Emmy-nominated actress, Naomi Grossman is best known to STARBURST readers for her role as Pepper on American Horror Story, other works include 1BR, Replica, Pet Detectives, Table for Three, Sky Sharks, Bite Me, Painkillers, Murder RX, and Fear, Inc. Her new, already award-winning one-woman show shares her behind-the-scenes experiences leading up to AHS and its afterglow. We caught up with her to find out more about her new show, which is coming to the Edinburgh Fringe and can be booked here.
STARBURST: How would you pitch the show to American Horror Story fans?
Naomi Grossman: The opportunities AHS and its fanbase provided helped shaped me into the person that wrote this show. This story wouldn’t exist without them! They made me, so I made this for them. It’s a love letter to them, really.
And how would you pitch it to a little old lady who really likes showtunes?
You mean like my mom? She loves it! It’s funny – reviewers call it ‘side-splitting’, while others, like my mom, find it heartbreaking. I like to think it’s both, which is my favourite kind of comedy. Her own personal affinity for the show aside, my mom also happens to be a character in this show – and a scene-stealer at that. But then, what do you expect from an 85-year old soft-core smut novelist?
How different is this show from previous shows?
It’s still very much my voice – the intricate wordplay and physical humour are my staples. But this is a more mature show. I’m way past coming of age, and no longer looking for love. In this show, I renounce ‘whoring out’. I finally let go of what’s no longer serving me, and move past needing relationships and jobs that require compromise! I find the more I love myself, the less nonsense I tolerate… I’m done trying to be someone I’m not. That said, I think this show depicts a real personal evolution, as well as insight into what it means to be a success – ‘overnight’, and otherwise.
Why does horror continue to be so popular?
Because it’s so prolific and relatable, sadly. We’re living in troubled times. The news has become it’s own, never-ending season of American… correction: Global Horror Story.
What was the the most challenging thing about this show’s production?
You know what they say, “mo’ money, mo’ problems”. My last two shows were just me, made with my meagre, Spanish teacher-budget at the time. This has more resources, and therefore, more folks to answer to. Which is not a bad thing – my collaborators (co-producers Kate Atkinson and Sarah Anthony, and director Richard Israel) make it so much better. Takes a village to pull off a one-woman show!
What’s the most unexpected thing that’s happened to you at a show so far?
Maybe my mom stealing it? At one point in the show, I ask the audience to read some especially lascivious sections of her book. Having her there, in the audience, was too great a temptation – I couldn’t not have her read! But she surpassed all expectations. Like an improv master, she yes-anded her own jokes! Now that act was hard to follow.
How American is your show? Does AWS have an international appeal?
I mean, I’m American. I’m a whore. It’s my story. Hence, American Whore Story. But no, neither whores nor horrors are specific to America, unfortunately. Y’all have the same awful news cycle. The same way American Horror Story is beloved everywhere, I have similar hopes and faith for American Whore Story.
What’s your favourite scary story?
Gosh, my fave horror films, in no particular order, are: Rosemary’s Baby, The Shining, A Clockwork Orange, Carrie, Midsommar, Let the Right One In, El Orfanato, Vertigo, The Bad Seed, The Unknown, Freaks, The Blair Witch Project, Paranormal Activity, Requiem for a Dream, and Get Out. I tend to like foreign, art-house, and classics.
Why the Edinburgh Fringe?
One of my all-time career highlights was bringing my last show to Edinburgh. Sure, being Emmy-nominated, kissed by Lady Gaga, named #1 on IMDb were great! But climbing uphill both ways in the constant drizzle with a duffle full of dildos to pour my heart out on stage every night in August? Now that’ll separate the baddies from the basic bishes. I wept when the festival ended. I felt validated in a way I hadn’t yet in my career… I realised there, on stage was where I needed to be, and felt the most alive. Besides, I’m excited to see how the show translates to the international stage, and the overall experience prepares it for its next steps.
Where else can we see you?
Other than every night in August at the Gilded Ballon, at @naomiwgrossman on IG/FB/X and @naomigrossman on Youtube/Tiktok! Reruns of AHS? Cameos in other films I’ve done? Soon I’ll be able to talk about my other upcoming projects, but for now, the good stuff’s under wraps.
Ghosts or Ghouls?
Ghosts, no question. Actually, AWS is a ghost story! Starring Peter Lawford, the friendly ghost, who lived in my condo before he bled out on my kitchen floor! True story!
Scooby Doo or Sam and Dean from Supernatural?
I grew up in a house that pooh-poohed pop culture, so I honestly can’t say either way. I’m not into cartoons, nor sci-fi. (Although, if they cast me…) 😉
Monsters or Mazes?
Hmmm, characters vs situations, basically. Characters, obviously.
Godzilla or Cthulhu?
Pass? Eeeck, I’m outing myself as a horror-imposter! What can I say? I fell into a horror hole, and the rest is history. I love horror, because it loves me. I’m not gonna bite the hand that feeds me! Just saying, it didn’t start out that way.
Truth or Beauty?
Truth, always. My mantra is “to thine own self be true.” Besides, having played the ugliest person on TV, I feel at authority to say that beauty’s overrated. It’s on the inside, anyway.
You can book for American Whore Story at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe here, and find out more about Naomi here.
