In our zooming quest — the rushing around a convention kind, not the staring at a computer screen kind — we managed to catch up with Pet of the Month from July, 2020. Catching up with very busy Pets can be challenging, but always proves worth the effort.
A Nicole Vaunt Conversation
Nicole Vaunt, Pet of the Month. First I want to say, what have you been doing, ‘cause I haven’t seen or spoken to you in a while … So just give me a synopsis of everything.
Nicole: I have been continuing to do photo shoots all over the world, which I’m so excited to be able to do! I’ve gotten to shoot on — I think even more continents than I did last time we spoke. I’ve also started doing mainstream porn back in July, which is really exciting. I’m with Spiegler, which is so amazing, and I’ve been loving being involved in this new community. It’s like a whole new world for me.
Wow, what was the catapult that made you dip into mainstream adult?
Nicole Vaunt: It had been something that I had been considering for a while, and I had sort of gotten to a plateau in my career. I was talking with some friends and my business partner, trying to figure out what I could get out of it potentially, what the options were. This was one of the options that came up, and I knew some people who were already involved in it, obviously. I’ve been around the industry for a long time, just not personally involved. Then I reached out to them. I wanted to know answers about the lifestyle, and all those sorts of things. Of course I know sex, but I didn’t necessarily know what the requirements were for actually doing it in mainstream. So I reached out to them. I did a tarot reading, and it just really felt like it was the right time for me to pursue it. It felt like it was an organic evolution of the work that I’ve been doing for the past 15 years and now was the perfect time.
What were the requirements?
Nicole: Oh, just things like the hours are earlier … I’m a night owl, so you know, most sets you have there between 8 … 9 … 10 a.m., and that’s usually earlier than I’m used to things like that. … Also, me needing to come down to LA more which is where the main work happens, those sorts of lifestyle changes. Consequently, I’ve definitely been making trips down to LA, although I still live up in Portland with my partner and my adorable dogs. I always go down to LA for work, and I’m really enjoying it so far, but those were the main lifestyle changes. Basically, I wanted to know what the expectations were so I could provide my best self. I wouldn’t want to overpromise and underdeliver.
Of course. Are you doing Boy/Girl, Girl/Girl? What are you doing?
Nicole: I’m doing all of it really. I love it all. I love sex, so I’m down for all of it. [laughs]
I do believe that to be with Spiegler, you have to do everything.
Nicole: Pretty much. Yeah. I mean he’s an amazing agent.
I’m happy he signed you.
Nicole: Absolutely, I know I’m super lucky. And all of the other Spiegler girls, every single one of them, are just cool, reliable, down to do whatever, they know themselves. … I feel like I’m in a very special group of women when I’m with them.
I love it. How do you stay grounded and connected to your roots despite your fame or success?
Nicole: I love to be in nature. That’s a huge thing for me, especially having to go down to LA so frequently. I love being able to go back to Portland and being in nature. It serves as such a beautiful reset for me. I also read a lot. I’m a huge reader. If anyone out there listening is into fantasy romance novels, get at me, let’s talk about it! Let’s hear your spicy theories! So, I read a lot and that really helps calm me down. It’s just something I’ve always enjoyed. I’ll paint sometimes, and honestly just hanging out and playing games with friends can be a huge thing. I started playing D&D with a friend, which has been really exciting. I’m doing more fun nerd stuff, not being restricted in the things that I find fun just because they might not be as trendy or cool. Overall, being authentic to myself and doing the things that I authentically enjoy, I think that works as the best way I can keep myself grounded. I’m lucky I have an amazing support system around me. If I start getting any kind of ego, I get a check from them [laughs] and it brings me right back down! [laughs] Honestly, I appreciate the love.
Yeah, I think that’s important. … To stay focused and grounded, you have to have people that are honest with you and that do check you, because if they let you get away with shit then you’re never going to learn anything.
Nicole: Absolutely. I need to have friends who feel safe enough and comfortable enough to bring up confrontation or criticism if I do something unwittingly that upsets them. I need to know that my friends will be able to come to me and tell me about it. I can’t deal with people who do not deal with conflict. I need you to be able to give me criticism and know that I will be able to give that in return. That’s how we make each other better. My friendships and my partnerships are what have made me a better person, and I am so, so grateful for that.
I love it. That’s a great answer. Where do you see yourself in 5 and 10 years, both personally and professionally?
Nicole: That’s a great question. The future’s a little scary. I am not someone who has ever had big goals or things that I desperately want to do. I’ve really enjoyed going through my life and my career with a more organic process. That said, in 5 years I would definitely love to be working on bigger, more creative, porn projects and art projects. I have a really ambitious project with my partner, who is the photographer for my Pet of the Month set. We are trying to do nudes on every continent, so that is my really long-term goal, including Antarctica, so …
We published those photos.
