We are back, back at it! Women in Horror Month 2024 is upon us. Come joing us and get to know creative women of the genre. Today, we start with Monster Performer Samathan Rodes.
To start, please introduce yourself:
Hi! My name is Samantha Rodes, and I am an actor specializing in Creature and Prosthetic Performance.
What is horror to you, what makes a work of art one in the horror genre?
For me, personally, I see horror as a two-way street, where one takes you for a nosedive into the human psyche, reflecting on the fears of a specific place and time, and the other explores the endless, dark possibilities of fantasy (think Brother’s Grimm or the more visceral tales from Greek Mythology). A great work of art in the horror genre can use one or both of those elements. It can be a fantastical creature with an indelible design standing in for a character’s recessive nightmares. It can be something as simple as a bird or a doll. Ultimately, it’s about the story, theme, and execution.
What made you want to work in horror?
“Because it’s so much fun, Jan!” There are two wolves inside of me- a prankster who delights in scaring the pants off people, and the other who relishes the opportunity to undergo a radical transformation into something “other than human”. As an actor, as well as athlete, I like the challenge of playing the types of characters (creatures, really) that belong to sci-fi, fantasy, and of course, horror. Just being a fan in general and going through the growing pains of finding myself as an actor is what ultimately drew me into this genre.
Where do you get your inspiration?
Well, you’ve got to owe it to those who came before you. Of course, there’s the Mt Rushmore of great horror actors like Lon Chaney Sr, Boris Karloff, and Vincent Price. But I’ve also really enjoyed actors who are “makeup friendly”, such as Tilda Swinton, Willem Dafoe, Ron Perlman, Gary Oldman- to name a few. Outside of “humans”, though, I look to nature. Different animals, even monsters in other films like Godzilla. Stop motion animation (pay attention to Jack Skellington and you’ll realize he has a beautiful, spidery body language). A lot of characters I portray are a mishmash of random things I’ve absorbed, sometimes without rhyme or reason. I think we can acquire a great deal of inspiration through observation, which is something I learned from a previous life of studying concept design for film.
What would you like your legacy to be in the genre (or elsewhere)?
Someone who broke convention, perhaps? I sometimes get the sense that due to my petite size, and gender, that I’m only resigned to play in the type-cast sandbox that many other actors find themselves in. So far, it’s been children or “cute-if-fied” versions of things. My dream role is a xenomorph and honestly, I just want to be something more than meets the eye, or measuring stick. I’d like to break that ceiling and just ride that wave of testing my skills and exceeding expectations- including the ones that show up whenever I’m having those low days of doubt. That, and maybe to never stop dreaming, and putting those dreams into reality. That as long as you keep persisting, even the days when all seems hopeless and lost, you’re just moments away from a breakthrough.
What is Women in Horror Month to you and why is it still important this many years later?
I think it’s a wonderful opportunity to view the genre from a different perspective. Variety is the spice of life after all, and adding the female perspective just makes it all the more diverse and interesting. Like a buffet, you have different tastes and options to choose from.
Who are some of the Women in Horror who you look up to and who do you want to bring attention to in your field or others?
I’ve had the honor and privilege of working with some wickedly talented artists. Megan Many was part of the team for the movie Nightmare Alley, where I played a “pinhead” named Zizi (who, in essence, was Schlitzie the Pinhead from Tod Browning’s Freaks). Megan is a formidable artist in her own right and has worked on many productions, from Pacific Rim to Cabinet of Curiosities.
I also have a near and dear friend named Ana Esquivel. She’s one of the bravest, hardest working artists I know with the knowledge, experience, and skills to show. And I’m not just
saying that because of our friendship. Her range is so vast to where she could easily make you look gorgeous in beauty makeup as much as she can transform you into something utterly terrifying in makeup fx.
There are several other friends of mine who are either actors or artists in this field. I wish I could name them all! But I will say I think we’ll be seeing more and more women rise up in the makeup fx world, as the vast majority of artists I’ve worked with have been women.
What are you currently working on that you can tell us about?
Well, the strikes really reset the deck for a lot of us, and at the time of this writing, nothing is set in stone just yet. I wish I could speak more but can’t due to NDA.
Otherwise, you can find me on Instagram @srodes13. Don’t be shy and feel free to say hello!
Thank you for taking the time to this, we greatly appreciate it.
My pleasure!
Photo credits:
Green makeup photo and photo with 2 other artists taken by Deverill Weekes at Makeup Designory (MUD)
Photo with my hand reaching out was taken by Shawn Kelley