Kristine Sutherland [Interview]

Hello Folks! We are kicking things this week with an absolute legend in the world of performance! It’s Kristine Sutherland, Everyone! Whether you grew up watching her brilliant portrayal as Joyce Summers in the acclaimed series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or from the eventual worn out VHS copy of Honey I Shrunk the Kids that you watched at your Grandma’s house relentlessly (specific to me? I’d hope not!), Kristine has had an absolutely tremendous career spanning over 35 years. She has dominated the big screen, the silver screen, the stage, and more in her time and has done it with very very well.

We are so very excited to have the great Kristine Sutherland with us hear today, joining us before our quick little hiatus to prepare for the summer, starting this Wednesday. Thank you all for checking us out regularly, and extra special thanks to Kristine for gracing our digital pages with her positive energy and wonderful responses. So Folks, please enjoy some wonderful words from the brilliant Kristine Sutherland!

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When did you first discover your passion for the world of performance? Was it something you that you always knew you wanted to do? Or did you happen to find yourself in this world one day?

I just discovered the theater by chance one day in high school. I was in a choral group and my best friend Gretchen wanted to audition for the school musical Brigadoon. She was nervous about going so I said, “Well, I’ll go with you.”  We went to the audition and we both ended up getting cast. She played the leading lady, and I was the boisterous and brassy character of Meg. So for me it started out as a lark, but when we performed for that first audience, I was struck. In Italian it is called ‘un colpo di fulmine’ which literally means the fault of the lightening. This is how one expresses falling in love at first sight. I fell in love with that connection to the audience and finding parts of yourself that you never knew existed. I was planning on an academic career, but everything changed in that moment. 

What was your very first paid gig as a performer? And was there anything thing taken from that experience that continues to influence your work to this day?

Well to be honest, my first job was in children’s theater touring a really horrible piece we had worked up for high school kids. The only thing I have taken from that experience was the excitement at receiving a small paycheck for being an actor.

 You had an incredible role on the new legendary series that was Buffy The Vampire Slayer. It is a truly iconic show, and you were absolutely wonderful in it. So, I am curious to know how your experience was working on this program? Was it as enjoyable to work on as it was for me to grow up watching it.

First of all, thank you for the compliment. Nothing makes an actor happier then hearing they brought some joy into people’s lives. I absolutely loved being a part of Buffy! When most actors my age were playing lawyers, doctors, cops and robbers, I was working with vampires. It was like being a kid and playing pretend on a mythological scale. Joss told a beautiful and powerful coming of age story. Buffy’s powers made her strong, but she had to learn to use that power. And she was no cartoon hero…she was human and she was vulnerable. As she grew up, her understanding of evil went from black and white to complicated shades of gray. She fell in love and had her heart broken. Her father left her. She lost her mother and not even her super powers could save her. But, she got through it with the support of friends who loved her and were wiling to go into battle with her. That is life and I think that is why Buffy fans respond to the show generation after generation. 

Another project that you were great in that I grew up watching was the incredible and original story that was Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. I can still throw this film on at any time and I am certain to continue to love it. You’re work alongside the likes of Matt Frewer was absolutely incredible! So kind of the same question as before, but obviously based around much more light-hearted material…how was this experience? 

That movie was a fantastic experience. We filmed it outside of Mexico City at Churubusco Studios. There was one sound stage made up only of grass that was as tall as the sound stage. Our house and the entire neighborhood were built on the lot. The  Thompson’s house was not a façade and we shot most of the interiors in the house itself. It was originally called Teenie Weenies. It seemed like such a silly title and I thought I am never going to live this down. Of course the name was changed and it went on to be a big hit. Somewhere I have a magnifying glass that was given us as a gift at the beginning of shooting that had Teenie Weenies inscribed on it. I remember the day they decided to change the title and we were all pleased with Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. It came into being organically while we where shooting. I loved the cast. Rick and Matt where so funny together and Martha was a doll. 

You have had great success in your illustrious career on the small screen, the big screen, on stage, and more. With that, I am always curious to know a performer’s preferred field of acting. So, if you were only allowed the option of acting in one capacity, which would you prefer it to be? 

I know what I craved most in the theatre in New York when I was a hungry young actor was that connection as an actor to the audience. The productions I saw brought to life a piece that had something to say about being human…both the good and the bad. The theatre allows us to step back and understand our own core beliefs and those of others in such an immediate way. I remember the air would be crackling with energy. There were so many great productions in New York in those years and I remember them as if I experienced them yesterday. 

