Sharon Stone hit the media trail for BASIC INSTINCT. Madonna personally appeared on all facets of the TV medium, with the possible exception of GILLIGAN'S ISLAND reruns, to pitch BODY OF EVIDENCE. But it's likely that Robey wouldn't even sit through her own erotic thriller, PLAY NICE, let alone promote it.

The film is unique in one respect: the victims are all males, murdered after kinky sexual sessions with a beautiful blonde. The case is assigned to Detective Jack "Mouth" Penucci (UNIVERSAL SOLDIER'S Ed O'Ross), who slides past the red tape by consulting data analyst Jill Brooks (Robey). Penucci discovers the slain men had something in common: they had eluded prosecution for alleged incestuous relationships with their daughters. Rationalising his killer was a victim of incest, Penucci is determined to track down the seductive vigilante. Turning to Jill for more assistance, the couple soon develop an intense and very physical rapport. Their love affair eventually turns into rough, painful sexual recreation. Penucci puts his own life in jeopardy when he decides to personally unmask the murderer. Meanwhile, as the body count rises, the bedroom games with Jill grow more furious.

It's quite a stretch from Robey's "Micki Foster," the sexy but straightlaced heroine who prompted male audiences to tune-in FRIDAY THE 13TH: THE SERIES. Upon her arrival at the PLAY NICE audition, Robey had already transformed herself into Jill Brooks. "I was late, and I came running up with my pictures pasted on a poster board," she recalled. "I was wearing fake, round, plastic glasses, with my hair pulled back and no makeup. I think I got the part because I chose to play her very shy. I'm a great preparer of things. I don't do cold readings anymore, thank God. I get a script and for a few days before (the audition), I get into the character. I eat breakfast that way, I drive the car that way, and I arrive that way."

The role was Robey's opportunity to distance herself from the "Micki Foster image." Her character transforms from timid to tempestuous, unloading a psyche bent on S&M. "A lot of people think of me as Micki. Believe it or not, I hate makeup. I have no nails and I hate my hair in my face, so I wear it tied back. I'm a tomboy-a jock," she laughed.

Director Terri Treas shot two versions of the steamy lust scenes, with Robey performing nude in the racy cut of the film. In an alternate version, aimed at the U.S., she played the same scenes clad in lingerie and wet T-shirts.

It was the first time in her career that Robey disrobed for the movie camera. "I was a little shy," she admitted with a slight blush. "It's not something that I've done before-never, ever in my life! And it's not something that I necessarily want to aspire to. The reason I allowed it to happen was that it was put down- on the contract-when, where and how. I had a really wonderful assistant director who made sure that the camera was in close-up when it needed to be, and wouldn't let the camera 'wander' gratuitously. I'm not somebody who's going to be taken advantage of, and - I can tell you! - that if I feel that something is really wrong, I'll stop it and I will say, 'No.' Yeah, I felt uncomfortable. The love scene still seems to be the touchiest thing of all...even a poor love scene."

Prior to production, Robey was informed an R-rated "cut" would debut in the U.S. and unrated version (nudity intact) would be limited to European release. Check your local video emporium, folks. Both versions are accessible on American home video. "The whole thing was a ploy," the auburn-haired actress bitterly complained. "Nothing in the film constitutes an 'unrated' version. I wouldn't allow that and these people are simply doing this, as far as I'm concerned, to trick somebody into buying more [videos]. They're going after somebody who is into that sort of market-the lowest common denominator. Those sort of people normally wouldn't go buy the movie if it was R-rated, but if they see it unrated, they might just buy it. Unfortunately, they're going to have a nasty surprise, because there's nothing in the 'unrated' version but an R.

"Originally, it was a terrific script and it was completely mangled by a first time director. She never once sat me down and told me what she was going to be doing... and I would like to say that you'll never see me doing that kind of thing again. When the bell rang, we only had a few days to film it. It wasn't up to snuff and neither was she. The producer, though, really tried to make a great picture. But once it was out of his hands, the director let him down."

Madonna's erotic thriller, BODY OF EVIDENCE, had the production schedule and luxuries that PLAY NICE couldn't afford. Nevertheless, it was roasted by critics and ignored at the box-office. "I'm sure that there are projects in Madonna's life that she entered into with much enthusiasm," Robey opined, "only to find out that it didn't measure up to the original enthusiasm she had once had. In the case of PLAY NICE, I was excited about the script and making a film, but the movie didn't measure up to all the expectations I had. It's just one of those things...not everything works out the way we would like them to, and then we move on from there."

