Maitland Ward Explains The Similarities Between Shooting Soap Opera Sex Scenes And Porn

Maitland Ward on The Tamron Hall Show
(Image credit: ABC)

Former Disney actor turned porn star Maitland Ward has seen the handling of sexuality very differently through both halves of her acting career. Though there’s still some things Ward believes Hollywood could learn from porn, there’s another aspect that is pretty similar when shooting sex scenes for adult entertainment and soap operas. Candid as always, the Boy Meets World vet shared her thoughts on one case where daytime TV and premium internet content overlap in a relatable way. 

This similarity was discussed in detail while Ward was a recent guest of the Only Stans podcast. As a veteran of 167 episodes during her time on The Bold and the Beautiful, Maitland Ward got pretty used to shooting steamy scenes for the long running CBS soap. It sounds like those experiences aided her transition into the porn world rather nicely, as while both genres have a huge crew watching the action, the reactions come down to what she describes below: 

I find it similar in porn and in soap operas, when you’re doing the love scenes, the crew doesn’t really care. Even when we’re having full on sex (in porn shoots), they want to have lunch. They just want to get through it. They’ve seen it a million times. They’re not exactly totally involved.

It makes perfect sense that a crew on either a porn shoot or a daily soap opera would react to sex scenes in this sort of run of the mill manner. Both industries have made a name on varying levels of steamy content, and are choreographed to the same point as a narrative feature. 

With so much that needs to happen to capture the racy stuff fans love, professionalism takes over, and what’s been seen on set is pretty standard. Oddly enough, this similarity between porn and soaps is only thrown into starker contrast when remembering stories of Maitland Ward’s sexualization during her TGIF days.

One such tale involved Ward trying on lingerie for the Boy Meets World producers, which is definitely something most people would expect to hear from a porn set rather than a Friday night gem in ABC’s iconic sitcom lineup. Maitland’s further stories of Disney supposedly requiring its female stars “to be sexual” only serve to surprise, while also highlighting the current phase that she is in her life’s journey. 

At this point in her life, Maitland Ward is done apologizing and ready to bare all; whether it be through her successful porn career or through interviews such as this. With stories such as her soap opera sex scene experiences revealing how her job hasn’t change all that much, save for some crucial differences in what’s being shown, it goes a long way towards demystifying the world of porn to those who are more familiar with the broadcast ready version of the bedroom.

Mike Reyes
Senior Movies Contributor

Mike Reyes is the Senior Movie Contributor at CinemaBlend, though that title’s more of a guideline really. Passionate about entertainment since grade school, the movies have always held a special place in his life, which explains his current occupation. Mike graduated from Drew University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science, but swore off of running for public office a long time ago. Mike's expertise ranges from James Bond to everything Alita, making for a brilliantly eclectic resume. He fights for the user.