When we had her as a guest on the Italian-language PRN Podcast, back in 2023, Marika Milani was a newcomer who had just stepped into porn, still shy and surprised by the turn her life had taken. Since then she has become one of Italy’s most followed performers, and yet, listening to her today, that girl is still the same: shy in everyday life, confident and focused only when the camera is rolling.
Everything else has changed, though. Marika has chosen a path that runs against the grain of an industry chasing numbers: fewer professional scenes, more room for her fans and the projects born with them, like Fantamarika and Marika&Friends, and a life far from the rivalries among colleagues, in her countryside home and surrounded by her animals, sharing her daily life with those who follow her on Instagram and on her OnlyFans. A performer who isn’t afraid to make her voice heard, from the issue of health testing to her opinion on tours.
We interviewed her to have her tell us about this moment in her journey: how she balances sets and amateur work, what she really looks for in videos with fans, how she sees the girls entering this world today, and where she wants to go from here.
At the PRN Podcast you had just arrived and described yourself as very shy, though you said that in front of the camera you transformed. Now that you’re among the most followed women in Italy, how much has that girl changed?
Not much. I’ve always stayed myself: I never built a character, so I’m still that shy girl. The people who know me outside of work can confirm it too—they’re always amazed at how shy I am in relationships. At work, on the other hand, the focus is nailing the perfect scene: there I’m very concentrated and, of course, I have much more confidence in myself.
How is your work split, right now, between the big productions and amateur work?
This year, unfortunately, I had to devote a lot of time to my private life, because it’s been a bit of a particular year. That’s why I haven’t worked with the productions and I’ve focused more on my OnlyFans, so on amateur scenes. But I hope to get back on set very soon.
Testing and health checks are at the heart of this job, and opinions vary a lot on how much attention Italian creators pay to them. How do you handle them? Do you think there’s enough attention among your colleagues?
It’s a delicate subject. In my opinion, no—not enough attention is given to health checks and sexually transmitted diseases. We should set an example, especially today, at a time when young people are still told far too little about sexuality. Instead, both among creators and among professional performers, that attention is lacking, in my view. I think for many it’s a race to bring home the most scenes and the most awards: people work a huge amount, when maybe they should stop for a moment and manage these checks better.
Amateur tours have become hugely widespread in this scene. How do you see this format?
They make me laugh a little, also because—as I’ve already said in other interviews—I consider them “fake tours.” I can’t deny, though, that at the start they were a boom and, let’s say, a nice initiative. But then the whole thing became fairly ridiculous.
At a certain point you started shooting videos directly with fans, the project you called Marika&Friends. How did it come about?
It all came from the simple fact that, ever since I started, tons of fans would ask me to shoot a video with me, or simply to go to bed with me. Since I don’t do meetups outside of work, I decided to launch this project: to give the other person the chance to have an experience with me, and to give myself a video to take home. That’s how Marika&Friends was born: the joy, for fans, of spending time with me, of getting to know me outside the platforms and seeing me in person… and then, well, of sharing some red-hot moments together.
Between a request and the set, though, there’s quite a lot in between. What does it actually take for a video with a fan to really happen?
Before shooting there’s always a moment to get acquainted: we eat something together, we talk, we chat. And in any case these are always fans I’ve gotten to know over time, because I shoot mostly with “longtime” fans who have followed me for ages. That way, once I turn on the camera, it’s as if the phone weren’t even there.
After years of professional sets or sets with other creators, shooting with a fan must be another story. What do you find there that an organized set doesn’t have?
The naturalness. That’s exactly what’s great about shooting with a fan: they’re not a professional, they don’t decide the position, they don’t set out beforehand what to do during the video. I prop up the phone, turn on the camera, and everything happens naturally, with nothing pre-arranged. It’s all much looser, much more spontaneous and much more beautiful.
You invented Fantamarika, a fantasy football (soccer) game where fans compete in a ranking and whoever comes first gets to watch a match with you. It’s an idea outside the box for your industry: where did it come from, and why football in particular?
