The Flashback Interview: Julie Winchester
(Warning: This article contains some NSFW discussion and some slightly NSFW pictures. I would recommend being 18 or over to read this. Reader discretion advised.) I was first introduced to my next interview subject in 2000 when I saw my first adult movie, a 1986 film called Lottery Lust. The opening featured a performer named Gina Carrera in a very smoldering scene with Buck Adams. Over the years, I would enjoy Gina Carrera’s works in adult movies like Stiff Competition and Ball Busters, and enjoyed the passion and intensity she delivered in her scenes. Many years later, Julie Winchester was recommended to me as a friend on Facebook. I looked her up on IMDB since she looked so familiar, and I saw that Julie Winchester was Gina Carrera. With that, I sent her a friend request a few months back, and she accepted it. From there, we set up an interview, and spoke on Monday, June 18th, 2018. There’s more to Julie than her adult film work, as she’s also a wrestler and a singer, and has appeared in a few mainstream projects as well. We talked about all that, and I hope you enjoy hearing her stories.
Say hello to Julie Winchester!
Johnny: Hi, Julie!
Julie: Hi, Johnny! How are you?
Johnny: I’m doing good. Thank you for taking the time out of your schedule to speak to me.
Julie: No worries.
Johnny: To start with, shortly before you entered adult film, you played the role of Sandy Dawson in the 1983 punk rock movie Suburbia. Although the role was small, it was memorable. What was your favorite memory of working on that movie?
Julie: My favorite memory of working on that movie was probably the intensity of the scene where all the punk rockers rip off my dress. It was powerful and intense, and felt really real. That scene would be the stand-out moment of my very small part in that film.
Johnny: Alright. Did filming that scene make you nervous?
Julie: I was nervous, and that’s what I meant about it being so intense and feeling really real. Yes, because the people who were portraying these punk rockers were not actors, but instead real punk rockers. Anything could’ve gone wrong because there weren’t experienced actors in that scene.
Johnny: That’s right. Of course, when you’re working with amateurs, sometimes things can get dangerous.
Julie: Yeah, even though there was security on the set. It was a fairly big production, but I was nervous.
Johnny: Alright. In adult films, you used the name Gina Carrera. Where did that name come from?
Julie: Back in the day with Caballero Films, which I believe became Vivid, I worked on my very first feature film called Stiff Competition. The director was Paul Carrera. and before I was cast in Stiff Competition, I didn’t really have a name. They had given me a few others, but I hadn’t picked a porn name yet, so Paul Carrera decided that I should be Gina Carrera, and I said, “Okay, that’s fine”. Basically, that stuck with me from his suggestion.
Johnny: As Stiff Competition was one of your biggest early projects, what was your favorite part of working on that movie, and which of your partners in the movie did you like working with the most?
Julie: I loved the scene with all the extras in the boxing ring. It was quite exciting because lots of extras were hired on. It was a very big production. I loved working with all of them, but I would say Kitten Nativdad was my first girl-girl scene, so she stands out, and John Leslie, whom I loved. My top two are Kitten as a female and John as a male were my favorite people to work with.
Johnny: Alright. Another movie that I’d like to ask about is Touch Of Mischief, where you did an intense exercise-themed scene with Peter North and Paul Barressi. Exercise was a very popular theme in 80s pop culture, and that extended to adult films. What do you think the appeal of exercise was in the 80s?
Julie: I guess just the sexuality of being in shape and looking good, pretty much the same as it is now. I don’t think it was really much different in the 80s, in my opinion.
Johnny: I can understand how exercise has always been a big thing. I was just thinking about how, in the 80s, you had the Jane Fonda Workouts and Aerobicise and the :20 Minute Workout. Exercise just seemed to be a really big thing back then, at least based on my studies.
Julie: Right. There were the Jane Fonda Workouts and the Jamie Lee Curtis movie Perfect. The apparel was very sexy, so that was kind of a new phase. I understand what you’re saying. It was a bit of a new phase in fitness that only expanded from there, obviously.
Johnny: Alright. To my next question: You appeared in the quintessential 80s porn classic New Wave Hookers. When filming that movie, did you have any idea that it would become the classic it did?
