Katie Featherston
A
ctress Katie Featherston’s life in the past few months is a story tailor-made for the movies.
Featherston, a 2005 Meadows School of the Arts graduate, plays a haunted college student in the thriller Paranormal Activity. Shot three years ago in a week for about $15,000, the box office phenomenon has grossed more than $100 million in the U.S. after just a few weeks in nationwide release. The little horror movie that could is now considered the most profitable film ever made and has been nominated for a People’s Choice Award in the “Favorite Independent Movie” category.
With co-star Micah Sloat, Featherston appeared recently on the cover of Entertainment Weekly, and they have been guests on The Jay Leno Show, Today, The Soup and other television programs.
“The whole fame aspect isn’t why I focused on acting, but it is exciting,” she says. “I love meeting nice people who like my work.”
She keeps in touch with fans through Facebook and Twitter, where she posted an email address for their questions.
“When the film was shown at festivals three years ago, we had fans who saw it and have stuck with us through the years,” she says. “They didn’t forget about us, so I won’t forget about them. They’ve changed my life.”
Shortly after earning a Bachelor’s degree in acting from SMU, she headed West. Until recently, Featherston followed the path of countless other young Hollywood hopefuls: She waited tables at an Italian restaurant in Los Angeles, attended acting classes and went on auditions.
“I initially went [to Los Angeles] to get a commercial agent,” she explains. “When you go on those auditions, they give you about 30 seconds to look over the script. That’s when I realized how important my SMU training was. Whether I was studying Shakespeare or more modern works, those experiences provided me with a solid background that has been invaluable.”
At SMU her favorite role was Lainie in a student production of Two Rooms. “I loved the student productions. They happened because the students were so passionate and made them happen.”
In fact, Featherston says there’s not much she didn’t enjoy about SMU. “I can’t pick a favorite class or professor; I loved them all,” she says.
“I encourage every student to soak up as much a you can,” she adds. “Take advantage of the free theater space and play parts that may not seem a fit for you – like a 50-year-old woman or a kid. Those kinds of opportunities usually evaporate once you leave the educational environment.”
Featherston jokes about spending four years “trapped in the Meadows basement” as preparation for Paranormal Activity. “[During filming] we worked pretty much around the clock for seven days,” she says. “We left the house [the San Diego home of director Oren Peli] a couple of times for a bagel run, but that was about it.”
The film intentionally resembles a homemade video, which is a huge factor in its creepiness. While director Peli provided an outline, the actors improvised the dialog. And when the story called for Featherston to be dragged out of bed and down the hallway, she did her own stunt work – and had the bruises to prove it.
“We all became part of creating the film, and it was an amazing experience that doesn’t come around very often,” she says. “I feel so lucky.”
Doors are opening for Featherston, who relishes being a full-time actress with a choice of roles. “I haven’t made any decisions yet. I want to do good work with good people.”