Interviews: Celebrities from 1980s to Beyond at ‘The Hollywood Show’

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Joe Penny, Portrayed Jake on “Jake and the Fatman”

He’s Jaked: Joe Penny at at ‘The Hollywood Show,’ March of 2012 Photo credit: Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com

In the realm of the truly unforgettable titles in TV drama history, “Jake and the Fatman” (1987-1992) weighs heavily. The Fatman was veteran actor William Conrad. Jake was character actor Joe Penny. Penny has done mostly guest spots in television since then, including “The Sopranos.” He recently did a three episode run on “Cold Case.”

HollywoodChicago.com: Reruns must seem like old home movies to a television veteran such as yourself. Any reruns of yours spur a particular memory or are there any you just like seeing again.

Joe Penny: I don’t really go back over my old shows, but I’ll see them occasionally, mostly I want to go back and change things about the character as I look at them now.

HollywoodChicago.com: What advantages do you think you had coming up through series television in the 1980s as opposed to now?

William Conrad, Joe Penny (right) in ‘Jake and the Fatman’ Photo credit: MGM Home Entertainment

Penny: There was more of you had to earn it. These days, everyone is a writer, producer and movie star. You post something on the web, get enough hits, and suddenly you have TV show. [laughs] It is overloaded, and I don’t see many people with longevity anymore. Everything was harder when I started, and you had to take acting lessons, do theater parts, work on connections and then get lucky. The technology is good, but it’s also a hindrance for longevity.

HollywoodChicago.com: What is the best advice someone gave you about acting, and how do you apply it?

Penny: Know your job and don’t fake it. It looks easy, but the ones that make it look easy know what the hell they’re doing. They may tell you around the dining room table that you’re funny and you should be an actor, but until you challenge yourself by getting on a stage or in front of a camera, that’s when your knowledge of the craft separates you from the pretenders. The guys who gave me that advice was William Holden, Lee Marvin and Robert Mitchum. I’m grateful I had a chance to hang out with those guys. They were the real deal.

HollywoodChicago.com: Finally, what can you tell us about William Conrad that the rest of the world doesn’t know?

Penny: Everybody had the impression he was a gruff guy, but in reality he was like your lovable granddad. He was was like my granddad, that’s the relationship we had.

Yancy Butler, Portrayed Angie D’Amico in the Film “Kick-Ass”

Yancy Butler at at ‘The Hollywood Show,’ March of 2012 Photo credit: Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com

Yancy Butler is a veteran TV and movie actress, and even did a bit part in a movie as a child. She had a lead role in the early 2000s on the TV series “Witchblade,” as Detective “Pez” Pezzini, and is in pre-production for “Kick-Ass 2: Balls to the Wall”

HollywoodChicago.com: What is the story about that small role you had in 1979, ‘Savage Weekend’?

Yancy Butler: I did it as a favor for the mother of a friend of mine, as the ‘girl at the top of the stairs.’ At that time I had no idea that I wanted to be an actor, and when I was done with college I thought it would be a good way to pay off those student loans. I went to Sarah Lawrence and had massive student loans. My mother was in theater and my father traveled with the band ‘The Lovin’ Spoonful,’ so that was the last profession they wanted me to pursue.

HollywoodChicago.com: What kind of visionary, in your opinion, is director Matthew Vaughn, since you worked with him in the film “Kick-Ass”?

Butler: I think Matthew is a genius, and he’s visionary because not only did he do ‘Kick-Ass’ the film, but he created the comics books at the same time. I thought that was smart to build an audience, and start the marketing. He’s great on a set, and has beautiful choreography with the camera. It was a pleasure working with him.

HollywoodChicago.com: What is your take surrounding the controversy of the film, were the rough edges appropriate?

Yancy Butler in ‘Witchblade’ Photo credit: Warner Home Video

Butler: I think it’s the fantasy element that made it work, and because it was over the top – starting with a scene having a girl in a cage, with a father that shoots her so he can train her to be a superhero – it’s living in a world of fantasy, and people need to define it as such and calm down.

HollywoodChicago.com: What was the breakthrough audition or connection that landed you your first major television role on ‘Brooklyn South’?

Butler: I had done an episode of ‘NYPD Blue,’ and I auditioned for that one because Kathy Bates was directing it, and I really wanted to work with her. I got that one, and I guess I caught [Producer] Steven Bochco’s eye and got cast in ‘Brooklyn South.’ Starting with Dick Wolf, because I worked on one of his series [“South Beach”], I owe him my entire career. So I’ve been really blessed to work in television with all those heavy hitters.

HollywoodChicago.com: What was the best advice someone gave you about acting, and how have you used that advice?

Butler: To remember to breathe. I can’t remember who gave me that advice, but I use that all the time. Leslie Caron, who I did a film with called ‘Let it Be Me,’ told me to always wash my make-up off every night.

HollywoodChicago.com: What role in your career best defines you as an actress and why?

Butler: I’ve been blessed to have done different roles, but I don’t think people see me as funny. I loved the film ‘Drop Zone’ and the TV show ‘Witchblade,’ but I don’t know if I’ve gotten that definitive role yet. I’m open and willing to do it.

By PATRICK McDONALD Senior Staff Writer HollywoodChicago.com pat@hollywoodchicago.com