Recognizing outstanding achievements in adult cinema, on November 21 the AVN Awards Nominations Committee announced its 2025 list of contenders, including Rey’s dynamic performance in For Richer or Poorer (Pure Taboo/Adult Time) in the coveted category of Best Actress - Featurette.
The story follows Connie (Alison Rey) and Michael (Robby Apples), two house cleaners, who are at work when the wealthy homeowner, Carl (Will Pounder), enters and openly hits on Connie. Once Carl leaves, it's revealed that Connie and Michael are a married couple who run a struggling cleaning business. Michael hates that Connie lets Carl flirt with her, but she thinks it's a necessary aspect of their situation. Times are hard and clients are few, so if she has to stroke some egos, she will.
Connie tries to continue cleaning but Michael won't drop the issue, which leads to them arguing — but before things get heated, Connie says she needs space and goes to clean another room. From that point on, Michael spies on Connie, catching her continuing to flirt with Carl. Finally, after one suggestive joke too many, Michael again speaks privately to Connie, which leads to them arguing more intensely. But this time, tired of his attitude and thinking about the future, Connie puts her foot down. She decides to let Carl have sex with her — right in front of Michael — to show Michael who's really boss.
I am elated to receive my first Best Actress nomination, and for it to be this scene is so special! It was shot on my birthday, surrounded by all my favorite people, and easily the best day I've ever had on set.
Co-star Will Pounder concurred, recalling, “it was a good time on set with great talents. Lots of good energy and humor!”
On a personal note, Rey revealed, “For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be an actress. It’s one of my favorite parts of this job — getting to play different characters and immerse myself in their world for a day. When I first learned of the existence of the AVN Awards, one of my biggest goals in this industry was to get recognized for my acting ability, and it is incredibly validating to receive a nomination for Best Actress from AVN.”
“Early on in my career, I received an AVN Best Supporting Actress nomination [for 2017’s The Call Girl], and it’s wild watching the difference in my performances between these two projects. Notably, in my career there hasn’t been a lot of scenes that required me to access such polar opposite emotions as For Richer or Poorer, and I think that may have been a big part of being recognized for this performance. Not to mention, I had the best co-stars I could have asked for: I’ve been good friends with both Robby and Will for many years, and I think our on-screen chemistry and my level of comfort with them lent itself to, arguably, my best acting performance to date.”
“I’m really grateful to Adult Time and Anatomik Media for giving me the opportunity to shine and help me achieve this milestone,” Rey added. “Thank you Robby Apples for putting up with my verbal abuse, and Will Pounder for his A+ improv skills that let me showcase my range in this featurette. I really hope I get to see my clip play on the big screen at the awards show, and until then, I’ll be keeping everything crossed that my dream of having one of those trophies will soon be realized!”