INT: Katharine Leis

Last Updated on July 28, 2021

The Arrow
interviews Katharine Leis

Canadian
Native, model,
actress , director, producer, writer, editor and all-around groovy
chickadee Katharine Leis is definitely carving up
a niche for herself on the indie scene.
Her name is synonymous with “ambitious” and I gotta respect that. I had
the chance to spar with the DDG (drop dead
gorgeous) Miss Leis and here’s what came out of it.

Arrow:
So what’s your favorite horror movie, sugar pie?

KAT: Gosh, there are so many
great ones… it’s hard to narrow it down to just one. I think the ones
that stand out are the ones that gave me the most nightmares
afterward…The Shining, Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, and Friday
the 13th were all just wonderfully horrifying. The greatest
thing about them is that they remain scary as hell no matter how many
times you watch them.

Arrow:
So when did you yourself catch the acting bug?

KAT: My first performance was
at the age of nine as the lead in a school play. I was kind of a
boring kid, but in a role I was suddenly interesting. I then grew up
to be a pretty darn boring adult. I actually worked as a sleep
therapist for awhile. People who couldn’t sleep for days would hire me
and I’d tell them about my life. Within a few minutes, they were cured
and sleeping soundly. Acting kind of breaks that up a bit, which is
nice.

Arrow:
Of all the parts you have played, which was the more challenging for
you as an actress and why?

KAT: I played one character
who was a real pushover. She let people dictate her fate and make all
of her choices for her. That was kind of tough, because I felt very
frustrated with the character’s inability to stand up for herself. I
like characters who are proactive, even if they are bad people. At
least they are doing something and not just bouncing through life on
the whims of everyone around them.

Arrow:
You’ve recently acted, produced and directed “There’s
a Caterpillar in My Bok Choy”. What prompted you to wear so many hats?
Didn’t you find it hard to direct yourself?

KAT: I
found that there were more auditions than jobs, and that there was
more waiting than shooting. Maybe it was a control issue, maybe a lack
of patience, but I decided to give it a whirl. It was a lot more work
than I imagined, but producing was well worth the effort. As far as
directing, yes, I was a very difficult actress to direct and never
listened to me. I often showed up late and didn’t even have my lines
memorized half the time. I will probably never work with me again.

Arrow:
Can you tell us a bit about the premise of “There’s a Caterpillar in My
Bok Choy”?

KAT: Bok
Choy is a look at the white lies and miscommunications we all face and
are guilty of on a daily basis. Whether it be through television and
the media, how we are with our friends, parents, or co-workers, we’ve
all become very used to assumption as the basis for truth rather than
hearing or telling it straight. Bok Choy is also a twisted sort of
love story, with the main character Bill resorting to stalking rather
than having to deal with the possibility of rejection by the object of
his affection. Finally, it’s a look at low budget moviemaking and the
shortcuts and goofs that occur in the absence of the dollar almighty.

Arrow:
You’ve mostly worked on low budgeted films, shorts and Indies thus
far. Is your goal to eventually pierce the “A List” market?

KAT:
Of course I’d
like to, but I wouldn’t say it’s a die-hard goal. I think once
anything hits “A-list,” it’s a lot  more about business than about
fun, and about what sells versus what one would like to do. In the low
budget format, I’ve managed to write and direct three short movies and
a feature. I’ve learned a ton, and my original ideas are very close to
what ended up on the DVDs. A very smart individual recently
enlightened me on the terms “show business” and “entertainment
industry.” Without the words “business” and “industry,” you have
“show” and “entertainment.” I have the business sense of a winged
frog. I like to tell stories, and my goofy movies allow me that.

Arrow:
You’ve acted in two features, one called “The Uninvited” and the other
“We’re Coming to Help”.
Any idea as to when these films will get home distribution?

KAT:
Distribution is
a funny thing…full of definite maybes. The Uninvited is probably one
of the most beautiful movies I’ve ever seen…every frame looks like a
prize-winning photograph. Greg Rivera directed and shot that one, and
he’s a real artist.  The DVD for We’re Coming to Help is
currently being authored, and there’s a really big definite maybe for
distribution. The director for that movie, Joe Casey, is probably one
of the most hardworking and determined people I’ve ever met. I’m sure
both of them are slicing through red tape and filling loopholes to try
to get the movies out to the public as soon as possible.

Arrow:
What’s the oddest job you’ve ever had to take to support yourself in
the name of art?

KAT: Security guard.
Yep. I did that at a golf tournament for three whole days. I’m not
sure how intimidating I was with my 5’7” chicken-arm frame, but the
rent was paid and no bones were broken.

Arrow:
What’s next on your plate? Any projects in the works?

KAT:
I am currently
working on several…shorts and features. Two of the features are
horrors. One is a serial killer movie but it goes more into the minds
of the victims and the public. Anonymity and hysteria are so
commonplace I think we don’t even notice them anymore and I’d like to
bring them into that story as much as possible. The other horror is
based on some little critters that would be terrifying if they weren’t
so darn stupid. That one will be a fun one to do, and the critters are
the creation of an extremely talented horror effects person, Bill
McCoy. I’ve worked with him a few times and am very excited that he is
on this project. The others are shorts, one drama called
“Indifference” that I’ve been dying to do for some time, several
comedies and a film noir for good measure.

Those will be announced and updated at my
production site,

www.ikoproductions.com

Arrow:
What would your advice be to any young women who want to enter show
biz?

KAT:
I think with
anything, if you want to be successful at it and really enjoy it, you
have to make it your entire life. Figure out what you like and don’t
let other people tell you what you “should” do all the time. Also,
films are forever, so if you are not sure about something or have a
gut feeling you should not do it…don’t. The only prevention for regret
is to not do something in the first place.

I’d like to say mucho thanks to
Katharine for dropping by the site and livening things up with her
charismatic presence and yes…let’s face it, hotter than hell good
looks! Good luck in all of your future projects Kat and keep kicking
that cinematic “derriere!”