Katherine McNamera Dishes on her new MTV series, Happyland.
You may remember Katherine McNamera as Myra opposite Olivia Holt in the Disney Channel Original Movie, Girl vs. Monster, or as Claire on Disney XD’s Kickin’ It. This upcoming fall season you can see Katherine in her new MTV series, Happyland. Katherine recently sat down with Glitter Magazine to talk about the new show, her character, Harper, and a few new projects she’s working on. Did you know that Katherine was also on Broadway opposite Bernadette Peters? Or that she received her B.S. in Business Administration summa cum laude at 17 and is now working on her Master’s Degree? No? We didn’t either. When she’s not shooting new episodes of Happyland, you’ll find Katherine inside the studio working on music. Read on to find out more about this talented actress.
GLITTER: Tell us about your new MTV series, Happyland. What is the show about?
KATHERINE: Happyland follows the story of a few people who work at a theme park called Happyland. The park is ironically named because nothing happy ever happens in Happyland. Everything seems perfect on the surface, but behind the scenes, its utter chaos. Not only do the teens have to deal with the craziness, responsibilities, and daily drama of their jobs at the park, but they also have to deal with all the dirty little secrets that keep coming out about the people who own the park, their parents, and each other. Our show tackles the same issues that every teen experiences – relationship drama, gaining independence and responsibility from parents, dealing with a first job, college applications, and so much more. What makes our show unique however, is that all of this takes place on the backdrop of a theme park which only adds to the chaos. My character, Harper Munroe, is a fun flamboyant, boy crazy girl who is craziest about her longtime boyfriend, Will. However, when her parents are promoted and she starts to move up the Happyland hierarchy, she has to decide who she wants to be and how Will fits into her ever changing life. The show has a very soapy and dramatic plot with moment of really smart comedy – it strikes the perfect balance.
GLITTER: How would you describe your character, Harper?
KATHERINE: Harper is a fun flamboyant girl who loves to live life to the fullest. She is extremely passionate – when she sees something she wants, she goes after it will all of her being. She can be your best friend, but if you cross her, she can also be your worst enemy. Harper is also extremely boy crazy and that gets her into a great deal of trouble. She has been dating her boyfriend, Will, for quite a while. They are the solid couple in high school that is always together and always adorable. Now however, Harper is moving to Dazzle, the higher end neighborhood due to her parents’ promotion and has an opportunity to move up the Happyland social hierarchy. She has to figure out where Will and the rest of her friends fit in to her new socials status.
GLITTER: What has been one of your favorite episodes to film?
KATHERINE: Every episode of this series was an absolute blast. How many other shows have princesses, pirates, fairies, giant dogs, and Ricky Raccoon wandering around in the background? Truly though, what made this such a wonderful experience was the amazing cast and creative team. The cast of Happyland is an absolute dream. Every person is so unique and wonderful both on and off set – we truly are a family. We all get along so well the set was completely drama free! It’s always a huge plus when we leave the drama on screen. 🙂 The whole cast of Happyland is a very tight group. I’m sure that will translate on screen as well. We have so many dramatic and emotional scenes in the series – it really helps to be surrounded by people you trust and who trust you.
GLITTER: Aside from Happyland, you have a lot of new projects in the works. What can you tell us about them?
KATHERINE: I do have some fun new projects coming! Little Savages is a fun family film I shot last summer – it’s sort of a cross between The Goonies and National Treasure. It has an amazing cast, fun story, and so much action! A Sort of Homecoming is a coming of age film that follows the story of teens in a debate competition in the late 1980’s. My dear friend, Laura Marano, and I played best friends in the film and let me tell you, it was not a far stretch. 🙂 Natural Selection is an intense thrilling drama following the story of a good kid who is befriended by a psychopathic teen – my character gets caught in the middle of it all and tries to bring him back to his senses. Music is coming soon as well! When I’m not on set, I’m in the studio so stay tuned for that as well!
GLITTER: How do you prepare for auditions? Was there ever a challenging audition you faced?
KATHERINE: Every audition has its challenges, but I’m one actor who actually loves it! I prepare by reading the script so I understand the full story of the character. Then I read the lines multiple times to memorize them. As I become more familiar with the words, I create a character and put myself in her shoes to think about how she looks at the world, the details of her relationships, and how she feels about herself. By the time I go into the audition, I have created this other person that I can step into. I love when I have multiple auditions in one day. It keeps me on my toes to have to work at such a fast pace – it’s so interesting going from character to character quickly.
GLITTER: During the beginning of your acting career, you have appeared on Broadway. What was that like?
KATHERINE: Working on Broadway was one of my favorite experiences. Coming from a small town in Missouri to living in New York City was so amazing! I loved the city and the lifestyle there – such an incredible experience. Aside from that, working in the Broadway revival of A Little Night Music was an experience I will never forget. The amazing leading ladies of our show, Angela Lansbury and Catherine Zeta-Jones and later Elaine Stritch and Bernadette Peters, really took me under their wing and taught me so much about the industry and about life in general. Being a part of such a high caliber and quality production was a true honor and I loved every minute of it!
GLITTER: Would you say that Broadway helped prepare you for the acting industry?
KATHERINE: Without a doubt, I learned so much in my time on Broadway. Most of all, it taught me work ethic. Although it is amazing fun, performing in a show on Broadway is hard work. It involved eight shows a week, long hours, and late nights – and you have to be ready to give your best work every time and be able to keep it fresh for every show. The show taught me to savor every moment, to celebrate the highs and learn from the lows. These are lessons I will never forget.
GLITTER: What would be your dream role/film?
KATHERINE: I can’t say what my dream role is because it probably hasn’t been created yet. There are so many things I would love to do, an action movie, a period piece, a musical film, and so many more. My favorite characters to play however are broken people. Broken people make the best characters – they aren’t perfect, they have flaws, and they have room to grow throughout the course of a story. Their imperfections make them relatable and so much fun to step into their heart and mind.
GLITTER: What has been one of your greatest experiences so far?
KATHERINE: I could honestly never choose a favorite or greatest experience. Each job provides new challenges, learning experiences, and amazing memories. I put so much time, effort, and truly a piece of myself into every role, it would be as impossible as choosing a favorite child! That is one of the reasons I love my work so much. It is constantly changing and constantly pushing me to become a better version of myself.
GLITTER: What other hobbies do you also enjoy aside from acting?
KATHERINE: Aside from acting, I enjoy dancing, baking, reading, knitting, and making music! I have been dancing since I was 2, it’s what got me into acting in the first place! My grandmother taught me how to bake with my great grandmothers’ recipes, so it will always be special to me. Some of the ladies in the orchestra of A Little Night Music taught me how it knit – it’s so relaxing! As I said, when I’m not on set, I’m in the studio writing and recording new music. I’m releasing some soon so stay tuned for that!
GLITTER: What are some fun facts about you that you can share with your fans?
KATHERINE: Something people may not know about me is I am a huge nerd! I love school! I have always had a huge thirst for knowledge. I graduated high school with honors when I was 14, earned my Bachelor of Science in Business Administration summa cum laude at 17, and now I’m working on my Master’s degree. So many people take their education for granted and don’t really care about learning. That’s such a huge mistake! Education is how you create your views about the world around you! There is so much to learn about how the world works, about our history, about other cultures, and so much more. Why not expand your horizons and see what’s out there to discover? Knowledge is the one thing that will always be yours once you gain it. It should be valued.
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Editorial Director | Writer | Tweet me @heatherriccio
