Lindsey Shaw plays the role of Kat Stratford on ABC Family’s 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU, which airs with all new episodes on Tuesday nights at 8pm ET. I recently participated in a Q&A session with the actress and the transcript is below.Michael Goldberg (We Love Soaps): What is it like working with Larry Miller?
Lindsey Shaw: Oh my goodness, it’s a little bit like a whirlwind. You try to just follow along with what he’s saying. He’s going off on about 40 different brilliant paths all at once, and it’s wonderful. He is just the funniest man ever, and he can make a joke out of anything.
The thing I really respect about Larry Miller is that he’s such an accomplished performer, and he still has that quality of searching, as if this was his second job ever. He always finds places to make it better, to enhance it, to build a relationship. So, it’s really just giving me an example to hopefully take along my career. I just always hope that I have that searching that he has, the love of the art.
Michael Goldberg (We Love Soaps): Great. You find that that’s helped you on the set in terms of how you work with your character and in honing your craft?
Lindsey Shaw: Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. He makes sure that you’re a cooperative part of the process. He actually sometimes comes in with his own pages printed up for his scene to where he’s going to add stuff where things can be put in, and obviously, that only served as an example to me. He would ask me how I thought or what I felt. That just translates into what goes into the scene. So, it was extremely helpful for both Meaghan and I working with him so much.
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Michael Goldberg (We Love Soaps): Okay, great. I was just wondering, were you surprised when you first saw the script for the TV show? Were you surprised that they were making a show out of this movie that had been so popular?
Lindsey Shaw: I think surprised for a second. I saw it and I was like, “Cool. Let’s go to work.” I was not shocked.
Michael Goldberg (We Love Soaps): Yes, because it’s a great show.
Lindsey Shaw: Thank you very much. Thanks. You know what? You get more and more confidence as all the scripts come out and you see that this is a good show, and that it wasn’t just thrown together. There was a lot of thought put into it. So, it’s a really great show, completely independent of the movie, so that’s what not surprises you, but just brings it all full circle.
Jamie Steinberg (Starry Constellation Magazine): I was just wondering what made you decide to be a part of this project? What was it about the script or that cast that made you interested?
Lindsey Shaw: Well, the biggest factor for me was that I needed to pay the rent, and this is a network to get a job on. So, I came out and I did this audition and obviously once you do the first audition and know that you’re coming back, your investment in the project, more than doubles, triples, quadruples.
So, you do a little more research and you find out who’s involved, and upon doing that, I found out that Gil Junger, the director, was going to do the same, and we were getting Larry Miller back, which was hugely exciting for me, somebody who kind of had defined themselves as a comedic actress thus far in my career. I got to read the entire script, which I responded to immediately, and I could see myself doing it immediately, so those were the big points that kind of sucked me in.
Jamie Steinberg (Starry Constellation Magazine): Now, there’s great chemistry between all of the cast members. Did you find it to be instant, or did you guys spend a little time having to work at it?
Lindsey Shaw: No, it was instant. I mean, every person on this cast is an artist and they’re dauntless, and they have mastered these characters, and everybody came in with this sort of confidence. Nobody felt a real power trip, so there was nothing to get over. It gelled, the second we met each other, and it’s been a joy to work with them ever since. I respect all of them so much.
Jamie Steinberg (Starry Constellation Magazine): Have you had a most memorable moment from filming so far?
Lindsey Shaw: Most memorable moment. Well, I had to do this drunk scene, this little dance if you will, and that was kind of intense. It was like two hours at 7:00 in the morning of just drunken dancing. So, you’re going to have to stay tuned to find out which episode that comes in at, but that was certainly memorable.
Jamie Ruby (Media Boulevard): Where do you draw your inspiration for the character from? Did you take a lot from the movie, or do you just sort of try to do more of your own thing?
