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Fantastics
kathleen wilhoite
Kathleen
Wilhoite
close up
photography by
Edward
St George-Adams
MAKEUP. Carla Montevaldo Using MAC COSMETICS
HAIR. Edward St.George at Exclusive Artists Using Amika Hair Products
ASSISTANT. Alessandra Maxfield
location. vitello’s
Fantastics
kath
leen
wil
hoite
writes, sings brilliantly, has two different colored eyes
and a dannnnng long list of acting credits
ranging from Cop Rock and Twin Peaks
to Gilmore Girls, Grey’s Anatomy
and Jane the Virgin
Throw in cult-film classics like Angel Heart, Brenda Starr, Roadhouse
and the voice of too-cool cartoon 7th-grader Pepper Ann
and we are just about ready to scratch her surface.
Fantastics
...singing is
damn liberating
and acting
can feel like
flying
sometimes...
Fantastics
Fantastics
fantastics – How did you get your start?
kathleen wilhoite – I grew up in Santa Barbara and knew two people who
were working in Hollywood – Eric Stoltz and Tony Edwards. I didn’t know what I was
going to do after I graduated high school so I decided to just do what they did.
They’d gone to USC and had Gary Goddard as their manager. I invited Gary to
come see a play I was in, House of Blue Leaves, I think it was, or it could have
been West Side Story, I don’t remember, but he came and I thought I’d never
hear from him again. Out of the blue I got a call from Gary. “They need someone funny who could play sixteen. You should do it.”
He gave me an address for a mansion in Bel Air. I went. It was the kick off party for
this film Private School. I assumed I’d had the part. I didn’t think it was an audition.
They had me go upstairs in a giant bedroom and read a scene with Phoebe
Cates. Phoebe was in Fast Times at Ridgement High with Eric and Tony so we
had that connection. She’s also a super funny and fun person, so that was an
added benefit. I started work on the film the following Monday.
What’s the quality you most strive for in your work?
I like embodying a character and bringing the writer’s vision to life.
What’s your most notable characteristic?
I suppose my most notable characteristic is my voice. People have often
recognized me not from my looks but from the sound of the way I speak.
I played Pepper Ann – the cartoon character – for a number of years.
Who are your heroes – artistic or otherwise?
Aretha Franklin, John Fante, Stevie Wonder, my dad, Meryl Streep, Bonnie Raitt,
Nina Simone,
East coast or west coast?
West. My heart will forever be in Santa Barbara. I was born there. I come from surf
culture. I’m west coast all the way.
Which skill would you most like to have?
Writing. Creating something from nothing, but singing is damn liberating and
acting can feel like flying sometimes. I do all of it. The fear is that I’m a giant
“Jack of all trades, master of none.” I suppose a skill that alludes me that I wish I
had would be to be organized. My disorganized life can get hard sometimes. I
lose my keys, can’t find my other sock, forget to cook dinner, run out of gas – my
ADHD looking list is endless. Ahhhh, to be organized.
What is your most treasured possession?
Probably my doggie, Carmen Lopez. She’s a pitty mix and the apple of my eye.
If only she wouldn’t roll in bum feces. Kidding. Sorta. She did do that last Monday.
Barf. She’d be my most treasured possession.
What makes you happy?
My kids, my fella, my doggies, the moment I teach a song I’ve written to the
band and they play it. It’s an extraordinary moment – the joy I feel in that
moment is hard to describe. The people I play with are so talented and the
choices they make to enhance the song boggle my mind. They play stuff I never
imagined that just lift the song up and transform it into something otherworldly.
What’s your motto?
Oh, you’ll kill me for this, but it’s true –“One day at a time.” Yeah, that is something
I live by. It’s my motto.
Which actor(s) do you most admire?
Meryl, Dustin, De Niro, Jimmy Stewart, Walt Goggins, Sean Penn, Lucille Ball,
Maggie Wheeler, Alfre Woodard, Helen Hunt,
How do you maintain creative inspiration?
I center my day around creating stuff. I wake up, pray, meditate, get my kids off
to school, exercise then blast off into Creative Land. I’m writing my second novel,
I’m writing a couple of one-acts, I write songs, I prepare my nightclub act, I write
poems and stories—then I pick my kids up from school and look forward the next
day when I can get back to “doing my thing.”
What are you like on set?
I’ve changed throughout the years. I used to flit around making sure everyone
from the PA to the extra to the AC to the script supervisor liked me. I imagine I was
quite obnoxious.
Fantastics
...I used to flit around making sure everyone from
the PA to the extra to the AC to the script supervisor
liked me. I imagine I was quite obnoxious...
Fantastics
Now, I simply try not to make waves. I like to show up early, do my bit and split.
I eat lunch alone in my trailer most days or nap. I like to write in my trailer. I keep
to myself. I call it my “Time Clock Theory of Life.” In the morning I punch in. I do
whatever they tell me, I stand where they want me to stand, say what they want
me to say, wear what they want me to wear and then I punch out and come
home. So, the short answer is that I’m probably kind of a bore.
Acting being a collaborative activity what’s your advice on working with a
diverse group of people?
My advice would be to “do your part.” Don’t be concerned with what others are
doing. Make sure you’ve got your stuff down, make sure your stuff is taken care of.
Know your lines, be alert, have a solid vision of who your character is, and don’t
step over the line. It’s an easy way to get fired. As the rappers say, “You do you.”
If you could pick any film role to have played what would it be?
Cabaret would have been nice. Funny Girl. The Rose, any of the big diva vehicles.
What do you consider your highest achievement so far?
My marriage pretty much rocks. My kids have all turned out to be spectacular
people, so – hate to be super cheesy, but it’s true – my family freaking rules. My
record “Pitch Like a Girl” is pretty good. I’m still waiting for my ship to come in. I’d
love to get one of my novels published.
What’s next up? Your latest project(s)?
I’m brilliant at stacking up stuff. My latest project is my novel. I’ve just written a
couple of one-act plays. One of which I’ll be doing a reading of at one of my
Living Room shows at Vitellos on November 3rd. Hopefully, with my friend Cynthia
Stevenson.
What has acting taught you?
The best acting happens when you’re “in the moment.” That same thing holds
true for dancing and surfing. I know it’s true with music. The great key to it all is
“being in the moment.” Acting is an incredible allegory to enjoying life. n
Fantastics