The Farewell to Porn Letter and my

Exclusive Tell-All Interview! 

Only at BelowTheBeltWithGio.com

Photo Courtesy of MustanStudios.com 

            Yes, the rumors are true.  Matt Cole is going into retirement from making anymore gay porn movies.  In 2007 he won the Best Newcomer award at the GAYVN Awards, took home two GRABBY Awards for Best Newcomer and Best Bottom in Chicago and Best Newcomer at the WeHo Awards!  After more than 30 movies in two years, Cole has decided to step away from being in front of the camera.  However, fans should not be disappointed as he will still maintain his website www.MattColeXXX.com and his fan group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Matt_Cole/ (recently replaced after his original was deleted for unknown reasons) and he will still make live appearances at nightclubs and events throughout the world!  For appearance requests, he has asked everyone to contact his talent management company FabScout Entertainment 

Many in the adult industry question his decision to leave porn while at the pinnacle of his successful career.  After meeting Matt and sitting down with him to discuss his future, I can assure you that his decision was not taken lightly and his reasons for leaving are solid and well thought out.  He sent me the following letter that he requested I share with you and he has also posted this on his website.  The letter clarifies his recent decision to leave gay porn.  I share with you this letter from Matt Cole and then my exclusive interview, which may actually be his last interview… 

 “I can assure you all that this decision to leave the industry was not inspired by a "lover" or any other person in my life. At this high point in my career I decided it was simply time for me to move on.  I have had an amazing 2 years in the industry and wouldn’t change anything for the world.  I entered the business with the intent of doing it for a year or 2 and never had any idea it would grow to become what it has.  I believe that I am leaving the business at a time when I am on top and will be remembered for all the good work that I have done.   I have met amazing people, traveled to places I would never have imagined and had experiences many men could only dream of.  Life is a learning experience and I believe everything we do is meant to teach us and to help us move to the next level.  Before I was a porn star I was a personal trainer.  Many of you that know me know that fitness is a passion in my life.  Simply put, training is something that I miss.  I will continue to dance and make appearances at clubs and charity events, but the majority of my time will be focused on other avenues.  I hope that you all will keep in touch with me and continue to enjoy my body of work for years to come.  Thank you all again for the continued support and love.” 

            Matt Cole

            XOXXX

“P.S. For the record??..my accounts were all mysteriously deleted for me? I had nothing to do with the closing of my yahoo group, email account or my myspace page. Apparently someone else wants to send me into retirement as well. I can now be reached via Email at xxxmattcole@yahoo.com.” 

            In an effort to get a little more information about his decision, his life in porn and what the future holds for Matt; I sat down with him for the following exclusive interview: 

GIO     Matt, thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview. 

Matt    You are very welcome Gio and I am happy to be interviewed by you (Big smile)! 

GIO     Thank you for sending me the letter that clears up your decision to stop appearing in future porn films.  That letter will be a prelude to this interview by the way.  Take a brief moment and share with me and the readers a little more insight into your decision to stop making films. 

Matt    Well I entered the business just about two years ago and when I started in this industry I had the intention of only doing it for a year or two at the most.  I have to say the past two years have been an amazing experience for me.  I have met and worked with some of the most incredible people I have ever met and I got to work with people that I had previously only fantasized about before getting into porn.  I have worked with all the best producers, directors and studios in this industry and my experiences have allowed me to travel to places I probably would have never gone to on my own.  So, everything that I have done so far has been a positive experience for me in this industry.  Basically, I just decided it was time for me to move on because I had come into this industry and did exactly what I wanted to do.  When I started I wanted to be known for doing it well and doing it right and I feel I have accomplished that and I like the fact that I am leaving while I am at the top of my game…so to speak.  Winning all the awards this year was icing on the cake for me and I want people to remember me for all the good work I did while I was making movies and not look at me a few years from now and say…”ewww, he is still doing porn?”. (Laughs)

GIO     Well I respect the decision you have made and it is obvious that you have given it a lot of thought.  So, what is next for you in your “Porn Retirement” phase of life? 

