August 30, 2024 • 21 mins
Gary interviews Caryn Richman, Actor, Singer, Teacher on this episode of Ready, Set, Live
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
Hello, I'm Gary Quinn and welcome to another episode of
Ready Set Live. My guest today is the multi talented
Karen Richmond, actress, singer, and teacher. She is best known
for her role as Gidget in the TV series The
New Gidget and as Norah Brady on The Bradys. Karen
(00:42):
also rocked the stage as Sandy in the Broadway production
and the national Tour of Greece. But her talents don't
stop there. She's also an amazing teacher and has created
an after school performing arts program for young kids. Don't
go away, I'll be right back with the dynamic Karen Richmond.
(01:06):
Welcome to the show, Karen.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
Thank you, Gary, I finally get to speak with you
on this beautiful platform that you have. Thank you.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
You know we have a lot of crisscrosses, but I'm
so glad we finally got to connect. And you know,
when I was reading a lot about your background, you
are so diverse in so many things, which is so
inspiring because you know, a lot of actors they don't
have different venues, but you not only act, you sing,
(01:39):
but you do this amazing program. What inspired you as
as a little girl growing up in New York what
was the what was the inspiration that drove you? Was
it a person that you said, I want to be
like them? And I know you were starting out in
you wanted to be a social worker, But how did
the acting sort of start?
Speaker 2 (02:01):
Well, first of all, I think, like so many other
young you know, dreamers of my generation, I grew up
with the Barber streisand musicals, and when I saw Funny Girl,
I actually remember going to my first Broadway show, which
was Lauren McCall on Broadway, so that ages me completely. I'm,
(02:24):
you know, been around a long time. I remember seeing
her on stage and thinking, hey, I want to be that.
I want to do that, but it was so unreachable
for you know, a little Long Island girl, you know,
just living out her sweet life. And I would I
would literally pick up my hair brush and pretend I
(02:47):
was singing on Broadway or Barber Streisan, singing her songs
from Funny Girl. Oh my goodness, do you hear that
plane outside my forgive me? It sounds like we're being
attacked firm and I hope that's not reading in the studio.
So the dream at the time was just a fantasy.
It was Wow, what I wouldn't give to do that,
(03:09):
but it seemed very far out of reach. It just
wasn't something that was going to happen. I was growing
up in a traditional family. I was expected to go
to college and do all the traditional things and get
married and make a difference in the world, which is
also what I hoped to do. But at some point
my junior year in college, they were having an open
(03:33):
call on Broadway for the Broadway show Grease, and I
heard that you get to stand on the Broadway stage
when you audition. That is all I needed to hear.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
I was going.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
I was going down there. So to make a very
long story short area, I know, we don't have a
lot of time, and I'm rambling on. I went to
that open call. I finally got to audition. For those
of your viewers who don't know what that means. In
the old days, they would have sort of a cattle
call they called it, where people would line up down
the street and anybody could audition. And when it came
(04:07):
my turn, I walked out onto that Broadway stage. I
was in complete awe.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
I sang.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
I said a few lines that they asked me to,
and then I went back up to college.
Speaker 3 (04:18):
What did you saying? What was your audition piece?
Speaker 2 (04:21):
I think you know that I wish I remembered, because
I'm sadly I don't remember specifically. I'm going to guess
that I sang It's raining on prom Night.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
Okay? Cool.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
You know I played Danny Zuko in a production here
years ago, and I had I had seen Mary Lou
and I'd gone to all the they did the Broadway rehearsal.
Were they everybody who was ever in it? It was
in Hollywood and they had Olivia Newton, John was there
and Travolta and everybody was there whoever did it?
Speaker 3 (04:50):
I'm sure you were there. Were you there? Maybe it was?
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Oh we had what year are you talking about?
Speaker 3 (04:55):
This was in the eighties exactly?
Speaker 1 (04:58):
Yeah, it was Santagious. It was, yes, at the Pantagious
where they everybody was rehearsing, and I would drop Mary
Lou off, and then I went in and saw some
of the like Eileen Christen was there, all the people
who had ever done Greece and you were there, and
I was there, but Mary Lou was doing Taxi and
(05:18):
I remember it. So I always wanted to do it,
and I would always audition, singing those magic changes, and
then yes, and then I finally got it, and then
Mary Lou came to see me. It was a production
here in la but it was the most enjoyable thing, Grease.
