Finding longevity in any career is very difficult, let alone the adult industry. Far too many times you find these “one hit wonder” types that come in like a lion and out like a lamb. However, if you are smart, witty and know a thing or two about business, you can figure out how to stay on top (pun intended) of your game and still find an insane amount of relevance years later. One man in the gay adult industry that exemplifies this is the beautiful Nick Capra.
Nick started doing work in the gay porn industry around the time the new millennium happened, so roughly 14 years. Chiseled looks, ability to perform and being an incredible top in each scene made him a fan favorite for many years to come. Since his start, he has had his ups and downs in his personal life that he documents very well on his well followed social networking pages. All of these things made it a no brainer to want to interview him and get to know him on a more personal level.
Nick sits down with me at Manhattan Digest to discuss his start in the industry, high’s and lows, favorite scene partner, why the current crop of stars don’t measure up to the legends, and so much more. Take a look.
How did you get into the adult industry in the first place?
It was quite by accident. I was dating a porn star, Troy Michaels at that time, attending holistic school and working as a server at a restaurant. My boyfriend came home to tell me he was doing an internet show for someone named Chi Chi LaRue. I had no idea whom that was, but, he seemed excited. He showed me a picture of the model he was going to be performing with and, this guy was gorgeous. Too gorgeous, I got extremely jealous. I told him, “Absolutely not.” And my boyfriend became frantic, because he was hoping Chi Chi would like his performance on the internet show enough to offer him a feature in a video. I asked my boyfriend if these shows were recorded and he told me they were only streamed. So, ignorantly I volunteered, thinking that no one would be watching some internet show.
I walked into Channel One Releasing offices, the day of my internet show with my boyfriend. The owner took one look at me, and got on the phone. I heard him say to someone on the other end of the phone, “Are you in the area? Good. Troy Michaels is here with his boyfriend. And this guy looks like an Italian movie star.” 15 min later, this huge man, came storming into the office. He had platinum hair, a goatee, and no eyebrows. He walked up to me and introduced himself. “Hi, I’m Chi Chi,” and the rest is history…or something like it. Chi Chi helped me pick out my stage name, Nick Capra, that day. And midway through our internet performance, he came into the room and offered both myself and my boyfriend a scene together. It was a video titled, “Finish Me Off”, which was filmed in February 2002. So, in a few months it will be the 14 year anniversary of the birth of Nick Capra…the accidental porn star, lol.
Tell me about your upbringing. Did you come out early in life, and what was your coming out experience like?
Great Ma, shitty Dad. I was skinny and gay and bullied (it was the early 80’s) because homosexuality was not embraced, much less tolerated by kids my age. I came out at 18 years old. It was awesome. My Ma was super supportive. When I told her, she said, “Well, i suppose if it looks like a duck, and walks like a duck…it’s usually a duck.” She hugged me and has always accepted who I am. That made it easy. Her love has always been my saving grace.
Going into any industry you have to have inspirations that led you there. Any guys in particular that inspired you to join?
Absolutely not. As I so vividly pointed out in the first question, I had no intention to be a porn star. I knew no one’s names. They were my idols, for the 5-10 min I jerked off to them. That’s the extent of my porn adulation, before I entered the industry.
You document on your social networking pages about your sobriety with drinking and drugs, which I highly commend you for that. What did it take for you to get to quit both and how hard was the adjustment?
That’s not an easy subject for me. I attempted sobriety many times, since I was 19 years old, to no avail. As a hardcore addict, it took something that held such tremendous depth and weight to really make me understand the value to life. Someone I loved more than life itself, died. That’s what got me sober.
Have you seen positive changes both in yourself and hearing from fans when sharing your stories?
Well, my fan base is different than most porn stars. Other guys in the industry joke, and say my fans have a very extreme sort of adulation for me. It’s not really difficult to understand why my fans aren’t “typical” porn fans. When you share your sex with people, that’s something that many find very personal. So, porn stars have a very strong base of fans, who feel like they “know them”, because they get to see their favorite stars, engage in this private rite of passage, on camera.
I also happen to write. I write about things that are not related to porn. I write about addiction and recovery and relationships. I write about “dad issues”, body and self image issues, surviving the suicide of the love of my life. Individually, these are some very relatable subjects.
How many people can relate to a porn star, who does nothing but exemplify porn? The porn “cult of personality” can have many masks. You can create an image, completely contrary to who you really are, as a porn star. And from the guys I’ve met in this Industry, (I’ve met almost everyone) that’s usually the case. I’m authentic in my writing, so, the fans get the sex. But, they also get sparks of my soul, through the writing. Once you share a personal story that your fans can relate to…they are your fans for life. Of course, that works against me, as well. I would have a larger fan base if I just stuck to smut and being this disingenuous, notorious public figure. Since I got sober, numbers don’t interest me.
The positive changes in me come from the truth I write about. And, when a fan writes me to share a story that was congruent with my writing, my heart soars. It brings more joy than any box cover, or magazine cover could ever bring me.
You have also had quite the longevity in this industry, where a lot of people tend to come and go really quickly. What’s your secret on finding long term work in this type of an arena?
Yes. I’ve watched huge stars…much bigger and more famous than myself; experience what I call a “meteoric” rise to the top. They stay there for several years, then saturate, and disappear. I’ve watched several generations of gay porn stars do that over the last 13 1/2 years. The average life span of a really successful porn star is 3-5 years.
I don’t know why I have outlasted everyone. There is not a single gay porn star, who emerged when I did, who is still shooting Raging Stallion, Titan, Kink.com, and all the other “A-list” studios. Of course, my growing older, and this whole “daddy” thing has helped. Honestly, I believe it’s because I’m the only one writing and doing what I do. I have a general concern for helping others. And that translates in my writing. People enjoy seeing someone who has gone to Hell, and clawed their way back. My story is almost: Secondary- Porn, Primary- Salvation, and moving closer to the truth.
Of all the scenes that you have done, which would you say would be your favorite and why?
Arpad Miklos, (RIP) for my compilation video “Nick Capra-Dirty Talk” Arpad was a gentle giant and my biggest porn crush. And he made me cum twice in the scene.
Do you have anyone in particular that you are dying to work with?
No. I’m not particularly impressed by the current group of stars. Comparing them to men I was in the industry with in years past; like Matthew Rush, or Arpad, or Johnny Hazard. But to answer your question, I find Ryan Rose to be an amazing performer. The camera loves him. And, he’s faced some demons, and is growing to become a better person. Sidenote: Ryan is actually more handsome in person, where most of these boys are so edited that you wouldn’t recognize them in person. Johnny V. is an amazing performer, as well. Love him to death.
All the scenes you have done so far have been condom. Have you ever thought about doing a bareback scene? What are your thoughts on that part of the industry as well?
I have only performed in condom videos. However, I only jerk off to BB videos. It’s way hotter to watch for me. My thought is that the industry is moving to BB, with the success of PrEP, and the high demand for raw sex. Suffice to say, condom porn in 5 years, will be a thing of the past. I would never sit here and tell you that I’ll never shoot a BB scene. Cuz, I never say, “Never” 🙂
What is next for the Nick Capra brand?
A memoir. The entire story, from beginning, to end. An emotional roller coaster, taking the reader through all the darkness…then finding my light.
