NIKKI BENZ — “This is adult entertainment. I’m gonna keep it adult!”

Nikki Benz. We hardly have to say why we wanted to interview her, but just to be clear: she’s hot. And super-famous. And, it turns out, sweet and funny, too!

WHACK! MAGAZINE Hi, Nikki, this is Miss Lagsalot!

NIKKI BENZ Hello!

W! Where are you right now, on the East Coast or the West Coast?

NB Right now I’m in Nashville, actually. So, whatever… What is that, Midwest?

W! I think that counts as East. Well, Southeast.

NB Is it?

W! What are you doing in Nashville?

NB I’m here for a birthday party.

W! Oh, cool. I’ve never been there.

NB It’s awesome, it’s fun! It’s a lot of fun, I actually thought it was gonna be a very, like, redneck, hick type of town, but it’s actually not.

W! Yeah that’s like Ground Zero for country music, or at least it used to be.

NB Yeah, it still is. And I expected everybody to be chewing on straw and listening to country music, but it’s totally not like that.

W! Are you going to go to the Grand Ole Opry?

NB What is that?

W! It’s like the biggest country music hall. It’s in Nashville and all the country greats performed there at one time or another. When Elvis performed there I think they kicked him out. [Editorial note: They didn’t kick him out when he performed there in 1954, but they suggested he go back to Memphis to be a truck driver because they didn’t like his style.] 

NB Oh! I’d love to, but I’m leaving tomorrow. But I’d love to do it. I was here before and I went to the Country Music Awards. It was pretty cool.

W! Cool. Well, thanks for agreeing to this interview! I’ll try to make it quick since you’re there visiting someone. I’m glad we’re getting to do this interview, because we’ve posted all kinds of things about you on WHACK! Magazine, but we haven’t actually done an interview yet. So it’s about time.

NB It is, and thank you for doing that. I’m definitely happy we’re doing this interview!

W! So, I’m assuming that our readership knows who you are, cause you’re famous and you’ve been all over our magazine, but just in case, can you give us a bit of an intro about who Nikki Benz is?

NB I am the 2011 Penthouse Pet of the Year. I am also an adult film star. I am a feature dancer — I do feature dancing as an adult film star. And I also do mainstream. I actually just signed my third season with FoxSports.com, for a show called Cubed. If I could describe myself in one word, I think I would just say “entertainer.”

W! Yeah, I think that would be pretty accurate! Wow. So I did some research on you before the interview, and on your Wikipedia page it says that you are Canadian… and Ukranian. So… how does that work?

NB Yes. Well I’m a Canadian citizen, so I guess my nationality is Canadian. My ethnicity, though, is Ukranian. I was actually born in Ukraine, but my parents moved to Canada because half of my dad’s family is Canadian. So we did that, and I was raised in Toronto, Canada. So that’s how I would describe it.

W! Oh, I see! I was thinking, “I don’t think she has an accent, but…”

NB I mean, if you want me to, I can totally talk like Borat.

W! laughing Oh, man, that would be really funny to see in person. Because you look like the opposite of Borat.

NB What if I did like a whole recorded interview and talked like Borat and not let you know? You’d just be like, “Holy fuck, she’s got the most fucked-up accent ever!”

W! I’m kind of less turned on now, actually. Cause Borat… not a sexy man. Well ok, I wanted to get that out of the way cause it was confusing me. But what I want to know now is, how is your year of being Penthouse Pet of the Year going? You’re about halfway through now I guess.

NB Halfway through. It’s incredible. And amazing. Becoming Pet of the Year really presented itself with a lot of opportunities that I may not have gotten without the title. I’ve been to countries like Portugal and Germany and I’m going to Costa Rica with Penthouse. To be their spokesmodel for a year is an incredible honor, and I feel like I’ve gotten a lot more mainstream exposure. I think that, being an adult actor, now that porn is a bit more mainstream, if I can get more mainstream exposure, then that’s amazing. And I’ve met a lot of cool people, and I’ve been more fans, too. Like maybe somebody hasn’t seen my movies before, but they’re a fan of the magazine. I feel like I’ve just gotten more exposure, and it’s just awesome.

W! That’s fantastic. Do you have anything big coming up that you’re doing for Penthouse?

NB Yeah! I’ve done several movies that are going to come out. There’s one called Ten Things I Hate About Valentine’s Day. Another movie is called Girls and Toys. So I’ve got several movies coming out.

I’ve got appearances for Penthouse. I’ll be appearing at ComicCon. I’ll be at several other events. And the amazing thing that’s going on right now is that this weekend I’m leaving for Costa Rica. I’m super excited about that. Penthouse paid for my scuba diving lessons so I could get certified, and I totally passed, so I’m now a certified scuba diver. And I’m very proud of that, because it was a lot harder than I thought it would be. So I’m going to go to Costa Rica and scuba dive, and be there as Pet of the Year for AdultFriendFinder. It’s amazing to have a company that you work for say, “Hey, get certified, we’re gonna pay for everything,” it just doesn’t get any better than that.