Julie: I had no idea. I thought it was kind of a freak show, which I loved. The Dark Brothers were very creative producers, and definitely stood alone in their creativity with that movie, but I had no idea. I had such a super-small part in that movie. I wasn’t a big part of the production, but I loved being on set because it was so much fun and so different from anything I had ever done before at that point, or actually after that, too. It definitely stood out as something very unique.
Johnny: Gregory Dark is still active. He doesn’t direct porn anymore, though. He’s directed a lot of music videos in recent years.
Julie: Okay. That’s good to know.
Johnny: You’re actually the second person from New Wave Hookers that I’ve interviewed, the first being Ginger Lynn, whom I interviewed in 2014.
Julie: Yeah, she was one of the stars, as was Traci Lords. I never saw the actual movie, but Ginger was a big part of that movie.
Johnny: Alright. To my next question: Another movie of yours’ I liked was Ball Busters, where you had a scorching scene with Jacqueline Lorians, the both of you alternating the dominant position and engaging in some very colorful talk. The film was directed by Alex de Renzy. What was it like working for a legendary adult filmmaker like him?
Julie: Awesome. He was really so much fun and just hilariously funny. He was very serious about what he did, but approached it in such a natural, funny way that he made us all feel so extremely comfortable. I loved his style, definitely one-of-a-kind.
Johnny: Yeah. Your scene with Jacqueline also had kind of an exercise theme to it, you being the hard body and her being the soft body, and your dialogue in that scene being based on that and taking off from there. It was definitely a great scene.
Julie: I would love to see that again. I would love to. I’ve seen so few of my films. I guess that’s pretty common with us porn stars, but maybe not. I have seen so very few of my films from those days.
Johnny: Well, I’ll tell you the website I use when I send the transcript that has your scenes. It’s a website where you can pay to watch the movies, and I’ll send it your way once I send the transcript of this interview.
Julie: Awesome.
Johnny: Okay. To my next question: You referred to Ron Jeremy earlier, and you worked with him in the movie Dear Fanny. Jeremy doesn’t exactly have the best reputation in the business, so what was it like working with him?
Julie: Well, I personally never had a problem with him, besides him always trying to fondle and play between scenes. That would be my only pet peeve about him, like he would come into the dressing room and try and grab us, or fondle us between scenes. That got a little bit annoying, but he respected when you said stop. That’s the only thing that stands out in my mind. I found him very entertaining, but that would be my only pet peeve with him, the behind-the-scenes touchy-feely stuff.
Johnny: Alright. To my next question: I’d like to ask about the softcore project from 1989 All-Star Topless Arm Wrestling, memorable for having the late Rick Zumwault from the infamous Stallone arm-wrestling movie Over The Top as referee. Videos of topless and nude activities were big in the 80s and early 90s. Would you say that was an extension of the nudist films of the 50s and 60s?
Julie: Well, first of all, that was such a fun project, and I absolutely loved doing that. There are some hilarious bloopers from that, but I’m not understanding your question about the 50s and 60s.
Johnny: Well, the 50s and 60s were when nudist films were popular, not pornography but just films of naked people playing volleyball or just engaging in regular activities and they happen to be naked. They were titillating, but not pornographic. Something Weird Video has collected a lot of them over the years and published them in compilations. I guess I was just thinking that perhaps videos like All-Star Topless Arm Wrestling were following in that tradition.
Julie: I’m not big on the 50s and 60s. I was born in ’63, so I never really referred to that, but it sounds like it.
Johnny: You said you had a lot of fun working on that project. What was the most fun part of it?
Julie: Again, the audience, because I’m such an exhibitionist. I love having a live audience to play off real energy like that. The competitive part was very fun because we really did try our best to win. The production was very generous to us and treated us with a lot of respect, and it was just a really, really fun day. It was a lot of fun. I remember it very well, like yesterday.
Johnny: Moving back into non-adult film work, you played the role of Boots in a 1989 horror drama called The Weirdo. How did you become involved in that project?
Julie: Actually, my boyfriend at the time was cast in that. He was trying to do legitimate acting and not porn, so he got cast in that. They needed that character, Boots, so I came in and auditioned for the director. He was a very odd character, but he hired me for that part because, I guess, of my look, but also my boyfriend was already cast in it. It was an easy thing to just be a part of it. I also loved that it was my first sort of stunt scene with a breakaway bottle, so I really, really loved that scene.
