Charlie Harding- On “Proxy”, Transitioning and More

Charlie Harding is someone who has truly made a name for himself and his brand over the past couple of years.  Dominating the gay adult world, he is loved by thousands of his fans for his stunning looks and great performances, in many different ways than one.  On top of being a great performer in the adult world, he is also a fabulous writer and an all around smart guy who knows how to take lemons and turn them into lemonade.

Now that he has made his mark on the adult world, he is transitioning himself into the mainstream world with his first big role in the Brandon Deyette directed “Proxy”, which is set to be released later on this year.  As a fan of Charlie Harding’s, I couldn’t wait to sit down with him and discuss the vital things that are going on in his life.  He discusses everything from transitioning out of the gay porn world, his influences, how nervous he was when doing a role like this and why his future seems to have no limit in terms of his amazing abilities.  Check it out.

So, your first mainstream role, that’s really exciting!  What made you want to transition out of porn and go mainstream?

Let’s go back to the beginning. I always knew I wanted to  be a performer, and the adult industry gave the quickest and easiest route to get started. I was able to create a loyal fan base, become a celebrity of sorts and then use that fame to springboard to other projects. It just feels like a natural progression as I grow as an entertainer and actor to transition from adult roles that are mostly physical acting to adding the depth of emotion and soul that mainstream projects call for.

Well I have to say Julie Andrews has always been a huge icon to me. She takes performance to such an amazingly high level and always has such confidence in her roles. Sean Connery is another. Again, totally captivating in his efforts on screen, and has just an amazing persona. Of course others from more modern fare include Anne Hathaway, Chris Pine, Zoe Saldana and Peter Dinklage all are amazing performers I enjoy watching and hopefully can learn from as well.

How did this movie fall into your lap?

Well, I am very active on social media, and my fans and friends are always chatting me up about things. I made a Facebook post about starting to look into mainstream opportunities, and one friend passed me to another who happened to be Brandon Deyette the director and writer for PROXY (www.proxyonfilm.com).  We chatted about roles, personalities and such, and it all just fell into place.

Tell me about your character in the movie and what challenges he faces. 

Well Tristan is a very frustrating guy. He cares immensely about his friends, and stinks at communicating effectively with them. He has his own demons and insecurities and drinks to much, but is a genuinely good guy inside. There are significant parallels to my own life that I pulled from when Brandon and I created Tristan’s back story. I developed the character all the way back to high school in Tristan’s life to piece together moments that would have been motivating factors in decisions he makes and reactions he has.

From my previous article, it looks like Brandon really has a lot of love and faith in you.  How did it make you feel when you read that?

I cried. Literally. Brandon has an amazing talent for making you want to do great work. And going into this process, I was scared shitless. “Was I good enough?” and “Will anyone take me seriously?” are questions that kept me up at night. I worked hard to get into this role and truly become Tristan, and I’m so proud that Brandon is so excited about what I gave on film.

You recently uprooted yourself and your lovely partner from Atlanta to San Diego.  How has that been going?

Amazing. San Diego is such a great fit for us. It’s the perfect mix of beaches, gorgeous weather, friendly people and relaxed attitude that we needed. We both feel revitalized and energized being here, and now that I’m only a short drive from LA, I can pursue this crazy acting dream more whole heartedly and without so many geographic boundaries.

Very few porn actors have been able to successfully transition themselves outside of porn and into the mainstream (Colton Ford is a shining exception in the gay world, its mainly ones in the straight porn world like Ron Jeremy, James Deen & Tracy Lords).  How do you plan on following suit and making a name for yourself outside of the world you have been in for years now?

Well, hopefully my fan base will follow me over! Plus now I get to try and win over an even bigger number of folks to my team. I’m just a genuine guy, trying to make a dream come true, and I think people appreciate that. I keep getting told that I’m very relatable and easy to understand. I hope to do many more movie roles,  super excited about the television show Brandon has in development, and look forward to being an entertaining addition to tons of creative projects.

Looking back on it, was your experience in porn more positive or negative?

It had both positives and negatives. The negatives: I get stereotyped constantly as trashy or of less value as a person because I did porn. The industry takes a toll on you and is not overall a healthy environment. It’s hard to overcome the stigma attached to porn actors and be taken seriously. Some people are put off as to how comfortable I am with my body and openly talking about sex.

And that’s just the stuff I can officially talk about!