Katharine Lee McEwan is an English actress, screenwriter, and film producer. She gained recognition in 2015 with the award-winning independent feature film , which she wrote and produced in addition to playing the lead role.
Early life
McEwan was born in Redcar, England where she spent her formative years being homeschooled and acting in local productions. Traditional education left her uninspired, so at the age of 18 she decided to forgo university and travel around the world instead.. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 1 January 2017. She visited a variety of countries including Australia before finally settling in Los Angeles where she now resides.
Career
McEwan returned to her love of acting in her 20s. She completed a summer program at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts before continuing her studies at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. This is where she met Sasha Krane, the nephew of famous acting teacher Lee Strasberg and the Creative Director of Film and Theatre Production at The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. They became longtime collaborators and married soon after.
McEwan is an accomplished stage actress. She originated the role of Breda in Bernard Farell's 2007 production of Verdi Girls at the Laguna Playhouse in Laguna Beach, California. She also played the role of Amanda Pryne in Noël Coward's Private Lives at the Long Beach Playhouse in Long Beach, California. After moving into independent film, McEwan decided "to create [her] own role" and began writing the screenplay for , a feature-length drama set in Portsmouth, England. The story follows Nora, a troubled woman struggling to confront her past and reconnect with her estranged family. McEwan wanted to "explore family dynamics and what happens when the truth is sacrificed for an illusion of functionality [and] show how damaging this culture of open secrets can be – not just for the individual victims, but for society as a whole."
was directed by McEwan's husband Sasha Krane and executive produced by Roger Taylor of the British rock band Queen. Taylor also composed an original musical score for the film. In addition to playing the lead role of Nora, McEwan produced the film along with her lifelong friend Sarina Taylor, who also starred in the film as Nora's sister Shannon. During its year long festival run in 2015, the film received seventeen awards and thirteen nominations and was the opening night film of the 2015 London Independent Film Festival where it won Best UK Feature. When asked about doing a movie about such a tough topic, McEwan stated that everyone "...told us how hard it would be to make this movie, but luckily neither Sarina or I have ever been much for rules."
In 2017 Katharine produced and acted in the short film Swim written and directed by Mari Walker. Described as a "lissome and poignant LGBT film" Mari Walker’s trans coming-of-age story Swim won the Audience Awards for Fiction Feature Film and Short Film, respectively at the 2017 Los Angeles Film Festival.
McEwan is also an award winning narrator who has lent her voice to various audiobooks spanning genres such as fiction, fantasy, drama and more, including works by Maeve Binchy and Paula McLain. In 2016 she voiced the character of Helene in A Torch Against The Night, the second book in the An Ember in the Ashes Quartet by Sabaa Tahir, the #1 New York Times bestselling author. Katharine went on to voice Helene in the final two books of the series, A Reaper at the Gates (2018) and A Sky Beyond the Storm (2020). The series has been translated into over thirty-five languages, and is described by The Washington Post as “...a harrowing, haunting reminder of what it means to be human—and how hope might be kindled in the midst of oppression and fear." Of Katharine's narration, Audiofile Magazine wrote that "...it is McEwan as Helene, the Blood Shrike, that delivers the most masterful performance. Each time Helene is forced to choose between her happiness and her duty, McEwan perfectly captures the turmoil that her choice engenders, as well as the sorrow and regret she feels for the path not taken." In 2020 Katharine narrated Ros Anderson's debut novel The Hierarchies. Set in a recognizable near future, it follows Sylv.ie, a fully sentient robot, designed to cater to her human Husband's every whim. The film and TV rights have been optioned by Margot Robbie's company LuckyChap, SK Global, and Mazur Kaplan.
Katharine co-wrote the WWII movie Hell Hath No Fury with Roman Serir, directed by Jesse V. Johnson and starring Nina Bergman and Daniel Bernhardt. The film was released in theaters and on major streaming platforms in November 2021 and distributed by WellGo Entertainment. Hell Hath No Fury is the story of Marie, a woman alone facing the power of the German war machine, the French resistance and a band of American infantrymen.
McEwan collaborated with director Jesse V. Johnson again on the Bruce Willis action film White Elephant starring Michael Rooker, John Malcovich and Olga Kurylenko. It was released in the United States by RLJE Films and AMC+ on June 3, 2022.
Personal life
McEwan is married to Sasha Krane and resides in Los Angeles, California.
Filmography
Film Year Title RoleDirector Notes 2007 Sinners Katherine Novack Tory Christopher2010PlutoEmilyHeather de MicheleShort film 2011 Alien Armageddon Jodie Elliott Neil Johnson 2012 The Last War Crime Jennifer Arrow The Pen Potluck Diana Scott Essman TV movie 2013 Clubhouse Madeline Yuri Shapochka 2014 You're Not You Sarina George C. Wolfe 2015 Solitary Nora/writer/producer Sasha Krane2016Shoshannah's SkateboardKate Ascott-Evans/ProducerShort film2016Emotional StateCounselor LyonDedi FelmanShort film2017SwimJeanine, producerMari WalkerShort film2021Hell Hath No FuryCo-writerJesse V. Johnson2022White Elephant Co-writerJesse V. Johnson2024Space Command RedemptionOdara T'LynnElaine Zicree and Marc Scott Zicree
Awards and nominations +YearAwardsCategoryRecipientOutcome2012Stay Tuned TV AwardsBest ActressPlutoWon2015London Independent Film FestivalBest UK FeatureSolitaryWon2015Portsmouth International Film FestivalBest Feature ScreenplaySolitaryWon2015Portsmouth International Film FestivalBest ActressSolitaryNominated2015Women's International Film & Arts FestivalBest Narrative FeatureSolitaryWon2015WorldFest Houston Best Dramatic FeatureSolitaryWon2015WorldFest Houston Best ActressSolitaryNominated2015International Film Festival of WalesBest Feature SolitaryWon2015Idyllwild International Festival of CinemaBest Feature SolitaryWon2015Idyllwild International Festival of CinemaBest ScreenplaySolitaryWon2015Idyllwild International Festival of CinemaBest ActressSolitaryNominated2015Columbia Gorge International Film FestivalBest Narrative FeatureSolitaryWon2015DetectiveFEST MoscowBest UK FeatureSolitaryWon2015Hawaii European CinemaBest Independent Film SolitaryWon2016Rhode Island International Film Festival Hearts, Minds, Souls AwardShoshannah's SkateboardWon2016Columbia Gorge International Film FestivalBest Family FilmShoshannah's SkateboardWon2017West Coast International Film FestivalBest ActressSolitaryWon2017West Coast International Film FestivalBest DramaSolitaryWon2017Los Angeles Film FestivalBest Narrative ShortSwimWon2017International Filmmaker Festival of World Cinema, BerlinBest Supporting ActressEmotional StateNominated2017Columbia Gorge International Film FestivalLGBT Advocacy AwardSwimWon2018Idyllwild International Festival of CinemaBest Supporting ActressSwimWon2018Idyllwild International Festival of CinemaBest Short FilmSwimNominated
References
External links
Katharine Lee McEwan's Website Solitary Film Website Solitary on iTunes