I think for anybody who hasn't seen it, it still
(05:40):
holds up today. And there's especially.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
I'm sorry, especially the original show and correct it's the
two years ago. It was the fiftieth anniversary, and we
all gathered in New York in Sarties with Tom Moore.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
Yes, Tom was on the show. He goes to my gym.
I saw him the other day. He's just back from France.
But yeah, Tom, Tom did the show.
Speaker 3 (06:06):
A lot of alumni have done the.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
Show, so it's great. So that's why when I heard
you were Sandy, I go, oh my god.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
I was sort of jack of all trades for a
while in the show. I understudied Patty Marty Sandy finally
got to play Sandy on tour and on Broadway. But
it was one of those things where I did an
absolute you know, one point eighty, I was going to
school for social work and psychology. All of a sudden
(06:34):
there was this possibility of doing my first love and
it was one of the greatest lessons of my life
that you don't hopefully you don't compromise. We get this
for as far as we know at the moment, we
get this life. What are we going to do with it?
Speaker 1 (06:52):
Did you find did you find, Karen when you finally
started really moving forward and working and doing a lot
of shows, that you started to emotionally feel more confidence?
And I know the actor's life is creative, but I
know that there's always moments where you know you're not
(07:14):
working and then all of a sudden there's a lull
period and then a lot of people get depressed. A
lot of people, you know, lose their mind. You know,
what was your sort of safety net that brought you
out of that or got you through those difficult times?
Speaker 2 (07:32):
That is a really good question, Gary, and I know
we all have different ways in psychological makeups. I think
for me, I was blessed enough to always have a
positive attitude. Maybe that's why I played all of these sweet,
(07:53):
wholesome characters all my life, or for most of my
life until recently. And I think I loved the process
so much so that I didn't see the win as
only getting the job, although it's so hard not to
do that. I have so much compassion, and I myself
(08:15):
have trouble at times. But in general, if everything is
viewed as an opportunity to get to do what I love,
then the audition is part of that. I get to audition,
or I get to go to an acting class, or
you know, I get to read a script by myself,
you know, and just say it out loud. And now
(08:36):
we have phones so we can film ourselves doing all
kinds of acting exercises and all of that, and so
the job was sort of the icing on the cake.
And don't misunderstand me, getting the job is the greatest
gift always in the process, not the greatest gift, but
(08:56):
the reward, because then we really do get to what
we love. But I think there has to be a
way of looking at it, and I'm guessing it's a
life perspective of not taking the rejection personally if you
possibly can, and realizing there's enough to go around the
sense of abundance. I don't know. I certainly can't get
(09:20):
on a soapbox and preach as to how anyone should
get through it. But I can only say that I
was blessed enough to work enough that I didn't have
enough of that feeling early on, and that really helped
me continue along so that when I finally did hit
a bit of a wall in my forties, I had
(09:42):
to adjust and just keep joy coming into my life.
As corny as that might sound.
Speaker 1 (09:50):
And I know that you made the transition into you
were playing a lot of fun roles, you were playing Gidget.
What was that like to all of a sudden it
had to be happy? And you know, and we have
the picture up where you were in the bathing suit.
Speaker 3 (10:04):
Also what it.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
Wouldn't do for that body forty years later? My gosh.
Speaker 3 (10:09):
I mean when you got Gidget?
Speaker 1 (10:10):
Was it because it was syndicated, so a lot of
people saw you everywhere?
Speaker 3 (10:17):
Was it like? I mean, do people stop you.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
On the street and go Gidget, Gidget?
Speaker 3 (10:22):
Or was that happening?
Speaker 2 (10:25):
Yes, they do. The show itself was an interesting idea
by Columbia Picture Studio to produce a television show that
was strictly for syndication, meaning we were not a network show.