It came from the fact that I’d heard so many girlfriends, or women in general, complain that when the football season starts their partners neglect them. Sometimes these poor guys are forced to choose between football and pussy… and so I said to myself: why not? Why not combine the two and get pleasure from both sides? That’s how this initiative was born: a fun game, with fun prizes, where my fans have a blast.
You’ve shot on both European and American sets. From the inside, what really changes between the two ways of working?
There’s a huge difference. First of all, European scenes are much more strong, American ones much more soft. I prefer the American method, because the scenes are much more fun, sometimes even romantic, whereas in Europe, in my opinion, there’s nothing romantic about them. Of course, it depends on the production: there are European productions that do soft scenes too, but they’re not the majority. The majority bets much more on strong.
It’s said that there’s a lot of competition in this environment. How is your relationship with the other performers?
I’d call it almost nonexistent. I’ve been told plenty of times that I “keep to myself,” as we say in Milan. Quite simply, I’ve been stabbed in the back countless times, and I’ve never believed in friendship at work. With some female colleagues I do have a wonderful relationship, but they can be counted on the fingers of one hand.
There have been experiences where lots of them stabbed me in the back or cut me out for no reason at all, and I consider myself the kindest person in the world: I’ve never spoken badly of anyone. Sometimes this hurts, because you ask yourself what you did to deserve it. That’s why I decided to stay away from my colleagues. I’m happy in my countryside, with my animals who give me so much affection, so I don’t feel lonely at all. I have my own friendships: work is work and private life is private life.
More and more young girls are entering the adult industry. How are you seeing this world change?
In my opinion it’s changing for the worse: there’s very little awareness of what you’re getting into. I started late, at 28, with a lot of life experience behind me that gave me a good head on my shoulders. In today’s young girls I don’t see that awareness: I see a mindset aimed at easy money. And it’s absolutely not like that. This really ruins the work of those who, professionally, put everything of themselves into it.
Last time you told us about your passion for travel and diving, right up to your dream of going down in a cage with the great white sharks in South Africa. Since then, where have your travels taken you, and is there something you’ve started pursuing personally?
Unfortunately, as I said, it’s been a particular year in which I had to focus on my private life, so there was no travel. But from January I hope to take you along on the trips I have planned. I absolutely can’t spoil anything: they’re special places where I’ve never been, and I know everyone will love them. My fans know I love the wild… so it’ll be a huge surprise. Let’s say it’s not really a project, but something more personal, which I started in my own small way last year, when I was in Madagascar. On my trips the holiday is mostly about exploring the places: discovering new cultures, seeing how people really live and what these people—and the animals too, because for me there’s no difference—truly need. I’d like to do something firsthand, with the help of the people close to me, but I’d also like to involve the fans in this, in inverted commas, “project.” On my next trips I’ll make clearer what I have in mind.
Your mum supported you from the very beginning—in fact she’s the one who pushed you to take the plunge. Years on, how is that relationship today?
Despite the slip-ups along the way, which happen in every job and not just mine, she always spurs me on to do more. I, unfortunately, am lazy, especially on social media: that’s how I am, I don’t race to have more followers or more views. These days that’s considered essential, and from a work standpoint it certainly is. So yes, I could do a lot more, and she’s right… but that’s just how I am.
Looking ahead, what do you still want to build?
My fans know it: I’m the girl next door. I don’t have big pretensions in life, and I’m doing well anyway. After this particular year, and after something everyone knows happened not long ago and that has certainly held me back a little, I’m sure I’ll come back stronger than before. And with my mum’s support I’ll do great things. I’m not here to brag about them, but I’m sure that, quietly, I’ll surprise a lot of people.
Marika Milani remains one of the most beloved performers on the Italian scene precisely because she chooses the opposite direction to that of many: not the chase for views, but an authentic, direct relationship with those who have followed her for years, built on experiences and projects tailored to her community. Between a return to set she hopes is imminent, the new trips planned from January and the initiatives she runs with her fans, her journey seems ready to open a new chapter.
We thank her for coming back to share her story with us. To follow her and experience her projects up close, from Fantamarika to Marika&Friends, you can find her on Instagram and on her OnlyFans.
