ART AFICIONADO: Lana Rhoades

Wednesday, September 6, 2023

Lana Rhoades

Actress Appreciation

Amara Maple, a.k.a. Lana Roades, is an American podcaster, actress, and model in the adult entertainment industry. Born on September 6, 1996, in Chicago, Illinois, she was raised by her single and successful mother in McHenry, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.

In an interview, she revealed that as a young teenager, her escape was watching The Girls Next Door and fantasize about living as a Playmate in the Playboy mansion, "I would just hide in my room and watch the show, and I thought, Wow, their lives look so amazing... I want to do that whenever I grow up."

As a young teen, she got tangled in drugs and crime, and was sent to a youth center. Of her experience, she said, "... Going to prison was one of the best things that's ever happened to me because I was really going down a rough path... I was doing drugs. I was hanging out with these people who were stealing things. And I imagine I would have kept going down that path."

While at the youth center, she earned a GED, a high-school diploma equivalent. After being released from the youth center, she moved to Chicago and worked as a waitress at a Tilted Kilt. With sight on her dream of being a porn star, the 5'3" Rhoades started her career as a model, and performing in a strip club.

She moved to LA from Chicago, after contacting Mark Spiegler, talent agent and founder of Spiegler Girls.

In 2015, at the age of 19, she performed in her first adult film, Hotwife XXX. In a short span of time, Rhoades became one of the most recognizable and sought-after actresses in the industry, known for her stunning beauty, on-screen charisma, and intense performances.

After her first initial months in porn, she decided to step away and contemplate whether she was cut out for the industry. In an interview, she mentioned how her first agent was aggressive and controlling, "I wanted a real life... getting up every morning to be driven to a porn set to have sex with a stranger is not life."

A couple of years later, she left a set and refused to shoot after the film director, Pierre Woodman, allegedly coerced her into performing acts she did not want.

Spiegler Girls dropped Lana as a client. As explained by Mark Spielger on Adam22's No Jumper podcast, "[Lana] didn't show up at a party she was supposed to be at and she was doing something she shouldn't have at the time."

She picked her next agent, LA Direct Models, to represent her.

In a Playboy interview, she said of agents, "You could get into the industry and say, 'I would never do a gang bang' and 'I would never do this.' But [agents] say things to you over time to sort of groom you into doing more. They'll say things like, 'Oh, all the good sluts do this.' 'That's how people are going to love you...'"

On October 9, 2017, LA Direct Models dropped Lana after assault allegations following an event with porn star Adriana Chechik.

She went on to win numerous awards and accolades for her work, including the 2018 XBIZ Award for Best New Starlet and the 2019 AVN Award for Female Performer of the Year.

In 2020, she was hired by Brazzers as a marketing consultant. The following year, she appeared on the cover of Playboy. Ellen von Unwerth directed a wonderful photoshoot and Lynsey Addario wrote a great biographical article on Lana which you can read HERE.

In addition to her work in adult films, Rhoades has also been active in various other projects and ventures. She has been featured in music videos, worked as a feature dancer, and made several mainstream media appearances. She has also launched her own line of products, including lingerie and sex toys. Rhoades also co-hosts the podcast 3 Girls 1 Kitchen.