Interview: Kathleen Robertson talks ‘Not Since You’ and ‘Boss’

A scene from 'Not Since You'.

Kathleen Robertson is one of the hardest working actresses in show business and one that has seemingly appeared in everything. Born in Hamilton, Ontario in 1973, she’s been acting since the age of 12 and has a total of 49 TV and film credits to her name according to the IMDb. Fans of the original Beverly Hills, 90210 will know her as Clare Arnold, the woman who broke Steve Sanders’ heart, while a lot of people fondly remember her from the early ‘90s Canadian TV series Maniac Mansion. You might also recognize her from the movies Blown Away (1993), Hollywoodland (2006), Dog Park (1998), or last summer’s Down the Road Again. She’s also one of the stars on Kelsey Grammer’s Golden Globe-winning show Boss, which premieres in Canada this coming spring.

Criticize This! spoke with Robertson during a stop in Toronto to promote Not Since You; a sweet, engaging ensemble indie comedy along the lines of St. Elmo’s Fire. In the film she plays a married woman questioning her life choices after she’s reacquainted with a former lover (played by Dexter’s Desmond Harrington) while at a friend’s weekend wedding retreat. It’s a great role for her and one she’s extremely proud of doing. Read our Q&A below.

Brian McKechnie: What attracted you to the role in Not Since You?

Kathleen Robertson: It was the script. The role was different than the stuff I usually get offered. It was very much the classic girl next door character and it was kind of fun to embody that. I love that it was very character driven and felt like a movie from the ‘70s. There’s no explosions or special effects, and it’s a relationship I haven’t really seen before [on screen].

BM: Was there anything that stood out about the character for you?

KR: The dilemma she’s faced with in the movie is something that I thought was really universal and is something everybody can relate to. You make these choices in your life, whether it’s a job or a relationship or a place you’re going to move to, and at the time it’s nothing more than a choice, but it is life altering. For her, she made a choice to go one way and leave New York and marry this guy she’s in love with and then all of a sudden she’s faced with this relationship from her past, this other path she chose not to go down, and she starts to reevaluate if she made the right choice. And that’s a huge moment.

BM: It looked like a fun movie to make. How was the vibe on set like?

KR: It was great. We shot in Athens, Georgia which is a college town. We were all uprooted from our homes in Los Angeles and New York and brought together in this crazy town in the dead of summer. It was intensely hot and we really had a blast.

BM: Since the film was shot a few years ago do you feel you’ve lost a connection with it now?

KR: It’s weird. Certain movies come out really quickly and you do press right away and other movies take time to get out there. This has been released in something like 60 countries… I guess Canada is the 61st.

BM: Are you happy it’s coming out here now and being pushed by the studio?

KR: Absolutely! It’s a movie where people who have seen it really respond to it and I think people are in the mood right now to escape a bit and see something fun and light-hearted. It’s not a typical independent film.

BM: You’ve worked a lot in both TV and film. Do you notice a difference between the two worlds?

KR: A studio film versus an independent film feels very different and a network show versus a cable show feels very different. With television the great thing is that you get so much time to develop the character and you get to explore that character over hours and hours. It’s very different in that regard. In film you get that one shot and it’s much faster.

BM: Do you have any interest in moving behind the camera?

KR: I’m writing a lot now and I’m writing amazing roles for women, but I’m not writing them for me. I’d love to [direct]. I’ve been [acting] for 27 years. Writing, producing… it feels like the natural progression.

BM: What advice would you give to an actor just starting out?

KR: You have to love it like nothing else and there can’t be another alternative. It’s work ethic. I generally feel that the reason I’m here today is work ethic. It’s keeping your focus on what’s important and not getting caught in all the craziness of the industry. If you love the work and that’s your passion, the rest is tolerable.

BM: Can you talk about your new series Boss?

KR: Kelsey Grammer plays the mayor of Chicago. It’s very hardcore. It’s Sopranos meets West Wing set in the world of Chicago politics and it’s loosely based on King Lear. I play Kelsey’s right-hand woman Kitty O’Neill. She’s a great character and is a woman who has essentially dedicated her entire life to this man’s job and has sacrificed everything and is now at a point in her life where she is questioning if those sacrifices were worth it and if she’s living the life that she wanted to live. Things start happening and she becomes privy to things that are upsetting and questionable. She’s making horrible choices in her personal life and is very reckless, yet very meticulous and very together in her work life.

BM: What else are you working on these days?

KR: I’m going back to film season two of Boss and I have another film coming out called Three Days in Havana, which is a movie that I co-wrote that stars Gil Bellows and Don McKellar. It’s a Canadian film we shot in Cuba.

BM: What do you hope the audience gets out of Not Since You?

KR: At the end of the movie people seem to feel strongly about the choice that my character makes and it raises questions. I think it portrays marriage in a way that isn’t seen a lot and I think there’s an underlying message to be true to who you are and have faith in the choices that you make and own them.

Not Since You opens in Canada on January 20. Check out the trailer below.