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A Quickie With Cathy Shim

Asian-American actor Cathy Shim is not only a trained performer with improv experience from the Upright Citizens Brigade and the Groundlings, she is a classical pianist who’s proficient in martial arts, can do her own sword stunts, ride a motorcycle and sing perfect-pitch soprano. And because she’s an overachiever, she can do them all at the same time. While speaking Korean.

With film credits that include Reno 911!: Miami and Balls of Fury, as well as recurring roles on the TV shows Reno 911! and MADtv, Shim has formidable comedic street cred. But although she co-starred in (and associate produced) the award-winning film The Gymnast, it took the web series 3Way to get Shim her first on-screen kiss with a woman.

Shim spoke to AfterEllen.com recently about her role as Roxie on 3Way (which wraps up its first season today), her first real-life kiss, and how Jill Bennett smells like rose petals.

AfterEllen.com: 3Way just finished its first season. How was that? Cathy Shim:It’s been an incredible ride. I’m so grateful to all the fans, to everyone who’s been supportive, and everyone on AfterEllen. When they first approached me with the project they were like, “Oh, we’re just going to shoot this little pilot and see how it goes – maybe see if we get any sort of interest.” And here we are. It’s been the best project that I’ve worked on up to this point in my career. It’s been awesome.

AE: Working with Nancylee Myatt, Paige Bernhardt and their all-girl band must have been a gas. CS:Yeah. It feels like one big, happy family. We always say it – I know Maeve [Quinlan] always says – it’s magic in a bottle or something like that. But it is kind of odd. When I first came on board, I was the odd man out.

AE: I remember your name being tossed about very early on. You were on their radar earlier than you might realize. CS:Yeah. I knew absolutely nobody. The only connection was that Maile [Flanagan] had done Reno 911! … that [led to] being introduced to Maeve and Nancylee and Paige.

Coming into the table read, I was like, “Oh my God, I hope I’m not a complete, befuddling idiot.” And they welcomed me with open arms. From the very beginning, they made me feel right at home … I think fate works in very odd ways, and this project came around at a very special and opportune time. It has improved my life in such a way that I never thought was possible.

AE: So, it is “magic in a bottle,” or lightning in a bottle. I don’t know which, but it’s definitely something in a bottle. Probably tequila. CS:I’d say it’s like a mix of tequila … and whiskey all wrapped up in some big bottle that doesn’t give you a hangover the next morning.

AE: It also improved your life by giving you your first on-screen kiss, correct? CS:[laughs] Oh. Jesus. Jesus. [laughs]

AE: And not just any on-screen kiss; a lesbolicious kiss with Jill Bennett. CS:[laughs] I swear, I was like a nervous junior high school boy. When you’re a girl, you know you really can’t do anything wrong when it’s your first kiss. It just happens. But in this case, I felt like some two-left-handed, puberty-stricken boy who was thinking, “Oh my God, I have no idea what the heck I’m going to do here.”

Jill was so sweet about it. I told her: “I’ve never really done this. What is your comfort level?” And we both said that we just wanted it to look real. I think we achieved that. [laughs] I think we achieved that much. Every time we get any sort of intimate scene, I get very giggly and giddy. I know so many [fans] want to be in my shoes at that moment.

Should I go into further detail about how soft her lips are, and how her breath is always fresh, and she smells like rose petals when I come near her?

AE: Is that what that smell is? I always thought it was her cat, Luna. For someone with so many accomplishments under her belt, you’re just a big ol’ spaz when it comes to kissing, aren’t you? CS:[laughs] It’s true. It’s very true. You know what it is? I don’t know if you remember – well of course you would – your first kiss. For me, my very first kiss ever, I was in eighth grade. I was dating this boy who was a bit obese. He was about 350 pounds and …

AE: Wait. What? Was he 37 years old? CS:[laughs] No. He was in the ninth grade and I was in the eighth grade.

AE: Cathy, that’s not really “a bit” obese. CS:[laughs] It was summer time, and he was always sweaty and he smelled bad. And he had this really bad haircut where the bangs were super long and slicked back over the back of his head, and he had a dovetail. And greasy.

I remember I was closing my locker door, and all of a sudden he planted this thing on me and I kid you not, it was like so wet and disgusting and stinky. I pulled away and I had to like wipe the drool that came from his mouth off of my chin.

AE: What a nightmare. CS:It was a nightmare! I walked outside to the front of the school and I saw one of my girlfriends. I grabbed her can of soda, saying, “I need this more than you do right now.” [laughs] Anyway, so that was my first memory of my first kiss.

AE: I think you have nowhere to go but up after that. In fact, I can’t believe you’re still straight. Anyway. I was on your website, and it says you wear a size 1. What the hell is a size 1? I’ve seen a 0, I’ve seen a 2, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a 1. CS:Really? It says size 1? Really?

AE: Yes. CS:It says I’m a 1?

AE: It says you’re a 1. CS:You know, I should check my own website. [laughs]

AE: You should, because it also says you’re Asian. CS:[laughs] Oh my God. Oh, that’s horrible.

AE: Do you find it hard to get work as an Asian actress? CS: I have to say the pendulum swings both ways. [Being Asian] has definitely gotten me parts that asked for the character to be Asian – like the MADtv stuff, specifically [seeking] a Korean who speaks the language. But at the same time, it does count against you. When you’re going in for a series regular for a pilot, and then they’ve already cast one ethnic person, more than likely they’re probably not going to be casting two.

AE: You can only have one Asian on a show at any given time. You know that. Especially ones who speak Korean. CS:Yeah. I went back to Korea shortly after high school to pursue a singing career [and] for a summer, I worked for my uncle teaching English at his language institute.

AE: Did the students ask you to teach them swear words? CS:[laughs] At this school, it’s mostly businessmen who tend to be in their 50s. If a 50-year-old were asking me how to say “boob,” it would be quite troublesome.

AE: I’ll say. Well, that’s all I have. Is there anything else you’d like to add? CS:I would like to say that Dara Nai was very torturous in this interview, and I’m here with my box of Kleenex and I’m crying and I’m miserable.

AE: So, my work here is done. CS: No, I’m kidding. This was fun.

For more on Cathy Shim, visit her official website, and watch the season finale now!

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