Your new movie Love a la
Carte - in a few words, what is it about, and what can you tell us
about your character in it?
The movie
Love a la
Carte
is about marriage and all the responsibilities that come
with relationships. All kinds of relationships. The good the bad and the
truth. Rarely do people look at their own relationships and take responsibility
for them not working. If you don’t like the movie, maybe it is
because you see a failure in ourselves that you are responsible for? Love a la
Carte
is a
laugh-out-loud look at yourself for “those moments” when you have
failed yourself and your mate. Angela’s role in all of this is that of an opportunist…
to take a moment and run with it! She is seeking the attention and the
excitement that is long lost in her own relationship and finds that
excitement and attention from Phil Anders.
What did you draw upon to bring your character to life, and how
much of Kimber Leigh can we find in Angela Heavens? And what was it like
to play the "other woman"?
When I get the opportunity to step into the shoes of another character,
I want to give give that character the highest respect, and
understand what the reason was for the experience to take place. I
want to be that character and be in her essence and space. How are you
going to respect that space, if you brush lightly over her experience. From all the research I have done and all the
teachers I have had in the art of acting, I was taught to feel, to be
the place you are in (the pictures on the wall, the carpet on the
floor), the heart and soul of the reason why the character you are
portraying lives somewhere deep inside of yourself. We are having a “human
experience” ourselves daily. Why should the character that you are
playing be any different? To play the “other woman” was
exciting, sexy and flirty. There were no consequences… now how can that
not be fun? We could all be naughty if we knew that no one was watching
and that it was okay. We see “naughty" in the news
everyday… so why is seeing it in a movie any different? How much of me
can you see in this character? I love to be free, to love everyone,
to be sexy and sensual, and who of the opposite sex doesn’t
love someone else from the opposite sex… so “a lot of me”?
How did you get
involved with the project in the first place, and what were your first
thoughts when you read the screenplay? I got involved with
this project by “word of mouth” from another actor, James Ray (Gene
Isis in Love a la
Carte), whom I had worked with on a previous project. He thought of
me when Tim Mc Spadden (director/writer of Love a la
Carte) [Tim
McSpadden interview - click here] was finishing up the last
part of his casting. I had no idea that Love a la
Carte
was being cast, so I am so grateful for James Ray!! He will always and
forever hold a special place in my heart. My first thought about the
screenplay that I read was…NO WAY!!! Lol, I remember sitting in my big
comfy leather rocking chair, reading and slightly rocking… rocking faster
and faster!! But then I understood, the depth, the dynamic, the realism of
relationships and said, "Yup..I am up for it!”
Cauna Mae and Kimber in bed with Tim McSpadden |
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What can you tell
us about your director Tim McSpadden [Tim
McSpadden interview - click here], and what was your collaboration
like? Never met anyone like Tim... He is very dimensional
and creative. He reminds me of "a wolf on a lone trail". I
also see someone who created a road. He broke ground, he convinced others
to help him reconstruct it, to create it to be even better, and to
share his ‘love and dream in a la carte style” We are who we are... we all have our imperfections as we seek perfection along the
way... I
am so happy that on my way… I met Tim Mc Spadden. You helped behind the scenes on
Love
a la Carte quite a bit as well, right? Care to elaborate?
Well, if you call playing like a “dumb blonde” (when it counts) … yes,
I helped. I remember when myself, Tim, Mike Rea, Aaron Gin-Forsberg,
(who plays Phil Anders in Love a la
Carte) were in the middle of the busiest intersection
downtown, during a public concert, shooting guerrilla style. Tim
wore his ABC jacket into the blocked off event that Channel 12 put on.
(Tim used to work for Channel 12 and had lots of Channel 12 uniforms.)
So how do you fit in, in the middle of town? Dress the crew in
Channel 12 uniforms and let them think you are the new TV news anchors.
The security officers were great. They helped us to the center of 1st
and Van Buren. Once there, we did our best to get our shot... take
after take... and finally security came back and said “you're not
done yet?” Tim said,”If this blonde could just get it
right!” I looked at security, smiled and shrugged. At the end of
that day... we got our shot!
cast and crew atop the Claredon Hotel |
I had a hand in creating the scene (getting
other actors to join in) on the rooftop of the Claredon Hotel. I posted
a shout out on Facebook, and we were able to fill up the scene as well
as the scene that needed actors at City Hall.
What
can you tell us about the shoot as such, and the on-set atmosphere?
The shoot was daring, bold, spontaneous and on purpose. We shot in the
most ‘AMAZING” places. Everyone on set gave it all they had.
