Legendary Actress Maria Ozawa Talks about Her “AV Past” and Her Thoughts on Today’s AV Industry

Maria Ozawa (37), who has a Canadian father and Japanese mother, made her adult film debut in 2005 at the age of 18 and quickly became a top actress with her outstanding looks and proportions. However, she abruptly retired in 2010 at the height of her popularity. After that, she moved to the Philippines in 2003, while engaging in entertainment activities mainly in China and Indonesia.

In the Philippines, she has been involved in the management of high-end lounges and restaurants, and in recent years has also entered the casino business. Although Ozawa has been very successful as a businessman and is now said to be the “most famous Japanese in the Philippines,” he has had a turbulent life to get to this point.

During his visit to Japan, Ozawa revealed his thoughts on the current AV industry and secret stories of his encounters with VIPs from around the world at “DRUNK,” a bar in Kabukicho, Shinjuku, which he manages himself.

–You retired in 2010 at the height of your popularity. Why was that?

Ozawa: “In my case, I wanted to quit regrettably while I was still popular. I originally had a clear goal of connecting my career in AV to my entertainment career. I was lucky in part because there were very few half-Japanese porn stars at the time, but I also won various awards and became the best in the industry, and there were many things I wanted to do after I graduated from porn, so I was able to quit quickly.”

–Ozawa: “I was very popular not only in Japan but also in Asia from the time when I was working as a sexy actress.

Ozawa: “I was especially supported in China, Taiwan, and Indonesia. I was surprised because everyone knew me in every country I went to. In Indonesia, an immigration official saw my real name on my passport and said, ‘You must be Maria Ozawa!　You must be Maria Ozawa! I couldn’t easily enter the country (laughs). Sora Aoi and I were the first to enter the Asian market, and the enthusiasm of the local people was truly amazing. I was allowed to act in one film in Taiwan and two in Indonesia, and since I speak English, it was interesting to be able to communicate directly with the people there. Such experiences were the impetus for me to become interested in business later on.

–You moved to the Philippines in 2003. Why did you choose the Philippines?

Ozawa: “Actually, there was no deep reason. I happened to have a friend there, so I went to visit him and felt strangely at home. The fact that English is spoken there was a big factor, but I was also attracted by the openness of the people there. For example, when I appeared in the media over there and said, ‘I want to open a restaurant here,’ I received an offer from the owner the next day (laughs). Also, when I thought about my past as an adult film actress, I realized that the range of work in Japan and the Philippines was completely different. There are more opportunities.”

–I heard that you are now working with a casino group that operates worldwide.

Ozawa: “Originally, I was working as an advertising model for casinos in Asia. Knowing that, my boss at the current group contacted me out of the blue and said, ‘Will you help us expand our business? I was thrilled at the mere thought of being involved in casino operations, and I immediately said, ‘I’d love to do it. Now I am involved in the advertising and web departments, and I even go to the Philippines once a month to attend meetings. I can only be thankful that I was able to get this offer because I was so well known as an adult film actress.

–I heard that while doing business in the Philippines, you were approached in a rather unusual way.

Ozawa: “I was once approached by a man who said he had a private jet and said, ‘Maria, from now on I will take you anywhere in the world you want to go. I was scared, so I decided to decline and asked, ‘Really, anywhere?’ I asked him, ‘I told you so! He got angry (laughs). The good thing about the Philippines is that regardless of your position, whether you are a doctor, lawyer, politician, or celebrity, they are flat with you. However, to put it another way, they are very outgoing. Manny Pacquiao’s team once sent me a replica of his championship belt with his signature on it out of the blue, and the sister of a former president once attacked me (laughs). (Laughs.) There may be aspects of the Philippines that you cannot see unless you abandon your Japanese sensibilities and immerse yourself in the Philippines.

–Have you actually been in a relationship with a Filipino celebrity?

Ozawa: “I was dating a guy who was a chef and actor. I was thinking of getting married, so I had no intention of hiding it, but just walking around town, I was photographed by the paparazzi, and it became headline news over there. I was on lockdown in Corona and couldn’t go to the Philippines, so we broke up during that time, but then people wrote a lot of lies about me, saying, “I feel sorry for men,” and “Maria Ozawa had an affair with a man in Japan. In that sense, I may have been away from home.

–Mr. Ozawa, who has become a successful businessman, what is your view of the AV industry today?

Ozawa: “I feel that the bad image and labels of the industry are much lighter than they were when I was in it. Children like Yua Mikami are now active as influencers, and the image has become brighter. On the other hand, I am also concerned that many girls try to enter the industry lightly. Even now, every once in a while, I get messages on social media asking, ‘How can I become a porn star?’ I am still getting messages on social networking sites asking me, “How can I become an adult film star? Once you are in porn, it follows you for the rest of your life. That’s why I always try to convince them that they shouldn’t do it. There are many girls who enter the industry unprepared and later tell me that they were coerced into it. But I hear from people in the industry that many of them tell such lies in a panic when their boyfriends or parents find out. I feel indignant, wondering why they would tell such a silly lie. I also think that because there is no end to the number of such girls, the bad image of the industry will never go away.

–Last June, the “AV Appearance Victims Prevention and Relief Act,” also known as the “New AV Act,” was passed.

Ozawa: “I saw the bill, and frankly speaking, I wonder why it has come too late. At least in my circle, I have never heard of a girl who was forced to enter the industry. They all entered the industry of their own volition, and it is disrespectful to the actresses. They are mean-spiritedly restricting them from doing this and that, and especially the part about “not disclosing the information within four months of the end of filming,” which directly affects the lives of the actresses and those working in the industry. The regulations overreact to the opinions of a few, and do not reflect the opinions of the industry or the voices of those working in the field. When we look into the cause, we find that there are not enough opportunities to teach sex education in the Japanese educational system. I feel that sex in artwork and sex education should be considered separately, and that this is what Japan needs to work on first.

–I feel that this is something that Japan needs to work on.

Ozawa: “That’s really true. Not a penny of the money comes in (laughs). (Laughs.) If you are going to regulate pornography, you should also take measures against such illegal activities. I want to tell young women, ‘That’s what it means to be in porn.

–Do you think that the way the careers of AV actresses will change in the future?

Ozawa: “I feel that things are gradually moving in the right direction. However, at the root, I think the reality is that the field of activities in Japan is smaller than in the Philippines. In the Philippines, if you explain that you are a Japanese porn star, people will say, ‘Oh, so what kind of business can you do? What kind of business can you do with that? That is why it is sometimes difficult, but it is also pleasant. I am involved in a variety of businesses, and I am having the most fun. On the other hand, in Japan, even after I retire, I will always be seen as a “former porn star. But my hope is that one day that attitude will change in Japan.