Marina Ann Hantzis (born 1988), known professionally as Sasha Grey, is an American actress, model, writer, musician, and former pornographic film actress. She began her acting career in the pornographic film industry, winning 15 awards for her work between 2007 and 2010, including the AVN Award for Female Performer of the Year in 2008. In 2023, she was inducted into the AVN Hall of Fame and the

XRCO Hall of Fame The XRCO Hall of Fame lists well-known adult entertainment works and workers. The list is managed by X-Rated Critics Organization and inducted annually during the XRCO Awards. The first XRCO Awards were presented in Hollywood on February 14, 198 ...

. After her 2009 feature film debut as the lead in

Steven Soderbergh Steven Andrew Soderbergh ( ; born January 14, 1963) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, and editor. A pioneer of modern Independent film, independent cinema, Soderbergh later drew acclaim for formally inventiv ...

's '' The Girlfriend Experience'', Grey starred in independent films including '' Open Windows'', the Canadian black comedy horror film ''

Smash Cut A smash cut is a technique in film and other moving picture media where one scene abruptly cuts to another for aesthetic, comedic, narrative, or emotional purpose. To this end, the smash cut usually occurs at a crucial moment in a scene where a cu ...

'' and the horror film '' Would You Rather''. In 2011, she played a fictionalized version of herself in the

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

comedy-drama series '' Entourage''. Grey was a co-founder, singer, and writer of aTelecine, an industrial music band. She is the author of '' The Juliette Society'' trilogy of novels and also writes, directs, and co-produces films and music videos.

Early life

Grey was born in North Highlands, California, and grew up in

Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...

, in a working-class family. Grey's parents divorced before she started middle school and she was subsequently raised by her mother, who remarried in 2000. She was raised as an adherent of

Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. Grey attended four high schools, including Highlands High in North Highlands. She graduated a year early at the age of 17, and in late 2005, she attended

Sacramento City College Sacramento City College (SCC) is a public community college in Sacramento, California. SCC is part of the Los Rios Community College District and had an enrollment of 25,307 in 2009. It is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community ...

and took classes in film, dance, and acting. She bussed tables at a Black Angus steakhouse until March 2006 and saved $7,000 for a move to Los Angeles.

Career

Pornographic films

Grey made her

hardcore pornography Hardcore pornography or hardcore porn is pornography that features detailed depictions of sexual organs or sexual acts such as sexual intercourse, vaginal, anal sex, anal, oral sex, oral, or Non-penetrative sex#Manual sex, manual intercourse; e ...

debut shortly after her 18th birthday in 2006. She initially considered calling herself Anna Karina, after the

French New Wave The New Wave (, ), also called the French New Wave, is a French European art cinema, art film movement that emerged in the late 1950s. The movement was characterized by its rejection of traditional filmmaking conventions in favor of experimentat ...

actress of the same name, before choosing Sasha Grey. The name 'Sasha' was taken from

Sascha Konietzko Sascha Kegel Konietzko (born 21 June 1961), also known as Sascha K and Käpt'n K, is a German musician and record producer. He is the founder, frontman and "anchor" of the industrial band KMFDM. Konietzko jokingly purports himself to be the fat ...

of the band

KMFDM KMFDM (originally Kein Mehrheit Für Die Mitleid, loosely translated by the band as "no pity for the majority") is a multinational industrial rock band from Hamburg led by Sascha Konietzko, who founded the band in 1984 as a performance art proje ...

. Her surname either came from

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...

's novel ''

The Picture of Dorian Gray ''The Picture of Dorian Gray'' is an 1890 philosophical fiction and Gothic fiction, Gothic horror fiction, horror novel by Irish writer Oscar Wilde. A shorter novella-length version was published in the July 1890 issue of the American period ...

