 Photo credit goes to Deidhra Fahey Photography |
Katlin Mastrandea is an actress, currently playing the role of Ashley on the ABC hit show The Middle. The Middle stars Patricia Heaton as the mother of three children, who are each going through their own trials and tribulations, but always stick together as a family. Katlin plays the role of Ashley, “wierd” friend to middle child Sue (played by Eden Sher), and has a crush on oldest child, brother Axle (played by Charlie McDermott). Katlin also has a recurring role on the FX series Anger Management, about a psychiatrist (played byCharlie Sheen), who is dealing with his own problems at home. He has a daughter, Sam (Daniela Bobadilla from Awake), who is graduating high school and will be going to college. Katlin plays Sam ‘s best friend, Olivia. Katlin explains that Olivia is someone who wants to be an adult and feels she really knows a lot about relations and knows the lingo, but is not entirely sure of what it means to
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be one. She knows the textbook definition of it, but in the realistic sense of it, she’s kind of lost and the others in the group see this.
Katlin first got into acting when she was younger and had roles in a few school plays. She grew up in Colorado where her family was very supportive of her acting career. Katlin got the gig on The Middleafter casting director, G. Charles Wright, wanted her to play the mean girl on The Middle but realized she was too nice for that role so he casted her as Ashley. According to Katlin, Ashley is “weird”. She dresses in wizard or knight clothes and doesn’t understand why people conceive that as weird. She “marches to her own beat.” Katlin feels that a little part of Ashley is in her in the sense that when she was in school she, too, would do her own thing, and though her peers might have perceived that as wierd, she just went with it or just didn’t say anything.
After having been on both shows, Katlin had the opportunity to observe both stars, Patricia Heaton and Charlie Sheen, at their best. She felt it was really fantastic, sitting on the sidelines and watching what they do.
Katlin’s other interests are drawing and writing and told us that she’s actually trying to write a fantasy/science fiction comic book.
Her message to others pursuing the same career is not to wait for the perfect job or rely on others. They should try their own stuff or what their friends might have written for them. She encourages others to try to be more creative and have more control over their own career.
Katlin is currently reading A Hero For WondLa, the second book in the The Spiderwick Chronicles by Tony DiTerlizzi, and would one day like to play the role of Helena Bonham Carter.
It was a pleasure talking to Katlin and we thank her for her time.
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