This week a new drama is available on VOD starring Alicia Witt and Nick Stahl, and you can use Fan TV to find it by clicking the links and photos. In Away From Here Stahl plays a man returning to his hometown after a prison sentence, and Witt plays Lily, a waitress at the diner where he gets a job.
We got to speak with Witt by phone about her role in the new movie, her upcoming roles in Justified and A Madea Christmas as well as some of the memorable roles she played early in her career. It was just after Thanksgiving weekend so we began by talking about her Vegan Thanksgiving. Leave us a comment below about Alicia Witt and her latest dramatic work.
Fan Voice: What do you have instead of turkey for Vegan Thanksgiving?
Alicia Witt: The truth is, anywhere you are in the world you can find some pretty good turkey like substitutions. I don’t really like the ones that try to imitate turkey as much if that makes sense. I make stuffing and cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, all that stuff. So having something like a protein to go with it all really rounds out the meal well.
Fan Voice: I went to three Thanksgivings and by the second was regretting that decision.
Alicia Witt: We had invitations to three as well and we just chose to avoid all that driving, stayed in and watched a movie, had some whiskey and a nice dinner.
Fan Voice: You like whisky?
Alicia Witt: Yes, I do! Very much.
Fan Voice: What’s your favorite?
Alicia Witt: The one that we’re liking at the moment is Macallan 15 year, which is really for special occasions. The single malt scotches are really nice, especially at the end of the day.
Fan Voice: I had a Macallan 25 year once. It was spectacular.
Alicia Witt: Ohhhhhhh. Wow. That sounds like that would just about spoil you for everything else.
Fan Voice: It kind of does. So did you ever waitress while you were starting out?
Alicia Witt: I didn’t waitress but what my day job was when I moved to L.A. and was in that position of trying to make a living while not making a living as an actor, was I was actually a lounge pianist. I played background music at the Beverly Wilshire hotel for two and a half years, starting when I was 16. Actually even before that, when I was 15, I played for Sunday brunches. I had a little business card. I would do people’s weddings and birthday parties and that sort of thing. So I think I was really lucky that I was able to do that because unlike waiting tables, you actually get to really daydream a bit. I’m sure I would’ve spilled so much food on people if I had been a real waitress.
Fan Voice: Did you have to get somewhat good at waitressing with the prop food?
Alicia Witt: I do love to cook and I love serving people. I love having dinner parties and that sort of thing but then that’s my domain. I’m very comfortable with food, but if I were in a situation, I’ve been horrified in my life just seeing how some people treat servers and I have a short fuse. I don’t think I would have been very good at handling that sort of treatment. I have a hard time not saying what I think.
Fan Voice: Don’t you have to learn some diplomacy in this business?
Alicia Witt: Yeah, you would think. I guess I’ve learned some diplomacy. I’m still guilty of being way too honest a lot of the time. My friends know that I’m the first person their haircut looks like sh**. I’ve tried so hard over the years to get a little kinder about that sort of thing but the way I see it, I’d rather people be really honest with me too. I don’t like diplomacy as a rule.
Fan Voice: With a drama like Away From Here, was self-pity something you had to avoid in your performance? Because you did, I was impressed.
Alicia Witt: Certainly for Lily, I didn’t feel like she had much of any self-pity. That’s one of the things I loved about the character. I felt like she’s actually trying really hard to keep it together and the thing that’s magical about when she and James collide is that their walls come down almost against their better instincts. It’s like these two people who have spent so much of their life running away from their feelings and without even knowing each other’s history, they just kind of intuitively see that they’re in the presence of someone who’s experiencing a very similar thing.
Fan Voice: What sort of character work or rehearsal were you able to do for Away From Here?
Alicia Witt: I didn’t really have that much time to rehearse. I remember getting together with Bruce, the director, for lunch, for a brunch-like meeting the day before we started shooting but Nick and I didn’t really have much time to go over anything. I think we first said hello that morning at 5AM in the back of the van, but the good thing was that actually our first scene, it was boarded in such a way that the first scene that we filmed was actually the first scene in which we met, so I always love when that takes place. The awkwardness of actually working together for the first morning was, I think, reflected a little bit in those early scenes.
Fan Voice: Did you do any individual preparation then?