W! I know! Totally jealous. That’s amazing. So I’m interested by what you said about how you’ve gotten so much exposure, because you have so many projects going on right now. And I find it really interesting when people get a lot of mainstream exposure, because sometimes they walk away from the adult industry. Do you think you’ll go back to doing porn or keep both of your options open?

NB I’m going to keep both of them. I say, why not? I feel that porn, and the whole adult industry, is a part of pop culture right now. It’s very popular, and it’s not taboo anymore. I’ve always found films that are hardcore, but with a touch of class. I’ve never been that completely off the charts. I’ve kept it classy. And perhaps that’s one of the reasons why Penthouse chose me. I’m the first adult star to ever become Pet of the Year. Usually, it’s like model girls. So I feel like, why not cross the two together? As an entertainer, it’s a great marriage for the two to coexist for me. Fox Sports embraced me, and that’s awesome. Penthouse embraced me. I feel like it all just coexists together. I would never leave adult to just become mainstream, or the other way around. I like to do it all.

W! That goes along with being an entertainer. So, feature dancing is another part of the entertainment trifecta?

NB Yeah, it’s certainly another part of my career and the way that I like to entertain my fans. If I’m ever near you, you’ve gotta come out.

W! I’m always interested in seeing women from the adult industry doing feature dancing because sometimes it’s like a big spectacle. What’s your show like?

NB Well I do have awesome outfits. I have everything from a mobster outfit to something more elaborate like a pirate and Tinker Bell. And I just, you know, I just feed off the crowd. It’s not… I can dance. I’m happy to say that unlike some pornstar features, I can actually dance. There are two kinds of entertainers that do feature dancing. The first is just feature dance girls, and they do very elaborate shows. And porn star feature dancers are usually more simple because they attract the crowd just because of their name. I like to kind of do both. So I love to promote my name and get the floor packed with my fans, but I also like to really dance and entertain and make it a good show. Every time I have a lot of fun, and dance, and interact with the crowd.

I don’t do anything crazy because, honestly, the clubs don’t allow it. It’s true, like I could definitely put a dildo in my ass on the stage, but I’m not allowed to do that. I mean, nor would I. But I’m just saying there’s a law.

W! laughing Well that’s ok, I’m sure it’s still very fun to come watch you.

NB Seriously! The last club I was at in Pittsburgh, a club called Blush, they told me to keep it tame. I was like, “Come on, it’s a strip club. How is that possible?” They were like, “Don’t get up in people’s faces. Don’t touch yourself.” I’m like, “I’m gonna touch. This is adult entertainment. I’m gonna keep it adult.” So I didn’t touch the customers really, but I grabbed their hand and I grabbed their beer, and I poured beer over my boobs and made them open their mouths so the beer went from the bottle to my boobs to their mouth. And they went crazy for that. You gotta have fun!

W! Right! As long as nobody gets hurt. That sounds pretty crazy.

NB Exactly.

W! So I’ve been wondering. I’ve been looking at a lot of pictures of you while doing my research, and you are like… the perfect Playboy type. You’re blond and busty and beautiful. And I know that Hef is in a brunette phase right now or whatever, but I couldn’t help thinking, how come you went for Penthouse and not Playboy, when you look like what I think of with Playboy? Do you think that Penthouse and Playboy have a contract that says “If we feature a certain girl, you can’t?”

NB Absolutely. Well, first of all, thank you for the compliment. That’s really sweet of you. The thing is about Playboy… I’ve been asked this question a lot, about why I didn’t go that route. Honestly, there’s not that much money in the Playboy route. Your career is kind of short-lived. Also because I shot for other magazines before Penthouse, Playboy automatically shuts you down. They want your first photo layout to be in their magazine and nowhere else.

W! Oh! I didn’t know that.

NB Yeah. And honestly, I think Penthouse is just a better brand nowadays.

W! Yeah, they have a lot going on these days.

NB Yeah, they do.

W! So speaking of your hair… What’s your real hair color?

NB Ok, when I was little, I was a blonde. And then it got darker, and then I started coloring my hair when I was fifteen. So I’m a dirty blonde. I love saying that! I definitely was born a blonde, and I have been a brunette for five months, and I absolutely loved it. And I was a redhead before I even entered the adult industry. So I kind of experimented with everything and decided blond suits me best.

W! I think it suits you, definitely.

NB Thank you!

W! So going along with the theme of colors. What’s your favorite non-hair color?

NB In general? I’d say blue. I have a lot of blue, I’ve noticed lately. I always wear blue polish on my toes; I have a lot of blue clothing.

W! Do you find blue relaxing?

NB I do. I do find blue relaxing. I was thinking about that in the shower today. I was thinking, “How come so many face washes and body washes are blue? It must relax people because it makes them think about the ocean.”

W! I’ve always heard that blue is supposed to be relaxing. I don’t like it though, so it’s interesting to hear you say it.

NB What’s your favorite color?

