Heather Kafka – Around The House

Q) What are the current projects that you are working on?

A) I am currently editing my husband’s first novel. I am singing and playing keyboard in a good friend of mine’s band called I Make The Sound. Also, I just finished a guest starring role on “House,” which comes out September 26th. I just read for the new Jim Carey and Cameron Diaz film, as well. I really hope I get that!

Q) You’re going to be starring on an upcoming episode of “House.” Please tell us about the character you play.

A) I play the mother of an autistic child. He’s exhibiting some very non-autistic behavior. We take him to Dr. House and in his mischievous fashion, he cures the child of his mysterious disease.

Q) What made you want to be a part of the show?

A) One of the reasons was definitely Hugh Laurie. There is something about the show that I find interesting, to say the least. There is a pretty good vibe on set and Robert Sean Leonard is hilarious! He just keeps you laughing the whole time, which I appreciate.

Q) What is your most memorable moment from filming?

A) It would probably be the time when it was just my close ups and we were supposed to be holding our kid down while he’s thrashing about. We were holding a big rubber dummy of a human being that was set on some C-stand and a block. All of my costars were behind the camera shaking it violently to mimic the action of my son, but it was just this big rubbery blob mass thing. To get through that without laughing was quite a challenge!

Q) What is it like working with Hugh Laurie?

A) Amazing! He has to maintain his American accent the whole time. It would be way too difficult for him to switch back and forth. He talks the entire time like an American, so much so it’s astounding and impressive to watch. One time, he reached up, accidentally grabbed a set light and burned his hand. Even in the midst of that, the shock and pain, he still had an American accent. It’s amazing! I asked him, “You make it look so easy. Does it just come easy to you now?” He said, “No, I’m in agony! It’s absolutely unbearable and exhausting to have to do this all the time.” I just can’t even imagine! He’s fantastic and has a lot of pressure on his shoulders. It would be difficult to carry an entire show like that. It’s impressive!

Q) You’ve also guest starred on numerous program. What show would you like to appear on in the future?

A) It would have to be “Huff.” It got such a raw deal! It had ten Emmy nominations and had some of the best writing that I’ve read in all of my life and it got cancelled. I just don’t understand that, but it was such a ground breaking show with deep complicated material. I really like that. It was about real people, too. Sometimes other television shows are so high drama, which I can appreciate, but sometimes I like the real life drama, too. I enjoyed my work on the “CSI” shows, as well. They were a lot of fun! That all came about because Anthony Zuiker (the creator of “CSI”) happened to go to the movies and saw me in the film Texas Chainsaw Massacre. He said, “I don’t know what that was, but I want it in my show!” The role that I had played in the film was originally written for a morbidly obese woman in her mid to late forties. I wasn’t sure what my agents were thinking so I just went a little crazy for a few days to try and get in the character’s mindset. By day three, I actually was a little crazy and ended up shaving off my eyebrows. It ended up winning them all over and got me the part inChainsaw. Thankfully, my eyebrows grew back!

Q) Who would you most like to work with?

A) I love all of my costars and actors, of course, but I am more drawn to the story and the director. I would say I would most like to work with director Michel Gondry, Wes Anderson or Paul Thomas Anderson. Those kind of films that they make really interest me.

Q) What made you originally want to become an actress?

A) I was six years old and I don’t know if it was, “Look, when I stand on the coffee table and sing Linda Ronstadt songs then everyone laughs!” I am not sure what it was, but from that moment on at six years old it’s been the one and only thing I’ve wanted to do. I’ve pretty much done it now for twenty-seven years.

Q) What do you do in your spare time?

A) In my spare time, I talk in funny voices to my dog and I get involved in all kinds of projects that my friends are doing. I have a friend who has a rap album, he’s called Dragon Boy Suede. I get to do the female vocals on the rap album. I drink a lot of iced caramel macchiatos. I’ll be single handedly keeping Starbucks in business.

Q) What is your latest obsession? A book? A movie? A sport?

A) My latest obsessions are a few things. There is a television show on the BBC called “Life on Mars.” It’s about this guy who is a police officer in the year 2006 and gets hit by a car, somehow awaking to find himself in the year 1973. That’s pretty interesting! My favorite music band at the moment is The Devics. They are a Los Angeles band and they make very pretty music. I am obsessed with dairy milk and chocolate bars. For some reason I am stuck on “Mystery Science Theater 3000” again. I don’t know what that’s about, but I’ve been getting the DVDs. That’s always good for a night of pee in your pants laughter! Coffee Haagen Daz icecream is always an obsession too.