Katie Barberi – Every Witch Way

By: Lisa Steinberg

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

A) Ever since “Every Witch Way” it’s been about the show and my jewelry line. We’ll have to see how fans react to Season Three. I’m hoping there is a Season Four and I’m pretty sure there will be because I think we found our audience and the people that really love the show. I’m incredibly lucky and blessed that I have had the opportunity to do this.

Q) Have you added anything to this role that wasn’t originally scripted for you?

A) I’m actually given a lot of latitude by the writers, a lot more than I probably should. This character was supposed to probably be in the first season of “Grachi,” the Latin version. That was what I was warned when I sat down to talk to Tatiana [Rodriguez]. Usually, the children don’t identify with the adult characters that much so this was an adult character. She wanted a recognizable actress in the Latin market that they might recognize me from the telenovela actress. She said this was a very small role and would be in one episode out of three. She said I was going to be working maybe once a week and it didn’t end up working out that way (thank God). At one point, Ursula was an elitist and a snob. She was a rich Miami housewife in the way that it was shot. I thought to myself, “What if she doesn’t mean to be mean? What if she doesn’t mean to say these things? What if she is just innocent in a kind of Phoebe from ‘Friends’ way?” I channeled my favorite actresses like Lisa Kudrow and Suzanne Somers from “Three’s Company.” They seem to be ditzes, but they may be the smartest women in the room. That’s who I started patterning the character after. I pulled from Carol Burnett and I pulled from Lucille Ball. I pulled from my comedic muses and it worked! So, they gave me a bit of latitude with that character and they have crossed over that latitude for me in that role in English. Clayton Boen, the director, has been incredibly supportive. Harriet Greenspan, the casting director and onset acting coach, has been incredibly supportive when I come up to them with these crazy ideas and say, “Why don’t we try this?” I’m always ready for them to say, “Katie, you have lost your mind,” but they have been incredibly cool and given me a chance.

Q) You have great comedic timing. Is it something that is a natural ability or have you had to work at it?

A) I’ve taken a lot of acting classes in my life. I started as a child actress in Los Angeles and I worked with a number of acting coaches who predominantly worked with well known acting techniques like Stanislavki. I also took acting in Mexico with Sergio Jimenez and Adriana Barraza, who was my diction coach and acting coach in Mexico. She was later nominated for and Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for the film Babel. If you’re working with different acting coaches in different languages they will teach you a lot more than if you were just learning from one place. My comedic timing I think has come from being a really good television student and film student. Again, my muses Lisa Kudrow, Cynthia Nixon and Sarah Paulson and Kim Cattrall, Suzanne Somers, Lucille Ball and Carol Burnett are people I truly admire and not just actresses, but actors too! Tom Hanks and anyone from the cast of “Friends” because they are all masters at what they do. These are people whose timing, if you pay attention and watch their shows, as a student you learn things that you can feel like a thief. I should be put in jail for the amount of things I have stolen from these people! They all stand in the room with me when I am working on a scene and shooting a scene, whether or not they know they are there are not…all of their brilliance and tutelage are there with me. Then, there is my fiancé, Craig Hurley, who is an amazing actor. Mostly my inspiration comes from great comedic actors that i have observed.

Q) “Every Witch Way” has such a diverse cast. Is there anyone you haven’t’ worked with yet that you would like to?

A) I’ve been in scenes with pretty much all of the cast. I haven’t had a chance to work with Danielle Nieves who plays Andi as much as I would like to. She is adorable and has got great comedic timing. She’s such a pro and I haven’t been able to work with her as much as I would like. I’m very grateful for any scenes that I have with these kids because they are amazing. They really are! I started as a child actress, as I said, so the pitfalls of being a child actor that one sees in Hollywood I watch for in these kids because they are young and the show is #1. I’m blown away at their professionalism and the beautiful people they are and I love all of them equally. They have amazing parents and they are all dear friends of mine. It’s so important to watch these kids grow in these roles and the fame that they are getting. People know who they are now in a way they didn’t two seasons ago! I’m seeing how amazingly well and with such grace they are all handling it. I enjoy every minute that I am working with all of those kids.

Q) What can you tease is in store this season on the show?

A) Ursula may grow in a way that is unexpected this season. She may be required to give of herself in a way that she is not used to giving of herself and maybe have understanding with another person in a way that she would normally not. But she doesn’t lose that selfishness and that way of dealing with life that just makes her so funny. I think as human beings we don’t change. We grow and mature. If you are lucky enough to be on a series where you watch your character grow you see how they grow and mature and finds understanding in ways they hadn’t before. That’s all I can say. The obsession with purses and shoes continues. The obsession with jewelry continues. The obsession of trying to be a witch when she does not have the ability continue as does her concern for Maddie’s relationship with Diego because he is a Kanay. They have certain aspects of a werewolf, but they aren’t. They work with fire and ice. Diego is learning how to control his powers and he loves Maddie, which is clear to everybody that watches the show. Ursula’s concern is that they are different within this made up world of “Every Witch Way.” Kanay’s and witches are just not supposed to get together. It creates a lot of problems socially for them to get together. It’s a really interesting way that Tatiana is handling a very controversial subject. She is handling it with characters that don’t exist in the real world. Ursula just has this opinion of him that doesn’t reflect his heart and his character and whether or not he deserves Maddie in his life (which he does). I think it is interesting with that storyline to watch her grow because she may see some things this season that are inevitable for her to take note of as far as how cool Diego is and how much he loves her daughter.

Q) Is there anything else you would like to be sure to share with fans?

A) I have a jewelry line that I have been working on. This jewelry line was inspired by my fan club. They came about when I did a show for Telemundo called “Dona Barbara.” I played Cecilia and she was in love with a much younger man. He would always call her his “mariposa,” which means butterfly because she would always fly from his hand since she was afraid of getting into a relationship with a much younger man. It started a phenomenon that is now all over the world! I have come in contact with women who are teenagers up to my age and older who really identified with this character with her struggle to come into herself. It inspired me to do this jewelry line called Mariposa Katie and my theme is “Mariposa find your wings.” That which makes you happy in this life and what resonates with you makes you happy. If it is her education, her child, her religion or if it is her sexual orientation…Whatever it is, then those are her wings and she must find them in order for her to fly. This jewelry line has taken off and it is kind of blowing my mind. You can go to http://www.mariposakatie.com and on there is all of the different jewelry pieces. We all have different ways of leading our lives, depending on where in the world we are from, but I think a woman’s need and desire to fly in this life is something that is fundamental no matter who you are and where you are from. No matter what her wings are in this life is nobody’s business, but her own. She deserves to fly and fulfill her dreams.