Exclusive Interview With Naughty List Star Roger Conners
David Gelmini
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Roger Conners is quickly becoming a major player on the indie horror scene. Not only did he direct and star in the upcoming Night of the Living Dead: Rebirth, which we previously interviewed him about, but he’s also currently starring in a Christmas horror movie called Naughty List (Facebook), in which he plays a cross-dressing character. We decided to catch up with him to discuss the very intriguing sounding film.
Be sure to check out some pretty cool images from Naughty List below too, the first two of which are exclusives.
Synopsis:
It’s Christmas time in Cleveland, Ohio and four young ladies are on the verge of completing their mandatory thirty days of community service. With only one night to go, they are required to make a series of in-home visits to the older and less fortunate. Upon arriving at their final stop for the night, they become introduced to a pleasant older woman who graciously welcomes them into her home for the evening. However, as darkness falls and the cold settles in, they begin to realize that there is far more to their seemingly innocent host than meets the eye.
DC: So, you play a guy who impersonates a woman? That sounds like a challenging role to play.
RC: Absolutely, but more so because I’m a pretty solid, hairy man and getting into this role required a lot of shaving and hot wax! The Lady Athena is by no means a classy drag queen. She’s on probation along with the rest of the girls for, in her own personal words, getting “caught trying to suck a police officer’s dick for coke”. Her wigs a little unkempt, her makeup is a little smudged, but deep down she’s a whore with a heart of gold and she has a soft-spot for her fellow bad-girls. I had a blast playing this character because I really had the chance to let my hair down, both literally and figuratively. She’s unlike any character I’ve ever played and really allowed me to just go show off my talent for humor and improvisation. If I had the chance to ever play another drag-queen again in my career I would jump on it in a heart-beat. It’s by far the most fun I’ve had on set to date!
DC: So without going into spoiler territory, who or what is doing the killing?
RC: Well, the movie is a definitely slasher and sticks to that standard formula. It’s not sci-fi based or fantasy or based on some ancient fable like Krampus (which I really enjoyed, by the way). We wanted to go back to the roots of classic Christmas-horror and really took inspiration from the original films that defined this cult-genre such as Black Christmas and Silent Night, Deadly Night. While we don’t want to give away too much about the killer quite yet, I will say that the individual has several elements to them that should set them apart from the previous icons that have really set the bar for what viewers expect from a quality holiday-horror film. There is something very unique about this killer and I truly anticipate hearing what viewers think once they have a chance to view the film.
DC: And we’ll be seeing lots of nasty practical effect kills?
RC: Oh man, this film is nothing BUT practical effects and I would have it no other way! Honestly, aside from a few little lens tricks and some occasional digital-snow we’ve blended in to keep the weather consistent, there really is no CGI in this film to speak-of what-so-ever. All of the wounds were crafted hands-on and were handled by the amazingly talented Ron George and his team. He is such amazingly skilled artist whom I’ve had the pleasure of working with on several films now and his effects never cease to amaze me. I think viewers will be more than satisfied with the gore in this film, that’s for sure!
DC: Do you feel that this stands apart from other Christmas horror films?
RC: Absolutely! I mean, name another horror film you can think of that has a drag-queen as one of its leading ladies! Honestly though, one of our main goals was to create a film that tipped its hat to the staples of this niche-genre. That being said, we wanted there to be moments through-out the movie that feel like a bit of a throw-back to the classic slashers of the 70s and 80s. Noelle Bye is an amazingly skilled cinematographer who, being a lady brings a feminine energy to her craft and that reflects in her imagery and composition. The result is a stunning visual that I find to be extremely aesthetically pleasing and almost tailor-made for this genre. But then, on the flip-side, you have writer/director Eddie Lengyel who is building quite the name for himself based off of his now signature style of filmmaking which really blends together key elements humor and horror and provides the viewer with a final product that feels very original and unique. So blend those two styles together and the final product is truly unlike any piece of cinema I can think of. I think viewers are going to find it immensely entertaining, to say the least.
DC: When it comes to LGBT focused films, people usually have a tendency to categorize them as being films with that focus entirely on the sexuality of the characters, rather than simply being films with protagonists who happen not to be straight. Do you feel that this is something that needs to change?
RC: I would definitely like to see more gay-characters take the lead in modern-cinema, especially when it comes to the horror-market. I feel that, when it comes to today’s pop-culture, gay has become a bit of a fad. It is now more common than ever for focal characters to have a “sassy, gay, side-kick” to provide a constant onslaught of one-liners and comedic commentary and, while that’s great, I yearn for these characters to become something more than just their moments of humor. If you look at break-out shows like Glee, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Orange is the New Black, and pretty much any-other main staple on television at the current moment you will see a wide-array of hilarious gay side-characters who only add to the shows quality and entertainment value. But what about a show that truly focuses on a gay lead? Or even more-so, a film? I’m struggling to think of an example of either at the moment.
A few years ago I was lucky enough to be cast in the leading role in a little indie-slasher entitled Chill: The Killing Games, a film that has since gone on to see national distribution and is doing rather well for itself as far as independent titles go. In that film, I play a character that is in fact gay, but aside from a line or two mentioning that it really is never really a focus. I love that fact and I am proud to have portrayed a character that is not so much a gay-male in horror film as he is a strong, leading man who also happens to be gay. As a member of the LGBT community I feel it is due time that we start seeing more films with that mentality.
DC: So, by starring in this and a bunch of other films, as well as directing Night of the Living Dead: Rebirth, you’re making quite a name for yourself on the indie horror scene. How does it feel to be a prominent figure in the industry?
RC: You know, 2016 is truly the first year in-which I have actually felt that I’ve started to develop a bit of a name within the indie-film scene. I started acting in films way back in 2006 and it literally took me ten years to start building a career for myself, so I am thrilled to know my hard work paid off! To date, I’ve appeared in close to 30 films and, after years of waiting on most of them to see the light of day, this seems to be the year in which that is actually turning out to be the case. Night of the Living Dead: Rebirth is heavy in the midst of post-production, as is Fighting the Sky in which I have a major role. The Wolf Family Treasure is slated to premier this August, and now Naughty List is slated to hit shelves this holiday season. If there was ever a time for me to take my career to the next-level, I feel 2016 would have to be it. Fingers crossed that I can keep up the momentum and continue to land roles that allow me to show off my skills as well as challenge my limits as an actor!
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