A Star Among Us!

Doylestown PA

14 September, 2021

11:52 AM

Description

Doylestown, PA—In my early 30s, I found myself in a hotel ballroom standing next to Casey Kasem while he seamlessly uttered rote dialogue in his legendary Shaggy character voice from the Scooby Doo franchise. A decade and a half earlier, I fetched a diet coke for a dynamic presenter named Oprah Winfrey during an event she keynoted for a 1987 college crowd at the University of Florida. My two most memorable brushes with fame pale in comparison to meeting Kassie Mundhenk, one of the actors of the acclaimed HBO series "Mare of Eastown." The seven-part series, a hometown favorite, has been nominated for 16 Emmy awards in the "limited or anthology series" category, including, best series, best lead actress (for Kate Winslet as Mare), best supporting actress (both Julianne Nicholson and Jean Smart), best supporting actor (Evan Peters, as Detective Colin Zabel), best writing (for the series creator Brad Ingelsby), and best directing (Craig Zobel). Additionally, "Mare of Eastown" is up for awards in the technical categories including excellence in wardrobe, makeup, and hairstyling. This week in a prequel ceremony, "Mare of Easttown" won the Emmy for Outstanding Production Design For A Narrative Contemporary Program. Kassie and her mom Jeanette met me at her favorite ice cream shop, OwowCow Creamery, in Ottsville, Pennsylvania. Kassie was back at home after a trip to Florida where she participated as a contestant in the Royal International Miss Beauty Pageant. When I asked her about her unique fashion forward brand, she told me "I only do dresses, I don't do sweats!" So much about Kassie is petite; her height, the way she sweetly cradles her cup of ice cream and studies which side to spoon next, and the polite way she answers all of my questions. Petite, except for her smile, and the way her eyes open big when she talks about meeting Zendaya on the set of "Spider-Man, Far From Home." Kassie played a student in some of the background scenes and had the chance to spend time with Zendaya. "It was a lot of fun, I love Zendaya!" Kassie replied as that wonderful memory visibly washes over her face. A self-declared "roller coaster queen," Kassie loves traveling with her mother to amusement parks, she likes swimming, and when she is not working, she is likely on her high school's stage as a member of the theater department's ensemble cast. Kassie and her mom are close, they talk and respond to my questions in an un-interrupting rhythm and sometimes finish each other's sentences. However, there is a clear streak of independence that emerges when Kassie is in front of a camera. During our photo shoot, she was über focused and moved from pose to pose with a smoothness reminiscent of experienced models nearly twice her age. I asked Kassie's mom about when she knew her youngest daughter was an acting prodigy. Jeanette replied, "Early on, when Kassie was a little older than a toddler, she would watch a television show and then ask to see it again. After her second viewing of the same show, Kassie would have memorized the majority of the lines and was able to role play scenes on her own." Kassie practiced this technique all throughout her childhood and now learning lines comes very natural to her. On the set of "Mare of Eastown" Kassie easily slipped into the role of daughter to Lori Ross, Mare's best friend, played by Julianne Nicholson. The two got along wonderfully, and in some of the promotional photos for HBO, Kassie and Julianne look like they really are related to the other family members. "Julianne was fantastic!" Kassie said, "Her and Kate Winslet were very sweet and very caring towards me." It is easy to see why Kassie was just named Miss Congeniality at her recent pageant, a singular honor earned from the votes of over fifty contestants. Kassie makes friends fast, something that has helped her on set with all the other background actors as she rises up the Hollywood ladder, earning more acting stripes with each project. Kassie's list of film, TV, modeling, and commercial jobs are too numerous to list, but you may recognize her from the movie "Eighth Grade," directed by Bo Burnham, or the Justice girls clothing store campaign where her image was made into eight-foot banners and displayed in Justice stores throughout the country. What's next for Kassie? She just finished a PSA about 9-11 for Accenture, and a film written and directed by Ann Hu, entitled "Confetti" is set to be released in the near future. Chris Buck just finished a photo shoot with her and that work is set to be published in The Guardian in October. Kassie is hoping "Mare of Easttown" gets renewed for a second season. "Wouldn't that be great?" Jeanette says while nodding toward Kassie. "Yeah," Kassie agrees, "Maybe they will focus on my character Moira!" The 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards will be broadcast on September 19th, and will air live on CBS and Paramount+ from Event Deck in Los Angeles, California. The show will include a limited, in-person audience of nominees and guests. Kassie will be watching with her mom and some close friends from her home in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, along with many of us, who will be rooting for our local favorite, "Mare of Eastown" to take home all the top prizes! To follow Kassie's amazing career you can go to IMDb.com to Kassie's Page