Polish Girl In America

Nina K is a little bit of an anomaly. No one in her Polish family has the acting gene, although she thinks her father had something and it was him who she said might be the catalyst.

From as early as 12, she knew that she wanted the bright lights and wanted to be somebody. From being sort after for modelling, she was soon snapped up by the world of entertainment in Hollywood.

Having starred in many high profile films, she rubbed shoulders with the likes of Steven Spielberg just to name drop, Billy Bob Thornton and Jet Li.

After her time in LA and turn of events brought her back to Houston.  She managed to get in to Real Estate and that is one of the many things she does today.

She is still acting in Indie and independent films. Did you know, she also became a stunt woman. There is so much to this lady.

I hope you enjoy her journey.

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:01

Hello and welcome to Backstage Goss, the podcast where we dive into the entertainment world. Not just the red carpets and glitter, but the panic, the tears, the questionable career choices, and the what was I thinking? moments too. We're talking to real people with real dreams, surviving the highs, the lows, and the occasional identity crisis along the way. So, grab your popcorn. This is gonna be fun. Today we meet Nina Kaye, born into a Polish family. They moved to Texas when she was six years old. With her success in modeling, Nina began booking national television commercials, and her acting coach encouraged her to move to Hollywood. She landed a role opposite Jet Lee in Once Upon a Time in China and America, followed by a part opposite Billy Bob Thornton in A Simple Plan. She went on to star in Tom Katz, Pearl Harbor, Coyote Ugly, AI, Artificial Intelligence, Minority Report, The Island, Las Vegas, Two Tickets to Paradise, even appeared in the Austin Powers film Gold Member. Who is Nina Kaye? We're gonna find out today.

SPEAKER_00 1:15

Hey, this is Nina Kacharowski or Nina Kaye.

SPEAKER_02 1:19

Let's stick with Nina Kaye because it's uh I didn't even catch the first, but it was that quick. How are you?

SPEAKER_00 1:24

I'm great, how are you?

SPEAKER_02 1:25

Yeah, very well, thank you. Nina, thanks ever so much for coming on. I know it's short notice and everything else. Um, but you're quite an interesting character, aren't you, really? I I guess I can be. Yeah. Let's have a look at your heritage. Where were you from? Or mum and dad?

SPEAKER_00 1:40

Yeah, from Poland. I'm actually yeah, my parents um immigrated to America, and I am the first one born in America.

SPEAKER_02 1:46

And that was back in 75, was it?

SPEAKER_00 1:48

Uh my parents, my mom immigrated like 73, 74, but then she went back because you know how all the paperworks goes, and then my parents met at the time um you when you were waiting for certain papers to come back over and all your you know visas or whatever, um, you waited in Vienna. So my parents met in Vienna while they were both waiting for papers, and just so happened to be both coming back to New Jersey. My mom was coming to her aunt, and my dad, I guess, had somebody there, and she gave them the phone number and they kind of connected back in Jersey, and then that's it. And then uh um we moved to Houston or to Texas about five years after that.

SPEAKER_02 2:27

Now I believe I'm right in saying you were obviously a good looking child. You're still a good-looking woman. I'll give you a lot of people. Thank you. But as a child, um you did some modeling, didn't you?

SPEAKER_00 2:39

I did.

SPEAKER_02 2:40

Who was that with? Can you remember?

SPEAKER_00 2:41

Uh yes. Um I started, well, it how I got into modeling was um I was always enamored by Hollywood, or not should I say Hollywood, I just wanted the acting and playing the different parts and being different characters because I wanted to be everything. And uh I sent my photos, I was 12 years old, I sent my photos to a local Houston um uh modeling agency at the time, first models, um, and I got a call. Uh well actually, my they called the phone at home and my hearing my mom on the phone, she's like, What are you talking about? What? I was like, No, that's me, that's me. Because my parents didn't even know that I sent the photos out to the agency. I just did it. 12 years old, just like I'm going for it, I'll figure this out myself.

SPEAKER_01 3:29

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 3:29

And um, we got called in. I I went through like some training and stuff like that, and then there's a thing called IMTA, which uh happens in New York with all the all the models from all over come there, and they it's a big like um uh I guess like competition and everything like that. And that's where I first got uh I had a lot of different offers, but I went with Willamina, which at the time in the 90s was like one of the top three. Really? It was like Elite, uh Ford, Willamina, they were all like the top of the top um modeling agencies. Who were you on the dead side? Um, I'm not really sure because I mean I I look looking back and I think about it, I'm like, wow. Um, because every summer I would go to New York City, live in a models apartment, by my like with no adults. It's like with other models around your age, 17, 18, you're supposed to have somebody there taking care of you, but they really never existed. Um so I I look back and I'm like, wow, 14, 15, 16 years old spending my summers in New York City with no adults, and my parents let me go. And they, of course, also helped with because you had to pay your portion of the models apartment, and if you weren't booking jobs to pay it, you your family had to cover it. So, I mean, I look back and I'm like, wow, because now, even the time and day and age and everything that I also know uh and went through, I don't think I could let my kid go and live in New York or anywhere for a couple of months without you did? Yeah, I did. But now that I know everything, I don't think I could do it. I mean, I was 14, 15 years old living in the models apartment, and you know, we'd have 20-something-year-old guys coming around picking up the girls to take them out partying, go to the Hamptons for the weekend. I mean, definitely looking back, um very underage situations happening with with people, but at the time and that whole world, it's like it's normal, it's okay. Right. Um, it it wasn't like a big thing, but now being older and going through everything I went through and going through LA, you know, dropping friends off at rehab centers and things like that over my lifetime because of just trying to help them and just seeing what the industry possibly done, or you know, the lies of like you just keep grinding. I mean, it and it can get to you. You've got to have some thick skin, because if you don't, um it can it could definitely ruin your life.

