All Photos: Alan Mercer
I met Actress Tina Parker through my friend Richard Levi when I was in Dallas AMC 's hit show 'Breaking Bad.'
Besides her breakthrough role on 'Breaking Bad' Tina has also been featured in several other TV shows and films including 'Trespass' with Nicolas Cage and Nicole Kidman, 'The Final Destination' and Robert Altman's 'Dr.T and the Women' with Richard Gere.
She has starred in and directed several plays at Kitchen Dog where they are committed to providing a place where questions of justice, freedom and human morality can be explored. They invite their audiences to be provoked, challenged and amazed. Since theater of this kind is not bound by any tradition, Kitchen Dog Theater is committed to exploring these questions whether they are found in the classics, contemporary works, or new plays.
AM: Tina, are you from Texas
TP: I'm a native Texan...yes!
AM: What part of the state are you from?
TP: I was born in Woodville which is in Southeast Texas and very small, but I've lived in Dallas Dallas State Fair Season Pass
AM: The state fair is going on right now. Have you gone?
TP: Oh Yeah! I've been there three times so far and there's still a week left. You can go to the livestock section, the food section, you go to the rides and look at people.
AM: We're here at the Kitchen Dog Theater and I wonder how you got involved with this?
TP: I went to school with the founders at SMU . They were in Graduate School
AM: Did you grow up knowing you were going to be an actress?
TP: Pretty much, I always felt like it was my niche' as a kid. We moved a lot so I always had to be a clown. It's just where I fit in. I read really fast so my teachers were always encouraging me to act out the books. I toyed with the idea of being a heart surgeon when I was in fifth grade and in first grade I thought I'd be a horse jockey but I was already too tall so that was depressing. Actor was the last thing that was left!!!
AM: You seem to have a slant towards comedy.
TP: Yes I guess...I don't know.
AM: Do you act in a lot of dramas?
TP: I do actually. Kitchen Dog is known for that. I've really done a mix of both comedy and drama. The film work has been a mix as well. I've played a lot of Lesbians and cocky yard guards...stuff like that! I have a pretty wide mix of work out there.
AM: You seem to working a lot now and getting great reviews!
TP: So far so good. You go through spells as anybody can attest. There was a big jag last year where everything was work, work, work and that was awesome. Now all that work has come out and I'm not booking as much work at this moment. It really is the ebb and flow. You take it when you can get it. I've been fortunate to get a lot of work the last couple of years like 'Breaking Bad.' That was a huge boost for me!
AM: What's it like working with Bryan Cranston?
TP: AMAZING! He's an Actor's Actor for sure. It doesn't matter what side of the camera he is on. The camera can totally be on you and he is still giving you 100% and if he gets a new idea from you he will go that way. I'm trained in the theater more than film so it's exciting when you have that connectivity of moment to moment work. He has that listening ability, he is so present.
AM: Do you have a preference in working in theater or on film?
TP: I'll be honest...I still really love the theater. There's nothing like doing a show. The audience is the last component that gets added to it. Things can change every night. You're always going in the right order. In film you can be filming your love scene the first day and the part where you get to know each other is filmed three weeks later. In theater you have the progression, so you have the natural sense of propulsion, that's a good way to describe it. There's just nothing like performing in front of a live audience.
AM: Do you enjoy the reciprocation of the audience?
TP: I enjoy the energy of the crowd. The way that Kitchen Dog Theater is set up you are really close. If you wanted to you could reach out and touch an actor on stage. The energy they give you is amazing and that's what's exciting about it. That makes it different from any other art form performance to me.
AM: Have you directed before?
TP: I direct theater all the time. I'm directing a show right now actually.
AM: Is directing more or less fulfilling than acting?
TP: It's harder. You are handling more details and I'm kind of OCD with the details. It's a lot more effort. That's one of the reasons I've stayed at Kitchen Dog because I get the chance to do projects that I want to do.
AM: Why did you get into all this theater?
TP: It's just where I felt I fit and I felt good doing it. I was lucky because I found my place. I was never a desk clerk who hated my job. I did have to wait tables for ten years. That sure helped me with some of the characters I've found on screen. I don't have to do that anymore. On my last day I got a gold lapel pin from the restaurant. My career as a waiter was over.
AM: What advice do you give to young actors?
TP: Keep yourself engaged and recharged. Keep educating yourself. Take risks because if you try to play it safe the payoff isn't going to be as good. Trust your intuition and don't give up!
Learn more about Kitchen Dog Theater here http://www.kitchendogtheater.org/
