Utter Trash--Robyn Griggs

From Suds to Blood

An interview with Robyn Griggs

By Bob Ignizio

Robyn Griggs
Photo by Jeff Dylan Graham.

Actress Robyn Griggs was born in Scranton, PA. That's where she got her start acting in local stage productions at the age of 3. Eventually, she moved to New York to appear in ‘Annie’. That led to her getting an agent and landing roles on two soap operas, ‘One Life to Live’ and later, ‘Another World’. Robyn currently lives in Ohio, and her acting career has shifted gears from soap operas to horror films. Robyn also puts on a horror convention, the Twisted Nightmare Weekend. The second TNW is scheduled to take place from September 17 to 19 at the Quality Airport Inn, 7230 Engle Rd., in Middleburg Heights, Ohio. I recently spoke with Robyn by phone about her acting career and the ups and downs of putting on a major event like Twisted Nightmare.

Utter Trash: Where did you grow up, and what got you interested in being an actress?
Robyn Griggs: I was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania. My father worked with RCA, and we were transferred to Indiana. While I was living in Indiana, I was doing a lot of theatre, and someone asked me to go to New York to do ‘Annie’. I went, and ended up with a manager and all sorts of stuff. I eventually moved there. I was a child actress. I did a lot of stage and musical theatre, then went on to do a lot of commercials and Nickelodeon and all sorts of stuff like that. Then I took a little break and auditioned for ‘One Life to Live’ and ended up getting it. It’s kind of weird going from stage to TV, because it’s completely different. You have to talk different, you can’t project, and you never see the director. After that, I did the Broadway show ‘Metro’. I decided I was going to take a break and moved to L.A. When I got to L.A., the first week I was there I was called about ‘Another World’. I screen tested and got that role, and ended up moving right back to New York (laughs).

UT: Some people look down on soap opera acting. Did you feel like you were taking a step down when you went from stage to working on soap operas?
RG: No. It’s so funny. One thing I’ve noticed is that some actors will say, “Oh, she was on a soap.” Yeah, I was on a soap that was watched by millions of people. It’s an actor’s dream. If you ask most actors who have had a career doing everything from commercials to whatever, they’re longing to have a 2 year contract with one show. It’s job security, and it’s a weekly paycheck.

UT: The first movie I heard your name attached to was ‘Dead Planet’, which unfortunately still hasn’t started filming. Did you do any films prior to that?
RG: When I was on ‘One Life to Live’ I did a film in Japan called ‘Under the Sea’ for the Japanese Expo. I played a mermaid, and they made this tail that was plated in 24 karat gold. That was my first time playing in film. After 'Another World', I didn’t want to get back in the business, but a friend of mine sent my picture to ‘Dead Planet’. I got this email that they were interested in me, and I was like, that’s great but I don’t know who you are (laughs)! That was the first thing that got me back into wanting to do films, and also wanting to do horror. I loved the fact that the character of Shain was so opposite of what I would normally play. I mean, she eats brains (laughs). From that, I had confidence to pursue other things. But I’m not about doing this because I have to. I’m doing it for the fun and the experience. I’m a true horror fan. We’re going back to the Full Moon films, and ‘My Bloody Valentine’. I grew up watching that stuff. I’m just having a blast doing this. With ‘Dead Planet’, I just don’t see how it’s possible to have such a great cast, great crew, and no funding. That’s what’s happening so much to so many people, and it’s sad.

UT: You’ve done a few things while you’ve been waiting on ‘Dead Planet’, right?
RG: I just decided that, I’m here, I might as well do something. I think it all started when I appeared at the Pittsburgh Comicon, and some people approached me and asked if I’d be interested in doing a cameo. A cameo? I want a good role (laughs)! I want to be the one who kills people. It just started from there.

UT: Have you finished any projects yet?
RG: ‘Dead Clowns’ is being released August 23^rd in the UK. I don’t know when it’s being released here. ‘Severe Injuries’ is coming out officially, even though it’s been out for the past year. Most of my stuff is in editing. That’s one thing that’s different from the soaps, where you know you’re going to see it in 2 ½ weeks. So much computer work goes into this stuff now, and it takes more time and money. Half the time you’re just sitting there waiting for the money.

UT: Have you had a chance to work with any well known performers in any of these movies?
RG: You know, I’m in ‘Absence of Light’, and that has just a whole slew of people in it. Tony Todd, Reggie Bannister, David Hess, Tom Savini, Caroline Munro. [Special effects artist] Tom Sullivan is in it, and he’s actually really good. My part started as a little cameo thing. I went in and did it, and they kept increasing my role. And I’m going to be doing ‘The Demons 5’, which has Bill Mosely, Gunnar Hansen, Kane Hodder, and Robert Englund. That’s another big all-star thing.

