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Your new movie Mother's
Day Memories - in a few words, what is it about?
Mother's
Day Memories
is the story of a woman showing signs of memory loss,
and how her husband and son both argue over if she should be tested, and Alzheimer's disease impact on families. It's based on a true story. Alzheimer's
and dementia touches so many lives.
What did you draw upon to bring your character to life, and how
much Kat Kramer can we find in Michelle? I'm drawn to social issue films.
Michelle
is an intellectual, and also a calming influence on John. I refer to Michelle as the "voice of reason", and
I relate to
her serious, sensitive side. When I was cast in the role, I was
filming an indie film called Turnover. I play Fran,
a narcissist, although I tried to imbue her with human qualities. My hair
was reddish blonde. I thought Michelle would be a brunette, so I actually dyed it brown, and then had to dye it several times back to the
original color to finish filming Turnover. I really am a
method actress. How did you get
involved with the project in the first place? I had worked
with the director Matthew Michael Ross, and he asked me to play Michelle,
I met with him and the creator, producer and
star, Bill Hoversten [Bill
Hoversten interview - click here]. They asked if I had an actor in mind to play
his father Ben. I immediately thought of character actor Conrad Bachmann, whom
I knew. Luckily he was available and agreed to play Ben. He did a great job. What can
you tell us about Mother's
Day Memories' director Matthew Michael Ross, and what was your
collaboration like?
We always work well together. Matthew has filmed a lot
of animal-rights PSAs with me. We had no rehearsal. Matthew would go over
my scenes with Bill, block it, and shoot. Matthew keeps a set running,
especially on a limited budget. Do talk about the shoot as such, and
the on-set atmosphere! Concentrated. We
had a lot to finish in a short time. There was a safety hazard on-set.
Part of the equipment from a studio light fell on my head, and we had to
stop filming while my minor injury was treated. It turned out okay, and I'm lucky as it could have been worse. That's the nature of independent
film shoots. Any future projects you'd like to
share? I'm working on many projects. A
priority is developing my new solo show which I plan to workshop. I play
multiple characters. It's called She's a Rainbow. I'm
also planning the 10th anniversary celebration of my cinema series Kat
Kramer's Films That Change the World. It's a unique
screening series where I present socially-conscious films and
documentaries. I also moderate the "power panels", and this year
I will present a mini-film festival featuring the theme: #sheroesforchange. I have 10 feature/television projects
I'm
working on, some in the animation space. I'm also set to film a new
anthology series called Civil Disobedience in which I'm an
actor/producer. What got you into acting in the first place, and
did you receive any formal training on the subject? I've been an actress since
I was a toddler. I
also pursue the triple threat of acting, singing, dancing. I performed
"live" as a singer since grade school, I did musical theatre,
played famous people in professional theatre such as Helen Keller, Anne Frank and
Saint Joan. What
can you tell us about your filmwork prior to Mother's
Day Memories? I've
acted in a few films, and a webseries. It's called Child of the '70s and
I was lucky to play an over-the-top diva Frances Rye, and a
few characters. I created two male characters on the web series, Rabbi Herbert
Schweitzergold and B.Fred Baker. I won as best supporting actress
for the role of Fran in Turnover, an award winning
indie film about diversity and inclusion currently streaming on Amazon Prime and multiple platforms.
Besides making movies, you also
did lots of theatre work - so what can you tell us about that aspect of
your career, and how does performing on stage compare to acting in front
of a camera? Any which do you prefer, really?
Theatre
is my passion. I acted on stage in professional theatre as a child. I love
theatre because it's an actor's medium. I love both stage and film.
I think acting in front of the camera is harder in a sense. I prefer
stage, but hope to do more with film acting. How would
you describe yourself as an actress, and some of your techniques to bring
your characters to life? I go for authenticity. Having studied at
HB Studios in New York, and with many acting teachers, I developed my own method.
It depends on the role. I do find comedy is harder than drama. I believe
in doing theatre and keeping my chops up. You learn by doing. I tend to
work from the outside in, establishing what the character looks like
first, before finding their essence. With my solo show, I work from the
inside out. I created a character named "Auntie Kate", an
alter-ego based on my late godmother/namesake Katharine Hepburn. My method
is: Imagination. If it's a real person, I do extensive research. Actresses (and indeed actors)
who inspire you?
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Katharine Hepburn, Lily Tomlin,
Shirley MacLaine, Barbra Streisand, Meryl Streep. Let's just stop there. I
have too many role models to mention. Lily Tomlin is my performing idol in
defining the solo performance genre. Your favourite
movies?
Grease, Terms of Endearment, Reds, 9 to 5, Big
Business, On Golden Pond, The China Syndrome, Scarface,
A Beautiful Mind, A Bronx Tale, Yentl, Funny Girl, Being There,
Return of the Pink Panther, and of course all of my father Stanley Kramer's films. My
personal favorite: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. ... and of course, films you really deplore? Nobody
sets out to make a bad film, so I'll pass on this question. Your website, social media, whatever else? I have 2 websites:
www.katharinekramer.com
and www.katkramersfilmsthatchangetheworld.com, my
Twitter @katharinekramer, I have several Facebook pages. My YouTube channel is
katkramer1. I've done tons of podcasts and videos, which most are on my
channel. I'm an activist and influencer, and use social media to spread
awareness. I'm also a journalist and many of my articles have been
published online, including one-on-one interviews. Anything
else you're dying to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask? I plan to
direct at some point. My father was filmmaker Stanley Kramer. I'm a
budding producer, but don't feel ready to direct. I will direct and
produce some virtual table readings for my new outreach program called
New Voices for Change. It's part of Kat Kramer's Films That Change the
World. Thanks
for the interview!
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