So every city we were on a different channel. If
we were in Channel five here in La I think
(10:45):
we were in Channel nine in New York. Excuse me,
New York so it was a very strange way to
produce a show, but very cost effective. It wasn't as
big a hit as we had hoped, but I will
tell you it was truly the most fun, joyful, cheery,
(11:05):
silly show. We were at the beach. We were up
and wacky, and we were almost a live action cartoon.
The the energy, the colors, the time, and there was
that ever optimistic, you know character trade of Gidget, which
just you know, there was always a happy ending and
(11:26):
if there wasn't, grab your surfboard and that'll solve all
your poms exactly.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
And then you went and then you went onto the soap.
You know that must have been from Gidget Happy to
the Brady's you know, you played Greg Brady's wife.
Speaker 3 (11:42):
What was that all?
Speaker 2 (11:44):
Like?
Speaker 1 (11:44):
You were playing all these I mean, I mean, that's
a great thing about acting is you can play so
many diverse roles.
Speaker 3 (11:51):
What was the the.
Speaker 1 (11:52):
Did you did you prefer the happy roles or the
the Laura fo Fenmore role on Young and the Restless.
Speaker 2 (12:02):
I had actually done a soap for a few years
before Gidget, Texas. It's called Texas, very short lived again unfortunately,
it was a spin off of another World on NBC.
And the reason I bring that up is I really
felt like I cut my teeth on that soap. And
for many young actors, you're you know, thrown in with
(12:24):
pages of dialogue and there's changes happening all the time,
and you don't get a lot of chances to do
your actual takes, so you're you have to be quick
on your feet. And I was god awful when I
started that soap. When I look back, I cringe. But
by the end I saw myself sort of transition to
feeling a bit more confident. And you know, on soaps,
(12:46):
you're kidnapped, you're you're on drugs, you're you're you're crying
every other day, you're you're a mess. So there you
get very you know, liable is maybe that's not the
right word, but you get adept at being able to
pull tricks out of your you know, your bag, so
(13:06):
that you know how to get to certain emotions. So
then I did Didget, then I did The Brady Bunch,
and then I got to fill in for the beautiful
Tracy Bregman.
Speaker 3 (13:17):
Who's done the show. Also, I know Tracy for years.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
She'sus exquisite.
Speaker 1 (13:22):
So so when you when you finally said, Okay, I
want to play serious roles, you know, And I think
if you can do comedy, you can do serious like drama.
Was there a sense of now I got my feet wet?
Speaker 2 (13:41):
I think I honestly always feel more comfortable with drama,
you know. I think that part of the human condition
that suffers and that carries sadness, for me is quite
often at my fingertips. I feel so the comedy. I'm
(14:03):
sure you've heard other actors say this. The comedy is
often much harder, and for me personally, I am more
naturally drawn to drama. But I think because I the facade,
you know, was always perky and sweet and girl next door,
(14:25):
I was cast more in the lighter, you know, sweet comedy.
I don't even know if we would consider the Brady well.
I guess the Brady Bunch is comedy. I think the
joy of where I am today, years later, having ridden
the roller coaster of this wonderful and challenging career, is
(14:50):
that I no longer am Liange Nou, And I say
that with a certain amount of pride, because the roles
that I've gotten to play not so much in the
Smith's movies. Those are a bit more older, digit kind
of sweet mama roles, sometimes grandma roles. But I've also
had the chance to do roles that I never would
(15:12):
have been cast in when I was younger thrillers and
I'm the killer and I'm trafficking young kids in a movie,
or I'm a fabulously eccentric psychic and a horror film
that scared the crap enemy. And these are roles that
I'm so grateful that I get to keep being asked
(15:34):
to come play. And so yeah, these are very long
answers to your version.
Speaker 1 (15:41):
What comes, Karen? What would you say your ritual is
that you do now that keeps you on track? Do
you meditate, do you exercise? Do you eat a certain diets?
What's the secret to your longevity?
Speaker 2 (15:56):
Ooh, that's a great question, and I'm not sure how
to answer it because it changes. I always had a
level of absolute fear right before you a director would
yell action, or especially in theaters standing backstage, that feeling
(16:17):
of oh my god, I cannot mess this up. There
was like so much pressure. So I think I would
answer your question by saying, I have found a way
of working now that is more calm and I just
think it's based more on life experience. I'd like to
(16:38):
say that I exercise up a storm and eat perfectly,
but I don't. I go in and out of that
because I realize it's important. But I do really try
to focus myself and then take the pressure off. I
have something that I read before I do anything, and
(16:58):
it's the gist of it is saying, you're not being judged.