Matt     Well, I joke around with all my friends now that I cannot wait to get fat! (Big Laugh)  No, actually before I went into porn I was a personal trainer and that is something that I am very passionate about and I truly miss working with clients on a day-to-day basis.  I get huge satisfaction in helping     people achieve their fitness goals.  Since I spend a lot of time in the gym now, I am going back into personal training.  I also plan on continuing to travel and make live appearances at nightclubs and events because I really enjoy that part of the business as long as people are interested in having me.  I am looking forward to spending more time at home in Chicago because I have been traveling a lot the past two years making movies and I miss my friends and all that good stuff.  I look forward to not having to worry about having my washboard abs all the time and being a “normal person” again…whatever that means.  Or as I like to say…Now I can have 3-ways with Ben and Jerry (Big Laugh)!  I love ice-cream!! 

GIO     (Laughing) I love Ben and Jerry too!  Well it sounds like you are going to take some much needed time to just chill for a while, good for you.  I think it is great that you are going back to personal training and it is obvious that you take very good care of yourself.  Have you always been physically fit and focused on your body?  Were you very athletic as a young man? 

Matt     I was not always focused on fitness, so this actually came about for me later in life.  It is funny because people always ask me what sports I played in high school and college and back then I had absolutely no  interest in sports or how my body looked.  I was that kid that did everything in my power to get out of gym class (laughs).   

GIO     So, when did you change and start focusing on your body? 

Matt     I started while I was in college.  I remember that I went into my first gay bar in college and there were go-go dancers dancing up on boxes and I remember seeing all the attention they were getting from the customers in the bar.  It was then that I came to the sudden realization that in the gay lifestyle, and as shallow as it may be, the guys with the hot bodies are the ones that get all the attention.  And for me…I wanted that attention and wanted to be one of those boys on the box being admired by everyone. So, right after that I started going to the gym and transforming my body. 

GIO     So one could say you are an attention whore (Both Laugh)…no but seriously, did you ever think you would attain the body you have now?

Photo Courtesy of HotHouse.com

Matt     You know it is funny, when I was younger and in high school and college I would buy all the fitness magazines with these totally hot guys in them and actually use them to jerk-off too.  When I started working out in college I got even more of those magazines and they served two purposes for me…jerk-off materiel and I actually learned a lot from reading about diet and exercise.  Plus, nobody suspected the men in the magazines turned me on because if anyone asked, I would just say I was reading them to learn more about fitness! (Laughs).  I had a drawer full of these magazines before I started working out, but the information inside the magazines taught me how to exercise the right way.   

            I remember at the beginning only being able to bench press with 10 pound weights on each side of the bar and struggling.  But, I just kept telling  myself to do it the right way…slow and steady…and someday you will be one of the “big boys.”   And 12 years later…here I am (Big Smile)! 

GIO     That is awesome and yes…you are now one of the “Big Boys.”  (Both Laugh)  You certainly have made a big name for yourself in the gay porn world in a relatively short period of time.  Over 30 movies in two years is a  lot of work!  Out of all of the movies you have done are there any particular films that stand out as favorites for you?

Matt     I have several favorites actually.  My ultimate favorite is Trunks 2 by HotHouse.  I had two amazing scenes in that movie and was shot in Palm   Springs.  It was my first time ever going to Palm Springs and the whole cast was totally amazing on and off set.  In my opinion the movie just looks beautiful and was shot beautifully.  The overall energy with everyone on that set was amazing and I think my body looks the best it has ever looked in that movie.  I could not be happier with how that movie turned out and it seems my friends and fans also agree that it was my best film as well.

            My other favorites are Boot Boy, which was the only time I was ever directed by Chi Chi LaRue. It was a great experience working with her on that movie and it turned out very good.  My first movie for Raging Stallion was Bedroom Eyes and I really love that movie as well. 

GIO     Cool…so a Hot House, Rascal Video and Raging Stallion film stand out   as your favorites.  Is there a particular scene partner in any of your films that stands out as a favorite? 

Matt     You know, I have worked with so many amazing people and it will sound silly…but at times I am still a little star struck at some of the guys I have done scenes with.  People think I am crazy for saying that, but a lot of these guys I had watched and jerked off to for years before getting into this business…like Dean Monroe, Matthew Rush and Brad Patton and for me to be on the set with them and working with them was incredible.  So, I really do not have one person in particular that stands out as a favorite…but I can tell you that there were two stars that I actually hooked up with outside the set and they were Jake Deckard and Tyler Saint who are both amazing men! 

GIO     So, I will assume you had a good time in your off set experiences! 

Matt     I did (Blushing and big smile) and that is all I will say about that (Big Laugh)!  Usually after a scene all I wanted to do was go eat and sleep, but with those two I just wanted to go home and fuck! 