SPEAKER_02 6:13

How did you manage in those early years then? Because it must have been, you know, working in those the that that industry is a little bit incestuous, yeah?

SPEAKER_00 6:21

Yeah, of course. It definitely is. I mean, because it's you've got these beautiful young, and it's men and women. I mean, and don't it's not just about the girls. I mean, I mean, I've got stories of of friends of mine, both me uh men, both gay and not gay, and some of the stuff and stories that I know that went down that happened or situations they were in.

SPEAKER_02 6:44

You nearly got into a story then, didn't you?

SPEAKER_00 6:46

And it was like, well, no, I mean it's like, no, no, it's just it's it's just so many. I've heard, you know, I've heard so many stories. I mean, in New York, I can't really say, I think maybe because I was a tomboy, I was a tomboy, but like the like my my my my my agents would get mad at me when we'd have events and stuff because you know they want you, you know, the designers are there, all of this stuff, whatever the event is. So they usually want you to show up, you know, a cute a nice little black dress so they can see your figure, you know, thinking like you know, if you're like you know, like a mannequin, uh blank slate that you know they can throw clothes on you, or like jeans and a t-shirt was the thing, the thing, or leggings. And I would be the girl that shows up with the baggy t-shirt about five sizes too big and pants that were probably five sizes too big. Because it was like, well, if I'm not modeling or auditioning or going on go sees, it was like, why should I dress like that? I'm gonna dress like Ivan. So they would always get so frustrated with me because I was always the tomboy and kind of like a rebel, even though when I was in that industry, um, I think part of it also was that where I grew up in Houston, I kind of grew up um a little bit of rougher side of neighborhood than than most people. So I kind of had the street smarts and and everything going into New York and then having that experience so long or so young in New York that when I did go to LA, it's a game. I knew how to play the game.

SPEAKER_01 8:19

Really?

SPEAKER_00 8:20

And I knew how to, and by playing the game, it got me in the doors that I need to get to. But not saying that I hadn't had situations and you know, there were situations along the way that I was put in, but I kind of look back and I always said that because um I I was a young mom. I had my first son, he's 30, what, 31 now? So I had him really I had him young right out of high school. And um, so how how did that how did you manage to um juggle that then? Well, I met his dad, we were both model models at the time, and we both um had a modeling contract in um Mexico. Instead of going to New York one summer, I ended up going to Mexico uh when I was 17. I was supposed to go to um Tokyo, and somehow along the way before my Tokyo deal, Mexico contract came up, and my agent, my mother agent from Houston decided we're gonna go that way. His dad was also from Houston, just happened to be from Houston. Okay. So we're in Mexico, hanging out, because you know, you got you know, everybody's from um from America, modeling consistently, you know, and whatever. Came back to Houston, continued a little bit of relationship, then you know, had my son, whatever. Got married, didn't work out, but I have my son.

unknown 9:35

Right.

SPEAKER_01 9:35

Lovely.

SPEAKER_00 9:36

But basically, in Hollywood, I I would use him as my excuse if I found myself in a situation that I was like, you know what, like you need to get the hell out of here. Like, it's time to go. Right. And I'd be like, oh, and but you know, at that time there was no cell phones, it was still a page or so. I was like, oh, I have a 911 page call from my babysitter. I might have even had my son that day, maybe like the week that he's with his dad, because we would have week on, week off, but it was always my my excuse and my escape because sometimes I'd be in situations and things going on, or you know, I'd kind of play dumb where like I knew something was going on, but I play stupid, like I'm not paying attention or listening, or just kind of like because just like and but but but I'm listening, yeah, and then something would be like, all right, like you need to get out of here, like this is not good right now. Um, so I I had that. There was a producer I worked for. I won't name his name because I know a lot of people will know him. Yeah, yeah. Um he's passed away since, but um uh when I did work for him on um as an assistant on one of my one of those deals, um, it was a big movie with some big stars. Um I was, you know, originally in a it was not in LA, so we you know we had it, we were out of town, and I was you know, put into the hotel room along with uh with all the rest of the crew. Well, he didn't want that. So he had me moved into the fancy hotel room where you know him and the director and all the stars are. So at that point, you already put a you know a target on me because it's like great, now everybody in the crew is gonna be thinking some kind of something bad's going on when there's not. And then I'm like, all right. And then not only, but then that wasn't good enough, it was like because I was like on the like one floor away, he had the hotel, not not me, but he would call the hotel, and the hotel would do it. Have the hotel move me basically to the same floor he was at next door. Ah and like I get one day get the call, like, hey, come over, we need to go over notes, script notes. Okay, I come over and he's in you know a robe and basically pushes you in the corner, and like, and I'm just like, you know what? Because growing up where I grew up, it was like I'm ready to throw down. I'm like, I'm like, I didn't leave my kid to come all the way over here to do this. So either give me back my plane ticket, because he held my plane ticket, and let me go back home, or let me be here and do me the job that I um that you know I came to do.

