CelebrityHauteSpot

1. How did you get your start in acting?

When I was 9, I went with my girl scout troop to see a production of Oliver Twist and knew then that I wanted to be an actor.. especially from watching the performance of David Garver playing the artful dodger. I have been lucky enough tot share the stage with The rainmaker which is currently running at the Edgemar Center for the Arts and Just 45 Minutes from Broadway, which ran for a year at the Edgemar in 2009.

2. What was it like working on “The M Word” and “Just 45 minutes away from Broadway?”

Working on Just 45 Minutes from Broadway was one of the loveliest experiences an actor could ask for.  We had run the show for a year onstage, wrapped the show, then 3 months later came back and filmed the movie. The play is based on a family rooted in Yiddish theater and all of us in the show really loved one another and behaved as a family on and off stage so to be able to come back to film the movie and be together again was wonderful.

The M Word was a fun and hilarious film to make.  Frances Fisher plays my mother who was going through menopause while I navigate through a love triangle between myself, Michael Imperioli, and Cory Feldman.  The issues the film explores are men, menstruation, and menopause.  We had a lot of women on the set going through menopause and they would all get hot flashes at the same time and all be sweating profusely.  It was quite interesting and nice to be able to have women talk about a subject that seems to be more heavily approached in society or taboo even and have the women be able to laugh as they work out their issues and perspectives on menopause.

3. Do you have any upcoming projects?

The Rainmaker is running at The Edgemar Center for the Arts right now. We have a stellar cast, gorgeous set, beautiful soundtrack and to have opened thankfully as Critics Pick from the LA Times and other rave reviews. It’s a beautiful, poignant show with lovely messages and will continue to run through March.  I’m also getting ready to film Just Beautiful, Project Cornlight’s second film, in June, in Des Moines Iowa.

4. What was it like working with Henry Jaglom and Michael Imperioli?

I really enjoyed Michael’s reaction to Henry’s directing. Henry is an actors director and allows a lot freedom within the structure of the script.  Michael looked like a kid in a candy store while he was on set and said he loved Henry’s process.  When actors come on to set and enjoy themselves it makes it a stellar experience.  He even called up his fellow cast mate in the Sopranos, Sharon Angelo, who played Rosalie, and told her about the work and he was having such a fantastic time.  Henry ended up flying her in to work on the movie. I was personally jazzed to be working with the two of them because Sopranos is my favorite TV show ever.

5. Do you have any advice for anyone who wants to become an actress like yourself?

Never give up.  No matter how hard it gets.

6. What was the best piece of advice you have ever received?

Noah Wylie told me to quit reading my reviews.  He said, something to the effect of, he always believes the bad ones and never trusts the good ones.  So I quit reading reviews and it’s freed me up as an artist.