I loved performing in the theatre, but I was terribly anxious to be in front of people. Once I got on stage all the anxiety went away, but spending the day waiting for the curtain to come up was too painful. For me, it wasn’t worth living that way. I moved on to film and television, but the theatre was my first love. I eventually came to understand that you could do the same thing onscreen, but with out the immediacy of connecting with the audience sitting in the dark. What made me love film so much was the intimacy of it. For me, the set would go quiet, the crew of 100 people would disappear and I was just alive in the circumstance of the character reacting to the situation and to others.

It was such a treat to have the opportunity to get to know fans through the internet and through cons. To meet the people whose lives you touched and hear there stories is such an honor.

What does the future hold for you? Anything you would like to share with our readers?

One of the great things about being an actor is that life unfolds in chapters. You go from show to show, and also experience to experience. I have been fortunate to be able to do this with my life. However I don’t define my self exclusively as an actor. I have worked as an actor, but also as a photographer. I love to document ordinary things in photographs and interviews because time passes and these stories turn into history. Currently I am living in Italy full time. I am learning how to garden, to plant with the moon, eat what is in season and haul firewood to heat my house with a wood stove. I feel honored to be with people here I have known and loved for 20 years and I want to pass on their family history to the younger generation. Who knows what the next chapter will be? 

What was the last thing that made you smile?

I wish I could say something really cool, but without question it is my cat! He is endlessly entertaining. I love the cocky hunter he presents to the big bad countryside. He is exceptionally small and when he hisses at the large sheep dogs, they run away in terror. The other day, I found him hunting a pheasant that was almost as big as he is. Then he knocks on the door, comes inside and becomes a total softy nuzzling my neck like he did when we was a month old. Animals are amazing company. 

Taylor Nichols [Interview]

Photo by Richard Wright

Hello Everyone! As many of you regular readers may remember from our recent interview with Stacey Osei-Kuffour, a recent obsession of mine has been the new Hulu Original Series that was released this last February entitled PEN15. It is such a god damn gem of a show, and I simply cannot say enough good things about it. And today, we have the distinct honor of being able to showcase some wonderful words from one of the stars of this damn fine program. It’s Taylor Nichols! Taylor portrayed Curtis Kone, father one of the main subjects of the show, Anna Kone as portrayed by Anna Konkle. And boy does he do it well. Nichols has a delightful bit of awkwardness in his character that is absolutely delightful and such a joy to watch, especially as the impact of his character continues to grow throughout the season.

Taylor has been an incredible character actor in the world of film and television for close to 30 years. His work beyond PEN15 has included 3 projects from acclaimed writer & director Whit Stillman, one of which is a personal favorite of mine entitled The Last Days of Disco. Other films include Congo, Chappaquiddick, Boiler Room, and many more. In the world of television he has worked in all of your favorite programs! Seriously Folks, everything from Murder She Wrote to NCIS he has been around. And as another wonderful surprise for you all….we have another Becker-based conversation. Taylor made a wonderful appearance on the program, much like several other guests we have been so fortunate to have grace our digital pages.

Taylor Nichols is an extremely talented person, who has a brilliant body of work that is not to be missed. And we are so excited to have him with us here today. So Folks, please enjoy some wonderful words from the absolutely brilliant artist in front of and behind the camera, the brilliant Taylor Nichols!

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What was your inspiration to get into the world of performance? Was it something you have always had a passion for, or did you happen to find yourself in this world one day?

No lie, when I was at the University of Michigan studying business a peer said to me, “You will make a great middle manager at a car company.” I think he meant that as a compliment, although I don’t know what kind of compliment that is, but in my mind it was a fate worse than death. I spent the rest of my time at U of M studying Theater. Then, once I graduated I started working in local, then regional theater and never stopped working and never looked back. I have done a bunch of car commercials and that is as close as I ever got to working in the auto industry. And now I much prefer to ride my bicycle rather than drive my car, so I think I made the right decision.

What was your very first paid gig in the world of acting? And was there anything from this first gig that taught you any sort of lessons that you still incorporate into your work today?

I did have quite a few summer stock gigs that paid, but I’m not sure I would call them “professional.” My first real money job was working the Food Show in NYC. I had to memorize this spiel about some wine company and then recite the info back as I poured wine and  all the buyers got drunk. I learned that when you connect your work with the corporate world you get paid a hell of a lot more money, but you might as well get drunk, because if you don’t, the work may kill you it is so boring. I still feel that way today, whenever I do a commercial, I can’t help but think, “God, we have all this equipment and talent and we are wasting it shooting a car commercial… that some middle manager is making a fortune on.” To this day I would much rather do a Whit Stillman or Mike Binder film for a fraction of the money I might make on a commercial.