'' or, alternatively, was inspired by how the

Kinsey scale The Kinsey scale, also called the Heterosexual–Homosexual Rating Scale, is used in research to describe a person's sexual orientation based on one's experience or response at a given time. The scale typically ranges from 0, meaning exclusively ...

grades homosexual and heterosexual attraction as a continuum, a "scale of grey". Less than six months after entering the adult industry, Grey was featured in the November 2006 edition of ''

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

'' magazine where she was flagged as a potential major star, perhaps the next

Jenna Jameson Jenna Marie Massoli (born April 9, 1974), known professionally as Jenna Jameson (), is an American businesswoman, writer, television personality, and former pornographic film actress. She has been named the world's most famous adult entertainm ...

. In December 2006, Grey was interviewed on the syndicated entertainment industry news program '' The Insider''. In February 2007, Grey appeared on '' The Tyra Banks Show'' and discussed teenagers working in the sex industry. There was speculation the show was heavily edited and had not included her defense of adult film as a career choice. The show was also criticized for editing the interview to increase its dramatic value. In 2008, she became the youngest woman ever to win the AVN Female Performer of the Year Award In 2008 Grey announced that she would represent herself in the adult industry through her agency ''L.A. Factory Girls''. Grey also appeared in '' Pirates II: Stagnetti's Revenge'', which won in 15 categories at the 26th AVN Awards ceremony in 2009, making it the most awarded film ever at the ceremony. Grey filmed her last adult film at age 21 in 2009 and announced her retirement from the industry on Facebook in April 2011.

A. O. Scott Anthony Oliver Scott (born July 10, 1966) is an American journalist and cultural critic, known for his film and literary criticism. After starting his career at ''The New York Review of Books'', '' Variety'', and ''Slate'', he began writing film ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' described Grey's pornography career as "distinguished both by the extremity of what she is willing to do and an unusual degree of intellectual seriousness about doing it". Grey was the G4tv host in a two-hour documentary on Sexpo Australia for '' Attack of the Show!'' in 2009. In 2011,

CNBC CNBC is an American List of business news channels, business news channel owned by the NBCUniversal News Group, a unit of Comcast's NBCUniversal. The network broadcasts live business news and analysis programming during the morning, Day ...

named Grey as one of the 12 most popular stars in adult films and noted that her mainstream roles had kept interest in her earlier adult film work high and that several companies continued to release compilations from her films. ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' counted her as starring in 270 adult films. Grey directed the films ''Birthday Party'' and ''The Seduction'' (2009).

Modeling

Grey was named '' Penthouse''s Pet of the Month for July 2007 and was photographed by

fashion Fashion is a term used interchangeably to describe the creation of clothing, footwear, Fashion accessory, accessories, cosmetics, and jewellery of different cultural aesthetics and their mix and match into Clothing, outfits that depict distinct ...

photographer Terry Richardson. She was also profiled in the December 2008 issue of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' and appeared twice in ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' (stylized in all caps) is an American men's Lifestyle journalism, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, available both online and in print. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, funded in part by a $ ...

'', in a December 2009 pictorial and as the cover feature in October 2010. Grey has modeled for various clients, including

Max Azria Max Azria (January 1, 1949 – May 6, 2019) was a French-American fashion designer who founded the contemporary women's clothing brand BCBG MAX AZRIA. He was also the designer, chairman, and CEO of the BCBG Max Azria Group,Mustafa, Nadia (Fall 2 ...

's line Manoukian, American Apparel, and ''Flaunt''. Grey modeled for Richard Kern as a part of ''

Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, Habit (psychology), habit or item generally considered morally wrong in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character trait, a defect, an infirmity, or a bad or unhe ...

''s anti-fashion layout and appeared in his book and in the three-part VBS.tv program ''Shot by Kern''. Grey appeared in

Taschen Taschen is a luxury art book publisher founded in 1980 by Benedikt Taschen in Cologne, Germany. As of January 2017, Taschen is co-managed by Benedikt Taschen and his eldest daughter, Marlene Taschen. History The company began as Tasch ...

's 25th anniversary reprint of Terry Richardson's book ''Terryworld'' and in his ''Wives, Wheels, Weapons'', a companion book to

James Frey James Christopher Frey ( ; born September 12, 1969) is an American writer and businessman. His first two books, '' A Million Little Pieces'' (2003) and '' My Friend Leonard'' (2005), were bestsellers marketed as memoirs. Large parts of the stor ...

