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FeedTen Minutes With Kate Mara
Actress, model, and heir to the NY Giants, Kate Mara tells some stories
Kate Mara
Kate Mara and her three siblings grew up in Bedford but spent their weekends on other verdant landscapes—the football fields of the New York Giants, founded by great-grandfather Tim Mara and still presided over by her uncle and father. Her mother’s great-grandfather Art Rooney founded the Pittsburgh Steelers, giving her a double legacy in the hallowed world of the NFL. Between Sundays, it seems, she also developed a talent for acting, appearing in the 1999 film Random Hearts with Harrison Ford, then in the Oscar-winning Brokeback Mountain. We recently caught up with the fiercely fashionable and heart-breakingly lovely Ms. Mara.
Do you bring Bedford to L.A. or L.A. to Bedford?
I’m constantly trying to find things that remind me of home. I’d love to bring more of Bedford to L.A. My mom sends me Dunkin’ Donuts coffee every month, since California doesn’t have it. I need my daily fix!
Where’s the one place you have to go when back in town?
I love to go for walks with my mom and our five dogs. I have learned to really appreciate that we can just walk out our front door and down the street past farms and horses.
I’ve heard stories you played in an old sandpit as a kid. What’s that about?
Growing up in Bedford, my sister and brothers and I used to play in the sandpit in the woods behind my house overlooking Coker Farm. We would wander out till we found it, and then just play out there for hours, listening to the horse shows in the distance.
Was football a family obligation?
The Giants and Steelers are in my blood, so I had no choice but to love them, but now my love for them has multiplied. Without football, I don’t know what we would do every Sunday after church. I’m very conscious of where I will be during football season. It’s so much a part of my life.
You’re a bit of a prodigy—graduating from Fox Lane early and putting off the prestigious NYU Tisch School while you acted. How did this all get started?
I went to Fox Lane because of the strong theater programs. My theater teacher, Mrs. Curtis, was so inspirational. We performed “Our Town,” which to this day is one of my favorite experiences. I decided to graduate from high school a year early, and by the time I got into NYU I had booked a few jobs and decided to take a year off. And then another …
You were shooting in Scotland this summer. How was it?
I was in Glasgow shooting a film called Stone of Destiny, a true story about four students who go to London in 1950 and bring back the stone of destiny to Scotland, to restore Scotland’s heritage. Scotland is so incredibly beautiful.
Who’s your favorite clothing designer?
My favorite clothing designers are Prada, Chanel, and Dolce & Gabbana, and I’m completely addicted to Christian Louboutin shoes—an expensive addiction!
What are you reading?
Dear John by Nicholas Sparks, but I just read Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and that book will never leave my mind. n
