Kathreen Khavari – Insecure

By starrymag | September 23, 2018

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

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

A) My writing partner, Chuck Neal, and I are currently developing our show, Embrace, with Refinery29 and director Marta Cunningham. We’re also in pre-production for Season 2 of our comedic podcast Strongly Worded, where we bring on guests to read aloud their strongly-worded, often absurd written exchanges. I’m also writing a crime comedy.

 

Q) What is new on “Insecure” this season and with Patricia?

A) Well, I don’t think anything is ever new with Patricia. We Got Y’all is always the last place that she wants to be, and she doesn’t hesitate showing it. Unfortunately, (spoiler alert) Issa quits We Got Y’all, which I think Patricia probably both respects and envies because she’s wanted to quit forever, but she’s too comfortable getting away with being paid to not really work.

 

Q) What originally made you want to be a part of the show?

A) I had been following Issa Rae’s career for a long time, back from when she was doing Awkward Black Girl. We had made a web series called “Famous Farrah” and we ran ads on the Awkward Black Girl newsletter that periodically went out. Fast forward a couple of years, I wrote and starred in a viral short film called “Brain of Terror” where I played eleven different characters who were having an identity crisis. I don’t think Issa knew I was the same person from “Famous Farrah” when she reposted the video on Google Plus (yes, it was during the small window of time where people were using Google Plus). I got so excited when I saw that she’d shared it that I reached out to her to thank her and we stayed in touch after that. Again, a couple of years later, I texted Issa to invite her to a table read for a pilot I wrote, and she said, “Sure…do you want to be in my HBO pilot? There’s no lines in it, but if it gets picked up we can write some stuff for you.” It definitely wasn’t an even exchange but that’s Issa, extremely supportive of and generous with other artists.

 

Q) Was there anything you added to your role that wasn’t initially scripted for her?

A) When we were shooting the first We Got Y’all scene, we got to improvise a little bit even though we were told that they weren’t going to keep any of the lines in the pilot. I quickly decided that my character was the one who always drops the ball because she really doesn’t care to be there. As promised, they cut those lines in the version that was broadcast, but I think the choice I made influenced the writers on the direction of Patricia’s character.

 

Q) What continues to challenge you about portraying this role?

A) They allow us to improvise a lot on this show and the biggest challenge is keeping up with all of the other fantastic improvisers like Natasha Rothwell. Other than that, it’s not hard at all relating to Patricia. I used to work at a non-profit and I totally understand her lack of enthusiasm for it, especially with the BS interpersonal politics, unnecessary meetings and exhausting competitive culture that often arises in any office setting. I’m definitely not as bleak in my outlook on life as Patricia is, though.

 

Q) Was there someone in the cast you were hoping/excited to have a scene with this season that maybe you haven’t worked with much or at all?

A) When I first got onto the show and found out Melina Matsoukas would be directing I was super excited because at the time Rihanna’s “We Found Love” video was one of my favorite contemporary music videos.  It was so dark and emotional and visually stunning.  I wanted to tell her that every time I saw her but was afraid of being too-fangirly so I never did. Now she knows. Other than that, I would have loved to have a scene with Kelli (Natasha Rothwell), but the likelihood was extremely low since my character has exclusively been seen in the We Got Y’all Working with the other We Got Y’all staff is always fun, though, so I win either way.

 

Q) Talk about working with Issa Rae as a creator/writer/costar.

A) I often express my love for Issa to the point where I’m afraid she might get a restraining order against me, but I have a tremendous amount of love for her. She gave me an opportunity based strictly off of a tiny short I did years before and little contact we had here and there. I’ll never forget that and will always be grateful to her for bringing me onto this culturally significant phenomenon that is “Insecure.” She didn’t wait to have tremendous clout to give other artists an opportunity. She fought hard from Day 1 to involve people that she believed in,and that was obvious on set, which–by the way–is the most inclusive and supportive set I’ve been on to date. I respect her a lot. Believe the mythology surrounding Issa. She’s an incredible individual.

 

Q) What have been some of your most memorable moments from filming “Insecure?”

A) This is going to sound cliché, but every moment has been pleasantly surreal. I was thankful just to be on set with all these talented actors, writers and crew. There was one night where we went kind of late and exhaustion-delirium set in. My lines were some of the last ones we shot, and the improv was so much fun because I was so tired. The line I came up with about how dreams aren’t meant to be achieved made it into the final cut of the episode. Another memorable day was when I cut my hair when I wasn’t supposed to and caused a bit of chaos on set. It was incredibly embarrassing, and I wanted to curl into a ball and have someone pet my head and tell me I wouldn’t be banished from acting for life. Fortunately, they put in some hair extensions and everyone found humor in the situation. I ended up being the butt of all jokes that day and I was thankful for that because otherwise I would have had a meltdown–which actually I did once I got home that evening, but at least that was in private.