One of the best new shows to come out recently would hands down have to be PEN15 on Hulu. And you have been incredible portraying the father of a “13 year old” Anna Kone. It is such a fun show to watch, I am curious to know how your experience has been working on this fine program? And what initially drew you into this show?

An audition is what drew me to the show, and for that I thank my manager, Darlene Kaplan, and my agent TalentWorks. I think the show is hysterical and at the same time oddly moving. My 94 year old father may be on the fence about it, but everyone else I have heard from, under age 93, loves it. Anna and Maya, the two leads and creators along with Sam Zvibleman are geniuses. Hands down, it has been one of the best experiences I have had working on a show since Miind of the Married Man on HBO. We did a lot of improvisation on the set and Melora Walters, who plays my wife, and I have a great history from working together on an indy film I produced called Case 219.

Taylor Nichols, Anna Konk, & Melora Walters on the set of Pen15, courtesy of Taylor Nichol’s Twitter.

In 2001, you appeared on a wonderful episode of my favorite television sitcom of all time, which is Becker. Now, I know it was only one episode, but any time we have the fortunate chance to feature anyone who has worked on this program we have to ask about that experience? So with that, how did you enoy working on this program? Was there anything memorable from this experience that set it apart from the plethora of other shows you have worked on before or since?

Ted Danson is one of the best, most supportive people in this business. There is a reason every show he does is a hit. The episode I was on was actually very interesting. That week, the cast, sans Ted, walked off the show due to a contract dispute. So the whole show was up in the air. The writers were amazing and wrote an entirely new show featuring just Ted and me.  I was going to hold him hostage in a botched robbery, that way it would be just the two of us and some police on the outside. Basically, Ted and I sat around all week not knowing which lines to memorize, in the end the cast settled and we filmed the original show.

You have worked extensively in the worlds of television, film, and theater. I am always curious to know about any actor’s preference in performance. So, if you were forced to only be able to work in one particular field, which would it be?

The one that pays the most… No, that is an impossible question for me to answer except to say I prefer the platform that I am currently working in. They are all so different and yet exactly the same if that makes any sense. Acting is living truthfully under imaginary circumstances and the different fields have different obstacles and offer different advantages to achieving that goal. That said, hearing an audience laugh is a real drug.

What does the future hold for you? Anything you would like to plug to our readers?

Directing. Directing. Directing. I have made a few short films, Two Heterosexual Men Get Ready to Go Out… One Has A Girlfriend which stars the late Jay Thomas won a couple awards.  Currently, I’m working on an amazing feature called The Beautiful Dark, by Erik Gernand. It is a gut wrenching story about a single mother who must decide what to do when she fears her son may be planning a school shooting.

What was the last thing that made you smile?

My seventeen year old daughter. Sometimes she can really tick me off, but lately she just makes me smile I am so proud of her.

Stacy Osei-Kuffour [Interview]

Hello Folks! Every now and again, a new series will come out that is absolutely mind-blowing to me for several different reasons. Right about now, it’s the Hulu Original Series PEN15 that is currently completing the blowing of the mind. I haven’t burned through a series so damn quickly in such a short amount of time. There is simply so much to love. With that being said, there was one particular episode of PEN15 which took the proverbial cake for me. In fact, it was actually one moment of one particular episode. And it was a moment that featured, and would later learn was written by, the very funny and extremely talented performer Stacey Osei-Kuffour. I know there is a lot of TV out there to watch these days, and it’s barely been a few months since it aired, so I won’t spoil Stacey’s incredible performance, but suffice to say it may be one of the funniest moments involving Harriet Tubman I have ever witnessed.

And wouldn’t you know it, when I decided that I would love to know more about Stacey Osei-Kuffour, and was fortunate enough to steal some time from this brilliant performer, Stacey turned out to be a very cool person and has so much other damn fine work that you should all know and love. Whether on the stage, small screen, or film, Osei-Kuffour is absolutely crushing it both in front of audiences and behind the scenes as a playwright, screenwriter, and more. And please pay attention to a little brilliant something called Cocktails and Conversations via Instagram, which will be brought up in the conversation below. I took a moment to indulge in this brilliance, and I simply cannot recommend it enough. Especially the episode about Us, which left me only even more intrigued to see the Jordan Peele film.

So Folks, you are in for a real damn treat today! Please enjoy some words from the absolutely brilliant Stacey Osei-Kuffour!

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What inspired you to get into the world of performance? Was it something you have always wanted to do? Or did you just sort of find yourself in this world one day?

