Turns Out, the Scariest Thing You Can Hand Naomi Grossman is Cheap Lingerie
- Aug 12, 2025
- 3 min read
Updated: Sep 4, 2025
I had sent Naomi a quick text — nothing formal, just an easy “oh hey, you in Uruguay? Check your DMs” I wanted to invite her to do a collab on Insta (and yeah, I was mostly curious to see where the conversation might wander... IF she replied).
“Heyyyy! Weird, I never got anything there. Yes, I was, though I’m back in LA now. I take it you’re in France?”
Oh, BTW, you probably know Naomi Grossman as Pepper on American Horror Story. The Emmy nominated actress (Naomi Grossman received her Emmy nomination in 2018, for Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series for her role as Lorna in Ctrl Alt Delete) surrendered to prosthetics that erased every trace of her natural face—nose, ears, brow—all replaced with latex and a level of commitment that could humble a Navy SEAL. “NBD,” she shrugs, as if trading her own features for a mask of tragedy and menace were as routine as brushing her teeth.
But what audiences rarely see is the sharp comedic reflex behind the grotesque. Naomi Grossman knows the alchemy of transformation better than most actors:
Grossman doesn’t just vanish into character; she runs toward the weird, the extreme, the borderline absurd. And this is why we lover her.
It was during our photoshoot, that absurdity found a perfect foil when in between the lighting setups and artistic asides, I produced a piece of (apparently discount) lingerie and asked her to slip it on.
“That’s where I drew the line,” she deadpans, eyes narrowing with theatrical precision.
I first met Naomi Grossman while photographing RuPaul’s DragCon in Los Angeles. Only an extremely brief introduction was had (it was the end of the event -- and the end of the day, everyone was totally exhausted), but I did manage to get a mostly memorable shot. So, it wasn’t until a year later that I would finally get the opportunity to photograph Naomi for one of my photo projects, a project that would become my second, solo photo exhibition in Los Angeles.
“What’s been keeping you busy these days, tho?” I replied to Naomi via text. But now, there was no telltale “...” that lets us know the person we are chatting with is literally looking at their phone RN and about to reply. Naomi Grossman was apparently engrossed in something else — with someone else?! Grr.
Later that day, I got a notification that simply said “she’s in HIM and he’s in her.” ... ... Ok... I mean... like was this meant for me? Naturally I could only reply with a “?!”
You can catch Naomi Grossman in “HIM” an upcoming American sports-horror film directed by Justin Tipping and co-written by Tipping alongside Skip Bronkie and Zack Akers. Produced by Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions along with Ian Cooper, Win Rosenfeld, and Jamal Watson. It promises a chilling collision between athletic ambition and supernatural dread.
“HIM” stars Marlon Wayans and Tyriq Withers, with Julia Fox, Tim Heidecker, Jim Jefferies, Naomi Grossman, Tierra Whack, and others rounding out the ensemble.
Scheduled for theatrical release in the United States by Universal Pictures on September 19, 2025 (oh, the day before my birthday!), with a runtime of approximately 96 minutes.
“Can you believe the last time I saw you was when you spotted me buying nuts in Trader Joe’s?” I wrote. And, instantly, there they were, those three dots followed by Naomi’s reply, “Never thought you’d be one to have to pay for them.” Ahh, Naomi. Naomi. Naomi. Isn’t she just. so. awesome?! Yes.
You can also see Naomi as Wonder Woman in my DC Comics “Are You a Super Hero or Are You a Super Villain?” photo exhibition.