A Conversation with Stacey Oristano

January 28, 3:36 PMEntertainment ExaminerMike Parker

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Football is king in Texas. Whether you are rooting for the Cowboys on Sunday afternoon, or cheering your local high school heroes on to victory on Friday night, bragging rights come with a win, and winning is pretty much everything. It is a concept that came naturally to native Texan, Stacey Oristano. Perhaps that’s why NBC keeps expanding her roll on the sleeper hit, Friday Night Lights.

Mike Parker – Your dad, Mark Oristano, was a long time sportscaster in Texas, and even has the distinction of broadcasting the Dallas Cowboys’ victory over the Pittsburg Steelers in SuperBowl XXX. So, being a Texas girl, are you a Cowboys fan, or a Houston Texans fan?

Stacey Oristano – I am a huge Cowboys fan. Always have been and always will be. I live in New York now and the people up here, they don’t like the Cowboys very much.

Parker – You dad is also a noted stage performer in the Dallas theatrical scene. How much did that influence your desire to become an actress?

Stacey – It not only started my love for the theatre, but I don’t know that I would have even discovered theatre without him. There was a magic to being backstage when he would perform and there was always theatre and literature in our house. He sparked my love for theatre and then it became a career choice.

Parker – You earned your Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with an emphasis on classical theatre from London’s prestigious Rose Bruford College. What compelled you to cross the pond to study?

Stacey – I did a lot of research while I was in high school. I looked at the American style of teaching theatre and the British style and I really liked the way the British did it. When the opportunity came along to study in London, I couldn’t turn it down. I think it was a little difficult for my folks to let me go off the England. I had just graduated from high school and was all set to go to TCU and study photojournalism, but when the opportunity came to study abroad my Dad really pushed me to go for it. There were a lot of desperate phone calls back home in the early days and I was really lonely, but after a couple of weeks I just fell in love with it.

Parker – You’ve lent your vocal talents to a number of anime cartoons. So, I gotta ask, are you really a geek, or is that just another job?

Stacey – I was never into anime until I started doing the voiceovers. Some of shows are pretty geeky, but some of them are really geared toward adults and they are really fantastic. I love playing with voices so when my agent started sending me out to do voiceovers it just sort of stuck.

Parker – Tell me about your role on Friday Night Lights. It appears you are about to get a lot more screen time.

Stacey – I play Mindy Collette who is the comic relief. The show is a definitely a one-hour drama, but Mindy is lighthearted. She laughs and dances and I think people respond to that in the midst of a show that can be pretty weighty.

Parker – You cut your acting teeth in the theatre, but television is loving you. What’s the next step for your career?

Stacey – I’m just continuing to pursue work, in whatever medium presents itself. I moved to New York because I am in love with the theatre scene here. I would love to act on Broadway. It is my passion. But I’ll go wherever the opportunity takes me.

The Seven Questions

1. What’s your favorite sound?
Stacey – I used to live by a playground and I love to listen to children laugh and play.

2. What makes you happy?
Stacey – Laughter.

3. What makes you angry?
Stacey – Rudeness. I hate it.

4. What is the secret of success?
Stacey – If you have your marbles in order, it is about tenacity. It is about showing up.

5. If you could have dinner with anyone in history, living or dead, who would it be?
Stacey – Gene Kelly. He is my favorite.

6. What is the epitaph that is written on your tombstone?
Stacey – “She lived with music and laughter.”

7. When you get to heaven, what is the first thing you want to hear God say to you?
Stacey – You know how people always say, ‘you can’t take it with you?’ I’ve always wondered, ‘what if you could take it with you?’ I would love to hear God say, ‘Stacey, where’s all your stuff?’

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