P ROWLER MAGA ZI N E HALLOWEEN
2013
HORROR STORIES b y LO R I A N N S C OT T
Q & A with Naomi Grossman
Beauties, Beasts and All Hallow’s Eve “Pepper”- American Horror Story
Like the Greeks loved tragedies, the modern American loves a dark tale chock-full of tormented characters, epic beauty, unspeakable events and so often the ironic, twisted ending. We sat down with a few favorite TV and film stars and asked them to reveal in their own words why this love affair with all things grim and grotesque captivates our culture. When and where did your acting career get it’s spark? My parents were always very good about exposing me to culture. We frequented the theatre and movies, so from a very young age I knew that’s what I wanted to do. When I was about 11, I got involved with a children’s theatre company in Denver. Every Saturday morning, we sang, danced, and did sketches at a comedy club downtown. (Amazingly, a lot of those kids are still in the biz— now heavy-hitter comedians, writers, and producers in Hollywood). Soon I/we were acting in anything and everything that came out of Colorado— “Father Dowling Mysteries,” regional commercials, etc. Got my SAG card when I was 15... Then went to Northwestern University as a
theatre major. Four cold, Chicago winters later, I traded in my wooly coat and went west to Hollywood! H ow did you find out about the part of Pepper and were you intimidated by playing this outrageous role? Oh, I’m not intimidated by outrageous roles. On the contrary— have you seen my YouTube channel?— that’s what I excel in! As far as finding out about Pepper, it was an audition like any other. My agent called with the appointment and sides to prepare, though they were very vague as to what the role actually was. The breakdown read, “4-5 feet tall, possibly malformed, childlike.” Which is obviously a tricky to prepare for! So I did what I could, wore flats and a
baby-doll dress, and just did a good job. That’s all you can do. The other girls auditioning were actual little people, so I really didn’t think I had a chance. But the same folks that cast “AHS” cast “Glee,” “The Mentalist,” etc. so I just treated it as a chance to meet casting in hopes they’d consider me for something in the future. So no, to answer your question, even if I were daunted by outrageous roles, I couldn’t possibly be intimidated because I didn’t even know what I’d gotten! It wasn’t until I was cast, and saw the photos the makeup department had manipulated to show what I’d look like as Pepper did realize what the role even was. And even then, with such a star-studded cast, I never dreamt they’d entrust such a meaty role to an unknown actor like me. For all
I knew, I was just one of an army of pinheads. It wasn’t until I was on set for the first time that realized I might be the craziest in the asylum. (Or the craziest-looking anyway.) By the time I’d figured it all out, it was too late to be intimidated... cameras were rolling, and Sister Jude was in the house! It’s funny to see how lovely you are in your pictures of you beside the pictures of you as Pepper. You obviously look nothing like her. How long did it take to do your makeup? About 2 1/2-3 hours, and that’s with two SPFX guys working feverishly on me the entire time. The makeup department deserves mad props for my transformation.