy. They're around us all day, every day, and not as lusting fans, but as real people who slave away on the set with us day in and day out.

GR: What number did you place on the Time magazine vote-for-cover person issue? Do you know how many votes you had?

ASIA: I made the top ten, I don't know how many votes it was, though.

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