Chatting With Naomi Grossman

Con Corner was fortunate enough to cross paths with Naomi Grossman at this year's Long Beach Comic Con and follow-up with a chat. Most notably known for the role of Pepper across multiple American Horror Story seasons she also just recently starred in HIM (directed by Justin Tipping and produced by Jordan Peele's Monkeypaw Productions) as Marjorie, a role which we also got to talk a little about.

Your career in entertainment began in the nineties and I would love to hear more about that early time, and of course what led you to continue pursuing said career. How do you think your earlier self would feel knowing that one day you'd be a Primetime Emmy nominee with over sixty-three credits?

I think she’d be disappointed I’m not an Emmy winner, with at least sixty-four! I was always extremely driven… You know the type, voted “most likely to succeed” in high school? I’ve always been very clear about what I wanted— so whether or not I “continued pursuing said career” was really never a question. I was definitely not going to succeed if I didn’t stick with it, so quitting was never an option, and failure was never a deterrent!

I think I got bit by the acting bug early— I realized on stage, under lights, at the center of attention was where I felt the most alive. When I learned that was an actual career, I went full-boar, laser-focused, never once deviated. Didn’t matter I went 22 years without being cast (other than casting myself)— I was too far invested, and my pride wouldn’t allow me to quit! Thankfully, for my sanity’s sake, others did start to cast me. But even if they hadn’t— I’d probably still be competing for hits against cat videos. Because I love it, and simply couldn’t imagine myself doing anything else.

Although you’ve got quite a bit of horror under your belt, I’ve discovered you’ve spent quite a bit of time with comedy as well. Do you feel you have much of a preference for one or the other genre, or better yet are you more excited when the two get to overlap?

For a long time, I figured this career is so competitive, it’s important to find your niche. So I decided that I was this quirky, character-comedienne, who specialized in sketch comedy. And while that’s true, and I was extremely prolific at that (I invite you to fall down that YouTube rabbit hole), I ultimately think that mindset was limiting. I’m much more than just a broad character in a 3-minute sketch. But ultimately, cutting my teeth playing those broad characters prepared me for Pepper, and everything that followed. So, I have no regrets— except that I probably spent more time micromanaging the Universe than was actually necessary.

Ultimately, I just love great storytelling. So while I often joke that I somehow slipped and fell down this horror hole, and that comedy is deep-down, my first true love— I don’t really have a preference. I like to work! Preferably on complex characters in well-written material. Ideally, comedy with pathos, and drama with laughs.

There have certainly been some more well known characters that you’ve played throughout your career but is there any one role in particular, however small, that you’ve a real fondness for, maybe even something behind the scenes being what made it special?

Pepper was really the gift that just kept giving. She started as a little co-star part who disappeared during a Nor’easter, then returned to earth as Jessica Lange’s consigliere, delivering babies and monologues, not just later in the season, but for a whole second season, with an actual and my very own Pepisode on the Emmy ballot— but also, she helped to inspire my latest solo show, “American Whore Story.” From horror cons to fan art, I’ve obviously reaped vast residual rewards on her account. But she also just put me on the map— allowed me to quit conjugating verbs for a living, and just do what I want. The greatest gift she gave me, however, was that freedom I felt as an actor on set— I had one piece of direction to follow, and that was to “do Schlitzie.” (That’s the real-life microcephalic after whom Pepper was modeled.) Two words— so simple, yet so telling. With just three syllables, I knew exactly what they wanted; and so long as I was doing that, I knew I was delivering on what was asked of me.

Despite the occasional horror, was there ever something humorous and whimsical that happened on [a] set you’ve kept dear?

Something extremely humorous, which I’ll forever hold dear, happened much more recently on the set of “Him.” But, I’m told, it made into the movie! So, I’d better not spoil it. Just know that some things were not scripted, but rather improvised… My job was to strap in and yes-and! So as surprised as you are, watching the events unfold in the audience, know that I was even more surprised, experiencing them first-hand!

(The next question was a follow-up proceeding the theatrical release of HIM)

I would love to hear more about this improvised moment you had previously mentioned, now that you can talk about it, and how you approached your character.

Now that I’ve seen the movie, I can verify a lot of my improvs made the movie… The spit, the dialogue in the sauna, the kiss… That had me more surprised than anyone! I actually modeled Marjorie after the January 6 insurrections. Also, I absolutely had someone in particular in mind when I came down with that rock.

See Naomi Grossman in HIM now currently streaming digitally and releasing physically on November 11th, 2025.

Interview by Patrick Sullivan (@patch103)