Lindsey Shaw: I really did try to do my own thing, just because we’re not replicating the movie. There’s no need for me to draw anything from the movie other than kind of a springboard for where these characters were at story wise. So, I kind of drew the inspiration really a lot from my own life. I feel so much like Kat in so many regards, and it was so funny.
As the season went on, as the scripts came out, I was reading these scenes that she either had with her father or with her friend or with Patrick, and I was thinking, “Wow. I have talked to somebody like this at some point. I’ve had this intention in my mind. I’ve experienced this frustration over this particular thing in the past.” So, it was quite easy to draw from my own experience for a lot of who she is. She is very frustrated, and I find myself very frustrated, as everybody does. I find myself very frustrated at points in my life over particular issues like Kat, so that was ample, ample inspiration to draw from.
Jamie Ruby (Media Boulevard): Great. So, what kind of different challenges do you find in this role than some of the other ones you’ve done so far?
Lindsey Shaw: The other characters that I’ve played, like on Ned’s Declassified, that was a kid’s show. It didn’t require a lot of character development. And then I worked on Aliens in America, and I played this girl, Claire, who was for the most part fairly one note in that series, with the exception of a couple of episodes. But this character, she obviously plays a big part in this series. Therefore, the audience both has to root for her and feel bad for her, also be able to get mad at her and come back again. You know what I mean?
She has this quality of likability, but being very strong, and sometimes it’s easy to go in one of those directions too far, and it doesn’t serve the character to lose that balance. That’s what the producer and director were really their main points of helping me work on this first ten that we did, was just trying to find that balance and keep that balance between strength and softness. That was such a challenge for me at times, and it was wonderful.
That’s one of the reasons that I fell in love with her in the beginning, and not only that, but I find so much of the balance that I’m trying to find with her, I find myself even bringing that over into my own life and thinking of some of those. So, it’s been really sort of a profound character for me to play thus far at this point in my career.
Jamie Ruby (Media Boulevard): What’s your favorite part about working on the show?
Lindsey Shaw: Getting to work with all of the amazing people. I think Gil Junger is one of the best directors I’ve ever worked with, and I hope to know him for a long, long time. Carter and this entire cast and all of our team of writers, they’re just so inspirational and uplifting. It was such a joy, such a creative space to work in every day. To have all of them be your own age, you feel like you’re working with your friends, you know, and they are your friends. That was basically it. Always the people.
Jamie Ruby (Media Boulevard): Great. Thank you very much.
Lindsey Shaw: Thank you.
Traci Grant (thestarscoop.com): The last time that we talked, it was when you started out on Ned’s Declassified. So, I was hoping you could tell me a little bit about just your fan base and how they are sort of transitioning with you as you’ve gone from this, as you said, kid’s show into this more mature role?
Lindsey Shaw: Right. You know, it’s been amazing that you don’t have an idea of the number of fans that will come up to me or write me letters or stop me and ask me like, “Oh my gosh. You’re on the new show, 10 Things I Hate About You, but I also love you from Ned’s Declassified.” So many of them came up and followed me, and it’s incredible to be able to work on one project and then this next one, and have them be able to come up and watch it.
It’s age-appropriate for them now that they’ve grown up. So, it’s kind of like they’ve grown up with me, which is sort of the most amazing quality I think you can have in your fans. Hopefully, they will just continue to grow with me, and it’s just been wonderful. It brings you back down to that first moment that everybody knows what you’ve gone through and been through since these series. You feel very intimate with them.
Traci Grant (thestarscoop.com): Definitely, and kind of while we’re on the topic of fans, do you have a sort of, as your career has grown and as you’ve built your fan base, do you have sort of a favorite fan story or moment that you kind of want to share with us?
Lindsey Shaw: I had this really amazing fan write me this piece of fan mail, and inside it there was a CD. It was from this band and they said, “Your art has inspired us, and we are sending you our CD to kind of say thank you and to share our art with you.” It wasn’t even like a fan encounter. It was like two artists talking to each other or just two people who have made a connection through art, who they’ve never even met, but they wanted to share their art. I don’t know. I was just so struck by that and so honored. It felt like, I don’t know, we shared. It was awesome.
