HEATHER LANG
INTERVIEW
photographed in brooklyn
by Skye parrott
GOOGLE DEFINES A PERFORMER, IN HIS OR HER MOST BASIC SENSE, AS “A PERSON WHO ENTERTAINS AN AUDIENCE.” THROUGHOUT PERFORMANCE ARTIST HEATHER LANG’S PROLIFIC CAREER AS AN ACTOR AND DANCER - WHO SINGS, TEACHES AND MODELS “A BIT” - SHE HAS ENTERTAINED MANY AUDIENCES. ALONG THE WAY, THANKS TO HEATHER’S INSATIABLE INTEREST IN THE CREATIVE PROCESS, SHE HAS ALSO PRODUCED A DEFINITION OF “PERFORMER” THAT IS FAR FROM BASIC.
A few samples from Heather’s unclassifiable oeuvre include stints as: a Radio City Rockette; a Broadway actress in hits such as “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark;” a film actress in movies including “I Am Legend,” “Across the Universe” and “Frances Ha;" and an opera performer in seminal shows like “Grendel” directed by Julie Taymor. Heather further expanded her opus with “Trash is Fierce,” a sketch comedy created in collaboration with Eleanor Bauer, and #Blessed, a short film she wrote and directed. She is currently in the Broadway show “An American In Paris,” and her 2016 anticipates dance projects with choreographer Beth Gill at The Chocolate Factory Theater and John Jasperse at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Additional updates and more can be found on her website.
WHAT IS YOUR EARLIEST MEMORY?
Playing in the backyard with my brother while my parents blasted Sade or Earth, Wind & Fire. I remember putting on my mom's big sunglasses and performing a lip-synch routine.
IF YOU COULD RELIVE A DAY OF YOUR LIFE, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
My wedding day.
WHAT IS THE BEST PART OF YOUR JOB?
Sharing complex ideas and emotions about humanity.
WHAT WOULD YOUR 20-YEAR-OLD SELF THINK OF YOUR LIFE TODAY?
Wow. You did what you set out to do, but it's no walk in the park. It's really difficult.
YOUR FAVORITE SONG TO DANCE TO
A SUMMER MORNING SONG
A SONG FROM THE FIRST ALBUM YOU BOUGHT
YOUR MOST RECENT INSTAGRAM POST
YOUR FAVORITE PICTURE OF YOURSELF DANCING
From Beth Gill's "New Work for the Desert"
YOUR BEST STYLE MOMENT FROM BEFORE 2000
16 years old, I call this my Aaliyah-inspired raver look.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT BEING THE AGE YOU ARE NOW?
I still have the ability to move my body (though who knows for how much longer!), but I am more grounded and smarter thanbefore.
WHY ARE GIRLS AND WOMEN SO CATTY WITH EACH OTHER?
They are? Not the ones I know.
WHAT WAS THE BEST VACATION YOU'VE EVER TAKEN?
My honeymoon in Japan — also trips to Switzerland and Italy.
A DANCE
YOUR LOVE WHEN YOU WERE 18
A SUNSET
A SONG FOR YOUR FUNERAL
A SUMMERTIME SONG FROM WHEN YOU WERE IN HIGH SCHOOL
WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY IN FRONT OF ANOTHER PERSON?
Yesterday.
IF YOU WERE TO LIVE TO THE AGE OF 90 AND RETAIN EITHER THE MIND OR THE BODY OF A 30-YEAR-OLD FOR THE LAST 60 YEARS OF YOUR LIFE, WHICH WOULD YOU CHOOSE?
Of course the body of a 30-year-old! I would want to keep all the knowledge and life experience of that 90-year-old brain.
IS THERE SOMETHING YOU'VE DREAMED OF DOING FOR A LONG TIME? WHY HAVEN'T YOU DONE IT?
I'd love to live in Europe or Japan with my husband for a year or two. The only reason we haven't is because it's hard to get a full-time job there.
WHAT IS THE BEST RISK YOU'VE EVER TAKEN? WHAT IS THE WORST RISK YOU'VE EVER TAKEN?
Becoming a performer. The experiences I've had and the people I've met along the way have been interesting, beautiful, intelligent, magical, unreal, ridiculous, painful, stupid, laughable... The list goes on and on. Sometimes I think, "Wow. I'm really doing this. I make a living. I have a purpose. I'm contributing to the world." And other times I feel like, "I have no clue what is going on. Why am I doing this? How do I sustain this career? How do I have a child? How do I make a living? What is the point of all of this?" It's a really strange career. I don't recommend it to most people (especially in the United States), because you have to be able to deal with not knowing what you're doing next. Sometimes that is a gift. It can be the most beautiful thing. Other times it's just completely asinine.
WHAT FOOD COULD YOU EAT EVERY DAY?
Guacamole.
A PLACE YOU WANT TO VISIT
A 3 AM SONG
A ROAD TRIP SONG
A NEW YORK MOMENT
In the dead of winter with my girl Purdie. It was literally zero degrees and we managed to look cool.
A PERFECT STYLE MOMENT
I was proud of this moment. It's hard to dress every day, let alone for big events. I get why famous people need someone to style them; it takes too much precious time.
AN ENDING
"Birdman" is really well done. It's sad, funny, maddening, witty and poignant. The acting, the writing, the cinematography, the score and the ending all just do it for me. At the very end, Michael Keaton climbs out of the window at the hospital and it cuts to Emma Stone's expression. The shot suggests he's flying, but it's not clear exactly what happens.
I prefer this poetic ending because the questions and themes the creators are dealing with don't have clear answers. There is no epic closure. That's what I love most about it. All the shit that we experience in our lives is never that simple. It's layered, complicated and constantly changing.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE RESTAURANT IN NEW YORK?
Momofuku Ssäm Bar.
YOU'RE APPROACHEDTO DO A REALITY SHOW OF YOUR LIFE. WHAT'S THE HOOK, PLOT AND PITCH?
Yuck. No reality shows for me. I feel like I lose brain cells if I watch any of those shows. But I always thought if I wrote a book of my life it should be called "It's Not Broken, It's Couture."
SOPRANOS OR THE WIRE?
Game of Thrones.
SUMMER OR WINTER
Summer.
YOUR FAVORITE CHILDHOOD PICTURE
It's a tie.
A SONG THAT MAKES YOU CRY
IDRIS ALBA OR JON HAMM?
Ooh, they are both insanely handsome men.
ITALY OR FRANCE?
Hmm... France.
TRUTH OR DARE?
Truth.
A CURATED PORTFOLIO ON THE THEME OF MOVEMENT
YOUR FIRST EMAIL ADDRESS
hal212@nyu.edu
YOUR FAVORITE FEMALE CHARACTER
Beatrix Kiddo/Black Mambo and Veronica Green/Copperhead.
The whole scene is pretty long. These women are fierce. The way it's shot is fierce. The silliness and sadness combo is brilliant. When the school bus rolls up and the little daughter walks up, I die. Every time.
