KA: Mr Twisty Troy, so nice to have this chat with you.
TJ: THank you, Kim. I'm happy to chat with you!
KA: how are you handling quarantine, how are you keeping yourself busy?
TJ: I wish I could claim I was doing all the right stuff. Exercising, and making art or learning a new craft, but really I've spent much of my time reading, watching movies, and hanging around upside down.
KA: I think there is too much pressure put upon us doing something wonderful like writing the next best novel during the pandemic.
KA: you and yours are all healthy though?
TJ: Yes, all is well in the household, thankfully.
KA: So let's dive in. You are a bit different from the majority of people I interview, hell, different from most PEOPLE. Can you tell folks just what you do?
TJ: Aha, I am a contortionist, and a creature actor. I turn the creepy monsters in the rubber suit, up to 11! You can usually find me upside down, or bending around corners just waiting to startle someone unexpectedly.
KA: And you are definitely the best I've seen!
KA: When I first discovered you on America's Got Talent, I went to YouTube to re-watch your performance and I saw loads of people asking if you had the rare, genetic disease, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome-a genetic connective tissue disease that causes extremely hypermobile joints ... Which I also suffer from. What can you tell all those curious people who wonder or are concerned about your health?
TJ: Well, EDS is a connective tissue disorder that has a wide range of severity. (oh you already described it!) While I haven't been officially diagnosed, I do tick a few boxes on the Beighton score (a popular screening technique for hypermobility). However, I'm one of the lucky ones who doesn't experience pain. So far *fingers crossed* I do know my limits, and none of the things I do cause me any pain or fatigue; I'm not actually dislocating my joints - it's just hypermobility.
KA: I don't fully dislocated either.
KA: so, let's rewind. When did you realize that you could do interesting things with your body, and when did you decide to do something entertaining with it?
TJ: Oh, I was able to do it since I was young. I was also hyperactive, so looking back I was probably a handful for my poor mother. Aside from it being a cool parlour trick, or something to show my co-workers at the office, I start using it to entertain guests at the theme park I worked at over the summer to put myself through undergrad. It was a hit!
KA: Was AGT the only competition show you've been on?
TJ: I've been to a few now. I've performed on Showtime at the Apollo with Steve Harvey, (that was my first big one) A few "Got Talents": America, France, Italy, Australia, China. It's been a whirlwind of adventure.
KA: And I have to ask, how did you get on with Simon Cowell? I've noticed he's softened a bit since American Idol days.
TJ: I was so afraid of him before I actually met him in person. Keep in mind, I only knew him from the American Idol days where he was known for being brutally honest. And I was so afraid he would chew me up and spit me out. In fact, that's why I chose him in my creep out attempt, because I wanted to get him before he got me, hahaha. However, he was nice!
KA: let's talk success! Your IMDB page is becoming very impressive. You're in The Flash, and the film adaption of Scary Stories to Tell In the Dark-in which your character scared the hell out of me! What else have you done and what's next?
TJ: I've played the role of Pretzel Jack, a contortionist murder-clown on Channel Zero: The Dream Door, an unfortunate victim in The Soska sister's horror thriller, Rabid, Baba Yaga in Hellboy was also super fun.
KA: Were you a fan of the Scary Stories book series?
TJ: I adored them! They were the most popular books at the library when I was a kid, always checked out, dog-eared, well-worn. It was such an honour to play a part in the film!
KA: if you weren't doing what you do, what do you think your life and occupation would look like?
TJ: I'd probably still be working in Human Resources, to be honest. I enjoyed the regular office job. Never imagined I'd detour into this
KA: Do you have a circle of contortionist buddies you work with or is this a very solo type career?
TJ: Contortion is pretty niche art in the already niche art of circus work, so many people work solo, but I do have a circle of contortionist friends in Australia and Africa. I performed a duo contortionist last year with my fellow contortionist Ess in Toronto (Instagram: @strangewonderfulcreature), and we retained world-renowned choreographer, Roberto Campanella to create a radically different contortion routine. The two of us travelled a bunch performing for circus festivals in China, as well as Paris for Cirque de Demain and France's Got Talent,
KA: so, can anyone else in your family contort?
TJ: Just me! I'm the black sheep! Haha!
KA: one thing about you is that you are so nice! I mean, impressively sweet. I'm sure a lot of people would never guess that because what you do "scares" people. What are some other misconceptions about you and what you do?
TJ: A lot of people think that it hurts. (It doesn't.) And when the first viral videos of me started popping up, a lot of people took the "scary" vibe I went with and argued that it was proof that demons exist, and that I was an alien, or possessed by spirits only pretending to be a regular human. That gave me a laugh!
KA: Oh, and word on the street is you have some Funko Pops made of you! First off, congrats, and second, how did that happen?
TJ: I love my Funko Pops! My first one was a gift from (Instagram: e.m.a_customs), and he made a custom figure of me after my first appearance as Rag Doll in The Flash. It's on my shelf, and I smile every time I look at it. Scary Stories was in theatres all over, and I guess I made an impression because Jangly Man and Harold the Scarecrow were selected to be official Funko Pops! and *then* Super amazing artist, (Instagram: @themonstermaiden) created 3 pops of my top three characters. Pretzel Jack, Baba Yaga and her own take on Jangly Man. I love them all to pieces!
KA: What are some things you always carry with you. What's in your bag, Twisty Troy?
TJ: I wish I had a more exciting answer, but generally just the main three: Phone, wallet, keys.
KA : Besides being a bendy boy, what are your other hobbies and passions?
TJ: I love to read, and while I haven't played in years, I did play the tenor saxophone in a jazz band. As crazy as I look contorting on screen, when I'm not, I'm pretty quiet.
KA: Given the pandemic allows, do you have any new projects coming up in the not too distant future?
TJ: I actually had some projects right about to begin when everything shut down. We'll see when it all starts up again. With hope, I'll be showing up again on the big screen before long!
KA: Thank you so much for chatting with me. I think you are a delight!
TJ: Thank you for having me!
Troy On America's Got Talent
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