GIO     Is there anyone that you did not work with that you wished you could have? 

Matt     Yes, I would have loved to do a scene with Jeremy Hall, he is really sexy! I also wanted to work with Mason Wyler and just fuck the shit out of him…I just think he would have been an amazing bottom and scene partner! 

GIO     In getting to know you, I have discovered that many people assume you are Italian based on your looks, but you are actually Armenian. 

Matt     Yes, I am Armenian.  People either know what that means or are totally clueless when I say Armenian.  But I am very flattered when people say I   look Italian because I really have a thing for Italian men…wait, you are Italian aren’t you Gio?  I knew I like you for a reason (Winks and Laughs). So, I do like to play up the “Guido” thing from time to time. 

GIO     Well Matt, being 100% Italian myself…I welcome you into the fold (Both Laugh).  Now that you are getting out of the industry, where do you see the future of gay porn? 

Matt     That is a good question Gio.  I do think that many of the Studios have   missed the mark when it comes to the internet.  Personally, my experience with porn is that I want to watch it, get off quick and go about my business.  I do not, nor do many people, have time to go rent a video or buy it and wait for it to arrive.  To be honest, I get bored with a scene or movie after watching it a couple times and I want to see something different.  That is why the internet is great and sites like RandyBlue.com and other online sites that give quality and quantity are doing do well.  I think the major   studios really need to get on board with DRM and other online technology in order to maintain themselves in the future.  I have talked to a lot of my fans and most of them have not actually bought my movies, but rather downloaded or streamed my scenes on the internet.  That is why MaleFlixxx is so great because I can go on there and search for they type  of guy I want to see, the type of scene and then watch it and get off quickly! 

GIO     So, since you enjoy watching so much porn do you actually watch yourself in your movies? 

Matt     I do, but only to critique myself.  I remember the first time actually, my first scene ever on film was with Jason Ridge (who was great to work with) for the movie At Your Service by HotHouse. I got a copy of it and I watched it with the sound off and my hands over my eyes for most of my scene.  To me it was like watching a horror movie (Laughs).  But, it helps to watch them because when shooting porn I have learned that what doesn’t necessarily feel right while shooting will look amazing on screen. So by watching, I have learned how to move my body and get better each time. But I do not get off on watching my own movies; I have to watch other porn movies to get off.

GIO     Let’s have some fun now…Boxers or Briefs? 

Matt     Oh c-mon Gio, you know the answer to that! (We went shopping earlier for underwear) Briefs! 

GIO     Yes, I know briefs but I wanted to make sure your fans and my readers knew it too.  How many pair do you actually have? 

Matt     I am an underwear whore!  I have about 150 pair of underwear…I buy underwear like women by shoes (Laughs).  For those interested, my favorite underwear is CN-2. 

GIO     Cats or Dogs 

Matt     Dogs, but they have to be big dogs.  I do not like little yippy dogs. 

GIO     Silicone or Water Based Lube? 

Matt     I actually go back and forth on lube depending on my mood.  Mainly I prefer silicone because it lasts longer, but it does stain my sheets which   pisses me off.

GIO     If you could be any animal what would you be and why? 

Matt     I would want to be anything that flies because I think that would be cool. 

GIO     What advice would you give to anyone wanting to get into porn? 

Matt     Hit the gym hard because your body becomes your product.  Also, do not just do it for the money.  I would also say that if it becomes not enjoyable     anymore to get out.  I have been on sets with guys that have been doing porn for too long (in my opinion), they would be bitching and moaning the whole time and I would think to myself, why the hell are they still making movies if they are not enjoying it?  Ya know?? 

GIO     Good advice and I too agree that if you are not enjoying it, you should not be in it. 

Matt     I also tell people that the producers look for four things in thisbusiness…Face, Dick, Body and Ass.  I say you have to have the holy trinity which is at least three of the four items to make it in this business. 

GIO     That is so true!  And if you are lucky enough to have all four…watch out! (Both laugh)  In your opinion, what constitutes the term “Porn Star?” 

