With the right outlook on life (and the right natural assets) almost anything is possible. In just two years, Ludovic Canot has gone from a porn ingenue to being one of its brightest rising stars – and one of the most blogged-about male models on the Internet.
    So far, he’s worked with Lucas Entertainment, Cazzo Films Berlin, Men At Play, Titan Men, Falcon, Private Man, Studio 2000, Wurst Film, Eurocreme, Hot House, and Cocky Boys. He’s also been included in a number of photography books and featured in numerous magazines. In mid-August, Ludovic flew to Los Angeles from Paris to begin a three month stay in California. During his stay he hopes to work with studios like C1R and Raging Stallion while also  spending time with the friends he made during a 2007 trip to L.A.. No matter where in the world Ludovic may be at a given moment, you can always find out about his daily adventures on his personal blog. We caught up with Ludovic soon after he arrived in Los Angeles and found out more about life in Paris, his childhood in the South of France, and the lessons he’s learned over the past decade.

WERE YOU ALWAYS HANDSOME GROWING UP?
I guess when I was 18-years-old I blossomed. I got a better haircut, went to the gym, and stopped eating french fries. However – I hope I will look even better in the future! I hope to become a George Clooney sort of guy. [Laughs.]

WHAT DID YOU DREAM OF BECOMING WHEN YOU WERE A KID?
A worldwide pop star like Britney Spears.

DID YOU EVER DO ANYTHING AS A KID THAT GOT YOU INTO TROUBLE?
I stole something at a mall, got caught, and was taken to the police station.

HOW HAS THE PORN INDUSTRY TREATED YOU SO FAR?
I like porn and it’s something I chose. It allows me to travel, meet new people, and have sex with amazing guys – so I’ve never regretted my choice. Sometimes you can feel a bit melancholy when you’re alone in a hotel room after a shoot or when you can’t spend a lot of time in a country that you’d really like to explore. It can also be sad to say goodbye to an actor with whom you’ve had great chemistry on set. This job is like any job in that it helps you to know yourself better and to become more aware of your own strengths and weaknesses.

WHAT PORN STUDIOS AND DIRECTORS WOULD YOU LIKE TO WORK WITH NEXT?
I’d like to work with Chi Chi LaRue, Raging Stallion, and Falcon Studios. I hope that during my time in California [Aug 18 – Nov 12] I’ll get to work with them.

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE PARTS OF PARIS?
So far it’s been the ÎIe Saint-Louis in the 1ère arr. because it’s so charming. I like to pick up a Starbucks Latte (with an extra shot of espresso) and then find a seat along the Seine to watch the boats and people going by. It’s a quiet sort of place where people go to stroll. I often go there when I’ve been away from Paris and have returned – so I already know I’ll be there in November after I return from my three month stay in California.

WHERE MIGHT FANS SPOT YOU IN PARIS?
They might see me heading to the gym at Palais Royal or République – or at the Monoprix near the Temple Metro stop where I do my grocery shopping. Or maybe just grabbing some Starbucks out in La Marais.

DO YOU LIVE ALONE?
Yes. I have an apartment in the 3ème arrondissement of Paris, close to La Marais (the gay area) and I live by myself.

WHAT’S YOUR APARTMENT LIKE?
The colors in my apartment are warm (reds, yellows, and purples.) My curtains are yellow and my bed is red. In my apartment you’ll find the souvenirs I’ve picked up in the countries I’ve visited while doing porn work. There’s a kippah from Tel Aviv and a shell from San Francisco, some magnets from Budapest, etc. The apartment is small and charming (I hope!)

WHEN YOU LOOK OUT YOUR WINDOWS, WHAT DO YOU SEE?
When I look out my 4th story window I see the Rue du Temple.

WHAT’S A TYPICAL DAY LIKE FOR YOU IN PARIS?
I check my emails, go to the gym, call my best friend, listen to music, watch Will and Grace on DVD, go to the grocery store, etc. I’m more of  a homebody. Since I began doing porn I’ve actually stopped going out. Now I prefer to go on a date and see a movie or else eat sushi at home and watch a DVD. My friends know that they can always drop by my place for a beer and to talk or listen to music. If I meet a guy, it happens during my day – maybe at the gym or the grocery store or just in the street.

WHAT HOBBIES DO YOU PURSUE?
I like spending time with my friends and laughing – and going to see scary movies like Hostel and Saw. It should be me in Saw 6! [Smiles] I always have music playing in my apartment – pop stuff like Britney Spears and Lady Gaga; trip hop like Massive Attack, Portishead, and Bjork; and relaxing music from the ambient stations on iTunes radio. I also love my Friday street jazz dance lessons in Paris. So to sum it up… I enjoy friends, laughter, music, and dance.

YOU GREW UP IN HYÈRES, IN THE SOUTH OF FRANCE. WHAT WAS THAT LIKE?
It was really nice. The weather is perfect and it’s about 40 minutes by car from Saint-Tropez. It’s small, but not too small. The South of France is a great place to grow up.

