Nia Peeples 2009 Examiner.com Rapid Fire Questions

RAPID FIRE: 20 Q's with Nia Peeples by Jonathan Pinkerton

With the new FAME movie about to hit theaters, I couldn't help but wonder what some of my favorites from the 80s TV series were up to. You can image my excitement when I tracked down Nia Peeples, who starred as Nicole Chapman on the popular musical drama FAME from 1984-1987.

Tonight marks the Hallmark Channel broadcast premiere of Nia's latest project, Citizen Jane in which she co-stars alongside two other 80s icons, Breakfast Cluber Ally Sheedy and rocker-turned actor Meatloaf Aday. Citizen Jane is based on the true story of a woman named Jane Alexander whose world it turned upside down when she suspects her longtime boyfriend of the murder of her beloved aunt. The story takes the viewer thru the meticulous and emotionally draining process of proving who killed her aunt. With Citizen Jane set to premiere tonight, Saturday, September 12 at 9/8c, Nia graciously agreed to take part in a rousing round of RAPID FIRE: 20Q! Now a wife and mother, and as stunningly beautiful as ever, the talented actress/singer/dancer and soon to be producer talked about everything from FAME and her totally 80s music videos to her subsequent roles on Walker, Texas Ranger and the daytime sudser, The Young and The Restless and what's next.

1. While complete dorks like myself realize your first appearance on FAME was in a supporting role as Danny's girlfriend in an episode from season two, you actually joined the cast during the fourth season. Your character, Nicole, basically became the new Coco, with Erica Gimpel leaving the show shortly after your arrival. Did the remaining cast members welcome you immediately?

Nia Peeples: EVERYONE WAS PRETTY NICE. SOME WERE A BIT STAND-OFFISH AT FIRST BUT ONCE I STARTED WORKING AND THEY SAW MY DEDICATION TO DOING MY BEST THEY WELCOMED ME OPEN ARMED.

2. An early storyline for Nicole involved a love triangle between her, Jesse and Danny with viewers pulling for a hook up between Jesse and Nicole. Did you ever date any of your FAME co-stars?

NP: YEP. I DATED CARLO IMPERATO, WHO PLAYED DANNY. SEEMS KIND OF FUNNY NOW. BUT SET ROMANCES ALWAYS BLOSSOM. IT’S A TYPICAL HOLLYWOOD HAPPENING.

3. I recently covered a Nashville's Circle Players' production of FAME: The Musical. In that article, I mentioned that I believe every creative person had what I like to call FAME teachers, who inspired and encouraged their creativity. Who were your real-life FAME teachers?

NP: I WAS SO BLESSED. FIRST AND FOREMOST MY PARENTS WERE THOSE TEACHERS. THEY WERE THE ONES RESPONSIBLE FOR GIVING ME THE COURAGE TO LIVE OUT MY POSSIBILITIES. THEY TAUGHT ME TO HAVE FAITH IN MY OWN GIFTS AND TO HONOR THEM. AND ALONG THE WAY I HAD A WONDERFUL SHOW CHOIR DIRECTOR NAMED MR. KESSLER WHO WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN CREATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR MY TALENT REGARDLESS OF PRE EXISTING RULES.

4. When did you first feel Famous?

NP: WHEN I WAS THE FOLD-OUT POSTER FOR ONE OF THOSE TEEN MAGAZINES. I WAS MORTIFIED BY THE PICTURE.

5. Was your high school experience anything like that of your FAME character, Nicole Chapman?

NP: NO, IN THAT I WENT TO A REGULAR PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL WHERE MOST OF THE KIDS HAD NO IDEA WHAT THEY WANTED TO BE WHEN THEY GREW UP. YES, IN THAT I WAS A TOTAL OVER ACHIEVER LIKE NICOLE.

6. When Nicole's death was written into the script, the audience was stunned. Were you relieved to be free to move on to other projects or apprehensive to be moving on from the security of a successful show?

