This Is How Much Money Porn Stars Really Make

Mia Khalifa famously earned just £9,000 over her entire career. But how much can the average star charge for a scene? And which kind of scenes pay the most?

This article originally appeared on VICE Italy.

The porn industry as a whole was worth £75 billion worldwide in 2014, with the US the most profitable market. When it comes to the average actor's salary, though, the figure is harder to pin down.

In an interview last August, Mia Khalifa – one of the industry's most famous performers – said she made less than £9,500 over her entire career. But more recently, Italian actor Max Felicitas told radio talk show La Zanzara that he makes €15,000 (£12,850) a month. On one hand, the explosion of free porn sites has squeezed profits; on the other, social media has allowed performers to build a following, produce content and go out on their own.

To understand how much porn stars are really making, I got in touch with four Italian adult actors who've had very different careers – some have worked in the US, others in Europe, while one has been working since the 1990s, which was supposedly the golden age of porn.

If you’ve been dreaming of quitting your nine to five to become a porn actor, read this first.

VICE: Do you think people have the wrong idea about how much porn stars really make?

Valentina Nappi: Think about it: how many people pay to watch porn online? Most don’t, so production budgets are usually low. Thinking porn actors are rich is absurd. Perhaps this misconception has to do with visibility: we're probably the least-paid public figures if you consider how popular we are. I have 1.5 million followers on Instagram, but my income is nowhere near what an influencer with the same audience makes.

Can you tell me how compensation works in the US?

These days, you're paid per scene. Getting an exclusive contract is quite rare and your fee depends on many factors – how famous you are, the type of scene and so on. A lesbian scene is paid less than a scene with penetration, and anal is paid more. When I went to the States, I was already quite well-known, so my starting fee was higher than what you'd normally get as a beginner. I made €1,070 (£915) for a regular hetero scene.

How many scenes can you do in a month?
An actress is booked the most when she’s between the ages of 22 and 26. During that time, she'll probably do about 100 scenes a year.

What expenses do you have to factor in?
There's taxes, then a 10 to 15 percent agency fee. And accommodation – Los Angeles is a very expensive city; a regular flat can easily cost more than £3,000, plus bills. Then there are STD tests, which you usually pay out of pocket. The quick ones cost about £150 and you have to take one every two weeks to be able to work.

What advice would you give a young actor?
Build a following on social media first and upload self-produced videos on the main platforms. The internet may have shrunk the industry's traditional income streams, but it allows actors to make themselves known and make money off their own content. It's a bit like YouTube: I have my own site and my channels on Pornhub. I film amateur scenes with some partners, then we share the rights. In the long run, it's the best way to make money.

VICE: What were your financial expectations when you started working in porn?
Luca Ferrero: I didn’t have any expectations when I first started, it was just for fun. I had another job, which was really important at the beginning. In the European market, beginners don’t get a lot of money – you're often just reimbursed for your expenses, and there are even people who pay for their own shoots to get noticed.