Brad Armstrong on 'Preacher's Daughter' Win

LAS VEGAS—At the 2017 AVN Awards Show, it was a little movie with a small cast that nabbed the big prize for Best Drama. And Wicked Pictures contract director Brad Armstrong took advantage of the platform to share his opinions about more than just making movies. An edgy drama from that featured Mia Malkova as the title character whose relationship with the town bad boy leads to conflict with her preacher father (Brad Armstrong), The Preacher's Daughter had already been recognized that night when Xander Corvus won Best Actor honors for his role opposite Malkova. (And Armstrong himself would later be named Best Supporting Actor for his performance.) When the Best Drama winner was announced, writer/director Armstrong invited "anybody who was involved in the project, by all means come up and share the moment," recognizing cast members by name. "I'd like to thank Steve Orenstein from Wicked Pictures, who gives me, every year, the opportunity to do what I do. AVN, for recognizing the project for what it was. Alex [Ladd] and Barrett Blade for shooting the project, making it so beautiful. David Lord, who produced the project. Xander, who was my awesome lead, who won Best Actor tonight." Then, changing the subject to current affairs, Armstrong addressed the crowd: "We are very fortunate to be in the business that we're in. We're inevitably going to have battles along the way, as we did this year with Michael Weinstein and Prop 60. [Crowd boos] Exactly. I fear we have another battle on the way with a much bigger and more powerful bully." Armstrong then suggested "everybody in the room" donate one day's pay to the Free Speech Coalition "[which] is the reason you are all not sitting with a Nevada drivers license in your fucking pocket." Armstrong invited Executive Director Eric Paul Leue to "stand up and take a fucking bow. I want everybody to think about this Monday when you're back in L.A. He's the reason you are in L.A. ... Not everybody's flush... but that one day could mean your future." "We knew right from the start that we had a really cool project," Armstrong told AVN after the AVN Awards Show. "When we had the table read with all the characters we knew that this was going to be something a little different. When I write a script I'm casting as I go, producing as I go. During the bigger movies when we do get a chance to do a table read, you really get a chance to see the words jump off the page and characters coming to life. It's a really good feeling when it works. "I was very excited to have Xander recognized for his Best Actor part. When we drove home one of the first nights, I said 'Dude, I can't guarantee you're going to win this thing, but I can guarantee you're going to be nominated.' I've had a lot of actors win Best Actor for my movies and I don't know too many of them that brought this kind of A-game to the table. This was even before the editing." Wicked’s Orenstein expressed his satisfaction with the movie, which blends dramatic storytelling, compelling performances and passionate sex with some of the controversial themes of the director’s earlier multiple award-winning classic, Falling From Grace. “Brad has done it again. He’s been exclusive with Wicked for two decades and has won more awards than we can count over that time for his stand-out movies. The Preacher’s Daughter was a great story with fantastic acting that didn’t fit the usual mold. We thank AVN’s reviewers for recognizing it, and encourage everyone to keep an eye out for what Brad has coming next.” And what’s next sounds intriguing indeed. The director has finished shooting Ethnicity, a two-disc dramatic feature. Written and directed by Armstrong, Ethnicity examines a diverse group of people as they navigate the ups and downs of urban life until a fateful night when their destinies collide. (To view Ethnicity’s safe-for-work trailer, click here.) For more about Armstrong and Preacher’s Daughter, read an on-the-set piece, the AVN review of the movie, and an interview with Armstrong. Pictured above: Alex Ladd, Blair Williams, Xander Corvus and Brad Armstrong at the 2017 AVN Awards Show. Photo by Rick Garcia/@IndustryByRick