"One sex scene was filmed for four days," recalls Oldřich Widman, a former producer of adult films who lived through the wild nineties of the erotic industry
Oldřich Widman is one of the people who were at the birth of the Czech porn industry. In the 1990s he was one of its most visible faces - an entrepreneur, interpreter, producer and organizer of the first erotic fair in the Czech Republic. At a time when the country was just learning to live with freedom, he brought foreign producers to Prague, connected the local environment with the world and helped shape a business that was then teetering on the edge of the law and social acceptability. Although he studied economics, he never pursued it professionally. He got into porn by accident - through languages, contacts and the right timing after the revolution.
He directed films under the artistic pseudonym Ritchie Oldmann for major European and American studios. His agency, Dream Talent Management, has discovered many famous adult film stars such as Silvia Saint, Daniella Rush, Monica Sweetheart and Lea De Mae, and male stars such as Glenn Santorro, Robbie Masters, Jan Dvorak and Marco Blaze. Founder of the production and distribution company Dream Entertainment s.r.o, which today mainly operates a successful online shop with selected erotic goods and fetish toys for adults.
When you look at the porn industry today, what shape do you think it is in? And how has it changed since the "wild nineties"?
Everything has changed. First of all, the basic business model has changed. Since the seventies, porn films have been shot on film stock and destined for the cinema. The profits from the cinemas then financed other productions. Later came the era of VHS tapes - films were shot on video and tapes were sold, the sales of which financed further production. The DVD era followed, but with the end of DVD and the explosion of the internet, the whole model collapsed completely.
And when you started out, was it more DVD or was it still VHS?
When I started, I was still shooting with French and Italian producers on filmstrip.
So you really experienced classic filmmaking?
Yes, unfortunately that's true, even though it sounds almost unbelievable. We did a few more projects on film. It was very interesting and very different. It was real filmmaking - the sex was rather marginal and minimal. It had a script, it had a head and a heel, there was a story. The sex was more of a cherry on top. One scene was filmed over two or three days, and at a time when there was no Viagra or similar drugs.
Porn actors today often help themselves to pills. So how did they deal with keeping an erection back then?
It was strange because the actors were really people with hyper-sexual abilities. They could easily get aroused working with a woman or a man. But in order to maintain an erection, they would often shoot one sex scene for four days. The magic of the porn film was then created in the editing room, where the individual moments were edited into the final form.
How did you get into the porn business in the 1990s?
I got into it a bit like a blind man to a violin. Just after the revolution, I had a friend who privatized some old cinemas in Prague and wanted to turn them into porn theaters. At that time I was working at the Ministry of Culture in the film section and I was in charge of international sales, distribution and presentation of Czech film. He said to me: you have contacts in the world, you go to film markets, I'm sure there's someone who has old porn films on 35 mm tape. I managed to get in touch with one company, which then put me in touch with an Italian woman who often came to Prague. Through her, we got films of Rocco Siffredi, who was starting out at that time. The porn cinema project eventually collapsed because the Prague municipality opposed them, but I stayed in touch with the Italians and started helping them.
So you didn't start your own production right away?
Not at all. First I worked directly for Italian producers for a few years, about three or four years. They offered me very good money for that time. I helped them with interpreting, because they didn't speak much English, with production and generally with orientation in the Czech Republic. Thanks to that I slowly built up a name for myself.
When was the moment when you really started to be visible in the industry?
The first erotic fair in Prague, of which I was the director at the time, was a big breakthrough. The biggest porn stars of that time, when people were still watching videotapes, came there - Dolly Buster, Sarah Young or Teresa Orlowski. Rocco Siffredi, a well-known Italian actor and producer, also came to Prague. It was also thanks to this that I started to travel around Europe and America and became part of the "porn family". The contacts gradually accumulated and the business grew.
What was the regulatory environment like in the Czech Republic at that time? Was it very different from today?
At that time, the old communist laws were still in force here, so the production and distribution of pornography was officially illegal. But there was a so-called tacit approval from the Institute of Sexology in Prague, which gave expert credentials that the films we were making were not cruel pornography - that is, rape, violence, or perhaps the involvement of children. It was chaired at the time by famous Czech sexologists such as Dr Jaroslav Zvěřina, Radim Uzel or Dr Hana Fifková. Gradually, however, the legislation has changed and today I am no longer able to get to grips with it.
You've made both classic heterosexual porn and gay porn. How do these two worlds differ, apart from the sexual act itself?
Maybe I'm going to be a bit rude, but after all these years it hasn't really seemed that different to me. When I had done a lot of straight productions and then the offer came for gay films, because I knew the people and had friends among them, it still seemed like just normal sex. At that point I didn't care if it was a man or a woman. On the other hand, it was interesting that about ninety percent of gay porn at that time was made by straight guys, so-called "gay for pay."