Troy Rogers (Deadbolt.com): [A recent episode dealt] with fixing cars. I just wanted to know, are you mechanically inclined at all or is that something you’re interested in?
Lindsey Shaw: Unfortunately, I am not at all mechanically inclined.
Troy Rogers (Deadbolt.com): Okay. You and Meaghan play sisters. How do you two get along off set?
Lindsey Shaw: Oh, we get along wonderfully. We are sort of the exact opposite of each other. I am sometimes a little blunt, and sort of in your face, and she’s this amazing, petite, sweet, little, awesome, sweet girl, and so it’s such a contrast even off set. She is such a wonderful girl with the greatest intentions, and such a great amount of talent, and I cannot even tell you how many times the rest of the cast, we looked at each other and just were in awe at how much she had grown from the first episode to our last episode. It was just exponential. Her talent was just, it was really quite incredible. Just to be able to watch that and work with her, I just felt like I’ve been there. It’s like this big sister protective figure. I just really love her.
Troy Rogers (Deadbolt.com): Awesome. We did a conference call with Ethan Peck a couple of weeks ago, and the first thing I noticed was that he’s got like a near-perfect voice.
Lindsey Shaw: He is near perfect, isn’t he? I also do interviews with him all the time. It’s like, here’s my voice and then the top voice ever in the world.
Troy Rogers (Deadbolt.com): I was going to say, is he intimidating at all to work with?
Lindsey Shaw: No. Ethan is not at all intimidating. That is the wrong word. He is just completely honest and amazing. He’s really just the most honest person ever. Like, you look at him and you can’t get away with anything. So, intimidating is not the word. Just honest.
Kendra White (Sidereel.com): With the show focused mainly on two girls dealing with high school in extremely different ways, I was curious what you think young girls take away from watching the show.
Lindsey Shaw: I think from this show young girls should see two role models, two people who fall down, but then get back up. Two people who, for the most part in their minds, think that they’re doing the right thing. Two people who make mistakes, but then can correct themselves. You know what I mean?
I think that our failures in this show are just as educational as our successes, and I think that both of our characters have something to offer beyond girls learning to be more selfless, and Kat learning to be more in-tune, less righteous, more realistic. So, I think that there are things that they can learn from both of these characters, and I think it would be a tragedy not to capitalize on what both characters have to offer.
Kendra White (Sidereel.com): Most part this year, Kat and Bianca’s dad is continually telling Bianca how she should more like Kat. How do you think Kat could be more like Bianca?
Lindsey Shaw: Bianca has this eternally optimistic spirit about her. She always looks at the good, always has a positive spin to put on things, and I think Kat could benefit from that so much. She so often goes completely to the other end of the spectrum, and just looks at things with this pessimistic attitude that a lot of times gets her into trouble. I think Bianca’s eternal optimism, which is so much a part of Meaghan, like that’s a huge part of herself that she brought to this character, to learn from that is good, I think. I think that’s an amazing quality, and Lindsey can also learn from Meaghan in that regard.
Sarah Fulghum (Totallyher.com): Your TV character, Kat, is rather different than the one in the movie, and personally I love how you portray your character, but in general, what reactions have you gotten about it?
Lindsey Shaw: Well, I’ve really only gotten fan reactions, kind of, about it, which fans tend to enjoy it, and they tell me that they like it, and I’ve gotten their reaction. The reviews seem to suggest that it’s a fairly balanced show, so I think that it’s been received well thus far. I don’t know. I feel kind of weird about answering this question. Is that weird?
Sarah Fulghum (Totallyher.com): No, I understand. It is weird because it’s the perspectives of your fans and how it’s been for you.
Lindsey Shaw: Yes. I’m sorry. I think that the show is balanced and that everybody’s doing a good job. There’s my politically-correct answer.
