[Interview] Actress Ellen Dubin Reflects on ‘Tammy and the T-Rex’ Ahead of Cinepocalypse Screening

When any actor is just getting their sea legs in the acting business, they’re likely to jump into any opportunity presented to them. When your resume is thin and connections very few, it’s hard to be picky. So, when Canadian actress, Ellen Dubin, was encouraged to audition for Helga in TAMMY AND THE T-REX, she listened.

This bizarre horror/sci-fi-/comedy might not have been what Ellen imagined her first break in the business would be; nevertheless, after getting the role she gave it her all. Alongside fellow newcomers (and soon-to-be-famous) co-stars, Denise Richards and Paul Walker, Ellen signed up for what would be a wild ride on this low-budget effort from MAC AND ME’s Stewart Raffill.

Below is our interview where we talked about everything from how she landed the role, working with comedic legend Terry Kiser, and the film’s status as a sleeper cult classic.

John Campopiano: How did you get involved with the film?

Ellen Dubin: My agent in Los Angeles sent me to the audition. I remember getting the breakdown for the character and thinking he was out of his mind because I was way too young for the part and did not fit any of the specs they wanted for Helga. But he encouraged me to go and said because it’s a comedy you can bring your own special spin to the role–don’t worry about what it says. Just go do your thing! I went to my appointment and the waiting room was filled with much older, tall blonde Germanic-looking women (which was what was on the breakdown.) I thought to myself what am I doing in this room?

Sometimes on paper when a scene is that short, it’s harder to think of something to do for the audition. I welcomed the challenge and decided to make Helga a woman who was obsessed with death–in a kinky way. Because the style of the film was an over-the-top comedy, I could make bold choices. So, everything I did in that surgery room was about appetite and sex! The instruments I handed the doctor in the scene were handled very provocatively. I even remember crawling on the board room table and using a rain coat as a prop for the body.

Ultimately, I wanted to do a really unique audition and worked very hard to come up with something special and take a risk. I always like to go that extra mile and boy did I ever. Later on I found out that those ballsy, sexy choices sealed the deal.

JC: What were your impressions the first time you saw the script?

ED: All I knew when I got my audition was that it was a wacky comedy. They had only given me my sides–which was just a small section of the script. I didn’t read the whole script initially, so I had no clue what it was about. What I remember is that my audition scene was very short – it was nurse Helga giving the doctor character (eventually played by the amazing Terry Kiser) the necessary equipment to do the surgery on the brain of a young man who would eventually be played by Paul Walker.

Once I booked the part and read the entire script I remember laughing out loud and thinking how wonderfully ridiculous this movie was. I welcomed the absurdity with open arms and an open mind.

JC: What was the energy like on set?

ED: There was a wonderfully innocent and playful energy on set. I had such amazing comedic chemistry with Terry Kiser who is a brilliant comedic actor. We would just be play off each other without even having to rehearse very much. It was just easy with him–lots of fun energy. It was like we had been working together forever. That’s a rare occurrence.

All of the cast got along well. Denise and I became very good friends and we would spend a lot of time at lunch talking about exercise, dieting and living in Los Angeles. For most of us it was our first feature film. We laughed a lot on set and loved the work. It was a special time in our professional lives–the beginning of our careers in features.

JC: Did you have much interaction with the infamous T-rex?

ED: Oh, that dinosaur! I wanted to take the dinosaur home as a pet! It loomed large on set. How many times in a film do you get to work with a dinosaur?! I wish I could’ve gotten to ride on the back of it like Denise did. I still have that image of her in my brain. And the absurdity of the scene when she’s in the barn with the dinosaur—I couldn’t keep a straight face watching that. What was weird when we did shoot that scene was there was a huge fire on location in Calabasas and I remember the fire marshal coming and telling us all to get out of the area quickly (for obvious safety reasons.) But in true fashion, the Director (Stewart Raffill), Producer, and us actors wanted to get the shot. Fires would not stop us! Ha!  

JC: Do you have memories of working with your co-stars: Denise Richards, Paul Walker, and Terry Kiser?

ED: I loved working with everybody. For me, Denise and Paul, it was our first feature film, so we all brought this newbie energy and commitment to the work. I remember we were all nervous because we just wanted to do a great job for the production team. We ran lines at lunch and it was a very nurturing set. Denise and I ended up being friends for many years after this movie. Paul was such a lovely guy. I remember talking to him about how worried I was in the scene where he had to get punched. He reassured me that everything would be alright and not to stress about it. We were all so innocent and caring.

Working with Terry Kiser was an absolute treat. He is a brilliant comedic actor and kept me on my toes. We just kept playing off each other and had a blast. You can see on the screen how much chemistry we had. It was so natural and easy working with him. It was very hard not to laugh during the scenes with Terry. I think learned a lot from him just through osmosis.

JC: Was there a highlight and/or takeaway from working on TAMMY AND THE T-REX?

ED: Again, because it was our first feature film we were so eager to do a great job but also there was a great sense of play on set. The highlight was meeting all these wonderful people. And also you never forget your first feature film! And when I look back I realize how many people in this film ended up having such successful careers. Stewart and Diane Raffill and Harriet Greenspoon (casting) put together an incredible cast.

JC: In closing, do you recall the first time you saw the film in its entirety?

ED: I don’t really remember the first time I saw it. I’m not sure if they had a formal screening or not, but what I do remember was my jaw hanging open at all of the costumes. I never laughed so hard! I also remember that they kept in the scene that I thought would end up on the cutting room floor where I’m running away from the dinosaur spewing all that crap out of his mouth and spitting at me. My skirt flew up by accident, too. Well they kept it in! It was very funny.

Later on when I was working on NAPOLEON DYNAMITE, Efren Ramirez who played “Pedro” came up to me at lunch and asked, ” Do you remember me? I played the pizza delivery boy in TAMMY AND THE T-REX.” We both had a huge chuckle over that. Small world! I saw part of the film recently and thought how tragic Paul Walker’s passing was. I still can’t believe it–just so sad.

The rated R “gore cut” of Tammy and the T-Rex is screening at this year’s Cinepocalypse, which returns to the Music Box Theatre in Chicago from June 13-20 (check out the lineup)!