's '' Bright Shiny Morning''. She has modeled for artists James Jean, Zak Smith, Dave Naz, David Choe, and Frédéric Poincelet, who also created the artwork for her industrial music band aTelecine's '' ...And Six Dark Hours Pass'' album. In May 2010 she interviewed artist Terence Koh for

BlackBook ''BlackBook'' is an arts and culture magazine published bi-annually to print and online. Founded by Evanly Schindler in 1996 as a quarterly print publication, covering topics ranging from art, music, and literature to politics, popular culture ...

. In 2010, Grey was one of four actors who appeared in Julião Sarmento's video installation ''Leporello'' and was featured in the ''Richardson magazine A4''. Richard Phillips made a short film called ''Sasha Grey'' in the Chemosphere for the

Gagosian Gallery The Gagosian Gallery is a modern and contemporary art gallery owned and directed by Larry Gagosian. The gallery exhibits some of the most well-known artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. As of 2024, Gagosian employs 300 people at 19 exhibiti ...

in 2011 and also portrayed her for the

Frieze Art Fair Frieze Art Fair is an annual contemporary art, contemporary art festival, art fair first held in 2003 in London's Regent's Park. Developed by the founders of the contemporary art magazine ''Frieze (magazine), Frieze'', the fair has since expan ...

in 2013. ''Hypocrite Design'' described Sasha Grey in the film as a "perpetually evolving figure". In an interview with '' Allure'' in 2018, Grey said her look was "definitely punk-inspired, definitely the anti-aesthetic, and I've definitely grown out of that because I'm older".

Acting

The Girlfriend Experience

In director

's film '' The Girlfriend Experience'', Grey played the lead role of Chelsea, an escort who is paid to act as her clients' girlfriend. Soderbergh cast Grey after reading her profile in ''

'' magazine. As Grey prepared for her role in ''The Girlfriend Experience'', Soderbergh asked her to watch

Jean-Luc Godard Jean-Luc Godard ( , ; ; 3 December 193013 September 2022) was a French and Swiss film director, screenwriter, and film critic. He rose to prominence as a pioneer of the French New Wave film movement of the 1960s, alongside such filmmakers as ...

's films '' Vivre sa vie'' and '' Pierrot le Fou'', both of which star

Anna Karina Anna Karina (born Hanne Karin Blarke Bayer; 23 September 1940 – 14 December 2019)

. Grey and Soderbergh also interviewed two escorts whom they took character traits and behaviors from. Reviews of Grey's performance in ''The Girlfriend Experience'' were mixed. ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

'' found Grey was "not so much a natural actress as a natural-born placid, affectless Barbie doll". ''

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

'' said the actors "appear to be improvising (badly)". Violet Blue wrote that "Grey herself is as complex and layered and mesmerizing as a Soderbergh film itself—that's why Grey's fans cross all kinds of cultural and moral divides". On

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, the film received a rating of 66% based on 138 reviews. In 2016, Glenn Kenny who played the

majordomo A majordomo () is a person who speaks, makes arrangements, or takes charge for another. Typically, this is the highest (''major'') person of a household (''domūs'' or ''domicile'') staff, a head servant who acts on behalf of the owner of a larg ...

of an escort-review site, described ''The Girlfriend Experience'' as a "digital film from another era", with most scenes being

two-hander A two-hander is a term for a play, film, or television programme with only two main characters. The two characters in question often display differences in social standing or experiences, differences that are explored and possibly overcome as t ...

Other

Grey appeared in a 2009 episode of '' James Gunn's PG Porn'' with

James Gunn James Francis Gunn Jr. (born August 5, 1966) is an American filmmaker. He began his career as a screenwriter in the mid-1990s, starting at Troma Entertainment with ''Tromeo and Juliet'' (1996). He then began working as a director, starting wi ...