This is not you're not proving yourself here. You are
an artist expressing yourself. So go out and make it
you and realize there it doesn't matter what's out there
and that judgment. This is your opportunity to express yourself.
(17:23):
I am paraphrasing this terribly, so it doesn't sound particularly profound,
but when I read the words, it reminds me that
even with auditioning, if I take the pressure off of
I need this job, I want this job, this job
is amazing, and just say I get to do what
I love. I get to do in this moment. You know,
(17:47):
even if someone is not handing me a paycheck, I
get to act. It's it's always amazing to me because
I can't. You know, painters can paint alone, poets can
write their beautiful words. You know writers, many of us
get to do the art form that they love on
(18:08):
their own and with the actors, you actually need either
another person or a monologue that I suppose you can
do on yourself, but you need the community to really
do the process. And when I yeah, I try to
just ground myself.
Speaker 1 (18:28):
Excellent, answer these one word questions with a one word answer.
Speaker 3 (18:33):
What does love mean to you?
Speaker 2 (18:37):
The first word that came to mind is open heart,
one word.
Speaker 1 (18:42):
Open, okay, open? How about what does God mean to you?
Speaker 2 (18:50):
Readom?
Speaker 1 (18:52):
How do you want to be remembered when you leave
this lifetime? When they say, Karen Richmond, what what would
you like people to know about you?
Speaker 2 (19:04):
Mim?
Speaker 1 (19:06):
If you could go back into history and talk to
somebody and ask them a.
Speaker 3 (19:12):
Question, who would that be.
Speaker 2 (19:17):
My dad?
Speaker 3 (19:18):
What would you ask him?
Speaker 2 (19:19):
Well, it makes me tear up. Sorry, it's not as
much asking. I'm so sorry that I'm getting emotional. It
would be more to tell and I would Oh, my God, Garry.
(19:39):
I would want to tell him that I understand what
and how he was trying to guide me. I didn't
at the time.
Speaker 1 (19:51):
Excellent, and he died.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
Before I could express that. But now, as an adult.
I desperately want him to know that I get it.
Speaker 1 (20:03):
He knows, you know, spirit never never really dies, they know,
So he's watching you.
Speaker 3 (20:09):
He's happy. So that's the one thing.
Speaker 1 (20:14):
You know, Karen. I could speak to you all day.
Our time is up.
Speaker 2 (20:18):
I wanted to ask you things, okay, but.
Speaker 1 (20:22):
We'll continue this in person. And I just wanted to
wish you all the best. You're doing the Hallmark movies now,
and you have this after school program for the performing
arts which is brilliant, and I'm just so proud of
you that you continue to be perpetual motion and you
(20:43):
just keep going and you must never give up. And
there's something big coming to you. I can feel it.
There's some big project. I don't know what it is.
Speaker 3 (20:51):
But my feeling is something's gonna blow your socks off soon.
Speaker 2 (20:56):
Yay your mouth to God's ears. Thank Gary. I just
want to I know we have no time, but I
just want to thank you for sharing your spirit and
your energy with your viewers, with your friends, with me.
I'm very grateful. We've only crossed paths, but I feel
(21:17):
drawn and I appreciate that power that you have.
Speaker 1 (21:21):
So thank you well.
Speaker 3 (21:22):
Thank you Karen and you'll be back.
Speaker 2 (21:24):
And because I have more to talk about and I
don't want to just talk about acting. There's so much
more to life.
Speaker 3 (21:31):
Exact Part two.
Speaker 2 (21:33):
Okay, I love it. Did return.
Speaker 1 (21:35):
Yes, Yes, sequel, the sequel. We'll do a sequel, all right. Well,
thank you so much for joining me. I'm Gary Quinn.
