Wish Fulfillment: On the Set of Brad Armstrong's 'Carnal'

This article originally ran in the August 2018 issue of AVN magazine. Find the digital edition here. Above, from left, Natassia Dreams, Sean Michaels, Jessica Drake and Ana Foxxx The contrast is striking, walking into the darkened soundstage from the bright west valley sunlight. The high-ceilinged studio space is pitch-black, with an Egyptian black-on-black bas relief towering upstage in a pool of light, four gold columns surrounding a large sarcophagus, black statues of Egyptian gods with gold accents, and palm fronds scattered on the floor to disguise the utilitarian concrete. “Hey!” a voice thunders from the darkness. “You don’t want to shake my hand?” “I can’t even see you,” I respond, stretching a hand into the darkness. Barrett Blade grabs it. He’s shooting camera today. The project going before the cameras today is Carnal, an all-sex production directed by Brad Armstrong for Wicked Pictures. Today’s scene involves Jessica Drake with Sean Michaels shape-shifting into Ana Foxxx, “and I wondered what would be in between those,” Armstrong says. Then he met transgender performer Natassia Dreams at the TEA Awards, “and I thought, ‘She’s fuckin’ perfect.’” The complete scene will involve Drake finding an oil lamp on the beach and Michaels—a genie—offering her anything she wants. “She wants a little bit of everything, so he shape-shifts from Sean to Natassia to Ana. It’ll look like Jessica is having sex with all of them at the same time. She’ll do the same positions with all three, and we’ll edit them together. Movie magic.” Amid the Egyptian props, Jessica Drake poses for stills in a gold chain bikini and gauze overdress. “This gold underwear is digging into my snatch,” she observes placidly to no one in particular. Just part of the job. When the photographer asks if she’d like to get naked, she agrees with a relieved “Yes!” and loses the spangled bikini immediately. While Drake poses, Foxxx and Dreams enter, in black bra tops, gold headbands and belts, and gauzy black tops. “Remember: Fierce!” Armstrong coaches as Dreams poses for her stills, first fully clothed, then topless. When the bottoms come off, she takes a moment to stroke her cock to partial erection. When Michaels, Dreams and Foxxx line up for group shots, Drake giggles and claps her hands like a toddler at Christmas. “We’re doing three positions each, but they’re shorties,” Armstrong tells the players. Michaels will go first, then they’ll recreate the positions with Foxxx and Dreams. Above, Sean Michaels and Jessica Drake The scene proper starts with Michaels and Drake, he in genie garb, she in the metal bikini and sheer sheath. He steps forward to her, she puts her hand on his chest, runs it down, her face close to his cock. As she caresses it through his pants, he reaches down, touches her thigh, moves to her ass. Her finger at his mouth, they make eye contact. She grins, he smiles. They kiss. He has both hands on her ass. He kisses her hip, works his way down to her knee, back up to her navel, teasing, tonguing. She moans as he moves from breast to ear to outer thigh, knee—a momentary look in the eye and he moves to inner thigh. Drake is making little mewing moans, a low giggle. He brings his hand to her face; she sucks a finger. He goes back to her thigh, head bobbing up and down, teasing. She wiggles under him. “Move forward!” Armstrong directs, and he starts to finger her under the metal bikini bottom, then stands up. She rises, teasing his cock through his pants, little moans escaping her mouth. Total softcore as far as the camera is concerned but it looks real. Her head bobs, her hand starts stroking, he is moaning. “Open up for hardcore.” He steps around the bed. It was real. She sucks, he gasps, his face a study in concentration. She pulls the tunic away, looks at his cock, then starts sucking with intent. He covers his face with his hand as she looks at camera, a sidewise glance, then goes back, growling and moaning. She lies down on her side and he gets behind her, saying “Condom, please?” Condom and lube are retrieved, and put on, and “Action!” There is insertion. She gasps as he goes in. Her head lolls back and she moans loudly. “Ah ah ah ah ah Yeahyeahyeah ooooo yes” She starts to stoke her clit “YES yes yes yes.” A grimace. It hurts so good. Michaels quietly asks if they can reposition. “I’m falling off the back of this.” Restart. “Yes yes yes just like that.” When they close up for softcore she moans in surprise at the changed internal tension. “I can still see dick,” Armstrong says, and when Drake responds with a sarcastic “Go figure!” everybody cracks up. “How do you want me for the next position?” Drake asks, and Armstrong shoots back: “Bent over!” They assume the position and Michaels goes in slowly, as she moans and grabs her breast, cooing “Oh fuck yes” and fucking back on him as he stands still. He pulls out and goes in with his tongue, then goes back in as she moans “Oh yes.” He lightly slaps her ass, she smiles. “Close up for softcore” gets a response of “I don’t know where you’re going to put it.” They turn away from camera and let the angle do the hiding. When Armstrong has enough soft footage, they move to a mish. Michaels drives slowly into her, making intense eye contact. “A little more noise?” They amp it up, going for the finish, building, louder, faster, more intense, and ... pop. Drake surprises Michaels by grabbing for his cock and sucking it after the pop, with him panting and groaning as she returns the it-hurts-so-good favor on him. After calling cut, Armstrong asks Michaels: “Was that your Egyptian god cum noise?” Michaels shrugs, smiling. Usually, this would be the end, but for the shape-shifting scene Drake has to get her makeup touched up and get back in the gold bikini to repeat the same positions with Natassia Dreams—and then do it again with Ana Foxxx to give Armstrong the building blocks to make a seamless shape-shifting scene. “This reminds me of back in the day,” Michaels says. “Back in the mid ’90s when we used to go to Europe to shoot—in castles, in costume, with people like Joe D’Amato. This is what it’s about: Erotic entertainment at its highest level. This project is innovative. Brad and I have been trying to work together or a long time ... and here we are.” Carnal will street in August from Wicked Pictures. Follow Brad Armstrong on Twitter at @WickedArmstrong. Below, Ana Foxxx. Photos courtesy Wicked Pictures.