, made a cameo appearance in Dick Rude's 2010 independent film ''Quit'', and starred in the 2009 Canadian low-budget black comedy/horror film ''

'' with

David Hess David Alexander Hess (September 19, 1936 – October 7, 2011) was an American actor, singer, songwriter, and director. He came to prominence for his portrayals of murderous rapists, villains and gruff characters in several films in the 1970 ...

from Odessa/Zed Filmworks. Grey played a fictionalized version of herself in the seventh season of the

series '' Entourage'' as

Vincent Chase Vincent "Vince" Chase is the protagonist of the comedy-drama television series '' Entourage'' and its film sequel, based on the series' executive producer Mark Wahlberg. He is played by Adrian Grenier. Character biography Backstory Vincent Ch ...

's new girlfriend in a multi-episode arc. The season has a 57% rating (13 fresh, 10 rotten) on Rotten Tomatoes. Grey played Raven in the thriller ''

I Melt With You "I Melt with You" is a song by the British new wave band Modern English. The song, produced by Hugh Jones, was the second single from their 1982 album '' After the Snow''. It became the band's most successful single, largely in the United S ...

'', directed by

Mark Pellington Mark Pellington (born March 17, 1962) is an American film director, writer, and producer. Life and career Pellington was born in Baltimore, Maryland, the son of Bill Pellington, an All-Pro linebacker who played American Football, football with t ...

, which premiered at the

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...

on January 26, 2011. She then starred in the Indonesian film ''Shrouded Corpse Bathing While Hip-Shaking'', which premiered on April 28, 2011. She co-starred in the 2012 horror-thriller '' Would You Rather'', which was directed by David Guy Levy, and which has a critics' consensus rating of 59% based on 22 reviews at Rotten Tomatoes. A critic noted the similarity of her role as "unflinching in the wildest of circumstances, when vying for a hefty sum of cash at the expense of erhealth" to Grey's own career as an adult actor. She voiced the character Viola DeWynter in the 2011 video game '' Saints Row: The Third'' and reprised the role again in 2015 for '' Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell''. In 2013, in the documentary series '' Durch die Nacht mit ...'', Mariya Ocher took Grey to nightlife venues in

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

where Grey ignored the "women prohibited" barrier of the Herbertstraße. In 2014 she starred with

Elijah Wood Elijah Jordan Wood (born January 28, 1981) is an American actor and producer. Wood made his film debut with a minor part in ''Back to the Future Part II'' (1989) at the age of eight and achieved recognition in the early 1990s as a child acto ...

in '' Open Windows'', which was directed by

Nacho Vigalondo Ignacio "Nacho" Vigalondo Palacios (born 6 April 1977) is a Spanish filmmaker. Career Vigalondo's first film was the 2003 Spanish-language short film '' 7:35 in the Morning'', about a suicide bomber who terrorizes a cafe, which was only eight m ...

. Nikola Grozdanovic wrote that "all of ''Open Windows'' is constructed in a way for all of the action to unfold through some kind of computer screen". The Tomatometer critics' consensus for ''Open Windows'' was 40% based on 40 reviews. In 2017, Sasha Grey and

Danny Trejo Danny Trejo (, ; born May 16, 1944) is an American actor. Known for his Danny Trejo filmography, large body of work as a character actor, films in which he has appeared in have grossed over $3.7 billion worldwide. A native of Los Angeles, Tr ...

starred in the

arthouse An art film, arthouse film, or specialty film is an independent film aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience. It is "intended to be a serious, artistic work, often experimental and not designed for mass appeal", "made prima ...

thriller ''Black Licorice'', which was directed by Frankie Latina and in 2009 Grey was a co-producer of Latina's ''

Modus Operandi A (often shortened to M.O. or MO) is an individual's habits of working, particularly in the context of business or criminal investigations, but also generally. It is a Latin phrase, approximately translated as . Term The term is often used in ...

'', also starring Danny Trejo. Grey appeared in music videos for

The Smashing Pumpkins The Smashing Pumpkins (also simply known as Smashing Pumpkins) are an American alternative rock band formed in Chicago in 1988 by frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan, guitarist James Iha, bassist D'arcy Wretzky and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin. The ...

' 2007 song " Superchrist", and for

The Roots The Roots are an American Hip-hop, hip hop band formed in 1987 by singer Black Thought, Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and drummer Questlove, Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Roots serve as the house band on NBC's ''T ...