Until next time, be well,
Hello, I'm Gary Quinn and welcome to another episode of
Ready Set Live. My guest today is the multi talented
Karen Richmond, actress, singer, and teacher. She is best known
for her role as Gidget in the TV series The
New Gidget and as Norah Brady on The Bradys. Karen
(00:42):
also rocked the stage as Sandy in the Broadway production
and the national Tour of Greece. But her talents don't
stop there. She's also an amazing teacher and has created
an after school performing arts program for young kids. Don't
go away, I'll be right back with the dynamic Karen Richmond.
(01:06):
Welcome to the show, Karen.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
Thank you, Gary, I finally get to speak with you
on this beautiful platform that you have. Thank you.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
You know we have a lot of crisscrosses, but I'm
so glad we finally got to connect. And you know,
when I was reading a lot about your background, you
are so diverse in so many things, which is so
inspiring because you know, a lot of actors they don't
have different venues, but you not only act, you sing,
(01:39):
but you do this amazing program. What inspired you as
as a little girl growing up in New York what
was the what was the inspiration that drove you? Was
it a person that you said, I want to be
like them? And I know you were starting out in
you wanted to be a social worker, But how did
the acting sort of start?
Speaker 2 (02:01):
Well, first of all, I think, like so many other
young you know, dreamers of my generation, I grew up
with the Barber streisand musicals, and when I saw Funny Girl,
I actually remember going to my first Broadway show, which
was Lauren McCall on Broadway, so that ages me completely. I'm,
(02:24):
you know, been around a long time. I remember seeing
her on stage and thinking, hey, I want to be that.
I want to do that, but it was so unreachable
for you know, a little Long Island girl, you know,
just living out her sweet life. And I would I
would literally pick up my hair brush and pretend I
(02:47):
was singing on Broadway or Barber Streisan, singing her songs
from Funny Girl. Oh my goodness, do you hear that
plane outside my forgive me? It sounds like we're being
attacked firm and I hope that's not reading in the studio.
So the dream at the time was just a fantasy.
It was Wow, what I wouldn't give to do that,
(03:09):
but it seemed very far out of reach. It just
wasn't something that was going to happen. I was growing
up in a traditional family. I was expected to go
to college and do all the traditional things and get
married and make a difference in the world, which is
also what I hoped to do. But at some point
my junior year in college, they were having an open
(03:33):
call on Broadway for the Broadway show Grease, and I
heard that you get to stand on the Broadway stage
when you audition. That is all I needed to hear.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
I was going.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
I was going down there. So to make a very
long story short area, I know, we don't have a
lot of time, and I'm rambling on. I went to
that open call. I finally got to audition. For those
of your viewers who don't know what that means. In
the old days, they would have sort of a cattle
call they called it, where people would line up down
the street and anybody could audition. And when it came
(04:07):
my turn, I walked out onto that Broadway stage. I
was in complete awe.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
I sang.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
I said a few lines that they asked me to,
and then I went back up to college.
Speaker 3 (04:18):
What did you saying? What was your audition piece?
Speaker 2 (04:21):
I think you know that I wish I remembered, because
I'm sadly I don't remember specifically. I'm going to guess
that I sang It's raining on prom Night.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
Okay? Cool.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
You know I played Danny Zuko in a production here
years ago, and I had I had seen Mary Lou
and I'd gone to all the they did the Broadway rehearsal.
Were they everybody who was ever in it? It was
in Hollywood and they had Olivia Newton, John was there
and Travolta and everybody was there whoever did it?
Speaker 3 (04:50):
I'm sure you were there. Were you there? Maybe it was?
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Oh we had what year are you talking about?
Speaker 3 (04:55):
This was in the eighties exactly?
Speaker 1 (04:58):
Yeah, it was Santagious. It was, yes, at the Pantagious
where they everybody was rehearsing, and I would drop Mary
Lou off, and then I went in and saw some
of the like Eileen Christen was there, all the people
who had ever done Greece and you were there, and
I was there, but Mary Lou was doing Taxi and
(05:18):
I remember it. So I always wanted to do it,
and I would always audition, singing those magic changes, and
then yes, and then I finally got it, and then
Mary Lou came to see me. It was a production
here in la but it was the most enjoyable thing, Grease.
