There are a lot of elements that can be particularly taxing when you’re filming a horror project. The majority of the action takes place at night, which means your cast and crew are going to be up until the ass crack of dawn; screaming and running and fighting. Then there’s the emotional overload of everyone involved; the stress of the director trying to get the perfect take and the drain on the actor having try cry on cue over and over again. Or, in the case of Eddie Lengyel’s upcoming feature Naughty List, as Roger Conners will tell you, the most pain staking part of production is having body parts duck taped where they weren’t meant to be taped and the hours spent in a make-up chair.
“The Scream Queer,” as he is lovingly known as amongst the indie horror community in the Ohio, Illinois and North West region, has made a noteworthy career capitalizing on his sexuality and playing the roles in movies that straight actors are too scared to tackle. Having played a homosexual in over seven titles now, Roger Conners is perhaps facing his biggest challenge yet, playing the voluptuous, over-confident drag queen Lady Athena Slay in Lengyel’s upcoming Christmas themed horror film. And, if you’ve ever watched an episode of reality show “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” you’ll know that “getting into hair and make-up” is far more difficult than you’d think.
Speaking exclusively with Conners, he elaborated on the daunting task of going from a male actor to a professional female impersonator while on set. He said, “It’s a whole mental shift. You have to sort of change your whole train of thought. I’m extremely confident when I’m dressed up as Lady Athena Slay. I’m louder, flashier, more aggressive and eager to take chances on camera that I may have previously shied away from. I get why people work in drag. It’s a total rush and so much fun. It’s also a lot of work. Make-up can take over an hour to complete, but it’s so worth it!”
Next the actor dove a little deeper into the origins of his new role and exposed Lady Athena Slay as a sleazy man-eater by saying, “She is a drag queen but also a prostitute with quite the reputation. She is constantly luring straight men to their doom.” Also describing his character as loud, sarcastic and comedic, Conners explains some of the inspiration behind the character. “I love Miss Fame, so I took a lot of my make-up tips from her. As far as personality goes, I went with a tougher edge that is comparable to ‘Drag Race’ contestants Detox, Sharon Needles and Virginia West.”
To clarify, Naughty List is not defined as queer horror. More-so, it’s a typical horror film featuring a very flamboyant member of the LGBT community; something that many films are unwilling to do. The film revolves around four young women who are on probation and are in the midst of finishing up their community service requirements. Due to it being the holiday season, they are working with the areas’ elderly and less fortunate by going to several different homes to serve dinner. The night’s coming to a close and they have one final stop on their list. But they have no idea what events have taken place in that home prior to their arrival, nor do they know what danger is still inside.
Naughty List also stars Rachel Anderson, KateLynn E. Newberry, Tiffani Hilton, Robbie Barnes, George Tutie, Kris Smith and Janine Sarnowski. Naughty List is Eddie Lengyel’s fourth feature under Fright Teck Pictures. His previous film, Kandie Land, now titled Scarred, will receive worldwide distribution this June.
