Of all the adult entertainers who crossed over into mainstream films, Traci Lords is the biggest success story. Her road to fame, however, was a rocky one. The California teen ran away from home, posed for a Penthouse ad when she was 15, and dove straight into the world of porn. In a 1993 interview with The Washington Post, Lords said sex wasn’t the draw of making X-rated films.
“For me, all porn ever was was drugs. I had no inhibitions or morality or sense of anything,” she said. Lords got sober with the help of 12-step meetings, but getting over her skin flicks reputation wasn’t easy. “In some instances my past has slammed the door in my face,” she told the Tampa Bay Times. Lords first caught Hollywood’s attention in John Waters’ 1990 cult classic “Cry-Baby.” The actor went on to appear on primetime TV shows including “Melrose Place,” “Roseanne,” and Stephen King’s miniseries “The Tommyknockers.”
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Kevin Smith, who labeled Lords “an American Pop Icon,” cast her in his 2008 comedy “Zack and Miri Make A Porno.” On an episode of “Horror Queens,” podcaster Joe Lipsett dubbed her performance in Waters’ psychological thriller “Excision” “iconic.” The director, who also helmed Lords’ 2020 revival of his play “Women Behind Bars,” told The Washington Post, “I would have never cast her in ‘Cry-Baby’ if she didn’t have talent,” he said. “Nobody looks like her, she can make fun of herself, and I’ve never minded a woman with a past.”
If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