Alicia Witt: I didn’t do anything such as I know some actors like to do journal writing and all that kind of thing, but for me my process generally is I love music so I tend to find songs that I think reflect what the character is going through and I listen to them pretty nonstop while I’m preparing to take something on. I loved this script right away. I remember I was sent a whole bunch of them and sat down to read and there were quite a few not so good ones in the bunch. Then this one came along and for an actor sometimes you get asked to do things and sometimes you have to audition for them. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that this was one of the ones that I wouldn’t have to audition for. They were already asking me to do it so I was very, very excited about that. I loved the character. It made a lot of sense to me. I don’t think I did any specific preparation for her. I can certainly relate to not revealing all of what’s going on with you and also being guarded. I think we can all relate to having been hurt in life, in relationships, in family situations and Lily is going through all of that so I felt like she’s somebody that I could easily have been if life had just dealt me a slightly different hand.
Fan Voice: What were some of the songs for Lily?
Alicia Witt: I can’t quite remember. I feel like maybe some Alison Krauss, some Shawn Colvin. I’m thinking of “Don’t Know Why” by Shawn Colvin. That was probably one of the ones I listened to.
Fan Voice: Was the theme of forgiveness important for you to explore?
Alicia Witt: Well, definitely. That was one of the themes that I loved regardless of circumstance. It’s something most people can relate to and I certainly can. It’s not only forgiveness of other people’s transgressions or mistakes that they’ve made but when you can forgive someone else’s, you are also forgiving yourself. And I think so often when people are as judgmental as they can be, they’re often just really full of anger at themselves for their own mistakes.
Fan Voice: I love to talk about your classic roles as well. Was Mr. Holland’s Opus a big one for you?
Alicia Witt: It turned out to be. It was something that I did, I was still playing piano for a living when I did that movie. I was 18 and I had already had a film at Sundance but it hadn’t all kicked in yet. I was pretty unaware of the fact that that movie was going to have the kind of impact that it did. I learned to play the clarinet for it and then it was later that year that I got my first job on a series, which let me quit playing the piano. Then Mr. Holland’s Opus came out the following year, so yeah, that was a really exciting time.
Fan Voice: But was it clear in the script that that was a pivotal character?
Alicia Witt: Yeah, definitely. I was pretty naive though, especially then. I still am to a certain extent about what things people might still be talking about years later. I knew that working with Dreyfus was a special experience, and he was really good to me. He never made me feel like I was inexperienced or that I didn’t know what I was doing. Wow, the job they did on making him look as young as they did for those early scenes which are when I was there, the ‘60s period of the film, that was amazing. I remember walking onto the set the first day that we were going to shoot, and I’d already met him, and I didn’t even realize that he was in the room. He looked so different.
Fan Voice: So when you were a child on Dune, was that not an attempt to start a young acting career?
Alicia Witt: It really wasn’t. It was a complete coincidence and I had been on a variety show that my mom had basically submitted me for when I was five. Two years later, that show repeated and the casting director happened to catch it and got in touch with my parents through the white pages. Then next thing I knew I was auditioning for David Lynch in New York. It had never occurred to me or my parents that I would have that kind of career. We lived in Massachusetts and I didn’t know anybody who did it, but I think for my parents especially, getting to meet some very experienced actors and seeing that they were level headed and smart and kind, and that it was actually a very respectable way for somebody to make a living was a key element to them being so supportive of me doing it when I got a little bit older.
Fan Voice: What will you get to do on Justified?
Alicia Witt: Oh, I am playing, there’s a whole new family being introduced this season and Mike Rappaport is the head of this really bad crime family that’s based out of the Florida Everglades. I’m his sister and the two of us are basically trying to keep our family together, but I’m a paralegal and sort of riding a fine line between family allegiance and trying to make a better life for myself. So basically we’re this other section of the Crowe family that’s going to wreak some havoc on Raylan Givens’ life this season.
Fan Voice: Is it from the books or an all new character?
Alicia Witt: I’m pretty sure it’s a new character. I know that Dewey Crowe has been on the show off and on from the beginning. He’s our cousin, so this is a whole other bunch of Crowes that we haven’t met before.
Fan Voice: Do you have a funny or dramatic role in A Madea Christmas?
Alicia Witt: My role is a little more straight. I don’t have a whole lot of over the top silly stuff to do in that, but it was fun to try and keep from laughing at what Tyler Perry was doing. I’m looking forward to seeing it.
