JULIA PACE MITCHELL Actress: Ohio ‘great place’ to make a home
Local fans of the soap opera,“The Young and the Restless,”might be surprised to know that actress Julia Pace Mitchell, who plays business executive Sofia Dupre on the show, now calls Southwest Ohio home. Mitchell, who recently married Middletown businessman Stephen L. Hightower II, spoke with Ideas & Voices editor Kevin Aldridge about her career, how she met Hightower and the future of daytime soaps.
Q When did you first know you wanted to be an actress?
A Since I was a little kid doing shows in grandma’s living room. Everybody in my family was in the business, so it was kind of what we did. I saw my parents (her mom, Judy Pace, and her dad, Don Mitchell, were both former TV actors) and my stepfather (former baseball player Curt Flood) in the entertainment business, so that was all I knew how to do.
Q What do you like most about acting? What is the most difficult thing about it?
A Every girl loves to get dressed up and get your hair and makeup done. You can be other people and that has always been a fascination for me. It can be cathartic for some other people; they can live out things that they don’t have the guts to do or say in real life.
What I don’t like is people’s judgment. I love actually performing, but everybody has an opinion. I also don’t like the idea of being marginalized in the business because you might not look a certain way. Sometimes the hardest thing is not being able to audition for certain things because people might think you are not “traditionally” pretty.…
Q How did you come to land your role on “The Young and the Restless”?
A I auditioned six times over a period of about two months. The first couple of times I auditioned, they said, “Can you come back looking different? Can you wear something else?” They wanted me to have a makeover. They gave me a chance to make myself look like the person they wanted; they didn’t have to do that. They could have just said, “Next!”
Q What has been your most interesting experience while working on the show?
A The fans of the show. People feel like they know you because they see you on TV every day. I have met some of the sweetest women who will just tell me all their business and share all of their problems. At first it was weird, but now I understand. They feel like they are your friend, so you have to be open to people to discuss things. You have to be open to listen.
Q Soap operas have been around since the 1930s, but of late, several major soaps have been canceled or gone away. How do you view the long-term prospects of soaps?
A I do think it is a dying genre. Luckily, CBS and “The Young and the Restless” are rated No. 1 in the country, so we will be the last to go. My personal goal is to always have my eye out for other projects. I would love to do more film work and I would love to do a nighttime drama. Reality TV is taking the place of the scripted soap. Remember when the soaps used to have women rolling around fighting and slapping each other across the face? Now you can see that same stuff on the (reality) shows.
Q Do you feel like a celebrity? Do family, friends or other people treat you differently?
A Honestly, no. In Los Angeles, not so much.... I think people think I have more money than I have. That’s always the case when you are on TV. People think you are super rich. With acting, sometimes you are on top and sometimes you are on the bottom so you have to stay level.
Q What other TV shows, movies, etc., have you appeared in?
A Movie credits include roles in Rapper Notorious B.I.G.’s biopic, “Notorious,” the independent film “Meet Bill” and “Faster,” featuring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Television credits include guest starring roles in “The Closer,” “Cold Case,” “Law & Order,” “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” “Chappelle’s Show” and “Strong Medicine.”
Q Which actor/actress have you enjoyed working with most, and who would you like to work with?
A I really enjoyed getting the opportunity to work with Angela Bassett on “Notorious.” I would love to work with Idris Elba. Directing-wise, I would love to get the opportunity to do another film with Aaron Eckhart. He is just a really great actor and a really great person.
Q Talk about how you first met your husband and when you knew he was the one.
A Hightowers Petroleum (Steve’s company) was doing a celebrity event in Los Angeles for NBA All-Star Weekend. I didn’t want to go out, but my publicist convinced me to go, so I went by myself to this charity fashion show. I met Steve and his brother Quincy at the same time and struck up a conversation.
I play the CEO of a biofuel company on the show and I found out that’s what kind of business Steve was in. I started asking him all these questions like, “What is OPEC?” These were all things that were in my script, but I didn’t know what I was talking about. Two weeks later, he invited me to go on a cruise. After the first time I talked to Steve, I cut off all my little boyfriends and in February 2011, we were both like, “You’re pretty cool. Want to spend the rest of our lives together? OK, let’s try it!”
Steve has a big, beautiful smile and genuinely likes helping people. We both have family histories and we understand work ethic.
Q What are your impressions of Middletown/Southwest Ohio? Had you ever spent much time in Ohio before marrying Steve?
A I love it ... It is more low-key than Los Angeles. I’ve just been married a year, but I’m enjoying making a home here. This is a great place for that, instead of the hustle and bustle of LA. I had never been to Ohio before. At first, I was like, “Where is this?”