In a world so twisted and endangered, movies and TV shows are one of the only forms of escape we still have left; and you, through one of the most beloved shows in modern history, accomplished as an actress what many people desire in any type of job: to change peoples lives. How does it feel to know you were able to help millions of people get through? I was absolutely blown away by the impact of April Kepner’s story. I received so many letters, tweets, etc from people after the episode where our baby died, and even more so after the episode where the dying Rabbi (played by the incomparable Saul Rubinek) brought April back to life. It’s a common occurrence for someone to meet me on the street, begin to tell me how important my character’s faith journey was to them, and then begin to cry in my arms. What was most incredible to me after the episode where April’s faith was restored, was that I had people writing in to me from every walk of life- every religious background, atheists, agnostics, people who were spiritual and people who weren’t, and the story seemed to have a universal relatability. People began to heal in their own lives after watching April begin her healing process. I will say, being able to be a part of that healing is the greatest privilege of my career to date. How much more do you think the artistic realm can do to induce change? I Think artists have incredible influence in our culture. I think the greatest thing a good story does is to allow people to empathize with people with very different stories. We are in a
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moment in American culture where we are so polarized. We’ve created camps. I’m on one side, you are on another, and if you don’t agree with me, you are the enemy and I don’t want to hear anything from you. What good art can do is build a bridge. My dad calls it “incarnating and issue”. As soon as an issue (whether it be sexuality, or immigration, reproductive rights, etc) becomes represented in a complicated person with complicated feelings and a complicated story, people become people, and they cease to be representatives of merely an issue. They cease to be the enemy. Us vs Them cannot exist when we see each other as people with stories that aren’t so different from our own. I think we have the opportunity to build bridges as artists if we use our art in the right way. Who do you look up to at the moment? I love what Reese Witherspoon is doing now with her production company. I love her passion for storytelling and I love her commitment to her family. I love that she seems to be doing it all with such grace and balance. If you could suggest one thing, and one thing only, to your readers, what would it be? It can be a book, album, movie, artist. I recently read the book “Daring Greatly” by Brene Brown and it was incredibly impactful to me. Her insight into how vulnerability can help us to lead more wholehearted lives as leaders, parents, artists, and humans, and how shame can block us from the wholeheartedness we were made for was incredibly insightful and transformative. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone!
Volume 03
VULKAN
