Oscar-Winning Director Steven Soderbergh Casts Porn Star Sasha Grey as Lead of His Latest Film

By: Adam Quigley Posted: October 16, 2008 Filed under: Casting, Official Info

Steven Soderbergh, a three-time Academy Award-nominated filmmaker (winning in 2001 for Best Director with Traffic), has officially cast popular porn star Sasha Grey as the lead in his upcoming feature, The Girlfriend Experience, a low-budget indie drama which chronicles the life of a high-price call girl. The script was written by Brian Koppelman and David Levien, whose previous credits include Rounders, Knockaround Guys, Runaway Jury, Walking Tall and Soderbergh's own Ocean's Thirteen.

Very appropriate casting, I have to admit. There's no denying the gal has screen presence (*nudge, nudge* - am I right guys?), so all that's left to see is if she also has the acting chops necessary to pull off a legitimate acting role. (She certainly knows how to pull other stuff off, if you know what I mean. ... OK, I apologize, that was truly awful. I just can't help myself. It's too hard. That's what she said. I'm sorry. No I'm not.)

What's arguably even more interesting than the news story itself, however, are the names Grey lists as her favorite filmmakers; among them are Jean-Luc Godard, Bernardo Bertolucci, and Catherine Breillat. Those are pretty classy choices for a lady who gets paid to be penetrated by random dudes. On top of that, Grey has also already acted in two respectable indie efforts, playing small roles in Dick Rude's Quit and a Canadian horror project called Smash Cut.

Between this and the casting of well known porn stars in Zack and Miri Make a Porno and (potentially) Quentin Tarantino's Faster, Pussycat, Kill! Kill!, do you think porn stars are the new rap stars? Which is to say, do you think more porn stars are going to try and start transitioning to the big screen, much like the casting trend that occured a few years back with hip hop artists such as Eminem and 50 Cent?