Interview done by:
Paula Burr
Paula Burr
Posted on:
October 26th, 2006
October 26th, 2006
HF: I guess lets start with the beginning shall we, give the readers the basics. I
have read that you were born in Frankfurt, Germany. Also you have lived in many
different countries growing up before finding a calling in acting. Can you tell us a
bit about how you discovered acting and found the Actors' Studio in New York
City? How long were you in NY before realizing you wanted to move to the west
coast to peruse a acting career in Los Angeles?
PJ: I hope you are going to call me P.J. SOLES, no one knows me from my
maiden name. I did grow up in many countries (Germany, Morocco, Venezuela,
and Belgium), and the emphasis on learning was always languages, for obvious
reasons. But there were many opportunities at all these schools to be involved in
plays, which I constantly participated in. But it never occurred to me that you
could do this for a career. We had almost no American television in those
countries, and going to a movie was a rare treat. So when I was a Russian major
(with a minor in French Literature) in college in upstate New York, my roommate
was from Manhattan, so we used to take the train in on the weekends.
On a summer break, since my parents were living in Istanbul, Turkey, I stayed
with my roommate in her apt. I walked by the Actor's Studio one day, and there
was a notice in the window for a spotlight position, so I applied. There was no
pay, but an opportunity for auditing classes in exchange for running the spotlight
up on the catwalk during productions. I got the job and the first play was "THE
SKI BUM", with Scott Glenn and Joanna Miles. I wore short dresses in the
summer since it was hot and humid, and I didn't realize I was visible up there on
the metal catwalk.
But I met my first boyfriend, Joshua White (he was the creator of "The Joshua
Light Show" at the Fillmore East), and he stopped by backstage to tell me he
enjoyed the show, but was very distracted by the view above his head. It was a
great summer, but I was in the process of transferring to Georgetown in Wash,
DC to their Foreign Language School in Sept. I was all set to continue my college
education (I had a paid nanny position with a diplomat's family room in the attic.
Three kids oh, boy what was I thinking?), but during that summer (1969) my
boyfriend Joshua (can you believe it I went to the Woodstock Festival with him, I
felt so not American) helped me get an agent through his sister who was an
actress, and I just started working immediately commercials for shampoo, cars,
food. Everything. I had a California look, and I could handle dialogue easily and I
was quick with improv all due to my being raised overseas and being thrust into
unfamiliar and unusual situations I believe. By the middle of the winter, when my
parents finally discovered I was not at Georgetown, I already had my own apt.
And a new group of friends, and I was signed with a modeling agency as well.
I spent a lot of time with Nick Casey who produced a radio show called "NO SOAP
RADIO", where I played "P.J. America" it was very kooky and funny very ahead of
its time. Through his show, I met a musician and songwriter, Steven Soles, and
while he was recording an album with his band "The Tidbits" in Jamaica, we got
married. A few years later we went back to Jamaica to film "NO PLACE LIKE
HOME" (Perry Henzell's second film after "THE HARDER THEY COME" with Jimmy
Cliff) which ironically just this year finally got finished and showed at the Toronto
Film Festival.
I play a singer who is acting in a shampoo commercial, but I get upset that they
are treating me like a model, so I split, and the N.Y. woman producer has to drive
all around the island in a cab looking for me since I am her responsibility, and
eventually, she falls in live with the Jamaican cab driver, that is the "story", but it
has its underlying political commentary about the Jamaicans' struggle to survive.
So even though I was working a lot, my marriage was not doing well, mainly
because I would get up early and my husband would go to sleep at like 4AM after
playing gigs. I had to be up at 6AM since I was on a soap opera, 'LOVE IS A MANY
SPLENDORED THING". When I talked with the other actors on the show, they
always talked about Los Angeles like it was the best place to be if you wanted to
do film or television.
I knew I wasn't a theater/stage kind of an actress. I was quirky and different and
good with improv, but also, I never smoked or drank, so the New York theater
late night lifestyle didn't appeal to me. There were other reasons too. I suffered
from migraines, and lack of sleep and being around cigarette smoke was not
helping that situation.
So finally, I made a choice to go to Los Angeles. It was Sept. 1975. It was a hard
decision, especially since it meant the break up of my four year marriage, and I
only knew one person in LA, and she was only living there temporarily. But I flew
there, got off the plane, asked the cab driver to take me to Hollywood, and
asked him where a cheap hotel was so he dropped me off at "The Magic Castle
Hotel". I lived there two weeks, met Henry Winkler at a party, auditioned for
"CARRIE", and found an apartment on Franklin Blvd in Hollywood that looked like
a house compared to my New York place. My new friends became most of the
cast in "CARRIE", and it all just evolved from there. It was really amazing
HF: I'm just curious, how many languages do you speak?
