Pop Geeks’ Flashback Interview: Jean Louisa Kelly
In my 12th grade music class, which was actually basically just an excuse to listen to music and watch videos while the teacher created patchwork textbooks with a copy machine and music books from the school library, I watched 1995’s Mr. Holland’s Opus one day. One character who stood out in that movie was that of Rowena Morgan, the singing prodigy who almost entices the title character (Richard Dreyfus) away from his normal life.
Rowena was played by Jean Louisa Kelly, and roughly about 15 years after having seen Mr. Holland’s Opus, I was offered the opportunity to interview Ms. Kelly via e-mail. As I’m always eager to get to know great talents, I wrote up my questions early in July and got answers back on July 25th. I hope you all enjoy this interview.
Say hello to Jean Louisa Kelly!
Johnny: One of your first acting gigs was playing Snow White, and understudying Red Riding Hood, in the original Broadway production of Stephen Sondheim’s Into The Woods. Sondheim’s lyrics are challenging to recite for performers of any age. Was it difficult singing them as a teenager?
Jean: Stephen Sondheim’s lyrics are so specific and integral to the action of the play that expressing them actually comes very naturally. I think that is part of his amazing artistry. However, as an adult, I am definitely more aware of their complexity and can appreciate them on a more profound level.
Johnny: As performers from Broadway shows occasionally make legacy cameos in film adaptations of stage works, were you asked about making a cameo in Disney’s film version of Into The Woods?
Jean: No, but I would have loved that!!
Johnny: In 1989, you played Tia Russell in the John Hughes film Uncle Buck. I’ve heard a lot of stories about the late Mr. Hughes, some positive and some negative. What was your experience like working with John Hughes?
Jean: My experience of John Hughes was that he was incredibly generous about exploring scenes together. There were a lot of moments in the film that were improvised, and I have since come to realize that not every director is so playful and flexible in the process!
Johnny: Speaking of famous Johns, John Candy played the title character in the movie. What are your favorite memories of John Candy?
Jean: John Candy was a true sweetheart. I had never done a movie before and the whole thing was a huge learning experience for me. It was challenging at times, having come from the theatre world. John was funny and very easy-going to work with.
Johnny: There were two short-lived sitcom adaptations of the movie, the first from 1990 starring Kevin Meaney and the second the recently cancelled adaptation with Mike Epps. In your opinion, what did Uncle Buck, the movie, have that Uncle Buck, the sitcoms, did not?
Jean: I can’t really comment on that because I have never seen either of the sitcoms, though I meant to check them out! I will say that, to me, one thing that makes the movie so powerful is that, at heart, it is a movie about people moving from isolation to connection. It has a darkness at it’s core that makes the funny moments so poignant. It may be difficult to express that in a half hour sitcom.
Johnny: Although it wasn’t released until 2000, you starred as Luisa in a 1995 film adaptation of the long-running Off-Broadway musical The Fantasticks. Do you look back positively or negatively on the movie, based on how it was released?
Jean: I loved doing that movie and I think Michael Ritchie did an amazing job with the film. The premise of the stage play is that there are no sets and the “mute” helps to represent what would be there – like the Wall between the houses, etc. The audience is challenged to use its imagination to provide the scenery and props and it is an amazing experience! That can’t be done in a movie, so Michael had to create a world that would match what had been in people’s imaginations for all those years—not an easy task. There were other elements at play with the release that had nothing to do with the quality of the film and which influenced the release it got. I’m just happy I had the opportunity to represent Luisa and work with such amazing people.
Johnny: One of the songs in The Fantasticks, at least in its’ original form, is called “The Rape Ballet”, and the word “rape” is also mentioned frequently in the song “It Depends On What You Pay. As a woman, did you find it unnerving to be in a musical where rape was sung about in two songs, even though they were using the word in a different way?
Jean: I did not find it unnerving because I knew the material quite well, having been raised listening to the music and singing it, but the creators were aware that the word has an emotional charge to it. They wrote a different song for the movie called “Abductions” and “It Depends On What You Pay” is not in the movie.
Johnny: Also in 1995, you played Rowena Morgan in Mr. Holland’s Opus. What are your feelings, as a parent, on the value of music education in schools?
Jean: I consider music essential education and have worked to include it in my own kids’ school when it there was no money in the budget to pay for it. My own kids take piano lessons, whether they like it or not! I just say it is part of the curriculum.
Johnny: If there were to be a novel that followed up on the events of Mr. Holland’s Opus, what do you suppose Rowena Morgan would be doing in the 21 years since the movie came out?
Jean: Hah! I think Rowena would be famous and doing a fabulous cabaret act in New York City.
Johnny: You took over the title role in Season 2 of the cartoon Princess Gwenevere And The Jewel Riders. What was your favorite part of working on that cartoon?
Jean: I loved working with the other voice actors – they are so talented! I would love to do another animated series. It was really fun to do the two different voices of Princess Gwenevere and her horse.
Johnny: From 2000 to 2006, you played Kim Warner on the sitcom Yes, Dear. What were your favorite memories of working on that show?
Jean: As always, it’s the people. My cast-mates were hilarious and we literally laughed all day long.
Johnny: Yes, Dear is a show that appears to have flew under the radar as there were never any DVD releases or digital releases. If a studio like VEI were to make a deal with CBS and 20th Century Fox to do a complete series release for Yes, Dear, would you participate in extras?
Jean: I would absolutely participate in anything that brought the show to wider audience. I think the writing was really smart and folks can relate.
Johnny: On a different note, you’ve taken your background in musicals and applied to a second career as a musician. Who are your biggest influences as a singer?
Jean: I have always sung since I was a little girl, and musical theatre is my foundation. Bernadette Peters was my idol. I loved Barbara Cook. In the pop field, I love Sheryl Crow and Cyndi Lauper.
Johnny: What was the inspiration behind the title track of your 2015 EP Willing?
Jean: My inspiration has come from my personal growth. In particular, I have found that since I have had children my adulthood has really been another childhood. I’m still learning about the world on a deeper level. The song is about being willing to to take risks and be vulnerable.
Johnny: “Valley Of Fire” sounds a little like a spiritual, or at least a song dealing with spiritual elements. What inspired you to write that song?
Jean: I was actually hiking in the National Park “Valley of Fire” and I started feeling a song so I recorded it in my iPhone. The song does indeed have spiritual elements, as do a lot of my songs. I love metaphors…
Johnny: Your 2016 song “Let’s Be Bad Together” sounded like it might’ve come from a Dolly Parton album. As you write songs, have you ever considered writing songs for other artists?
Jean: I have never considered writing for anyone else because I love singing! But who knows, maybe someday…
Johnny: You started out singing on Broadway, and your current music has elements of singer-songwriter pop and country. What genres and artists would I be most surprised to find on your iPod?
Jean: It’s an eclectic group… classical, 80’s, 70’s, and songs that I discover on Spotify that are very new…
Johnny: Finally, what advice would you offer people who are looking to get into the entertainment industry?
Jean: Stay open. There is no right or wrong way to go about things. Everyone has his/her own path and it is valuable. Don’t give up!
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I would like to thank Jessica Shein of Mona Loring PR for helping to set up this interview, and I would like to thank Ms. Kelly for taking the time out of her schedule to answer my questions.
For more on Ms. Kelly’s life and career, visit her official website and her official Facebook page.
Who will I Flashback with next? Stay tuned.