Hollywood’s newest power couple speak fluent Pittsburghese
The last time this reporter spoke to Caitlin O’Connor was hours before the SAG-AFTRA strike began on July 14, 2023. A lot has changed since then for her — both personally and professionally.
The 2007 Uniontown High School graduate is a model, actor and recently inducted Producers Guild of America member who has been establishing her Hollywood credibility with small roles in everything from the CBS sitcom “Two and a Half Men” to HBO’s “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty.” She recently appeared briefly on “The Sympathizer,” an HBO miniseries starring Robert DowneyJr. in multiple roles.
O’Connor also happens to be dating Mt. Lebanon native Joe Manganiello. The couple met in August and have been playing out a Western Pennsylvania love story thousands of miles from their hometown ever since.
The Post-Gazette caught up with
O’Connor recently about getting through last year’s strikes, her fledgling producing career, two yinzers finding each other in Tinseltown and more.
This interview was conducted via email and has been edited for length and clarity.
Since the last time we talked was right before the SAGAFTRA strike started, tell me what that period was like for you and how you stayed afloat financially.
Last year, I found myself acting in scenes alongside three different Oscar nominees and winners within the span of three weeks on three very creative productions of episodic TV. (Adrien Brody and John C. Reilly on “Winning Time” and Robert Downey Jr. on “The Sympathizer,” respectively.)
This year was a little bit different, but luckily for me, the strikes did not affect my work as a TV host and model. I also got to use a little of what I learned during my time at UCLA as an English major to work on some writing jobs in
the research field.
Congrats again on your PGA induction! What about that side of the business appeals to you?
This one means a lot! It’s the next chapter of my career in entertainment.
I like being behind the camera in a creative role. To be considered for the producers guild, you need three feature films in distribution.Mine are streaming now.
My first is titled “Electric Love,” a rom com [streaming on Peacock and Prime Video] with a digital twist starring Mia Serafino from “Beef” and “Shameless.”
My second is “Glass Jaw,” a boxing genre film [streaming on Tubi] that I am very proud of with a starstudded crew and cast that includes Jon Gries from “The White Lotus,” Steven Williams from “21 Jump Street,” Mark Rolston from “The Shawshank Redemption,” Brandon Sklenar from “1923,” Lee Kholafai from “Incision” and Korrina Rico from “In Time.” On the crew side, famed director of photography Jeffrey Kimball (“Top Gun”), a John Woo favorite, was behind the lens.
My third feature is “Val,” a horror flick [streaming on Prime Video] with Erik Griffin from “Workaholics” and John Kapelos from “The Breakfast Club,” among noted cast.
I thrive in keeping a film on track — a film that has been grown from inception by talented friends
and colleagues. This is rewarding for me. Creating a great work environment and setting a tone within the core brain trust behind a movie ... that is my passion.
The last time we talked was also about your role in “Winning Time.” I know it has been a while since the announcement, but how are you feeling about that show’s cancellation?
Besides the feeling of seeing my name in the credits of an HBO show, it was a great production to work on! It deserved more time on air to grow and evolve creatively.
Have you been getting messages from folks who recognized you in “The Sympathizer”? How cool is it to say you acted opposite RDJ and were directed by Park Chan-wook?
It was fun to work on “The Sympathizer!” Park Chanwook is a legend in 21st-century world cinema, and so is RDJ. I got to channel a bit of Michelle Pfeiffer in “Scarface” for my look.
What are you working on these days?
I just partnered with Nina Vargas and Sports Dignity Health (AEG) to work on a documentary supporting women in hip-hop in the ’90s. I hosted the interviews in the doc and worked on the creative team. The project will be available at The National Hip-Hop Museum in
New York City in 2025.
I also starred in a national commercial for StatelyMen.
My modeling contracts this year were with Nulastin, Vitabrid, MISSHA and Omni Hotels & Resorts.
Do you have any plans/ desire for a homecoming in the near future?
I am coming home to Uniontown in late August to be inducted into the Uniontown High School Hall of Fame. There will be a brunch at UHS for inductees, and I look forward to inviting friends and family to the event.
So, how did you and Joe meet?
Joe and I met in the kitchen of a mutual acquaintance. We started talking about being from Pittsburgh. He said, “Wait, you’re a Red
Raider?! I used to play your high school in football and basketball,” and he started describing the football stadiumin Uniontown.
He then later asked, “Who’s your favorite Steeler?” “Troy Polamalu,” I said — who happens to be a friend of Joe’s, and the conversation didn’t stop until after he dropped me off at my front door after giving me a ride home that night.
His dog Bubbles sat on my lap the whole way home and fell asleep on the drive, and the rest is history. We say it was like the sword and the stone when Bubbles took a liking to me.
How cool is it that two Western Pennsylvanians in Hollywood found each other in the way you two have?
He feels like home. It’s nice to come back to Pittsburgh with your partner. One of our first trips together was to Pittsburgh last October for a wedding of a close friend of Joe’s! Then we went to see a Steelers game, a Penguins game, stayed at Nemacolin Woodlands the week the leaves started changing, and visited Fallingwater.
We had to visit Fiori’s pizza and, of course, Primanti’s, too! You can’t get anymore “Pittsburgh native” than that trip! Our mothers live close to each other as well.
One of my favorite things Joe does is his amazing “Pittsburghese” accent to remind me of home!