SPEAKER_01 12:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 12:11

Um, so I think after that we kind of started, but he basically realized that I wasn't up for it. Yeah, not gonna play the game. So it it kind of all leveled out, and it were everything like even though I had that experience, it everything worked out and I um basically earned my respect from him. Well, that was good because yeah, because I wasn't, I'm like not gonna play that game. And there are girls that would. I mean, there's I mean, I know actresses that you know slipped their way into parts or whatever. Um not fact, isn't it? Yes, that's a fact. Oh, I heard the casting couch exists. I mean, I've been, like I said, in opera in in situations like that one um that other women would be in, and it it happens. Um I might get hated on if I say anything about this, but you know, when that whole Me Too movement went on, yeah, like I'm not saying here like I don't believe women because I know stuff happens and sometimes they're not believed because of maybe who somebody is.

SPEAKER_01 13:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 13:16

But at the same time, most of those women know that what Hollywood is and it's a game, and what like it like what you hear about, there's some truth that like at the same time I was kind of like when that whole movement was going on, I kind of put a bad taste in my mouth to some of the women that were talking because it was like, well, wait a minute, come on, you can't be in this industry all of those years and have that success and you know, know things, you know, and not not already know the situation. I'm sorry, when a director or somebody's calling you to meet you, you know, to look over a script at their house opposed to you know having it sent to your agent or whatever. I mean, not saying there aren't those friendships and relationships, but at the same time, yeah, they're not always like um legit, I should say.

SPEAKER_02 14:09

Yeah. No, I I get it. But you've got to remember, that was back in the what, the 80s?

SPEAKER_00 14:15

Oh no, that was um uh I moved to Hollywood in 97 and I was there until 2016.

SPEAKER_02 14:21

Oh right, so it's still going on then? Ooh.

SPEAKER_00 14:23

Oh yeah. Wow.

SPEAKER_02 14:26

Name it again.

SPEAKER_00 14:27

Yeah, I mean, I don't I mean, but honestly, I mean, does it really ever change? I think just I think what happens is a lot of people um when you're in it and you're living there and you're in the bubble, yeah, because it really is such a bubble, and you don't see it until you step away from it, and you're like, oh wait, wait. Not everybody gives a crap about what's going on in Hollywood. But when you're living there, your whole world is, you know, what's on, you know, us weekly or who's dating who or what's the draw. Like, it's like you're constantly always non-20, you know, consumed. And like I knew more about like what's you know, my mom would sometimes call and be like, oh, I was at the grocery store, I saw something on this magazine. I'm like, it's fake. Don't that's not happening, they're fine. You know, whatever it was. It's like you knew more about like what's going on with everybody than it than there, but like, yeah, it's um sorry, I kind of went off on that.

SPEAKER_02 15:19

No, no, no, no, no, it's good now, it's good to find out these things, you know what I mean? Well, look, I mean, from the dance, uh not the dance, the your um your modeling, you got into acting, didn't you?

SPEAKER_00 15:32

Yes. I mean, whenever I was young, I was always um I was dancing with um they were called the Polish Eagle Dancers. It was a Polish um gro uh, you know, we did all the folk dancing, all the traditional Polish dancing.

SPEAKER_02 15:46

How important was that to you? Because that's identity, isn't it?

SPEAKER_00 15:49

Yes. So I was doing that here in Houston um since I was five years old, up until I left to go to LA. And even with constantly performing with that, we would do um and travel all over around and do and perform for that. We would also do put on plays for Christmas and put on so that was constantly me in front of doing a character in front of stage. Also, I was in ballet and dance class, like young and you know, was performing at the you know the big event centers and things like that. So, and then you know, stories my my parents would tell me that when they still lived in L uh in New York, uh New Jersey, sorry, um, people would come over to hang out, you know, and I would grab my mom's scarfs and shoes or weird things and hats, they said, and dress it all up, put something on and go and entertain them, and then take a cup and walk around and make everybody pay me. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 16:49

So who in the family actually has got those jeans?

SPEAKER_00 16:54

Uh I mean, nobody's ever pursued it before me, but from what I've kind of been told here and there, like my dad was always kind of had that like when he was younger, but he never really pursued it, but was you know, the charismatic, the guy, you know, everybody, you know, even when he was older, it was like the guy everybody, you know, had around. So I don't know if it was anybody per se from the family, for it was just something that was just in me. Because ever since, like I said, uh from a young age, yeah, just the performing, if it was at home, on stage, whatever, it was just always in me. In it. Maybe I think it was maybe also escape, you know, you watch the movies, you read the books, and my imagination would just go.