W! Red. It relaxes me.

NB That’s an aggressive color. Well, you know, I do like red, too. It’s one of my favorite colors for lipstick and shoes. Like you have a crappy dress on, but as long as you have killer red shoes, you’re totally in.

W! That makes me think. How did you learn how to walk around in crazy shoes that you wear for dancing and movies and appearances? Do they hurt your feet?

NB The truth about the stripper heels that I wear when I dance is that they’re really super-comfortable. They’re super high, but it just kind of came naturally to me. I started putting on my mom’s high heels when I was four or five. She’d yell at me, like, “Take those off, you’re gonna trip and fall!” But I dunno, it came naturally to me.

W! I see people walking in those, and I just think… I couldn’t do it! I would fall.

NB I don’t know, I never really thought about it. I put them on and I’m like, “I could go jogging in these if I wanted to.”

W! Now that would be something to see. If you ever do that, let us know beforehand so we can film it.

NB Ok, deal.

W! You would attract a crowd. So tell me a little bit about this Fox Sports show you’re on, Cubed. I don’t know about it because, well, I don’t know shit about sports.

NB Well back in 2009, Fox Sports called me in to do one episode for this new internet show called Cubed. So I came in and did it, and then that episode got a lot of hits online. So they asked me to come back and make a guest appearance for a few more episodes. So I guess they loved me so much that they gave me a two-year contract. And I just signed again this year for a third season. 

So it’s a show about sports that’s more than just sports. It’s about these strange coworkers who sit and work in cubicles. And I do this bit where I come in and clean. I’m the cleaning lady, like the maid. And I get to be covered, which is awesome. Cause usually when you go online and do research about me, I’m really not covered up too much. So this is like a nice opposite.

Anyway, on the show, I give out sports advice, but there are also stars who come through on the show. We have this guy Pizzi, he’s one of the characters, and he’s interviewed everybody from Anne Hathaway to Snoop Dogg to Mark Wahlberg, so it’s more sex talk, hot girls… It’s fun. And the show got picked up by FUEL TV, so now it can be seen every Friday night at 11:30 (ET) on FUEL TV and every Thursday on Foxsports.com at 1:00 (ET). 

W! Kickass! Congratulations. I love the idea of you as a cleaning lady, though. I mean… I bet you have great nails. And I bet most cleaning ladies don’t have great nails.

NB Probably not. I do have… Yeah, I agree with you. But you know, if you see any of the episodes, I come in and kind of dust around and leave. I’m probably the worst cleaning lady ever. But I give out great sports advice!

W! Are you really into sports?

NB I am a sports fan. On the show Cubed we talk a lot about the NFL, and to tell you the truth I knew nothing about football before coming on the show. I’ve learned a lot because of Fox Sports. So, thank you, Fox! But I’m a huge hockey fan because of the whole Canadian thing. You know, I grew up there… We’re very passionate about our hockey.

W! I also heard that you’re doing a movie, My Trip Back to the Dark Side.

NB Yeah, I made a cameo in it, as myself. I was on set for two days filming it. I guess it’s gonna come out in 2012, next year. It’s another vehicle for me to get out there and have more exposure. I was just also in a music video for the Dirty Pearls. They’re a band on the New York scene. And I guess they just signed with a label so I guess they’re gonna go national. They’re really good.

W! Wow, you are so busy! Do you ever have any time to just relax?

NB You know what, I’m gonna relax on this Costa Rica trip. I’m so going to relax. And I do travel a lot. To be honest to you, I take the time to appreciate being on a plane for five hours. That’s like “me” time.

W! It is great. Like, “I can’t call anyone! Shucks, I’ll have to watch a movie.”

NB Exactly.

W! So what kind of movies do you like?

NB I’m big on comedy, anything that makes me laugh, but I’m also big on mobster movies, action movies. I’m not big on drama, or crap like that. I just like something that entertains me. But I’m big on mobster comedy movies.

W! So do you like Guy Ritchie movies?

NB Hold on, I don’t think I’ve ever seen one of his movies. Oh, wait, no he used to be married to Madonna. He did Fight Club, right?

W! No, he did Snatch and Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels. If you like gangster movies, you’ll love them. And Snatch has Brad Pitt almost naked.

NB Naked Brad Pitt! Woo-hoo!

W! Ok, so do you have anything else big going on or coming up we can direct readers and fans to?

NB I would love it if you’d tell everyone to my 3D scenes on Penthouse.com None of my fans will find any of my 3D scenes anywhere else but Penthouse.com, but if you don’t have a 3D TV or 3D glasses, you can also see them in 2D. So Penthouse.com, and of course my website, which is NikkiBenz.com. And my Twitter page, on which  I tweet every day. I’m big on that.

W! Yeah, you’re a faithful tweeter.

NB And also PenthouseStore.com where people can find my DVDs and all the other Penthouse products.

W! Well thank you so much, Nikki! This has been so much fun!

NB Thank you so much!

—Interview conducted by (duh) Miss Lagsalot.