LOS ANGELES, California—“I love her!” exclaimed “Pushing Daisies’” Kristin Chenoweth about Lea Salonga in our recent interview. We were talking about one of Kristin’s popular songs, “Taylor the Latte Boy,” so we mentioned to her that Lea performed an equally winning version of the tune in the latter’s solo show at the Walt Disney Concert Hall.
“I would have liked to watch that concert,” Kristin mused. When told that Lea has an ongoing touring production of “Cinderella” in Asia, the Broadway, TV and film actress broke into a wide smile, pumped her fists and yelled, “Yes!” Kristin repeated, “I love her,” and mentioned that she and Lea worked on Broadway at the same time (although in different musicals) years ago.
Role
The actress who originated the role of Glinda the Good Witch in “Wicked” expressed another source of affinity with Lea—they’re both petite. But, at 5’2”, the Filipina Tony Award winner towers over Kristin, who’s only 4’11” tall.
“Oh, that’s a good suggestion,” Kristin cooed when my wife, Janet, suggested that the singer-actress, fetching in an pink dress, can perhaps sing “Taylor the Latte Boy” on “Pushing Daisies,” since a cup of latte goes well with a slice of pie from The Pie Hole, the TV series’ main setting.
On the show, Kristin plays Olive, a waitress who pines for Ned (Lee Pace), a pie maker with the power to return the dead briefly back to life, who in turn is in love with Chuck (Anna Friel). The show has won a devoted following, not to mention loads of Emmy and Golden Globe nominations, because of its wit, appealing cast and gorgeous look. Adding to the series’ quirky come-on is that the cast, especially Kristin, occasionally breaks into song.
“I’m going to pitch that song next week,” enthused Kristin, a sweet, giddy woman with a unique speaking voice that has been described as “Betty Boop-ish.” She’s a fun, easy and delightful presence, who amusingly acts out virtually everything she says.
Album
“I got the song from two American women composers (Marcy Heisler and Zina Goldrich),” she elaborated about “Taylor…” “They wrote it for me and I sang it on ‘The Rosie O’Donnell Show.’ It went over so big that I finally released the sheet music and put it on my album. People love it. I don’t know if that song will ever land on ’Pushing Daisies,’ but recently, Bryan Fuller (creator/executive producer) asked me to put together a CD of Olive-themed songs that I might sing on the show.” Also in the cast are Swoosie Kurtz (Lily), Ellen Greene (Vivian) and Jim Dale (narrator).
“Pushing Daisies” may not have been a big winner in the recent Emmy Awards, but Kristin, who got a Best Supporting Actress nod, was still very grateful. She explained, “The fact that they nominated us for 12 despite the fact that we had only nine episodes in our first season is a real big plus.”
Asked if she ever pined for someone the way Olive longs for Ned, Kristin deadpanned to comic effect, “Personally, I have never had that happen.” She quickly stated, “That was a joke. I just call upon that experience. Certainly, women can relate to it because we’re emotional. We take things to heart—not that men don’t—but that’s the way we’re wired. All of us have had people who didn’t want us back. It’s also like when you get mixed messages from somebody. I believe that’s what Ned does and will be doing this season, so Olive is in a pickle, but I wish she’d get over it (laughs), because she’s so complex and I want to see her happy!”
Since Chuck was Ned’s first love and, presumably, the first girl he’s kissed, Kristin was asked to recount her first kiss. “I was at a church camp,” she dished. “I was in third grade, and I saw this really hot guy. He was my first kiss with tongue at camp.”
Will Olive get what she wants? “I don’t know if she’s the type of girl who would get exactly what she wants,” Kristin replied. “When you see her, she’s very light, funny and fun, but she’s really complicated. I don’t know if it’s going to be as fun for her and for the audience to see that she gets what she wants—but she does get a new purpose soon.”
Will Olive get over her pining and move on? “Probably not,” she answered. “At the end of the first season, there’s a big cliffhanger that Swoosie gives her (about being Chuck’s mother). She goes back to The Pie Hole. She has held this secret for 10 months. I call it the writers’ strike secret.” The journalists laughed over her reference to the Hollywood strike that stalled the series’ production.
