Meghan Chavalier has been called "The most beautiful and provocative transsexual porn star in the world" by AVN and "The reigning queen of transgender adult films" by Girl Talk.TV Epic Magazine says that she "Changed the face of transsexual adult films." Originally from Wisconsin, Meghan has spent time in Texas, Albuquerque, New Orleans and points beyond. Famous as both a stage performer and erotic film star, Meghan showcases her beauty on her own web site, Meghan took some time out from her busy schedule to chat with us.
Eros Zine: AVN Magazine called you "The Most Beautiful and Provocative Transsexual Porn Star in the World." That's pretty high praise from the biggest professional magazine in the adult industry! How does it feel knowing that people in the industry hold you in such high regard?
Meghan Chavalier: That's a pretty amazing thing to say about someone and when I think someone said it about me, I find that even more amazing because I'm such a jeans and t-shirt, glasses wearing, nerdy kind of girl. There are people I would definitely say are beautiful, like Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. I'm just one of those people who think beauty definitely radiates from the inside.
EZ: What was it like growing up in Wisconsin? Did you ever dream that you would one day be a famous transsexual porn star?
MC: Wisconsin is really a great place. I've always found Midwesterners to be hardworking, honest people. I used to tell people I grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico because it seemed more interesting to me, but now I can say I'm proud to be a cheesehead. (Laughs.)
I think the biggest misconception about people that do porn is that they come from broken families and had these horrible lives, but mine was very normal. My family is totally cool with me and everything I choose to do. They stand behind me in all of my endeavors.
I can honestly say I never dreamed I would ever do porn. I knew growing up I wanted to be many things, but a porn star wasn't one of them. I didn't even lose my virginity until I was 19 years old. I think I made up for lost time.
I still believe that the only stars are the ones in the sky. I think we're all in this together. No one person is better than the other. As long as you respect other people and treat people with kindness and love, you'll be a better person at the end of the day.
EZ: When you were 21, you started doing performances; your first performance caused quite a stir. Can you talk about what that was like and how people reacted?
MC: That infamous Milwaukee evening will stand out in my memory forever. It was the first time I had ever been asked to do a show and I was so nervous but I figured that if I was going to do it, I better do it the most interesting way I could. So I chose a song by Martika called "Love Thy Will Be Done." I decided that I was going to bring in some other showgirls to be a back up choir and at the end of the song I would be on a cross wearing a gold bra and panties.
I think at the time, at my younger age, I thought it would be a great piece of performance art. After I finished the performance and saw the looks and heard the gasps I realized maybe it wasn't the best idea. (Laughs.)
Would I do it today? I'm not too sure. I'd have to put some serious thought into that one. The world has become more open to many things, but whenever you involve religion with anything in this day and age you're looking for trouble.
EZ: I recently moved from New Orleans myself; I'm sure you'll agree that it is like no other place in the world. What was your experience like in New Orleans?
MC: New Orleans is the most amazing city on Earth. It's where I really became who I was as a person. I learned so much living in New Orleans, and the people are so friendly. I was actually on my way to Florida when I stopped to visit one of my best friends from high school. I visited the French Quarter one evening and absolutely fell in love with the city. I met so many transsexuals the first night I went out and learned so much in that first night that I decided to call New Orleans home for the next four and half years. I look back on the experience with fondness. I made some lifelong friends in New Orleans.
EZ: In New Orleans, you started doing Madonna onstage, as well as Annie Lennox. How do you feel these two very different icons reflect you? How do crowds react to them differently?
MC: That's a great question. I was a fan of Madonna from day one so the fact that I actually ended up being able to perform as Madonna was a thrill for me. I actually started performing at Papa Joes as Madonna and Olivia Newton John. The crowd loved my Madonna, but hated my Olivia so I had to bring in another character which ended up being Annie Lennox.
My friend Stephanie Williams thought Annie was the best choice because I am also a huge Annie Lennox fan. I think that Madonna brought out the sexual side of me, while Annie brought out the dominant side of me. It was great to be able to become these two iconic women. The crowd really liked both of them, I found the Annie Lennox character made the men a little uncomfortable because I would perform in a suit with a tie and end up on one of their laps at some point in the performance.
I think that anyone can relate to Madonna. She's been here for over 20 years and has been such a mainstay in pop culture and I think she's just as relevant today as she was in the '80s and '90s, just a little tamer.
EZ: What was it like doing your first video, Transsexual Centerfolds?
MC: Terrifying. I had never done anything on camera before.
I worked with a very popular fetish star Mistress Persephone.
She made the whole movie so much easier for me. She helped me
get through the nervousness. I think I can take this moment to
tell her thank you. She's an awesome individual and one of the
coolest people I have ever met. You can visit her website www.sickchixxx.com.
I was hooked after that first movie, though. I learned to love the camera.
EZ: You then moved on to doing some smoking fetish videos. Did you smoke at the time, or was it something you did for the videos? What was it like doing smoking fetish videos?
