You might have seen her dazzling the silver screen with her iconic roles in cult classics including Gilmore Girls, How I Met Your Mother, Mad Men, and Supernatural. Despite her place in Hollywood, Katie Walder’s roots will always be grounded in Lower Moreland, where she learned that success can be achieved by anyone who is determined and motivated.
On December 15, 2023, I was granted the opportunity to interview Katie Walder, a passionate actress and one of Lower Moreland’s notable alumni. I decided to reach out to Katie to ask her about what shaped her iconic career, taught her to dream so big, and make her vision a reality.
To begin our interview, I asked Katie how Lower Moreland set her up for her career today, to which Katie answered:
“When I started in ninth grade, I just came from doing a theater camp, giving me some experience under my belt,” she giggled, adding, “and I ended up getting to star in Kiss Me Kate as a freshman, which was completely unheard of.” She added, “Doing all these musicals and plays at Lower Moreland allowed me to enjoy what I loved to do so much, act, opening doors to new opportunities. I always grew up in front of the camera. I was the epitome of an extrovert. When I was performing one of my first plays, a talent manager, Edie Robb, another Lower Moreland resident, scouted me. So eventually, after taking several acting classes, I signed with her!” Katie further explained, “However, I did mostly print work throughout high school, you know, I wanted a real high school experience. […] I got to see what that other side of life was like, going on crazy auditions with movies with Leonardo DiCaprio like What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, which sounds great, but being so young, it was certainly a lot to take in.” Giggling again, Katie expressed, “I had an audition for the show Blossom, but I would be like ‘Oh no, I have a math test tomorrow!’”
To continue, I asked Katie why she agreed to do this interview with me, and she replied, “Why wouldn’t I? I had a great experience at Lower Moreland. I had no reason to say ‘no!’”
Additionally, I wondered which of Katie’s successful roles was the most rewarding in her career. She answered, “My first job was on the legendary soap opera All My Children. I was supposed to appear in only three episodes; however, I ended up being in one hundred episodes, which was a great start.”
Katie continued, “I then signed with a great agent who happened to be moving to Los Angeles, influencing me to accompany her to audition for a few pilot seasons. So, I came out, and my very first [LA] audition was for the Gilmore Girls spin-off, which, unfortunately, I did not book, but it never ended up seeing the light of day, anyway. I was crushed. However, the creator of Gilmore Girls, Amy Sherman-Palladino, called my manager saying, ‘Listen, I know Katie didn’t get it, but I am obsessed with her, and I am going to create a role for her, tell her that!’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, no way this is going to happen, like what are the odds, you know?!’” Katie finally revealed, “Six months later, Amy Sherman-Palladino called my manager telling me to come in for an audition for a guest star. Well, guess what? I did not get the role; instead, she created a special role for me! I would be Janet Billings, Rory Gilmore’s suitemate at Yale during her freshman year! I just screamed!”
Mia Dubin meets with Katie Walder to discuss her acting career.
Katie shared her behind-the-scenes experience working on the set of Gilmore Girls, including her fantastic relationship working alongside Alexis Biedel and Lauren Graham. She said, “This was truly a great first job.” From there, Katie ventured down memory lane, reflecting on her experience on hit sitcoms like How I Met Your Mother and booking pilots that never got to air on television. Jokingly, Katie added, “I always thought that my life would change while booking these pilots, but they never got picked up.”
When I asked Katie if she keeps in touch with any of these stars today, she explained, “If I saw any one of my castmates out and about, of course, we would chat… I was recently on Luke’s, Scott Patterson’s, podcast, reflecting on my role and the show.”
Segueing into Hollywood stars, I asked Katie if there was one person in particular she marveled at. Without hesitation, Katie responded:
“Neil Patrick Harris. I mean, he is next-level talented. I mean, beyond. I worked with Ben Stiller, which was . . . ridiculously incredible. He is just . . . so funny. So amazing. Oh, and also, Matt Damon, and you know what, he was the best. The nicest human being ever,” she added.
Concluding our interview, I asked Katie what advice she give grant her high school self if she were to go back in time.
“Knowing what I know now, I wish I could have kept in touch with more people. Relationships are just so powerful. I would also say, work hard. Hard work can help you achieve your goals in life.”
Thank you Katie for taking time out of your hectic schedule to share the power of reaching for the stars and devoting time to fulfilling your wildest dreams. I hope I could help refresh your memories of Lower Moreland and show you how far you have come. Thank you for bringing so much light to our lives. We will always be your number one fans here in Lower Moreland!
