THE OUTLIER Deviating from the Mean with Actress PAULEY PERRETTE

THE OUTLIER

Deviating from the Mean with Actress PAULEY PERRETTE

By Jonathan Metzelaar
Spring 2013
(As seen in PMc Magazine, May 2013)   
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The fact that I knew who Pauley Perrette was despite never having watched the show NCIS is a testament to just how popular and, consequently, how recognizable a figure she’s become. According to her Q Score, which is used to measure the popularity of celebrities, television shows, and brands, Perrette is the most popular actress on American primetime television. This is in large part due to the cult-like following that has developed around the character she plays on NCIS, Abby Sciuto. The appeal of Abby is manifold, but a lot of it surely has to do with the fact that, in a television landscape that is sorely lacking layered, interesting characters, Abbey is an outlier.

In analytics, an outlier is defined as, “that which appears to deviate markedly from other members of the sample in which it occurs.” In other words, it’s something that stands out among the others because it’s different. It’s a term that Abby Sciuto would be familiar with, given her forensics background. But it’s also an apt description of the character Perrette is portraying through Abby. Every television crime drama has its own iteration of the forensic scientist. But all too often they seem to have been pushed through the same mold. Perrette broke new ground with Abby though, who’s a young, brilliant, female forensic scientist that loves tattoos, choker necklaces, loud music, and decorating her lab with dolls and stuffed animals. She’s a nice splash of color in a generally drab genre of television, and it’s in no small part because the woman playing her is as eccentric and interesting as she is. Pauley Perrette brings life to Abby in a way that’s hard to imagine anybody else even coming close to replicating, and fortunately I was able to talk a bit with her about both the fascinating character she is, and the fascinating character that she plays.
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Jonathan Metzelaar: Your character on NCIS, Abby Sciuto, is considered one of the most well-liked characters on television. What do you think it is about this character that is so identifiable? How much of Abby are the writers responsible for, and how much of her is a reflection of your own personality?

Pauley Perrette: Abby is one of those iconic TV characters that comes along every once in a while. By combining her role as a genius scientist with an alternative style, a genuine sense of self, and a great sense of humor–along with the fact that she has such a huge heart–she has become one of the most unique television characters ever.  Abby is adored by people of all ages all around the world.

She was an amazing character from the first time I read her in a script 11 years ago, and over the course of 230 episodes the writers, the wardrobe department, and myself have added even more flavor to this eccentric little being.

 

JM: Are there any ways in which you, as Pauley Perrette, ever feel confined by Abby Sciuto? Do you ever feel any pressure to live up to this big public persona that’s been created of you, whether in terms of your personality or your style?

PP: Abby is way more awesome than me. She’s very well put-together, very focused, and very neat–all characteristics I personally do not embody.  I have to remind people that I am not actually Abby; I’m just an actor with an awesome job. I am a huge Abby fan though. I love her. But I’m not her.

JM: You’ve got a tremendous following of passionate fans. In fact, during my interview with your friends Darren and Matthew over at Donna Bell’s Bake Shop, a group of your fans came in looking for you, and said they traveled all the way from Arkansas. Have you ever had any crazy encounters with a fan or group of fans? On the flip side, were there any particularly endearing moments you’ve shared with your fans?


PP: NCIS fans are the best. Abby fans are very passionate. Because Abby is such a big hugger, I often have fans just come throw their arms around me. One of the best things is getting my fans involved in the causes and charities that I support. They sponsor me for AIDS walks, we collect money to buy kevlar vests for police and military dogs–all kinds of things. My favorite fan is a young boy who saves his allowance all year then sends it to the animal rescue I work with.

JM: Speaking of Donna Bell’s, was cooking a big part of your life growing up? How has the experience of lending your mother’s name and likeness to the bake shop been for you so far? Do you offer any input to the guys with regard to future menu items or anything like that?

PP: My mom was always cooking and baking. She, my sister, and I were always baking and decorating cakes. It is wonderful having such an amazing homage to her in Donna Bell’s Bake Shop.
Ironically, I don’t eat sugar or white flour, so Matthew [co-owner of Donna Bell's] makes me awesome whole-wheat and fresh berry muffins. Yum!

JM: You’re probably best known for your acting, but you’re also a writer and a musician. Do any of these passions take precedent over each other, or do you enjoy them all equally? Have any of these artistic endeavors ever directly inspired one of the others, and if so, when?

PP: I love my job, and it’s super important to me that I do a great job at it every time I hit set. My job as Abby is my priority; they pay me for that. But my other little piece of heaven is in the music studio. It’s my happy place. I love writing and recording music. I’m not interested in performing live, just getting music out there.

JM: You’re featured on DMC’s song, “Attention Please.” How did that collaboration come about? Do you have any plans to collaborate on any other musical projects, or any plans to release any of your solo work?


PP: My awesome drummer Veronica Bellino wrote that DMC song, and they had this great idea for our collaboration. I adore DMC, and I love the track. We had a blast.

