TWO OF THE largest pornography studios in the United States have postponed filming following the confirmation of one actor receiving a positive HIV test.
Wicked Pictures and Vivid Entertainment said to The Los Angeles Times that production had stopped as a precaution.
The Adult Industry Medical Healthcare Foundation, known as AIM contacted the studios immediately after the case was confirmed. A clinic spokesperson, Jennifer Miller said: “We’re doing what we can to notify the individuals involved.”
In 2004, a HIV outbreak threw the multibillion-dollar industry into panic.
The former actor at the centre of the crisis, Darren James, spoke about the latest incident with The Los Angeles Times: “I knew it was going to happen,” he said, “And how many years has it been? Again. They went right back to the same habits.”
In the spring of 2004, James had tested HIV negative just days before performing in a movie. However, a later test confirmed James was in fact HIV positive – and that he had spread the virus to three female actors he had worked with.
James suffered from severe depression and attempted to take his own life after learning he was HIV positive.
The former actor has recently become a strong advocate of compulsory condom use on sets – saying that actors’ reliance on tests leads to a false sense of security.
Speaking at a hearing of California occupational safety officials in Orange County in March, he said:
You think you’re safe, but you’re not. In between scenes, you don’t know what other actors are doing… I’m living your nightmare every day.
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