Jamie Newell talks of how she discovered her passion for acting
"Okay, here is where I came from...and more stuff. If you read to the end, you will see how Mickey Rooney was a major influence in my journey into show business.
by Jamie Newell
Since I can remember, I have loved to entertain people. My earliest memory of this commitment for performing was at the age of four. Our family had just watched a movie together, "Peter Pan" starring Mary Martin. At this early age, I assumed a boy played Peter. I was shocked when my mother told me that Peter was a woman. I argued that she did not have girl's hair. (I know-strong argument for a four year old). My mother told me that this actress cut her hair to look like a boy. Inner monologue: "Why would any girl ever cut her hair to look like a boy?" You see, my long, golden braid was part of my personae. This was something to seriously consider so I sat under the piano (my favorite thinking spot) to ponder whether I would be willing to chop off my lovely locks. Not sure how long this took but eventually I crawled out from under the baby grand. I had decided. I would do it. I would cut my braid off for show biz (if I had to). I was ready to commit one of my most sacred treasures of self-identity for my love of acting. Sadly, a year later my mother chopped it off anyway. I still have it in a box.
I was born Patricia Ann Kotapish in Cleveland, Ohio... a while ago. My name was Patty growing up. Sometimes Pat. Never Patsy. Once, I asked people to call me Trish. That lasted for maybe an afternoon. Anyway, I changed it legally to Jamie Newell sometime in the mid-70's. Took a combination of my dad's name with my mom’s name. I kept it in the family. My birth name was hard to spell, people never remembered it. My new name works for me.
I love names. I love nicknames particularly and I tend to hand them out often. One summer, at camp, I told everyone to call me Spider. Such a tomboy!. I used the moniker "Kidd" during college and still have friends who call me that. So, now I answer to Jamie, Patty, Kidd, mom, Mrs. Bina, Mrs. B, Jamers, Jamella, Hey You and What's-her-name.
I grew up in an all-American household, in an upper-middle class Catholic neighborhood, in the Midwest that was loaded with all ages of neighborhood kids everywhere. I attended 13 years of Catholic schooling including kindergarten. Yeah, that's a lot of priests and nuns. There are many characters I have done over the years based on my teachers. You know the ones...I'm sure you had a few doozies, too. Following high school, I studied theater and fine arts at five colleges and universities. Add to that, years of private lessons and coaching, as well as classes and workshops over the years and I stay current with classes in the industry today. Always something to learn in the arts plus hanging out with people in the industry helps me grow.
Speaking of private lessons, while growing up, I spent my Saturday mornings attending classes at The Cleveland Art Museum and The Cleveland Institute of Art. I studied the lives and techniques of famous artists; everything from watercolor to cartooning from figure drawing to pottery. My point? I really appreciate the fine arts and can discuss this field with intelligence. How classy of me! How lucky of me.
My parents also gave me piano lessons, acting classes; signed me up for singing lessons and dance programs. They opened up the world of classical music to me by exposing me to The Cleveland Orchestra; we attended plays and frequented museums for weekend fun. I have a deep love and appreciation for all forms of art now. I was immersed in this cultural world from the very beginning of my life, literally. What a great education. How grateful I am to my parents and family friends for this education. I am blessed to have had these opportunities.
Every year, there was always a two-week vacation in August with my family. All six of us packed into a station wagon, headed somewhere far away from my dad's work world. When I was ten, this vacation connected me with my first celebrity meeting at a family camp park in Oglebay, West Virginia. One beautiful August night, we sat under the starry night in this rustic, outdoor amphitheater and listened to a very funny man who my dad insisted was the number one box office star of his childhood.
His name was Mickey Rooney. Oh yeah. Andy Hardy. Puck? I already knew who he was because I loved his movies. So, here was the real Mickey Rooney in a small, summer, outdoor amphitheater performing in Who-Knows-Where’s-Ville, USA and sadly, there were tons of empty seats! Seriously...tons. Wow. …really? It was surreal.
We went backstage afterward and chatted with Mr. Rooney. My dad tried to make him laugh. He succeeded. I was proud.
Later that night, as I lay in my sleeping bag at the young age of 10, I pondered the roller coaster of showbiz. It was a great stage, after all. He looked like he was having fun. My dad was laughing his ass off. My mom was awe struck. He was entertaining. Incredibly entertaining. And he was working.
It was then that I decided that it was OK to be playing in Who-Knows-Where’s-Ville, USA.
Heck, Mickey Rooney was still working. It didn't matter to him where it was. It was a gig. He was still entertaining people. He was still feeding his passion. That is all we actors really want do, right? Feed our passion?
That night the world of showbiz became clearer to me.
