80’s Icon, Diane Franklin on Waking Nightmare, Better Off Dead, Bill and Ted – Interview

Diane Franklin is an actor with many notable films and television projects to her name over several decades of entertaining on screen. She’s appeared alongside Keanu Reeves, John Cusack and many more since she got her start in the late 70’s. Popgeeks had a chance to sit down with this effervescent actress, Diane Franklin, to discuss her latest role in Waking Nightmare and look back on her career.

Adam Pope: I’m very excited to talk about your latest performance in Waking Nightmare, because this is this truly disturbing experience. It feels like the writer/director, Brian Farmer has purposely tried to make it hard for the audience to get our bearings, keeping everything off-kilter. So what kind of script were you handed initially when asked to be a part of this film, Waking Nightmare, and what made you decide to take the role?

Diane Franklin on Waking Nightmare: That is such a good question. So first of all, I get the script and I love it. I really loved it. This, by the way, was years ago. We did this film years ago, but the thing about it is that I think it transcends time. If you watch this film, it’s super indie. It is not polished, but I think that’s what works for it. I think it really keeps the audience off-balance.

Even the credits, I loved the credits. It’s super artistic with the backgrounds and the perspective of the main character. We see the world through her eyes. Shelley Regner plays the lead and she is having these waking these dreams where she’s sleepwalking. 

So anyway, I really loved the script when I first got it and I was really impressed that they wanted me to play this part because if you see Better Off Dead or Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure or Last American Virgin, even Amityville Part 2, I play a softer, good girl kind of person. You don’t see the wrath. Although I will say this, I did a movie called Summer Girl years and years ago, in the 80s and I think it’s the closest to it.

I was almost nominated for an Emmy, which I will say, it just goes to show that if the role and the material are there, then the actor can show what they can do. 

80’s Icon, Diane Franklin on Waking Nightmare

So in this case, it was really nice because it’s an indie film, so you have a little bit more freedom. So, I took that freedom because I had been acting for so long and I was like, ‘Okay, I think I know what I can do with this part.’ And I thought, ‘I always want to surprise the audience and I always want to do something that’s challenging and one step further than anything I’ve done before.’ I want to move on, to take chances. I like that. I think it’s exciting for the audience and I think it’s exciting to me as a performer.

Diane Franklin on Waking Nightmare: This story is about the main girl, but we learn that she is affecting those around her. She has a best friend, who I think is a lovely character. The girl who plays the best friend and my character are affected by her and I think what’s interesting about the focus of the film is that you think it’s just going to be about her and then you start seeing how her family is involved.

I think that’s true of many people. We think about parents being involved when a person is a teen, but we don’t think about that it continues into their 20s and sometimes it’s a good thing, sometimes it’s not such a good thing. In this case I am very involved and and very protective of her and my husband is also, which is also highly unusual. Sometimes it’s one parent and not the other, but in this case we will surprise you. You can tell me from having seen the film…

Adam Pope: That was my experience 100%. I thought I knew what I was getting. I was like, “OK, she’s having nightmares and sleepwalking. Okay, I see what’s going on here. It’s her story.” Then all the sudden it gets into your character who is this mundane concerned Mom, who then becomes “overly protective”. I’m sure a lot of people when they check it out, they’re going to be like,

‘Well, OK, I didn’t see that coming’. Obviously you have a history of horror in your filmography. You talked about the, Amityville sequel, you were in TerrorVision, which is real wacky style of horror and you were even on an episode of Freddy’s Nightmares, which I’ve been watching…

Diane Franklin: And recently also Ted Bundy: American Boogeyman and Amityville Murders. So yes, I’ve been doing a lot of horror, and I have some other ones coming out, The Dark Room and Pareidolia. So, yes, a lot of horror.

Adam Pope: Have you interacted a lot with the horror fan community? Are you going to conventions? Or do you hear from them in other ways?

Diane Franklin: I do go to horror conventions. I go to all kinds of conventions, because I do all kinds of work. So I’ve done comic cons and celebrity ones, but horror conventions are so much fun. The people are so nice. If you have never gone to one, I’m telling you, you’d be surprised that the people are just so nice. I see the horror community as being creative and they just want to have fun and it’s an artistic place. It’s almost like Halloween doesn’t have to stop on Halloween, you know? You can make it happen anytime. 