Sarah Fulghum (Totallyher.com): That’s a great answer. So, speaking of your fans, I was reading online that some of the viewers while they love you on 10 Things I Hate About You, they also think you should have been cast as Bella in the movie Twilight. What do you think about that?
Lindsey Shaw: No, I have to tell you. I’m sorry. The last person who asked me about the greatest fan encounter, it was actually at a Best Buy, and this woman was helping me buy a computer. This woman was in like, I mean, she was a middle-aged woman, like 50s. We got to talking and for some reason, it takes hours to buy a computer, but we got to talking, and she was like, “What do you do?” I was like, “I’m an actress.” She was like, “Oh my God. I knew it. Bella from Twilight?” It’s so awkward to correct that. I always heard people telling me stories like that, but it’s extremely awkward in person. I was just like, “No. Have you ever seen 10 Things I Hate About You?” and she just looked at me. So, that was the greatest fan encounter.
In regards to that, I actually have no opinion of that either way, because have not educated myself at all with anything Twilight-related. I don’t know if that’s good or bad, but I don’t know. Thank you? A big franchise?
Sarah Fulghum (Totallyher.com): Yes, I would take it as a compliment. One last question. Do you have any input on your wardrobe on the show?
Lindsey Shaw: You know, I say, “Oh my gosh, I like this.” But the genius behind it is really our wardrobe department, who just put out cute outfit after cute outfit. It’s awesome, and the character has stayed consistent throughout the entire show wardrobe-wise. So, I say, “Ooh, that’s pretty.” Or “Ooh, I like that.” That’s about all the input that I have.
Jamie Ruby (Media Boulevard): What got you starting in acting in the beginning?
Lindsey Shaw: What got me started in acting. Loaded question. I don’t know. Just always the urge to entertain. I really like being the center of attention, which maybe is not the more solid reason to drop everything and move out to LA., but that’s what happened. Luckily, my love for it just grew as I learned what it was to act, to be on a set, who prolific actors were, the spirit behind the work. So, from there it just kind of grew and built, and luckily, I was able to stay out here. It was purely luck.
Jamie Ruby (Media Boulevard): Right. If it didn’t work, though, when you weren’t acting, what do you think you’d be doing now?
Lindsey Shaw: I would be in school 100%. I would be in school studying some kind of science, biology, or quantum physics. That’s such a leap and perhaps better things I could be doing with my life, but I like playing pretend, so science can wait.
Jamie Ruby (Media Boulevard): Good. So, what would be your ultimate dream role if you could just pick and choose?
Lindsey Shaw: To do a peace thing like the 60s. Just to do some kind of revolution, I’m very drawn to that. I would totally be in for any revolution we have nowadays. Just the spirit of that time and the culture of that time is so fascinating that I would love to be able to have an excuse to completely submerge myself in it, you know?
Jamie Ruby (Media Boulevard): Would you ever be interested in writing or directing, or are you just for the acting?
Lindsey Shaw: I would love to write something. Writing was a huge passion of mine when I was younger, and somehow I stopped, which is horrendous. But I love writing, just stories and novels. I don’t know about scripts, but just stories, short stories.
Jamie Ruby (Media Boulevard): Well, thank you very much.
Lindsey Shaw: Thank you.
Victoria Upegi (AcedMagazine.com): I have a question about teen pregnancy and abstinence. They’re kind of out there in a lot of shows. Do you think this show addresses those issues, and how do you think the show does that?
Lindsey Shaw: I don’t know how far our show goes in, you know, it’s not overt in any of those things. If anything, it maybe dances on the side of joking about it a lot, joking about sex and sexually-related things. We actually have an episode coming up where the idea of sex is referred to quite openly, and I just think that we sort of make light of it more than put this big message on it not to do it.
