“There was something about Ashylnn Yennie. She’s definitely a rock star, but she doesn’t look like one. She looks like Audrey Hepburn—but she’s definitely rock n’ roll." I'm on the phone with acclaimed adult film director Jacky St. James discussing her latest creation: a mainstream show accurately depicting BDSM.

"She had done her research coming in, and she knew I was a pornographer. She wasn’t rattled by that. That’s not her personality,” Jacky continues. The two are equally enamored with each other's poise and talent, from different sides of the entertainment world but with a similar vision to bring viewers a titillating experience with a more accurate (and therefore accessible) look into the world of BDSM. The cast itself is a conglomerate of performers from both worlds—Ashlynn played a starring role in the first two Human Centipede Movies and plays the lead in Submission alongside adult actress Skin Diamond.

Jacky describes the message of the show with the clarity only Jacky St. James has: “There are always the kinks that exist in every human being. Whether we ever get to explore that is determined by a lot of different factors.”

On set with professional fetishists

The main thing the cast and creators of this show hope to bring is a professional polish that E.L. James could never have anticipated she needed when introducing the public to Fifty Shades. The series, known as "mommy porn" to many, brought a subject that was once omitted from polite conversation, but it didn't do so in a way that reflected a real BDSM relationship.

“I think it’s coming out at a really good time, because now, with the censorship we’ve seen in television, people are getting a little riskier,” Ashlynn says. "I can watch Vinyl and see a threesome on HBO. Jacky portrays it exactly the right way."

The actress, though mainstream, has been in some physically daunting roles prior to Submission, making her a prime candidate to play the lead role. “When I was 22, I booked The Human Centipede. When that film came out, it basically changed my life because I got thrown into a genre I’d never been a part of before.” Little did she know, it would also set a precedent: Ashlynn Yennie is a badass, and she's not afraid to take a difficult role.

She's not the only badass in the cast, though. Porn performer Skin Diamond, a professionally trained actress "who got distracted by taking her clothes off on the internet," in her own words, is a trained fetishist, someone who has starred in countless BDSM films prior to the show and was able to advise most of the cast about activities they might not have been exposed to from mainstream media—a world she is quickly becoming initiated into, thanks to her expertise and TV's increasing acceptance of sexuality.

When worlds collide

“We have a lot to thank for social media and the internet for allowing fans to connect with porn stars. Before, if you had a favorite porn star, you didn’t see them doing normal things like taking pictures of their cats and stuff. Now you can really connect with them,” she says. We live in a decade when porn is discussed on Buzzfeed alongside an article naming the fifteen best ways to garnish your toast. It's a beautiful world, isn't it?

One thing is certain: This show, with the best minds from both sides, clearly illustrates the next frontier of sexuality on TV—and we can't wait.

Submission premieres on May 12 at 11 p.m. ET on Showtime. All images via Ben Hoffman/SHOWTIME.