Secret
Kristin added, “She decides to stay loyal and keep the secret to herself, so she goes away to a nunnery where she’s in charge of the pigs (laughter). I’m getting really good with animals. I’ve worked with a dog, pig and a donkey. It’ll be good for her to go away, then she can make a decision whether she wants to go back to The Pie Hole or not. But, you can imagine what happens—some really good stuff!”
Asked about the difficult bumps on her journey from her hometown in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma to New York—and beyond—Kristin admitted, “Definitely, we’re in a business where you try not to take things personally, but it is personal! It’s like, if you’re rejected, it says something about you. I was so green and sensitive when I moved to New York. I was young and petite. I knew I had this interesting speaking voice, but I didn’t know that it served me well. There were jobs I didn’t get because of my height. People would say to me, ‘You were short—that was your bump.’”
“My bump was really just getting from Broken Arrow to New York City and surviving it,” continued the woman who was named Miss Oklahoma City University and was a runner-up in the 1991 Miss Oklahoma contest. “I remember walking down the street in New York and being like, ‘Hi,’ ‘Hi,’ ’Hi,’ and they’d be like, ‘Shut up!’ I remember the change, like having to grow up. It was a big change for me. The road to where I am now has been paved with lots of hard work. People think, ‘Ah, blonde, petite American girl—things haven’t been too hard for her. But, every person who is an actor has had it tough at some point. I had it—and I will have it. It’s the ebb and flow of our business.”
Kristin, whose breakthrough role as Sally Brown in “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” earned her a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Featured Role-Musical, revealed, “I still take voice lessons. I still work very hard at what I do in my day-to-day job. I still dance every week, if I can. I still work on my craft. I can’t do anything else. I can’t balance my checkbook. It hasn’t been all easy and rosy.
“I saw an Oscar-winning actress once in an audition. We were both auditioning for different parts, but for the same TV show. I said, ’I’m so happy to meet you. I’ve looked up to you for so long. What in the world are you doing here?’ She answered, ‘I’m auditioning’ and I said, ‘But, you have an Academy award. They should just offer the role to you.’ She replied, ‘Oh, honey. Things change.’ That’s why I say, ‘Awards are lovely, but they don’t keep you employed.’ ”
Book
Kristin has appeared in such dismal movies as “Deck the Halls” and “Bewitched,” but this year, her film career is on the upswing to match her success on TV and stage. She will next be seen in “Four Christmases” and “Into Temptation.” Also up next: Her book, “A Little Bit Wicked,” where Kristin, who’s part Cherokee, writes about being adopted and what that has meant to her.
Memorable as the spitfire press secretary in “The West Wing,” Kristin next talked about her illustrious musical career. “I have a new Christmas CD coming out in October,” she announced with pride. “I’ll be doing some touring if the show will allow—Christmas at the White House, with the National Symphony in DC, Philadelphia and so on. I’ll be busy, so the concert tour has to be very brief, because I can only do it on days off from ‘Pushing Daisies.’ I have a record label breathing down my neck to sell the Christmas record. I did the Christmas album in July, during my weekends’ off from the show. I’m pretty tired!”
She quipped to laughter, “I hope you don’t see the Louis Vuittons under my eyes!”
Copyright 2009 Philippine Daily Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
To
subscribe to the Philippine Daily Inquirer newspaper in the Philippines,
call +63 2 896-6000 for Metro Manila and Metro Cebu or email your subscription request here.
Factual errors? Contact the
Philippine Daily Inquirer's day desk.
Believe this article violates journalistic ethics?
Contact the
Inquirer's Reader's Advocate.
Or write The Readers' Advocate:
c/o
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Chino RocesAvenue corner Yague and Mascardo Streets,
Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Or fax nos. +63 2 8974793 to 94
![Zoom Image](javascript:popwin("http://images.inquirer.net/media/showbizandstyle/entertainment/entertainment/images/pic-09270657050781.jpg", 410, 565))
Zoom