Our show is a comedy, and we sort of tend to laugh at it more than try to address the issue as something serious. We obviously don’t encourage teen sex, but we do talk about it as an issue and as a comedy, we laugh at that. So, that’s all I’m going to say about that.
Victoria Upegi (AcedMagazine.com): I mean, do you take social issues into account when you take a role? Do you try to align it with your moral standing on things?
Lindsey Shaw: Of course. Of course you try to align it with your moral standing on things. I mean, I would never do any sort of commercial or advertisement that advertised anything with meat in it. But on this show, I don’t think that there is anything heavy enough that goes on that my moral compass would be skewed.
Obviously, you try to pick projects in line with yourself, but I would never go out and kill somebody, but I would also play a killer. I could also play that role. So, you do it as much as you possibly can, but I sort of reserve that for me myself. Lindsey would not condone that, but my character…
Victoria Upegi (AcedMagazine.com): I understand what you’re saying.
Lindsey Shaw: Basically I don’t feel like anything on this show would be grounds for me to be going up in arms about anything, you know what I mean? Of course, in your line of work, you want to align yourself with projects that you would like to promote.
Victoria Upegi (AcedMagazine.com): So, where would you see yourself in five years? Your ideal dream job in five years, what would that be?
Lindsey Shaw: My ideal dream job in five years would still be to be working on a great TV show. Yes, do a film here or there or whatever, but I really like working on TV. This is my third series, and I enjoy it very much, just the routine and what not. So, a movie in between a couple of seasons, that would probably be ideal.
Victoria Upegi (AcedMagazine.com): More of a light question, because I know mine have been a little loaded. Sorry for that. Do you see any onset romances developing?
Lindsey Shaw: You know, anything can happen on a set. We’re there for many hours together. So, I’m not going to rule anything out at this point. I think that that would just be a hindrance on the possibilities. So, I’m going to say perhaps.
Sarah Fulghum (Totallyher.com): What the auditioning process like for the role of Kat?
Lindsey Shaw: Actually, it’s funny. I was working on this small independent film at the time, and I had to get days off, like one day off for this audition from the director. He was wearing all the hats of the production, so obviously he was a little frazzled. So, after much coaxing, he gave the morning off so I could go and audition, and I did an audition for Carter Covington, the executive producer, and he really liked me.
I got a call later that day that told me that I was going straight to network, which was super exciting, and then I ended up booking it. We went to network and we met up. I did the chemistry read with Meaghan, and I got called that I had gotten it. The first call that I made was to that director to thank him for rearranging his schedule so I could actually go on that first audition.
Sarah Fulghum (Totallyher.com): Wow.
Lindsey Shaw: Yes. It was pretty awesome that way, I mean it was really like just the hands of fate were like okay. It all works out. Stars all align.
Sarah Fulghum (Totallyher.com): Yes, it was definitely meant to be.
Lindsey Shaw: Yes.
Sarah Fulghum (Totallyher.com): Another question. Do you have any sisters?
Lindsey Shaw: I have no sisters.
Sarah Fulghum (Totallyher.com): Well, I was thinking that, based on what I was reading about your biography, and so I was wondering where do you get your sisterly bond inspiration that you and Meaghan have?
Lindsey Shaw: Well, she has sisters. She has a sister. So, she sort of brought more to that area than I did. She’s just such an open person, she’s right there and she’s open and that just encourages you to be open with her, and I guess that’s what sisters are, just completely dauntless in front of each other, which I think when you’re doing a TV show together, you have to be somewhat fearless to go into it and make it worth watching. So, we were both going into this, and working so closely together, and I’ve never played kind of a close sisterly bond before, but she made it so easy. We just, I don’t know. We just got each other from the start, mostly because she laughed at all of my jokes and thought this is a cool chick.
Jamie Ruby (Media Boulevard): Is there any scene that you filmed that didn’t end up in the final cut that you wished did?