My new record is almost finished. I am so excited about people hearing it. I’m just trying to figure out how I want to distribute it and get it out there. I can’t wait.

 

JM: Do you have any projects coming up that you’d like people to know about?

PP: Just continuing to work with over 30 charities and non-profits. I’m also planning on getting this record out, as well as finishing my documentary, Citizen Lane, which is about the life of legendary civil rights attorney Mark Lane.

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Pauley Perrette is an actress, best known for her role as Abby Sciuto on the crime drama NCIS. She was also featured in Dawson’s Creek, 24, and the film Almost Famous, among other projects.

LINKS:
NCIS Official Website
Donna Bell’s Bake Shop Official Website
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Written and Edited by Jonathan Metzelaar
Photography by Patrick McMullan, Andreas Branch, David Crotty, Brian Lindensmith and Joe Schildhorn
Design by Lulu Vottero
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Captions:

Page 1/Cover:

Pauley Perrette, HEART TRUTH RED DRESS 2010 Collection, NY Public Library, NYC, February 11, 2010, Photography by Patrick McMullan for PatrickMcMullan.com

Page 2:
a. Pauley Perrette, 12th Annual Golden Heart Awards, Beverly Wilshire Hotel, Beverly Hills, Ca, May 7, 2012, Photography by Andreas Branch for PatrickMcMullan.com
b. Pauley Perrette, ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT EMMY After Party Vibiana, Los Angeles, Ca, August 29, 2010, Photography by David Crotty for PatrickMcMullan.com
c. Pauley Perrette, THE HUMANE SOCIETY OF THE UNITED STATES celebrates the 2013 GENESIS AWARDS BENEFIT GALA, The Beverly Hilton, Beverly Hills, CA, March 23, 2013, Photography by David Crotty for PatrickMcMullan.com
d. Pauley Perrette, HEART TRUTH RED DRESS 2010 Collection, NY Public Library, NYC, February 11, 2010, Photography by Joe Schildhorn for PatrickMcMullan.com
e.  Pauley Perrette, The 2011 ET Emmy Awards After Party, Chinese Theatre, Los Angeles, CA, September 18, 2011, Photography by Brian Lindensmith for PatrickMcMullan.com
f. Pauley Perrette, The Paley Center For Media’s PaleyFest 2013 Honoring THE BIG BANG THEORY, Saban Theater, Beverly Hills, CA, March 13, 2013, Photography by Andreas Branch for PatrickMcMullan.com
g.  Pauley Perrette, LA Zoo Elephants of Asia Under the Stars, Los Angeles Zoo, Griffith Park, Los Angeles, Ca, December 15, 2010, Photography by David Crotty for PatrickMcMullan.com

Page 3:
Pauley Perrette, HEART TRUTH RED DRESS 2010 Collection, NY Public Library, NYC, February 11, 2010, Photography by Patrick McMullan for PatrickMcMullan.com

Page 4:
Patrick McMullan and Pauley Perrette, Bryan Rabin Birthday Party, Chateau Marmont, LA, March 5, 2005, Photography by Patrick McMullan for PatrickMcMullan.com
Page 5:
Pauley Perrette, Club USA, New York City, 1990/91, Photography by Patrick McMullan for PatrickMcMullan.com
Pauley Perrette, HEART TRUTH RED DRESS 2010 Collection, NY Public Library, NYC, February 11, 2010, Photography by Joe Schildhorn for PatrickMcMullan.com

THE EXCITEMENT OF THE UNKNOWN: An Introduction to Actress and Model KATIE CHONACAS

THE EXCITEMENT OF THE UNKNOWN

An Introduction to Actress and Model KATIE CHONACAS
By Owen Hoffmann
Fall 2012
(As seen in PMc Magazine, November 2012)   
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Katie Chonacas is a fresh new face in the acting world. Not only does she have talent, but she loves a good challenge–she’s excited by the unknown. As her career begins its ascent, I decided to sit down and have a conversation with the model, actress, and artist.

Owen Hoffmann: I’m always interested in people’s stories on how they made their way to the Big Apple. Tell me your story…
Katie Chonacas: I have always wanted to live and thrive in NYC. Thank goodness I am finally here! Two summers ago I did a TV show in Brazil. My episode was all about fashion. O’Neal McKnight was on another episode devoted to music. We didn’t shoot together, but the producer of Noble Exchange, Tamara Park, thought it would be a grand idea to connect us. O’Neal had a project going on with Diddy, so he flew out to California and we connected over the summer. His uncle’s 50th birthday party was being held the following month in New York City with Diddy hosting. O’Neal invited me to come, and I obliged. I bought a round-trip ticket, visited my family in New Jersey for a week, and then went to the city for the birthday party. I decided ahead of time I wanted to stay in NYC for a week to take some meetings and see what opportunities could arise. Right away a modeling agency said they would start working with me, so this was great news. At the time, my sister, Anna was living in the city working for a PR company. We were downtown outside relishing in the moment on Lafayette Street having Greek gyros when it suddenly dawned on me: my return flight was that day, and I had already missed my departure by an hour. We were laughing and in shock, and I just never returned to LA! I went to New York on a round-trip ticket and never left.