Ever since I was a kid I wanted to perform and be a part of the arts. I was actually struggling in school until my parents put me in an acting class. Everyone says this, I know but it was true for me. I took an acting class and a dance class at ETA in Chicago and it changed my life. I never looked back.

What was your very first paid gig as a performer? And were there any sort of lessons learned from this project that have stuck with you I your work to this day?

My first paid gig as a performer was a understudy acting job I had at the Pearl Theatre in New York. This was a few days after I had graduated from NYU and Austin Pendleton was directing. It was a surreal moment because the actress I was understudying got so nervous on opening night that she couldn’t go on and I had to do it. The main thing I learned from that job was practice makes it possible. I had been practicing the character over and over privately but thinking I would never go on. So when I actually had to go on, I was so grateful that I had done all that hard work. Ever since I’ve tried to do as much work on a character I’m playing as possible because you never know what’s going to happen!

You made an incredible appearance in the Hulu Original Series PEN15, that had me literally LOLing all over the place. It was actually the reason I reached out to you! So with that in mind, how was your experience working on this show and in the role you had? Was it as fun of a world to play around in as it has been for viewers like me to watch?

PEN15 is an incredible show! I was lucky enough to take part. I went to NYU with both Maya and Anna and co-wrote the episode with them. I came up with the character I played on PEN15 but it was originally supposed to be a man. Anna and Maya decided I should play it instead. It was so much fun and when I filmed my scene I was so impressed with all the kids who were improving and outacting me! I even broke character multiple times because everyone on set was so funny. Amazing experience. I hope I have the opportunity to take part again.

I am very intrigued by what I found whilst doing some research on your career, which would be a play you wrote entitled Hang Man. I obviously have not been fortunate enough to check it out, but would you mind telling our readers a bit about this play?

It’s a play I wrote loosely based on a real life story of a black man that was found dead in the woods hanging from a tree in Mississippi. In my play, a white woman finds his dead body and becomes obsessed with it. This of course forces the people around her to come to terms with this obsession but also the history of what we’ve done to black bodies in America.

If you were handed the opportunity to portray any famous figure in American history, who would you want to portray?

Nina Simone. Period.

What does the future hold for you? Anything you would like to plug to our readers?

I am doing an Instagram show, Cocktails and Conversations, with my very good friend of mine Corey Clifford. We review TV shows, movies, and discuss current events all while drunk! So as you know, we aren’t able to hold back.  You can find us @stacyamma, @coreyclifford, and @cocktailsnconversations

What was the last thing that made you smile?

I was watching Escape to Dannemora and Benicio Del Toro’s performance towards the end is the most genius, hilarious thing I’ve ever seen. You won’t know what I’m saying until you watch it. He’s a genius.

Lance Gentile [Interview]

Hello Folks! We have an absolutely incredible interview to share with you all today. I know I say this a lot, but this one is truly incredible, and probably one of the most unique stories we have had the great fortunate to have told on within our digital pages. Today, we are so excited to share some words from Emmy Award winning writer and producer, Lance Gentile! Starting his life out (and actually continuing to do so) in the world of medicine, Lance hit a point in his life where he decided to pursue his passion in the world of the arts. And what would soon occur is a brilliant blending of both worlds.

Lance’s career in television really took off when he began working on what would be one of the biggest dramas in television history, the smash hit series ER. He picked up an Emmy for his work on the series, which included gigs beyond writing such as directing a couple of episodes and extensive work as a medical consultant and more. Gentile would go on to work on several other hit series such as House M.D., Third Watch, The Mob Doctor, and many more.

And while I could go on and on about the brilliant career and life that this man has had, I believe it would be best to simply get to Lance’s own responses, as he has a life story that is so incredible, that it really needs to be a miniseries of some sort, probably written by somebody as talented as, well, himself! So Folks, please enjoy some wonderful words from an absolutely brilliant human being, the great Lance Gentile!

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What inspired you to get into the world of television writing and producing? I understand you are a board-certified Emergency Physician, still working today! How did you find yourself being able to combine the two very different professions?

In my 30’s, I found myself back at square one following a divorce.  More like square two, actually, as I was still an ER doctor, albeit a burned-out one.  With no debts, dependents or assets, I was in the unique position to ask myself what I’d like to do with the rest of my life.  After some thought, I decided that being a film director seemed like a fun job.  I had no relevant experience at all, knew no one in the business, so I applied to the MFA program at USC film school and was miraculously admitted.  As an ER doc, I did shift work, so I was able to cut down on the number of shifts to make time for school.  In fact, all through my TV career, I’ve always done at least a couple shifts a month, to stay up to date and grounded in reality – to remind myself that TV career timetables and choices are not actually life and death.  I also taught TV writing at USC for 15 years.  With three careers, you have to think of your time at work as being time off from your other two jobs.  I liked being insanely busy – relaxing makes me nervous.  My wife Jacqueline and I also raised two sons – she’s done most of the heavy lifting on that front.  Our oldest was born the night the ER pilot aired — we watched it in her hospital room with our brand new baby, who incidentally had a cameo in the first ER episode I directed, playing a crying baby.   

