Kathryn Joosten
Actress
About This Interview
In her nearly three-hour Archive interview, actress Kathryn Joosten (1939 - 2012) describes her start in acting at age 42. She outlines her first career, as a psychiatric nurse, and how she decided to pursue her love of acting when her marriage ended. She recalls studying and performing at the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago, and moving to Los Angeles in the mid-1990s. Joosten then recounts her guest roles on several shows, including Family Matters, Murphy Brown, Dharma & Greg, and Scrubs. She details the two roles for which she's best known, those of "Mrs. Landingham" on The West Wing, and "Karen McClusky" on Desperate Housewives. Joosten also speaks of her long-time involvement with the Television Academy, serving as Governor of the Performers Peer Group. She talks of her two Emmy wins (for her role on Desperate Housewives), and openly discusses her battle with lung cancer. Nancy Harrington conducted the interview in Westlake Village on May 9, 2012.
Related To This Video
YouTube video player - HTML5 compatible.
Highlights
Kathryn Joosten on Acting as a Business
Clip begins at: 00:01, Duration: 01m 37s
Kathryn Joosten on The West Wing
Clip begins at: 00:01, Duration: 03m 26s
Kathryn Joosten on her advice to aspiring actors
Clip begins at: 00:01, Duration: 03m 18s
Kathryn Joosten on how the story arc on Desperate Housewives mirrored her own life
Clip begins at: 00:01, Duration: 02m 30s
Kathryn Joosten on how she'd like to be remembered
Clip begins at: 00:01, Duration: 01m 37s
Interview
- Part 1
- On her childhood and early influences; on her early acting in school plays; on attending nursing school - her first career
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On losing both parents early in life; on growing up in Chicago; on being exposed to the Chicago theater and comedy scene
Clip begins at: 06:17 - On getting divorced; on starting a new new career acting in community theater; on getting her first role in a production of "Gypsy"
Clip begins at: 09:05 - On her first professional acting gig - at Disneyworld; on moving to Hollywood; on getting work as an actor later in life; on her first paid job in television - on Family Matters; on having a side-job in catering; on getting an agent
Clip begins at: 17:53 - On getting roles on several sitcoms: Murphy Brown, Frasier, Thanks, and on the drama Brooklyn South
Clip begins at: 41:38 - On feeling like she had succeeded as an actress; on being up for recurring roles; on her role on The West Wing; on what she learned about the process of doing television
Clip begins at: 47:58 - Part 2
- On the premise of The West Wing and her role as "Mrs. Landingham" on the show; on her audition process; on "Mrs. Landingham's" name; on The West Wing scene she's extremely proud of - "My Dead Son's Scene"; on "Mrs. Landingham" and her fate on The West Wing; on the popularity of and production on the show; on the "walk and talks"; on her favorite episodes of the show
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On her role on Dharma & Greg and her recurring role on Scrubs
Clip begins at: 25:46 - On her role on General Hospital and getting cast because she had lung cancer in real life; on her own cancer; on how having cancer has affected her career; on how "Karen McCluskey" would die on Desperate Housewives; on her role on Joan of Arcadia
Clip begins at: 30:54 - On her role as "Karen McCluskey" on Desperate Housewives; on her castmates and crew; on production on the show; on her process for learning lines; on working with Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry
Clip begins at: 45:00 - Part 3
- On the cast of Desperate Housewives; on Nicollette Sheridan leaving the show; on working with Lily Tomlin; on her character getting a boyfriend; on specific episodes of the show
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On her Emmy wins for Desperate Housewives
Clip begins at: 11:22 - On the end of Desperate Housewives; on her last day on set; on her character's death on the show; on the fate of the other characters on the show
Clip begins at: 14:12 - On joining the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and serving as Governor of the Performers Peer Group; on the pros and cons of the Television Academy; on her proudest accomplishment working with the Academy
Clip begins at: 19:20 - On her then-current projects; on writing a book; on her fans; on what she likes about acting; on her approach to acting; on advice to aspiring actors; on advice to those starting acting later in life; on her proudest achievement and biggest regret; on how she'd like to be remembered
Clip begins at: 32:19
Shows
People
Topics
Genres
Professions
So how can we see the full interview? All three hours? I notice that even on other subjects - you show the "highlights" but I seem to be having trouble accessing the full interview.
You can find the full interview in the "Chapters" tab. Thanks!
when will the other chapters be added?
They are uploading now and will be available soon!
Post new comment