In June 2004, Siffredi declared that he would retire from performing in porn for the sake of his children, and instead focus on direction and production.

Siffredi has credited Stagliano with being his mentor through all 30 years of his career. 'Rocco has far more power in this industry than any actress,' Stagliano commented in 2001. Through collaboration with John Stagliano's Evil Angel studio and then his own Budapest-based Rocco Siffredi Produzioni as both a performer and director, Siffredi became one of the most powerful and recognizable personalities in pornography. However, it was Siffredi's performances involving anal sex and anilingus, as well as rough sex and his psychological intensity and athleticism, which earned him recognition and ultimately a cult following. Siffredi went on to perform in both plot-based and gonzo-style pornography, with styles of sex ranging from ordinary to extreme. Siffredi then stepped away from porn and worked as a fashion model, but returned to the business after two years with the help of porn actress Teresa Orlowski. ( Watch Out, Little Girls.) in 1987, in which he performed anal sex. Siffredi met porn actor Leonardo Codazzo in a French sex club in 1985 and was introduced to producer Marco and director Michela, who cast him in his first pornographic role, Attention fillettes.