Vanessa Williams in the Gym, On TV, and Sharing Her County Secrets

I ran across this absolutely fascinating interview with Vanessa Williams in Westchester Magazine.  Williams lives in Westchester County, NY, and commutes to LA when Ugly Betty is shooting!  I will hereby cease complaining about my 20-minute commute to work.

Anyway, I absolutely love “hometown” interviews, because they give you a far better insight than anything you’d get from the Hollywood press. Here are some highlights:

Q. Obviously you’re staying fit for yourself. But it’s also important for Wilhelmina to look fabulous. Why do you think the show is so popular?

America Ferrera [who plays Betty] is just so phenomenal, so approachable, and so talented. She is likable; people feel they have a kinship with Betty. She is very sensible and always does the right thing. Plus the timing was perfect. The film version of The Devil Wears Prada happened to come out before we debuted. We shot the pilot before the movie came out, so we had no idea what kind of phenomenon the show would capture. It’s a cross between a soap opera and telling tales. And it’s fun. People say to us, “It looks like you guys are having fun”—and we are. So they tune in because of that.

 

Q. How does this compare to other things you’ve done professionally?

I’ve played evil women before, and I always get a lot of attention for them. I did A Diva’s Christmas Carol, and I played a witch in Into the Woods on Broadway. So I’ve had practice playing women who are temperamental and larger than life. As an actress, that’s a lot of fun.

 

If I had to choose between TV, film, and Broadway, I would say I enjoy Broadway most of all because it allows me to sing, dance, and act in front of a live audience. But we may do a musical episode on Betty, which would be a scream.

 

Q. So you’re happy you’re doing the show?

Yes, I love the role of Wilhelmina! And I received my first Emmy nomination, so I’m very happy I’m doing it. Shooting the show in L.A.—that’s another story. I have to travel a lot more.

 

Q. Westchester to L.A.—that’s quite a Commute.

Yes. Last year it was very tough. I had four kids in four different schools, and it was not a good transitional year for any of them. The oldest, Melanie, was in her first year at F.I.T. Jillian was a senior in high school, Devin was finishing eighth grade, and the youngest, Sasha, was finishing Montessori. It was the worst year to move anybody anywhere. So I decided when school started that I would commute. It was grueling.

 

Q.  How do you make it work?

I am home on most weekends. It is written into my contract that I always have either Friday or Monday off, so I always have a three-day weekend. So, for example, I’ll fly home on a Thursday night and go back to L.A. on the red-eye on Sunday night to be at work on Monday.

 

Q. Who helps you keep your home life running while you’re gone?

I have my mom in the next town, Millwood, and my nanny, Kathy, has been with me for eighteen years. She went to high school with me at Horace Greeley, so she knows the area. She is part of the extended family. My ex-husband [Ramon Hervey, the father of Williams’s three older children] still lives in Chappaqua, and our kids spend time with him every week because we have shared custody. [She is also divorced from her second husband, Rick Fox, Sasha’s father.] So they have a village of people taking care of them, and they fly out to see me on weekends sometimes, too. They’re used to jumping on flights.

…

Q. Back to your work on Ugly Betty for a minute. There is a message that the show sends in that Wilhelmina has a very high-powered career, but her personal life is not so good. She has a difficult relationship with her father and is not close to her daughter. What is your comment on that, and how would you compare yourself to her?

 

Wilhelmina as a character is one of those people for whom there is never enough. Nothing is ever good enough. And you got a little flash of that when her father was introduced on the show and all her awards meant nothing to him. You can see that wound, and you can see her trying to fill a bottomless pit that she’ll never be able to fill. I can understand the drive that she has. But my love of family is so much different. That is my haven and my support. Her haven is really the office: that’s where she thrives, that’s where she knows she rules. For twenty years, she has worked really hard to make the magazine what it is. She is the creative talent behind its success, and she can never let go of it. If my career were to slip away, as  multi-faceted as it is, I know that I would have a family and a community that would fill my time and I would find other things to do. That is not the case with Wilhelmina.

 

The interview lists some of Williams’ local secrets, giving some interesting insight into her life:

Yoga teacher:“Helena Mertens, formerly of Westchester Center for the Arts and now at Women for Fitness in Bedford.”

 

Workout wear: “It’s a variety. Nike sneakers and gear are durable wash after wash. And I love cotton because it breathes.”

 

Nutrition strategies:“I have my food delivered to me in L.A. by Chef Paola Petrella. It’s low-fat, high-fiber, and loaded with flavor and variety. In New York, I shop organically at Mrs. Green’s, limit my sugar, try to avoid starches and refined carbs. Juicing is also a great way to start the day: carrot, celery, and beet with lemon and ginger.”

 

Skincare regimen:“I use Proactiv Deep Cleaning wash and toner, Mario Badescu eye cream, and Mila Moursi moisturizing oil.”

 

Hair: “A bit of a shocker, but I do get my hair relaxed at Sears at the Galleria Mall in White Plains. I have followed my stylist, Anetta, from JC Penney to Bloomingdale’s and now to Sears. It’s almost always open, and someone is almost always available at the last minute.”

 

Nails:“I go to Ana’s Nails on King Street in Chappaqua. She’s warm, inviting, and a master at mending a broken nail.”

 

Massage:“Nordic Therapy Spa on Route 120/Bedford Road in Chappaqua gives a great deep-tissue massage in a relaxing atmosphere.”

 

Waxing:“For anyone adventurous enough, Shine Salon on Main Street in Ossining gives the best Brazilian.”

 

Shopping:“A few of my favorite stores are Lilies & Lace in Armonk, Chiara Scura Shoes in Mount Kisco, and Phyllis’s Leather Shop in Chappaqua for handbags.”

 

Coffee or Tea:“I’m regularly at Dragonfly Caffe on Wheeler Avenue in Pleasantville for my daily Chai tea—a cozy, eclectic ambiance for a chat or computer use.”

 

Catering:“I just hosted an eighteenth birthday/graduation party for my daughter and used Thai at Home by Nisa Lee. She’s Westchester-based, but her food is Asian-inspired. The party felt like you went to visit a faraway land.”

 

Recent read: “The best book of the summer was Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert.”

 

Tech gadget:“I can’t function without my BlackBerry. I have all my contacts, school schedules, appointments, and photos on it. It’s the way I stay in touch with my nanny, assistant, and kids. It’s life changing.”

You heard that right; she gets her hair relaxed at Sears.  That, my friends, is of the cool.

The rest of the interview is fascinating, detailing her strenuous workout (being very close in age to Williams, I can tell you, it’s hard. That woman is in shape.  Here are some of the photos of her workout routine: