The Girlfriend Experience’s Sasha Grey brings porn to watercooler conversation

The trailer opens like something out of The Devil Wears Prada, then quickly morphs into fuzzy-homemade-video status. The razor-sharp jawline of a gorgeous brunette features prominently in most of the shots. Who is this mysterious femme fatale in the dark glasses and LBD? Just call her Audrey Humpburn.

The star of Stephen Soderbergh’s new film, The Girlfriend Experience, about the life of a high-class call girl, is a woman with a story that is even more titillating and fascinating then the character she plays. Sasha Grey is a famous porn star-and businesswoman-with a smart head on her shoulders, who’s making the transition from backroom to big screen under the guidance of one of the most famous directors of our time. She’s cool (she almost selected Anna Karina, after the French New Wave actress, as her pseudoym, and she’s been in Smashing Pumpkins and Roots videos), smart (she settled on ‘Grey’ after Oscar Wilde’s famous novel, The Picture of Dorian Grey), and she gets naked for a living. Her arrival on the big screen, which also coincides with the release of a few new, racy titles, is sure to open an interesting debate about the porn industry, and the women who work in it. Grey has said in interviews that she thinks women need to take control of the industry, and that it is possible to be successful without getting taken advantage of. Her turn in Soderbergh’s film means she’s about to become the most talked-about adult film star in the world-possibly a career-altering move.

The movie opens May 22nd, and whether people are going to watch Grey get mainstream, see Soderbergh’s newest effort, or watch a sexy girl in black stockings, you can guarantee it’s going to be a big topic of conversation.