PJ: Currently? I speak Spanish and some French. Even though my father (and a
gazillion relatives) was from Holland, I never did learn Dutch.
HF: How was it to work with Brian De Palma?
PJ: It was exciting, he seemed to know exactly what he wanted. That confidence
made a great impression on me, it gave all of us actors a sense of security. When
he accepted "a take" and said "Print" we knew it was good. You wanted to please
him, since he didn't really give us much guidance, he seemed to have cast
everyone who he trusted could naturally become their characters and convey the
story he wanted to tell.
HF: How did you know this part was right for you?
PJ: I knew it was right because I loved the character and the script and they
offered me the part. You didn't turn down movies back then.
HF: Are you still friends with the cast members from when you moved to LA?
PJ: For a while after filming wrapped, we remained friends in terms of going to
each other's parties and houses. I stayed in touch the most with Michael Talbott,
we are great friends, although I haven't talked with him recently. Betty Buckley
and I always had a special connection, I saw her in CATS on Broadway, and I
have taken my kids to some of her singing performances in Los Angeles, but we
don't keep in touch or socialize beyond that, everyone has their life. My friends
are my neighbors, that's who I see every day. But if I were to bump into any of
the people I have worked with over the years, we would hug and talk and laugh
like no time had passed, I'm sure.
HF: Anything on set that you remember happening that was funny, interesting
stories to tell us?
PJ: It was John Travolta's first film, and I remember he was just so child like, so
playful, always in such a positive good mood, it was fun being around him. And
Sissy was so professional, she really didn't want to hang out with all of us, so that
she could feel truly alienated from us like her character. But you could catch her
at the end of the day to say goodbye, and she was so lovely and warm and
unique and organic. Amy Irving had dated William Katt in high school, and she
tried to fix him up with me...but that didn't work out so well, in those days, I
never went for the good,looking blonde hunk. Also, Brian de Palma was a friend
with Steven Speilberg, and he visited the set often looking for dates, I think.
There were so many girls. Amy agreed to go out with him and they eventually
got married, so that was funny, because he asked most of us out, but Amy is the
only one that said YES.
HF: Did the idea of working on a horror film appeal to you? Or were you just
ready to get out there and act, do what ever you could for the art?
PJ: I didn't really think of the genre, just the part. If the character was somebody
I thought I knew and could play, then I was excited by it. I wanted to convey who
this person was, it didn't matter what happened to her in the film. It was her spirit
I wanted to play.
HF: What draws you into horror films?
PJ: Like I said, I am drawn to the characters, not the film, but it helps a lot if the
movie is interesting too. And I really like my directors to be original artists. Then I
know I will be learning something from the experience as well. Because of the
success of CARRIE and HALLOWEEN, naturally filmmakers ask me to be a part of
their films, and I find that very flattering, but I don't embrace the genre.
HF: What kind of process do you go through in preparing for a role?
PJ: When I prepare for a role, it is almost like an osmosis takes place, and I mean
that in an organic way. After I read the script a few times and I digest my
character and her place in the story, I begin to think about her a lot of the time. I
begin to relate to life like she would, and I adopt certain subtle characteristics that
are different from myself. I think about what she would wear, how her hair is
styled, how she talks, and what her purpose is in bringing the story of the script
to life. But all of this is in my head.
HF: When you go on set, are you immediately in character, and can you pick up
on the vibes around you?
PJ: I really only "act out" as the character when the camera is rolling. It is even
hard for me to rehearse, I need to know this is getting down on film.
HF: Do you take your characters with you when you leave the set, or do you find
it hard to let them go? Or can you drop it at the door?
PJ: Like I said before, I think about my character all the time, but I don't
"become" her unless we are actually filming.
HF: How did you meet John Carpenter and Debra Hill?
PJ: I met them when they asked me to audition for "Lynda". I read a scene, and
John offered me the role on the spot, that never happens.
HF: What did you think about the script of this movie, what were your first
thoughts about Lynda van der Klok? You totally did a killer job with your part.
PJ: I thought the script was simple, basic and scary. After meeting John, I really
believed in the project because he seemed so passionate about it. I adored the
part of Lynda, mostly because I was not like that in high school at all, so I was
getting to play someone with an opposite lifestyle. It was energizing.
have read that you were born in Frankfurt, Germany. Also you have lived in many
different countries growing up before finding a calling in acting. Can you tell us a
bit about how you discovered acting and found the Actors' Studio in New York
City? How long were you in NY before realizing you wanted to move to the west
coast to peruse a acting career in Los Angeles?