NP: I WAS VERY READY TO MOVE ON. I LOVED THE SHOW BUT I HAD MY SIGHTS SET ON MUCH MORE. I WANTED DEEPER SCRIPTS. I WANTED TO RECORD MY OWN RECORDS. I ASKED TO BE LET OUT OF THE SHOW BECAUSE BY THE END OF THE SECOND SEASON I HAD TURNED DOWN TWO MOVIES DUE TO SCHEDULING. THAT BEING SAID, I REALLY LOVED MY TIME THERE AND LOOK BACK ON IT AS ONE OF THE MOST PROFOUND EXPERIENCES OF MY CAREER.

7. Have you remained in contact with any of your FAME cast mates?

NP: NOT REALLY. I SPEAK TO JESSE BORREGO EVERY YEAR OR SO. SAW CINDY GIBB AND DEBBIE ALLEN LAST YEAR. BUT HONESTLY, I HAVENT SEEN ANYONE ELSE FOR 20 YEARS.

8. After FAME, you starred in the surf movie North Shore. (Side Note: I love that movie!) What do you remember most about filming it on location and the movie itself?

NP: MOSTLY I REMEMBER HOW FUNNY IT WAS TO BE FILMING MY FIRST MOVIE WITH A BUNCH OF PRO SURFERS. THEY WERE HILARIOUS. WE WOULD SHOW UP TO PICK THEM UP FOR SHOOTING ABOUT 6 AM AND THEY WOULD ALREADY BE OUT IN THE WATER SURFING. DIDN’T REALLY CARE IF THEY WERE LATE TO THE SET IF THE SURF WAS UP. THE STRANGEST THING IS I SEE LAIRD HAMILTON OUT IN THE WATER ALMOST EVERYDAY HERE AT POINT DUME WHERE I LIVE. MOST IMPORTANTLY, I MET MY HUSBAND AT THE PREMIER OF THAT MOVIE 25 YEARS AGO.

9. Like another FAME alumi, Janet Jackson, you also tried your hand at a recording career, topping the dance chart with your 1988 single, Trouble. I recently ran across the video on youtube. The choreography seemed very much like the Janet Jackson/Paula Adbul videos that would soon follow. Who choreographed it?

NP: ACTUALLY THAT VIDEO WAS CREATED BEFORE ANY OF THE BIG JANET JACKSON/PAULA ABDUL VIDEOS. THE CHOREOGRAPHER WAS JAIMIE ROGERS, ONE OF THE CHOREOGRAPHERS FOR FAME, THE TV SERIES.

10. Dancing? Acting? Singing? Which do you enjoy most?

NP: WHICHEVER I AM DOING AT THE TIME.

11. As if being a triple threat wasn't enough, you also became quite the action star, co-starring alongside Chuck Norris in Walker, Texas Ranger playing tough talking-gun-toting Sydney Cooke. I'd imagine choreography of a different sort played a major part in that role as well. What were some of the challenges of such a physically demanding role?

NP: HE PHYSICAL ASPECT OF THAT SHOW WAS BY FAR THE MOST REWARDING AND INTERESTING FOR ME. I WORKED WITH SOME VERY CAPABLE STUNT PEOPLE WHO WERE VERY GENEROUS WITH THEIR TIME. THE MOST DIFFICULT ASPECT OF THE SHOW WAS THE LACK OF INTERESTING WRITING FOR MY CHARACTER AS WELL AS THE “BOYS CLUB” TYPE OF ATTITUDE THAT PERVADED THE SET. MADE IT A BIT TOUGH TO GET ANYTHING DONE WITH PURE HARD WORK AND GOOD PERFORMANCE.

12. Until recently, you portrayed Karen Taylor Winters on the popular CBS daytime drama, The Young and The Restless, just between us ;-), which had more drama, the storylines of the daytime soap, or the real-life behind the scenes of FAME?