How did that work differently?
You could see it especially in the actual filming. Often when we had, say, one gay guy and two straight guys, the gay guys didn't like to work with them.
For what reason?
The heterosexuals saw it mainly as a job and a routine. The gays also brought their emotions into it and took it very personally. And some guys just couldn't handle that. That's why they often preferred to shoot straight guys with straight guys.
So is it true what is often said - that a straight actor who wants to break into porn has to go through gay porn first?
It is said, and in many cases it has been true. Even today there are famous heterosexual actors, especially in America, who started out in gay productions. At a time when HIV was a big issue and they filmed exclusively with condoms, safety was a big issue. The gay community was more likely to spread HIV back then.
Was there mandatory testing for actors back then?
Yes, testing was mandatory every 30 days, both in the Czech Republic and in America and elsewhere in the world. In the old days, they used to do conventional ELISA tests, but nowadays they use DNA tests. This too has advanced significantly technologically. But I have to say that in all my time in the Czech Republic it has never happened that someone has contracted HIV while filming.
If we look at porn as such today - can we still talk about it in the classical sense? We have platforms like OnlyFans and creators who are building their own personal brands. Will classic porn survive?
Anything that depicts a sexual act is actually porn. That hasn't changed. But the environment has changed. A lot of American studios have disappeared, on the other hand, new ones have sprung up - mostly web-based, genre-specific. For example, Brazzers or Vixen studios, and of the older ones, Hustler is still around. There are still plenty of those companies, but the trend has shifted from filmmaking to a certain mechanical routine. Nowadays it's mostly pure sex, the so-called gonzo style, which doesn't have much of a story. It's just short internet sketches - genre-wise, in straight porn it's girls with big breasts, and in gay porn it's different types of characters, from skinny guys to jocks to "bears". Films are practically not made anymore, it's mainly short scenes for the internet.
Do you think this is also due to the fact that we live in the age of TikTok and shortening attention spans?
Yes, people don't want to watch long videos anymore. On the other hand, I hear that consumers are sometimes going back to older films. For example, the older German gay films from CAZZO, which had some serious raunch, fetish, atmosphere and most importantly filmmaking. You could tell they were made by people who understood film, and there was also very good sex. Porn, in my opinion, shouldn't just be for mechanical gratification. I still believe that porn should function as a fairy tale for adults, to get people in the mood, to awaken their imagination and excitement.
So can't the rise of amateur filmmakers on OnlyFans mean the decline of the studios?
Actually, it kind of does. But we need to distinguish between erotic OnlyFans and influencers. Young aspiring actors make a few films for the studios, make a name for themselves, get their first fans, and then start their own OnlyFans, where they draw a portion of the audience. The studios act as a kind of first step to fame for them.
So the studios today serve mainly as a stepping stone?
Yes, but at the same time, the studios are also gradually fading away. They've gone online, and they're mostly just selling single sketches. The big change in gay porn came around 2016-2018 with the advent of PrEP and the boom in bareback (condomless sex, editor's note) production. Some studios were brought down by this, like the American TitanMen, whose owner refused to make condomless films. Bareback has unfortunately become a huge trend.
Nowadays, condom porn is actually more of an exception, isn't it?
Exactly. I used to shoot almost exclusively with condoms, and I never felt that anyone was bothered by it. It's all about the trend and the fact that modern medicine has shifted the perception of risk. But at the same time, I see a completely different attitude in young people - they find condoms outdated. And I think I may be old school, but I still think the condom, protection against sexually transmitted diseases, has its place.
Is what was said about the Czech Republic for a long time - that it is a porn power - still true today?
Unfortunately, no, the Czech Republic is no longer a porn power. Of course, there are still people living and working in this business. For example, there is a French porn magnate who owns a company called Legal Port and has bought up other big porn studios including their large video labels, such as Digital Playground, Wicked Pictures, Private, which suffered from the format change we talked about at the beginning, including the famous American magazine Penthouse. But what they will do about it, I can't say today. There are still some productions out there and being made, but it's certainly not what it used to be.
But Bel Ami is still working in Slovakia, isn't it?
Yes, Bel Ami is still working in Slovakia and it has a branch in Prague where it is still filming. But overall the situation is changing. I feel that Hungary is stronger today... especially Budapest. A lot of the other producers from France, England and America have moved there as well. They have different and better conditions there, plus a large supply of local models, but also from Ukraine or Romania. It's very visible in heterosexual porn today.
What about gay porn in Europe?
There, production has rather broken down into smaller studios and private projects. Often the way it works is that guys shoot some stuff for a bigger studio, make a name for themselves and then start OnlyFans. Or they go to America and do various club tours and stuff like that. The market is very fragmented nowadays.