DO YOU EVER MISS HYÈRES?
My family still lives in Hyérès, so each Christmas I spend a week there and every summer I visit for between one to four weeks. In August I spent 10 days there and it was amazing . Each day I went to a beach near Hyères called Le Monaco at Le Pradet. That beach is fantastic – small, with just trees and rocks and the sea. It’s like a secret beach.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST AFRAID OF?
I’m afraid of death, sharks, and snakes – but my biggest fear is to have regrets. I don’t want to get older and to wish that I had done this or that. I want to take life as it comes and to do what I wish to do. I hate to sit and wait.

DO YOU READ MUCH?
My favorite author is Philippe Besson and right now I’m reading his latest book La Trahison de Thomas Spencer (Thomas Spencer’s Betrayal). My favourite novel by Besson is Un Homme Accidentel (An Accidental Man), which takes place in Los Angeles.

ANY MAGAZINES OR TV SHOWS YOU FOLLOW?
I like gossip magazines. I also watch a French Reality TV show called Secret Story where people are locked together in a house with a pool. There’s naked dancing and lots of vicious gossip. It’s thrilling.

HOW DO THE FRENCH VIEW THE UNITED STATES THESE DAYS?
The French love the Americans now that you’ve elected Barack Obama.

WHAT’S YOUR EARLIEST MEMORY?
It’s more of a song than a distinct memory. It was at my babysitter’s place. It’s the song Still Loving You by Scorpion. That’s the earliest thing I can recall. I was about 2 years old.

WHAT EVENT IN YOUR LIFE HAS HAD THE MOST PROFOUND EFFECT UPON YOU?
My father’s death.

WHAT IMPORTANT LIFE LESSONS HAVE YOU LEARNED DURING THE PAST DECADE?
Do what you really want to do.
Do not trust anyone.
Live in the present.
Be the best.

HAVE YOU HAD ANY SERIOUS RELATIONSHIPS?
Yes, and I’ve been in love three times.

DOES WORKING IN THE ADULT INDUSTRY TAKE A TOLL ON RELATIONSHIPS?
I don’t think so. Right now I’m with a guy named Benjamin and we have a really good time together. He lives in Paris, too. He knows about my job, of course, and he’s completely understanding and cool.

WHAT ONE WORD BEST DESCRIBES THE IDEAL MAN FOR LUDOVIC CANOT?
Eric Danes. Oops – that’s two words. Can you provide me with his sex tape?

DO YOU REMEMBER THE FIRST BOY YOU EVER KISSED ROMANTICALLY?
Yes. It was at a party when I was 17-years-old. We were drunk and he kissed me. It was amazing. It was the first time I’d ever woken up the next morning without a hangover after drinking all night. That evening was great. We kissed each other for over an hour on the balcony and then went back to the bedroom where everyone else was already asleep. His name was Jeremy.

WHO WAS YOUR FIRST LOVER?
The same guy. When you’re a great kisser, you’re a loving man…

WEB BONUS CONTENT:

HOW DID YOU MEET JULIEN AND STÉPHANE OF EXTERFACE?
Two years ago they contacted me through MySpace and asked me if I was interested in working with them. I checked out their work and it was exactly what I’d been looking for. We did the “Flamingo” shoot in their Paris apartment during the winter. It was really cold outside, but nice and warm inside their place. They offered me a glass of white wine and cued up some music by Miss Kittin. The music , wine, and warm temperature put us all in a special mood and the photos really captured that atmosphere. The success was immediate, with lots of bloggers talking about the photos and several books publishing them. One year after the Flamingo shoot we did another shoot called ”The Cosmo Show.” This time it happened during summer and the soundtrack was Lady Gaga (before her huge success.) We were going for something more fun and pop that time. It was really cool working together again and those photos were also really popular.

WHAT WAS IT LIKE SHOOTING PHOTOS WITH EXTERFACE?
We meet first and talk about what we would like, what ideas do we have, what the colors we would like ,etc and its really cool cause it made all shoots with exterface really special and unique. They are really cool guys who put you really comfortable the day of the shoot. We take time to do the shoot. if we decide to do the shoot at 2pm for exemple, we don’t look at the clock and we can stay till 8 pm to have the good photos. For the both time it was a big pleasure. Cause they have their ideas but listen their model and want to make something interesting for them and the model.

ARE THERE OTHER PHOTOGRAPHERS YOU’D LIKE TO WORK WITH?
In July I worked with Vincent Malléat in Paris and it was really special. We talked a lot about what we wanted to do and by the end of the shoot it was like there were no secrets between us. We’ve stayed in touch and I hope we’ll work together again. I’m also in contact with Justin Monroe in Los Angeles and hoping we can work together during my time in California. I met him last year, but we didn’t have time to do anything then – so I’m excited to do a shoot and I’m sure it will be fun and crazy. For me, it’s an opportunity to do something big and different that will be wild, sexy, and fun. I’m impatient to see him again and to talk about his ideas.  There’s also a German photographer known as Manopoly who does a lot of work in California. I love his photos and would really like to work with him.

