Alexys Becerra is the lead actor on The Asylum, having worked on the maze for four years since the days when it was The Freezer.

The observant among you may recognise Alexys; she starred as Red Haired Betty on WWTP Radio Live over the summer on Stealth-side with a cast of two other voice actors, and has done various roles on The Freezer, 3D Freakshow and The Asylum.

Scare acting is just one of many disciplines that Alexys has. "As you get older, you can't be fussy," she says - she has acted on stage, appeared on television, has sung professionally and appears in an industrial band, INERTIA.

As well as this, Alexys is also a freelance hair-stylist and professional makeup artist, in terms of both glamour and prosthetic, such as the kind you would find on actors in The Asylum.

Married to the keyboard player of Killing Joke, a band who've been featured in NME, Kerrang!, and Rolling Stone, Alexys will be appearing as the lead singer in the Circus of Horrors band as Mistress Serverina from the 2nd of November.

But in October, you're most likely to find Alexys skulking around The Asylum at Thorpe Park, a chaotic scare maze with a cast of actors stalking and terrifying nearly 5000 guests every day.

As lead actor, as well as scaring people witless, Alexys is responsible for the cast of 15-30 zombies and freaks, as well as training them and applying their makeup with effects such as cuts, gouges and missing eyeballs.

We had the opportunity to talk to a breathless Alexys, having just come out from a gruelling six-hour stint inside possibly one of the most anti-social workplaces in the world.

Alexys Becerra's website

Coaster Kingdom: Where does a syringe-wielding day-glow redhead zombie come from exactly?

Alexys Becerra: "I'm a native Californian, but I'm living in London Docklands."

CK: How many years have you been doing Fright Nights for?

I was in the music industry and decided to take a break

AB: "I've done four seasons, and five events. I've done the last four Fright Nights in The Asylum and before that, The Freezer, while I came back last summer to do 3D Freakshow which opened briefly before it became Hellgate."

CK: How did you get into Fright Nights exactly?

AB: "I was in the music industry and decided to take a break. I had just finished presenting my second television show for UKTV and saw an advert in The Stage advertising for 'Freaks and Geeks with attitude' and thought, hey, that sounds like me, so applied."

CK: What was the audition like? Did you have any expectations at all?

AB: "No expectations as I've never done anything like it in my life. I had no previous experience at all, and was surprised that I got the part, as it wasn't something I ever prepared for seriously.

"It was an exciting experience. You have to show lots of disciplines, portray different characters and creatures. It was a lot of fun."

CK: What do you do when you're not doing Fright Nights?

AB: "I'm in entertainment full time. I play drums for the industrial band INERTIA and will be lead singer in the Circus of Horrors band once Fright Nights finishes, playing Mistress Severina. The advert said something like 'sexy rock witch' which is me all over, but I was apparently up against something like 300 other applicants, so I'm so happy that I got the role.

"I'll be working with Dr. Haze, which is beyond my wildest dreams. He's like the nicest person in the world, it's such a privilege"

[The Asylum] is intense and physically draining

CK: How does Fright Nights compare to other jobs that you've done?

AB: "It's unlike anything I've ever done. It's intense and physically draining. It's mentally draining too I suppose, especially dealing with some of the people that come through the maze"

CK: So, you're team captain?

AB: "Yeah, I was really flattered when they asked me. I'm the first team captain they've had and I'm responsible for everyone in the maze. There's about three regular actors in the maze, and 15 who have returned from previous years, so yeah, there was some tough competition, but I'm glad I got the job."

CK: What's the best thing about working at Fright Nights?

AB: "Getting dressed up, getting the chance to play someone who's mad and dead, creating magic and fear at the same time. It's a great feeling when you can do that."

CK: And the worst thing?

AB: "Chavs. Without a doubt."

CK: It's funny that they queue up 45 minutes when they just don't want to understand what it's all about, isn't it?

I get a kick out of making people vomit and wet themselves

AB: "Yeah, I can't understand it. They ruin it for everyone, and they ruin it for their friends. 99% of people are fine, they're there just to have a good time, but it's a shame the minority can ruin it."

CK: What changes have you noticed as Fright Nights evolves from year to year?

AB: "The mazes have improved structurally, and the actors just get better and better every year."

CK: Do you ever feel guilty when you genuinely make someone jump to the point of tears?

AB: "No, no guilt at all. I get a kick out of making people vomit and wet themselves, it means you're doing a good job."

CK: So have you made anyone wet themselves out of fear?

AB: "Oh yes, on Freakshow 3D last summer"

CK: On Asylum in particular, you have to work in very anti-social conditions with continual strobe lighting and smoke. How do you cope?

AB: "It's something you get used to. We have ear protectors, and sure, for the first ten minutes on the first time you get a headache but it's something that you get used to.

"It's all worth it though"

Labels: Interview