By Peter Berton

SAN FRANCISCO – Not that she needed the boost, but fetish domme, performer, director and educator Princess Donna Dolore recently experienced a spike in popularity, thanks to her involvement with a mainstream documentary. The film, Kink, which screened at the Sundance Film Festival, landed director-producer James Franco in the middle of a minor controversy and Dolore in the media spotlight.

Kink revealed the inner workings of Kink.com, among other things, titillating and educating viewers at the same time. For Dolore, combining vice and virtue is nothing out of the ordinary.

Nor, as it turns out, is working with Franco. Kink is only one of several Franco projects in which Dolore has played a role.

[B]YNOT.com: Give us a glimpse behind the stilettos.[/B]

Princess Donna Dolore: I’m Princess Donna, patron saint of many things. I have been called the Mother Teresa of porn, and I really like being called that. One time, at my birthday party, I had an entire room full of people bow at my feet. That was pretty damn exciting. Mother Teresa probably wouldn’t ask people to do that, but I’m the Mother Teresa of porn, not the real Mother Teresa.

I consider myself an artist, and I consider the work I do to be both art and public service. I believe the porn I create helps people to let go of their sexual shame and realize there are other people out there with similar fantasies — people bold enough and proud enough to act them out on camera even. Seeing this lets people know they don’t have to be ashamed of their desires. There are healthy and consensual ways to live out even the wildest fantasies.

[B]How did you become Princess Donna?[/B]

My mother and my father had this thing called intercourse. His sperm went into her egg. I incubated for nine months, and then a princess was born.

[I][Ed.: Well, that answers that.][/I]

[B]What attracted you to BDSM?[/B]

I think what first got me interested in BDSM was the power exchange and the intensity of the interactions. When I first started modeling, I loved seeing how much I could take. I came out of each shoot feeling stronger, more empowered and more in touch with my body.

I love extremes, and I see BDSM as an extension of the power dynamics present in all sex. Sex just amplifies it, and I love everything amplified.

[B]You’ve worked with Kink.com for a long time.[/B]

I have been a director at Kink.com for nearly nine years. I came on as the director of Wired Pussy and have since conceptualized and created two other sites for the company: Public Disgrace and Bound Gangbangs, which has been re-launched as HardcoreGangbang.com.

I perform on-camera as well as running my two websites. This includes everything from picking the talent to coming up with the storylines, tying up the models, directing the scenes, approving the edits, updating the website and much more. It keeps me very busy, to say the least.

[B]How does all of that compare to working with James Franco?[/B]

I was so honored to work with him. I find him inspiring in his dedication to his craft, his fearlessness and his ability to work on 300 projects at once.

During one of the films I worked on with him, he showed me how he wanted me to deliver a line. I feel like I learned so much in that one small moment, about pacing and being really present with your scene partner.

It was also just really cool to be directed by him. He has such vision, and it was amazing to be immersed in his world during that scene. I really hope I can work for him again in the future.

As far as the media attention, I feel really grateful to him for helping to put me a little more in the public eye. It’s also astounding to see how one picture and post about you on TMZ can spike the visits to one’s blog.

[B]So the mainstream media attention was all good?[/B]

It was a blessing. I want to reach a wider audience, and I want to do mainstream work. I recognize that being in the public eye isn’t all glitz and glam — there are definitely very real-life ramifications. But I want it regardless, and I always have.

[B]What are you doing now, and what are your future goals?[/B]

My goal is to take over the world!

Right now I’m directing for Kink, designing t-shirts for princessdonnastore.com, my online store, reading lots of books, taking lots of improv and acting classes, and making an action plan for my dreams of world domination.

[B]What don’t most people know about you?[/B]

I’m really shy and insecure. I am very hard on myself and cry for days if I think I’ve done a bad job at something.

I love country music. I love partner dancing. I’m funny. Lots of people probably don’t get to see that side of me.