MC: Smoking videos have got to be the hardest videos to do in the industry from my perspective. I did smoke, so that part wasn't hard. It was the smoking 7-10 cigarettes in one hour that was the difficult part. No person should ever intake that much nicotine at one sitting. (Laughs.)
They can be fun, and they were really the first films I ever did that I related directly to the viewer. They are set up so that you are talking directly to the camera as if you were talking directly to a person in the room. The concept is great, the smoking is a killer.
EZ: You directed Queen, one of the first horror/porn films in the adult industry, and directed other work for Devil's Films including Transsexual Prostitutes Part 7, which was nominated for an AVN award in 1999. What led you to leave Devil's Films and go into business with Chimera Tryst -- with whom you've now done over 80 movies?
MC: I realized that the adult industry would be a longer career path for me than anything else I was doing at the time in my life. I had done some work for Devil's Films and thought it might be a great idea to approach them about becoming a contract player in the industry. I had heard of genetic females working under contract but never transsexuals, so I decided I would try to become the first.
I managed to become that contract girl after a few meetings, and soon there were four more contract girls with Devil's Films. That was a major stepping stone in my life. I honestly felt like a wall had finally come down. I directed five films for Devil's but eventually we parted ways. I think that the direction we both wanted to go in at the time wasn't beneficial for either of us.
Soon I became an independent contractor once more and took a year off from the industry because nobody would hire me. I think the fallout from my contract dispute hurt me in the industry.
Luckily Chimera Tryst called me a year later and asked me if I was ready to go back to work. She brought me back into the industry. I owe her a lot for taking a chance on me when nobody else would. Thank goodness the work we did together did really well. I think when two people understand each other and what direction they want to go in with their films, it really makes the whole situation much easier.
MC: It's a science fiction/fantasy novel. My first passion has always been and always will be writing. If I wouldn't have gotten into the adult industry, I think I would have written this book about 15 years ago, but like most things in life, things happen when they happen. You honestly have to follow the road you're on at the time and when you see the fork hopefully you'll choose the right path.
The book is really a cross between Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. It's honestly the first time I've really been able to focus and write from the heart. It's a true labor of love for me. It's also the first in a trilogy which will be released through Publish America. The first book was released March 10, 2005 and I'm so appreciative that it's doing well.
EZ: One of the films you wrote was Transsexual University. It's said that it added humor to the adult film genre. What was it about and how was it to write a film? Were you happy with the finished product?
MC: The movie was done in 1998. One thing I always thought was missing from porn was humor. I mean honestly, when people have sex some of the greatest moments are when you can both laugh and have fun doing it. I thought incorporating that into a film might add that special touch that was missing. The premise of the film was that I would be the drunk headmistress of a cheerleading college, which is funny in itself because I'm the most accident-prone person on the planet.
In the film there are other girls who want to become part of the cheerleading squad and I put them through the steps of becoming cheerleaders. We also decided that it was time that movies needed a girl that wasn't thin but actually quite full-figured so we hired a girl and she was great at the part. I think I just wanted to show people that you can be anything you want to in life no matter what age, race, sex or size you are.
I was really happy with the finished product, it's a great laugh, if you can find a copy I would say buy it and have a good chuckle.
EZ: Tell us about your independent film, slated for release later this year, called TV Cowboy.
MC: This movie has been sitting on the shelf for so long they may even push the release date back further this year. The first time I was first offered the script for this movie was in 1996. I agreed at the time to take the part in the film, which would be filming in 1997. Unfortunately, due to scheduling, I wasn't able to take on the role because I was so busy at the time making adult films. So they gave the part intended for me to another girl.
Fast forward two years later; the company producing the film approached me again to do the part. They said they weren't happy with the performance they had on film of the other girl, and asked me if I would consider doing it again.
I said yes and actually ended up doing it in 2000. I'm still not too sure about my acting in the role, but it was interesting nonetheless. I showed up on the set thinking I was going to be all dolled up for the part. They actually put my hair in a bun and aged me, which I thought was kind of funny. I'm playing the part of an aging club act so I guess it was fitting. Just like most of my life, not a lot of glamour but a lot of fun.
EZ: Are you in a relationship?
MC: I am absolutely in love with my boyfriend of 4 ½ years, Eric F. East. He's the most amazing dude on the planet. He's smart and talented and wonderful and luckily he's mine. It's great to be in a relationship that's 50-50. We respect each other and he has no problem with the career I have chosen for myself he's been my support system. He's an audio/video engineer.
EZ: What girls working in your industry do you think have the "it" factor?
I think that these ladies are what the industry should be about, gorgeous transsexuals who use their brains. I respect smart women.
EZ: So what happens next for you, Meghan?
MC: Well, I'll finish writing my second book The Mystical Journey: The Book of Garenon, and hopefully have it out by summer of 2006. I'm planning on moving back to Los Angeles this year and going back to making movies full time. I've had enough time off, it's time to go back to work. And of course, supporting the transgender community.
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