Everyone take note; Katlin Mastandrea is on the rise. After landing a part on Criminal Minds, Katlin turned what was supposed to be a one episode guest spot as Weird Ashely on ABC’s The Middle into a full on recurring character.
Now, Katlin can be seen on FX’s new comedy hit (and Charlie Sheen starring) Anger Management. Her first appearance is during the Thursday, July 12 episode.
I recently had a chance to chat with Katlin about both of her TV roles and what the future may have in store.
First off, I wanted to congratulate you and the whole cast and crew of Anger Management for setting the new record for highest ratings of a primetime Cable program.
Yes! It’s very cool!
Seems like a good sign for the show and its future.
Hopefully!
On Anger Management, your character’s name is Olivia. What can you tell us about her?
Well, I can’t say too much because my first episode hasn’t aired yet, so I can’t divulge plot lines or whatnot. What I can tell you is her name is Olivia, and she is the best friend of Sam (Daniela Bobadilla), Charlie (Charlie Sheen)’s daughter. They are in this college prep club together, but they don’t talk about college matters too much! It’s mostly girly, hormonal things; along those lines.
(Laughing) Ah, gotcha! Obviously the show is getting a lot of buzz due to Charlie Sheen’s involvement and his much publicized “wild side.” I have read that despite those aspects of his personal life, he’s actually quite pleasant to work with. Would you say that’s the case?
Yes, he’s very professional and he’s very invested in this (Anger Management). He actually greets everyone on set, no matter how small your part is, so that’s always nice!
Definitely! How did you becoming a member of the cast actually come about?
Well, The Middle’s casting director is G. Charles Wright, and he knew me from there. He actually cast Anger Management as well. So he brought me in and, since he knew my work, it helped me bypass to a producer’s session. Then I got a call and voila!
That’s awesome. You are definitely living up to the old adage of being “people that know people”. You are living proof of it.
(Laughing) Yeah! I know a lot of people!
(Both Laughing)Now you know Charlie Sheen so you may be set forever.
Along with your new gig on Anger Management, you also play Weird Ashley, a pretty beloved character on ABC’s The Middle. Both shows have a particular look and feel to them, mostly to do with The Middle being a single camera show versus Anger Management being multi-camera. Is there much difference from an acting standpoint between the two or do you have a preference?
There’s a big difference in terms of scheduling and how fast you work done. With The Middle, since it is single-cam, it takes a while. You shoot close-ups and then they have to reset the entire thing to get the camera on the other side. So, it can take a good bit of time. It depends on how many lines I get, but it could be a couple days.
Oh wow!
Yeah! The week before they have a table read and then the next week they shoot the entire episode. For Anger Management, though, since they want so many episodes out so fast they still have the table read the week before, but they film two episodes a week. Since they have the ability to use multi-cam it takes a very short amount of time to get all the shots.
I could see that being very beneficial, especially with the deal I hear Anger Management has set up where if the first ten episodes are a success there will be an automatic 90 episode order. Multi-cam will definitely come in handy then!
Yeah!
With roles on Anger Management and The Middle, and a previous part on Criminal Minds, you have a decent amount of TV work under your belt. Are you happy with working in Television or are you wanting to branch out into film?
I’d like to do a little of both. Definitely dip my toes in both pools and possibly get into the more creative side with either writing or producing or directing. I tend to like the whole process, so I might as well!
Indeed! On top of all the work you’re currently doing and what I can only imagine is a lack of free time, you somehow are still managing to fit college into your life. Are you studying anything specifically film or acting related?
Yeah. I’m getting my AA certificate, I think it’s called, for directing. I forget the term, but definitely for directing. So I’ve been taking some film classes, film history classes. Mostly just watching movies!
(Laughing)
That sounds glorious! I watch movies all the time. I should have at least 20 certificates!
(Both Laughing)
You’ve got acting down and now directing. Pretty soon you’ll be making your own movies!
Yeah! (Laughing)
You’ve already got tons of fans from The Middle and many more on the way with Anger Management. Anything you’d like to say to all the fans and readers out there?
I know there’s a lot of fans out there that love Weird Ashley and how she’s a little offbeat. She marches to her own beat and doesn’t really care what anybody else thinks because in the end, you have to live with yourself and if you’re fine, everything else will fall into place.
– Matt Hardeman, with special thanks to Katlin Mastandrea
Image credit: http://deidhrafaheyphotography.com