Johnny: Alright. You’re well-known for your work as a wrestler. What led you towards being a wrestler, and what’s been the most rewarding part of doing that?
Julie: Well, I love the actual sport of it. I love the competitiveness of it. The fact that I’ve lasted in it for 30-plus years is pretty damn amazing. The people that I’ve met…I have fans from that genre of what I do for almost 20 years that I still see to this day in private sessions and so on, doing video clips for them and pictures and phone calls or fantasy sessions. The competitiveness, the fans,or clients, whichever you want to call them, friends now as well, and that I’m still able to do it, and I still love it. I’ve learned a lot about self-defense as well, and it definitely keeps you in shape.
Johnny: You certainly do look fabulous in the pictures you take.
Julie: Thank you. I’m trying to keep it together (laughing) and stay active.
Johnny: One of our mutual Facebook friends is Dee Booher, also known for wrestling under the names Matilda The Hun in GLOW and Queen Kong in POWW, Powerful Women Of Wrestling, which leads me to ask: Were you ever considered to be part of either of those wrestling groups?
Julie: I never tried and nobody ever approached me about it, but I never even really knew they existed until later in my wrestling career. The answer to that would be no. I never auditioned and never was approached about GLOW, although I think it was a fabulous show, and definitely stands out. I did work with Matilda The Hun one time for Golden Girls, I believe, so I did get to be in the ring with her, but I can’t remember the production, besides it being for Golden Girls. She was fabulous.
Johnny: Alright. Which mainstream entertainers, both male and female, would you most like to wrestle with?
Julie: Hmmm. You want one of each?
Johnny: Sure, we can do that.
Julie: Gosh, there’s so many, but today, right now at the top of my mind…Female, for some reason, Michelle Pfeiffer stands out. I always thought she was someone I’d like to tangle with. I don’t know why, besides the fact that she’s beautiful and absolutely talented. She would be my female off the top of my head. There’s many more, and the male? Al Pacino (laughing), even though he’s old, but so am I. He seems like such a smart-ass. He’d probably be really fun.
Johnny: I can tell you must be a fan of Scarface since you mentioned Pfeiffer and Pacino.
Julie: Absolutely. Anything with Pacino in it, I’m on board.
Johnny: Alright. To a more serious question: While session wrestling and pro wrestling are two different things, there are some similarities, so I was wondering: Do you ever worry about concussions, which are something many pro wrestlers have had to deal with?
Julie: I do, especially now that I’m older, but primarily what I do is the private sessions. Even though there’s a danger to that, because we’re in a small space, it’s not as much of a danger as being in a pro-style ring where you’re getting bounced off ropes and doing dangerous moves that could possibly cause a concussion, or a broken bone, or a sprain. Yeah, I’m nervous, because I’m not as strong as I used to be. I’m strong, but there’s always that risk, especially from somebody that doesn’t really know what they’re doing, and then you put yourself in a little bit of danger. Yes, I do worry about that. I love working in rings, but not as often I used to anymore.
Johnny: Well, as long as you’re keeping safe, that’s what matters.
Julie: Absolutely. Safety first.
Johnny: Yep. You’ve also worked as a musician as well, releasing the album Wild Child Side. How did that album come about, and what was your favorite part of working on it?
Julie: Well, I always wanted to be a singer. It was my dream career, and at 25, I decided that I would just start auditioning, no formal training or anything. I started singing, and was introduced to a gentleman named Dennis Walker, who was a Grammy Award-winning blues producer. Blues was my favorite type of music, and the type of music I wanted to do and write. He was pretty much at the top of his game at that time, so I was introduced to him. We hit it off and started writing together. He actually put up the money to produce that album, and we worked with the best of the best, like The Hodges Brothers, who worked on all of Al Green’s stuff. I worked at all the best studios, like Fantasy in San Francisco. Nashville, New Orleans…I went all over the place recording. Stax, working with the fabulous Memphis Horns, who are also famous for that genre. They played on my album, so I really felt like a star. What an awesome experience. It was a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and I’m real proud of that CD. It was probably one of the best experiences of my life.