SPEAKER_02 17:40

Yeah. Am I right in saying you've got five kids?

SPEAKER_00 17:42

Um, I have three or mine, and then Sam has two, so five total between the two of us, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 17:49

So looking back on your time in the industry, would you want any of those children to pursue that career?

SPEAKER_00 17:58

I would not have a problem with any of them pursuing it because I'm right there and I know it, so it's like I can guide you and we can, you know, and have can guide you and protect you and everything all at the same time. Um right now, except my littlest one kind of has that, you know, likes to be in front of the camera, can you know, has done a few auditions. My uh 15-year-old, he actually wants to go and be a pro soccer player. Oh so even though it's not the acting world, it's still another level of entertainment, a hard thing to break into. Um, you know, I've been, and that's how I've been with all my kids. I've been completely honest. Like I told them, I'm like, well, you're not gonna, you're not gonna go pro or nobody's gonna pick you up from high school. It's just not gonna happen. But I'm like, it just like just because one we're America, how the sisters, you know, it is here for soccer, different. Um, I'm like, but it doesn't saying that you can't do it, you're just gonna have to work your ass off. Like, you know, I'm like, yeah, you need to have a job that can help you pay your way. You're gonna need to go to Europe, if it's England, Poland, wherever you go, you need to get on a semi-pro team and then just keep working your way through all the different places there and and see if you can make it. I'm like, that's the way you have to go. And if you want to, you gotta do the work. It's the same thing like when people like in Hollywood, oh, overnight success. I'm like, no, if you really understand and know who that person is, you would know that they've been in this industry for 20 years and they just finally got a break. You know.

SPEAKER_02 19:34

And you can take that long, oh yes.

SPEAKER_00 19:36

I mean, one of my good friends um that was one of my um actually was one of the guy, my first boyfriends in LA, also. His name was Brian Curry, but um he ended up doing Green Book. He helped wrote and produce Green Book. He was one of my yeah, yep. And uh, so yeah, like you know, Green one, like he had been in the industry before I got there in '97.

SPEAKER_02 20:01

So it it it is a it's a long road. What was the draw with um LA though?

SPEAKER_00 20:08

Because it the net the the I did all I could, like I I got my SAG card in Texas. I did a few in um few movies in Texas.

SPEAKER_02 20:16

I did um what did you do in Houston?

SPEAKER_00 20:19

And um I did a movie. Oh gosh, I can't remember the name of it right now. Um it was a little independent film, and I shot it in Dallas, and that's how I got my SAG card. And then um That wasn't the Muleck one, was it?

SPEAKER_02 20:34

The which one? Is it Muleck?

SPEAKER_00 20:36

No, not that one, no, no, no. Uh then I got um another part where I played a saloon grill with Jet Lee. It was um Once Upon a Time in America, and they were shooting that at an old uh Western town in Texas. So they had so so I got to work with Jet Lee there, Sam O'Hung, who's a big famous uh director, like Asian director. Um, so that was kind of like my second thing. But at the same time, during that time, I did go do um, I was doing the oh fuck gosh, I forgot about this. You just made me remember um the Hawaiian Tropic Competition tour in Houston. And then I ended up being one of the finalists that ended up getting invited to go to the main competition in Hawaii that they get all the different from the every town or state goes to Hawaii for the main competition. So I did that. I totally forgot about that. And then what had happened after that, this is after I'd done those few movies, you know, I had been modeling in New York. Um, I did the Hawaiian Tropic. I was probably 20 when I did Hawaiian Tropic competition. And um on the and then during that competition, I met um we I met Charles Mathau, who is Walter Mathau's son. I met um a few uh Vic uh Dick Van Dyke's son, one of his sons were there. So I got I met him and we just I've always just because I guess the Texas thing, I kind of click with people, make friends. Easy, um, connected with them, friends, whatever, wanted, you know, stayed to touch a little bit. But what had happened is from Hawaii, when our whole group of girls from Texas, we all traveled together, uh, we had a huge like a six or seven-hour layover ended up happening in LA because we went from Hawaii to LA to Houston. And Charlie was on our flight, and he was like, Well, let me grab a limo and take you guys out and like show you the town and then take you back to the airport. So that's what happened. So Charlie Mathau got a limo. All the girls, the Hawaiian chopper girls from Texas are in the limo with them, you know, with our our main lady who is, you know, our our super, our our our uh chaperone too. So it was, you know, all of us. And as I'm in this limo or driving through, you know, LA, Beverly Hills, Hollywood, everywhere. I was just like, nope, I'm moving. That was it. Like, I was like, I'm moving here. And I got home and I told my mom, I'm moving, and at that time I'm going through a separation with my oldest son's dad. Um, he's like two. Um, so by the time I'm my son's three, we I moved to LA. His his dad moves later, and his dad has always wanted to um um move to LA, so it wasn't that hard of a decision to do. Go. And uh yeah, I um I ended up calling one of the other guys that I I met from the from the Hawaiian Traffic Competition who owned a club about getting a job there. Um, but I ended up working for Walter Mathau and Charlie for a while. Uh they had a production company, so yeah, I would drive to the Palisades and they had an office in the Palisades. I love that girl. Yeah, I would believe it. I would, oh yeah, I was oh oh Walter was amazing. I would stop by the house sometimes because I needed to drop something off or whatever. And I mean, he really is like like you know, that grumpy like, but a funny grumpy, like you know, like you had little bits of pieces of them, you know, for that you see in the movies, you know, but he would always like, you know, come back around and kind of like haha, you know, like you know, like uh, you know, to kind of get you.

