alors, et toi?

On Her Own-continues

Interview by Maria Pelczar

" . . . .It was friday night, so I went home and opened a bottle of wine and sat on my bed with a People magazine with a "humph" and opened it up and I swear a light came shining from the page that I saw and little angels started singing because there in between the pages of my magazine was a picture of a young man sprinting in full stride with not only swoop titanium legs but the added bonus of only having one arm! I went in on monday, did some detective work, found his contact info and we hired him for the episode!"

AET: Who would you love to work with most?

KARI: "I would love to work on a smart funny single camera comedy show like "Arrested Development' or "It's Always Sunny in Philidelphia," another way to go that would be really fun would be to work on a great show for kids or teens like a Disney Channel show or an ABC family show because I love any of those shows that are going to put out good messages to kids and families. If I ended up continuing in film my absolute heroes to work with would beTim Burton, Christopher Guest, Wes Anderson, or the Coen Brothers."

AET: Have you done any acting?

KARI: "When I was a kid I did all of the plays I could get my hands on just to be a part of the world. I was cast in all of the school plays from my sophomore year on...I played Aunt Martha in "Arsenic and Old Lace" and was the youngest one in the play. I was in "Beauty and the Beast," was "Cinderella," and played Frenchie in "Grease." I also was cast in our local community theater plays in "The Velveteen Rabbit," was a monkey in "The Jungle Book," and played Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz." As soon as I got to college though I found my other side of the desk and still get to act as I audition people and read with them...plus I get to read with really great, relatively well known actors where none of the pressure is on me! It's great!"

AET: What do you do in your spare time? Do you have spare time? (I know you work at a suicide hot-line)

KARI: "Well I just moved to Silverlake so my new thing is exploring this really cool, beautiful area. I try to go to see as many plays and improv shows as I can but I try to stay well balanced and do things with my girlfriend and her friends and family, as well as my non-industry friends as much as possible so I don't become completely sucked in to the cogs of Hollywood! When I'm not casting, I also teach one on one comedy acting coaching to students from my home. After seeing so many auditions and coaching so many people through pre-reads, I love passing on my knowledge to dedicated actors. I'll also be training in November to work at the Trevor project which is a suicide hot-line/general helpline for gay teenagers in the US. It's a great project that's been around for a while and I can't wait to be a part of it!"

AET: What professional accomplishment are you most proud of?

KARI: "I would say winning an Emmy is right up there! We won for Best Casting of a Comedy Series for "My Name is Earl" for the first season. Being a 27 year old Casting Director with an Emmy and a successful company even in the climate of Hollywood right now is a pretty good feeling."

 

AET: Personal Accomplishment?

KARI: "Sticking to my roots and never saying I can't. I'm from a small town and yet I graduated college in 2 1/2 years, got a job right away and still continue to just believe in myself and stick my tongue out at people that tell me that I can't. People look at me and think that I'm too young or stupid for going out on my own without partnering up with another casting director right now when there are so few jobs out there, but then I do some work for them and they have a great experience and I get to prove them all wrong! I'm also one of the most down to earth people that I know and stick to the wise words of my grandma who raised me...the last thing that she said to me before I left upstate NY was "Don't let Hollywood change you," and it was the best advice I could have gotten, and I'm proud that I've stuck to it. You can't become jaded and cynical, you can't take life too seriously...I do my job, I'm really good at it, and run a very professional company, but you have to make sure you're always having fun, easy to get along with and being nice to everyone at the same time.

AET: What made you decide to go out on your own? How has it been?

KARI: About a year ago I realized that I was doing a lot of the work at my office and while I absolutely loved it, I thought "Hey, it's time for me to make a name for myself and not for someone else" so I spoke with Dava and she agreed that I was ready and I would be frustrated if I stayed there, so I've spent the past year preparing, marketing myself, and doing all that I could to get ready for my transition. It's been so amazing the huge response I've gotten from all of my colleagues in the industry, and I absolutely look forward to working for myself and finding new producers to work with and devote my skills to!"

AET: What projects are you currently working on?

KARI: "I finished my first comedy short film called "Enlightened!" for Showtime called "The Russian," also an independent feature for Rob Long and Tim Fall called "Love Okay Please," I'll be directing a showcase for NBC / Universal which their employees will be auditioning for next week, and I have some upcoming features for a new independent film company called Meriweather Productions."

AET: I know you teach acting classes. What is the best advise you have for your students?

KARI: "I have much advice to dish out in this area but I think the three biggest things are:

One, don't give up. You're not going to come out here and be a movie star. It's going to take many years of you going out there and pounding the pavement before you will even get into SAG. Just stay focused and dedicated and while you'll need a day job to take care of your bills, getting head-shots, etc, you need to make acting your full time job. Do plays, constantly take acting or improv classes to continue to perfect your craft and don't give up after a year or three! Two, be confident, be yourself and be well researched when you come in to audition. You have to be smart. Read the material, know the project, the people involved, the other cast...as much as you can. When you come in bring all that knowledge and all the confidence you can muster because you are selling your performance to us so you'd better be your own biggest fan! Three, be genuinely nice to people. Don't have a chip on your shoulder or expect anyone to just give you things. Treat people like people and not just a contact that you want something from cause the smell of desperation ain't pretty, ha ha. We'd rather help out someone we like than someone that's just there to use us."

AET: Your ability to go after what you want is so insanely inspirational that I would really like to know what advice you might have for anyone with a dream?

KARI:"This is kind of coupled with the last question where I just say do not give up. Ever. Listen to the advice of other people but don't listen to people if they tell you you can't do it. Always be adaptive and nice to people and always be learning from others. When you hit a brick wall, dig your own tunnel through it using your own resources and repeat the mantra that 'this IS possible." Be self-motivated and self disciplined but don't be afraid to ask people for help when you need it. Be confident, but be humble, and plan ahead for any possible outcome. If one plan doesn't work, then you get right back up on that horse and try it again! You truly only have this one life to prove yourself, so you might as well keep trying until you find a way to achieve your dreams."

AET: How do you define success?

KARI: "I don't look at success from a monetary or professional angle. I look at it from more of a personal angle. I always liked the poem that's usually attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson but is actually a combination of several poems from the 18th and 19th century that has come to be the modern version:

To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; or know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.

I think that pretty much sums it up. These ideals combined with looking at your life and knowing that you are content with the majority of your decisions and making yourself happy while also helping others is having a very successful existence. Personally I feel that I'm successful if I have love, laughter, friends and happiness in my life at all times. And I guess being able to pay the bills and feed my dogs doesn't hurt! ha ha."

AET: When you worry, (if you worry) about your success as a Director....what do you tell yourself or what do you do to keep going?

KARI: "Oh of course I worry, just like anyone with a new small business. What I do is I think of my first sentence that I ever uttered which was "I do by myself." True story. I just dig deep, reach out for my contacts, work harder and come up with new ideas of how to let people know that I'm here and ready and committed and hungry to find the perfect cast for their project."

AET: What made you think you could succeed at starting your own agency?

KARI:"I'm really good at understanding people and seeing their vision for a project. I can adapt to many different points of view and just get what their looking for. I then go out and use my knowledge of actors and mutual trust that I've established over the years with agents to find them the perfect talent for their particular project. I negotiate deals well, and I have a very good understanding of the industry, how it works, and how to play the system to get great people in these roles. Basically I just knew I was ridiculously good at my job and knew it was time to do it for myself, ha ha. Plus I love it and can't picture myself doing anything else in the near future."

AET: If your life had a theme song right now what would it be?

KARI:"Eye of the Tiger, baby!"

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