Maitland Ward, who rose to stardom on the teen comedy Boy Meets World, says she isn’t embarrassed by her crossover into adult entertainment.

Maitland Ward began her acting career as a youngster when she was cast in The Bold and the Beautiful, but it wasn’t until later seasons of the sitcom Boy Meets World that she gained notoriety. Ward was typecast as the good girl next door as the lovable, seductive (but not too s-xy) co-ed Rachel McGuire, and was frequently denied darker, more fascinating jobs.

The actor, who rose to popularity on the Disney sitcom between 1998 and 2000, claims that admirers of her earlier work have crossed over.

Kids who grew up watching her on Boy Meets World are now in their twenties and thirties, and they’re seeing her in significantly more risqué situations.

‘They are part of the p*rn generation, where internet access to viewing s-x has always been easily accessible and readily attained,’ she reveals.

She added, “They’re parents themselves now, too. And while their kids may binge me on Disney+, the grown-ups are viewing me in a whole new way.”

Maitland is happy with the work she’s done since pursuing a more risqué career, particularly when she made her first appearance in a hardcore adult film.

‘The day Drive – the film I made for Deeper.com – was announced, the site’s traffic skyrocketed. Subscriptions for the site went wild. The headlines were international and viral. I trended number 1 on Google all day, topping Bernie Sanders’ heart attack – the joke was that I gave it to him,’ she recounted.

“I guess you’d have to expect news of a TV teen crush becoming a full-fledged p*rn star to have legs, but I don’t think anyone expected they’d have such long-running ones. Celebs, especially ones from children’s TV of yesteryear, are always trying to grab their 15 minutes from TMZ. If this had been my intention, I would’ve followed the formula: make a bad s-x tape, cry that it was a mistake to make said bad s-x tape, then start a YouTube channel where you gain followers and sponsors by constantly wailing in your shame about your really bad s-x tape.”

Although filming p*rn may not be the most logical career move for everyone, Maitland’s risk paid off, and she now makes far more money as a p*rnstar than she ever did working for Disney.

‘Many expected my rise in the adult world, including many in the adult world itself, to be a flash in the pan. It was a stunt. I wasn’t serious. But that’s what makes this story different: my genuine love for adult performance and for colourful cinema,’ she said.

‘My story is a journey rather than a cautionary tale. And I was ready to prove the naysayers wrong.’

Ward, who also sells online content across numerous platforms, claims to make a five-figure wage on average. In 2018, she earned $62,000 in her best month, although it was before she had fully engaged herself in adult entertainment.

‘So when people say she had to turn to p*rn I laugh, because this is a good thing and I’m making more now.

Last December, she told the Daily Beast, ‘I thought I’d be more nervous, but I wasn’t. It’s been way easier and I’ve enjoyed it so much more than I’d expected. And I’m good at it. It feels natural to me. If you talked to my younger, more virginal soap-opera self, I never would have seen this coming out of me.’

However, Maitland claims that p*rn has provided her more than just a good cash account, as it has allowed her to perform roles that she wants to play.

‘I can be dark and twisted and s-xual. I’m afforded the freedom to find my voice, and that isn’t something mainstream often allows you to do. I have p*rn to thank for that. It’s time for p*rn to be mainstream and mainstream to accept p*rn,’ she remarked.

“As for the guy in the restaurant—the one in the Disney shirt with the smile—I have my answer for him. It doesn’t matter where he knows me from. I’m proud of what I do and who I am becoming. I’m always unapologetically just me.

“I smile as I hand him back the autograph and say, ‘I’m going to do whatever the hell I want.’

He gives me a smile back and says, ‘Well, I really hope it’s anal.’

Maitland has also been nominated for Best Three-Way S-x Scene and Best Supporting Actress at the AVN Awards, also known as the Oscars of p*rn.