1. Who is the person you most admire?
Marie Donna (King) Campobasso, my Mother. She had me illegitimately in 1959, in a time when people judged others harshly. She did not give me up like everyone wanted her to. She has been my champion my whole life. She even told me that she knew I was going to be a writer from the time I was in her stomach. She talked to God everyday, knowing God was her best friend. She would look at the simplest of creations and say, “Look what God created just for us. Aren‘t we all so very special.”
2. What is your favorite book genre?
I love autobiographies written by the hand of the person its about. Who else can tell their story with truth of mind, body and spirit.
3. Who are your favorite actors?
Laurence Olivier. Maureen O’Hara. Marilyn Monroe. James Dean. Chris Cooper. Meryl Streep. Brad Pitt. George Clooney. Angelina Jolie. Dame Judy Dench. Helen Mirren. Jim Broadbent. Jodie Foster. Joseph Fiennes. To name a few.
4. Your favorite movies of all time?
That’s difficult. But here goes, not in any particular order.
Gandhi
The Day the Earth Stood Still
Metropolis
Peaceful Warrior
How to Marry a Millionaire
Ordinary People
Raiders of the Lost Ark Trilogy
All About Eve
Rebel Without a Cause
The Wizard of Oz
The Ten Commandments
Cleopatra
ET - The Extra-Terrestrial
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Cabaret
Gigi
Billie
Funny Girl
5. Favorite TV show?
I Love Lucy. Brilliant weekly performances by Lucy, Desi, Vivian and William. I never got tired of watching them. If I was depressed, and watched an episode, I was instantly healed. That’s the power of the written word and how actors bring it to life that effects each one of us individually.
6. Which living persons on the planet today would you like to have a dinner party with and why?
Sai-Baba, a living Avatar in India, The Dalai Lama, Maya Angelou, Marianne Williamson and Oprah Winfrey. There’s a plethora of spiritual knowledge inside their brilliant minds. I would be grateful to absorb just a fraction of their consciousness.
7. What are the favorite projects you’ve cast?
Picket Fences for Fox and CBS, starring Tom Skerritt, Kathy Baker, Ray Walston, Fyvush Finkel, Costas Mandylor, Lauren Holly, Marlee Matlin, Holly Marie Combs, Justin Shenkarow and Adam Wylie. I loved working with the talented David E. Kelley family. I earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Casting for a Series alongside fellow casting director Rick Pagano.
Amazing Stories for Universal and NBC, starring major stars on the anthology series. I loved working for Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment. This TV Show was the beginning of my casting career as a casting associate.
Prancer, a touching Christmas movie that starred Sam Elliott and Ariana Richards.
Sky Captian and the World of Tomorrow starring Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie. Science Fiction at its best.
Boy Meets Girl starring Sean Astin, Joe Mantegna and Kate Nelligan. A wonderful love story set on Valentine’s Day.
The Silence of the Hams starring Billy Zane, Dom DeLuise, Italian funnyman Ezio Greggio, Shelley Winters, Martin Balsam, Phyllis Diller, John Astin, Mel Books and Larry Storch. A silly spoof movie. I love to escape just like everyone else.
8. What career would you have chosen if you hadn't become a casting director?
That’s easy. Egyptology and archeology.
9. What would you like to do next?
Direct movies. It’s the next natural progression. I produced, wrote and directed a infomercial once and had the best time. I've been teaching and directing actors for 24 years. To tell stories from my vast otherworldly experiences will greatly enrich lives. I can't wait to visually translate all that’s in my mind’s eye to the screen.
10. What do you want people to know most about you?
That I try to live my life in love and understanding of every situation and in non-judgment. Most of the time I am successful.
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