Great Moments in Gay Porn #4: Ivan

Nicknamed Heidi for his boyish, freckled face and stoic demeanor, Ivan was the reigning Russian gay porn star between the year 2002 and 2004. He modeled for most of the top Russian porn sites of that time, appearing in both soft- and hardcore sets. In the typical Ivan porn, he was the mysterious and self-absorbed goody two shoes seduced by an older looking, more experienced friend/schoolmate/brother. Porn audiences clamored for his awkward but agreeable demeanor and his ability to mimic virginity while bottoming for extremely well hung tops without batting an eyelash. A complex young man who was uncomfortable with how he'd been pigeonholed, Ivan developed a reputation in the industry for being difficult and eccentric, fighting with webmasters' and fans' expectations by showing up for photo sessions with unexpected and counterproductive image makeovers -- a s&m leather boy, an extravagantly coifed and made up glam rocker, an emaciated Goth, a trashy transvestite. He refused to appear in videos, despite lucrative offers from many of the top porn production companies in Russia, Europe, and the US. At the height of his popularity at the age of 22, Ivan suddenly retired from porn with a tantrum-like and expletive filled open letter to the world that was posted on the now defunct porn site boyfestival.com in which he claimed his fans' desire for him had burned his brain and heart into lumps of charcoal and that if they wanted to fuck him so badly they should come to Russia and do it and stop staring at him. In late 2004, the Russian porn company Dolphin announced that it had offered Ivan a princely sum to come out of retirement and star in a new video but that he had shown up to work in what they vaguely described as "a physically unappealing state," and they "had done Ivan's fans a favor" by canceling the production. His current whereabouts are unknown.