Words of Wisdom
Kate Drummond Interview by Carol Wright Photographer: Helen Tansey
Kate Drummond is an award-winning and highly sought after actor whose diverse work experience includes film, television, voiceover, stage, and video games. As a former elementary school teacher who became an actor later in life, she is an advocate for people following their dreams no matter where they are in life. You can now watch Drummond in “Utopia Falls”, where she plays the smart and manipulative Authority Phydra.
What initially drew you to acting? Honestly, I think I was born with acting in my blood, but I didn’t realize it at the time. I was a very expressive and theatrical child and spent hours a day performing plays for my neighbours, putting on shows in my living room, and playing in the land of make-believe. It was always just “Kate being Kate” and being this way made me happy. Nobody ever thought that someone could make a living out of being a performer, so I went to university and teachers college to become an elementary school teacher. It wasn’t until I was 30, and eight years into my teaching career, that I realized that there was something missing. After a lot of soul searching, I realized that I needed to take an acting class. I needed this outlet for my expression, for my feelings. I needed a place to be connected to a community of artists. When I took that first acting class, I felt like I was home. I felt like that little girl I had silenced so many years ago had been given her voice again. It was liberating and scary. I spent the next five years taking acting classes at night, studying my craft, and doing theatre while teaching my kids during the day. I was truly juggling two fierce passions: teaching and acting. But my love of acting was growing stronger and stronger by the day, and after 12 years of teaching, I left my classroom to pursue my acting career full-time. I am drawn to acting because it gives me a safe place for this wildly expressive spirit I was born with. It’s a place where I can reflect on and explore what it means to be human, and all the parts of humanity. I love being able to tap into my own heart to help bring a story to life. You’ve been in movies, on TV, and on the stage. Do you have a preference between the three? There’s nothing quite like theatre. I have had the most incredible moments of my 109