I think for anybody who hasn't seen it, it still
(05:40):
holds up today. And there's especially.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
I'm sorry, especially the original show and correct it's the
two years ago. It was the fiftieth anniversary, and we
all gathered in New York in Sarties with Tom Moore.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
Yes, Tom was on the show. He goes to my gym.
I saw him the other day. He's just back from France.
But yeah, Tom, Tom did the show.
Speaker 3 (06:06):
A lot of alumni have done the.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
Show, so it's great. So that's why when I heard
you were Sandy, I go, oh my god.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
I was sort of jack of all trades for a
while in the show. I understudied Patty Marty Sandy finally
got to play Sandy on tour and on Broadway. But
it was one of those things where I did an
absolute you know, one point eighty, I was going to
school for social work and psychology. All of a sudden
(06:34):
there was this possibility of doing my first love and
it was one of the greatest lessons of my life
that you don't hopefully you don't compromise. We get this
for as far as we know at the moment, we
get this life. What are we going to do with it?
Speaker 1 (06:52):
Did you find did you find, Karen when you finally
started really moving forward and working and doing a lot
of shows, that you started to emotionally feel more confidence?
And I know the actor's life is creative, but I
know that there's always moments where you know you're not
(07:14):
working and then all of a sudden there's a lull
period and then a lot of people get depressed. A
lot of people, you know, lose their mind. You know,
what was your sort of safety net that brought you
out of that or got you through those difficult times?
Speaker 2 (07:32):
That is a really good question, Gary, and I know
we all have different ways in psychological makeups. I think
for me, I was blessed enough to always have a
positive attitude. Maybe that's why I played all of these sweet,
(07:53):
wholesome characters all my life, or for most of my
life until recently. And I think I loved the process
so much so that I didn't see the win as
only getting the job, although it's so hard not to
do that. I have so much compassion, and I myself
(08:15):
have trouble at times. But in general, if everything is
viewed as an opportunity to get to do what I love,
then the audition is part of that. I get to audition,
or I get to go to an acting class, or
you know, I get to read a script by myself,
you know, and just say it out loud. And now
(08:36):
we have phones so we can film ourselves doing all
kinds of acting exercises and all of that, and so
the job was sort of the icing on the cake.
And don't misunderstand me, getting the job is the greatest
gift always in the process, not the greatest gift, but
(08:56):
the reward, because then we really do get to what
we love. But I think there has to be a
way of looking at it, and I'm guessing it's a
life perspective of not taking the rejection personally if you
possibly can, and realizing there's enough to go around the
sense of abundance. I don't know. I certainly can't get
(09:20):
on a soapbox and preach as to how anyone should
get through it. But I can only say that I
was blessed enough to work enough that I didn't have
enough of that feeling early on, and that really helped
me continue along so that when I finally did hit
a bit of a wall in my forties, I had
(09:42):
to adjust and just keep joy coming into my life.
As corny as that might sound.
Speaker 1 (09:50):
And I know that you made the transition into you
were playing a lot of fun roles, you were playing Gidget.
What was that like to all of a sudden it
had to be happy? And you know, and we have
the picture up where you were in the bathing suit.
Speaker 3 (10:04):
Also what it.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
Wouldn't do for that body forty years later? My gosh.
Speaker 3 (10:09):
I mean when you got Gidget?
Speaker 1 (10:10):
Was it because it was syndicated, so a lot of
people saw you everywhere?
Speaker 3 (10:17):
Was it like? I mean, do people stop you.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
On the street and go Gidget, Gidget?
Speaker 3 (10:22):
Or was that happening?
Speaker 2 (10:25):
Yes, they do. The show itself was an interesting idea
by Columbia Picture Studio to produce a television show that
was strictly for syndication, meaning we were not a network show.
So every city we were on a different channel. If
we were in Channel five here in La I think
(10:45):
we were in Channel nine in New York. Excuse me,
New York so it was a very strange way to
produce a show, but very cost effective. It wasn't as
big a hit as we had hoped, but I will
tell you it was truly the most fun, joyful, cheery,
(11:05):
silly show. We were at the beach. We were up
and wacky, and we were almost a live action cartoon.
