SOURCE: Full Access NYC
Lekkas Photography
Katerina Lecourezos was smitten by music and singing at the tender age of six after watching “The Phantom of the Opera”. It was just a matter of time before she would grace a stage. Eventually, her mother offered her an opportunity to be in the show “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” which was being reenacted at their cultural center. Katerina was cast as the Unicorn and it was there that the acting bug took flight.
It would be surprising to know that Katerina never really had any favorite actors to aspire to but she has carried a certain quote around to inspire her. The quote comes from the creator of the musical, “Hamilton”– “You are perfectly cast in your life. I can’t imagine anyone but you in the role. Go play.” Yet she does admire the works of Josh Gad and Johnny Depp, Emma Watson and Anne Hathaway.
When it comes to acting on the stage or screen, 15-year-old Katerina has an interesting view of both as she explained.
“Both are equal in a way because both require memorizing lines, blocking, things like that, but they are also very different. In film, you have so many takes just for one shot, doing the same thing in the same way and having to keep everything the same from all angles, to have continuity. While in theatre, you have to remember where you’re supposed to stand, when to move, when to start singing, what notes to sing, dance steps, what side to come out on, when to change costumes and how fast before having to be on stage for your que.”
Ironically Katerina rates her first taste of film acting as her favorite project which was called “Triggered”. Even though she had no lines it was an important learning experience for her that would carry over to her future projects. As for theatre, she is most proud of the reenactment of the play “Annie” which she played the character Miss Hannigan. The project was part of a competition which went as far as the Junior Theater Festival in Atlanta.
Katerina has not only worked on American projects but also ones in the Greek language. She learned the language at home and at a Greek school as well. Even though some of the dialogue was challenging she managed to accomplish her role in the theatre production of “Taxed Blood”. Prior to the pandemic that gripped the nation Katerina was working on the film “The Last Bounty” which is in post-production and may resume at the end of June.
Also, on the back-burner for Katerina is a feature film called “Barn Boots” which is a prequel to a short film that recently premiered called “The Huntress”. In addition, she will be working on two plays “Tears of Silence” which will be a world tour. The other is a Greek comedy that takes place in the fifties. On top of all that Katerina along with her mother published a book entitled “Cancer in My Family”. It chronicles the journey Katerina took on learning about health and the dreaded disease cancer. Her father passed on when she was only 4-years old and her grandmother passed on only six months before him. Her mother is currently in remission. She had been diagnosed with lymphoma.
With so much on her plate, Katerina has managed to maintain her school grades at honors level. At the age of 11, she announced to her mother that she wants to attend UCLA. Her ultimate career goal is to be either a cinematographer or a film director. Katerina is on her way to build her dreams. Whether it will be behind the camera or in front of it, only time will tell. Keep your ears and eyes peeled for this bi-lingual talent on stage and or on the silver screen.