BET’s College Hill: Interns, a spin-off of its Real World-like reality show College Hill, follows 10 college students over the course of a summer internship in Chicago. Among those interns is 20-year-old Kathy Harris of Hazel Crest, Ill., a student at Illinois State University majoring in acting/theater.
In the second episode, Kathy came out to her castmates, telling them that she has always been gay. AfterEllen.com recently talked with her about her life and what her experience on the show has taught her.
AfterEllen.com: College Hill: Interns was shot in Chicago. You’re originally from there? Kathy Harris: I’m originally from Chicago. I live in the south suburbs right outside Chicago, and if you live in the suburbs you basically live in Chicago. That’s originally where I’m from, and that’s where I’m at right now.
AE: Did you plan the event of coming out to your castmates on the show, or was it something that happened spontaneously? KH: It is something that just kind of came up. I was eventually going to [tell them]. But I was trying to feel them out and see what kind of people they were and then put it on the table, because I didn’t want anyone to set me up on dates or anything like that.
AE: It seemed like people were trying to hook up in the first episodes. There was a real dynamic of the guys checking out the girls. KH: I told the girls I would never date any of them; they’re just not my type. The guys, I looked at them more as buddies as I did as any kind of love interest, anyway.
AE: How out are you in your personal life, aside from the show? Were you out to people before the show taped? KH:Actually, before I said I was going to go do this show, everybody in my family didn’t know. My friends and people who are around me more than my family, they knew. But I didn’t actually come out to the remainder of my family until I was back from the show.
The show let me know that I’m certain in who I am, and that I know what I do and don’t want. So when I got home, I came out to the rest of my family.
AE: Were they surprised to hear it? And that they were going to see it on TV? KH:I expected certain reactions from some people, and that’s probably why I waited so long to tell them in the first place. But I’ve gotten a lot of response via email and the internet from people who are so happy that I’m out and on TV.
I’ve spoken back and forth with a few students and young people who are just, “I’m so happy that you came out and you were comfortable with who you are.” That’s more the place I am now. The show really taught me not to live my life for other people and not to dim my light to make other people feel comfortable.
AE: Tell me about the business aspect of the show and what you learned. What are your aspirations in that area? I see that you want to be a model. KH:I definitely want to model. Anybody who’s listening, if you want to work with me I’m totally there for that. I believe that modeling is a way for people to create their own world, their own reality.
I’ve been doing theater for about seven years now, so I’m not just some nobody who wanted to be a star. Acting has been a big part of my life. Plays, theater, art, singing, acting, dancing, modeling – those are my dreams. The business aspect has just taught me that anything I want to do, I can do it. As long as I put my all into it.
AE: Where does your ambition or your drive come from? Do you have heroes or people you emulate? KH:I definitely believe in God, and through the entire experience I was praying and doing a lot of soul-searching. I meditated a lot at the house when I was there. My inspiration and my drive comes from God. God gives people different gifts, and during that time I just kind of realized that. … In my work, in how I can be so aggressive and so determined, that’s a gift that comes from God.
Also having two parents, my mom and my dad, I was lucky enough to have them there. We don’t always agree on everything, but I do love them and they’ve been awesome role models for me. They’ve let me know that they don’t care about my personal lifestyle and they accept me and they love me, which has been very awesome for me. They’ve just really been there for me.
So my mom and dad and God, and of course you can’t leave out Oprah and Ellen, of course. They’re just role models for me. Ellen in particular, because I think that even though she’s gay and that’s a part of her lifestyle, there’s so much more to her. AE: You have a really interesting sense of style. Can you tell me who or what has influenced your personal style? KH:I’ve always been interested in fashion. I love the design aspects of it. Fashion is expressive. I don’t believe that fashion has seasons; I believe fashion is what you’re feeling that day. During high school I used to make my own jeans, and I was selling and making jeans for people. I would put their names on them or anything they wanted.
A lot of the clothes I wear on the show are things that I’ve actually made. Like I’ll buy a regular shirt, then I’ll cut it up or rip it up and make it something that I will wear. Because I don’t like the way other people dress. I think it’s boring and they look like carbon copies, and I’m not a copy person. I’m very individual, and I have to be able to put on things that make me happy and that I think are a reflection of me.
AE: It looked like you had a tattoo on the show. Can you tell me about your tattoos? KH:I have one on my stomach and it says “la femme.” That’s the tattoo I got when I was in high school and I wish I hadn’t got. It’s there now to remind me that I don’t have to always do stuff just to make a statement. Sometimes I just need to chill out.
I also have one on my back that’s in the Indian language; it’s in Sanskrit. Me and my partner, we have matching tattoos and they mean “promise.” Instead of getting our names – because I heard that’s really bad luck – we got these.
AE: On AfterEllen.com we have the Hot 100 list, a list of women who our readers think are hot. So now I’m asking you, who do you find attractive and why? KH:I think Staceyann Chin is beautiful. She’s the kind of person I would date. Of course, I think my partner is hot. She’s hottie hot! Angelina Jolie. Omahyra Mota – she’s a supermodel and she is just gorgeous to me.
I like people who don’t look like regular people; they look different. Anybody who’s not the average person is probably someone I would like. Oh, I like Carmen [Sarah Shahi], who used to be on The L Word. She is so cute; she is stunning, really. And Paula Patton – she’s Robin Thicke’s wife – she is really beautiful, too.
AE: Do you have a website or any presence on the web? KH:I’m on MySpace and you can look me up. I’m glad that you asked me that. I’m going on a speaking tour and I’m going to be speaking at high schools, colleges and universities about self-awareness and self-love. I think my first stop will be in January in Detroit. I’m working on that now. I’ll also be at all the Gay Prides and everything like that.
College Hill: Interns airs Tuesdays at 10:00 p.m. ET on BET. For more on Kathy, visit her MySpace page.