OH: When did you first start acting and feel the need to pursue it as a career?
KC: I started professional acting when I ventured west to California. I knew only one person in the acting business–honestly, that is all you need: one person to help and direct you when you first start. I was led into the William Anderson acting studio under the Meisner technique. While studying, I was networking non-stop and found a firm to represent me. Finally, after going out for a constellation of projects and then landing a spot on CSI: NY soon after, I started to book more TV shows and feature films. Beginning in childhood I always knew I wanted to be an actor. When I accomplished my goal, I was full of love and excitement, and it thrilled me to entertain people and make them laugh.

OH: Who has been your inspiration?
KC: Inspirations for me have been Reese Witherspoon, Madonna, Winona Ryder, Andy Warhol. I admire Evan Rachel Wood, Sean Penn, James Franco, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ben Stiller, Johnny Deep, Judd Apatow, James Mangold, David Lynch, and Amy Heckerling.

OH: What has inspired you to keep acting?

KC: My passion, my love for God, and my love for living–for the excitement of the unknown–to be able to create and make something out of nothing, this inspires me to keep going. I love to push the limits. What are limits, really? It’s exciting to challenge yourself and push others to challenge themselves as well. There’s so much going on in life I want to experience, and when I’m exhausted I love to sleep and dream in the heavens, treating myself to bubble baths and massages. I love going to art shows, galleries, and the Met. I feel much love for the theatre as well.

OH: You also are very talented in other areas of the spectrum; tell me a little about this love for art and music, and what roles they play in your life.
KC: Well, thank you kindly. I have been writing since I was a pre-teen. I found myself writing all these deep, emotional thoughts and experiences. Not knowing where this writing would lead me, I just knew it was important to write. I have turned some of my writing into spoken-word poetry. I record in the studio a cappella. I met this amazing producer, Ronnie Beck, who has done all the beats for my spoken-word poetry. Ronnie says he has never created the way we have created. Normally a producer gives an artist a beat and they lay vocals on the beat, but with us it’s the other way around. Ronnie listens to the message in the poem, and interpolates the beats around and within my vocals. It’s pretty exhilarating and exciting to create something no one else is creating. Since then, we have done more traditional radio-ready tracks. Our first single is “Fresh Louboutin,” which can be found on iTunes under Kyriaki Sunday. Last week, I flew Ronnie here to NYC, and we recorded the sister track titled “Paris Fashion Week,” which I dedicated to my BFF and fashion stylist extraordinaire J. Logan Horne. I am obsessed with fashion, so I have incorporated within the lyrics my love for style and the experiences in the fashion world I see and admire. I have decided to call this “fashion pop.” My follow-up track is titled “Rockstar Legend.” I am also very blessed and pleased to announce I had my very first art show in New York City for six weeks at Pie in the Union Square area. The artistic reception for me in the Big Apple has been a grand welcoming. Since then, I’ve been commissioned in a couple of cafes and coffee shops with plans to have more exhibitions in New York and around the world. The pieces can be viewed at KyriakiSunday.com. and soon Artspace.com.

OH: How has social media affected your career?
KC: Social media is the 21st century’s way of bringing back care for one another on the hierarchy of what’s important in our daily lives. The ability to socialize and connect a little deeper with fans domestically and internationally on such a personal level is rewarding because I can instantly see my positive impact in the lives of others. Twitter is especially good for metering that impact and deepening social connections. When my fans feel that personal connection with me, they love me even more, which in the end, has inspired me to heights I never could have imagined. When it comes to Instagram, I am enchanted and enamored; sharing one’s best life experiences through pictures is really the sweet spot of the social media revolution. You can find my twitter and Instagram at KYRIAKISUNDAY.

OH: How do you see your career playing out in the future?
KC: I am a powerful creator. Having built an empire, I am really excited for the present and the future. I love predicting the future by creating it now because the future is a flowing continuation of “nows.” Looking back, I have been blessed with childhood and ten years of delicious experiences in LA and around the world. I am taking all that I have learned, and I’m applying it here in New York. It’s so exciting to see and feel all the dots connecting with aplomb. I know as long as I feel good and stay healthy, things that come into my experience will continue to please me. I am ready for my pleasing future, for I am so pleased with my “now.”
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 Katie Chonacas is a New York based model, actress, and artist.

LINKS:
Katie Chonacas – Official Site
Kyriaki Sunday – Official Site
Twitter – @kyriakisunday
Instagram – @kyriakisunday
Check Out Some BEHIND THE SCENES Clips of this Interview
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Written by Owen Hoffmann
Edited by Tyler Malone
Photography by Owen Hoffmann
Design by Marie Havens
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Captions:
Katie Chonacas, 2012, Photography by Owen Hoffmann