She said she was introduced to the “Killer Tomatoes” universe when she was a kid and watched reruns of the 1990s “Attack of the Killer Tomatoes” cartoon series. However, when she got the audition for the upcoming movie, “Attack of the Killer Tomatoes: Organic Intelligence,” she watched the original 1978 film and the 1988 sequel “Return of the Killer Tomatoes!” and became even more determined to be a part of such a “fun, cult franchise.”
Canyon Country actress Samantha Bailey, 23, recently wrapped production on the latest installment of the “Killer Tomatoes” film series. “Attack of the Killer Tomatoes: Organic Intelligence” follows four other films and a cartoon series. Bailey pointed out that this movie isn’t a remake but a continuation.
“It’s a new era of tomato technology,” she said in a recent telephone interview. “The tomatoes have evolved and grown.”
IMDb.com describes the movie as “Jurassic Park” meets “Dr. Strangelove.” Starring Eric Roberts, Daniel Roebuck, David Koechner and Bailey, it’s a reprise and fifth feature spin of the 1978 cult classic, “Attack of the Killer Tomatoes!” according to IMDb.
It’s a silly, fun movie, said Bailey, with live-action, animation and even puppets. But she couldn’t share too many details. She didn’t want to give anything away.
Bailey grew up in Canyon Country. She was homeschooled because she began TV work early on in life.
“I started acting when I was four and a half years old,” she said. “I told my parents that I wanted to be on TV, and I begged them. I was like, ‘This is what I want to do.’ And they kind of thought I was crazy, but they went along with it.”
She said that while her mother did some background work before, neither her mom nor her dad had been in the industry. They’ve been very supportive of what she’s doing, she said, and they would be supportive so long as she was enjoying what she was doing and wanted to keep doing it.
Asked what attracted her to acting and wanting to be on TV, she said she grew up a fan of Disney TV shows like “Hannah Montana” and “Good Luck Charlie.”
As fate would have it, Bailey worked with “Hannah Montana” actor David Koechner in the “Tomatoes” movie.
Also appearing in the “Tomatoes” cast is “Good Luck Charlie” actor Eric Allan Kramer. She didn’t take that for granted.
“It was kind of full circle,” she said, “because I grew up watching ‘Good Luck Charlie,’ and now I’m working with him (Kramer).”
She said she enjoyed every moment working with the two actors who played such a large part in her wanting to be an actress herself.
One of Bailey’s first acting jobs was as a regular in the soap opera “The Young and the Restless.” She was 7 years old at the time, she said, and she worked for about three years on that series.
“I would show up to set, and all the actors would be ready to work,” she said. “And, you know, I get ready, and I was learning from them, and I was doing my homework and schoolwork on set. I think that was where I was just like, ‘This is what I want to do. I can get used to this.’”
Other projects Bailey has worked on over the years include the TV series “Rumors” in 2024, “Jammin’ Across the U.S.A.” in 2021, “Ghost Whisperer” in 2010 and “NCIS” in 2003.
She said the “Tomatoes” movie opportunity came to her earlier this year. She auditioned in March, submitting a video she made with her mom and sister. The filmmakers quickly sent feedback, and Bailey made the adjustments, recorded a new video audition with her boyfriend, and sent that in.
She was thrilled to learn she got the part. She said she plays Kate Patel, “genius” CEO of VegIntel, and the inventor of “MyTomato,” which is the “O.I.” (organic intelligence) solution to all the fears that artificial intelligence can’t fix.
She said working on the project was even more fun than she had imagined. A big part of the enjoyment came from the freedom she and the cast had to improvise during filming. She added that “Tomatoes” marks her first leading role in a comedy.
“A lot of the projects that I’ve done in the past, whether it be TV shows or movies, it’s been more on the serious side — dramas and stuff,” she said. “This is my first comedy, which is exciting. I always joke that, like, ‘I find myself funny.’ So, I feel like this has validated my inner comedian.”
She spoke about doing comedy, giving much of the credit to one of the film’s screenwriters.
“I think the writing is so easy to play with,” she said. “The writer is Costa Dillon, and he did the originals, too. So, he was back for this one, and he’s so amazing to work with, but he’s very talented. The way the script is written, all the punchlines are there.”
The film’s producer, Michael Polis, said Bailey was a natural with her comic delivery, and also a joy to work with.
“Samantha is a terrific actress,” he said during a recent telephone interview. “We were really happy and lucky to get her on board … She plays the villainess, but not necessarily evil, just greedy, like so many in real life.”
According to Polis, the film is currently in post-production. While he couldn’t say when the film was coming out, he expects it to hit theaters in a limited release, most likely in the fall.
Asked if he could share a bit more about the film, he said, “Everyone’s afraid of AI, but wait till we get to organic intelligence. That’s when it gets really scary.”
He added that “Attack of the Killer Tomatoes: Organic Intelligence” takes much from the movies and the series that precede it. One aspect that he was particularly proud to share was that John Astin, perhaps best known for his role as Gomez Addams in the 1960s “The Addams Family” TV series, who played the role of Professor Gangreen in three of the previous “Tomatoes” films and in the animated series, is back for this project.
“At age 95, he’ll be reprising his role,” Polis said. “He’s so fantastic. I had a nice conversation with him the other day, and he’s wildly enthusiastic about the franchise. He’s asking, ‘What more can I do?’ He’s absolutely terrific. I want to be like him when I’m 95.”
Polis also talked about how the upcoming film takes advantage of practical effects, rather than just computer graphics, and of yesteryear’s art of suggestion, saying that just because Hollywood has the ability to show everything doesn’t mean that it should.
According to both Polis and Bailey, one of the coolest parts of making the movie was working with the puppets. Longtime Hollywood veterans became kids again when the puppets were brought to the set, Polis said. He believes that on-set fun is going to carry over to film audiences.
Bailey is particularly excited about the movie going to theaters. Even though she’s seen her work in the theater at premiere screenings before, she’s never participated in a project that’s gone to the big screen for general audiences.
Ultimately, Bailey is happy with the film and she doesn’t think she’s the only one.
“Everyone was just a true fan of the originals,” she said. “And it just seemed to me that everyone was excited to be making this.”
So now, as Bailey counts down the days until the film’s release, she says she’s just as eager to sit in the audience as she was to stand in front of the camera — because this time, she gets to enjoy the chaos from both sides of the tomato.
