There's no limit to what you can accomplish, but there's always someone one step ahead of you, so it's a constant uphill battle.
Catherine Mary Stewart
'The Last Starfighter' was the first movie I did in the U.S. It was an absolute joy to be a part of it. 'Night of the Comet' was a labor of love. Truly a collaborative effort. I am eternally grateful for the experiences.
I began dancing when I was 7 years old. I was told that I had the perfect ballet dancer's body and had these crazy high arches in my feet that resulted in an amazing point. Ballet was very disciplined and, frankly, a little boring, so I eventually transitioned to gymnastics. I loved that, although I never reached a competitive level.
I have nothing but admiration for the actors on soap operas. It is unbelievably challenging to put out an hour show in one day.
I love acting, and ultimately all my characters are very different, and each character I love in a different way.
I became very close with Charles Bronson and his wife, Kim. We did 'Sea Wolf' together along with Christopher Reeve. I've been lucky enough to work with some amazing, legendary actors. I worked with Rod Steiger twice, for instance.
Acting is very personal. I don't want to be like anybody else. There are positions I would like to be in - like Meryl Streep's, for instance.
I don't have a favorite genre. I love to work and live vicariously through every character. It's all about trying to bring the character to life and get the story across in a way that resonates with the audience. It's always interesting and challenging in a gratifying and unique way.
Both TV and movies seem to be produced in a more similar way as time goes on. It used to be that movies were much bigger productions on every level and took much longer to shoot. I liked that. But with the advent of digital, everything can be done much quicker and cheaper, and that seems to be the goal of most movies and TV these days.
I realized that 'performing' was what I wanted to do when I did my first professional gig as a dancer with my company 'Synergy' in Canada. I was overwhelmed with how it felt to perform in front of an audience.
Angie Dickinson in 'Hollywood Wives' took me under her wing. If you look at that cast, I was definitely an 'outcast'... so to speak. Most of them were of the same era, or just so much more experienced that I was.
Lance Guest in 'The Last Starfighter' had such integrity and held himself to such a high standard that I just wanted to raise your own standard to meet it. He is a hard-working, giving actor. He made me feel secure and better in my role opposite him.
Robert Preston in 'The Last Starfighter' had an aura. It was almost a surreal experience meeting him. He exuded charm, warmth and that movie star magnetism that is impossible to describe.
New York is a great place to be as an unrepresented actor because there are so many 'open auditions' that you can show up for without being submitted by an agent.
When I graduated from high school, I made the decision to pursue my dance training in London, England. I was so scared at first, not knowing if this little girl from small town Canada could possibly make it with these highly trained London dancers.
'Night of the Comet' established me as a strong woman. And let's face it, this business is very surface and one dimensional - so it's easy to get typecast.
