Today, I am delighted to be featuring Erika Eleniak from Nick Belial’s upcoming crime/thriller film entitled To Avenge. Erika’s career has been considerably impressive as she has been the recipient of various glittering accolades along her extensive film/TV journey. Recently, she and I spoke about her past professional highlights as well as her upcoming role of Denise Castor, mother to Vera Castor (who will be played by Taylor Hay). Without hesitation, I present to my readers a truly captivating and inspirational lady who continues to create significant roles that resonate with audiences all over the world.

Photo by Stephen Wayda

RH: Erika, it is such a joy and an honor to speak with you today. And welcome to the cast of To Avenge.

EE: Thank you, Ruth, my pleasure. I’m excited to be here.

So how did you get started in acting?

Well, that was a long time ago. I was ten years old; I am gonna be forty-nine this month. And it was really by accident. At the time, my father was dating a wonderful lady who worked for a film company. Whenever they needed extras for training commercials, like maybe Pioneer Chicken or something like that where they would show employees film for training, my dad, my little sister, and I would jump in there and help make these training commercials.

One day, my dad asked me if I would like to pursue this more seriously. I admit I was a rather odd kid, and at the time I think I wanted to be a parapsychologist, a lawyer, a truck driver, a princess… everything but an actor. But I said, “Okay, we can give it a try.” It just stuck. My parents were divorced, so I went back and forth between them. My dad would handle this stuff for me. Then I lived with my mom, and she took over. She did keep me very grounded though. She was the opposite of a stage mom. I did maybe two or three acting jobs throughout each school year. I had enough so I kept myself alive in the business, but I still had a normal childhood. I went to school, had friends, and all that normal kid stuff that is so important.

I was looking over your credits, and it looks like your first official movie role was in E.T. 

That’s right. That was quite the adventure and just amazing. Now, if you remember the movie, I played the girl in the classroom who Elliott had a crush on. They free the frogs. E.T. is watching an old movie with John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara at home, and Elliott feels everything that E.T. is feeling. E.T. watches that screen kiss, so when Elliott and I are in the classroom, he pushes down a little boy who was in the way and kisses me. It was a fun little role.

Even though your role was small, it is memorable. I remember your role quite clearly. And what a way to break into the industry in a movie that is so iconic. 

Ruth, I was just about to say iconic too! And it was quite amazing. At twelve, I didn’t know what I was getting into, but I am extraordinarily grateful to be a part of such a timeless movie. I mean, there hasn’t even been a remake of this film. I feel like Super 8 was a movie where they kind of tried to recreate it in some way, but really E.T. has been left alone. And I just feel so grateful. There are many classic films that still hold their magic and have been left untouched, and how cool it is to be a part of one that has done just that!

I noticed you’ve been a guest star or had a recurring role on many well-known television shows throughout the years. But I’m sure many people remember you from Baywatch since you were on it for quite a while. But I do need to tell you that I never did watch that show. I was sheltered, and this was one of those shows that didn’t meet the standards for what I felt was appropriate for me to watch as a teen. I now need to go back and look it up, and I’m sure I’d see it was very tame. 

Baywatch

It’s kind of cool that you had that mindset at that age. Here’s a funny little tidbit though. I go way back with the show. I started with Baywatch when it was a two-hour movie–back when they did the Sunday night movies. It was on NBC, which at the time was the most conservative network on television. We had to do everything by the book. Including regulation-issued swimsuits. The reason we got canceled is that we were number one at 8:30 on Friday nights, but it was a very expensive show to shoot per episode. NBC wasn’t going to carry the whole bill. They wanted Grant Tinker, who owned the rights at the time, to come up with a crazy amount of money per episode. What people didn’t know at the time is that he was losing his studio which happened shortly thereafter. So that’s why we got canceled. But at the time, it was super conservative. Then it went down for about a year while the original creators and David Hasselhoff got together and had to fight to get the rights back for the show. I think David spent a million of his own dollars to buy the rights back. They got the rights back and went with American television, and it became syndicated. It wasn’t on a major network, but then it became something completely different, which is what it is known for now, which was wonderful for them. It’s why the show became international.

Baywatch

I wasn’t truly happy in that environment, however. I had always wanted to have a serious acting career, so when I went on that show…for me, I worked very hard. Six auditions to get that role. We had to do all of the screen tests, networks tests, swimming…you know, there were doctor shows, cop shows, lawyer shows, the ambulance shows, but there were no lifeguard shows. Originally, this was written as a serious look at lifeguarding. As soon as it changed and became a music montage show, it was so lovely, but for me, it was time to go. I will say I had really strong storylines the second year, which was great. They entrusted me with bigger roles, which was complimentary to me as an actress. And I did get some juicy parts, but the show became something else. So for me, it was no longer where my heart was. I moved on, and it was perfect because my swan song was Pamela Anderson’s entrance. And come on, she’s the epitome of the show. She loved every moment of it and was perfect for it. No one could have done it better. I felt like it was a win-win. Back then, those contracts were seven years when you signed on to do a series. So in order for me to get out of my contract, I had to do the two-hour movie that introduced season three. And that was my exit, and I moved on. It was an amazing experience.

