From her small-town upbringing to sexy on-screen scream queen -- Cassandra "Elvira" Peterson drops by to talk with actor and podcast host Mayim Bialik for a super spooky chat about the origins of her beloved Halloween icon.
LISTEN NOW: Mayim Bialik's Breakdown: Cassandra "Elvira" Peterson: Happy, Healthy, Dead
Cassandra Peterson -- best known as the campy horror icon "Elvira, Mistress of the Dark" dropped by the show to talk about not just her love for all things Halloween and the macabre, but also how she grew into that character, and doubled-down in her 30s while living in a haunted house.
Cassandra got her start in show business, leaving her small-town farm to become the youngest showgirl in Las Vegas history. Exhausting her dancing and singing career, she took off to Los Angeles to get into acting, first with The Groundlings, which taught her to think on her feet and be able to read through lines at the proper pace.
"Elvira," the character she says originated during her time with that improv group, born out of a valley girl sketch she had helped create which then got her into an audition for a character called "Vampira," a horror hostess. But Halloween was always a big deal in her house; aside from her love of the spooky -- including films, television, and toys -- her mother and aunt ran a costume shop. Finding a costume or cobwebs was never an issue; "We could have the best costumes, because it was free!"
Moving into "Briarcliff Manor," the haunted house that she had a relationship with in her mid-thirties before selling it off to Brad Pitt, certainly kept the flame burning bright. "Many people had died there," Elvira says, "In violent ways, and honestly I think the energy was still hanging around in there." Eventually, she got an exorcist and Native American shaman to perform cleanings and decided to stay. "All the spooky stopped, it was done, it was over."
Listen to the full episode with Elvira "Mistress of the Dark" on Mayim Bialik’s Breakdown -- now streaming on Audacy -- a quirky, informative, and interactive podcast breaking down the myths and misunderstandings about mental health and emotional well-being. Neuroscientist Mayim Bialik combines her academic background with vast personal experience to provide listeners with valuable practical advice focusing on removing the stigma surrounding mental health and encouraging an understanding of the mind-body connection. Nothing is off limits as Mayim breaks it down with an amazing collection of guests.
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