Sunny Leone
Sunny Leone didn't grow up dreaming of being a porn star. It was the allure of financial independence and the surging popularity of South Asian culture in North America that drew the Punjabi princess to adult entertainment. And despite her conservative heritage, Leone, a former Penthouse Pet of the Year, has her family's support - and no qualms about her career.
"My parents encouraged me to be an extremely independent woman," says Leone, 26. "Throughout my childhood they always told me to never depend on anybody and to make sure that I was secure and didn't have to count on anyone but myself."
Leone's path to fame has been filled with adventure. She was raised in Sarnia, and says she was a typical Indian kid.
"My parents kept us really busy with sports and other activities, so growing up in Canada was a lot of fun," she said.
This carefree upbringing changed, however, at age 13, when her family moved to Michigan.
She moved again a year later. Her father, under pressure from her grandmother, who lived in California, moved the family to Orange County.
It was different there, to say the least. Leone's shyness didn't mesh well with Southern California. "People were less friendly and more stuck up," she says.
That was a far cry from what she had been accustomed to. "In Canada, it's not hard to make lifelong friends on the first day of school. People ask you to have lunch with them."
Not so in California, says Leone, who was shocked that, to some, materialism mattered more than friendship. That took getting used to.
It is from this period that Leone draws her ambition and drive. She wanted to be something. She wanted to own her own business. And she wanted to do it through modelling.
But several obstacles stood between her and a career in mainstream modelling. "Just being desi doesn't help your cause," she says with a sigh. "The lifestyle of a model for Indians doesn't fit what (your) family wants. They want you to be a doctor or do
"My parents encouraged me to be an extremely independent woman," says Leone, 26. "Throughout my childhood they always told me to never depend on anybody and to make sure that I was secure and didn't have to count on anyone but myself."
Leone's path to fame has been filled with adventure. She was raised in Sarnia, and says she was a typical Indian kid.
"My parents kept us really busy with sports and other activities, so growing up in Canada was a lot of fun," she said.
This carefree upbringing changed, however, at age 13, when her family moved to Michigan.
She moved again a year later. Her father, under pressure from her grandmother, who lived in California, moved the family to Orange County.
It was different there, to say the least. Leone's shyness didn't mesh well with Southern California. "People were less friendly and more stuck up," she says.
That was a far cry from what she had been accustomed to. "In Canada, it's not hard to make lifelong friends on the first day of school. People ask you to have lunch with them."
Not so in California, says Leone, who was shocked that, to some, materialism mattered more than friendship. That took getting used to.
It is from this period that Leone draws her ambition and drive. She wanted to be something. She wanted to own her own business. And she wanted to do it through modelling.
But several obstacles stood between her and a career in mainstream modelling. "Just being desi doesn't help your cause," she says with a sigh. "The lifestyle of a model for Indians doesn't fit what (your) family wants. They want you to be a doctor or do