' 2008 song "Birthday Girl". In 2011, she appeared in the music video for

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time, he is credited with popula ...

's song "

Space Bound "Space Bound" is a song by American rapper Eminem. It was released on June 18, 2011, as the fourth and final single from his seventh album, '' Recovery''. The song is produced by American hip-hop producer Jim Jonsin and features samples of " Dr ...

", which premiered on

Vevo Vevo LLC ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized in all caps until 2013) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available ...

, playing a girlfriend whom Eminem strangles before realizing that she is only a figment of his imagination.

Music

In 2008, Grey began an industrial music collaboration called aTelecine with Pablo St. Francis and the two later added Anthony D' Juan and Ian Cinnamon. The project's first EP, '' aVigillant Carpark,'' was released in 2009. The same year, Grey also contributed vocals to the

Current 93 Current 93 are an English experimental music group, founded in 1982 by David Tibet. Much of Current 93's early work was similar to late 1970s and early 1980s industrial music: abrasive tape loops, droning synthesizer noises and Tibet's distorte ...

album '' Aleph at Hallucinatory Mountain''. In 2010, aTelecine released its first album, '' ...And Six Dark Hours Pass'', and followed it up with the first of three '' A Cassette Tape Culture'' compilations. Paul Maher Jr. compared Sasha Grey with Cathy Ames in

John Steinbeck John Ernst Steinbeck ( ; February 27, 1902 – December 20, 1968) was an American writer. He won the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humor and keen social percep ...

's novel ''East of Eden'', describing the ambient tracks of aTelecine as aural wrecking balls, stated that Grey's artistic temperament comes close to that of the

Marquis de Sade Donatien Alphonse François, Marquis de Sade ( ; ; 2 June 1740 – 2 December 1814) was a French writer, libertine, political activist and nobleman best known for his libertine novels and imprisonment for sex crimes, blasphemy and pornography ...

as "a proponent of freedom tethered to its furthest extremities, yet untethered by laws, morality or religion" and admired her courage and audaciousness. In July 2013, it was announced that Grey had left the band. In 2012, Grey covered

Nico Christa Päffgen (; 16 October 1938 – 18 July 1988), known by her stage name Nico, was a German singer, songwriter, actress, and model. Nico had roles in several films, including Federico Fellini's '' La Dolce Vita'' (1960) and Andy Warhol's ...

for the X-TG album ''

Desertshore ''Desertshore'' is the third studio album by German musician Nico. It was released in December 1970 on the Reprise label and co-produced by John Cale and Joe Boyd. Recording ''Desertshore'' was co-produced by John Cale and Joe Boyd. "Janito ...

.'' In 2014, Grey and Jayceeoh produced "Heat of the Night", featuring Bella. In 2015, psytrance band Infected Mushroom featured Grey's vocals in their album '' Converting Vegetarians II'' in the track "Fields of Grey". In 2016, Grey contributed to the Death in Vegas album ''Transmission''. The former

Throbbing Gristle Throbbing Gristle were an English music and visual arts group formed in Kingston upon Hull by Genesis P-Orridge and Cosey Fanni Tutti, later joined by Peter "Sleazy" Christopherson and Chris Carter. They are widely regarded as pioneers of in ...

members Chris & Cosey remixed "Consequences of Love", a ''Transmission'' song performed and composed by Grey and Fearless. In 2017, Michael Mayer adapted the Chris & Cosey remix in his DJ-Kicks album. ''

'' described ''Transmission'' as an "EBM-inspired romp through the darker edges of the sleazier clubs in the nightlife spectrum". In a cameo appearance, DJ Harvey plays "Consequences of Love" in the rave party at the

Grand Palais The (; ), commonly known as the , is a historic site, exhibition hall and museum complex located in the 8th arrondissement of Paris between the Champs-Élysées and the Seine, France. Construction of the began in 1897 following the demolitio ...

scene of '' Mission: Impossible – Fallout''. In 2018, Death in Vegas published the single "Honey", with Grey as writer, singer, and film director of Drone Records' video for the song. In August 2018

PIG The pig (''Sus domesticus''), also called swine (: swine) or hog, is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is named the domestic pig when distinguishing it from other members of the genus '' Sus''. Some authorities cons ...

published "That's The Way (I Like It)", featuring Grey, and premiered it on the website

Pornhub Pornhub is a Canadian-owned Internet pornography video-sharing website, one of several owned by adult entertainment conglomerate Aylo. , Pornhub is the 16th- most-visited website in the world and the most-visited adult website. The site al ...

