Kristin Chenoweth
Interview By: Dan Portnoy
DanielPortnoy@TheCinemaSource.com
Meet Kristin Chenoweth, a Tony award winning actress who has wowed audiences across the country, who now has her sights set on the world of film and television. A woman of small stature and big ambition, Kristin recently has been juggling all three venues of entertainment. But right now she's having a blast taking on new challenges and stepping into some pretty unique and interesting characters. Aside from her appearances on TV's The West Wing and roles in films like Bewitched and The Pink Panther, she will always have a special place in her heart for the theater. For those of you who find it more difficult to make it to the theater, wherever you are, you can easily catch Kristin Chenoweth on the big screen in the new family comedy R.V.
Bob Munro (Robin Williams) has been on the job long enough and is in desperate need of a vacation. For a man that works all the time what better chance than a vacation for some serious fun and family bonding. When Bob promises his wife Jaime (Cheryl Hines) and the kids a trip to Hawaii, then shows up with an R.V. and a surprise change of plans for a road trip to Colorado, the Munro fam is less than enthusiastic (a very bold understatement). Once aboard the house on wheels, the real adventure for the Munro family begins.
In the film, Chenoweth plays Marie Jo Gornicke alongside Jeff Daniels as Travis Gornicke. The couple and their two 'darling' children become acquaintances of the Munro family along their journey. Unfortunately for the Munro's, the Gornicke's are annoyingly carefree and cheery, providing an element to their vacation that may cause them all to rip their hair out. One of the things the Gornicke's can't get enough of is a little tune or song to brighten up their trip. For Chenoweth who has been a talented singer for almost all her life, belting out a song here and there was no problem. 'None of us knew that this would almost become like a musical movie, there was a lot of music. Then, once he found out he liked that so much then 'Route 66' came'I call that my proud Dolly moment.' And of course by 'Dolly' she is referring to none other than Dolly Parton, partly because of the song but mainly because she got to wear some eccentric gold boots.
Apart from the singing and the wardrobe and the fact that the Gornicke family was a bit too merry, their qualities weren't all bad. 'They have no agenda and they're all very non-judgmental, they don't judge books by the covers you know, that's why I think you buy it, because they don't have an agenda, which is refreshing to see in today's world and in a movie.' Much of that refreshment is due in large part to the film's cast and the undeniable chemistry they shared.
Robin Williams provided a great deal of humor to the film, but with a man like Williams, it's expected. On and off the set he had cast and crew in stitches, and for Chenoweth in particular her sides took a beating. 'I think I deserve an academy award, just for that, I mean he just goes off in his own world and then you're just standing there laughing and crying'I hope I get to work with him again.' It's a good thing a movie allows for multiple takes, on stage you only get one.
But Kristin is used to getting up on stage to sing and act in front of hundreds of people. And you wouldn't think it to look at her, but she has an incredibly powerful voice, probably the result of her opera training. In fact she sang me an opera rendition of Three Six Mafia's Its Hard out Here for a Pimp; it was impressive to say the least. 'It's really all about the size of your larynx, the shorter your larynx the higher your voice'most of the time you'll see bassists and they're big, that's cause they have a long larynx.'
As a child Chenoweth was well versed in all kinds of music which of course helped her build her Broadway career. She appeared in the Broadway productions of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, for which she received a Tony, and Wicked. 'I also grew up singing gospel music, country music'I love all different kinds of music but probably my favorite is just to sit down and just play either an old hymn or something very slow. I love Jerome Kern, probably my favorite composer.' But why waste a beautiful opera voice' That's why Kristin still keeps at it whenever she gets the chance. 'I just did an opera with Placido Domingo two weeks ago at the D.C. opera.' Not exactly small time, but after already getting her 'voice' out there musically she's anxious to share that voice and her other talents with moviegoers too.
So what will it be for Kristin Chenoweth in the upcoming months' Will she go back to the theater or stick with the film and television thing' 'I'm toying with some ideas, I've got a couple offers and we'll see. It will either be television or film.' Looks like theater's out of the question for a time, that is unless a special project happens to come along. 'If Mel Brooks finishes Young Frankenstein, I'll be doing that'certainly Young Frankenstein would be the logical next thing for me but you never know what's around the pike'also I did the Apple Tree last spring with an encore series here in New York, which is just a brief showing of a piece that wasn't originally a big hit.'
As for upcoming films, she has three set for release this year. Two, Running with Scissors and Stranger than Fiction, are packed with some heavy talent including Dustin Hoffman, Annette Bening, Alec Baldwin, and the list goes on. So needless to say Kristin Chenoweth has her work cut out for her, and with the way things are progressing, audiences can expect to see plenty of this multitalented performer in the years to come.