PJ: I hope you are going to call me P.J. SOLES, no one knows me from my
maiden name. I did grow up in many countries (Germany, Morocco, Venezuela,
and Belgium), and the emphasis on learning was always languages, for obvious
reasons. But there were many opportunities at all these schools to be involved in
plays, which I constantly participated in. But it never occurred to me that you
could do this for a career. We had almost no American television in those
countries, and going to a movie was a rare treat. So when I was a Russian major
(with a minor in French Literature) in college in upstate New York, my roommate
was from Manhattan, so we used to take the train in on the weekends.
On a summer break, since my parents were living in Istanbul, Turkey, I stayed
with my roommate in her apt. I walked by the Actor's Studio one day, and there
was a notice in the window for a spotlight position, so I applied. There was no
pay, but an opportunity for auditing classes in exchange for running the spotlight
up on the catwalk during productions. I got the job and the first play was "THE
SKI BUM", with Scott Glenn and Joanna Miles. I wore short dresses in the
summer since it was hot and humid, and I didn't realize I was visible up there on
the metal catwalk.
But I met my first boyfriend, Joshua White (he was the creator of "The Joshua
Light Show" at the Fillmore East), and he stopped by backstage to tell me he
enjoyed the show, but was very distracted by the view above his head. It was a
great summer, but I was in the process of transferring to Georgetown in Wash,
DC to their Foreign Language School in Sept. I was all set to continue my college
education (I had a paid nanny position with a diplomat's family room in the attic.
Three kids oh, boy what was I thinking?), but during that summer (1969) my
boyfriend Joshua (can you believe it I went to the Woodstock Festival with him, I
felt so not American) helped me get an agent through his sister who was an
actress, and I just started working immediately commercials for shampoo, cars,
food. Everything. I had a California look, and I could handle dialogue easily and I
was quick with improv all due to my being raised overseas and being thrust into
unfamiliar and unusual situations I believe. By the middle of the winter, when my
parents finally discovered I was not at Georgetown, I already had my own apt.
And a new group of friends, and I was signed with a modeling agency as well.
I spent a lot of time with Nick Casey who produced a radio show called "NO SOAP
RADIO", where I played "P.J. America" it was very kooky and funny very ahead of
its time. Through his show, I met a musician and songwriter, Steven Soles, and
while he was recording an album with his band "The Tidbits" in Jamaica, we got
married. A few years later we went back to Jamaica to film "NO PLACE LIKE
HOME" (Perry Henzell's second film after "THE HARDER THEY COME" with Jimmy
Cliff) which ironically just this year finally got finished and showed at the Toronto
Film Festival.
I play a singer who is acting in a shampoo commercial, but I get upset that they
are treating me like a model, so I split, and the N.Y. woman producer has to drive
all around the island in a cab looking for me since I am her responsibility, and
eventually, she falls in live with the Jamaican cab driver, that is the "story", but it
has its underlying political commentary about the Jamaicans' struggle to survive.
So even though I was working a lot, my marriage was not doing well, mainly
because I would get up early and my husband would go to sleep at like 4AM after
playing gigs. I had to be up at 6AM since I was on a soap opera, 'LOVE IS A MANY
SPLENDORED THING". When I talked with the other actors on the show, they
always talked about Los Angeles like it was the best place to be if you wanted to
do film or television.
I knew I wasn't a theater/stage kind of an actress. I was quirky and different and
good with improv, but also, I never smoked or drank, so the New York theater
late night lifestyle didn't appeal to me. There were other reasons too. I suffered
from migraines, and lack of sleep and being around cigarette smoke was not
helping that situation.
So finally, I made a choice to go to Los Angeles. It was Sept. 1975. It was a hard
decision, especially since it meant the break up of my four year marriage, and I
only knew one person in LA, and she was only living there temporarily. But I flew
there, got off the plane, asked the cab driver to take me to Hollywood, and
asked him where a cheap hotel was so he dropped me off at "The Magic Castle
Hotel". I lived there two weeks, met Henry Winkler at a party, auditioned for
"CARRIE", and found an apartment on Franklin Blvd in Hollywood that looked like
a house compared to my New York place. My new friends became most of the
cast in "CARRIE", and it all just evolved from there. It was really amazing
HF: I'm just curious, how many languages do you speak?
PJ: Currently? I speak Spanish and some French. Even though my father (and a
gazillion relatives) was from Holland, I never did learn Dutch.
HF: How was it to work with Brian De Palma?