SPEAKER_02 24:03

So the one thing with him, I mean, I watch used to watch all these his black and white films and everything else, and him and Jack Lemon, blah blah blah. Yeah, but the one film, and I know he's gonna hate me for saying this, yeah, was Dennis.

SPEAKER_01 24:16

Oh, what do you do? Dennis the Menace! What do you do? Yes, I forgot about that.

SPEAKER_02 24:22

You know, that just reminded me. He was brilliant. Yes. Piece of comedy genius. It was really like, oh, I don't know. Yeah, so I mean you've met a few people then.

SPEAKER_00 24:33

Oh yeah, many more along that list. Have you managed, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 24:35

Have you managed to um have you managed to keep in touch with anyone?

SPEAKER_00 24:40

Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Quite a few people still. Um, you know, sometimes I forget that who I know until like I'm like, oh, let me see. And I'm like, oh yeah, and I'm like, oh, for you know, it's because to me they're just friends or you know, whoever, and you know, I forget that oh, they're a famous person of some sorts. Right.

SPEAKER_02 24:59

So you genuinely you actually forget that they are famous because they are friends.

SPEAKER_00 25:06

Yeah, and because I've known them so long, and in Hollywood, if it's you know, from from being, you know, out there all the years, because it's you know, just it's it's it's your own little world and community, and you know you get to know people. I mean, that's yeah, I still have friends that are in it, I still have friends that live there, and friends that have left the industry and moved, excuse me, moved away from there.

SPEAKER_02 25:26

Yeah. What's interesting about moving away from the industry is you know they live this lifestyle and everything else, and and it is uh for me a lot an altered reality that they're living in this this bubble.

SPEAKER_00 25:40

Well, that's what I was saying. And I didn't understand the bubble until I had to step away when my dad was put in hospice. That's what that's what brought me back because I would just come home for like a week here and there and just go back. When when I got the call from my mom, I'm like, wait, what? And so, like, packed the car. My brother was out there, so we drove my car back because I was like, I might as well have a vehicle. And um, that that forcing me to be back a little bit was kind of like, all right, maybe it's time to come back. Um, and I think I did leave at the time that I was supposed to, because a little bit after that is when everything started really kind of, you know, I um so many friends were you losing homes, jobs, whatever, so I kind of feel like I stepped away just in time.

SPEAKER_02 26:26

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Did you uh did you have any ideas what you were gonna do though when you left the industry?

SPEAKER_00 26:32

Um I mean, not I mean, I was I had already like played around with some real estate out there, um, flipping houses. Um my parents had owned homes over the year, you know, our whole entire lifetime. So uh real estate was always kind of in my world. Um, I just had to come back and redo my license and everything here, and I was like, well, you might as well, I was doing a little bit there, might as well do it here, and that's kind of what I did.

SPEAKER_01 26:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 27:00

Um then I and I still do indie projects, I still do projects, I still getting auditions. I'm I've kind of gotten bright, I've kind of gotten more back into it. I just got a new manager. Um I'm attached to a couple of vertical uh independent uh projects that we'll be filming here soon. And uh we've got an indie movie that I've been helping um get produced. Um so yeah, so uh Sam's Sam's kind of pushed me back in over the years. He was the one who he I have to credit him because I was kind of like, it's over, I'm old, it's I'm done. He's like, dude, he's like your whole history and stuff, like your like your stories of like people can't even touch that now. It was like, come on.

SPEAKER_02 27:45

Yeah, but that's that's the thing for me. So if you ever decide you want to write a book, you contact me. Yeah, I've got my own little publishing company.

SPEAKER_00 27:51

Okay, let's do it. Because I actually do, because after I've been like little by little, I start remembering things. I'm like, you know what? How are my grandkids or anybody else in the future? Like, because my kids start asking me questions, and I'm like, and it's so funny because like when I was living in LA, I thought, you know, I did keep like a little bit of a diary. Um, but and but even when I was there, I was thinking to myself, oh, I should really keep a good one and really just keep notes. And then, but then then I was like, well, no, because this is my world, and like that'd be kind of weird, because you never think you're gonna step away.

SPEAKER_02 28:21

Right, right.