What was your very first paid gig in the world of entertainment? And was there anything from this experience that you learned and still sticks with you to this day in your work life? Any lessons learned, basically?

I played bass in a bar band in Portland, Maine for a couple years after my internship.  Twenty dollars cash a night plus free beer.  Learned a couple lessons:  Do what you love and you will be happy.  And always go for the free beer.   My first TV/film job was directing Karaoke videos with a few guys I went to film school with.  Same lessons.

You worked for quite a while on one of the biggest medical drama series of all time, which would be E.R. You started as a technical advisor, and would eventually write and produce for the show as well. So, I am curious to know what it was like working on such a legendary show like this? Especially in those beginning years? Could you just tell right away that this was going to be a massive success? 

It was like being launched in a rocket ship to a new planet.  In one year, I got married, had a son, got a job on what became the number one show on TV and won an Emmy for the second episode of TV that I ever wrote.  I remember standing onstage at the Shrine Auditorium thanking Michael Crichton, Steven Spielberg and the amazing people I worked with and wondering, “Where the hell am I?”  The talented and way more experienced writers, led by the incredible John Wells, basically taught me how to write, shaping my doctor’s POV into story form.  The eyes of the world were on us, and it was gratifying to be contributing to the conversation on health care in America.  Everybody on the show felt that responsibility.  We were on the cover of Newsweek, the Today Show, People, TV Guide.  George was on all these magazine covers.  I went to the Long Beach Grand Prix with him and Noah, which was my first brush with the magnetism of celebrity.  We were just walking around in the crowd and people mobbed them.  I’m sure George hasn’t done stuff like that in awhile.  It was crazy, right from the day after the pilot aired.   I don’t think any of us had the slightest idea of what was going to happen, although we all thought we’d made a good show.   Initially, the Emergency Medicine establishment hated us, panned the show, said how unrealistic it was.  John directed all that stuff to me.  After the show was a huge hit and emergency medicine residency applications skyrocketed, the American College of Emergency Physicians gave me and Michael Crichton “Outstanding Contribution to Emergency Medicine” Awards.   I still have it in my office.  

One very specific and non-television project that you worked on that intrigues me the most, as we ADORE the world of horror, is Wes Craven’s New Nightmare, in which our good friend Mark Irwin was the DP on. How was your experience working on this film? Does your work differ in the medical sense on a horror project?

I think it was number seven in the series.  There were a few hospital scenes.  On my first day, they had hung a forest of blood bags on IVs around the set.  I went up to Mr. Craven, introduced myself, and told him that in fact, blood was kept in refrigerators in the blood bank, not left hanging around on random IV poles.   He looked at me a long moment, then said, “This is a horror movie.”   I nodded, then slunk off to find a place to sit and speak only when spoken to.  So, yeah, medical reality is relative.  More blood! 

And one questions we always like to ask our statue holding friends: Where do you keep the Emmy you received for your work on E.R.? And does its physical location have a specific meaning to you?

We bought a 20’s Spanish in Santa Monica that came with a little alcove over the fireplace in the living room.  There was even a kind of a spotlight.  The Emmy lives in there.  The fireplace surround, by the way, is the “Spielberg” model, which we put in along with a chorus of angels that sing “aaaaah” every time you turn on the spot.  When my youngest son was little, he thought the statue needed something, so he decorated it with the star from our Christmas tree.  It was on there for a few years, but it’s gone now.   So is he – off to NYU film school learning to be a TV writer.  Maybe that gold statue served as an early inspiration?  

What does the future hold for you? Anything you would like to plug to our readers?

I’m writing a spec feature about a guy who moves to Key West to reinvent himself, but finds that no matter where he runs, there his is.  Also a couple TV things bumping around.  I’ve also gone back to my long-lost musical roots and am writing songs for an album.  I’ve got seven so far.  I’m not even sure there are albums any more, so who knows where that will go.  At least I have a title:  Better Late Than Never.   I’m always looking for interesting writing projects, so if you know of anything send it my way!        

What was the last thing that made you smile?

I can finally play “Johnny B. Goode.”

Kevin O’Brien [Interview]