There are some of the best actors right here in our own acting haven. A
community of dedicated and hard working actors, when you put them
together the “on-set atmosphere” is buzzing with creativity.
We all made a movie... and that is what we did.
Although it took us 3 years to shoot it, each and every time we were
back on set, it was as if a day never passed. We picked right up from
where we left off. It was because we had a great director. Tim Mc
Spadden knew his script like he knew his own life. So when it came
time to get the cast back into character after months of being apart,
he helped to direct us with the end goal for that scene. I was
not in every scene so I am only speaking about those scenes that
involved Angela Heavens character.
Any
future projects you'd like to share?
Thank you for asking… I do have a film that is getting ready for
release this year and it is called Tiempo. It is a love story about
time travel. Not that a time travel movie is something new, but this one
adds a twist with this one question. If the theory of relativity was
tested in space, and you could essentially travel through time… what
would your loved ones be like when you get back? I play the part of,
Miranda Hawks, the wife of Captain Thomas Hawks who is in his early
twenties when he decides to take the mission to travel through time to
see if he could break light speed. What was only a week of his absence
from his end of the marriage, was a grueling 60 years for his wife,
Miranda Hawks. Here is the link to follow for updates on the film and
its release.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tiempo/759286474150896
What got you into
acting in the first place, and did you receive any formal education on the
subject? I came face to face with the “acting bug”
in 1995 after being selected as a featured actor in a national commercial
for America West Airlines. It was a very well executed production. I was a
flight attendant for AWA when I heard about the audition. I knew nothing
about being an actor, but saw an opportunity and wanted to give it a try.
I was in awe after hearing that I made the cut, especially after seeing
people show up with their agents and managers and I was just a flight
attendant with no resume and no clue! After that experience, I was
hooked. But I lived in Arizona and it was not Hollywood and thought that
my days as an actor were finished as quickly as they started. So I tried
fitness as an avenue to get some experience and have a gateway to the
entertainment world. I had a career-ending injury in 2001 after 4 years of focused
training. While in a cast from my foot to my waist, I could not do much. I
was devastated that my journey to my goal and my fitness career.were
over. While being driven to a doctor appointment, I saw a sign for acting classes
given by Peter Stelzer (co founder Phoenix Film Institute, Ted
Danson’s long form television production company) and his wife, Marla
Finn (who was the voice of Scooby Doo). Their classes were small and
intimate. As I sat there (casted all the way to my waist), I decided in
that moment to learn as much as I could from these two experienced
Hollywood professionals. I have taken many classes since this one, but
these two gave me the best education I could have ever received. Peter has
since passed away... there is just no replacement for his knowledge. How would you describe yourself as an
actress, and some of your techniques to bring your characters to life? Hard
to answer questions about yourself in this way.. so here is my best shot. I
would describe my acting self as someone who becomes the person that I was
cast to be. I want to learn all that I can about that character. I spend
time with them in my own silence getting to the core of their essence. I
see them in my minds eye and can even dress the character in their own
unique style. That is the creative part of the art that is a driving force
for me. To take a name and a description from the script that is
given to me and to turn that name into a person. The techniques that
I use are those that I learned from acting books written by Constantin
Stanislavski and from those acting teachers who had other methods of
training. I take the combined knowledge and use what works best for me. I
have studied acting as much as I have studied other religions. They all
have their purpose and all lead to the same desired outcome. I choose to
use the method that works best for me.
Over
the years, you have also stepped behind the camera time and again - why is
that, and what can you tell us about your directing debut The Story of
May Beaver - Nefarious Feller?
The Story of
May Beaver - Nefarious Feller |
My background was in aviation. I worked for the first deregulated
airline in the history of aviation (America West Airlines). When I first
got hired, we were asked to learn all phases of how the airline worked.
I suppose the founder (Ed Beauvais) felt that if we knew all aspects of
how the “wheel turns” then the airline would survive
deregulation, because we were all responsible for its success. You
cannot possibly blame the other department, because you were THAT
department. I learned, ticketing, baggage claim, reservations, commissary,
ramp, pilot operations, flight attendant… I was well versed in how the
airline worked. That taught me, when I got into entertainment, to
learn every facet of it. It was second nature for me to want to learn it
all. So when I learned how the actor role was to be played,
naturally I needed to learn how to produce, how to direct etc. I do need
to make a correction here. The Story of May Beaver was my 3rd attempt at
directing. My first directorial debut was a One Shot
Challenge for the A3F Almost Famous Film Festival in 2010. The film
was called Fakebook. I worked alongside Russell Williams who was
so kind to let me attempt this feat. We made the coveted “top
twenty” at the A3F Almost Famous Film Festival, and had a
successful screening. After that, I was approached by Rory Pierce, who
asked me to direct his film short that he wrote called Questions,
which had a successful screening at the Jerome Film Festival (founder
Toni Ross) in 2013. It has just this month been submitted to several
film festivals across the nation. So you see, The Story Of May Beaver
was the 3rd attempt at directing (along side Enzo Treppa/written by Dave
Karhl) and had a successful screening at Phoenix Comicon 2013.
