KatelynPearce is a rising star who has already given the world a Billion nude scenes. Well, not literally, but her full frontal nudity on the show Billions made her a quick favorite here at Skin Central.
The raven-haired beauty was born in Texas, but grew up in Michigan before going off to Chicago for college. Soon after she graduated she moved to New York City to make her acting dreams come true. With her bright blue eyes and striking looks, she quickly landed roles in Gravedigger, Torment and Mansions and Murders as well as guest roles on several TV shows.
Katelyn's role as stripper Alana Styles in Gone By Dawn placed her firmly in the Skin archives with her first nude role. After three auditions, she landed a role on Billions which had her stand totally nude in a hot tub. Does it get any hotter than that? Katelyn was kind enough to talk with us about what it was like to film that scene and more.
Skin Central: Katelyn, you're a very passionate actress. What is it about acting that you love the most?
Katelyn Pearce:Gosh so many things. I think my favorite part is character work. Finding another person’s truth. There is so much empathy to be gained in this career.
SC: You studied political science and English at DePaul University instead of acting. Do you feel like you use your education in your career?
KP:I think so? Mostly because a liberal arts education opens your mind up to so much of the world you most likely wouldn’t learn otherwise. You get to spend time with these incredible experts in their relative fields. Acting is something you can always improve on…the more you know about what it means to be human, and various human experiences, the better you are. My intention originally was to go to law school, but I just knew I wouldn’t be happy if I didn’t give this a shot. So I attended the Stella Adler Conservatory in New York instead.
SC:You have a lot of theater training and experience, so which do you prefer: theater or film?
KP: They are both so special in their own ways. Theater was my first love, and truthfully, there is nothing like being on stage. But I think film acting has made me a better actor. Because you really can’t lie on film. The camera is so close that any tension or forced emotion shows. But I think every actor should do theater. It’s an amazing foundation. And I see I’m not answering the question now…so I think for my own experience in the moment? Theater is my favorite…but I think artistically and in the current world, an artist can do more with film, so that’s my primary focus now.
SC:What would you consider your big break so far?
KP: I guess it would be Billions? Haha. I’m not sure! I think I’m still knocking at that door. I do have a project coming out within the next year but I’m not at liberty to discuss that…maybe that will be it.
SC:We first got to know you in the movie Gone By Dawn where you played Alana Styles, a stripper. How did you prepare for that role?
KP:That was such an interesting role. So one weird fact about me - I’ve never been a guest at a strip club. The only strip club I have actually been to was the one we shot Gone By Dawn in Edmonton, Alberta. When I booked the role, I thought about checking out a couple in New York before the shoot, but I decided that because ‘Alana' was so new to this, I would rather have the actual shoot be the first time I experienced it. Because it was quite an emotional experience just being somewhere like that and being in situations like that. In a lot of ways I just had to react honestly to what was happening around me. The background performers at the location were also strippers so I got to talk to them a lot and watch them perform. They were amazing. The strength they had in their bodies was just mind blowing. I can’t do anything like that. I really loved watching them. Hannah, Seleste, and I also stayed in a house together so we were able to prepare a lot during our off time and really become close.
SC:Were you nervous at all about being topless on camera?
KP: Honestly, not really. I grew up in what Sex and the City calls a “naked house.” I always saw my mom and sisters naked. Nudity was the norm in my family, so I learned at a young age it was nothing to be ashamed of. Plus, I’ve done a lot of lingerie modeling and after you have women pushing your breasts into a bra you kind of get desensitized haha.
SC:Moving on to another nude role, how did you get cast on Billions?
KP:That was my third time auditioning for that show. And it looks like the third time was a charm!
SC:Tell us what it was like to work with Damien Lewis.
KP:That was a dream come true. Damien is one of my favorite actors. Band of Brothers is still one of my absolute favorite television shows. I was just geeked to get to tell him that. He is one of the kindest and most connected people I’ve had the pleasure of working with. And he was so respectful and sensitive. He was all about connecting with us as characters in the scene. It was all eye contact with him - nothing but a respectful and extremely talented man.
SC:Your hot tub scene is very popular on Mr. Skin.com. What was it like to film that scene?
KP:I had so much fun working on that!! We were there the entire day, shooting for hours, so it’s so funny when the scene ends up being less than a minute. But we had a great time. So much room to play and be free.
SC:Were you nervous about your full frontal nudity?
KP:I was a bit - I had done it before, but as an actress, I want to be careful not to become “the naked girl”…but ultimately I decided I wasn’t going to give up a chance to be on that show and work with such an incredible actor.
SC:How do you feel after the episode aired?
KP:It’s been a bit of a ride. I was honestly not expecting to get this much attention for it. But I’m thrilled with how supportive people have been. That’s really cool.
SC:Now that you've gone nude in two projects, what's your philosophy on movie nudity?
KP:People get naked in real life…so they should get naked in movies. If we are trying to portray real life, then when we have sex in movies our clothes should be off. I’ve never had sex and had a man keep my bra on me (is that tmi)? Haha! But for real. I just think the body is nothing to be afraid of. I find it so bizarre that you can slap an R or even X rating on something for seeing a vagina but PG-13 for seeing people murdered. What’s more natural?
SC:We have to know: what’s your favorite nude scene that you remember seeing in a TV show or movie?
KP:Well the first one that pops into my mind isn’t all that sexy…it’s that scene from Girls Trip where the guy flashes his junk and they all freak out. That scene was hilarious! But my favorite sexy nude scene? I think it must be from the movie Shame. The one with Nicole Beharie and Michael Fassbender. It was just the first time I’d seen sex (or I guess they didn’t get that far) look so natural and honest. It felt so un-choreographed. I loved that.
SC:Who would you say are the sexiest actresses working today?
KP:Oooo…I love this question. I would say my top girl crush is Margot Robbie. Scarlet Johansson, Salma Hayek, Zoe Saldana, and although she’s considered more of a musician she was in two of the best films of 2017 so… Janelle Monae has got to be up there.
SC:We love you and can’t wait to see more. What’s next for you?
KP:Thanks so much! I have a role in the feature film Clinton Road that will hit theatres this fall, and this summer I’m producing a miniseries. I also have a great web series out that I star in called SO SOHA that people can catch - it’s streaming on youtube! It’s a lot of fun. And of course, there’s another other exciting project that can’t be named just yet….but I promise to let the whole world know about it as soon as I can.
