Wendie Malick

“Now, more than
ever, everyone needs
to laugh every day
because the world is
getting increasingly
bizarre.”
She’s my brother’s daughter who lives with us part time and goes to school in our little town.
So there are always children in our lives, and we have wonderful godchildren. I think that
whether you’re an actual parent or not, the option for helping to raise children is always there.
Of course, my hat is off to every mother out there who ever raised a child. I am absolutely
stunned by the amount of patience, and love and generosity it requires. It’s really extraordinary,
and it’s been a great, great lesson to me in trying to be a more patient human being.”
That patience is coming handy now that Malick has taken on a new role in Hollywood:
producer. “I’m involved in producing my first movie,” she explains, “and it’s a very interesting
new hat for me to wear. A friend brought me an amazing book, Mustang: The Saga of the
Wild Horse in the American West. As a big animal advocate, I’m very concerned about our
last remaining wild horses being rounded up. We’re soon going to lose them. This story is
about a woman who started the fight to save them.” Malick hopes to shoot the film during
her summer hiatus from Cleveland. “I’ll produce, executive produce and star as Wild Horse
Annie,” adds the actress/producer. “We have a budget, but we’re probably gonna need some
more money, so that’s part of (my job), too. But we hired a screenwriter who’s supposed to
be handing (the script) in this week. Then we have to cast it and find the director, so we have
our work cut out for us!”
When I ask how Malick made the jump from performer to producer without the usual actors’
siren call of “wanting to direct,” she notes, “I have directed some plays and staged readings.
And it was really fun; I didn’t know I would like it so much. So that still is a possibility. But I
can’t imagine wearing two hats, at least not initially.”
Certainly acting has been a constant in Malick’s life since her high school years in Buffalo,
New York. In fact, her first professional summer
gig was at Bellport’s 70-year-old Gateway Playhouse
where she played Hope Harcourt in Anything
Goes. “I think it was 1973 maybe” mulls
Malick. “I’m 60 now, so it was when I was 22. It
was after college and after doing my internship
in Washington, D.C.”
Continues Malick, “I had always wanted to
act. I minored in theater in college (Ohio Wesleyan
University), so I knew that was where I
was going. It was either that or being a veterinarian.
But I sucked at science, so that decision
was made for me. I also took a year off to work
for Jack Kemp; he had been our congressman
and asked me if I wanted to come try it after
college, which I did.” To this day, Malick remains
politically active and lobbies often for federal funding of arts and education. “It’s how I got
my start in high school, through a great music program,” she notes. “And I lobby on behalf of
animals and animal welfare, as well as being very pro-choice, so I have been a spokesperson
for Planned Parenthood, as well.”
Still, for all the causes and contributions, Malick could never stay away from the spotlight
for long. After her D.C. days, she returned to New York “and worked in theater - where you
make $75 a week,” she recalls. “Someone approached me and said, `Would you be interested in
modeling Would you come and meet Wilhelmina’ I did, and I ended up for the next five years
working between New York and Paris and Milan, seeing the world and having a great ol’ time.
But I knew it was only a finite departure and that I would come back to acting.”
And waiting tables. “I was trying to be a working actor,” notes Malick, “but I had to supplement
my income with waitressing. Then I got my first full-time job, on the soap opera, Love of
Life.” Fans of Hot in Cleveland can appreciate the connection, since on that show, Malick plays
an Emmy-winning former soap star. “I actually went back and did a day on All My Children,
recalls the actress. “Susan Lucci was a guest on our show, so I went back and did a day as
Victoria Chase, my character, on hers. It’s mindboggling to think about it. I think they shot over
100 takes in one day. It’s like a factory where they go, `boom boom boom’ – so much work.
They cover so much ground in so much exposition every day.
“On our show,” continues Malick. “we have five days to put on a little play in front of an
audience. So we really get to hone our craft. It’s great fun, and I love it.” ●
Wendie
ON HEALTH
I’m very blessed. My dad is 92 years old and going strong. And my
mom is in good shape. She walks her dog twice a day, every single
day. And she lives in Buffalo, NY. (laughing) It keeps you honest.
ON DIET
I’m a pescatarian, so I eat fish, but otherwise I just eat vegetables,
fruits and raw nuts. I gave up the whites: white flour, white sugar. I
do drink wine and an occasional martini, so instead of dessert, that’s
my vice.
ON EXCERCISE
I exercise almost every day and feel so much better when I do. I
do Pilates and I ski. I love to feel in touch with my body because
the older we get, the more you really have to not let it slip. It’s much
harder to get it back. We’ve got dogs and horses, so I have critters
I have to get out anyway. Having animals is a great enforcer of
exercise!
David Lefkowitz co-publishes Performing Arts Insider (TotalTheater.com) and hosts Dave’s
Gone By (davesgoneby.com) on UNC Radio, where he serves as programming director. Read
him at: http://davelefkowitzwriting.wordpress.com/about/