The the energy, the colors, the time, and there was
that ever optimistic, you know character trade of Gidget, which
just you know, there was always a happy ending and
(11:26):
if there wasn't, grab your surfboard and that'll solve all
your poms exactly.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
And then you went and then you went onto the soap.
You know that must have been from Gidget Happy to
the Brady's you know, you played Greg Brady's wife.
Speaker 3 (11:42):
What was that all?
Speaker 2 (11:44):
Like?
Speaker 1 (11:44):
You were playing all these I mean, I mean, that's
a great thing about acting is you can play so
many diverse roles.
Speaker 3 (11:51):
What was the the.
Speaker 1 (11:52):
Did you did you prefer the happy roles or the
the Laura fo Fenmore role on Young and the Restless.
Speaker 2 (12:02):
I had actually done a soap for a few years
before Gidget, Texas. It's called Texas, very short lived again unfortunately,
it was a spin off of another World on NBC.
And the reason I bring that up is I really
felt like I cut my teeth on that soap. And
for many young actors, you're you know, thrown in with
(12:24):
pages of dialogue and there's changes happening all the time,
and you don't get a lot of chances to do
your actual takes, so you're you have to be quick
on your feet. And I was god awful when I
started that soap. When I look back, I cringe. But
by the end I saw myself sort of transition to
feeling a bit more confident. And you know, on soaps,
(12:46):
you're kidnapped, you're you're on drugs, you're you're you're crying
every other day, you're you're a mess. So there you
get very you know, liable is maybe that's not the
right word, but you get adept at being able to
pull tricks out of your you know, your bag, so
(13:06):
that you know how to get to certain emotions. So
then I did Didget, then I did The Brady Bunch,
and then I got to fill in for the beautiful
Tracy Bregman.
Speaker 3 (13:17):
Who's done the show. Also, I know Tracy for years.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
She'sus exquisite.
Speaker 1 (13:22):
So so when you when you finally said, Okay, I
want to play serious roles, you know, And I think
if you can do comedy, you can do serious like drama.
Was there a sense of now I got my feet wet?
Speaker 2 (13:41):
I think I honestly always feel more comfortable with drama,
you know. I think that part of the human condition
that suffers and that carries sadness, for me is quite
often at my fingertips. I feel so the comedy. I'm
(14:03):
sure you've heard other actors say this. The comedy is
often much harder, and for me personally, I am more
naturally drawn to drama. But I think because I the facade,
you know, was always perky and sweet and girl next door,
(14:25):
I was cast more in the lighter, you know, sweet comedy.
I don't even know if we would consider the Brady well.
I guess the Brady Bunch is comedy. I think the
joy of where I am today, years later, having ridden
the roller coaster of this wonderful and challenging career, is
(14:50):
that I no longer am Liange Nou, And I say
that with a certain amount of pride, because the roles
that I've gotten to play not so much in the
Smith's movies. Those are a bit more older, digit kind
of sweet mama roles, sometimes grandma roles. But I've also
had the chance to do roles that I never would
(15:12):
have been cast in when I was younger thrillers and
I'm the killer and I'm trafficking young kids in a movie,
or I'm a fabulously eccentric psychic and a horror film
that scared the crap enemy. And these are roles that
I'm so grateful that I get to keep being asked
(15:34):
to come play. And so yeah, these are very long
answers to your version.
Speaker 1 (15:41):
What comes, Karen? What would you say your ritual is
that you do now that keeps you on track? Do
you meditate, do you exercise? Do you eat a certain diets?
What's the secret to your longevity?
Speaker 2 (15:56):
Ooh, that's a great question, and I'm not sure how
to answer it because it changes. I always had a
level of absolute fear right before you a director would
yell action, or especially in theaters standing backstage, that feeling
(16:17):
of oh my god, I cannot mess this up. There
was like so much pressure. So I think I would
answer your question by saying, I have found a way
of working now that is more calm and I just
think it's based more on life experience. I'd like to
(16:38):
say that I exercise up a storm and eat perfectly,
but I don't. I go in and out of that
because I realize it's important. But I do really try
to focus myself and then take the pressure off. I
have something that I read before I do anything, and
(16:58):
it's the gist of it is saying, you're not being judged.