SPEAKER_00 28:22

And then when you do step away, like I said, when I came back, oh, that's why I was when I came back for dad for hospice, yeah, is when I also noticed really like what a bubble it was. Like it was almost like I had PTSD hanging out with friends that I grew up with at a barbecue or something, because I was like, what do I talk about? What do I get cool? Because in LA, even if you meet for coffee, like it can be somebody like you know, one of my good friends could be in the um, you know, gaming industry, but it always ends up talking business, like whatever it is that you've got going on. So when I got back home and you're at a barbecue, you know, it's like, hey, hey, how are you? So glad to see you, whatever. Then it's like, but they don't really go into like, you know, after they know you, because they've known you, so they know your story. So when you're there, it's not really like talking about your Hollywood stuff or whatever. They're talking about, oh, so and so's this or so-and-so or kid or this, and I'm sitting there and I'm like just listening and kind of like, what I don't know what to talk to these people about because it's I'm not and it took me probably a good like couple of years to kind of like feel comfortable going places around barbecues or whatever that wasn't industry related and kind of get back to normal.

SPEAKER_02 29:43

That that that must have been hard though.

SPEAKER_00 29:48

Uh well, I mean, I moved there when I was like 20, just turned 21, and I came back in my 40s.

SPEAKER_02 29:55

That's a long time to be there, isn't it?

SPEAKER_00 29:57

Yeah, I mean, I pretty much my my my biggest network when you you know when you are you know you grow in your 20s, 30s, 40s, and that's there. Like even though I grew up here, it was you know, I came to Texas when we were five, and I left when I was 20. And so and that's like kids and this and that, you know, your childhood stuff. So um, so yeah, it was kind of weird to come back because you know you're friends with some of the people, but also you not because you're different, things change, people change.

SPEAKER_02 30:31

Yeah. Um what's the downside to LA? What's that? What's the downside to LA?

SPEAKER_00 30:36

The politics, uh, and like, you know, where uh even even before now, I just felt like the the people weren't put first, opposed, you know, kind of deal. It's like it's so expensive to work there, uh, or to live there, I should say. Um, one of the things that I found out just on the real estate side is like, you know, a tenant has more rights than the homeowner. Um, you know, so many and that's where I kind of like got like, you know, we with with a with that was kind of like my my introduction to that world and the high how I learned it, because we were trying to, you know, real estate flip houses, whatever, and got into a situation where the person didn't want to leave, and and then that's how I uh learned that I had less rights as a homeowner of the property than they did.

SPEAKER_02 31:27

That's a nightmare, right? One one of the interesting things about you that I've I've read, you uh you did some stunt work. I did. How did you get into that?

SPEAKER_00 31:36

Uh wow. I actually was already training in that in Texas before I went to LA. Um, well, I was just okay. Well, before wow, I forgot about this part. So you're making me remember little stories.

SPEAKER_01 31:49

There you go, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 31:50

Um, well, during high school, I was actually recruited to go into the Marines. I was always such a tomboy. Like, I played sports all my entire life, but I was always like the girl that like if the boys can do it, I can do it. I played football with the boys, I played soccer, I was the goalie. And only reason why I was a goalie is because all the girls were always scared of the ball, and I would die for the ball, get in front, like get kicked. It didn't scare me. Um, so I always had that energy growing up, and then before and when I was doing getting into the movie business more in Houston, I found a stunt group here. And I started training with that stunt group because you know the idea is like the more I know and the better opportunities, like if you know, to like my my work will be better, you know, I have more opportunities for work. And so that's how that kind of started. And when I got to LA, um just from being in the industry and meeting people, I met uh someone that was a stunt coordinator, and then you know, met his, you know, the the head's coordinator and um did stunts on transformers to French first transformers. You serious? Yeah, I was running away from a bus that was being pulled and chasing me. Um yeah, I did stunts on transformers, I did stunts on Entourage, I did stunts on the island um with um you and was it you and McGregor and what's her name? The blonde. I can't think of her name right now.

SPEAKER_02 33:19

Um you're looking at me. I'm I might interview these people in here. There's so much that I don't know. I I respect you guys to go, that's who it is. And then you can't even remember because you've done so much. He's a great, great actor, you remember. Yeah, I love him. He's another one. Yeah. But it just amazes me. Um, it's about I've got a stunt friend in England, uh-huh, and I've got another podcast that's coming out on him, John B. Tanner. And John's been in the business 35 years.

SPEAKER_01 33:50

Oh wow.

SPEAKER_02 33:50

You know, boy and man going through, and he was telling me he was talking me through the changes how the young bucks nowadays look down. Yeah, they look down on the old, old farts, as I call them. Yeah, he was saying it's a pretty good thing.

SPEAKER_00 34:09

I wonder why. I mean, I've I haven't been there, so I don't know. Well, because they they have this the uh this level of bravado about oh man because I think then the social media and showing like it's like social media has given everybody a platform to show off in a sense and like look what I can do, but not understanding like the old timers, we didn't have all this technology and media and everything like that.

SPEAKER_02 34:34

And probably they didn't have, or they're they have now, that that level of safety. Some of the stunts that you guys used to pull off.

SPEAKER_00 34:43

They wouldn't have allowed happen now.

SPEAKER_02 34:45

No, no, no, you know, so it's a totally totally different world. What about minority reports? Oh, yeah, I forgot about that. There you go, we pull it all out of the bag.

SPEAKER_00 34:55

Um, let's see. I I worked on it. Um, I did actually some camera testing because I would do a lot of camera testing with uh Yanish Kaminski and and Spielberg, you know, before they would start a movie. I kind of I got to know Janish from you know being Polish and stuff like that over the years, and you know, we would work great together and have fun.

