Katherine LaNasa is playing the role of Rose Brady across from Will Ferrell in new political comedy “The Campaign”. She is also co-starring the new Fall NBC drama “Infamous”. Katherine took out some time to chat about her upcoming work and how it was working with Will Ferrell.
Mike Gencarelli: What was your inspiration for Rose Brady in “The Campaign”?
Katherine LaNasa: Well Rose is very bossy and ambitious. I call her a hick in a dress [laughs]. She is a combination for me of Sarah Palin, Sidney McCain, Ann Romney and a little bit of Rick Perry’s wife Anita all rolled into one [laughs].
MG: You have a hard time keeping it serious on set with Will Ferrell?
KL: Yes, that was kind of the main problem. I was glad to see the final cut and saw that I came off ok. I was pretty worried. The first couple of weeks, I kept thinking I was going to be terrible. All I was doing was trying not to laugh. I would look at Will and I had to focus between his eyes and think about like dead people or something in order not to get through the takes and not laugh. It was pretty bad [laughs].
MG: What would you say was the highlight of working on the film?
KL: There was an interview with Piers Morgan, that you saw a little in the trailer but didn’t end up in the movie. Cam (Will Ferrell) puts cigarettes out during an interview and they asked him “are you pushing cigarettes?” He says “Nooooo, I just enjoy the cool refreshing taste”. He is basically pushing Kool’s [laughing]. Or he would be like “Oh I am sorry what are we talking about…Coke Zero?”. It was so ridiculous. I was in the other room and was suppose to come into the interview as a surprise guest and sell him out. When we were shooting it, I was watching Will on a monitor in another room. The first couple of takes every time they got to me I would be crying from laughing so hard. Finally I had to have them cover the monitor and take my earpiece out. I couldn’t handle it. So that was one highlight. There also this big rally with pyrotechnics and flying around on wires. It was just fun and it was one of the things you get to do in a big-budget movie.
MG: Tell us about your two upcoming films this fall “Jayne Mansfield’s Car” and “The Frozen Ground”?
KL: “The Frozen Ground” should be coming out next. I did it right before “The Campaign”. It is a very dark drama, true story about this serial killer in the 80’s. I played his wife in the film. It also has Nicolas Cage and Vanessa Hudgens in it. Before that I shot “Jayne Mansfield’s Car”, it is a 1969 familydrama. I play the daughter of Robert Duvall and sister to Kevin Bacon and Robert Patrick. I really enjoy both of those experiences.
MG: Switching to the TV world, tell us about your character Sophia Bowers and we can expect from your new NBC drama “Infamous”
KL: I start working on this later in the month in New York. It is this brooding dark murder mystery. It is being shot at the house where they shot “The Great Gatsby”. I play a cross between Kathleen Turner in “Body Heat” and Glenn Close in “Damages”. Very dark and sexual. Should be a lot of fun.