PJ: It was exciting, he seemed to know exactly what he wanted. That confidence
made a great impression on me, it gave all of us actors a sense of security. When
he accepted "a take" and said "Print" we knew it was good. You wanted to please
him, since he didn't really give us much guidance, he seemed to have cast
everyone who he trusted could naturally become their characters and convey the
story he wanted to tell.
HF: How did you know this part was right for you?
PJ: I knew it was right because I loved the character and the script and they
offered me the part. You didn't turn down movies back then.
HF: Are you still friends with the cast members from when you moved to LA?
PJ: For a while after filming wrapped, we remained friends in terms of going to
each other's parties and houses. I stayed in touch the most with Michael Talbott,
we are great friends, although I haven't talked with him recently. Betty Buckley
and I always had a special connection, I saw her in CATS on Broadway, and I
have taken my kids to some of her singing performances in Los Angeles, but we
don't keep in touch or socialize beyond that, everyone has their life. My friends
are my neighbors, that's who I see every day. But if I were to bump into any of
the people I have worked with over the years, we would hug and talk and laugh
like no time had passed, I'm sure.
HF: Anything on set that you remember happening that was funny, interesting
stories to tell us?
PJ: It was John Travolta's first film, and I remember he was just so child like, so
playful, always in such a positive good mood, it was fun being around him. And
Sissy was so professional, she really didn't want to hang out with all of us, so that
she could feel truly alienated from us like her character. But you could catch her
at the end of the day to say goodbye, and she was so lovely and warm and
unique and organic. Amy Irving had dated William Katt in high school, and she
tried to fix him up with me...but that didn't work out so well, in those days, I
never went for the good,looking blonde hunk. Also, Brian de Palma was a friend
with Steven Speilberg, and he visited the set often looking for dates, I think.
There were so many girls. Amy agreed to go out with him and they eventually
got married, so that was funny, because he asked most of us out, but Amy is the
only one that said YES.
HF: Did the idea of working on a horror film appeal to you? Or were you just
ready to get out there and act, do what ever you could for the art?
PJ: I didn't really think of the genre, just the part. If the character was somebody
I thought I knew and could play, then I was excited by it. I wanted to convey who
this person was, it didn't matter what happened to her in the film. It was her spirit
I wanted to play.
HF: What draws you into horror films?
PJ: Like I said, I am drawn to the characters, not the film, but it helps a lot if the
movie is interesting too. And I really like my directors to be original artists. Then I
know I will be learning something from the experience as well. Because of the
success of CARRIE and HALLOWEEN, naturally filmmakers ask me to be a part of
their films, and I find that very flattering, but I don't embrace the genre.
HF: What kind of process do you go through in preparing for a role?
PJ: When I prepare for a role, it is almost like an osmosis takes place, and I mean
that in an organic way. After I read the script a few times and I digest my
character and her place in the story, I begin to think about her a lot of the time. I
begin to relate to life like she would, and I adopt certain subtle characteristics that
are different from myself. I think about what she would wear, how her hair is
styled, how she talks, and what her purpose is in bringing the story of the script
to life. But all of this is in my head.
HF: When you go on set, are you immediately in character, and can you pick up
on the vibes around you?
PJ: I really only "act out" as the character when the camera is rolling. It is even
hard for me to rehearse, I need to know this is getting down on film.
HF: Do you take your characters with you when you leave the set, or do you find
it hard to let them go? Or can you drop it at the door?
PJ: Like I said before, I think about my character all the time, but I don't
"become" her unless we are actually filming.
HF: How did you meet John Carpenter and Debra Hill?
PJ: I met them when they asked me to audition for "Lynda". I read a scene, and
John offered me the role on the spot, that never happens.
HF: What did you think about the script of this movie, what were your first
thoughts about Lynda van der Klok? You totally did a killer job with your part.
PJ: I thought the script was simple, basic and scary. After meeting John, I really
believed in the project because he seemed so passionate about it. I adored the
part of Lynda, mostly because I was not like that in high school at all, so I was
getting to play someone with an opposite lifestyle. It was energizing.
P.J. Soles is a blonde, snub-nosed actress of film and TV who fared
well in the 1970s, often playing less than wholly sympathetic vixens
such as the baseball cap sporting co-conspirator in CARRIE (1976),
P.J. Soles also appeared in HALLOWEEN (1978), THE DEVILS
REJECTS and the more recent DEATH BY ENGAGEMENT.
well in the 1970s, often playing less than wholly sympathetic vixens
such as the baseball cap sporting co-conspirator in CARRIE (1976),
P.J. Soles also appeared in HALLOWEEN (1978), THE DEVILS
REJECTS and the more recent DEATH BY ENGAGEMENT.