Matt     I love that question…Me (He laughs).  Seriously though, there are a lot of guys that will do a little internet jack off show and call themselves a porn star.  But, there is so much more to it than that.  In my own experience over the past two years I have had to spend a lot of my own time and money doing self promotion to get noticed in this industry.  I was always communicating with studios, fans, reviewers and other people in the industry.  To qualify as a Porn Star you have to work with the major players in the industry like being directed by people like Chi Chi LaRue, and working for big Studios like Hot House, Raging Stallion and Falcon. For me, working with those studios and directors were all pinnacle points for me in my career and I now feel comfortable with the term porn star. For me it was being on the cover of magazines and walking into porn stores and seeing your image on a box cover or poster and being recognized by people in public. 

Thee Matt Cole Magazine Covers

GIO     Well it is easy to call you a porn star!  Plus I think you are the first and only Triple Crown Winner in gay porn today.

Matt     Triple Crown? 

GIO     Yes, you won the Best Newcomer Award at the We-Ho Awards, GAYVN Awards and Grabby Awards…that makes you a Triple Crown winner, in my opinion.  Of course I made that title up though. 

Matt     I never thought of it like that (Laughs). 

GIO     How is it for you to be recognized while out in public? 

Matt     For me it is always a good experience.  To be honest I still cannot believe that people actually recognize me when I am out.  When I was in New  York I did not think for a million years that anyone would recognize me because there are so many famous people living there. I was at this bar and the bartender, who was totally hot, kept staring at me and finally asked me if I was Matt Cole.  He then proceeded to tell me he was a big fan and I was like…WOW!  It is sometimes odd being recognized, but it is  always a good experience for me when people say hello to me.  A funny thing happened the other day…I was at a urinal peeing and this older guy next to me leaned over to me and said “You look like the spitting image of Matt Cole, has anyone ever told you that?”  Of course I laughed and introduced myself. 

GIO     That is funny.  Complete this sentence…The best part about being a porn star is…? 

Matt     The attention. 

GIO     And the worst part? 

Matt     The Sex (Laughs).  It is way too technical and you have to start-stop, start- stop…it is a lot of hard work!  People do not realize how hard it is to shoot a scene and it takes hours and hours to get the scene.  It is really not an erotic experience while filming…the final product looks very erotic though. 

GIO     What is one thing that people would be surprised to know about you? 

Matt     That I am actually a very shy person.  Before coming into this business I was very uncomfortable with myself and I used to never take my shirt off in public because I had major image issues with how my body looked.  Porn has actually helped me overcome some of those hurdles and I am now very comfortable being naked now in front of other people. 

GIO     I know many of your fans will be sad that you are not making any more movies. But, I also know you still have a couple films that have not been released as of yet. One is for Lucas Entertainment called The Intern.  And, you mentioned earlier that your first scene partner on film was with  Jason Ridge and it is ironic that your last movie shot was for his new production company Ridgeline Films which is his first movie.  Tell us more about these films. 

Matt     Well the The Intern is one of Lucas Entertainment’s big films this year and I was glad to be part of it.  And working with Jason Ridge on my last movie was a nice way to end my career in front of the camera.  Although he was my scene partner in my first movie, we do not do a scene together in this movie.  Ridgeline will be released later this year. 

GIO     How can fans reach you?

Matt     I can be Emailed at xxxMattCole@yahoo.com and I am also available on   AOL Instant Messenger at MattColeXXX.  And my website which is www.MattColeXXX.com

GIO     So it was a rumor that you deleted all your Matt Cole accounts after deciding to leave porn?

Matt     Yes, within one week of making the decision my Yahoo Group and MySpace accounts were deleted.  I had nothing to do with the deletion of  those accounts; it is mysterious to me though.  Someone actually re-created my MySpace account with my pictures and everything, but it is not me.  It makes me wonder who or why the accounts were deleted.  But I never had an issue with my website and I am deciding whether or not to re-create MySpace and my YahooGroup is now back up and running.

GIO     That is weird that happened.  Anything else you would like to share with the fans and readers?

Matt     I just really want to say thank you to all the fans out there because without all of them I would really have been nothing in this industry.  I would have  been just some random naked guy on the internet and it was the fans that really made all this possible for me.  I have really enjoyed my interaction with the fans and I hope I have given them enough material to keep them happy for years to come. 

GIO     Very well said!  I wish you much success in all your future endeavors and look forward to still seeing you perform live on stage. 

Matt     Yes, thank you Gio.  And if anyone wants to book me to come to their club, get me through FabScout Entertainment because they are handling all my live appearance bookings now which frees me up to focus on rebuilding my personal training business.