Terri Apple, a multitalented actress, voiceover artist and filmmaker who grew up in the Kansas City Jewish community, stars in the newly released horror movie “Strange Harvest.”
Apple now lives in Los Angeles and first made it big as a voiceover artist for commercials and narration. She expanded her repertoire over the years to include dozens of television and film roles over the past three decades, with the found-footage horror mockumentary “Strange Harvest” being her most recent role.
“I auditioned for Strange Harvest at the end of the pandemic and loved the character,” Apple said. “...I read the script and it freaked me out, so I just wasn’t sure I could be on set and handle it. There’s so many jolting scenes, but I went in as [my character] Detective Lexi Taylor (not Terri Apple), and of course my character could handle it. Now, I’m thrilled I took a chance. I love the film, and it’s so well done.”
In it, Apple’s character, homicide detective Lexi Taylor, is on the case of a deranged serial killer calling himself “Mr. Shiny.” She stars alongside Peter Zizzo in the film, which is directed by Stuart Ortiz and distributed by Saban Films and Roadside Attractions to 1,000 theaters and streaming services including Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video. “Strange Harvest” has received positive reviews by viewers and critics alike.
“It scored 98% on Rotten Tomatoes… and now has a nice run on TV and opened a lot of new doors for me with acting roles, which I’m so grateful for,” Apple said.
Apple grew up in Prairie Village, Kansas, and loved being part of the Jewish community. In addition to Hebrew school and her bat mitzvah, Apple attended Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy for a few years, and her family belonged to Meadowbrook Country Club, which had many Jewish members.
With the support of her family and experience in theater, dancing, cheerleading and a few local voiceover roles, Apple attended the University of Kansas before moving to Los Angeles to follow her dreams of acting.
“Looking back, to hop in a car and just decide to go to L.A. and ‘make it’ sounds so crazy, but it was a perfectly plausible and rational idea to me,” she said. “I never had any fear or doubt, so I just went for it.”
In Los Angeles, Apple was connected with renowned Kansas Citian and Jewish actor Ed Asner, who told her, “Terri, go back to Kansas City. [Los Angeles] is a tough town.” She responded, “We’re going to work together one day.” Though that didn’t happen, Apple is glad she stuck it out in California.
“I will say that it’s such a business where you have to pivot quite a bit, and you also never know what’s around the corner,” she said. “I really was considering walking away, but then I just started to book roles, and so I guess I’m still at it.”
Now, in addition to her role in “Strange Harvest,” Apple has two more films upcoming: “A Girl Like Him” (which also features Jewish actress Tovah Feldshuh) and “Lumped In.” She also has various roles in animated series such as “Boss Baby” and the upcoming TV series “M.A.D. (Mutually Assured Destruction).”
Even with her success in California, she still misses Kansas City.
“I miss my friends and family, I miss how clean Kansas City is, I miss Overland Park and the Plaza, I miss how easy it is to get around,” she said. “I think we don’t realize it (or I didn’t) until I moved — how beautiful and cultural Kansas City really is.”
More information about Apple’s works are available on her IMDB page or by following her on Facebook or Instagram.