But I also think that for me, what I like about horror…and people have asked me like, “Why are you doing all this horror?’ It’s because that’s where the roles are, for me, that are dramatic. I love comedy, and I love doing all kinds of work.

I mean, I’d really like to be able to do sci-fi, it’d be really cool for somebody to make me into some kind of a creature, just kind of fun. But I really do like horror because there’s the drama, there’s the emotion and for my age, that’s something that I really like. But the thing with horror is that it brings out the psychology, the background and I like the depth of it.

Adam Pope: I do have to ask about Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. Just a fantastic film, one of my favorites. I actually I lived in Phoenix, AZ for a decade, and during that time, I visited all the filming locations. I went to the mall, the water park, the bowling alley, etc. But as I understand it, there was a deleted scene at the end of that film, where Bill & ted and the princesses go to high school dance. Was that shot in Arizona? Were you there in Arizona with the crew for all that filming?

Diane Franklin: Yes, we shot it at a school. It was an awesome scene. I wish they had saved it. Nobody knew about the gems of saving footage during that time. That was such a cool scene because we did go to the San Dimas prom. We were named prom king and queen, both the both couples. But the coolest thing I think was that the guys wore tuxes, but they cut the pants at the knee.

80’s Icon, Diane Franklin on Waking Nightmare

And then wore them with hi-top sneakers, like Converse. And I think that would have been the prom outfit for decades if they had done that. If somebody saw that, it would have just been like, that’s the style. That’s it. So it was really, really sweet. But you know, they needed to end the film to show that they were in the band, and I get that. I just wish that we could have gone to the prom too.

Adam Pope: I don’t know if you know this, but Kenner released a bunch of Bill and Ted action figures. They released a two pack of Bill and Ted in the prom outfits and it wasn’t even in the movie, which is crazy.

Diane Franklin: That is amazing. I think I’ve seen them, but I didn’t realize that they were in those outfits. Bravo for seeing that, because it is cool. It’s iconic.

Adam Pope: A lot of people from my generation, we know you from the 80’s films that you were doing, but you also did a fair amount of television. I feel like as opposed to today, with prestige television, a lot of veteran actors will say that there was a barrier back then between television and film. Yet here you were, going between the two. Did you feel like there was a limitation put on you? Was there any type of expectation of, ‘Oh, she’s on TV now, she can’t come back to film?’

Diane Franklin, Actor, Waking Nightmare: Again, great question. That is a sign of someone who has seen the transition of the entertainment business. I’ll tell you that when I was younger, yes, there was definitely like, ‘If you do film, you can’t do television.’ But then it was very funny, because it was a big cycle, people who were in television wanted to be in film, people in film want to be in theater, people in theater wanted to be on television.

Then it was commercials. Where was the money? (laughs) It was kind of a funny cycle. But yes, originally, you weren’t supposed to say anything about it. If you did it, you’d keep it under the rug, don’t talk about it. Look, I just wanted to work. I just wanted to play all different kinds of characters. I think by the time I came along, it was easing up a little bit and I could flow back and forth.

So, I was a very fortunate actor, in that I didn’t become too big. If you’re the “it girl”, there’s a time where you’re going to not be “it” because there’s another “it girl”. So for me, I was always sort of under the radar. I did my work. I was always surprised that people remembered me honestly. Even to this day. The only way you know me is by seeing my work.

I didn’t have a publicist, I didn’t have somebody who was going to put me in the magazines and put me all over the place, which is a way to get notoriety. Now it’s very gratifying. Because all the fans that know me, are watching my work, still watching things, I meant something to them in my performances. I think I have a very wide range of what I did, so now I have a nice wide audience, which is excellent. “Totally Excellent.” (Laughs)

Adam Pope: One of those films that I feel like is not as well known, just because it’s not readily available as much these days, is How I Got Into College. I rented that back in the day. I remember seeing that movie and I was like what, ‘What is this? This is such a wild film.’ So I was just curious, because you did two films with Steve Holland. What was it about that movie that you found unique, either about the experience or the movie itself? 

