It is the first day of filming for Sacramento State senior Kayden Kross’ first movie. As multiple cameras focus in on her performance, the bright lights glisten off her smooth legs, catching her eye.

She is being filmed having sex, and she is worried that her legs might be too white.

This was the scene on Nov. 15 in Los Angeles as Kross filmed her first scene under her new contract with Vivid Video, announced on Nov. 9. Vivid is the same adult film company that hosts stars such as Jenna Jameson, Tera Patrick, Briana Banks and Savanna Samson.

Kross, who requested that her real name not be revealed, said it was the first time she had ever been filmed having sex. While many people might have reservations about starring in a pornographic film, the only thing on Kross’ mind was “whether it looked OK.”

“I didn’t want my makeup to get smeared,” she said during a phone interview. “It didn’t work out that way.” She explained that she has been thinking about making the jump from nude modeling to filmmaking for the past year, so she was not apprehensive at all about having sex in front of the camera.

She said the various psychology and philosophy classes she took contributed to her new occupation by getting her to question her assumptions and “see things a little differently.”

Kross, 21, began stripping when she was 18 at Rick’s Showgirls in Rancho Cordova, where she had been working as a waitress for a month before taking the stage. It began as a way to meet a financial goal, but once she had a taste of it, she decided to stick with it.

“I kinda got into it just because I wanted to buy a pony that was going to go off to slaughter, and I needed the extra cash,” she said “And then I really liked it, so I stuck with it.”

From there, she began modeling nude for Penthouse, Hustler, Swank and Club magazines. She recently signed a one-year contract with Vivid, renewable for two additional years.

Although she would not say how much she will be earning through her new contract, Kross said, “starting out in a company like this you can clear six figures.”

She picked a good place to start. Vivid Entertainment Group, the privately-owned corporate parent of Vivid Video, was launched in 1984. Vivid releases around 60 films and pulls in $100 million in revenue each year, according to Forbes. Vivid also licenses its name to Vivid-brand snowboards, condoms, books and explicit comics.

Vivid plays host to a stable of what it calls “Vivid Girls,” actresses contracted to work exclusively for Vivid. The company prides itself on the similarities between these contracts and those used by early Hollywood studios.

While Kross will certainly fit in among fellow Vivid girls, her shapely 32D-22-34 figure is not her only asset.

“I’ve always done really well in school,” she said. “I’ve had a couple B’s, but mostly A’s.”

She is a psychology major who has had five poems published in the American River Review, a literary magazine published by American River College. She is taking a semester off from school to move to San Diego and will be transferring to San Diego State to finish her bachelor’s degree.She is focused on her financial goals, and plans on working in the adult film industry to avoid the money problems that plague so many students.

“I don’t want to ever have to really struggle,” she said.

In fact, many porn stars could be called entrepreneurs as well. Many have launched multi-million dollar careers within the adult film industry, such as Jameson, whose holding company, Club Jenna, drew in $30 million in revenue last year, according to Forbes. Fellow Vivid Girl Samson even launched her own Italian wine label in February.

As she rested in a makeup chair somewhere in Los Angeles to prepare for her second day of filming, Kross described her limitations.

“Everyone in the industry has their ‘no list,'” she said. “I will never have two guys in a scene. . . . I am not going to do anything that I feel makes me look degraded.”

It is clear she sees sex as a business and said the people she works with are professionals. She said there is no emotional connection between on-screen sexual partners.

“It’s not actual sex, really,” she said. “It’s stop-and-go, posing, adjusting everything. . . . None of it’s creepy, sleazy or anything like that.”

Despite the professional circumstances, one cannot become a porn star without expecting some objections.

“I’ve had two people who adamantly disapprove . . . an ex-boyfriend of mine and my mother,” Kross said.

“As far as the ex-boyfriend thing, I didn’t really ask for his opinion in the first place,” she said with a casual laugh. “But my mother, I do care that she doesn’t approve of it . . . I worry about how she feels about it. It’s just something I’m going to move forward with and hope that eventually things will smooth out.”

Others have been more supportive.

“Most people, especially people my age, are completely thrilled for me,” she said.

“I think it’s a good decision,” said Casey Harris, a San Diego City Community College junior who has known Kross for a little over two years.

“As long as she’s happy, I’m happy for her,” said Harris, who moved down to San Diego with Kross. They met in Sacramento through a mutual friend in a fraternity.

Kross said her biggest requirement for a man is intelligence.

“I cannot date a stupid man,” she said with a laugh. “As far as physical features, I want them taller than me, and they better be stronger than me.”

And yes, she is taken.

She has spent the last year in a relationship with a 30-year-old college professor who teaches in upstate New York. She said he “isn’t exactly thrilled” about the new direction her career has taken, but he is supportive.

She stands at 5 feet 5 inches tall, her dirty blond hair flowing just past her shoulders. Her smile is bright and innocent, her blue eyes warm and inviting.

But are “they” real?

“Not as much as they could be,” she said with a laugh.

Cody Kitaura can be reached at [email protected]