Katy Mixon – Hollywood’s Girl Next Door
By: Brittany Hoydich
Katy Mixon is about as humble as they come.
It’s a gorgeous LA Sunday. The MANIAC girls are pacing the lobby of the Grafton Hotel on Sunset Boulevard. One hundred and two guest rooms and not one is available for early check-in. Our publisher, April, has a panicky look painted on her face, as the desk attendant tells her that a room will not be available until three o’clock that afternoon. “You must be kidding me. There isn’t anything available earlier?”
Seconds later, Katy Mixon walks through the glass doors into the lobby – no paparazzi, no crazy fans yelling “Buchanan.” Just a girl from Pensacola, Florida wearing a peach sundress and teal sandals, looking as calm as can be. Turning from the front desk to greet her, the first words we hear are, “Nice to meet ya, punkin!” April looking anxious asks Katy, “Did you have breakfast? Would you mind grabbing a bite to eat on the patio? Our room isn’t quite ready yet.” “Not at all, punkin. Is there anything I can do for you?” Katy asked and the atmosphere in the room brightened.
Taking a seat on the outside patio overlooking the sprawling LA cityscape, her green Marc Jacobs bag by her side, Katy is the girl next door – genuine, considerate, and confident. She ends every sentence with the words “punkin” or “baby” and is more concerned with how she can help you than what you can do for her. She is a rare breed in an entertainment industry where false reputations are not only glamorized, but encouraged and celebrity scandals are what propel people to the top of the popularity food chain. Yet, Katy Mixon has found the true key to success – just being herself.
Growing up as one of seven siblings in a family that breeds artistic talent, she finds comfort in being able to share her aspirations and success with those around her. With parents who are no strangers to performing, her mother came just shy of being crowned Miss Louisiana and her father was once in a band, it is no surprise that many of Katy’s siblings have chosen to follow a creative path as well.
“We’re the Von Trapp family singers,” she jokes.
With stars in her eyes and her dreams in sight, Katy learned early in her high school career to waste no time or opportunity that was presented to her. Determined to gain as much knowledge in her field as possible, she attended four liberal arts school; two of them being the Alabama School of the Fine Arts and the Pensacola School of Liberal Arts. “I was in search. I wanted to be trained. I wanted to grow,” she said.
While in boarding school, Katy saw her ambition pay off. As a student in Birmingham, Alabama, she was introduced to The National Federation for the Advancement of the Arts (NFAA), a scholarship program responsible for aiding kids with their involvement in the arts. “It’s an incredible association that help kids in the arts, whether it’s through the visual arts, pottery, painting, opera, modern dance, theater. It was wonderful, absolutely wonderful,” she raved. After a one week trip to Miami as part of the program, as well as completion of a required video of her work, Katy’s talent was acknowledged by the association and she was presented with an award that eventually led to her acceptance into the School of Drama at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.
At the mention of the Steel City, she exclaimed, “I adored the ‘burgh!” While Katy has many memories of her time spent in the city, from living in Shadyside to experiencing seasons for the first time, her fondest memory is the self transformation that took place in the four years she attended school. “Being able to just transform from eighteen to twenty-two and the friends and the tears and the laughter. Just growing, just absolutely growing in every aspect,” she elaborated.
A true adventurer, Katy moved to Los Angeles immediately after graduating college in 2003 with no plan mapped out, just an eagerness to pursue her dreams. “I originally thought I was gonna be in New York doing theater and just one thing led to another. And the team was like, ‘Kate, I really think organically this is just gonna need to be your home base,” she said of the situation. She now calls Los Angeles her “headquarters”, but explains that she is a firm believer in being bicoastal as well. No matter where she is, she’ll adapt to the environment and the circumstances, a trait that many would envy to possess.
After settling into Hollywood, Katy signed with Endeavor, now William Morris Endeavor Entertainment, and found out how difficult the acting industry can be. “My very first guest spot on television, I played Susie, a waitress that delivered sushi. I had seven lines and it wasn’t meant to be. I was not meant to play Susie. They got rid of the character all together. C’est la vie. They went on with life. I have too. It’s been a very fascinating, wonderful, incredible, challenging time living your journey.” And as Katy explains, disappointment and incredible times go hand in hand and without them, she would not be who she is today.
Backed by an incredible entertainment team and the support of her family, Katy dove quickly and fearlessly into the industry, exploring both acting and music. On the music front, she befriended producers Chris Isaacson and Shane Scheel, who made her a featured singer in their Upright Cabaret. The cabaret, which is a showcase of talented artists from all aspects of the industry, has allowed Katy to build upon her singing career in the four years she has been involved. While she still performs in Los Angeles every chance she gets, her busy schedule tends to interfere with her availability. However, she admits it is a dream of hers to one day combine acting and singing in a future project.
Now-a-days, you can find Katy leading the life of Shelby County, North Carolina art teacher, April Buchanan, her character on East Bound and Down. The show, which wrapped up its first season last March, chronicles the return of Kenny Powers (Danny McBride), a former Big League relief pitcher to his hometown where he faces the life he left behind. But do not be fooled. While the plot resembles a drama of sorts, it could not be farther from the genre. Instead, the series is characterized by Powers’ raunchy comments and cringe-worthy hairstyle. “There is that something special about his mullet,” Katy joked when discussing her character’s infatuation with Kenny Powers, her love interest on the show.
For a series whose dirty jokes and silly antics would seem most appealing to men, the show boasts a diverse fan base from salespeople to senior citizens.
“It just ranges incredibly from how many different people dig it,” Mixon says.
To her, the script and show were appealing because as she explained, “It is about some real people, in their world, just living as best as they could. And here’s this one that just comes in and rules the roost.” While Kenny Powers is the character ruling the roost, Katy says that her character can hold her own when it comes to him. She describes April as a complete and utter firecracker and someone who sees the best in people; two characteristics to which she can relate in real-life. Fortunately, a tolerance and never-ending love for Kenny Powers is something that she does not share with her character.
With the writing underway for the second season of East Bound and Down, Katy is excited to see what is in store for her character. Considering that the show’s writers are cast members Danny McBride and Ben Best, along with producer Jody Hill, it is sure to be another season full of laughs.
“I think it is such a blessing as an actor to be in an environment with people who celebrate other people. Everyone is coming to the table with their own ideas,” Katy said of the cast and the synergy they share.
Along with her East Bound and Down cast mates, Katy had nothing but great things to say about the cast of her latest film, All About Steve. Starring alongside Sandra Bullock and Bradley Cooper, she was elated, as the film was also one of her first major studio movies. In it, she plays Elizabeth, Sandra Bullock’s cheerful and loyal friend. So loyal, that she travels cross- country aiding Bullock in pursuing her love interest, Cooper. The film, which is a must-see with a friend, is in theaters now.
In addition, Katy will star in a special segment included in the bonus features of the soon-to-be released Four Christmases DVD. In the DVD extra, she will be reprising her character, Susan, from the film to teach Paula Deen how to make a seven-layer casserole. According to Katy, her and Paula Deen “threw down in Savannah.” Honestly, how many other people can add that to their resume?
So with projects lined up into the next year and the declaration that she is a newly single lady, Katy is making sure to set some time aside for herself. “I have been getting back in touch with who Katy Elizabeth Mixon is and what I’m all about,” she says. And as for any crushes she may have, she simply stated in true MANIAC fashion, “Millions of crushes. I’m crushing on myself, I’ll tell you what, punkin”
