A multi-faceted actress, writer, director and producer, Robbie Barnes-Kyriakides has established her career with a fine catalog of appearances in front of and behind the camera on a smattering of projects. Now, in honor of Women in Horror Month, I talk with her about the early stages of becoming an actress, the start of her production company Perfect Holiday Productions and upcoming projects:
Me: Hello and thank you for taking the time to do this. First off, where did you get the urge to get into acting?
Robbie Barnes-Kyriakides: When I was a kid, my older brother would always watch movies with me and some of them were R-rated, so he and my parents would explain to me how “they’re just acting, it’s not real. They’re playing.” I was always fascinated by that and wanted to “play” in those movies too. From there, I started taking theater classes and doing stage plays before transitioning into film in my late 20’s.
Me: Were you always into genre films growing up? What films specifically got you into watching horror movies?
RBK: My first horror sci-fi movie I saw was “The Terminator,” and it’s still my favorite movie to this day. Other films I watched early on that made me love the genre were “Child’s Play,” “Children of the Corn,” “Critters,” “Pet Semetery,” “Nightmare On Elm Street,” Popcorn,” and “The Gate.” I’ve been watching them since I was 4 years old.
Me: Is there any specific type of character you prefer playing?
RBK: I love playing a strong female character. One who can “fight back” whether physically or intellectually. My favorite characters growing up were Linda Hamilton’s ‘Sarah Connor’ and Sigourney Weaver’s ‘Ripley.’ And I have such a girl crush on Mackenzie Davis’ as “Grace.” She was so good in the new Terminator!
Me: Having worked on plenty of short films early in your career, what tools and skills did you acquire working on those that transferred to future film-projects?
RBK: I would say definitely organization skills; making sure schedules and shot-lists are done right to not waste anyone’s time on set. I also used to work closely with another film company years ago and that’s where I picked up producing and editing, as well as watching the pre-production process of filmmaking.
Me: Having worked on various aspects of film production, do you have any particular preference for working on any?
RBK: I love directing and writing! I love being able to attempt to recreate the images in my head and see them transfer to the screen. It’s magic to me!
Me: You also started a production company, Perfect Holiday Productions. How did the inspiration for that come about?
RBK: I’ve always had ideas, and I’ve been writing film scripts since college. I also made a few feature films back then as well. I never had the confidence until a few years ago to try it again because everyone sort of just saw me as an actress. But once I put my fears aside and went for it, I fell in love with being in control of the films I do and what happens with them once they’re finished.
Me: What is the intent behind the company? What are some of the projects you've created?
RBK: Going along with my answer to the last question, in creating my own content, it started off being an outlet to create the kind of work I wanted to do and allow myself to play the roles I wanted to play, and from there it grew. It also taught me how much I love being behind the camera. I partnered up with my husband, Christopher Kyriakides, and we opened up Perfect Holiday. After ‘Whatever It Takes’ and the short film noir, ‘He Chose Her,’ I got the idea for my short, ‘Beyond Repair’ while stopping at a rest area during a road trip. That film did really well in the film festival circuit and is available on a Women in Horror anthology DVD on Amazon as well as HODTV. I also shot a fantasy-romance called ‘Dream Come True,’ written by playwright and friend, Greg Vovos. The overall main intention of the company is to see our films all the way through to the finish line and get them circulating in festivals, ultimately ending up in distribution and with investors so we have bigger budgets to make art with on future projects.
Me: Among the most recent output was the film "Whatever It Takes." What can you tell us about that?
RBK: ”Whatever It Takes” follows a high-class escort’s double life where she’s attempting to maintain the semblance of a normal life, trying to make it as an actress, and keep her “side job” a secret from her boyfriend while also trying to keep a stalker clientele of hers at bay. The inspiration came from learning about this huge underground sex industry in Los Angeles and combining it with the story of serial killers, Richard Bradford and Rodney Alcala - two headshots photographers that murdered aspiring models and actresses. It’s definitely a niche storyline that’s isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.
Me: As well, you wrote and co-directed the short Fun. How did that come about?
RBK: I tend to fall down a lot of YouTube rabbit holes and one time ended up watching several videos about the dark web. It made me curious and I continued to research it. I had already started a “horror script” back in 2016, but never finished it at the time. I ended up revisiting it in 2018 and building upon what I had started. It was a short to begin with, but was turned into a feature-length film.
Me: Being the writer, director and star of the short, did it challenge you to be involved in various capacities at once on a project like this? How do you balance those priorities during a shoot?
RBK: After doing “Whatever It Takes” as the director and lead actress, I wanted a co-director for this one to lighten the load. So, she and I took turns on different shoot days, as well as watch each other’s performances. “FUN.” is also the first project where there were rehearsals ahead of time and everyone knew their directions and blocking well before shooting, and that helped us all out.
Me: What was the set like while shooting the film? How did the cast and crew react to the type of film being made?
RBK: It depends on the day! Haha. There were a few scenes in particular that were grueling cause we were either battling extremely cold temperatures, long hours shooting physical exhausting scenes, and being covered in sticky fake blood. But mostly it was a great time with a lot of laughing and having a good time!
Me: Do you recall having any odd or funny on-set stories about yourself or any of the other cast/crew members?
RBK: Probably the funniest moment on set was on a night we’d been filming all day and started getting really tired. One person made a joke and it turned into a laughing fest for about an hour. We just couldn’t get it together and kept rehashing the joke to a point we were either on the floor holding our stomachs or crying from laughing so hard. It had been back to back intense horror, dramatic scenes and we all needed that “break.”
Me: What else are you working on through the company that you'd like to share with our readers?
RBK: Currently, PHP teamed up with WLFK Productions and is finishing up post-production on a short horror comedy called “Utilities Included.” It’s about a couple who moves into a haunted apartment and has to deal with jokester ghosts who enjoy scaring them. I also have a script titled, “Eleanor,” which was nominated for “Best Short Screenplay” at the Women in Horror Film Festival in Atlanta. I have a few other scripts in the works that include a feature-length comedy and two family films. I’m also very excited and looking forward to seeing how “FUN.” does in the festival circuit and attending the showings. For any more information, my website is www.PerfectHolidayProductions.com.
Me: Lastly, being that this is Women in Horror Month, what special message do you have for any women out there looking to join in the industry in any capacity as you are one yourself? Thank you again for your time!
RBK: Just do it! Write your script! Reach out to people to work with you! Believe you can do it too. This is our time! And thank you, Don, for the interview!
To follow the company online, check out the various sites:
Official Site
Youtube
This interview ran as part of our month-long Women in Horror Month celebrations. Click the banner below to check out all of our interviews and reviews we've conducted for the event:
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