This is not you're not proving yourself here. You are
an artist expressing yourself. So go out and make it
you and realize there it doesn't matter what's out there
and that judgment. This is your opportunity to express yourself.
(17:23):
I am paraphrasing this terribly, so it doesn't sound particularly profound,
but when I read the words, it reminds me that
even with auditioning, if I take the pressure off of
I need this job, I want this job, this job
is amazing, and just say I get to do what
I love. I get to do in this moment. You know,
(17:47):
even if someone is not handing me a paycheck, I
get to act. It's it's always amazing to me because
I can't. You know, painters can paint alone, poets can
write their beautiful words. You know writers, many of us
get to do the art form that they love on
(18:08):
their own and with the actors, you actually need either
another person or a monologue that I suppose you can
do on yourself, but you need the community to really
do the process. And when I yeah, I try to
just ground myself.
Speaker 1 (18:28):
Excellent, answer these one word questions with a one word answer.
Speaker 3 (18:33):
What does love mean to you?
Speaker 2 (18:37):
The first word that came to mind is open heart,
one word.
Speaker 1 (18:42):
Open, okay, open? How about what does God mean to you?
Speaker 2 (18:50):
Readom?
Speaker 1 (18:52):
How do you want to be remembered when you leave
this lifetime? When they say, Karen Richmond, what what would
you like people to know about you?
Speaker 2 (19:04):
Mim?
Speaker 1 (19:06):
If you could go back into history and talk to
somebody and ask them a.
Speaker 3 (19:12):
Question, who would that be.
Speaker 2 (19:17):
My dad?
Speaker 3 (19:18):
What would you ask him?
Speaker 2 (19:19):
Well, it makes me tear up. Sorry, it's not as
much asking. I'm so sorry that I'm getting emotional. It
would be more to tell and I would Oh, my God, Garry.
(19:39):
I would want to tell him that I understand what
and how he was trying to guide me. I didn't
at the time.
Speaker 1 (19:51):
Excellent, and he died.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
Before I could express that. But now, as an adult.
I desperately want him to know that I get it.
Speaker 1 (20:03):
He knows, you know, spirit never never really dies, they know,
So he's watching you.
Speaker 3 (20:09):
He's happy. So that's the one thing.
Speaker 1 (20:14):
You know, Karen. I could speak to you all day.
Our time is up.
Speaker 2 (20:18):
I wanted to ask you things, okay, but.
Speaker 1 (20:22):
We'll continue this in person. And I just wanted to
wish you all the best. You're doing the Hallmark movies now,
and you have this after school program for the performing
arts which is brilliant, and I'm just so proud of
you that you continue to be perpetual motion and you
(20:43):
just keep going and you must never give up. And
there's something big coming to you. I can feel it.
There's some big project. I don't know what it is.
Speaker 3 (20:51):
But my feeling is something's gonna blow your socks off soon.
Speaker 2 (20:56):
Yay your mouth to God's ears. Thank Gary. I just
want to I know we have no time, but I
just want to thank you for sharing your spirit and
your energy with your viewers, with your friends, with me.
I'm very grateful. We've only crossed paths, but I feel
(21:17):
drawn and I appreciate that power that you have.
Speaker 1 (21:21):
So thank you well.
Speaker 3 (21:22):
Thank you Karen and you'll be back.
Speaker 2 (21:24):
And because I have more to talk about and I
don't want to just talk about acting. There's so much
more to life.
Speaker 3 (21:31):
Exact Part two.
Speaker 2 (21:33):
Okay, I love it. Did return.
Speaker 1 (21:35):
Yes, Yes, sequel, the sequel. We'll do a sequel, all right. Well,
thank you so much for joining me. I'm Gary Quinn.
Until next time, be well,
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist
It’s 1996 in rural North Carolina, and an oddball crew makes history when they pull off America’s third largest cash heist. But it’s all downhill from there. Join host Johnny Knoxville as he unspools a wild and woolly tale about a group of regular ‘ol folks who risked it all for a chance at a better life. CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist answers the question: what would you do with 17.3 million dollars? The answer includes diamond rings, mansions, velvet Elvis paintings, plus a run for the border, murder-for-hire-plots, and FBI busts.