WERE YOU EVER INTERESTED IN MAINSTREAM MODELING?
I didn’t think about  mainstream modeling before I got into porn, but I find it cool when people contact me about modeling jobs and say they like the that I do porn but “don’t look like a porn actor.” A couple months ago I did the Kustom-Limited campain. It was really fun and created a big buzz on the blogs. I’d be excited to do more mainstream modeling, but I don’t have any regrets about starting out in porn. In fact, I don’t think I would have had the mainstream modeling offers if I hadn’t done porn. It’s because of the porn work that they contact me.

HOW DID YOU END UP DOING YOUR FIRST PORN FOR JEAN-DANIEL CADINOT?
Since I was 16, I’d been interested in porn films. I thought it would be fun to be on a set and I wondered what it would feel like to work in porn and if I’d be able to do it.  At the time of the Cadinot film, I was working at Universal Music in the marketing department but I wanted to pursue my interest in porn. I hate regrets, so it was an important thing to do at that moment in my life when I needed something different and unusual. I did my first film with Cadinot and was immediately sent to Budapest, Berlin, and London to shoot it.  If at first it felt weird to be on a set having sex in front of 10 people, it quickly became fun and different. After 6 months, I decided to make it a full-time career. I made my own website, began working with photographers, and now it’s been 2 years in the business. I think I still have more new stuff to do in porn, so I don’t have a deadline to stop. I guess I’ll keep doing porn until I’m not having fun anymore – and then I’ll stop.

DO YOU THINK YOU’LL STAY IN PORN FOR A LONG TIME?
I really don’t know right now. I don’t have a dead line . I’m someone who follows their instincts, so if I meet a boyfriend or get another job offer ... I just cannot plan . Itherwise I’ll do it as long as I’m having fun. But don’t worry, I’m having a lot of fun right now in the industry and meeting great people, and I know there are still a lot of things left for me to do in porn.

WHERE DO YOU SEE YOUR CAREER HEADING IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS?
Straight to the top! [Smiles] …with a Gayvn award and my own commercial website or studio. I’m interested in dance, music, and media too, so we’ll see what develops. I embrace life and all the people that I meet, so I’m not worried about my future. I’m sure it will be good. I just want to do what I love and to be happy, surrounded by the people who are important to me.  My biggest dream is to work in the music industry in Los Angeles. I fell in love with L.A., but it’s hard to get an entertainment industry job as a non-citizen.

WHO ARE THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE INFLUENCED YOUR LIFE MOST?
My mother. Do you know even one gay guy who wouldn’t answer in the same way?

DO YOU FIND THAT THE SKILLS YOU GAINED EARNING YOUR MASTERS DEGREE IN COMMUNICATIONS ALSO HELP YOU IN THE PORN INDUSTRY?
When I got into the porn industry, I understood that it was an industry, a business – and that I could make a career out of it. Of course, the thing is to have fun – but my marketing approach has helped me not to be naïve, to think about the future, and to try to achieve goals.

HAVE YOU CONSIDERED LAUNCHING A SUBSCRIPTION SITE OF YOUR OWN?
Yes – for a couple of months I’ve been thinking about that.  I’ll keep it in mind and we’ll see.
I already know what kind of website I’d like, the type of guys I’d want on it, and the kind of sex it would include.

DO YOU HAVE ANY PETS?
I’m allergic to cats, but I have to constantly resist the urge to get a puppy. I love Jack Russel Terriers, but since I travel a lot it’s probably not a good idea.

WHAT PORN PROJECTS WILL YOU WORK ON DURING YOUR CALIFORNIA TRIP?
I’ve been in contact with some big studios and websites, as well as some great photographers. Hopefully the things we have planned will all work out. You’ll be able to read about anything new I do while in California on my blog.

BESIDES WORK, DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING ELSE PLANNED FOR YOUR CALIFORNIA TRIP?
I plan to have fun, see my friends in California (I first visited L.A. in 2007), go to vegas (I’ve never been), and see Britney in concert in LA . I also hope to have a great birthday party (October 24) and Halloween. And maybe I’ll work on improving my English.

ANY BROTHERS OR SISTERS?
I have 2 step-brothers. I didn’t grow up with them, but I’m in contact with them . Mathieu is 7 years younger than me and Florian is 10 years younger.

DO YOU STILL HAVE ANONYMITY IN PARIS OR ARE YOU RECOGNIZED?
In paris I’m recognized now, but it’s always really cool and nice – and for the moment, no troubles with the paparazzi. [Smiles]

WHAT’S THE TOUGHEST THING ABOUT WORKING IN THE ADULT INDUSTRY?
It’s important not to doubt yourself. All the time in this industry you have reasons to stop, but you need to keep your goals in mind and then be confident and keep going.

WHAT’S THE BEST THING ABOUT WORKING IN THE ADULT INDUSTRY?
The travel and the countries you can discover through the job (Tel Aviv, Gran Canaria, Athens, Prague, etc.) Also, the people you can meet during the shoots – and the fact that it’s always different. And of course, the sexy guys you get to have sex with. When I’m older, I plan to pop the films I’ve made into the DVD player in order to turn on my boyfriend and keep the sexual energy between us alive. [Smiles]

IF YOU COULD CHANGE ONE THING ABOUT YOURSELF, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
My dick. Who wouldn’t love to have Barrett Long’s dick? But I think I can make do with mine. (Smiles.)