We sat down to chat with Maitland Ward about her latest project, Muse 2, which is out now and proves that porn can have something to say other than the obvious. Viewers likely expected the sizzling hot scenes featuring several of the hottest adult performers in the industry, but some may be surprised to see that the provocative series also tackles some of the most talked-about and controversial topics society is facing today.
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Consent, Power, #MetToo
In Season 1 of Muse, Maitland Ward played an unconventional professor of sexual psychology who gave her students an assignment designed to force them to explore their sexuality. In Muse 2, Ward’s character is confronted by bombshell allegations from one of her male students over the assignment, kicking off a debate about consent, power dynamics, and cancel culture, topics which are more topical than ever.
In our interview, Ward revealed that the way the film handled these sensitive issues was quite “purposeful,” adding, “I mean we definitely wanted to take real events from real life and married them into porn and extreme quality films. So I really think that this film is so like, now, and relevant.” Starting from the first season, Ward continued, “our whole thing was to question, ‘Is porn art?’”
In order to sell this premise, Ward worked with Muse director/writer Kayden Kross to develop a complicated, polarizing character that she admitted mimicked her own journey in a way. “She’s a polarizing figure that has gained fame because of her, you know, provocativeness and her popularity, but she’s also torn down because of it. And that’s kind of, that’s kind of mirroring my life too. You know, I’m a bit polarizing. Probably, she’s more polarizing than me,” she playfully added.
Today’s Biggest Discussions – In Porn
After being accused of sexually objectifying a male student, Ward’s character is “torn down like in a minute,” bringing together the #MeToo era with cancel culture, but with the typical power dynamics reversed. There have been far more. Ward told us, “It’s interesting to see this sort of ‘Me Too’ accusation from a man to a woman of power.”
Though Ward stressed that she has no real problem with cancel culture as a concept, especially when it targets people who have done enormous harm, she acknowledged that the fervor to “cancel” someone, especially on social media, can happen for “such minor things.” Despite the fact that these discussions have dominated mainstream media for years, viewers may not expect these serious topics to have a place in pornography.
Why Porn Is The Perfect Place For These Topics
Ward knows that people have a lot of preconceived notions about porn’s ability to tackle these important issues in a substantial way, and she’s obviously proud to be part of a production that’s challenging those assumptions. “People don’t expect porn to be something that makes you think and makes you feel things. A lot of people think, ‘Oh, it’s just sex and stuff.’ But this isn’t,” Ward insisted.
She continued, “This is like sex [combining] story and plot and acting and big production. So I think it’s really just one of a kind and it’s really setting the stage for future bridges between mainstream and porn.” That’s an ambitious goal, but the cast and crew were more than able to reach it. Muse 2 is out now and based on the fact that the first season won several industry awards, we can only assume that the latest addition to the series will be just as well received.
Stick with Suggest.com for more from our interview with Maitland Ward