I want to tell you I did actually see The Beverly Hillbillies. Now, I don’t know how that movie was received. I loved the old TV show, but I honestly had no problem with the movie. I thought it had some really fun elements. And having Buddy Ebsen come and play Barnaby Jones was absolutely the highlight for me. 

We were so lucky to get him. And the cast was just insane! To be able to work with Lily Tomlin, Cloris Leachman, and Dabney Coleman–they were legends! And Jim Varney was such a wonderful man. And Diedrich Bader was an amazing comedic actor. What a stellar cast! Rob Schneider was in it. Lea Thompson. That movie was a huge blessing for me. It was my favorite thing to work on because I was surrounded by a wealth of amazing actors.

That’s great! I thought it was fun. I wasn’t trying to compare it to the original. 

With Jim Varney & Cloris Leachman 
The Beverly Hillbillies

And it wasn’t supposed to be like the original. At the time that we made that, in the 90’s, it was very important to director Penelope Spheeris that she stayed true to the characters, but put a modern spin on it. We were by no means trying to emulate the original. And it actually did quite well. It didn’t make a ton of money at the box office, but its reviews did really well. So it was kind of funky. Also, it was explained to me that when you have a movie like that where it’s not rated R and it’s not rated G, but it’s halfway marketed to families and kids, it’s kind of in a funky place. And yet the genre goes way back to people who watched the classic show long before our generation. So it didn’t do as well at the box office because it was a tough demographic to go after. But the reviews all did really well.

You know, usually when I interview people connected with Nick Belial’s film To Avenge, I haven’t actually seen them in anything. A lot of the work these actors do is in indie film, and for whatever reason, I haven’t seen their works. But you have the distinction of being one of the few people whose work I have seen. 

That’s really nice, Ruth. I’m glad.

Also, a lot of the people I’ve been interviewing are in horror films and well-known in that genre, but I do not typically watch horror films. Even you have been in a couple of horror films, right?

Dracula 3000

Yeah, I’ve done a couple. I had a small part in a classic horror film, The Blob. I did a fun, independent, really horrifying movie called Dracula 3000. And I did another big movie that wasn’t really a spinoff, but it was based on an old television show called Tales From the Crypt. What they did was they wrote two films hosted by the Crypt Keeper, and the one that I did had Dennis Miller, the comedian, and Angie Everhart, and a bunch of other actors in it. It was called Bordello of Blood. But it was very campy. Hard to put it in the horror movie category because it’s not a slasher with blood and guts. It’s really over-the-top camp. But that was also a really fun experience.

I can imagine! But it’s nice to be able to recognize you from many of your works, and it’s an honor to be speaking with you now.

With Dennis Miller

Thank you, Ruth, I appreciate that. It’s been a long road. It’s by the grace of God and a lot of work and a lot of diversity, which I love. The good girl, the serial killer, all kinds of fun.

How did you get involved with To Avenge?

Nick Belial found me through my agent. He said that he was thinking about me for the part, and while he wasn’t sure what my availability would be, he took a shot and asked me if I would be interested. I read it, and here we are.

Please tell us a little about your character in To Avenge.

I am playing Denise Castor. I am Vera Castor’s mama. And the best way to describe her is like this. I am the mom of a daughter, so for me first and foremost, I can relate to being a very protective and loving mother, which I believe Denise is as well. I believe Denise is really a good woman who loves her daughter to pieces, and she would drop everything and go running to help her whenever necessary. When her daughter gets attacked, even to articulate…well, you have a daughter, so you understand. You can’t even go there, but as an actor, you have to go there. Either you identify or you don’t, and if you don’t, you have to do the research so that you do. For me, it’s like, “What is that experience like?” Once her daughter is healing and on the road to recovery, she wants to caretake, and she wants to make everything better. Sometimes your kids just want you to leave them alone. It’s easy to be too pushy in these kinds of situations, and as you probably know with your daughter, they sometimes just need some space, and that can sometimes be hard for a mother to do when her daughter is hurting. I really think Denise is a super protective, super loving mom who will do anything for her daughter.

I totally get that, Erika. I can so identify with the situation. I can’t even imagine what it would be like to have my daughter come home and tell me that this happened to her. If I were not careful, I think I would jump right in and be like, “Come on! Let’s go get these guys!” 