SPEAKER_02 35:14

That's interesting what you say about you know uh heritage and you you have these links because of the nationalities. But yeah, go on, carry on.

SPEAKER_00 35:21

No, so um so uh so that's how I got to know them. So I'd work on the show, and then they asked, there was a part that actually didn't Yannish always messes with me when I it didn't make it into the movie because um, and a lot of people don't know about this, so this is I'm like, whatever, all the scene. Um it was a scene that I shot topless that because you know it's like like when if Tom Cruise put on the VR glasses, yeah, it would have been like I'm on top of him having sex with him. So you all you saw from the breasts, and you know, from like this part up, and it and I was like really like on the sawhorse that had to like simulate I was on top of him, yeah. Like if he was but um so it was very close set, and like every time Yanish is like, I've got that private bit. I'm like, oh dude, no, no, no. He always like messes with me. Um, but it never made the scene, the movie, because I believe it's a PG 13 movie, and I would have had to move it to an R having boobies in it. So I'm like, so I'm like, some they're out there somewhere.

SPEAKER_02 36:33

We'll find them, don't worry, we'll get them for you. Yeah. Happy memories of what we got from the industry. Oh man.

SPEAKER_00 36:40

I can't believe that this little girl from these immigrant parents from Poland who basically grew up in the ghetto is going to the biggest premieres and hanging out with the biggest celebrities and grew a career enough. Like, yeah, maybe I wasn't a multimillionaire or all that, but I was in the rooms with you know The Rock and Spielberg and all of that, having a drink and having sharing a story or who whatever it was. And um, we're never gonna take that away from you. Exactly. Um, so like you know, I always tell people, like, you know, when they do ask me about like getting into the industry, what the bottom line is is like knowing yourself and and knowing and knowing who you are, um, knowing don't let people break you down because the whole world, even outside the industry, tries to do that, you know, find something to to you know, if it's your weight or what you look like or who you your family, where you come from, or who your family- I mean, they're they'll always find something. I mean, I've I've got so I can I can tell you I I've got everything from the blonde jokes to you know from the blonde, the Polish, you know, ghetto, this, that, whatever, and like you just gotta know who you are and just know. And if you if you know that, I think no matter where industry you get into, because you're gonna find shady people no matter what what world you're in. Yeah. And if you know who you are and you know what you're about, like, whatever. Let them talk and go do you. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 38:17

And a no meaning no.

SPEAKER_00 38:19

Yeah. Uh, in different ways. I mean, I've said I've said no to movie projects because I just I've said no to movie projects where like they say like there was a lot of nudity or things going on. Because I'm I don't have a problem with that, but I kind of like it's gotta it's gotta work to the story, it's gotta work too with the character, whatever. But just to keep throwing it in there just because you want to get some actress naked and to get her on film. Yeah, no, like so um no in the sense of getting cornered, you know, by uh an old boss trying to, you know, a director, like, yeah, like yes, I have said no many times.

SPEAKER_02 38:58

It's incredible, isn't it? The way they try and break you down.

SPEAKER_00 39:01

Yeah, you sure that no means no? I'm positive. I mean, I've even had uh an old agent, oh man. I forgot about this story. You're just making me see, I gotta write a book.

SPEAKER_02 39:14

Good, yes, you do.

SPEAKER_00 39:14

Um, because I'm remembering stories that I totally forgot about. So there was an old agent that he wasn't even my agent, it was just an agent friend, but I was at that time um became a uh a client of his of the company he was with, and they're they're pretty one of the top big ones up there at the time. He was trying to go to some event, some party, and he had a couple of people with him, and he knew that I knew like the producers or whatever, uh, or the or it was or it was at a at a big Hollywood hotspot that I knew the people, and you know, I told him I like I'm not going, so I'm not you can't, because usually I can like help people walk them in, whatever. So he took it upon himself to go there and then tries to use my name to get in and like all of this stuff, and do you and then do you know who I am? And I'm just like, wow, this is funny because like that's the stuff you hear like in the more movies and the TV shows. And I'm like, nope, it's real life.

SPEAKER_02 40:14

Wow, I if you had to give one piece of advice to youngsters coming into the industry, what would it be?

SPEAKER_00 40:22

It would probably have to go back to know like knowing who you are, knowing your morals, knowing what you're about, knowing your goals, and sticking to those things no matter what gets thrown in your way as you go, because you're gonna get everything thrown at you to get you off that path. And sometimes I look back because I'm not perfect and I've made my mistakes, and I look back and I'm like, man, if I had probably maybe just not, you know, there's a few things that if what I know now, I would go back and tweak and might have just made things a little bit more lucrative. Yeah, but it is, you know, but we are all on this journey, and and it is what it is. Are you happy with the way life's turned out for you?

SPEAKER_02 41:11

Yeah, there's no regrets. It's not you say now you're you're doing your your real estate and everything else, but I'm still involved in the industry, I still um enjoy it.