Lindsey Shaw: Nothing really much of our show was ever cut. There might have been a line here or there, but certainly not a whole scene, so no. I’m glad everything made the show, especially all of my stuff.
Jamie Ruby (Media Boulevard): Is there anything that did make it that you wished they had cut?
Lindsey Shaw: Oh, well we’re just going to have to wait until episode nine until you see the drunk party stuff, and then you can tell me if there’s anything that they should have cut, because that was quite an episode for me. So, I don’t know. It would have to be something from that episode.
Jamie Ruby (Media Boulevard): So, do you watch yourself back a lot or is that hard for you? Do you criticize yourself?
Lindsey Shaw: I do. I criticize probably 95% of it. There will be like a look, then I’ll be like, “I guess I’m satisfied.” I don’t know. Think of what it’s like to watch yourself back in family videos or friend videos. It’s awkward. It really is, and you have to think, “Two million people are going to watch this and did that look weird? Was that a bad angle? Was I completely off base on that?” You know what I mean. Usually you are, which only gives you room to go improve. Adhir Kalyan, I worked with him on Aliens in America. He told me that when you’re completely satisfied with an entire performance, you should probably rethink that performance, because to be satisfied is to think that it’s perfect, and that’s definitely not where I’m at yet.
Jamie Ruby (Media Boulevard): I never thought about it that way. That’s really interesting. I know a lot of people have trouble watching it back, but I guess it would be rather like an awkward home movie.
Lindsey Shaw: Yes, really it is. Instead of just like the safety of your family, it’s like …
Jamie Ruby (Media Boulevard): Lots of people. Do you have any new projects coming up soon or that haven’t come out yet?
Lindsey Shaw: I don’t have time to go book any other job, so no. No, I don’t have anything. Here is the awkward question where I’m asked if I have anything, and I have to say, “No, I’m just sitting here watching reruns of Nurse Jackie.”
Jamie Ruby (Media Boulevard): I guess I should have said according to the web site there’s Devolved and Nic & Tristan Go Mega Dega. Can you talk about them a bit.
Lindsey Shaw: Wow, I completely forget about those, just because I’ve seen them, so I think that they already…
Jamie Ruby (Media Boulevard): Yes, I know. I didn’t think of that.
Lindsey Shaw: But I did do these two independent films called Devolved and Nic & Tristan, and I have no idea when they’re slated to come out, but I did do those, so be checking your Blockbusters for any of those. One of them, Devolved, is a teen Lord of the Flies satire, a modern-day Lord of the Flies satire, and Nic & Tristan is about these two prodigy 10-year-old skateboarders who they actually are prodigy 10-year-old skateboarders. The movie was written around them, and I play this absolutely insane baby-sitter, like out of her mind. Yes. Thank you for reminding me of that. I do have those two things coming out.
Jamie Ruby (Media Boulevard): Okay. We’ll be waiting for those. Thank you.
Lindsey Shaw: Alright. I’ll let you know. Okay.
Jamie Ruby (Media Boulevard): Could you run us through like a typical day on the set?
Lindsey Shaw: Yes. Absolutely. So, you get there. It’s 6:00 or 7:00 a.m. You go straight into hair and makeup, and that is about an hour and 15, an hour and a half. During that time, you get your breakfast brought to you, which is amazing, and then you go get dressed. Usually they time it out perfectly, right as you’re putting on your last shoe, Lizzie, our PA is knocking on the door saying, “Go to set.”
We go up there. We rehearse, and they finish the lighting up, then we start in. It’s literally like we have to be going fast, because we’ve got four days to complete what is usually done in five days. So, you’re literally not sitting down during the day. You get done with one scene, the director’s already in the next location for the next scene, so it’s constant after that unless you’re not in that scene. Then you break for lunch.
You have your lunch, you chill, read, sleep. I was almost 89% of the time sleeping, and get back up, go to hair and makeup for touchups, and you go in and you finish the rest of your day. All that happens in about 12 to 14 hours.
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