80’s Icon, Diane Franklin on Waking Nightmare

Diane Franklin, Actor, Waking Nightmare: Oh, How I Got Into College was one of my favorite roles, because it made me laugh so hard. Nowadays we don’t even think about a young girl dating an older guy, not even a blinking, this is just the world. But then it was hilarious.

And it was the idea that I was the same age as the kid who was going to college, and that I wanted him to call me “Mom”. Also my idea of like, ‘get him out of here, get him to college’, because I want to have my own life. It was just a very funny idea that Savage [Steve Holland] had and his sense of humor really struck me, ever since we did Better Off Dead. 

I was supposed to be in One Crazy Summer. I shot a scene, but they had to delete it because of time. So I was actually in that movie. Savage has been so good to me. And then we did How I Got Into College and also Encyclopedia Brown. I did that one with Steve as well. He’s just so funny. I mean, who wouldn’t want to work with him? And he’s such a delight to work with.

Amanda Wyss, who played Beth in Better Off Dead, we actually saw him recently. There was an event in Georgia that we all went to. We saw Andy Meyer, who produced it and it was at college and they had the original car there. So people are still remembering the film, which is a gift. Hopefully we’ll tour with Better Off Dead and say hello to everyone. If they’ll still talk to me after seeing this film [Waking Nightmare]. They might be afraid to talk to me. 

Adam Pope: That’s a perfect transition. Because in your films, you’ve done a lot of accents, you’re transformed to get into these characters. You say you want to challenge, you’re always looking for that next thing you haven’t done. So for you, whether it’s a role or a genre, is there anything else that you’d say, ‘Just give me a chance. I’d love to do this.’?

Diane Franklin: So we’re talking about sci-fi, a Star Wars kind of a film, an action film and a Western. Those are the three genres that I haven’t really been able to do and that would be fascinating. I would love that actually. The project I’m doing next has a little bit more of a Western kind of a feel.

I just think it would be really cool. I did this wonderful film called Falling Up, which is a period piece that took place in the 1950s. So I adore period pieces. I adore them and I feel like I could play them very well. Amityville Murders took place in the 70s, so I’m really enjoying period pieces. I was an “English Babe”, you know? A princess. So I did go back in time.

Adam Pope: As we close out here, in this moment we’re talking about horror. So do you have a favorite horror film or thriller or just something that kind of got under your skin and hasn’t left over the years?

Diane Franklin, Actor, Waking Nightmare: Well, I always say the film that got me I loved was originally was. Oh, no, I forgot with Angie Dickinson, it was an old film in the 70’s. Wait, what was it?

Adam Pope: Dressed To Kill? 

Diane Franklin, Actor, Waking Nightmare: Yes. Thank you. Great film. I remember that really hit me, obviously. Of course, The Exorcist, classic. I auditioned for the Exorcist, which is a very cool thing. When I was little, The Invisible Man. I even saw the new Invisible Man and I enjoyed that.

I really love the films that you can’t see something and it could be right here, The Invisible Man or a ghost. I’ve always wanted to play ghost or vampire. A vampire would be an awesome film to do. For the comedy aspect of it, I love What We Do In The Shadows. The film and also the TV show. I really, really love the TV show. So I’m giving a little promo on those things. I’m just into it.

Adam Pope: Just as a bonus question, of all the characters you have played, is there one that you feel was the most like you?

Diane Franklin: (In French accent) But of course, it is Monique [her character from Better Off Dead] because you know, it is very much like I am. I am a ‘Go after it. Go after your dreams. You can do it! Move it, Lane. Move it. Do something.’ So that’s kind of my energy. But that’s why it’s so interesting to see me in acting, because I can take that and I can put a strain on it.

80’s Icon, Diane Franklin on Waking Nightmare

And I can take on other characteristics and emotional places and be that person that might be the muse for the whatever I service. The script is really what it is. But yes, mostly Monique. So when you see this film, Waking Nightmare, if you see me at a convention, it’s Monique, not the Waking Nightmare.

You can watch a video version of this interview with Diane Franklin on the Popgeeks YouTube channel and read my review of the film here. Waking Nightmare is available now on VOD from Terror Films.