Katherine was born and raised in the Silicon Valley region of Northern California’s San Francisco Bay Area. With a drama teacher for a father, and an artist for a mother her love for the arts started at a very young age. Katherine danced ballet and competed in gymnastics until her love for soccer took over. She was always going to local musicals and plays with her parents, most notably at the San Jose Reparatory Theatre where her love of performing sparked. She would put on plays and shows for her friends and family in her backyard.
Once graduating Lynbrook High School she moved to San Francisco for college. However, she decided college was not in her sights and was soon scouted by model agents. She spent the next few years dabbling in the local San Francisco modeling and acting world, mostly working with local designers and local independent filmmakers. She decided if she were ever going to make in the entertainment industry she should move to LA. Once in LA she signed with talent agents and began working steadily as a commercial actress, print model, and on-camera host. After much success in the commercial world, she knew she was ready to tackle TV and Film.
As of 2017, Katherine has decided to differentiate herself by writing, producing, and starring in her own projects. Katherine loves to write and hopes to continue making bigger and better projects as time goes on. (Source: IMDB)
Thank you for granting the interview, Kat! 2017 has been a very busy year for you. You must be excited!
Absolutely! 2017 has been one of the most exciting years for my career to date! I really made a conscious effort this year to focus on creating my own work. I figure if I’m not going to tell these stories, who will? My debut short film ‘Amelia’s Story’ won fan favorite for the Danny Elfman Rabbit and Rogue LA Film Festival challenge with over 500,000 online views within 10 days of being online. My second short film Behind Her Eyes’is a psychological thriller directed by future film director Mark Newton. I scored distribution deals for both films with the online streaming platform opprimeTV and they will be available to stream online in a few months. I will also be submitting Behind Her Eyes to festivals worldwide as I am so proud of it and know audiences are going to love it! It’s a very dark film about how we never truly know what is going on behind people’s eyes. But, there is a great twist! I am currently writing a few features which I have big plans for. I don’t want to talk about those yet because they are so early on in the developmental stage, but I have high, high hopes for them!
“The 5th Passenger” sounds like a must-see for sci-fi fans. It’s currently in post-production. Tell us about your role.
Absolutely! I play an ex-girlfriend who may or may not come back to haunt someone 🙂
We see two Star Trek veterans Tim Russ and Marina Sirtis are also in the movie. They know all about aliens! What is it like starring in the film with them? Did they share any sci-fi advice?
I had a great time on set and everyone was so great to work with. I actually worked with Tim Russ on another sci-fi project Blade of Honor, and just seeing his focus with his work was really a joy to watch. He takes his characters very seriously and is detailed and methodical about his approach to the work.
You’re also a writer and filmmaker. Tell us about your first project.
I first heard about the Danny Elfman Rabbit and Rogue LA Film Festival Challenge on a whim, and with about a month to spare before the deadline. After reading the challenge it was too great of an opportunity to pass up, so I listened to Mr. Elfman’s scores immediately. (The challenge was to create a short film using a specific Danny Elfman score to inspire your story.) I gravitated towards one particular score ‘Gamelan’ and felt a deep tragedy and sadness while listening to it. I wrote my film ‘Amelia’s Story’ while listening to the score and rounded up a crew. We filmed, edited, and submitted the film with one minute to spare before the contest expired! We ended up winning the Buzz Round and got to go to the LA Film Festival to meet some of the Oscar-winning judges (Danny Elfman, Gus Van Sant, and Rob Minkoff). It was a once in a lifetime opportunity and I can’t thank indi.com enough!
What inspired your career in the film industry?
I knew I wanted to work in some sort of creative and entrepreneurial field, as I had always sort of walked to the beat of my own drum. I grew up in Silicon Valley and went to one of the most academically completive high-schools in the country, so straying away from the “traditional” path was a hard decision. I sort of fell into modeling when I was younger and living in San Francisco, and the next plausible step was to start working in commercials. I had a pretty successful career as a commercial actress and print model but knew if I ever wanted to attain my lifelong goals of acting and writing, LA was the place to be. I have been living in LA for a few years now, and finally feel like I am doing what I am supposed to. I am so lucky to have met such amazing collaborators and mentors for they are the ones who have encouraged and pushed me to truly believe in myself.
Name your favorite movie in 2017 and why?
Well, I haven’t seen it yet, but I know Mother! by Darren Aronofsky will be my favorite. Ha! Very presumptuous of me I know! He is my favorite filmmaker and the biggest influencer in my writing and creating style. His films push viewers to the edge of mental capacity making you feel every emotional bone in your body. I yearn for my films to have one iota of the same effect.
If there was a role you could play, what would it be and why?
Of course, it would be an honor of a lifetime to play any role in a film made by the people I look up to, but more than anything I want to play the roles that I write. Every story I write is based on a strong female character who is driven to overcome some sort of adversity. Whether it be overcoming abuse, her right to choose how she lives and ends her life, divorce, finding her true family, overcoming a stereotype, etc. (just gave so many hints to my upcoming scripts, ha!) She doesn’t have to ‘win’ at these things, she just has to have the right to choose, the will to fight for what she wants, those are the roles I want to play.
Is there anything you would like to add that we haven’t asked?
Keep watching, I’m only just beginning! 🙂
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