Criminal Minds: With a background in film and theatre, as well as being an acclaimed writer, there are many talented sides to the foxy, award winning actress Kirsten Vangsness – who is best known to us all as the quirky FBI Technical Analyst ‘Penelope Garcia’ in the CBS hit drama ‘Criminal Minds'. Kirsten’s character, Garcia, with her idiosyncratic dress sense, her razor sharp wit and her sense of comic timing, is most definitely a most welcome ray of light in what is otherwise a gripping but serious and dark show.
But it’s not just her portrayal of Garcia, or indeed the fact that she is part of what has become a worldwide phenomenon, that has made us wildly obsess about the fabulous Kirsten Vangsness – no, what excites us the most, is her thoroughly individual, wonderfully eclectic sense of style! Yes, her vivid outfits and brave accessories have become the topic of many a forum thread across the globe and we were extremely excited about catching up with her....
Q: Kirsten, being such an integral part of a hugely successful show like Criminal Minds, how have you personally coped with the global, cult-like following that the show has acquired?
A: I am honestly shocked to hear we have a global and cult like following, I guess that's how I cope, but being completely oblivious to how popular this show is, I am always sort of delightedly surprised when someone recognizes me because as far as I'm concerend, I'm just going to work and getting paid to act and that alone is fantastic, I forget people watch it too.
Q: CM is such a dark show and your character consistently brings that necessary bit of sunshine to its viewers, but do you find it hard to be involved in such gruesome, often heart-wrenching, storylines?
A: I get to act for a living, which is what I always dreamed of doing and it makes me IMENSELY happy and as sad and scary the stories we do are, at the end of the day it's done to entertain and I think it would be not authentic for me to have this great job where I'm paid really well and people are really kind to me and then go home and be all bent out of shape because of the job. As an actor, part of the job is to take on a character and thier circumstances and be able to let it go so that you can take on another character. Having said that, ...I have totally woken up in the middle of the night like from something that spooked me at work, I have even walked by a tv and seen Shemar (Morgan) and Paget (Prentis) running down an alley with their guns drawn or Matthew (Reid) tied to a chair and thought: "Oh no! My friends are in trouble!". I try to maintain little rituals to help come down from work....I think we all should have them for every job:)
Continued here: http://www.stylebible.ie/Stylebible+Interviews/_Kirsten%20Vangsness.htm