 

Q) What do you hope viewers take away from watching the show?

A) I think the reason the show has been so successful is that Issa has presented archetypes of women of color that we haven’t necessarily seen much of on television, which is tremendously important because oftentimes, executives want to recycle the same archetypes and that’s just not reflective of real-life. I hope viewers become more conscious of the fact that the stagnant stereotypes they’re fed aren’t necessarily reflective of real people and oftentimes they exist to serve a narrative that’s usually told from a dangerously tone-deaf and oppressive perspective. Support creatives of color, support creatives that are women because gatekeepers won’t give them opportunities unless there’s real viewership.

 

Q) You’re a part of social media. Do you enjoy the instant fan feedback you receive to episodes?

A) “Insecure”fans are some of the wittiest out there. Their tweets are incredibly entertaining and the live tweet sessions are so much fun to scroll through. It also provides a unique opportunity for fans to feel even more involved with and invested in the show and I love that we engage our fans in such an immediate way.

 

Q) We loved seeing you on Season One of “Big Little Lies.” What did you take away from working on the show?

A) Those of us who played the Monterey Bay parents became incredibly close while filming the show. The filming schedule was oftentimes rigorous with many overnight shoots, but that just served to tighten our bond. It was also surreal to be on set with legends like Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon and Laura Dern. And Reese was always so engaging and welcoming on set. One of my favorite nights was when the director, Jean-Marc Vallee, had me improvise a scene with Alexander Skaarsgard’s character and he told me to just try to keep him engaged and distracted from getting to his wife, Celeste (Kidman). This was in the season finale where she storms out of the car and goes into the Elvis-Audrey party. I enjoyed that tremendously.

 

Q) You often take on dramatic roles. Is there something that draws you to this genre? 

A) The reason I love acting is it’s fun for me to play, to try to transform into different characters and express various human emotions. So, I enjoy dramas and comedies equally. I’m a naturally emotional and overly empathetic person which, before I got into acting, was oftentimes burdensome because we’re taught to keep that part of ourselves hidden and private. When I get an opportunity to embrace and express that side of my personality it’s not only fulfilling, it can also be therapeutic. There’s a sense of relief when you’re allowed to publicly be human.

 

Q) What advice would you give to up and coming actors and actresses?

A) Well, I’m still up-and-coming so I’m not sure how much advice I can give, but I will say there’s tremendous value to creating your own work. Every acting opportunity I got is directly because I chose to create, release and then promote my own material. It’s a lot of work, but it’ll eventually pay off. Also, try not to give up. It’s a long journey full of “no,” but every once in a while, you’ll get a “yes” and it’ll all feel worth it.

 

Q) You are also a part of “Marvel Avengers Assemble” as Ms. Marvel. What does it mean to you voice the first Muslim super hero?

A) Again, another cliché, but it’s a dream come true. Every kid wants to be a superhero and then to portray a hero who I can culturally relate to is tremendous. In an industry where Muslims are oftentimes dangerously and irresponsibly vilified, it’s refreshing to have such a huge company like Marvel take the lead on bringing to life a character that accurately reflects the values of the majority of Muslims–kindness, compassion and love. I adore this character and am thankful to Marvel for allowing me to be a part of her world.

 

Q) In today’s political climate, why do you think it is so important to have a person of color as a superhero and someone for viewers to look up to?

A) We live in a time in our country–and in the world–where right-wing extremists are trying to destroy diversity in the West, and they do this by spreading dangerous propaganda about minorities. This propaganda can come in all forms and media plays a huge role in perpetuating it. Programming that shows minorities as threats–Muslims as terrorists, black people as inherently violent, Asians as meek and Latinos as ruthless drug lords–has existed for decades and has shaped public opinion worldwide. Those perceptions are then used to garner support for policies and actions against these groups (i.e. the war against drugs, Jim Crow laws, Chinese Exclusion Act, the Muslim Ban, invasion of the Middle Eastern-country-of-the-day, family separation at the border etc. etc. etc).  American media is far-reaching and as such we have a tremendous responsibility to show nuance in every character. Because the narrative has overwhelmingly been in the hands of a select and homogeneous few, we’ve failed to show this nuance and instead have perpetuated dangerous stereotypes, the repercussions of which reverberate throughout our world today. Ms. Marvel signifies the beginnings of a course-reversal in American media. It’s one of the few times since 9-11 where we have a character combating the negative and false stereotypes of Muslims, a superhero who embodies the values that I grew up with, the virtues inherent in my family and the Muslim society that I know.

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and the work that you do?

A) Thank you, thank you, thank you. You can’t really survive in this line of work if you don’t have people rooting for you, so I’m incredibly grateful to those people who continue to support me.