Throughout her career, actress Maitland Ward has nabbed credits on shows like The Bold and the Beautiful, Boy Meets World, and even in the 2004 comedy flick, White Chicks, but it wasn't until she made the decision to venture into the world of adult entertainment that she really began feeling her confidence shine.
The 45-year-old is due to release her new memoir, titled Rated X on Tuesday (September 6), in which she criticizes Disney and its executives for their treatment of her on set while simultaneously praising the porn industry for helping her blossom into the woman she is today.
Maitland Ward in 2014 -- Angela Weiss/Getty Images
Ward first began acting while still in high school, and eventually became a regular on a popular soap opera, The Bold and the Beautiful before she starred opposite Mario Lopez in Killing Mr. Griffin, a TV film released in 1997.
The next year, she was enlisted to play the role of Rachel McGuire on Boy Meets World, acting alongside names like Ben Savage and Danielle Fishel. In her book, the Long Beach-born entertainer spoke of her Christian, "Bible-thumping" grandmother, and provided insight into how she was objectified by Disney employees during filming.
"I was asked to try on lingerie for the producers in the office," Ward recalled. "This happened more than once, as Rachel was the only character to consistently take off her clothes. An assistant would gather me from my dressing room and take me upstairs where I’d be provided with a series of options, some playful and girlish, some so provocative I knew that Disney would never approve them, but still I would try them on."
The actress noted that the curtain she changed behind was so thin that the others in the room could likely see her naked form behind it, and that when she stepped out from behind it, a group of mostly men would decide whether the lingerie "showed too much or not nearly enough to get the boys [watching the series] excited."
After Boy Meets World ended in 2000, Ward lent her talents to the Wayans Brother's 2004 comedy, White Chicks. Work in Hollywood reportedly dried up around then, and a few years down the road, the redhead began posting nude and topless photos online.
In 2019, she shared with her Instagram followers that she had been cast in a full-length porno called Drive, about an "innocent" woman beginning to blossom (comparable to her own personal story).
"I found myself a changed person after all this began," the author shared of her experience. "I had new confidence and a full-time job, and it wasn’t because I smiled for any higher-ups. The validation that I was given, especially after being told that no one would ever pay a dime to see me sexy, was soul-changing."
Aside from that, Ward has also been bringing in an alleged six figures per month on her OnlyFans page and will be starring in an upcoming adult comedy series called The Big Time, set to stream this fall.
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[Via]