This week, The Good, The Bad, and The Sequel is joined by actress Katie Barberi for a conversation that takes us through an incredible Hollywood journey — from growing up between Mexico and the United States to becoming a working actress across film, television, theater, and some of the biggest telenovelas in the world.
And, of course, we're talking about the movie that brings us here: Not Quite Human II, where Katie plays Roberta, a female android who finds herself at the center of Chip's college adventures.
But Not Quite Human II is just one stop on a career that includes Garbage Pail Kids, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Kids Incorporated, Disney projects, telenovelas, theater, and so much more.
We get into everything, including:
🎬 Katie's unique journey to Hollywood and growing up between Mexico and the United States
👩🎤 Her mother being a singer and how Katie eventually realized acting was truly the career she wanted
📺 Kids Incorporated, her first credited project, and the fascinating story behind her controversial episode
🎭 Her experience navigating Hollywood as a young Mexican-American actress and the challenges of being typecast
🏫 Working on Ferris Bueller's Day Off and being part of that incredible '80s/early '90s Hollywood community
👹 Garbage Pail Kids and how the movie's unexpected cult following has stayed with her decades later
💇♀️ The legendary Tangerine hair — and how much of the character Katie connected with personally
🇲🇽 Making the transition into telenovelas and discovering a completely different television industry
📺 The difference between American soap operas and Mexican telenovelas — including the incredible pace of producing roughly 120 episodes in about six months
🎬 Working with Disney and how Spooner eventually led to Not Quite Human II
🤖 Playing Roberta in Not Quite Human II, working with Alan Thicke, Jay Underwood, and Robin Lively
☀️ The hilarious story of Katie actually passing out from the Arizona heat while filming Not Quite Human II — which accidentally worked perfectly for her robot character
❤️ Why she still has such fond memories of making Not Quite Human II and remains in contact with people from the film
🎥 Her continued work in film and television and the importance of reinventing yourself throughout a career
😂 Plenty of stories, laughs, Hollywood memories, and a few things we definitely didn't expect to hear!
Katie's story is a great reminder that Hollywood careers rarely follow a straight line. From cult movies to international television, Disney, theater, and everything in between, she's continued to find new ways to reinvent herself.
Katie on Silver Spoons!
