Interview With Amy
Kevin December 1st, 2008
A little while back, we were lucky enough to be contacted by TLC with the opportunity to interview Amy. Obviously, we jumped at the chance, and tried to assemble a list of questions that fans of the show would want to know. In fact, a few of the questions came from the terms and phrases we find in our web traffic logs - in other words, the phrases people type in to search engines that leads them to this site.
We want to thank TLC for the opportunity, and give a special thanks to Amy for her time in answering our questions despite her busy schedule. Below is the interview. Enjoy 
RO: How did your family first come in contact with TLC, and what factors were involved in making the show a regular series after the initial special ran on air?
AR: A producer approached us about the possibility of doing a special about our family. The ratings seemed to be good enough for the possibility of a show and our family had enough dynamics to be interesting and have a variety of personalities. Lo and behold 3 - 6 episodes has turned into shows and filming for our 4th season. We are grateful and honored that so many people have liked and enjoyed watching it.
RO: You’re originally from Michigan, and Matt talks about how he was raised in California. So what made you guys settle down in Oregon?
AR: I am from Michigan and Matt is from California. We met in Michigan, got married and I moved to California. There was a job opportunity for Matt in Oregon and I was pregnant with twins. We consider the job opportunity and raising a family, having more kids and Oregon seemed like a wonderful place to do that.
RO: I seem to remember in one episode where Matt had to deal with upset neighbors who felt like you were damaging the farm community with “agritainment”. How is your relationship with your neighbors now that the farm has taken off and the show has become such a big hit?
AR: Our neighbors I think have gotten used to the fact that we are not going anywhere and what we wanted to and have done wasn’t directly affecting them so they have for the most part left us alone. We are grateful that we have been able to grow pumpkins, the work and time Matt and us have put into it has paid off, lots of people and families have had a great time, a fun experience and our pumpkin business will still be here even though TV may not or change. They have adjusted and some of them have come around and think we are doing ok for the farm community and community around us.
RO: What goes into filming an episode? Do you sit down with TLC producers and come up with themes/ideas for the show? How long is the crew at your home? Do they show up every day for a certain time period, or are they free to come and go as they like?
AR: We pretty much just live our life and the tv crew follows along. Obviously most of the filming is filmed at our house/farm, after the kids are out of school for the day, during the summer, and when we go on vacation or have special things go on that we are a part of. Sometimes Matt will come up with special projects he may have normally thought of but since we are filming for tv he will make the projects around the farm happen more than not happen. The producers will meet with us to find out what we are doing in our day, week, month and plan for themselves accordingly. We may do extra things around something we have already planned and Matt will make it a little more extra. He is creative and convincing. The crew is at our house Wed. - Sunday and most recently just Thurs. - Sunday. Our weekend is Mon and Tues. They just don’t show up whenever they feel like it they to do have a schedule. It works because we have a great crew and wonderful and great producers that are here with us.
RO: One thing I think a lot of fans like about the show is the “real” factor. It feels like we are seeing the family up close and personal without any front. Do you feel like what we see of you on the show is a pretty good depiction of life around the Roloff home even when the cameras aren’t rolling?
AR: What you see is pretty much the real Roloff Family. It’s just us trying to love, live life as a family. However, you have to remember you are seeing a glimpse of us. They couldn’t even begin to include everything in an episode. A lot of times we know the before and after but you see the moment in between. You see bits and pieces of our life but don’t assume you know and have seen everything. They will put bits and pieces that are similar together to make an episode also. It is tv. Sometimes there are events, things said that we wish weren’t on the show and other times the cameras aren’t just there to show the things we wish did get on the show. It’s about a family trying to be the best they can experiencing life - with a disability, a dwarf child, average size children, and so on and so on.
RO: How is your life different now compared to before the show? Do you consider yourself a celebrity? Do you get stopped for autographs and/or pictures a lot?
AR: I consider our life different just by the experience of being on tv and having our own show. Instead of being looked upon as being so different or someone that somebody else can not relate to (Zach made fun of or whispers my kids hear others say about us, cruel derogatory things) is that them, the family on tv, I can so relate to them, and being maybe just more like them. I don’t sense that being a little person is so foreign to a lot of people anymore and that is good. Yes, we get recognized all of the time and asked for autographs/pictures. We appreciate that people are watching the show and we appreciate meeting so many people. It is still hard for Molly and Jacob with all of the attention but it just comes with being on tv. I/we really don’t think of myself/ourselves as a celebrity. Just someone and a family that in the long run has had a great opportunity and experience and if we were able to open up others perception about seeing a dwarf, a little person as more positive then it was well worth the exposure of our personal lives. The one thing I have now realized about our show and appreciate is that it crosses every economic, culture, race, disability boundaries. It’s a good show for anyone to be able to watch it.
RO: With your kids growing up, and the show allegedly winding down, what’s next for you and Matt? Any plans for a spin-off show? Any big travel plans? Will you continue giving your motivational speeches?
AR: With the kids growing up sure, the tv show will change or eventually end as a complete Roloff family LPBW. Who knows you may see some of us do something else within the media. As for travel, I have always wanted to do that since graduating from HS but marriage, family, life changes and so does that dream. Now that the kids are growing up, the twin boys will begin to venture out on their own I will continue to always be an involved mom, but I’m starting to maybe think about travel more and see different places and meet some wonderful people all over this wonderful country but also realize the opportunity of teaching, learning, and experiencing with each other. It opens up your world and seeing it from a disability perspective gives you a different insight too. Yes, Matt and I will continue to do motivational speeches as long as different venues are interested. We still have a lot more to offer and to give in that area.
The editor of Orato, Robyn Stubbs, has this cool process where she interviews people, then takes their responses and puts them in a first-person, narrative format. She recently featured Matt in this format, and the result is a very insightful and entertaining article.