Sine Fine Films: Interview with Katie Johnston

Each month we’ll interview a member of the Sine Fine Films Company, asking the same or similar questions, and learn more about the actors and crew.

This month I’m interviewing the multi-talented Katie Johnston who officially joined the company in the fall of 2001.

Q: How did you get involved in SFF? (And what possessed you to keep coming back for more torture?)

A: Like Eleanore I was a post production junkie - we both worked at SPCTV at SIUC. I was at the station, editing late one night - as I was apt to do - and SFF was filming a scene for the Giftbearer in the video lounge next door. The only problem was they had no actress to play Hela that night. The character had already been written up as a shapeshifter due to the fact that it had been difficult to find an actress for the part. So, I got my first Sine Fine role the way so many Sine Fine Roles have been cast - out of pure necessity and sheer desperation. The rest is history.

Q: What was your favorite part to play?

A: You expect me to say Hela...everybody expects me to say Hela....and Hela WAS "hela" fun to play....but I'm gonna go with Angela from "Lucifer Jones" on this one. I kind of like being the bad guy (don't tell my husband I said that, I'll never hear the end of the I told you so's).

Q: What was your favorite filming day?

A: I LOVED the magical food fight shoot. First I made 5lbs of mashed potatoes and 4 boxes of mac and cheese and then I got to have a magic food fight with it? What's not to love? I'm pretty sure SFF is the only place I can be both cast AND Kraft services in the same day.

Q: What was your least favorite filming day?

A: One of the last scenes we shot for the Giftbearer - we were filming in the woods, near a river...I'm pretty sure it was Brittany, Chris, Jeff, and myself - and at that point we ALL just wanted to be DONE. If you watch those scenes you can see it in our faces. We were supposed to find something that had been hidden for hundreds of years...we were all so ready to be done that we basically just reach under a rock and are like "oh, here it is! right here!"

Q: What’s your dream role?

A: I would LOVE to play a wacky sidekick.

Q: What’s your favorite production to watch?

A: Giftbearer...but I'm a bit biased.

Q: What’s your favorite costume, accessory, or prop?

A: Giftbearer...but I'm a bit biased.

Q: Who’s your favorite actor co-star/actor you’ve worked with? Who would you like to work with in the future or work with more?

A: Brittany is always fun to work with. I've only worked with Annamarie twice, but I adore her (what's not to love). In the future I would love to see my stepdaughter get involved. She's 16 and extremely interested in acting and theater. I've told her about SFF and she's excited to join our ranks!

Q: Sum up each production you’ve been in using only one word or short sentence.