Philadelphia Native Kate Katzman Follows Her Film Debut with a Role in The Comeback Trail

Spending her early years on a farm in bucolic Chestnut Hill, actress Kate Katzman didn’t always have her sights set on the big screen. Rather, she envisioned herself becoming a veterinarian. But once she caught the eye of the one and only Burt Reynolds, who convinced her to try out for the Burt Reynolds Institute for Film and Theatre, she caught the acting bug and hasn’t looked back.

After honing her acting chops in the 2015 indie biopic flick Walt Before Mickey, Katzman’s been involved in a flurry of films, all due out in the next year. “I’m super excited for the early 2021 release of the dark comedy The Comeback Trail,” she says of the upcoming film that also features heavy hitters Robert De Niro, Tommy Lee Jones and Morgan Freeman. “It’s every actor’s dream to be able to work with such iconic legends. I feel extremely fortunate to have had that experience. Seeing how focused and dedicated they are to their craft just makes me want to work even harder and keep honing my skills,” she says. Then in early to mid-2021, her grittier neo-noir drama Adverse is slated to be released, yet again co-starring cinematic heavy hitters the likes of Mickey Rourke, Sean Astin and Penelope Ann Miller. “Mickey Rourke is quite a character,” she says with a laugh. “He brought his Pomeranian to the set and carried the dog around whenever he wasn’t filming.” Also be on the lookout for the Christmas flick Santa in Training coming out this year, and two action films that she’ll be working on in the new year.

As for her inspiration, it’s of course none other than Grace Kelly, the original cool and classic Philadelphia blonde. “Her elegance and class were second to none,” she says. “I was fortunate enough to have recently met her son, Prince Albert of Monaco, when my movie debuted at the Monte-Carlo Comedy Film Festival. It was incredible.”