Documentarian Tomer Heymann & His Subject Jonathan Agassi ("Jonathan Agassi Saved My Life"): "I Don't Mind Being An Old Gay Man"

Show Notes

Dennis connects via Zoom with Toren Heymann and Jonathan Agassi, the Tel Aviv, Israel-based filmmaker and subject of the new documentary Jonathan Agassi Saved My Life. The film documents about the rags-to-riches-to rags odyssey of Israeli porn performer Jonathan Agassi who rose to prominence in  films like Men Of Israel, Trapped In The Game and Jonathan Agassi Goes Raw, all from director Michael Lucas. Jonathan talks about how he got into porn, the power that came with changing his name and the parts of the business that he loved the most, from having sex with beautiful men to buying lots of shoes. He also talks about his descent into drug use, the first time he tried crystal, how he'd disappear for weeks at a time, and his decision to to let Tomer film him using drugs on camera. He also recalls showing up to early Q & As of the documentary high on drugs and how watching the film and seeing himself use drugs on camera inspired him to get sober. Tomer talks about what drew him to Jonathan as a subject, the moments in the process where he knew he was making a much more serious and intense film than the porn romp he started making and the challenge of getting mainstream audiences to treat this as they would any other acclaimed, award-winning documentary. Other topics include: the deeo relationship Jonathan has with his mother that's at the heart of the film, the Pride Festival where Jonathan first realized the power of his sex appeal, why he loved attending the Hustlaball in Berlin, taking inspiration from Madonna's Sex book, Jonathan's current job working in a supermarket where he often gets recognized by fans of his porn and the warning from Oprah that went unheeded. www.heymannfilms.com