This week a new drama is available on VOD starring Alicia Witt and Nick Stahl, and you can use Fan TV to find it by clicking the links and photos. In Away From Here Stahl plays a man returning to his hometown after a prison sentence, and Witt plays Lily, a waitress at the diner where he gets a job.
We got to speak with Witt by phone about her role in the new movie, her upcoming roles in Justified and A Madea Christmas as well as some of the memorable roles she played early in her career. It was just after Thanksgiving weekend so we began by talking about her Vegan Thanksgiving. Leave us a comment below about Alicia Witt and her latest dramatic work.
Fan Voice: What do you have instead of turkey for Vegan Thanksgiving?
Alicia Witt: The truth is, anywhere you are in the world you can find some pretty good turkey like substitutions. I don’t really like the ones that try to imitate turkey as much if that makes sense. I make stuffing and cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, all that stuff. So having something like a protein to go with it all really rounds out the meal well.
Fan Voice: I went to three Thanksgivings and by the second was regretting that decision.
Alicia Witt: We had invitations to three as well and we just chose to avoid all that driving, stayed in and watched a movie, had some whiskey and a nice dinner.
Fan Voice: You like whisky?
Alicia Witt: Yes, I do! Very much.
Fan Voice: What’s your favorite?
Alicia Witt: The one that we’re liking at the moment is Macallan 15 year, which is really for special occasions. The single malt scotches are really nice, especially at the end of the day.
Fan Voice: I had a Macallan 25 year once. It was spectacular.
Alicia Witt: Ohhhhhhh. Wow. That sounds like that would just about spoil you for everything else.
Fan Voice: It kind of does. So did you ever waitress while you were starting out?
Alicia Witt: I didn’t waitress but what my day job was when I moved to L.A. and was in that position of trying to make a living while not making a living as an actor, was I was actually a lounge pianist. I played background music at the Beverly Wilshire hotel for two and a half years, starting when I was 16. Actually even before that, when I was 15, I played for Sunday brunches. I had a little business card. I would do people’s weddings and birthday parties and that sort of thing. So I think I was really lucky that I was able to do that because unlike waiting tables, you actually get to really daydream a bit. I’m sure I would’ve spilled so much food on people if I had been a real waitress.
Fan Voice: Did you have to get somewhat good at waitressing with the prop food?
Alicia Witt: I do love to cook and I love serving people. I love having dinner parties and that sort of thing but then that’s my domain. I’m very comfortable with food, but if I were in a situation, I’ve been horrified in my life just seeing how some people treat servers and I have a short fuse. I don’t think I would have been very good at handling that sort of treatment. I have a hard time not saying what I think.
Fan Voice: Don’t you have to learn some diplomacy in this business?
Alicia Witt: Yeah, you would think. I guess I’ve learned some diplomacy. I’m still guilty of being way too honest a lot of the time. My friends know that I’m the first person their haircut looks like sh**. I’ve tried so hard over the years to get a little kinder about that sort of thing but the way I see it, I’d rather people be really honest with me too. I don’t like diplomacy as a rule.
Fan Voice: With a drama like Away From Here, was self-pity something you had to avoid in your performance? Because you did, I was impressed.
Alicia Witt: Certainly for Lily, I didn’t feel like she had much of any self-pity. That’s one of the things I loved about the character. I felt like she’s actually trying really hard to keep it together and the thing that’s magical about when she and James collide is that their walls come down almost against their better instincts. It’s like these two people who have spent so much of their life running away from their feelings and without even knowing each other’s history, they just kind of intuitively see that they’re in the presence of someone who’s experiencing a very similar thing.
Fan Voice: What sort of character work or rehearsal were you able to do for Away From Here?
Alicia Witt: I didn’t really have that much time to rehearse. I remember getting together with Bruce, the director, for lunch, for a brunch-like meeting the day before we started shooting but Nick and I didn’t really have much time to go over anything. I think we first said hello that morning at 5AM in the back of the van, but the good thing was that actually our first scene, it was boarded in such a way that the first scene that we filmed was actually the first scene in which we met, so I always love when that takes place. The awkwardness of actually working together for the first morning was, I think, reflected a little bit in those early scenes.
Fan Voice: Did you do any individual preparation then?
