
Show Notes
Kristanna Loken became a household name as the deadly T-X in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, but her path to Hollywood started on an apple farm in upstate New York.
Kristanna joins Steve Kmetko to discuss working with Arnold Schwarzenegger, surviving the pressure of one of Hollywood's biggest franchises, coming out publicly at a time when few actors did, raising her son outside the digital world, and why she believes authenticity is more important than fame.
It's a candid conversation about success, identity, family, and finding purpose beyond the spotlight.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
00:38 Cubs Fan Origins
01:52 Growing Up on an Apple Farm
03:30 Modeling Misconceptions
04:04 First Acting Jobs
05:21 Landing Terminator 3
07:30 Training for the T-X
08:46 Working with Arnold Schwarzenegger
09:09 Arnold's Prediction for Her Career
10:45 How Fame Changed Her Life
12:06 Coming Out as Bisexual
16:49 What Terminator Means Today
18:11 Creating the T-X Character
19:51 AI and Hollywood
22:07 Female Action Stars Then vs. Now
23:40 Hollywood's Authenticity Problem
25:51 Raising Her Son Thor
29:00 A Screen-Free Household
31:04 Sci-Fi Fans and Comic Cons
31:39 Life on Love Apple Farm
34:22 Aging, Authenticity and Growth
36:31 Lessons Learned From Failure
38:04 Advice From Ben Kingsley and Bruce Dern
41:03 Why She Never Walked Away From Acting
42:33 Why Her Best Work Is Still Ahead
46:10 Women She Admires
50:12 The Role She Wanted But Didn't Get
52:01 What Kristanna Does For Fun
54:02 Closing Thoughts
More from Still Here Hollywood
Before millions of Americans knew Denise Nicholas as Liz McIntyre on the groundbreaking television series Room 222, she was living through history.
Anson Williams became a television icon as Potsie Weber on Happy Days, but his Hollywood story goes far beyond Arnold’s Drive-In.
Linda Purl has spent more than five decades building an extraordinary career across television, film, Broadway and music. In this episode of Still Here Hollywood, Linda joins Steve Kmetko for a funny, candid and surprisingly personal conversation about Happy Days, Matlock, The Office, Andy Griffith, Garry Marshall, aging in Hollywood and the unexpected love story that brought her and Dallas star Patrick Duffy together. Linda reveals what The Office was really like behind the scenes, why Happy Days had only one bathroom for the cast and crew, and the remarkable story Andy Griffith told her about fighting for his role in A Face in the Crowd. She also opens up about reconnecting with Patrick Duffy during COVID, their nightly Zoom conversations and the moment he finally drove from Oregon to Colorado to see if their friendship could become something more. Plus, Linda talks about returning to the stage, her lifelong love of music, handling criticism, getting older without “giving up,” and how she and Patrick turned a 70-year-old family sourdough starter into Duffy's Dough and a mission to help fight food insecurity. It's Linda Purl, still working, still laughing, still singing and very much Still Here.
Elisa Donovan became forever recognizable as Amber, Cher Horowitz's fabulously overdressed rival in the 1995 classic Clueless. But behind one of the most memorable characters of the '90s is an actress, writer and mother whose life took turns she never could have imagined. Elisa joins Steve Kmetko for a candid conversation about landing Clueless, creating Amber from the mean girls she knew growing up, working with Alicia Silverstone, and the Clueless joke she didn't even understand when she delivered it. She also opens up about Brittany Murphy, sharing a hilarious memory from the Clueless set and revealing the troubling signs she says she witnessed the last time she saw Brittany before her death. Elisa talks about nearly landing the lead in Showgirls, climbing into bed with Jason Priestley on her first day of Beverly Hills, 90210, her frustration during Sabrina the Teenage Witch, losing her father to cancer, and the extraordinary dreams that changed the way she thinks about grief and death. Plus, Elisa explains why she believes Hollywood is losing the kinds of movies that once gave actors and storytellers room to take chances. This is Still Here Hollywood. I'm Steve Kmetko. Join us with today's guest, from Clueless, actor Elisa Donovan.
Emmy and Golden Globe winner Michael Chiklis joins Steve Kmetko for a remarkably candid conversation about The Shield, Fantastic Four, The Commish, Hollywood, artificial intelligence, reinvention, family, failure, and the future of the entertainment business.