Actor, recording artist, and choreographer Kat Cunning began her dramatic career on Broadway playing Emilie in Les Liaison Dangereuses, as well as Lila in the Broadway production of Cirque Du Soleil’s Paramour, for which Kat co-wrote Lila’s score to suit Kat’s singular voice. Kat made her television debut in seasons 2 and 3 of HBO’s The Deuce and co-stars in the Netflix Y.A. show Trinkets as Sabine. Most recently, Kat joined JLo and Owen Wilson in Marry Me and Sofia Carson in Netflix’s Purple Hearts.
Kat holds the Damn! Series ‘Best Supporting Actor Award’ for Pepper and the Salt Sea and the Traildance Film Festival ‘Best Actor Award’ for playing Zoe in Nothing Serious. Kat’s music career recently culminated in a sold-out North American tour opening for LP, and she collaborated with Juno Calypso in Refinery 29’s 29 Rooms.
In the sci-fi thriller Star People, Kat plays Claire, a photographer who receives a tip that could shed light on her childhood UFO sighting.
What attracted you to this sci-fi thriller?
Kat Cunning: I love the character. It jumped out of the script for me. It’s unlike the hyperfeminine caricature of women I’ve portrayed. This is the first time I’ve played a female lead, and I love that she’s not your stereotypical girl. She does some quirky things, like drinking a lot of Fanta and not caring too much about her boyfriend. And just being obsessed with aliens. I think it’s rare that you get to read for a role like this.
What’s the biggest challenge you faced in this film?
Kat: Probably how fast we shot it. We had 16 days of on-camera work. It was really ambitious, but we all pulled together and pulled it off. There was a lot of adrenaline. Shooting in the Arizona heat was a challenge.
Do you believe in UFOs? Have you ever seen anything strange in the sky?
Kat: I’ve never seen any UFOs, but I’m open to the idea that they could be real. I think there’s magic everywhere. There are crazy creatures in the ocean. There’s gotta be aliens up there somewhere. We are definitely not the most interesting species in the universe. But like Claire, I believe there could be something out there in the Arizona skies.
Do you have a brother? You were right on with the brother/sister relationship with McCabe.
Kat: I do. I have a little brother who is a lot like McCabe. I really connected with him. He played the character so realistically. I also liked how Connor (Paolo), who played my boyfriend, was so amazing to work with. It’s hard to play such a traditionally unlikeable person. I’ve played a lot of characters like that. It takes a lot of empathy and commitment as an actor to do that. So I can’t say enough about the cast that made it so easy for me to do my job. I liked that we were both into aliens, which was a common denominator. That their love is very conditional, without a romantic arc in the storyline.
Do you have a favorite scene?
Kat: The cumulative conversations I have with my brother, Taylor, on the mountain range when he shows up out of nowhere. I also like Connor’s scenes where he’s blinded by his judgments of people in the house that we found. He plays that nuance so beautifully, which confronts the audience with their beliefs and fears.
What film or actor influenced you to become an actor?
Kat: I love ballet, and I was drawn to Anna Pavlova, who was an actor/ballerina from the 1400s. Judy Garland from The Wizard of Oz was my favorite movie for many years. And there’s Cate Blanchett, Jodie Foster, and Leonardo DiCaprio.
You’ve played a wide range of roles in TV and film. What have you learned about working in this business that truly surprised you?
Kat: (laughs) That I’m not rich yet. When I was a dancer, I thought that if I were on TV, I would suddenly own a car and a mansion. All the people I’ve worked with, they’re in the trenches with you on 15-hour days. Acting is a real drug, and when I’m on film, I get to show a sparkling version of myself. I love being able to show emotions up close.
What was it like the first time you saw yourself on screen?
Kat: OMG, I like blacked out the first time I saw myself. I remember screening through episodes of a comedy series with the cast, and people reacted and laughed. It was like an out-of-body experience. It’s still hard for me to watch myself because when you’re filming, you’re in the moment of working and not thinking about how you look.
Any advice for young actors trying to break into the business?
Kat: A lot of them think they need a manager or agent, but you can do a lot by following your own talent and ideas. It’s a lifelong journey of being curious. It’s not like where someone just comes along and makes you rich and famous, and you just coast the rest of the way. You stay in it. You keep your pencil sharpened, and you stay curious.
What were you like in high school? The girl most likely to…?
Kat: I love to dance. Like Claire, there was this thing I wanted to do, and no one was going to get in my way. Be an actor, be a dancer, get out of this town. I went through many phases. I was into punk. I didn’t do drama. I wanted to dance. I also liked writing.
Would you ever consider being in a film like Flashdance?
Kate: I’m a pop artist, so I make my own music videos all the time. But, yeah, I would love to be in a feature film like Flashdance.
Star People trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HeCSenKVmE
Kat Cunning video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Op21-xRU-a0
Alex A. Kecskes is a published author of "Healer a Novel" available on Amazon. He has written hundreds of film reviews and celebrity interviews for a wide variety of online and print outlets. He has covered red carpet premieres and Comic-Con events for major films and independent releases.