Nicole Vaunt: Yes, yes! Yes!
Gorgeous! Those were so spectacular! I’ve never seen anything like it. Like … Just the most artsy, amazing, beautiful … I mean …
Nicole: He’s an artist.
And your body was beautiful and just the way you posed on that ice with the different rocks and natural configurations … It was really cool!
Nicole: Yeah! I love posing in unusual and unexpected places, especially nude, because it gets such a response. Also I find it kind of a test of endurance for me, which I really appreciate.
I was going to say — How cold was it in Antarctica?
Nicole: I haven’t been to Antarctica yet. I’ve been to Iceland. I’ve posed on the icebergs in Iceland and in the ice lagoon. It’s definitely cold, but the trick is: you shoot very, very quickly. You get in, you get out, and you get warm. That is the key, without doubt.
Great answer. What’s a guilty pleasure or something that you do for fun that people wouldn’t expect?
Nicole: Oooh, I love video games! I really enjoy puzzle games especially, and I really enjoy co-playing games too Because I didn’t grow up with a gaming system, I’m not as good with the mechanics and fighting and stuff, but I’m with someone who is. I love exploring new worlds, figuring out puzzles. I thought that The Witness was an incredible game. God of War, the last 2, were both emotional and beautiful and involved games — just absolutely incredible. Then I just played Baldur’s Gate 3, which was so much fun! And I’ll tell you a little secret … I don’t know if this will make me sound … like … a crazy perv, but in the camp … when all your characters are in camp, there’s actually an option where they can all be naked, and so … whenever we’re in camp, all my characters are naked hanging out. [laughs]
Oh my God! That is so funny!
Nicole: Yeah! It’s really funny! They did a very good job articulating dicks. I’ll tell you that. You get to choose your dick.
No, you don’t!
Nicole: You absolutely do. There’s 3 different options. You can choose your own pubic hair. You can choose all of it.
Wow …
Nicole: So, shoutout to whoever the developer or designer was who did the genitals on BG3. I salute you.
If you could live in any other time period, other than your own, when would it be and why?
Nicole: I always find this question difficult because I love my life as it is now. I think that as complicated as this era is, I wouldn’t want to live anywhere in the past.
If you could switch lives with anyone for a day, who would it be and why?
Nicole: I wouldn’t switch with anyone. I don’t need to do that. I want everyone to have their best own lives. I don’t need to take over someone else’s.
If you could have any superpower for a day, which one would you choose, and what would you do with it?
Nicole: I always debate between invisibility or flying, and I think I would choose invisibility because it would be so nice if you were at an event, or somewhere where you just got tired of being looked at, you could disappear for a few seconds — [laughs] — then come back refreshed. I think that would be really nice.
That’s a good one. I like that. As someone in the public eye, how do you manage the responsibility that comes with influence?
Nicole: This is a great question. It’s something that I’m still struggling and dealing with. The industries that we’re involved with are kind of complex, always leading to ethical questions that need to be considered. I’m just trying to be as hardworking as I can, while also maintaining my own sense of integrity and authenticity. But it is complicated. I don’t think that I do a perfect job of it. Not that I believe in perfection, but I think that there are things that I need to work on — and that the industry needs to work on. I’m hopeful that as I go through it, because I do have the privilege of choice, that I can continue to choose projects that feel good for me and everyone involved in them.
Do you think there’s a difference between nudity in art, because you were a nude art model for a while, right? Versus the nudity in pornography? If so, how do you differentiate your own work?
Nicole: I don’t really like the line that gets drawn between art and porn because it’s really not relevant, It feels like a way to just further divide the community instead of joining the community together. So there’s really not a line between art and porn to me. I think that you can create art or create media with different intents, and you can be someone who creates imagery with the intent just to be visual — like a sculpture, very fine art based — or you can be creating content for titillation and excitement. You can also create in both of those world simultaneously. I don’t think those divisions are really relevant, and I try not to think of them. Put a more academic way, I don’t believe in the Whorearchy. I think that everyone who gets even remotely naked online should be in the same boat, because the people outside of it are going to think negative of you whether you’re sucking dick online, or if you have your titties out online. They don’t differentiate between the two and us differentiating between them divides us.
Did you call it Whorearchy?
Nicole: The Whorearchy. Yeah. The Whorearchy is real. I recommend everyone look up Whorearchy. I definitely did not come up with that phrase, but it is very, very, very relevant.
We included the link there to our 2024 Pet of the Year’s article on the academic part of Nicole’s interview, but f you want to check out one of her favorite puzzle games, we can offer an overview on her behalf as well. As she mentioned, in the years since becoming a Pet, Nicole has transitioned into the adult movie part of the industry as well — a decision we continue to applaud. The database shows nearly 40 projects complete as of this writing, which means, (A) You now have much more to talk about with her on Instagram, and (B) We really need to bump up our DVD library.
