 There
are horror icons and then there
are HORROR ICONS. PJ Soles is one
of the ones in all capitals. This
interview was a dream come
true...on my end anyway. I loved
PJ (Pamela Jayne) since seeing
her as Norma the ballcap wearing
prankster in 'Carrie' and as the
totally luscious and totally
tragic Lynda in 'Halloween'. The
double blockbuster horror roots
have solidified her place in the
hearts of fans
everywhere...evidently Rob Zombie
being one of them. However, fans
may not realize that her first
horror flick was made a bit
before 'Carrie' - the
under-the-radar fright flick
'Blood Bath' in 1976.Aside
from her horror credits who can
forget PJ opposite Bill Murray in
'Stripes', as the ultimate
Ramones fan Riff Randell in 'Rock
and Roll High School', the horror
flick 'B.O.R.N.' with Amanda
Blake, Fred Olen Ray's
'Alienator', 'Breaking Away',
'Sweet Dreams' with Jessica
Lange, the creepy 'Mirror Mirror
IV: Reflections', 'The Awakening
of Cassie', 'Shake Rattle and
Rock', 'Jawbreaker', 'The Other
Woman', Goldie Hawn's 'Private
Benjamin' as a (GASP!) brunette,
'Murder on the Yellow Brick
Road', 'Out There', 'Zuma Beach',
'Listen to the City', and lotsa
etc. She also did TV work with
guest starring roles in some of
the hottest shows of the era -
'Cheers', 'Airwolf', 'Simon and
Simon', and 'Knight Rider'. This
woman has a serious resume!
Her
cameo role in Rob Zombie's 'The
Devil's Rejects' seems to have
awakened the sleeping giant of
her horror fans to the
possibilities of new roles. She
has had a new slew of horror
flicks of late: 'The Tooth Fairy'
and 'Dead Calling'. And next up,
PJ puts a spin on things and
plays the creepy one in the new
Phil Creager flick 'Death By
Engagement'.
The
totally engaging PJ was
everything I hoped she would
be...
Hi
PJ, is it true that Phil Creager
went to extraordinary means to
get you to appear in his movie 'Death
By Engagement'?
Hmmmm,
I don't know about
"extraordinary means",
but I do recall him asking me if
I would read the script, and if I
would consider playing "Mrs.
Starkington". It is always
exciting when someone just hands
you a script and tells you the
part is yours if you want it. It
was also less shocking that it
happened to be a neighbor and
friend who was gently letting me
know that it was time for me to
be playing those "quirky,
mature women".
 Also, I
believe I insisted that they
please seriously consider our
close family friend John Corlis
for the musical composer, which
was really like offering them the
most talent for the least money.
Since John was still in college
getting his music degree, it was
a good match for both sides. He
really did an amazing job.
What
attracted you to the character of
Mrs. Starkington in 'Death
By Engagement"?
I
was attracted to her strangeness,
her odd behavior, her surreal
take on reality, and also in
spite of her creepiness, I
identified with the fact that she
loved her son with all her heart.
Was
it fun being the creepy one for a
change?
Definitely
fun being the creepy one, and I
was glad my character was merely
mentally out of whack.
 What's
your most vivid memory of filming
the horror classic 'Carrie'
(1976)?
My
most vivid memory has to be just
the incredible bonding that took
place with all of us young
actors. We really became like a
family - we were so close,
including Sissy, who tried not to
be too friendly on the set during
filming, but after the day's end
when we would all go to watch
"the dailies" (which
was so rare that director Brian
dePalma encouraged us all to
attend) Sissy would become part
of our group and we laughed so
hard at each other during all the
clips..........fun times.
Looking
back what stands out for you
during the filming of the prom
chaos scene that fans may be
interested to know?
Well,
for one, and I've told this so
many times, but the force of the
water coming out of the fire hose
broke my eardrum, and it was a
painful 3 months.........but
aside from that, the individual
"death scenes" were not
written in detail for specific
characters in the script - they
were up to the director's
particular choice and design and
not divulged until the day of
when the crew started setting up,
and Betty Buckley was so worried
and stressed about what type of
scene Brian was going to plan for
her.........it was hilarious.
 And do you have
a memory of filming the classic 'Halloween'
(1978) that you
would like to insert into a time
capsule?
I
suppose my scene upstairs in the
bedroom is a particularly vivid
memory because John Carpenter
allowed me to help create it.
When you are a young actor it is
so exciting to be given an
opportunity to choose what your
character does in a scene and to
contribute to the creative flow
of the film. I remember being
very aware that I wanted to make
"Lynda" sexy and cute,
yet not be a slut.
What
did Rob Zombie say to you that
convinced you to do that totally
great cameo in 'The
Devil's Rejects'?
I
went to a regular casting session
along with a list of other
"notable 70's actors",
and I brought an 8x10 photo of me
as my character Norma in
"CARRIE" for the
casting director to give to Rob,
and I signed it: "To Rob Z.
Ready to scream for you! Totally,
P.J. Soles". I didn't hear
anything for two months, but then
finally they booked me for that
one scene, and I met Rob the day
of the shoot. At lunch, he
brought out all his photos and
posters and I signed more stuff
for him - he was a collector - it
was funny at the time, and I
thought that I must have gotten
the job because he wanted me to
sign some of his
memorabilia.......haha!
What
has been the craziest and most
challenging special effect that
you have been a part of in a
movie?
I
don't think that I have ever done
any "special effects",
but in "STRIPES" I had
to handle a machine gun and shoot
Russians and that was pretty
outrageous for me.
 I'm a
big fan of 'Rock
and Roll High'
too and I gotta ask are you
really a big Ramones fan?
NOW
I am a very big fan - I
especially like Joey Ramone's
last album written and recorded
when he was very ill, and I
really love his rendition of
"What A Wonderful
World". When I was first
handed the cassette (not CD,
haha) of The Ramones in 1978, it
took awhile to adjust to that
unfamiliar sound, but as soon as
I saw them play live during the
filming of our RRHS concert
scene, I thought they were very
raw and amazing - I love genuine
talent and they were pure living
art. I appreciate their courage
for being unique at a time when
The Eagles were the hot thing.
You
must have the most interesting
horror fanbase. What is the most
unusual request a fan has ever
made of you?
I
haven't had any strange requests
from horror fans - most of the
fans I meet are so gentle and
shy, and grateful to get a photo
taken with me - they are really
great. But a few years ago, I had
a foot fetish guy who kept
writing to me requesting a photo
of only my feet: bare, in
stockings, in heels, in ballet
slippers - it was an odd request,
and he was quite upset that I was
not responding. I finally sent
him my headshot and said that
this was what I normally sent out
and I have never had a photo
session of just my
feet...........
 Okay, we're
pulling the car into the PJ Soles
Drive In. What three horror
flicks are on the triple bill for
tonight and what goodies are they
going to be serving up at the
concession stand?
Death
By Engagement with P.J. Soles
Death By Engagement II starring
P.J. Soles P.J. Soles Presents:
Death By Engagement III
serving:
Popcorn with blood-red melted
butter................
What
scares you in real life?
What
scares me is the idea that if two
people can't understand each
other's points of view, how are
two countries ever going to
compromise for peace..........it
is scary and terribly sad. I am
scared that our world is not
working for peace but for power.
What
are you the most grateful for in
your life?
I
am most grateful for my two
children: my son Sky and my
daughter Ashley.
Thanks
so much for talking with me PJ,
this has really been a dream come
true. I bet memorabilia I have of
your career rivals Rob Zombie's!
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