How did you get started in the world of film?
I was directing plays in my backyard in Detroit when I was twelve. I would charge the parents of the kids who were in the plays to see them. The parents would pay whatever I charged so I knew there was money in it. When I moved to L.A . I was hoping to write and got into an acting class.

Describe the process in getting the part in Psycho III
I auditioned first with a casting director. Then I, and anther actor, were taken to the set. Anthony Perkins had me do my lines with a nearby bush! I passed the bush audition and he dismissed the other actor without reading her. That was kind of horrible.

How was working with Anthony Perkins?
He was pretty stressed out being that it was his first time directing and he had to be in most of the scenes. It is really difficult to direct and act. One thing or the other has to suffer.

Explain the blood effects for your character's demise and the process
The brilliant Mike Westmore was not only my makeup artist for the film but he did the special effects makeup. A prosthetic device was applied over my throat for the throat cutting scene. Mike held a pump and was hiding behind the set wall to pump it at just the right moment. Mike was great. I told him I was going to be directing my first movie, Stripped To Kill right after I wrapped on Psycho III. It was very low budget and Mike offered to make the prosthetic breasts that were needed for cost. He actually helped sell Roger Corman on the idea that a man could impersonate a woman.

Talk about any recollections you have from the filming
It was actually a very difficult acting job because of the fact that I was dead for most of the movie and Anthony dragged me around. He hid my body in an ice chest--with real ice--because he said it looked better. That was nearly impossible to tolerate not only because of the temperature but because he closed the ice chest lid which is terrible if you're claustrophobic at all and I am. Then he threw me out of a window and I had to land on my chin in front of the camera without blinking--that took a few tries. His character had fallen in love with my corpse by then, and he dragged me around in a rainstorm--my mouth was hanging open and reclaimed water was going down my throat while he fixed to do some snogging. Awful! But when I put actors through all kinds of difficult stuff they know I've been through it!

Were you hesitant about appearing in the second sequel to a classic film?
Of course!

Sum up your experience on Psycho III... and what you thought about the movie
It's really hard for me to judge a movie that I'm in. I knew at that point I was never going to act again and that's what got me through the grueling nature of the part. I kept telling people, "This is my last acting role!!!" I'm really not a performer. I'm a writer. I'm a director. I don't belong in front of the camera, although I'm incredibly proud to have been in Psycho III. For me, acting was my film school and I learned a lot from being on the sets of movies. I would have taken just about any part just to be on the set learning. I'll be forever grateful I got the opportunity.

How did you make the move from actress to director?
I was a writer. But I had auditioned for a part in a Roger Corman movie and was the second choice. The first choice got a pilot and I ended up coming back auditioning for Roger himself and getting the part. I used that connection to get him to listen to my pitch to write and direct Stripped To Kill. He loved the pitch but it took me a year of bugging him through the mail to get him to green light it.

What are you up to now?
I'm getting ready to shoot a new movie that I wrote.

(special thanks to RobG of The Psycho Legacy documentary)

Return to the Interview Section of Psycho III