SPEAKER_00 41:22

I mean, do I miss LA and and the city at times? Yes, but I also love that I have a life. Um, because sometimes you're so 24-7. Everything is like I said, is if you're not on set, which if you you know, if you go to set, like it's a you know, just pretty much like you know, when I worked, I told my kid, like I'm gone at least 12 hours. If if maybe more minimum 12 hours, like by the time I leave the house, there's gonna be 12 hours earliest before I get back home. So, um, you know, things like that. Um, so no, I I just no, it's I just have a little bit more time now to you know to raise the kids, or I did when they were younger. So I had that, and now that they're older and they're doing starting to do their thing and figure things out, you know, it's funny because they asked, like, mom, why aren't you doing this more? Mom, won't you um because you know, being older, understand the internet, and then now their friends are kind of coming around going like, wait a minute, is that is this your mom? So they're kind of like, you know, so it's it's kind of fun at the same time seeing all that happen. But no, there's no regrets. I mean, of course, would I would I have you know wanted a bigger career, maybe, yeah, but it doesn't mean it's over. I mean, I know people like in their 60s and stuff before stuff hit, so I'm like, I'm just I'm just I'm just I'm just peeking.

SPEAKER_02 42:43

Yeah. The thing that I like about the uh the small independents and like you say, the indies and everything else, they're fun.

SPEAKER_00 42:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 42:50

You can get in, get done, back to the back to life.

SPEAKER_00 42:54

I mean, and then like you know, I I it you just get such great opportunities to work with people um on independence. Like when I did um in Montauk, where I had the lead and we shot in New York, and we were doing eight, nine pages a day, which is unheard of, and like and I've got full-on scenes, and but it was the most intense but the greatest experience, and like I'm like, where else am I gonna have a lead in a movie and be put into that kind of situation? And and I'm like, and I came out of it.

SPEAKER_02 43:24

Yeah, yeah. How do they uh how does it work over here? How do you get paid? Because if you do in the indies and everything else and there's no budget, do you take projects on?

SPEAKER_00 43:33

It depends on the project. Um, and also I guess depends on where we shoot. Uh, because I mean there are some some projects, even though they're independent, they're and they go under the union, they're you know, SAG, scale, and be whatever. Yeah. So sometimes there's no, you know, payment, or I might do the they do the minimum. So it just depends really on the project itself. Yeah. And then, you know, you've got certain states that are right to work states where as much as like they try to tell you no, no, you can't do it. I mean, you can't really tell you not to do it.

SPEAKER_02 44:10

Yeah. We were in uh NLA running around gorilla filming.

SPEAKER_00 44:15

Oh, yeah, that's there's a lot that going on. I was uh we uh earlier on on some little projects that I was involved in, it was a lot of that going on.

SPEAKER_02 44:24

Yeah, that was fun.

SPEAKER_00 44:25

Yeah, that is fun.

SPEAKER_02 44:26

A lot of fun, you know, being chased down and and all sorts of stuff. Do not ever put a tripod on the sidewalk. That's when you incur the cost. That's when yeah no, no. Yeah, it was crazy Idaho, but a wonderful time there. Well, look, we've actually run out of time, which is a shame because I really uh I really want to get to know you more. I'm sure the listeners do. Nina, thank you very much for for allowing me to interview you. Thank you. Absolutely, this has been awesome. All right, well, you can have another.

SPEAKER_00 44:59

You're making me remember a lot of stories I forgot about.

SPEAKER_02 45:02

Well, I'm I'm hoping. I'm hoping you're gonna go away and start start writing.

SPEAKER_00 45:05

I need to.

SPEAKER_02 45:06

Yeah, you do.

SPEAKER_00 45:07

And then I'll have to come back to you and we can put the book together.

SPEAKER_02 45:09

I'll let my I'm gonna keep it. I'm gonna keep you to that. Got it. Um, but good luck with your next project. Keep us informed, yeah? Absolutely. Because I would love to just follow you and then like put it out there.

SPEAKER_00 45:22

Yeah. Because you never know where it leads, you. No, I mean I might be doing a movie or something in England here soon. Who knows?

SPEAKER_02 45:28

You might get that call from me. You never know.

SPEAKER_00 45:30

Hey, let's go. I've got family out there now, so it's not hard to set up. Well, there's there, Scarborough. Uh, I forgot. There's a few other members all around. I'm trying to remember all the places. You need to give me a list of what they are, and what we'll do is we'll write something specially for you.

SPEAKER_02 45:48

Yeah, okay. The Yank that came to town. There we go. No, no, the Polish girl.

SPEAKER_00 45:53

Oh, well, what are my hashtags? Is Polish Girl in Texas? Yeah, it's one of my hashtags.

SPEAKER_02 45:58

End of, we've got ourselves a film title. Well done, Nina Kay. Thank you very much. Thank you. As Nina says, you you've got to have thick skin. There are gonna be people that are gonna try and manipulate you in all sorts of ways in LA. Yeah, it's just the system, it's how it's always been and how it probably always will be. You just need to be careful. Fame comes at a cost. Are you prepared to put yourself through that? If you are, be careful. Next up, he's been on the show before, John B. Tannan. This time he's actually talking about his stunt work and being a stun man for 35 years.