Seems to have been a good year, 2013!
The Animal Rescuers |
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In Session |
You also
host two TV shows, The Animal Rescuers and In Session - so
what can you tell us about those?
The Animal Rescuers, (brainchild of Cory Mandall and soon to be
known as Global Rescuers) is about the people who do the hard work,
and that is to “rescue animals”. When someone turns an animal into
a shelter, the animal rescuers, are at the other end of the shelter
getting those animals fostered, until they find their “forever
homes”. It is “their work" and "their stories" that
we feature. The four basic premises of the show are: "adopt,
donate, volunteer, spay and neuter and be kind to all animals”.
https://www.facebook.com/ TheAnimalRescuers
The show, In Session (founder Dwight Moss from Advision
Media) is filmed on location at the Microsoft Store,
in Fashion Square Mall in Scottsdale, Arizona. We interview, people who
are innovative in technology, writers, singers, athletes, entertainers,
or anyone who is currently working on a “positive project” and think
their content will be informative and entertaining. The content of the
show must appeal to college students (that is who our audience is). We
air all episodes in college campuses across the nation on Trends TV.
Since those on campus are our future, we choose topics that will
enhance their journey to success.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Advision-Media
Vrooom! |
Any other past
filmwork of yours you'd like to talk about? There are so
many films that I have done and they all mean so much to me. The film
short Vrooom!, original idea by Don Roff, directed by Jason Francois,
means the most to me. Because it was the most original film I have
done to date. The film was about myself and a vacuum cleaner.
There were no other actors to draw from, no extras on set to give the
mood or the feel of realism… just me and a vacuum. Director Jason
Francois is a "one of a kind director", just like writer Don
Roff. They to me are old school artists who give a project all they have.
They write and direct the parts until the parts take on a life of their
own, and don’t need the human to continue to create for the parts.
This film took on a life of its own at one point and drew attention and
awards everywhere it was welcome. It is a timeless work of art
that if given its full feature power, it would be a cult classic. Like
most indie films, it lacked the funding to make this movie more than a
short film. If the film Gods ever blessed me, I would want be to blessed
with the ability to make this movie in its fullest form. https://www.facebook.com/vrooomthemovie Actresses (and indeed actors) who inspire
you?
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Feeling lucky? Want to search any of my partnershops yourself for more, better results? (commissions earned) |
The links below will take you just there!!!
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I am inspired by anyone who is making a conscious
effort to make this planet we live on a better place. I am inspired by
anyone who does extrordinary work, meaning they have overcome
great odds to make their dreams come true. I am inspired by anyone who
supports those making a difference and lending a helping hand. That
is what inspires me… and if you can’t find anyone to be inspired
by "be the inspiration”! Your favourite movies,
and of
course, films you really deplore?
I love any movies that have taken years to complete and a great amount
of blood, sweat and tears to make. Anyone can make a movie these days,
not everyone can make a great movie, a movie that will be remembered for
years and years to come. The only thing in entertainment that I really
deplore is reality entertainment (and I know the question was about
movies but I have an opportunity here)… I mean I live in reality
everyday. I see the drama everyday. When I want to be entertained, I
want that entertainment to take me away from reality.
Your website,
Facebook, whatever else?
www.kimberleigh.tv
https://www.facebook.com/kimberaleigh
https://twitter.com/Kimberaleigh
https://www.facebook.com/TheAnimalRescuers
email
at kimberaleigh@mac.com
https://www.facebook.com/kimberaleigh
https://www.facebook.com/KimberLeighFanClub
Anything else you are dying to
mention and I have merely forgotten to ask?
In closing, I never thought that being interviewed would be such a
lengthly task, one that makes you go back in your timeline to see where
you have been, to see where you are going, and where you are now. It is
the “where you are now” part that amazes me most. I never realized
my own hard work. I never realized the hours I have taken away from my
family. I only know that the ride has been incredible, and I only know
that I never thought I would get this far. I only know that I cannot
give up until I hear my family say ”YOU DID IT”
Thanks Vienna Austria... from my little corner of the world in Maricopa
Arizona!
Thanks for
the interview!
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