4
Aug
Inspirational Women of the Entertainment Industry: Tricia O’Kelley
by Danielle Turchiano
0 Comments | Posted by thatgirl in Amuse Me, Take Care, That Girl
There is a pivotal scene in Blayne Weaver’s new romantic comedy, Weather Girl, in which the younger brother of the title character yells that it’s time for her to grow up and get a “real” job. The character—a thirty-something who just lost her boyfriend, her apartment, and her job– stands in shock for a moment, almost dumbfounded that anyone would suggest such a thing. The actress behind her, Tricia O’Kelley, knows that it is such a struggle that makes the success so much more worthwhile when it finally comes.
“Did I sometimes question if I was doing the right thing? Sure,” she admits. “But I really believe you have to follow your gut. I always said that if one day I woke up, and I thought it was no longer worth it, then I’d move on. Thankfully, I never got to that [place].”
When the Weather Girl script landed on her desk, O’Kelley was already co-starring on CBS’ The New Adventures of Old Christine with her real life BFF Alex Kapp Horner. She loved Weaver’s writing so much, though, she knew she wanted to help him get the project made at any cost—literally. Though there can be quite a bit of debt associated with independent film, O’Kelley never wavered and never had a second thought about pulling double-duty and stepping into a producer role for the first time.
O’Kelley, who graduated with a degree in Film and Television Production from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, has always wanted to just tell great stories, and she never let anything stand in her way or tell her she couldn’t. ‘It’s most rewarding when [you get a group of people together] who really want to do the project,” she explains. “That’s true independent filmmaking: it isn’t about “Oh, the money’s good, so yeah, I guess I’ll take [the role].” You have to really believe in the project and all of the people involved.”
It just seemed a natural progression, then, for her to take on the added behind-the-scenes responsibility if she wanted to see this project get its proper due. And O’Kelley managed to pull it together– though admittedly learning as she went along and by bringing her friends (like Kapp Horner) and past co-stars along with her.
“Honestly, that was one of the most refreshing things,” O’Kelley says so warmly she can’t be anything but smiling. “To go out to these people and have them love the script and believe in it as much as I did.” Though the dressing rooms were pretty much closets; there was often no heat; and top-billed actors like Blair Underwood, Enrico Colantoni, and Mark Harmon were working for a mere fraction of what they normally did, one by one they all signed onto O’Kelley’s “little film that could.” It is a true testament to the importance and influence of O’Kelley herself that so many would do whatever they could because they believed in her.