Johnny: I’ve heard the title track, and you definitely have a great singing voice.
Julie: Well, thank you, Johnny. Everyone mistook me for a black woman when we were shopping the album, which I considered a huge compliment. It was wonderful to get the feedback that we got, and we had some success.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-SNSC7nqGo&index=2&list=FLaK7LO73baduoC_fOyQaVwA&t=27s
Johnny: That leads me to ask: Have you considered crowdfunding another album, maybe using Kickstarter or IndieGoGo?
Julie: No (laughing). To be honest with you, I haven’t. I’m not real familiar with IndieGoGo, so I can’t comment on that.
Johnny: Well, IndieGoGo is like Kickstarter, only you have the option of Flexible Funding, which means that even if your project is not fully funded, the money that you raised can be put towards your project anyway. Kickstarter is all or nothing. IndieGoGo gives you some more leeway.
Julie: Oh, that’s really cool. You just educated me. I didn’t even know that was in existence.
Johnny: Yeah. I’ve backed a couple of projects on IndieGoGo, most recently a documentary one of my Facebook friends is working on about the Police Academy movies.
Julie: Very cool. I’m glad you mentioned that to me because, like I said, I didn’t know about that. Very interesting. I’ll have to look into that.
Johnny: Alright. One more question about the album: There’s currently only one used copy of Wild Child Side available on Amazon. Have you ever considered trying to get the rights back for a digitial release?
Julie: I would love to. I don’t really know how to go about that. I’d need to educate myself a little bit better, but yeah, that would be awesome. The producer that I worked with is alive, but is no longer in the business. I kind of cut ties with that business for a while. I know it’s completely changed, so things like that I would love to find out more about.
Johnny: Well, a few of my previous interview subjects are active in the music industry. Maybe I can refer you to them or they to you, and maybe they could give you some pointers on how to go about it.
Julie: Yeah, I’d appreciate that. In the meantime, I’ll try to get as much information as I can because that interests me a great deal, absolutely.
Johnny: Alright. To my next question: I mentioned Ron Jeremy earlier. My brother and I saw him in passing at Walt Disney World in 1998, when I was 15 and he was 13. Even though we couldn’t go up to him, we nodded in his direction, and he nodded back, gesturing to the woman he was in the Magic Kingdom with. That leads me to ask this question, one I’ve asked of my previous interview subjects who have been in adult films: Where was the most surprising place you were recognized during your adult film days?
Julie: It would be on a very deserted highway, driving from Oregon to California. This particular car kept passing and trying to catch up. My boyfriend was saying, “We’re being followed”. There was literally just the two of us on the road. They kept driving past and looking in the window, signalling and waving. Finally, I rolled down my window, and they said, “Oh, my god, you’re Gina Carrera!”. I said, “Yes”, (laughing) so that was pretty amazing, out in the middle of nowhere on a deserted highway. That would be the answer to that one.
Johnny: Alright. To my next question: I think you looked great in the 80s, and you still look fantastic now, but many people look back on 80s fashions and hairstyles with disdain, and when it comes to adult films, they have negative things to say about the personal grooming as well. Why do people treat the styles of the 80s with such disgust?
Julie: I didn’t realize they did. I guess it’s because we all had big bushes. I don’t know (laughing). I didn’t know it was with disgust.
Johnny: I guess I find myself thinking of nostalgia programs like VH1’s I Love The 80s, which were rather light on the love and heavy on the snark. They often made jokes about the decade’s fashions and hairstyles. I’ve dealt with Asperger’s Syndrome all my life, and one of the aspects of that autism spectrum disorder is having an intense focus on a particular subject. For me, it’s the pop culture of the 1980s, which got me through a very rough 21-year period of my life. I love the fashions and hairstyles of the decade, but a lot of people just look back on it with disdain and I’ve never understood why.
Julie: I don’t, either, and I’m glad I didn’t know that, actually, because I believe that was a golden era. It was for me in my life. We had big hair and tight clothes, but I loved it.