Lesson: DO WHAT YOU LOVE AND THE REST WILL FOLLOW
Since I can remember, I have loved to entertain people. My earliest memory of this commitment for performing was at the age of four. Our family had just watched a movie together, "Peter Pan" starring Mary Martin. At this early age, I assumed a boy played Peter. I was shocked when my mother told me that Peter was a woman. I argued that she did not have girl's hair. (I know-strong argument for a four year old). My mother told me that this actress cut her hair to look like a boy. Inner monologue: "Why would any girl ever cut her hair to look like a boy?" You see, my long, golden braid was part of my personae. This was something to seriously consider so I sat under the piano (my favorite thinking spot) to ponder whether I would be willing to chop off my lovely locks. Not sure how long this took but eventually I crawled out from under the baby grand. I had decided. I would do it. I would cut my braid off for show biz (if I had to). I was ready to commit one of my most sacred treasures of self-identity for my love of acting. Sadly, a year later my mother chopped it off anyway. I still have it in a box.
I was born Patricia Ann Kotapish in Cleveland, Ohio... a while ago. My name was Patty growing up. Sometimes Pat. Never Patsy. Once, I asked people to call me Trish. That lasted for maybe an afternoon. Anyway, I changed it legally to Jamie Newell sometime in the mid-70's. Took a combination of my dad's name with my mom’s name. I kept it in the family. My birth name was hard to spell, people never remembered it. My new name works for me.
I love names. I love nicknames particularly and I tend to hand them out often. One summer, at camp, I told everyone to call me Spider. Such a tomboy!. I used the moniker "Kidd" during college and still have friends who call me that. So, now I answer to Jamie, Patty, Kidd, mom, Mrs. Bina, Mrs. B, Jamers, Jamella, Hey You and What's-her-name.
I grew up in an all-American household, in an upper-middle class Catholic neighborhood, in the Midwest that was loaded with all ages of neighborhood kids everywhere. I attended 13 years of Catholic schooling including kindergarten. Yeah, that's a lot of priests and nuns. There are many characters I have done over the years based on my teachers. You know the ones...I'm sure you had a few doozies, too. Following high school, I studied theater and fine arts at five colleges and universities. Add to that, years of private lessons and coaching, as well as classes and workshops over the years and I stay current with classes in the industry today. Always something to learn in the arts plus hanging out with people in the industry helps me grow.
Speaking of private lessons, while growing up, I spent my Saturday mornings attending classes at The Cleveland Art Museum and The Cleveland Institute of Art. I studied the lives and techniques of famous artists; everything from watercolor to cartooning from figure drawing to pottery. My point? I really appreciate the fine arts and can discuss this field with intelligence. How classy of me! How lucky of me.
My parents also gave me piano lessons, acting classes; signed me up for singing lessons and dance programs. They opened up the world of classical music to me by exposing me to The Cleveland Orchestra; we attended plays and frequented museums for weekend fun. I have a deep love and appreciation for all forms of art now. I was immersed in this cultural world from the very beginning of my life, literally. What a great education. How grateful I am to my parents and family friends for this education. I am blessed to have had these opportunities.
Every year, there was always a two-week vacation in August with my family. All six of us packed into a station wagon, headed somewhere far away from my dad's work world. When I was ten, this vacation connected me with my first celebrity meeting at a family camp park in Oglebay, West Virginia. One beautiful August night, we sat under the starry night in this rustic, outdoor amphitheater and listened to a very funny man who my dad insisted was the number one box office star of his childhood.
His name was Mickey Rooney. Oh yeah. Andy Hardy. Puck? I already knew who he was because I loved his movies. So, here was the real Mickey Rooney in a small, summer, outdoor amphitheater performing in Who-Knows-Where’s-Ville, USA and sadly, there were tons of empty seats! Seriously...tons. Wow. …really? It was surreal.
We went backstage afterward and chatted with Mr. Rooney. My dad tried to make him laugh. He succeeded. I was proud.
Later that night, as I lay in my sleeping bag at the young age of 10, I pondered the roller coaster of showbiz. It was a great stage, after all. He looked like he was having fun. My dad was laughing his ass off. My mom was awe struck. He was entertaining. Incredibly entertaining. And he was working.
It was then that I decided that it was OK to be playing in Who-Knows-Where’s-Ville, USA.
Heck, Mickey Rooney was still working. It didn't matter to him where it was. It was a gig. He was still entertaining people. He was still feeding his passion. That is all we actors really want do, right? Feed our passion?
That night the world of showbiz became clearer to me.
Lesson: DO WHAT YOU LOVE AND THE REST WILL FOLLOW