Adult Star Max Konnor Builds His Brand
Adult star Max Konnor recalled how when he moved to New York City to pursue acting from Georgia, he had never seen boys kissing and cuddling in public. "We never saw that in Georgia. Everything is rigid there," he explained in an interview with the French LGBTQ+ website têtu.com.
"And then there was this boy. He was Italian," he said. "I fell head over heels for him and that's when I was like, 'OK, maybe I'm gay for sure'."
He already suspected he was, he continued, explaining how when his family got a computer, they put it in his room. It wasn't long before he discovered porn, but he never quite defined his feelings."I have always been attracted to anything sexual without ever having the need to put labels on my desire."
After studying acting, Konnor, whose real name is Clifford Berry, moved to New York; but saw his acting career sidetracked with issues with chemsex. "Around the age of about 24, after two years of regular consumption, he decided to cut everything. Like a sudden realization. Radical but effective: he claims to have no longer touched these products and clearly does not intend to backtrack," adds têtu.com.
After a failed television project in 2017, Konnor turned to porn, though some of his friends didn't understand his choice. "I needed more stability," he explained. He started out under the name of "XLTop" on OnlyFans. Other opportunities soon followed.
He named himself Max Konnor and built his brand, which he feels is "rare for a Black man" in an industry that is notoriously white and fetishizes Black actors. "When we talk about a white actor, we say he is handsome and sexy," he explains. "But when we talk about a Black actor, he is bestial and is just considered a sex tool."
And while acknowledging this kind of stereotyping, he hopes it is going to be a thing of the past. "This kind of behavior, we learn it. But I think it's in the process of to evolve."
Five years into the business, Konnor is a superstar with hugely successful sites on OnlyFans and Just4Fans, an exclusive contract with Falcon Studios, and his own product line, which includes a life-size dildo of his quite ample penis.
"Currently, Max Konnor is very busy: he coordinates shoots that often require travel to Los Angeles, he takes care of his social networks and even develops surprising projects like a reality show called 'X-Rated' with other gay pornstars," adds têtu.com.
He also calls himself a "homebody." ("The clubs, no thank you.") Nor is he dating. "I haven't really had any luck in love," he says, referring to a long relationship that ended in 2020. "I haven't had a date for over a year, he suggests. I don't have too much hope on this level of my life because everyone is always looking for the best. And I don't prefer to be a stopgap for anyone."
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