. Since 2010, Grey has regularly performed as a DJ and has published some of her mixes on

SoundCloud SoundCloud is a German audio streaming service owned and operated by SoundCloud Global Limited & Co. KG. The service enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is ...

. Grey said she uses CDJs, USB-sticks, and

SD card Secure Digital (SD) is a proprietary, non-volatile, flash memory card format developed by the SD Association (SDA). Owing to their compact size, SD cards have been widely adopted in a variety of portable consumer electronics, including dig ...

s when making her music. ''Earmilk'' editor David Sikorski considered her mixes as "testament to her wide range, eclectic taste in music, and her ability to understand the mechanics of solid electronic music production".

Books

Grey's photo book ''Neü Sex'' was released on March 29, 2011.

described it as "another right step in transforming herself into the multimedia artist she sees herself as" and the '' Portland Mercury'' compared Grey's "distinct style" with the photography of

Cindy Sherman Cynthia Morris Sherman (born January 19, 1954) is an American artist whose work consists primarily of photographic self-portraits, depicting herself in many different contexts and as various imagined characters. Her breakthrough work is often co ...

and Terry Richardson. Her second book, an erotic novel titled ''The Juliette Society'', was released on May 9, 2013. Karley Sciortino described the book as a "satirical, erotic novel that follows Catherine, a film student who enters a secret, elite sex society", and in an interview Grey stated she paid homage to novels like ''

The 120 Days of Sodom ''The 120 Days of Sodom, or the School of Libertinage'' () is an unfinished novel by the French writer and nobleman Marquis de Sade, Donatien Alphonse François, Marquis de Sade, written in 1785 and published in 1904 after its manuscript was r ...

'', '' Thérèse the Philosopher'', and Voltaire's ''

Candide ( , ) is a French satire written by Voltaire, a philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment, first published in 1759. The novella has been widely translated, with English versions titled ''Candide: or, All for the Best'' (1759); ''Candide: or, The ...

''. Alisande Fitzsimons wrote that ''The Juliette Society'' contains references to classic erotic literature and film, and '' Cosmopolitan UK'' called it "erotica with a difference". In 2016, the second book of ''The Juliette Society'' trilogy, ''The Janus Chamber'', was published and the third installment, ''The Mismade Girl'', followed in 2018. Grey described ''The Juliette Society'' as somewhat autobiographical. Allen Foster wrote that ''The Janus Chamber'' is "a brilliant work of literature", much more ''

Satyricon The ''Satyricon'', ''Satyricon'' ''liber'' (''The Book of Satyrlike Adventures''), or ''Satyrica'', is a Latin work of fiction believed to have been written by Gaius Petronius in the late 1st century AD, though the manuscript tradition identifi ...

'' than ''

Fifty Shades of Grey ''Fifty Shades of Grey'' is a 2011 erotic romance novel by British author E. L. James. It became the first instalment in the ''Fifty Shades'' novel series that follows the deepening relationship between a college graduate, Anastasia Steele, ...

'', where Grey's "wry sense of humor reveals itself in the obscure pop culture references". The trilogy was translated into several languages, and in October 2019 the German translation of ''The Mismade Girl'' was published by Heyne Hardcore as ''X''.

Other ventures

In 2020, Grey began hosting a show on VENN called ''Grey Area''. Grey began streaming video game playthroughs on Twitch in the first half of 2020.

Personal life

Grey identifies herself as an

existentialist Existentialism is a family of philosophical views and inquiry that explore the human individual's struggle to lead an authentic life despite the apparent absurdity or incomprehensibility of existence. In examining meaning, purpose, and value ...

and as

bisexual Bisexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior toward both males and females. It may also be defined as the attraction to more than one gender, to people of both the same and different gender, or the attraction t ...

