Creative Careers in the Arts

An Interview with Artist/Actress Angela Cartwright

By Chris Dunmire

(continued from page 1)

Angela Cartwright (left) with Cast of Lost in Space

Q: What perspective do you have now on your early acting days, especially as a child actor in “Make Room for Daddy” and “Lost in Space”? Do you miss being in the spotlight?

I was never one to seek out the spotlight. I am kind of a private person, so I don’t miss that part of show business at all. Looking back on my career in television and making a movie like “The Sound of Music” from an adult point of view, it actually seems kind of unreal. I was involved in shows that people grew up with — that hold memories for them — and it’s a cool feeling.

Q: What do you want people to remember the most about you as an actress? As an artist? As the person Angela Cartwright?

I hope they’ll remember a character I played that touched people’s lives in a positive way. I hope that through my work, artists will take some chances, break some rules, and make art that comes from inside of them. I would like to be remembered as a kind person, a great Mom, and a bit unruly — in a good way!

Q: What is one ‘reality check’ piece of advice you’d like to offer to parents of aspiring child actors?

Rejection is a big part of show business. It can be tough on anyone who doesn’t have fairly good self-esteem. Especially kids, as they try to discover who they are. When I was a young kid, I thought everyone my age went to work everyday and was on television (I started when I was 3). As I got older, I never considered that tons of people were watching me on television every week. I give a nod to my parents for keeping me as normal as I could be in an un-normal adult world. My parents kept me in check. I had to make my bed, set the table, and do my chores every day but those things were balanced with getting to laugh and be a kid, too.

"Barnstorming" by Angela Cartwright

Q: What gifts have come into your life from being an 'unruly artist'?

It frees me up. Being unruly in my art means there are no rules I have to follow. Out of that I feel a real freedom and it means I have no fear holding me back. That’s half the battle sometimes. Fear can be paralyzing to ones advance in anything they do. So the gift? Having no fear.

Q: You’re very much into altered art and photography and have authored the book “Mixed Emulsions: Altered Art Techniques for Photographic Imagery.” What is it about these particular mediums that draw you in and keep you creatively engaged?

The possibilities are endless and I am constantly reaching for how photographs can be interwoven with paint and mediums. Each time you play with gesso, paints or molding pastes it comes out differently. Writing my book “Mixed Emulsions” solidified what my art is about. It made me write down some of my techniques and the products I use and the different ways you can color and alter your hand painted photographs. I was totally consumed over the months I was writing my book. There’s a big part of me on every page.

Continue to Angela Cartwright Interview page 3 »