NP: WOW, MORE DRAMA…HM… WELL LET'S PUT IT THIS WAY, BEHIND THE SCENES OF FAME WAS MUCH MORE INTERESTING BECAUSE IT WAS REAL LIFE. WE WERE DEALING WITH YOUNG 20-SOMETHINGS BECOMING FAMOUS FOR CHARACTERS THEY PORTRAYED WHILE TRYING TO SIMULTANEOUSLY FIGURE OUT WHO THEY WERE IN REALITY. THERE WAS A LOT OF HUMOR TO SAY THE LEAST.

13. Seriously, though, here you were again, joining a successful series, bringing a new character into established working relationships....how do you do it with such finesse?

NP: HONESTLY I FIND THAT FOR THE MOST PART, THE COMMON DENOMINATOR IS RESPECT. IF I WALK IN RESPECTING THE PEOPLE WHO ARE ALREADY ESTABLISHED AND WILLINGLY GIVE THEM EVERYTHING I HAVE TO GIVE, THEY CANT HELP BUT RESPECT AND OPENLY RECEIVE ME. THE GOAL IS TO HUMBLY ALLOW MY WORK TO SPEAK FOR ITSELF.

14. Your character on Y&R became the Director of Beauty of Nature and in real life, you were named to People Magazine's 2008 Most Beautiful People issue, something I've known since the 80s...be honest, was that honor flattering, good marketing or just silliness?

NP: WAS THAT MY JOB ON Y&R? BECAUSE I NEVER REALLY KNEW. THANKS FOR TELLING ME. I KEPT ASKING AND NO ONE SEEMED TO HAVE THE ANSWER. THE TRUTH IS, PEOPLE MAGAZINE CAME UP WITH THAT ON THEIR OWN. I DIDNT HAVE A PUBLICIST PUSHING FOR IT. DIDN’T EVEN KNOW I WAS BEING CONSIDERED. IN FACT I LEARNED ABOUT IT AT THE TEACHERS APPRECIATION LUNCHEON WHEN ANOTHER MOTHER CONGRATULATED ME. KIND OF FUNNY. I THOUGHT FOR SURE SHE WAS MISTAKEN. AND I WISH Y&R HAD THE FORESIGHT TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT. BUT THEY NEVER REALLY CARED ABOUT MAKING THE MOST OF ANYTHING FOR MY CHARACTER EVEN IF IT COULD BENEFIT THE SHOW. THERE JUST SEEMED TO BE THIS STORY LINE THAT SOME ONE UPSTAIRS WAS WRITING WITHOUT KNOWLEDGE OF RATINGS OR FAN RESPONSE OR ON SCREEN CHEMISTRY. VERY STRANGE.

15. Your website features a very honest and informative Lifestyle section where you share health, beauty and fitness tips. If you had to boil it all down to one rule for each subject what would they be?

NP: THEY ARE ALL CONNECTED. SO I THINK SUCCESS IN ALL THREE AREAS BOILS DOWN TO THREE THINGS: 1. WHAT YOU ARE BORN WITH. 2. HOW YOU FEED IT. 3. HOW YOU TREAT IT.

16. WIth no signs of stopping, your new movie, Citizen Jane is about to debut on the Hallmark Channel. In the movie, you play the best friend to another child of the 80s, Ally Sheedy. Had you met before?

NP: NO BUT I ALWAYS LOVED HER ON SCREEN AND WANTED TO WORK WITH HER. THAT’S WHY I DID THE MOVIE.

17. I can only image the Brat Pack/Kids from FAME stories the two of you shared. Did your similar backgrounds help the two of you bond on the set?

NP: ABSOLUTELY. HERE WE ARE NOW BOTH IN OUR FORTIES AND MOVING ALONG IN OUR CAREERS AT A VERY DIFFERENT PACE FROM THE 80’S. WE ARE MOTHERS AND VERY EXPERIENCED ACTORS. IT WAS GREAT TO SHARE OUR TRIUMPHS AS WELL AS OUR DILEMMAS.

From Hallmark's official site, Nia talks about Citizen Jane