photo: Alan Mercer Ann Walker Interview
I am convinced that I knew Ann Walker in a past life. I fell in love with her character LaVonda from Sordid Lives and always hoped that one day I would have the chance to work with her. As it turns out the lovely, talented, and charming Ms. Walker is 100% delightful in every way. I am proud to call her my friend.
AM: Hello Ann. Will you tell me how you almost did not get to play your character LaVonda in the movie version of Sordid Lives?
AW: It’s a real Hollywood story. We had done the play in 1996, then four years later it was decided there would be a movie. Del Shores had the very unfortunate job of calling me to say I would not be playing LaVonda which just destroyed me. I could not believe it. Then he said I have written you another part of a character named Juanita, who is a drunk at the bar. The last thing that I should ever play is that part because there is only one woman, Sarah Hunley, who can actually pull that off. Nobody else can play that part. There’s just something in the way her rhythm is. I said I would play the part because I wanted to be in the movie but I knew that was not my part.
AM: Who was going to play your part?
AW: Beverly DeAngelo. She is a lovely woman but she isn’t LaVonda. Nobody is LaVonda. I’m LaVonda. I was going to be so disappointed to have to watch that movie with me not in my part. I was very, very not nice.
AM: So what happened that you ultimately got to play your part?
AW: I was licking my wounds one day about three weeks before we started shooting. Del called me on the phone and said, ‘Are you sitting down?’ I said yes and he told me Beverly had gotten a TV pilot and can’t do our movie. I said, ‘Well who are you going to get?’ He said, ‘We’ve gone through every name the producers have given us and none of them are right.’ They were looking at some really wonderful actresses. Del was able to talk the producers into letting me film my part.
AM: So do you believe in destiny?
AW: Absolutely I do. This part has brought me a lot of joy and allowed me to meet really great people like you.
AM: I have known you in a past life.
AW: I think so because we hit it off so fast.
AM: So LaVonda is you and you are LaVonda.
AW: I think Del knows how I feel about my priorities in life. I would never hurt anybody. I always champion for the underdog. It just seems like the underdog right now happens to be the gay community and it’s really pissing me off.
AM: LaVonda is the most supportive of the characters.
AW: He tailored that part to who I was. He wanted that voice and acceptance from one of the characters. For the clothes and the way I look in character I actually used my Mom as inspiration. No matter what would happen she would always go to the Beauty shop and get a beehive or the big curls. She always wore tight pants and the gold lame’ house shoes that had the turned up toes, very, very Southern.
AM: You all ended up being gay icons.
AW: Yes and I didn’t know how much fun it would be. I just love interacting with people who like me. We get to do things like go to the Gay Rodeo. I’m one of the people they invite. The Palm Springs Gay Pride Rodeo has asked me to do fund raisers in the past. Jason Dottley and I were asked to pants a goat. Do you know what pantsing a goat is?
AM: No I don’t.
AW: They give you some men’s underwear and one person puts them on their hands through the top and the legs. The other person gets the goat and you have to put the pants on the goat.
AM: Do you think you will ever do the play again?
AW: I would hope so. I don’t know where we would do it but if anyone wanted me to do it I would go anywhere. I enjoy doing it. I just love that character. There are no plans for us to do it again at this time.
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