An emerging actress on the UK indie scene, actress Asena Roberts has brought her skills to the foreground quickly as she starts her career in the industry on a high note. Now, in honor of Women in Horror Month, I talk with her about her early interest in acting, getting involved in the industry, and her work on the upcoming "Video Shop Tales of Terror II: Lust and Revenge."
Me: Hello and thank you for taking the time to do this. First off, when did you get into horror in general? What films specifically got you into watching horror movies?
Asena Roberts: I am from Tukey. When I was a teenager, about 13/14 years old I got a desktop computer in my bedroom with a disc drive. My family, my mum dad, and my younger brother hired horror films every weekend probably illegally copied DVDs as a lot of films were unavailable legally or too expensive. We watched these movies every weekend and loved scaring each other while we were watching them. It was a time I remember really fondly and some of the first movies we watched were “The Exorcist“, “A Nightmare on Elm Street“ and "The Ring."
Me: When did you initially discover a passion for acting? What aspect of this industry appeals to you?
AR: We have a summer holiday house in Turkey by the seaside. I have a friend called Berk Gunaydin, who is now a scriptwriter, and when I was 16 years old and while we were drinking with friends he would tell me about the character and dialogues he wrote and asked me to perform them for him. This became our routine every evening during the summer we had a lot of fun shooting little scenes between us. So he is the first ever person who discovered my energy and passion for performing even before I was aware of it myself and encouraged me to continue with acting. But of course, we could only do It during our summer holidays. I realized I loved to perform so much and enjoyed it so I joined some physical stage performance arts/dance in my teenage years, Latin dance, and Turkish traditional folk dance groups, and continued performing on the stage differently. As time went on I studied engineering in university. And eventually moved to the UK after marrying my husband Merlyn Roberts, who is a director and writer himself. He has worked on his own productions as well as friends we have in common. A while after moving to the UK I started to help him behind the camera with props, sets, and catering on some of his films. Then one day I ended up being cast in a fairly big-budget movie, 2022 Renegades, as an extra which was my first professional acting work. I absolutely loved it and since then I have preferred working in front of the camera if I have the opportunity. After this, I kept going and getting involved in other indie projects, which I love working on the most.
What I love the most about acting is that I can think and act like someone else and it is a great challenge for me. It is never boring and you always learn more and get to chance to work with different people on different projects.
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?
AR: I actually learned a lot about movie making, not only acting skills but about the whole process. I work with independent productions which I love the most working on and most of them are low-budget movies. It is so impressive how much work they put into making the most out of their limited budgets and how well done the final products are. As these are small productions, I get to observe more and talk with everyone on the set about the process. I have definitely learned more about group working skills even deeper on these sets and I have found the chance to observe other performers very closely, which has really helped me to develop my acting skills from posture to how use of my voice. So, I definitely learned a lot and still learning :)
Me: That brings us to your latest project, "Video Shop Tales of Terror II: Lust and Revenge." What can you tell us about the film?
AR: Video Shop Tales of Terror II: Lust and Revenge is an anthology horror film with dark humour in the style of classics like “Creepshow” and “Tales from the Crypt” with a strong wrap-around story, heavy on shocks and humor. It is made by a collective of very talented filmmakers, artists, directors, writers, animators, and all-round creative people. My dear friend Lauren Jane Barnett, who is a very talented writer/filmmaker, is the writer of the segment “Invasion of Studio 69.“ She wanted me to be involved with this project as the comms officer and I was delighted to be part of it.
Me: As you work on two different segments within the anthology, was that always the purpose when you first signed onto the project? What originally led you to take on the two different roles?
AR: After I worked on “Invasion of Studio 69” directed by Alexander Churchyard. Alex then wanted me to be involved with his “Trashed” segment as a vampire. Alex is heavily involved in the making of the entire Video Shop production and is the main editor.
Me: What difference did you find between the different characters that led to you getting into their different mindsets? Did that affect the kind of prep work you did before shooting?
AR: Working on ‘Studio 69’ we really had so much fun on set. It was a very well-written and multi-layered script involving six other actors acting at the same time. I would say there was a lot of improvising involved in this segment and we all worked together, keeping the energy flowing, gestures and facial expressions, and interacting with each other’s body language. That’s what made it so much fun for me. We of course did prep work before the day but most of the performances had elements of improvisation under the supervision of directors Tony Mardon and Alexander Churchyard, the dynamic between all the talented actors was what made this segment incredibly successful for me.
With the “Trashed” segment, I was filmed alone on the set and it was all about exaggerated facial expressions, close-ups, and varying emotions. And that was a very nice challenge for me.
Me: While working as Comms in the ‘Invasion of Studio 69’ segment, what do you recall most about working with a cast of experienced and talented indie actors?
AR: The moment I entered the set, I was so impressed by the props, set, and special effects! Jay Lowe who is the art director of this movie, showed me around the set (which was made by Simon Turner and Studio Seven Props) and the props he made and I was blown away! It really was amazing, the details and effects, and he put a huge amount of work into this segment.
I could say this was the most fun out of every project I have worked on recently. There were some moments I had to bite my lips so as not to laugh during our takes because of some other actors' lines or body language. You can definitely see it while you watch this segment how much fun everyone is having.
Me: As a vampire in the ‘Trashed’ segment, what surprised you the most about the actual filming versus your preparations?
AR: The vampire segment was entirely improvised on the day in terms of acting. I thought as soon as I put my fangs in I would become a vampire which I did :)The most impressive thing about this segment was the editing for me. Andy Boothby and Alexander Churchyard managed to put the story together so well. It is very much fun and one of the perfect segments of the film.
Me: Do you recall having any odd or funny on-set stories about yourself or any of the other cast/crew members?
AR: I, unfortunately, cannot give you any specific moment that was so funny because, from the beginning till the end of the shoot, everything was so much fun on the set. As sometimes we had to stop recording because we all had to laugh for a moment. It was just a very fun project to be involved in.
Me: How do you do to keep your creative energy flowing?
AR: By always trying something new and pushing myself out of my comfort zone. Trying new characters gives me excitement and also makes me nervous before the project starts and that pushes me to learn more about the character and do research so I always keep myself fresh and inspired and learn about new things.
Me: What else are you working on that you’d like to share with our readers?
AR: I am currently working on a top-secret production for Fausti Films which I can’t tell you more about. Other than that, I have got upcoming projects with Seamark Productions, and also on a project called “The Witches of The Sands”! I am so excited to be involved in these projects.
Me: Lastly, being that this is our Women in Horror Movement, 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!
AR: Starting the process is the key. If you would like to be involved and make art please do it. I always say, that if your instincts tell you that this is what you want, listen to your gut. If you let fears stop you from doing it, you will regret it for a lifetime. It is never too late to start to learn and be involved in what you like and what you want. If you want something go and get it. There is nothing in the world that can stop you :)
This interview ran as part of our 2025 Women in Horror Movement series. Click the banner below to check out all the featured interviews in this series:
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