. She is an atheist. She was in a long-term relationship with a photographer, Ian Cinnamon, who is 13 years her senior, but the couple split up in 2012. In May 2016 interview, rock and pop culture critic Art Tavana compared Grey with

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

, describing her as "defiantly

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...

" and as "novelist, EDM DJ, sex-positive feminist,

Formula 1 Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

racer or action star—no matter what it is, it's more than 'ex-porn star'". In 2009, Meghan O'Rourke wrote that Grey "sees her extremity as helping to liberate female sexuality" but she called Grey's persona "a clever marketing tactic".

Vanessa Grigoriadis Vanessa Maia Grigoriadis is an American journalist. Her work has been featured in ''The New York Times'', '' Vanity Fair'', and ''Rolling Stone'' among other publications. Background Grigoriadis is of Greek descent and grew up in New York City. Wh ...

stated that "what's most important about her is her impact on feminism". In a 2011 interview with ''Journal Frankfurt'', Grey commented that she dislikes the term 'feminist', saying she would be a 'post-modern feminist' if she was one. Grey is a professed movie buff, leading to her 2006 alias Anna Karina after the French-Danish film actress, and likes the work of Italian film director

Michelangelo Antonioni Michelangelo Antonioni ( ; ; 29 September 1912 – 30 July 2007) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and editor. He is best known for his "trilogy on modernity and its discontents", ''L'Avventura'' (1960), ''La Notte'' (1961), and '' ...

filmmaker

, Danish

Dogme 95 Dogme 95 (; Danish for "Dogma 95") was a Danish avant-garde filmmaking movement founded by Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg, who created the "Dogme 95 Manifesto" and the "Vows of Chastity" (). These were rules to create films based on the t ...

director

Lars von Trier Lars von Trier (né Trier; born 30 April 1956) is a Danish film director and screenwriter. Beginning in the late-1960s as a child actor working on Danish television series ''Secret Summer'', von Trier's career has spanned more than five decad ...

New German Cinema New German Cinema () is a period in Cinema of Germany, West German cinema which lasted from 1962 to 1982, in which a new generation of directors emerged who, working with low budgets, and influenced by the French New Wave and Italian Neorealism, ...

filmmaker

Werner Herzog Werner Herzog (; né Stipetić; born 5 September 1942) is a German filmmaker, actor, opera director, and author. Regarded as a pioneer of New German Cinema, his films often feature ambitious protagonists with impossible dreams, people with unusu ...

filmmaker Catherine Breillat, and American filmmaker

David Lynch David Keith Lynch (January 20, 1946 – January 16, 2025) was an American filmmaker, visual artist, musician, and actor. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Lynch was often called a "visionary" and received acclaim f ...

. ''

MovieLine ''Movieline'' was a Los Angeles–based film and entertainment magazine, launched in 1985 as a local magazine, which went national in 1989. Known for its cult status and popularity among film critics, the magazine eventually was retooled and nam ...

'' recognized her as "Twitter's Art-House Eulogist". Sasha Grey described herself as a

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

fan and contributed to a French homage after he died in 2016. Other musical influences of Grey's include

, Coil, and

Nine Inch Nails Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN (stylized as NIИ), is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1988. Its members are the singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Trent Reznor and his frequent col ...

. Grey also collects

vinyl records A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English) or a vinyl record (for later varieties only) is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The g ...

and her motto is

Lotta continua Lotta Continua (LC; ) was a Far-left politics, far-left militant organization in Italy, during the historical period of social turmoil and political violence in the country known as the "Years of Lead (Italy), Years of Lead". Its leaders Adria ...

. In 2010, in an interview with ''

Maxim Maxim or Maksim may refer to: Entertainment *Maxim (magazine), ''Maxim'' (magazine), an international men's magazine ** Maxim (Australia), ''Maxim'' (Australia), the Australian edition ** Maxim (India), ''Maxim'' (India), the Indian edition *Maxim ...

