Kathleen York Interview

INTERVIEW WITH KATHLEEN YORK FROM TheCelebrityCafe.com ARCHIVES

DM) Do you consider yourself more an actor or a musician?

KY) I feel more like a musician. I write all of my music, perform it and produce or co-produce it, so all of this involves a lot more of my time than acting. I'm also very selective about what acting roles I do, so I find myself sitting on the sidelines quite a bit... but making music all of the time. I lead kind of a double life, Bird York, the recording artist, and Kathleen York, the actor.

DM) Which road do you feel you're most apt at expressing yourself artistically?

KY) Both. Music can be a less linear expression than film, though, depending on the part. The stranger the character or role , the better, and the more I find that I can get very creative expressing what I see as the "human condition." I have found that a lot of directors, and especially TV producers, want non-threatening versions of people, especially the female characters. I personally think that everyone is crazy, in one way or another (I actually have a new song called "Everybody's Crazy"), but for some reason you don't see a lot of that personal strangeness in American films. So I get bored playing "palatable people." Then I would prefer making music, although I have found that now the music industry will only sign palatable music...yikes!!!! (If everyone in the U.S. is so normal, why is such a huge part of our population taking antidepressants, or overeating, or drinking?) Don't get me started. In music, since I produce as well as write, I can create the whole picture I want the music to elicit. The mood of the guitar sounds, the intimacy of the drum kit, the unsettling but familiar sounds that I use, the space. And then, of course, there are the words and the melody...and then singing it. So I certainly have more control over what people will experience. Anyway, I love any form of communication. I could be making a mosaic out of salt and pepper and paper napkin pieces on a restaurant table, and it could compete with the feeling of expressing a character or writing a piece of music. I don't see any separation in the forms of communication. It's all my heart hurling itself through the third dimension.

DM) Have you ever tried any of the other arts, like poetry, painting, etc.?

KY) Yes, I've sculpted, painted, studied design, studied ballet, modern and jazz dance. I studied poetry intensely (hence being a lyricist), fiction writing, playwriting. Next I want to study film-making. I learn a lot being on the set . The producer/director of "West Wing" said that I could apprentice under him next season.

DM) You've done a number of TV movie specials. Which one do you feel best showcases your acting skills?

KY) Hmmm. The cable film I did with Diane Keaton, "Northern Lights," was a total departure from myself, so as far as character work goes, it certainly shows that I can turn myself into somebody else. Playing Naomi Judd from ages 27 to 47 was also quite a job, since she and I are so different. And I aged those twenty years through movement and disposition instead of relying on make-up.

DM) That must have been quite challenging. What did you do to prepare for the Judd role?

KY) Watched videos of her about 16,000,000 times. Met her and Wynonna. Replicated her speech and movement and essence as best as I could. I did my best to connect with her heart's desires and loves, and mesh them with my own. The crowning achievement was getting a telegram from her good friend Dolly Parton, telling me that I nailed her... meaning "did a great job!"

DM) What are some of the projects you're working on now?

KY) Well, I am doing a record for Hollywood Records right now with an artist named Peter Buffet, as well as working on my next solo record. I'm preparing for a gig at "The Gig" in Hollywood (June 15), and I have been told that I will be coming back on "West Wing" next season. I really look forward to that. Other than that, only God knows. Still awaiting the release of the indie film that I did with "Jack N Jill's" Ivan Sergei, who is also planning to direct a video for one of my songs. That film is now called "TheBig Day."

DM) Will you be a regular on "The West Wing"?

KY) I will be recurring, as so many characters do on that show. It really is pretty amazing how many who seem to be "regulars" are actually recurring. It's a great set to work on. Really smart, competent, friendly people.