Tony Award winner Victoria Clark has graced the Broadway stage and the small screen too — taking on memorable roles on shows like the dramatic series “Homeland”. She was about to launch the City Center presentation of “Love Life”, which she directs, when the city shut down. Through it all, she remains a dedicated Upper West Sider!
West Side Rag: How has your day-to-day been, Victoria?
Victoria Clark: “We’re managing and very thankful! My husband’s doing all the cooking. We’ve been getting delivery of these kits where everything is pre-measured and he’s been doing amazing things. He likes a lot of elbow room when he’s cooking so its been great for me! And he cleans as he goes so there’s been very little for me to do at the end! I’m the exact opposite! I take my time, I hand pick all the ingredients, I get every pot in the house dirty so we’re all very happy with this arrangement. He’s never actually cooked before so this is all new!”
WSR: Wow that’s impressive!
VC: “Yeah it is and I’m the beneficiary of all that!”
WSR: So with all this time we all find ourselves with, have you taken on any tasks that have been on your “to do” list?
VC: “There are definitely these cabinets in our apartment that I honestly have no idea what’s been building up and lurking in them so I told my husband as I’ve attacked them that if he doesn’t hear from me in a reasonable amount of time to call the SWAT team cause lord knows what’s in there. I’ve found I’ve had to tie a rope around my waist and anchor it on the couch so I can find my way back out of them. Then I’ve found I’ve been organizing my life in ways that I never had the opportunity to do before – getting photos in order, going through papers, that kind of thing. And it’s given me this perspective when you kind of have a moment to look back and reflect on what’s passed…pictures of my kids, our lives, old Playbills…I’ve found it kind of healing to be able to go back and see the ups and downs, the rollercoaster that life just is and keep perspective on what is happening now.”
WSR: It seems lots of people, myself included, have found they’re ordering stuff online they may never have before this. Any cyber shopping on your horizon?
VC: “Well, my son recently moved to Brooklyn and we’ve been talking about turning his room in to a guest room/study so I’m starting to get the itch to start that ordering process.”
WSR: Have you been able to get out at all?
VC: “Well, we have a 3 year old Golden Retriever that we take out for a minimum of six miles a day…”
WSR: WOW.
VC: “I actually think I’m losing weight through all this because I’m so conscious of trying to get out and remember to exercise and all of that!”
WSR: What are you looking forward to when this is all over?
VC: “Getting back to work for sure! We literally had just finished the first runthrough of “Love Life” at City Center, which I directed, when this hit and I just think, like in every business, this project is so poised to go – casting, all the production elements, that we all can’t wait to just jump in. I hope sometime this summer or next year we get to do this.”
WSR: Your positive attitude and perspective is so great to hear!
VC: “Well, believe me, it’s not like I haven’t had some very dark days. I worry about my family and the vulnerable people in our world that need to be taken care of. My son is in Brooklyn and I miss that yummy feeling of just being to hunker down with your whole family! And all I want to do is reach out and hug the people I love which you just can’t do now and I find that the hardest thing of all. It’s really hard.”
WSR: Have you been doing any reading our bingeing any series?
VC: “I started reading “Grapes of Wrath” because “Love Life” is similarly structured…telling two stories simultaneously, so reading that again and reading for the first time Howard Zinn’s “A People’s History of the United States”. I’m also bingeing “Homeland” season 4. I watched season 5 to see what happened after my character left, but now I’m watching the rest of it. I had such a great experience working with everyone there and its been great to see how the story has evolved.”
WSR: Ok, time for the Celeb Crush question! Who would yours be???
VC: “ooooh. This will take a second…uhm…Matt Damon for sure!!!”
WSR: That’s a good one!!!
VC: “Right? We’d just spend everyday discussing Zinn!”
WSR: And lastly, when this is all over what’s the first thing you’re going to do?
VC: “Definitely go out for dinner with my family!”
WSR: Decadent, right?!
VC: “Yeah! All those things we took for granted…”
