One of the most recognizable and prominent figures in the genre, actress Eileen Dietz has not just made a career off of playing the demon Pazuzu in the iconic The Exorcist but has since turned into a hard-working actress with roles in scores of indie films in the past decade. Now, in honor of Women in Horror Month, I talk to her about her beginnings as an actress, her career overview and working on her more recent projects.
Me: Hello and thank you for taking the time to do this. First off, when did you get into horror in general?
Eileen Dietz: I think you mean as an actress, right? And that would be when I shot The Exorcist.
Me: Were you into genre films growing up? What films specifically got you into watching horror movies?
ED: I am not sure. My mother took me to see the Ingmar Bergman films which were certainly thrillers. I watched Roman Polanski films like Rosemary’s Baby and Alfred Hitchcock films like Psycho.
Me: When did you discover a passion for acting? What aspect of that industry appealed to you?
ED: As long as I have memories I wanted to be an actress, my first memory was when I was seven and my mother took us to see Peter Pan and I wanted to jump on the stage and be one of the lost boys but I was afraid I would miss the stage and fall into the audience so I didn’t do it. I suppose I craved the attention but most of all I wanted to stand out from the crowd. I was mostly ignored as a child so I guess that was a huge motivation.
Me: Working on several acclaimed theater productions before going into the movie-business, was that your preferred career choice or were you anxious to try out movie-making?
ED: I have never been one to think about “what I don’t have” rather than what I had. I loved doing theatre in NY, what a thrill and I regret I don’t have the time to do theatre here making a living going away weekends to do horror conventions. As I was doing theatre I always shot television, mainly soaps and PBS but I always also did film in NY, my favorites being the Drive-In Theatre gem, TEENAGE TEEN DEBS and the rather famous art film DAVID HOLTZMAN’S DIARY.
Me: Mostly known for being the demon in 'The Exorcist,’ how did you get involved in the role?
ED: Oh wow, this is such a long answer. May I suggest you read my book EXORCISING MY DEMONS? And you will read not only how I got involved in the film but about the audition, the screen test, meeting Dick Smith The Godfather of makeup and the making of the film, basically an autobiography of how me, a skinny, flat-chested, buck-toothed little girl becomes an actress and then became part of the scariest film ever. The shot story is I did a play, a Joyce Carol Oates play and agents came to see it and asked me the next day if I would like to audition for this horror film and the rest as they say is history. [***Note: To read that full story, click the book above and secure a copy for yourself***]
Me: Being one of the most iconic images from one of the most revered genre films in history, is it a point of pride to point out that fact for new fans unaware of your part of the film?
ED: I believe it is new fans that are most aware of The Face of Death aka Pazuzu aka Captain Howdy. The Face has become the iconic image from the film and Warner Brothers uses it often in their PR and even products. My manager Chris Roe almost 20 years ago had to convince promoters who I was as Warner’s fought to keep me a secret. As the years wore on I now know that most fans now know who I am and who played Pazuzu.
Me: After finishing that, you worked on various TV shows and miniseries outside of the genre. Was that a way to avoid being typecast or simply where the work was at the moment? What do you recall about your experience on those sets?
ED: Actually that is not true. Besides a couple of sitcoms when I came out to LA from New York and Planet Of The Apes, most everything I shot had some aspects of horror or I like to say thrillers such as Helter Skelter and when I shot General Hospital I played a patient in a mental hospital who was quite messed up.
Me: What do you do to stay in character while on-set? When you're not filming, how do you pass the time between takes?
ED: I truly believe if you do “your homework” you can turn your character “on” when the director says action. I never come to work in the clothes the character wears because the wardrobe becomes part of your character. I try not to ever be on the phone because that definitely takes you away from what you are doing. I also try not to spend a lot of time talking to crew and actors but that is more difficult. I will often bring a new script to read but Like to do movie business-type things.
Me: Taking on roles in various films from “Freeway Killer,” “The Devil Knows His Own,” “Demon Legacy” and “Abaddon” among others which has cemented your legacy as an indie scream queen, what keeps you going to play these kinds of roles?
ED: A very simple answer here, I love doing these roles and there are many others. I guess you can completely lose yourself in this work and I never get cast as Moms unless they are evil Moms, :) and the girl next store and stuff like that. I love to find the good in “bad” or evil people because even the worst of the worst, the most demonic or evil or witchy truly believe they are good and carrying out some misguided goals
Me: As you’ve said some of your favorite roles include “Amityville Harvest,” “Clownado” and “The Assent,” what about these films stand out as some of your fondest projects?
ED: Definitely the scripts, the writing. In my opinion, if you don’t have a script and believe characters that the audiences can relate to, either with love or hate but never indifference, you have no film. And also terrific horror projects I just shot like The Bleeding Dark, an awesome film of a family after a deathly home invasion, and Clown Motel 2: Til Death Do Us Part, a wonder thriller romp with some humor.
Me: Having been announced in a slew of upcoming projects including “Appetite for Sin,” ”Staycation” and “The Dark Offerings” among countless others, does the rush of constantly working on new material overcome any potential downfalls like physical fatigue, hectic work-schedules, etc?
ED: Omg no! I could act in films 24/7. I am an insomniac and often have a couple of hours of sleep before I go to set and I worry how will I remember my lines, will I be “present” and I never, I mean never have a problem.
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!
ED: I always say and I used to do seminars for young actors, that you have to have an obsession with being an actor or a director or a writer. It is surely not a hobby or “something I would like to do”. And I channel my good friend Malcolm McDowell who has often expressed the same sentiment. When I was starting my career in New York I rarely went anywhere, I had to be near my phone or a payphone, remember them? But we had answering services but you still couldn’t miss a call. Because I was home on a Sunday afternoon, and only because I was home, I was able to take the call that offered me the role in Tony Perkin’s play Steambath. One of the actors was fired and she had to be replaced immediately. I also suggest you take classes, find a class that works for you. I personally don’t care for “camera” workshops because watching yourself I don’t think is helpful to your art. Then find all the work you can in front of a camera which means student films or pick up a camera and shoot your own stuff, be sure to find or write a good script. I also suggest if you are “coming to LA” or “coming to NY” to be an actor you come with a sizable bank account so you are able to work in theatre and films for free or even to travel places to work as a “local” which means you pay for your travel, hotel and food. Please don’t buy an expensive car or live in a place “where the rent will kill you” or abuse those credit cards, you need all the money you can muster to follow your career. And another theory of mine which goes along with being obsessed is you can’t be a hyphen, a legal aid and an actor, or any professional job and an actor, you must be only an actor and find jobs to make money that will let you work on projects. But if you don’t have that obsession or you think it would be fun or you simply crave “being a star” please, please do something else, because I gotta tell you this is damn hard and tell you build up a name and a reputation it doesn’t get much easier. But if you are obsessed and give up so much to follow your dreams, there is not like being an actresses and leaving a stage to great applause or when the director says action and know you are doing a great job.
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