UT: So tell me about the horror convention you put on, Twisted Nightmare Weekend.
RG: When I was at Pittsburgh Comicon, I was meeting some of the people who had been cast in ‘Dead Planet’. So many of us get cast in things, and we do scenes, but we never really get to see each other. They were telling me about some of the past events they’d been at, and I was appalled. These are people that are huge stars to me. I wanted to put on something where they’d be treated the way they should be. The first one was last year was like a party, a reunion for a lot of people. I don’t want it to be necessarily about money, but a chance for us to all get together. And that’s what it’s turned into, and I’m having a great time. We’re setting up a corporation where Keith and I will be going around doing several conventions. Not just horror, but all kinds of different things. I’m not in control as much as I’d like to be (laughs), but it’s something new.

UT: You switched the location for this year’s convention from Akron to Cleveland.
RG: It had to be done. There were too many things I wasn’t happy with. Especially with what this new hotel is offering, it would be stupid not too. I think it’s going to open it up more for people from Cleveland, and also for PR purposes. If it goes the way I expect, we’ll probably keep it there. We’re adding some twists to it. I’ve added some comic book people, and we’re also having a ‘Subspecies’ reunion with the director and Denise Duff, and Anders Hove. That’s going to be cool.

UT: I noticed you also had a few ‘Battlestar Glactica’ people on the guest list.
RG: I figured if we’re going to put this on, we should get to meet some people that we idolize. I love ‘Battlestar Galactica’. I’m like the fan-girl. I’m going to be walking around to everyone else’s tables asking for autographs. We did lose Dirk Benedict, because he got booked for a movie. But that’s good news, I always like to hear that someone’s working. But we do have Richard Hatch and Herbert Jefferson, Jr. I think next year I’m going to try to pull off a sci-fi convention. Maybe have the battle of ‘Buck Rogers’ vs. ‘Battlestar Galactica’.

UT: So what movies are you working on currently? I believe I saw you were going to be in Wayne Allan Harold’s ‘Aberration Boulevard’.
RG: Yes, I’m the lead female in ‘Aberration’. Delores, the bearded lady. With Toby, I love Toby. He’s a blast. What a character, and he’s really smart and very clever. And Wayne. The guy is just gifted and very sweet. I’m doing that, ‘The Demons 5’. They’re still trying with ‘Dead Planet’. I’m finishing up a few things with ‘Absence of Light’. There’s lots of things in the works, and I can’t really go into detail. One thing that’s coming out that I think is going to be pretty bit is ‘Love’s Young Nightmare’. It’s a goth rock opera CD that Mathew Jason Walsh wrote. I’m singing through the whole thing. It’s about this girl who becomes a goth rock star, and it’s kind of disturbing, actually. Matt came out here and we recorded seventeen songs in one week. He has cameos from all sorts of horror people all through it. For both of us, it totally exceeded our expectations. And Keith’s written 2 films. One’s a comedy, called ‘Drunk’. It reminds me kind of like a ‘Clerks’ kind of thing, and it’s hilarious. And a film called ‘Scaregram’ that he’s working on, too. There’s a lot of stuff in the works, and I’m happy. I wish I could tell more but I can’t.

UT: It seems like you’re having more fun doing these low budget kinds of things than if you were trying to break into Hollywood.
RG: That’s the whole point. I don’t have to do this financially. For me, it isn’t about money. It’s about the passion of doing it. Why shouldn’t I do something I’m going to enjoy? I like how creative these people are. You don’t see creative scripts like this in Hollywood. Everything is under a format of the same thing. You watch a movie these days, and you can pretty much tell exactly what it is. For me, if you’re nice to me an you’re just laid back and enjoy what you’re doing, that means more to me than anything.

UT: I always hear people say that horror movies exploit women, but it seems to me that the roles for women in horror films are better than what’s available in Hollywood.
RG: I am so tired of hearing the whining about women being exploited in horror. That’s bull. What gets me is the females who play these roles, and then say they were exploited. They’re allowing themselves to be exploited. It’s so hypocritical, and it’s not true. For every victim that’s a female, there’s three guys, and probably killed by a woman. Because lately, every role I’ve been playing, I’m killing people. I’m tired of hearing it, because that’s not the case anymore. It depends on how you play it. You can play a victim where you’re just a victim, or you can kind of turn it and go out with a punch. The characters they’re giving me to play, I wouldn’t get in Hollywood. They’d cast me as the ditzy blonde. I’m playing women that are smart, and have guts. I’ve yet to scream in anything, though.

UT: So we can’t officially call you a scream queen yet.
RG: No. It’s weird, I’m considered a “scream queen” but I haven’t screamed. I haven’t done anything that I’d consider a scream queen role, but call me whatever. I don’t care, I’m having fun.