Fresh Faces: Rod Jackson

Photo above by Rick Garcia. To see more photos from AVN's Talent Night, click here. "I had finished school with a degree in psychology and I was working at JC Penney. I was just seasonal, and I had been let go. I was like, okay, I like having sex [laughs]. Why not try it?" After entering the industry as "Rod Hardman," he changed it to Rod Jackson, explaining, "I wanted it to be a little more professional. A great man before me had the name, Dave Hardman. Jackson is a more professional name, one I can use in different avenues. I did about ten scenes and some content trades under the old name before I changed it." His first scene was for Dark X with Ella Knox. "Because it was my first one, I was kinda nervous, but the script allowed me to do some acting—I like acting, I didn’t know that—it was a stepbrother/stepsister kind of thing. It was really fun, and Ella was fun to work with. Really funny. Patient, too, because there were some things I didn't know and she was amazing. “I didn’t know how to have sex on camera,” he continues. “There were other people in the room, and one guy was playing Candy Crush and I could hear it. I was focusing on that. I learned to focus on the girl and find what about the girl I like. I also had to learn how to position myself on camera. I had to learn how to perform." Asked what he likes about performing. Jackson says, "I love being in front of the camera, and the sex—that's a given. I love the chance to improve at my craft as a talent. There were some scenes where I couldn't stay hard and I was like 'That sucks—but what can I do to learn to focus and be a better performer?' No matter the highs and the lows, there's always a chance to get better." He likes "sports in general. I like to play." And he loves "making people laugh. I like making people happy. That's something I'm good at, making people feel welcome, making people feel good." Does it help you on a set? "Definitely. One of the hardest things is to have sex with a complete stranger. People don’t realize how hard that is. I tell a few jokes and people loosen up. It builds chemistry. It's helped me thus far." He gets his philosophy from his grandmother: "She said, 'It costs you nothing to be nice.' There's not enough of that. In this industry I want to be known for three things: I want to be known as confident, humble and respectful. I want to have a quiet confidence. I don't have to talk about what I do, but when you see me you know 'He's confident in who he is and what he can do.' Humble enough to know that I'm not the best and I can always learn from somebody. And respectful—nice, polite—that doesn't cost me anything. Fans, the CEO, the janitor: everybody has a part in what we do. That's how I interact with what I do." Follow Rod Jackson on Twitter (@rodjacksonxxx) and Instagram (rodjacksonofficial).  To book him, email [email protected].