Interviewer: All right, we’re gonna talk all about this play and everything Jorja related, but you, you made sort of a conscious decision - you know, you’ve been on this very successful show, and then, you left. What, what, what – was that a real soul search, or was it “gee, it’s time”?

Jorja Fox: Oh, yeah. Yes, yeah, very very much. It was harder to leave than it was to stay, for sure.

Interviewer: Oh I’m sure.

Jorja Fox: And I will be, there will be a moment, I will return. “(gasp from somebody off camera)” I can’t tell you when or why or how…

Interviewer: Oh like in a box, or what’s the first thing…

Jorja Fox: Uh, I can’t tell you, very secretive…

Interviewer: But in terms of that, and I think there are many people who weigh in on the discussion, working as a successful actress such as yourself, there’s a, a manager or an agent somewhere, maybe an accountant, did they say “Are you outta your mind”?

Jorja Fox: Yeah. A lot. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I, I have been so incredibly blessed, I did eleven and a half straight years on prime time TV at night.

Interviewer: Okay, yeah.

Jorja Fox: It’s amazing, it’s an amazing run, I feel so lucky and, and grateful for that, and I felt like, “okay, here I am, I’m, I’m coming into, you know, very soon sort of the second half of my life”, and I just wanted to take a breath for a minute and, and think for a minute, “what would that look like?

Jorja Fox: What does that look like?”. It might really look like nighttime TV drama-

Interviewer: Right.

Jorja Fox: -but I needed to just get off the ride for a second to evaluate it and regroup, and the violence, I needed a break-

Interviewer: I was gonna, I was gonna do a little projection, you almost answered the question for me. The show’s very good, but it’s very grim,

Jorja Fox: Yeah.

Interviewer: incredibly dark.

Jorja Fox: Yeah, very dark.

Interviewer: Do you think if you were kinda working on a happy sit-com, you might’ve had a different thought?

Jorja Fox: It’s possible… I really never had the, I’ve never been able to work on a, I’d love to check out a sit-com, see what that’s like. I did one comedy many many years ago, and it was single-handedly probably the most fun I’ve ever had doing a movie. And it’s just because the goal of the day really is to laugh, and hopefully everyone will laugh, and yes, I’d love to exper-, I’d love to, I’d love to let you know. “(comment of “Uh-huh” from off camera, Jorja laughs)”

Interviewer: Well something that’s obviously very gratifying to you, it’s a theater company called HoneyPot Productions, and, uh, tell us about this whole thing.

Jorja Fox: Well, it’s a, it’s a life and music of Dusty Springfield, going up at the Renberg Theater in Los Angeles for “definitely” three weeks, and uh, we do about thirteen Dusty songs in the musical. She had an amazing, interesting, colorful life and a very amazing, interesting times. Uh, her career kinda started in the early Sixties, ran almost to the late Nineties, she felt, you know she was up, she was down, she dealt with substance abuse, she was one of the first women in the business that was producing her own music, she had a, a, just a really dynamic life. So if you “like” her music you will love the show, and you’ll get to learn the-

off camera voice: But you’re not Dusty Springfield.

Jorja Fox: No, I so wish I was- “(laughs)”

other anchor: What do you play?

Jorja Fox: -I’ve, I’ve no talent for singing or dancing, in any capacity. So I am simply producing-

other anchor: Oh, so you’re not even-

Jorja Fox: -I’m one of three producers. So, uh, Johnny Prado is our head producer with Leslie Brockett, and uh-

Interviewer: We’re gonna look at a clip in a second of the woman who does play Dusty-

Jorja Fox: Yes. Kirsten Holly Smith, she’s breathtaking. And really,

Interviewer: So you and the other producers are involved in that casting, did you think not with envy, but “gosh I wish I could do this”?

Jorja Fox: Oh I so wish. One of my dreams in my life actually is to be a rock star. And Kirsten also wrote this script, uh, with a little additional material by Patricia Cotters. So,

Interviewer: Here is a little bit of the play that Jorja is, uh, behind the scenes on and wants to encourage you to see, so watch this.

“(clip from “Stay Forever”)”

Interviewer: Gosh, she really, she obviously, does that take you back to your bedroom playing your brother’s 45s?

Jorja Fox: Yes. My brother’s twelve years older than me, and uh, when he went off to college he left me his 45 collection. So I was “very” acquainted with the music of the Sixties at a young age. Uh, it wasn’t-

Interviewer: Did you have a Close And, did you have a Close And Play?

Jorja Fox: Yeah.

off camera voice: Close And Play, I remember those.

Jorja Fox: I had many dance parties-

off camera voice: Nice.

Jorja Fox: -for a few years.

Interviewer: Okay.

Interviewer 2: Was it more important for you in casting, uh, for Dusty’s role that the person “sound” or “look” like her? I mean…

Jorja Fox: I think the sound is, is, is really quite an quintessential. This show is “really” about the music of Dusty, so that, that would’ve, that was the single-handed, most important thing, putting it together. Kirsten Holly Smith not only plays Dusty in this piece, also wrote this piece, and it came out of a grant from USC. They did one night at USC, and, ah, we’ve taken it from there. There was interest, there were a couple of theaters interested, we sort of worked the script a little bit, and here it is, it’s a first run, so…

Interviewer: You can see “Stay Forever” at the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center’s Renberg Theater, it’s February 7th through the 24th. Ticket information is on your screen at 323-860-3200. KTLA has got more information as well. It’s really nice to see you Jorja, come back.

Jorja Fox: Thank you so much, guys.

Interviewer: It was a pleasure…

Jorja Fox: … weekend in Los Angeles…

Interviewer 2: Enjoy marinating too. I’m excited what you’re not substituting.

Jorja Fox: Thank you. Oh, yeah, I didn’t even talk about that.

Interviewer 2: Oooo… you gotta come back then.

Jorja Fox: Yeah, a couple later, yeah…