The XCritic Interview-Misha Cross

July 18, 2016
NSFW.ARMY

By Rob Perez

ALL IMAGES COURTESY OF EVIL ANGEL

Evil Angel’s Hard In Love 1 and 2 is arguably the most erotic, sensual but also most intense lesbian release of the year. Thanks to it’s larger than life director John Stagliano, and starring the real life friends Misha Cross and Samantha Bentley (who also wrote the script for both films), Hard In Love is a game changing title that challenges viewers to really watch this intense, pyshcological and kink heavy film. But it also has emotional, tender moments between Misha and Samantha, and the bond these two talented performers have really comes through on film. Lesbian titles usually don’t receive much accolades but Hard In Love 1 and 2 will absolutely give the genre much more serious attention especially when the film contains some of the best girl on girl scenes filmed this year, possibly this decade. It shows the magic that can be created when you have scene stealing performers and a director who takes immense care and dedication to their craft. That’s what you have here. In this exclusive interview, Misha Cross tells Xcritic about the trials and turbulations she went through during the filming of Hard In Love.

Can you explain how you, Samantha Bentley and John Stagliano came together to create Hard In Love?

The whole idea for the movie was born in Berlin's most famous fetish club Insomnia, where we spent one of the nights while on our trip to the Berlin Venus Fair. Suddenly, Sam and I heard a tune we both really liked so she decided to go up on the pole and started pole dancing. I was so into it that we started to kiss and just be all over each other. I think it was at this point when John saw this strong connection between me and her. John has always known we we’re best friends and we love to work together, but I think it was at this point he saw with his own eyes that it’s natural, and we are very much into each other in real life. So the same night he told us that he would like to shoot a movie about love and falling hard, and that he wanted us to star in it. We started to work on this movie one year later.

Were you and Samantha heavily involved in coming up with the story and the look of the film?

Yes, Samantha and I wrote the scrip for it and we also chose the perfomers we thought would be amazing for the movie. John has been amazing throughout the whole directing process; he gave us so much control over it because, as he said, we're way more equiped in creating a pyschological lesbian drama than he is. We connected with regard to the type of sex scenes John wanted us to shoot, and we loved his ideas so we just kind of put it all together. John is an outstanding photographer and pornographer, and we trusted him completely because he’s the best in capturing women’s body in the most beautiful way.

Can you tell the readers if they haven’t already watched Hard In Love 1 & 2 what the central story of the film is about, and what themes, subjects are explored in the film?

Hard in Love is an emotional dark, lesbian drama about love and falling hard. It’s a twisted story, mostly based on our lives, that involves the most hardcore lesbian sex scenes we have ever performed. Its really romantic as well but in the most fucked up way.

Was shooting this film really intense for you? Were any scenes too emotionally or physically draining?

Yes it was really intense especially because this movie is our baby, so it was a bit nerve wrecking to work on it. Especially since it’s directed by John Stagliano and he’s such a big name in this industry, and all you want do is to make him proud and happy, not make him regret his decision. So on the psychological mental level it was very intense for us to work on it. Also, the lesbian scenes from this movie are some of the most personal, hardest ones I’ve performed to date. There is one scene in part two in which Angel Long's gang breaks into our hotel room, and Angel sort of rapes me and makes Sam watch it, just to break her and make her jelaous. I’ve never felt this odd and empty in my entire life after doing this scene. It was way too much to handle emotionally for me, and I needed some time to recover after filming it. There’s also this beautiful lesbian scene with Sam and I that we shot on the last day. It’s so pretty, soft and very feminine. I really want this one to get nominated for best girl/girl sex scene. We shot it on the day when we found out there might have been a syphilis outbreak in Europe, so we decided we would shoot this scene without exchanging any fluids. I must say it made us very creative. [Laughs]

Did you relationship with Samantha become stronger after making this film?

Oh yes for sure. I think it went on a different, higher level where we are not just friends anymore but also bussiness associates.

Do you feel you came away from this project as a better performer?

I think im progressing every time I shoot. I feel like my scenes are getting better every day. I believe it all comes with experience and I can still feel myself getting more and more mature and self-conscious. So yes, this movie has definitely changed me big time epecially since Sam and I lead every single scene; this kind of responsibility makes you very creative.

What do you want viewers to come away with after watching Hard In Love?

I hope they like it and find it interesting. We tried to make something different, something with a dark romantic story behind it. I hope people watching it can identify with it because we’ve all had some demented, fucked up relationships in our lives, and we all have fallen hard once or twice and thats what this movie is about.