Alicia Witt: I didn’t do anything such as I know some actors like to do journal writing and all that kind of thing, but for me my process generally is I love music so I tend to find songs that I think reflect what the character is going through and I listen to them pretty nonstop while I’m preparing to take something on. I loved this script right away. I remember I was sent a whole bunch of them and sat down to read and there were quite a few not so good ones in the bunch. Then this one came along and for an actor sometimes you get asked to do things and sometimes you have to audition for them. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that this was one of the ones that I wouldn’t have to audition for. They were already asking me to do it so I was very, very excited about that. I loved the character. It made a lot of sense to me. I don’t think I did any specific preparation for her. I can certainly relate to not revealing all of what’s going on with you and also being guarded. I think we can all relate to having been hurt in life, in relationships, in family situations and Lily is going through all of that so I felt like she’s somebody that I could easily have been if life had just dealt me a slightly different hand.
Fan Voice: What were some of the songs for Lily?
Alicia Witt: I can’t quite remember. I feel like maybe some Alison Krauss, some Shawn Colvin. I’m thinking of “Don’t Know Why” by Shawn Colvin. That was probably one of the ones I listened to.
Fan Voice: Was the theme of forgiveness important for you to explore?
Alicia Witt: Well, definitely. That was one of the themes that I loved regardless of circumstance. It’s something most people can relate to and I certainly can. It’s not only forgiveness of other people’s transgressions or mistakes that they’ve made but when you can forgive someone else’s, you are also forgiving yourself. And I think so often when people are as judgmental as they can be, they’re often just really full of anger at themselves for their own mistakes.
Fan Voice: I love to talk about your classic roles as well. Was Mr. Holland’s Opus a big one for you?
Alicia Witt: It turned out to be. It was something that I did, I was still playing piano for a living when I did that movie. I was 18 and I had already had a film at Sundance but it hadn’t all kicked in yet. I was pretty unaware of the fact that that movie was going to have the kind of impact that it did. I learned to play the clarinet for it and then it was later that year that I got my first job on a series, which let me quit playing the piano. Then Mr. Holland’s Opus came out the following year, so yeah, that was a really exciting time.
Fan Voice: But was it clear in the script that that was a pivotal character?
Alicia Witt: Yeah, definitely. I was pretty naive though, especially then. I still am to a certain extent about what things people might still be talking about years later. I knew that working with Dreyfus was a special experience, and he was really good to me. He never made me feel like I was inexperienced or that I didn’t know what I was doing. Wow, the job they did on making him look as young as they did for those early scenes which are when I was there, the ‘60s period of the film, that was amazing. I remember walking onto the set the first day that we were going to shoot, and I’d already met him, and I didn’t even realize that he was in the room. He looked so different.
Fan Voice: So when you were a child on Dune, was that not an attempt to start a young acting career?
Alicia Witt: It really wasn’t. It was a complete coincidence and I had been on a variety show that my mom had basically submitted me for when I was five. Two years later, that show repeated and the casting director happened to catch it and got in touch with my parents through the white pages. Then next thing I knew I was auditioning for David Lynch in New York. It had never occurred to me or my parents that I would have that kind of career. We lived in Massachusetts and I didn’t know anybody who did it, but I think for my parents especially, getting to meet some very experienced actors and seeing that they were level headed and smart and kind, and that it was actually a very respectable way for somebody to make a living was a key element to them being so supportive of me doing it when I got a little bit older.
Fan Voice: What will you get to do on Justified?
Alicia Witt: Oh, I am playing, there’s a whole new family being introduced this season and Mike Rappaport is the head of this really bad crime family that’s based out of the Florida Everglades. I’m his sister and the two of us are basically trying to keep our family together, but I’m a paralegal and sort of riding a fine line between family allegiance and trying to make a better life for myself. So basically we’re this other section of the Crowe family that’s going to wreak some havoc on Raylan Givens’ life this season.
Fan Voice: Is it from the books or an all new character?
Alicia Witt: I’m pretty sure it’s a new character. I know that Dewey Crowe has been on the show off and on from the beginning. He’s our cousin, so this is a whole other bunch of Crowes that we haven’t met before.
Fan Voice: Do you have a funny or dramatic role in A Madea Christmas?
Alicia Witt: My role is a little more straight. I don’t have a whole lot of over the top silly stuff to do in that, but it was fun to try and keep from laughing at what Tyler Perry was doing. I’m looking forward to seeing it.