Adrienne Barbeau [Interview]

Adrienne Barbeau is an absolutely amazing actress who has had some amazing success in the world of theatre, film, and television alike. She is without a doubt, an absolute legend! She also happens to be an extremely nice person who was kind enough to share a few words with us here today at Trainwreck’d Society!

There are so many different ways that you could already know Adrienne that it would be so hard to pin them all down. One definitive way for our regular readers here at TWS is definitely within the horror film world. Barbeau has appeared in some of the greatest classics of the horror film world such as Creepshow, Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death, Killer, The Fog, and so many more.

Some of you may recognize her from her appearance as the original Rizzo in the stage production of Grease, or in her television role in the hit television series Maude. No matter how you know this amazing actress, you are going to love our amazing interview with the brilliant Adrienne Barbeau today. She is not only an great actress, but a brilliant writer as well! Check out the interview, and be sure to find her amazing work as an author as well!

So, without further rambling, please digitally welcome some great words from the brilliant Adrienne Barbeau!

When did you first decide that you wanted to join the world of acting? When did you know that it was what you wanted to do for a living?

I didn’t realize acting could be a profession until I was in my first year of college, figuring I’d get my degree and maybe teach acting in a high school somewhere. I’d been doing musicals since I was 15, but that was just something I loved; it never crossed my mind I could earn a living doing it. When a friend suggested I go to New York to study and see if I could work on Broadway, I thought, “Well, okay, why not?” I told myself if I wasn’t a working actor by the time I was 25, I’d go back to school and get my degree. I was 20 when I did my first Equity job, and three years later I was on Broadway!

In recent years, I have managed to discover the joy that is the television show Maude, which you were a regular cast member on, and did a phenomenal job at, by the way! The show is rather progressive in nature, especially for the time it was on. Which I find to be wonderful! So, what was it like to work on a show like this during this time period? Was it liberating in some kind of way?

I hadn’t watched television until I did Maude, having gone from my first Broadway show to the original production of Grease where I created the role of Rizzo – never being at home at night, so I didn’t understand at first how unique Maude was in the tv landscape at the time.  All I knew was I loved the writing, loved the cast, loved the producers, and I was incredibly fortunate to be a part of such a groundbreaking, funny, socially significant, and successful show.

We are huge fans of the world of horror here at TWS, and you have become one of the biggest horror icons in your career. In your personal opinion, what do you enjoy the most about working on horror projects? What sets them apart from other genres of work that you have done?

I guess what I enjoy most is the opportunity to take names and kick ass.  And play a gamut of emotions that rarely show up, all together at least, in other genres.  I mean, how many female judges get to blow away the bad guys with anything other than a verdict?

Another aspect of performance that we have covered quite a bit here is voice-over work, in which you are extremely accomplished in as well! Everything from portraying Catwoman to voicing a computer mainframe in one of my personal favorite action films, Demolition Man…..you have done it all! So, how do you enjoy the voice over world? How does it compare to on screen work?

I love doing voice work. Don’t have to put on make-up, don’t have to get fitted for costumes, don’t have to wake up at 4:30 am to get to the set on time. And I do truly enjoy having to use only my voice to express what the character is going through.  Plus, no worries about memorizing the lines word perfect – I can read them!

When you look back on your illustrious career thus far, what would you say you are your most pride-filling accomplishment?

Well…the most pride-filling accomplishment of my life is raising my three sons and seeing them become the men they are.  In terms of my career?  I’m proud of my work on stage in Grease and Pippin, especially; and of Ruthie in HBO’s Carnivale, and I do love Billie in Creepshow.

What does the future hold for you? Anything you would like to plug to our readers?

I’d love your readers to know about my second career as an author.  My memoir, There Are Worse Things I Could Do, and all three of my vampyre novels (about a scream queen who is the leader of a clan of famous Hollywood stars who all happen to be vampyres) Vampyres of Hollywood, Love Bites, and Make Me Dead are all available on Amazon.  Love Bites, for which I co-wrote the screenplay, has been optioned by Harrison Smith (Death House) and hopefully will have a life off the page.

And I just completed seven features last year, so, with any luck at all, they’ll show up on the big screen soon.

What was the last thing that made you smile?

We just celebrated my birthday and my grandnephew’s first birthday with a 6 hour party in a beautiful park in northern California, and watching my 21 year old boys play with their one year old cousins STILL has me smiling.  Grinning, actually.

Check out Adrienne’s wonderful books on Amazon today, and if you are a Kindle Unlimited member, you can check out for FREE today!