Another big topic today is AI porn. Do you think it can threaten traditional pornography?
I've had rather mixed experiences with AI so far. When I tried to use it in an advertising campaign for men's underwear, I was immediately rejected on the grounds that there was too visible an outline of a penis and that it violated the rules of use. I think AI erotica is going to be a huge competitor, especially for OnlyFans. For now, though, it's still pretty generic and recognizable from reality. If it advances technologically enough that a person can generate their exact fantasy with one click, it could fundamentally change that whole market.
But could it be that with the rise of AI, the demand for authentic, human content will instead grow? Similar to how people today seek out texts written by real authors?
I think so. I see it in myself. Recently, I wanted to listen to a podcast and I immediately knew it was generated. The sentences were oddly put together, the intonation was flat, there was no humanity. And it just bothered me. I personally have a bit of a problem with that.
On the other hand, we have to move forward with technology. Remember, back in the day, we didn't even have cell phones. I had my first cell phone in 1993 - it was huge, heavy and cost an awful lot of money. And today? Today it's not really a phone anymore, it's a computer with one phone function.
Moving on to another part of your business - you're not just in porn, but you also sell sex toys. How has that segment changed?
It's complicated. A lot of people say that the metal pandemic was a goldmine for sex shops, but that wasn't quite the case for us. During the metal lockdown (2020), we were just in Spain for a promotional event, then we came back and suddenly everything shut down. And ironically, we only sold rubber protective gear - mainly gloves. I even bought up a big stock of gloves abroad. It was mainly because of the fear of infection (the government recommendation to use gloves). People used them everywhere outside, for example on public transport, shopping or cleaning. The brick and mortar stores were completely sold out, so they ordered them through e-shops.
What sex toys are most popular today? What is the most popular?
It's definitely dildos, especially the silicone ones. Materials technology has advanced a lot over the years - today, they use non-toxic, platinum-tested, refined silicones that mimic human skin on the surface. They are pleasant to the touch and gentle on the mucous membranes. Modern powdered lubricants are also widely available and can be diluted to suit your taste and needs. In the gay segment, various types of fucking machines and modern suction masturbators and tech toys are very popular, which suck, vibrate, rotate, heat up and can be controlled by voice or your own music using an app on your smartphone. The technological advancement is huge and amazing.
What about poppers and various other accessories that are supposed to promote libido?
Poppers, in my opinion, don't support libido per se at all. It's more of a phenomenon that's been around since the 1970s. I could talk about poppers for hours. In the Czech Republic, moreover, its sale is on the verge of the law.
It's officially sold here as a cleaning product, if I'm not mistaken?
Yes, officially poppers are mostly sold today as a leather cleaner or home fragrance. There are a few big manufacturers in Europe and Canada who are currently competing fiercely with each other for brands - like Rush, Amsterdam, Iron Fist, Jungle Juice and others. You can buy these products from different manufacturers. Quality, safety and legislation, including the necessary documentation, are terribly important to us. Today, counterfeit products are coming onto the market, often from Asia, which can be very dangerous and, in extreme cases, fatal.
In recent years, chemsex has also been much talked about in the gay community. How do you feel about it?
Personally, it bothers me a lot. I can't imagine having sex with the help of drugs. I'm not saying there have never been drugs in the porn industry, but I've never experienced anyone being forced to take drugs. No drugs or alcohol were ever used in filming. It was always everyone's free choice after the job was done. Plus, I think that when people are under the influence of drugs on a shoot, they're practically useless and it wouldn't be worth anything.
What do you think are the biggest risks of chemsex?
GHB is a huge problem, for example. If someone doses it wrong, goes off, forgets what they took and puts alcohol on it, they can easily end up with vomit pumped out of their lungs in the A&E in hospital or in the morgue as well. There are countless known cases of this ... unfortunately. When someone takes drugs like meth or cocaine, the sex may last a long time, but the body doesn't react naturally to it, and then the aftershocks are supposedly very nasty.
Is it paradoxical that people don't actually enjoy sex?
Exactly. Often the final climax, the orgasm, doesn't even happen. The brain's on drugs, but the body doesn't really work, especially the erection. When they add in the stimulant Viagra or Kamagra, it's a huge strain, especially on the heart. The chemical cocktail is insane. I may sound like an old geezer, but I don't think drugs belong with sex. When I was young, I tried some, like ecstasy at a disco, I'm not saying I didn't. But the most I've ever needed for sex was poppers, or just the taste and the thrill. I think chemistry takes away from sex rather than giving it something.
So isn't chemsex more of an escape than a real experience?
Yes, I think people make life difficult for themselves. They're setting themselves up for long-term health problems for one intense moment. Then when I hear stories from our customers about what people give themselves at parties and sex parties, it sometimes seems really crazy and unnecessary.