Erika and her daughter

Yes, and I think that’s a great point. For me, in my humble opinion, that’s what this film is about. At the end of the day, as you were saying that, I was thinking, “Here’s Mama Bear who’s waving a machete.” We all think it because we’re human. The difference between us and other people who actually go out and commit the crime is that we don’t go out and do what we’re thinking about. Just because we think bad things doesn’t make us bad people.

I’m not going to give anything away here, but let me give you a similar scenario in the current film Peppermint with Jennifer Garner. While I haven’t seen this film, I’ve seen the trailer, and I’ve heard Jennifer give some interviews. In Peppermint, her character’s entire family gets gunned down, and she takes the law into her own hands. When she was interviewed about this, she said, “You know, it’s interesting. We always see men in these roles, don’t we?” And we do. Name an action movie. These men go and take revenge on the people who have terribly wronged them. But if you think about, mothers feel the same way and can be just as fierce if not fiercer when it comes to their kids. So I find it very interesting that Peppermint is currently in theaters which makes marketing To Avenge a very interesting and current choice.

I think it’s also interesting that Nick Belial wrote To Avenge before the “Me Too” movement became such a publicized campaign. And that just goes right along with it.

Absolutely.

So in addition to To Avenge, do you have any other upcoming works you can mention?

Ride It Out

Yes, I have something I am doing that I’m so grateful for. It’s something near and dear to my heart, and it’s a different side of things for me. I am in development for a reality television show which I will be co-producing and hosting called Ride It Out. We will have participants on the show who are suffering from different forms of mental illness, and this speaks to right now so much of what’s going on. Like the “Me Too” movement, mental illness is another current topic. Suicides have become all too common in this world of ours.

On our show, people with PTSD or substance abuse or domestic abuse or whatever it is will be featured and through equine-assisted learning–through horses–they will develop relationships with themselves and other people again. It is scientifically amazing what actually transpires. The creator is Hilda Keskin, and our other co-producer, Rex Williams, has a production company here called Above & Beyond California. The three of us are all working on this feverishly. We have Wanda Goldberg on board. She is married to the actor, Bill Goldberg, the wrestler and actor. She had her own show she hosted about animals. So we’ve got a lot of things coming up for it, and I’m super excited. We’re now getting it all together and raising funding to get it all up and running.

Mental illness is something that affects everybody. If it’s not you, it’s someone in your family or friends or someone you know. It’s like cancer. I don’t know anyone today who doesn’t know someone who has been directly or indirectly affected by cancer. It’s the same thing with mental illness. It’s been around since the caveman days, I’m sure, the very dawn of time. It is something that has been discriminated against and stigmatized forever, and it’s time to end it. Every single one of us are affected by it somehow. It’s time to stop with the fear, the cover-ups, the embarrassment and the shame, and let’s just work on it and talk about it. When I hear, for example, last week about a ten-year-old committing suicide, it just breaks my heart. I know my daughter had an eleven-year-old friend who was online threatening suicide, and I had to call this girl’s mother to alert her. I’ve also taught acting to kids in rehab for years as a form of therapy. So I’ve dealt with teens who are dealing with substance abuse and behavioral issues, and we have to end the hiding so that we can just help people.

Erika, I want to thank you so much for your time. You are incredibly inspirational and full of positivity, and I can hardly wait to see you portray Denise Castor in Nick Belial’s To Avenge.

Thank you, Ruth, my pleasure. I am looking forward to digging into this character as well. I appreciate all your support and the support of all my fans.

Erika is one of the most personable and forthright Hollywood actresses with whom I’ve interacted in quite some time. Far too often, actresses are more concerned about advancing their own personal agendas or maybe even being treated like a superstar, but not so with Erika. In spite of the high-profile projects with which Erika has been involved throughout her star-studded career, she continues to place the emotional and mental well-being of others above her own interests. While her outlook is always decidedly positive, she recognizes the negative forces at work in our world, and it is the cry of her heart to aid in ending stereotypes and stigmas in a world that still seeks to compartmentalize and separate us by the issues that affect everyone. Erika is not one to mince words when dealing with evil and calumny that have negatively affected those she loves. However, her reach extends beyond her close retinue of loved ones. She is deeply concerned about improving the welfare of the entire human race by continuing to inject optimism and real solutions when necessary. She invests the requisite time into the various roles that have been entrusted to her, but she never passes up an opportunity to inspire and aid her fellow man or woman. She is a representation of what all humanity should be in respect to each other, and I find myself encouraged each time I ruminate upon her stirring words within the body of this interview. While we await the filming and eventual release of To Avenge, I hope that each of my readers will take a moment and visit the links below (for Erika, To Avenge, and Nick Belial) and consider following where applicable. As the cast continues to increase in size and talent, I am encouraged by the number of amazing individuals like Erika who consistently display the very tenets of human altruism by the way in which they conduct themselves when in the public eye and out of it. Indeed, Erika is one whose influence will continue to shine as she remains true to her values and ideals.

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