Matter of fact, Robey sees the erotic thriller as an endangered species. Generic plots are strung on the "R-rated and unrated gimmick", with one film trying to out-sensationalise the preceding one. The "slash-er" genre self-destructed in much the same way. Plots degenerated into pabulum as the genre sunk into a competition of carnage excess. "Uncreative minds work overtime to try and duplicate the success," Robey observed. "What they don't understand, though, is that the genius behind BASIC INSTINCT is not the nudity, or exploitation of it, it's the story and logical placing of the sexploitation. That works so beautifully because of the story. What happens when filmmakers go out of their way to duplicate an important film, they underestimate the IQ of the paying film audiences. They wind up losing money that way. And the more that they duplicate the classics, the smaller the audience they receive."

Robey noted that "the cinema's habit of exploiting women" is a relatively modern development. "Women have always been very well written as far back as the beginning of film," she explained. "Look at women like Mary Pickford, who actually became an institution back in the '20s. They were very strong women. They were given opportunities and, more important, they made opportunities happen. I think it's all about the individual and there's always going to be, in every generation, hopefully, a few women that will set an example and stand up for the rights of others. It's important to be your own woman and not to fall into a need, such as someone's lover or just someone's wife, but to be a very good, well-rounded individual. The fight is far from over. One has to keep on campaigning for those sorts of parts. Good roles for women are still very hard to find. I don't think there's a lot at any stage of the game that's being written for women."

When we addressed the question, "Is it true that Hollywood scrambles to find younger clones of actresses who turn 35," Robey exploded into laughter. "God forbid," she giggled, "there should be two of me out there! People barely survived the first one. I don't think they'd want to go through it all over again! But seriously, yes, unless the actor grows and expands on his or her talents, that can happen. Katherine Hepburn is a wonderful example of a person who has continued to grow and grow; however, when some people make it, they only stay for a year. Progression, and exploring new horizons, is the key. Most newcomers are quarter horses in a field of thoroughbreds. It's true, they're quick to get out of the starting gate, but they have no staying power. Discipline, and constant vision, is the mark of a truly great artist. There are no short cuts or substitutes for experience and life experience is what you draw from. So, as people themselves become more interesting, they can then reflect that back to others."

Robey's fondness for FRIDAY THE 13TH: THE SERIES is reflected in her prop collection. She owns the bells that were attached to the antique shop's front door, as well as "occult" artifacts (violin, Cupid statue, et. al) that were constructed for various episodes. "I think the series has helped my career," she smiled. "When you do so many one-hour shows, that's actually a lot of little movies. Nobody knows the camera better than me. I'm a quick learner and I'm a student of life and I never get into a situation unless it's 100 percent. That means I was running the camera a little bit and watching the directors and producer, learning how it all works. That's something I might want to do in the future, something behind the camera."

As reported in FF #l, Robey is scheduled to play a beguiling vampire in THE THIRST. The movie was originally slated for production last year; however, as a result of raising a considerable production budget, especially in a tight economy, the movie was pushed back to spring, '93. "This one," Robey vowed, "is going to be a very elegant and beautifully shot movie." The producers, similarly enthusiastic, have selected Florida locations to serve as the film's tropical setting. Also on the agenda is a remake of THE COLLECTOR, with Robey cast in the role originally played by Samantha Eggar.

In the meantime, a "photo book" is in the works. "We are doing a book of nude photographs," Robey explained, "and it's going to be a very beautiful book, juxtaposed with lyrics that I write, presented as free form poetry. Right now, we're just showing it to our friends, but hopefully it will be something that we'll publish when it's ready. It started out as a personal project. I am a feminist, and that's a state of mind more than anything else, and the actions that I've taken so far hopefully reflect that. Why I'm trying that in this book is because there's nothing wrong with nudity, as long as you have control over your work. The female body is not dirty, and nudity is beautiful. As long as it's presented as an object of body worship, rather than pornography, it's wonderful. There is a fine line there, but I don't think that anybody should go to the extremes and say, 'This is bad and that is good."'

Robey recently built her own 16-track digital studio in Santa Monica, California. Prior to earning recognition on the FRIDAY series, Robey had a smash single with "One Night in Bangkok," along with other hits in the dance category. She's been writing music with Brad Segal and plans to record an album as soon as their work is completed.

The release of another project is even more imminent. During the past two years, Robey has collaborated with Chicago poet, Greg Beemster. It was Beem-ster's intention to publish his book, Distraction. ..Not Focus, along with a cassette of Robey reading his poetry. Ironically, Beemster wasn't aware that Robey is a lifelong devotee of the art and a direct descendant of Robert Burns, the Bard of Scotland. After reading Beemster's work, she was delighted to participate in the event. The book, due to hit bookstores in late March 1993, will be illustrated with photos of Robey and the poet.

Though locked into these creative endeavors, Robey may return to the antique shop. "I would push for a reunion movie of FRIDAY THE 13TH: THE SERIES," she winked. "But not right away. In the future sometime. I think that would be kind of fun. Suspension of belief always is. We all need a weekly dose of that."