Johnny: I did, and still do also. Thankfully, there’s a large contingent of people in my age bracket, in their 30s and even in their 20s, who have come to genuinely appreciate the pop culture of the 1980s and look back on it with great fondness. I’m just glad the decade has been able to get a lot of respect in recent times.
Julie: Absolutely, which it greatly deserves. The music, the whole era, and I was in my prime in my early 20s, so that had a lot to do with it, but all I listen to is 80s music still. I’m glad that it helped you through some tough times.
Johnny: It all did, even the adult films. As I’ve mentioned, I did not exactly have the best relationship with my mom, due to her not understanding life with Asperger’s Syndrome. Our relationship was very toxic and codependent, so I found myself turning to pop culture as a way of coping with it, and I’ve been able to put it towards my writings as well. It’s definitely helped me out.
Julie: That’s really, really good to hear, Johnny. I’m so glad. I am.
Johnny: Thank you. To a lighter question: Since I’m sure you get fan mail for your various career endeavors, what’s been the most fascinating item you’ve ever autographed, the one item that surprised you or sparked a long-ago memory for you?
Julie: Unfortunately, Johnny, I haven’t autographed any strange besides pictures.
Johnny: Oh.
Julie: Yeah. No one’s ever asked me to autograph body parts. To be honest with you, I never went to a lot of events. I think I went to one adult show, and I didn’t really do the dance circuit, so I was never really in a place where people has access to autographs besides the Internet or fan clubs. Just pictures and posters, that kind of thing…
Johnny: That’ll work. I’ll actually be ordering some autographs from you soon, once I have some money to do so. I’d say probably by August or so. I just have some credit card stuff to take care of, and then I’ll order some autographs from you.
Julie: Well, I appreciate that, and I understand. I’ve got my credit card bills, too. I know how that goes.
Johnny: Alright. I now come to my final question: Over the course of your career, you’ve acted, modeled, wrestled and sang. What talent would you like to showcase that you haven’t had the opportunity to yet?
Julie: Writing, just writing. I’ve found that I’ve loved everything I’ve done, but writing would be my number one choice.
Johnny: I think you would be a great writer. I mean, you’ve certainly had quite a career, as this interview has shown, and I would definitely buy your autobiography if you created one.
Julie: Well, thank you. I could probably get some pointers from you. I know you’re a very good writer yourself. You’ve actually done a lot of writing.
Johnny: The writing is something that’s also helped me out. I’ve done my best writing for Pop Geeks. I guess I find myself thinking of a saying that was said to the late animator Chuck Jones by one of his instructors. This instructor said to Jones, “You have a thousand bad drawings in you. Get them out now”. Through my writings on the previous websites I’ve written for, I got all my bad writing out of my system, and now I’m doing the best writing of my career.
Julie: Wow, that’s very impressive. I respect that a lot, and also how open you are with your struggles. That’s what I think makes a really good writer, to be able to be that open and honest. I just wanted you to know that I have great respect for your openness and your abilities.
Johnny: Thank you very much. That’s very sweet of you.
Julie: Well, I’m glad we finally got to do this interview. I’m sorry about the couple of questions I couldn’t answer. I feel bad. You know more about my career than I do, which is quite impressive (Julie and Johnny laugh).
Johnny: Well, actually, a lot of that information came from your Internet Movie Database profile. I use the IMDB as a source for my research to look up roles of the talents I interview, or credits they worked on in the case of behind-the-scenes talent, and formulate questions from there.
Julie: Well, they were all great questions. Like I said, I’m just sorry there were a couple I couldn’t answer. I just didn’t want to make anything up, obviously. I’m a very real person.
Johnny: You certainly are, so don’t sweat it. Everything’s fine. You gave great answers.
Julie: Alright. You take care. It was a pleasure meeting you on the phone.
Johnny: Likewise. I hope you have a wonderful afternoon, and thank you for your time.
Julie: You, too. I will. I appreciate you. Bye bye.
Johnny: Bye.
I would like to thank Julie Winchester for taking the time out of her schedule to speak to me. I hope you all enjoyed getting to know her. Julie can also be followed on Twitter
Coming soon to the Flashback Interview will be a conversation with Robert Short, the effects artist who created Daryl Hannah’s mermaid tail in Splash and won an Oscar for his make-up work on Beetlejuice.