HEART to heart
It’s an exciting time for you. Your movie A Question of Faith opened in theaters…
I wanted to challenge myself as an actor. It’s heavy and dramatic — I play a woman whose life gets flipped upside down.
And you’re in a fun Lifetime film, Wrapped Up in Christmas, as well.
I also have a brand called Holiday Love, and we’ve done specials on our channel (holidaylove365.com). My family loves the holidays, just the shift in atmosphere.
Were the holidays fun growing up?
My parents divorced when I was about 5, and when we still lived in New York I told my mom, dad and aunt I wanted a Big Wheel…and ended up with three!
How is your memoir surprising?
I’m insanely private, so some may say, “I didn’t know she was divorced and had miscarriages!” I was in a car crash where my friend who was driving was killed, my high school sweetheart cheated on me and I didn’t have a prom date…
You have been through some things...
There are fun surprises, too: I did Battle of the Network Stars [in 1984] because I thought, “I’ll get to make Mark Harmon proud and have a hug, so I’m going to run my heart out in the relay race!”
You talked about making lifelong friends. How’s your Facts of Life co-star Mindy Cohn doing with her cancer battle?
She’s great and ready to get back to work! Like I’ve said, she’s grace wrapped in giggles.
Was it tough when the show ended?
The thing that was hard was that we held our own in the ratings, but didn’t feel we got a proper send-off, given all the show meant to the fans. But I was starting college,Lisa was getting married…we were all moving on.
Was it another tough transition ending your 1995–2001 marriage to producer Johnathon Freeman?
I didn’t take it as a personal failure. It was simply a huge disappointment, compounded by other things that led me into what I call the Dark Ages — this isn’t what I planned for, this isn’t the work I’ve done.
Did you think you’d get a second chance?
I definitely felt that a happy-ever-after ending must not be happening for me. I wanted children, so I thought maybe I was supposed to adopt. I went through a couple other relationships prior to meeting my husband.
Do you think you made smarter decisions?
It was important for me to bring wisdom, not baggage. At the same time, you have to have an open mind that everything’s going to be different and what might’ve worked before may not work now.
Having two kids is different!
When I became a mom, I learned that I had more love inside me than I could imagine —
“You can’t get to the peak of a mountain without climbing
up it!”
and I have a pretty good imagination!
How’s motherhood been for you?
Raising children can be challenging and thankless at times. It’s putting everything and everyone before yourself. But it’s glorious, wonderful and amazing! They’re two princes. Sebastian has always been very helpful and loving, and his brother, Quincy, is just his favorite person on the planet. They are super, super close.
Is it easy to juggle it all and have a successful career?
Not! I stand right there with everybody who’s constantly reinventing their work/life balance. For me, the big revelation was to realize and embrace the fact that balance is not giving equal parts of yourself to everything. I use the example of someone walking a tightrope and holding on to something. I hold on to my faith, my family and my village.
Any benefits to this stage of your life?
Age comes with awareness. You stop thinking the world revolves around you!
If you could have a superpower, what would it be?
Wonder Woman bracelets — to deflect people’s bull crap! I think it would be to always be able to be joyful. Joy is the sweat of the exercise of faith.
— Reporting by Ilyssa Panitz