Page 131 - Demo
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ortraying another strong character in Arrow, Katrina enjoys the challenge and physicality. %u201cI love that Nyssa is so hardcore and badass. It%u2019s fun to run around and fight with the boys and know that you can hold your own. Greg Rucka created such a wonderfully complex character with an even more complex family relationship. And the extra layers Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg, and the Arrow%u2019s writers room are adding on top of it all just make it that much more juicy to play.%u201d With a black belt in Taekwondo and as an experienced archer, Katrina reveals that on Spartacus she performed all of her own stunts and that she gets to do about half of her stunts in Arrow. The other half is done by her stunt double, Atlin Mitchell, who used to be part of Cirque Du Soleil. That is no easy feat, and to be able to count yourself on equal par with the agility and strength of a Cirque Du Soleil performer is quite an accomplishment.Born in Philadelphia and growing up in South Jersey, Katrina%u2019s parents recognized her liveliness and vitality early on, enrolling her in a variety of activities including: dance, soccer, volleyball, karate, and voice lessons. She even won the title of Miss New Jersey Teen USA, and went on to represent her state on national television in the finals. However, that was not her first time on TV, as at age ten, Katrina was featured in a Chinese movie, speaking Mandarin for the part. She reminisces that, %u201cin the final product, they dubbed my Chinese with another Chinese speaker who spoke about two octaves higher than my natural voice. No one told my parents and I this would be happening, so when we first heard the new voice, there was moment of shocked silence and then we all just started laughing.%u201d Her parents%u2019 love and support and good humor growing up provided Katrina her inspiration and instilled in her the confidence to succeed. Katrina is happiest and most content when surrounded by family and close friends, as is reflected in the low budget indie film, Death Valley that she participated in. The film was comprised purely of friends and family, even reuniting her with her makeup artist from Spartacus, all the way from Australia. Speaking about the experience, Katrina reveals that it was one of the rare, wonderful times when she and her husband, Keith Andreen were able to work together, and says that on set, %u201cThere was so much laughter, zero ego, and an abundant amount of love and joy for our craft.%u201dKatrina started to develop her craft by graduating with a degree in theatre from The Richard Stockton College of NJ and continuing on to Philadelphia and New York City to further develop her acting skills. She earned her SAG status when she booked a guest role on NY%u2019s The Third Watch and has since gone on to attain roles in other notable television series, including CSI: Miami (2002) Legend of the Seeker (2008) and Chuck (2007), plus supporting and leading roles in many independent films. She films a lot of acting jobs on location, which takes her away from her husband, whose work keeps him L.A., yet the two of them have figured out a system to keep their marriage fresh, healthy, and strong, and she discloses how they make it work. %u201cWe have a three week limit as to how long we can go without seeing each other. Skype andFaceTime have also been a huge help. But in general, I think constantly checking in with each other to see how our day was and open communication about our thoughts and feelings keep us connected.%u201d