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AE:
So did you continue to act?
IL: Yes. I wanted to do theatre. My friends call me
“The Manifestor” because I manifest everything that I want. And
so my friend was calling me and telling me, “This director friend
of mine is calling me and wanting me to do this one act play and
I don't want to do it but I recommend it for you.” Within half
an hour I was at the theatre auditioning for him. The role was
older—for a woman in her 30s and I thought, “I can't pull this
off.” But he told me he'd rather have someone young who could
act than someone who looked the part but couldn't act And he needed
to cast it that day.
So we started rehearsing the next day in someone's kitchen and before you know it I'm onstage in this one-act play. It was a challenge for me, playing an older woman having a mid-life crisis, and basically breaking down on stage. But I loved it, it was a challenge and I did it and I got up every weekend and it felt really good.
AE:
Do you think you'll do more theatrical work?
IL: I don't know. Because shortly after that I decided that I was going to go back to college and I was going to go to Columbia University but that didn't happen. Things happen for a reason. I remember I asked Joss (Whedon) for a recommendation and his assistant told me “no” because he's very, very particular. He's only done one, and he gets really into it, with a lot of detail. And I respect that but that it kind of slowed me down to apply to Columbia. I lagged, and in that lagging I realized that I love food.
My favorite thing about traveling is eating the food. I looked into culinary school in Pasadena, the Cordon Bleu, and being there and learning about it, I thought This is what I want. I have to be chef. I just don't know anything that I have more passion for.
The acting thing, the whole business, drained me. I hated auditioning, and I didn't have that passion that I'd had for it at one point. So suddenly I found something else that I had this passion for and I was so excited about. So before you know it, I'm enrolling in culinary school.
Then I saw this thing online, pick your own celebrity chef, and I thought that's what I'm going to do—a celebrity chef! Mind you, I wanted to be a chef before I wanted to be a celebrity chef, so it wasn't like I was going to try to tie in acting with cooking, I was just going to try to be a chef. I didn't know where it would take me.
So I was going to go to culinary school and it was going to start in April. But in January I decided to go to college and complete my AA degree. I've been two units away from getting my Associate's degree, and the two units I needed were in Introduction to Theatre! It's just so funny.
So
I planned to finish my AA and then go to Mexico, and then go to
Caribbean to take this course I wanted to take, and then I'll
start culinary school.
AE:
But somehow you got sucked back into acting?
IL: Taking this theatre class…mind you, I thought I was
done with acting forever. Being in this class, I started to learn
the history of theatre, playwrights, and I thought, ‘this just
doesn't leave me alone, I can't NOT do this. That's when I realized
that it wasn't so much an ego thing, it was just in me. I need
an outlet, I need to do theatre and be creative somehow.
So I went to Mexico and then when I came back I met this guy who was doing an independent film. He had met my mom, he knew who I was, he was doing this independent film the thought I was perfect for. I go in to meet the guy—the girl has to be chubby, and I thought should I even waste my time? It's really clear that this girl needs to be fat, and if they're not willing to see me like that then I'm not going to waste my time.
But I went in. And the day before I went to Mexico they called me and offered me the role.
And
I'm short, so every 5 pounds is a size on me, but I told them
I'd be willing to gain 15 pounds. So suddenly my culinary school
is starting, and the film and thought ‘I don't want to do the
film, I really want to go to school!' So it turns out I am doing
it.
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