'', Grey said her parents were not happy with her involvement in the adult film industry but that they were on good terms with her nonetheless; Grey's father died in 2015.

Activism

In February 2010, Sasha Grey and Joanna Angel were Sex Week at Yale panelists. In November 2011, Grey participated in a guest reading program at Emerson Elementary School in

Compton, California Compton is a city located in the Gateway Cities region of southern Los Angeles County, California, United States, situated south of downtown Los Angeles. Compton is one of the oldest cities in the county, and on May 11, 1888, was the eighth ci ...

. After some parents complained, Grey responded to the controversy by stating, "I committed to this program with the understanding that people would have their own opinions about what I have done, who I am, and what I represent". Grey also appeared on the American talk show '' The View'', where she said she thought that the schoolchildren's parents should have been given prior notice of the identity of guest readers, and that she would not have accepted the job if parents had objected to her. In March 2012, she published a video supporting Equal Pay Day. She supported

Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician and activist who is the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from the state of Vermont. He is the longest-serving independ ...

during the

2016 Democratic Party presidential primaries Presidential primaries and caucuses were organized by the Democratic Party to select the 4,051 delegates to the 2016 Democratic National Convention held July 25–28 and determine the nominee for President in the 2016 United States president ...

and supports

Planned Parenthood The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. (PPFA), or simply Planned Parenthood, is an American nonprofit organization

Awards

Filmography

Film

Series

Music videos

Video games

Discography

;with aTelecine :2009: '' aVigillant Carpark'' ( EP; Pendu Sound Recordings) :2010: '' A Cassette Tape Culture'' (Pendu Sound Recordings) :2010: '' ...And Six Dark Hours Pass'' (

Dais Records Dais Records is an American independent record label founded in August 2007 by musicians Gibby Miller and Ryan Martin, and based in Los Angeles, California, and Brooklyn, New York. History The label traces its origins to Ryan Martin's time a ...

) ;with

:2009: '' Aleph at Hallucinatory Mountain'' ( Coptic Cat) ;with X-TG :2012: ''

'' (covering

, Industrial Records) ;with Infected Mushroom :2015: ''Fields Of Grey'' (EP; Dim Mak Records) ;with Death in Vegas :2016: ''

Transmission Transmission or transmit may refer to: Science and technology * Power transmission ** Electric power transmission ** Transmission (mechanical device), technology that allows controlled application of power *** Automatic transmission *** Manual tra ...

'' ( LP, Drone Records) :2018: ''Honey'' (EP; Drone Records) ;with

Pig The pig (''Sus domesticus''), also called swine (: swine) or hog, is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is named the domestic pig when distinguishing it from other members of the genus '' Sus''. Some authorities cons ...

:2018: '' That's The Way (I Like It)'' (EP; Pig Industries, Armalyte Industries) :2019: ''

You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' is a song by Phil Spector, Barry Mann, and Cynthia Weil, first recorded in 1964 by the American vocal duo the Righteous Brothers. This version, produced by Spector, is cited by some music critics as the ultimat ...

'' (cover duet, LP ''Candy'', Armalyte Industries)

Bibliography

* ''Neü Sex'' (VICE Books, 2011, ) * ''The Juliette Society'' (Grand Central Publishing, 2013, ) * ''The Juliette Society, Book II: The Janus Chamber'' (Cleis Press, 2016, ) * ''The Juliette Society, Book III: The Mismade Girl'' (Cleis Press, 2018, )

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Grey, Sasha 21st-century American actresses 21st-century American musicians 21st-century American pianists 21st-century American women musicians 21st-century American women pianists 21st-century American women writers Actresses from California American DJs American experimental musicians American women singers American women drummers American women guitarists American television actresses American video game actresses American voice actresses Motion capture actresses American industrial musicians American pornographic film actresses Existentialists American women DJs Female models from California Living people Penthouse Pets People from Sacramento County, California Pornographic film actors from California Postmodern feminists Sex-positive feminists Writers from California American Twitch (service) streamers American feminist musicians 1988 births American LGBTQ musicians American LGBTQ actresses YouTubers from California LGBTQ women writers Drummers from California