Interview with Catherine Lough Haggquist: Motherland: Fort Salem & her journey in acting!

Cox: Where did your love for acting come from?
Haggquist: For me, it was a love of the story that arrived first as opposed to a love of acting; which came later. I started reading when I was three, so by the time I went to school I was very comfortable reading out loud. My teacher knew I could, so she allowed me to read to the class. I felt a rush having an audience and them leaning into what I was offering them.

It was this feeling of engagement that she loved, as she mentioned watching her father, a minister, tell stories and how people would be entertained, engaged, and inspired. She followed in those same footsteps because in High School she would go for the narrator roles rather than the leads. She said it’s because the narrator in the play has more lines and keeps the audience engaged throughout. 

“This is a very tough industry and when I started there were several people who told me all the reasons why I would not be successful.”

Cox: Catherine, you have over 140 credits on IMDb which is a testament to your skill and love for the craft. Tell me about your journey. 
Haggquist: I started in my late teens and early 20s with people telling me what was in store and how my opportunities would be limited. I rejected that notion and sought mentors who told me that my brain, talent and work ethic will take me where I wanted to go in this industry. 

Catherine said that those old narratives, patterns and stories came from somewhere which is why people attempted to speak those into existence for her. But she wasn’t going to be a passive participant and accept what is given. She was and still is proactive, responsible and has agency about who she is. This is how she creates the opportunities she desires and needs in this industry. 

Cox: From the roles, I’ve seen you play in some of my favorite sci-fi shows you never seem to be typed cast. 
Haggquist: I’m very grateful for the opportunities that I’ve been given and for the people who cast me as me. Sometimes the roles that I’ve had specifically described the person as African American. Still, most of the time they have only been a description of the type of person without race or ethnicity being specified. So this has been gratifying to be able to be seen as the qualities that I can bring to the character as opposed to because the character is African American. 

Cox: Playing so many different characters, what’s your method to making them come to life?
Haggquist: I don’t try to make them myself. I try to identify with them. My process is very journalistic because I look at the five W’s for the character. I ask questions like: who is this person, why are they doing this, what are they feeling, where are they going with this etc. 

Here we are now with Catherine Lough Haggquist. 

“I think there are so many parallels in this show if you examine it closely that allows you to explore.”

Cox: Catherine I’m a huge fan of yours and you did an amazing job as General Petra Bellweather in Motherland: Fort Salem. Please tell me how it felt to play a character whose family line played an integral role throughout the entire series with a strong black matriarchal lineage. 
Haggquist: For me, Salem was a wonderful opportunity. Through the storytelling of Motherland: Fort Salem, we were able to elevate, revere and honor multiple generations of black women. It was a satisfying point in my career because I heard from many young black women how important it was for them to see this type of representation. It felt very important to me that we saw multiple generations working together on the show sharing knowledge and building wisdom. 

For Catherine, it was how allegorical the show was for three seasons on so many levels. But the ending was a shining moment for her. Seeing a show end where the resulting message is the power of black women and how that power comes from their voices. 

“It’s been satisfying to help people learn about the possibilities in a very creative industry and an industry whose skills are used all over.”

Cox: Your love for teaching and helping others has expanded into your business The Drama Class. Can you tell me more about it since you and your husband recently took it over?
Haggquist: My friend Michelle Partridge started The Drama Class in 2012 and I had taught there and a couple of other places. When COVID suspended in-person operations and everything had to move online. Michelle saw it as an opportunity to move on because she loved the interpersonal interaction with students. But I saw the new opportunities the online space could present for us to share information and supplement in-person training so we took it over. The vision has changed a bit because of the additional programming we offer that is great for online delivery. Besides teaching the craft and creativity of it we make sure they have available programs to understand the commerce and communication side of the business. 

Catherine couldn’t let this business not exist because she knows and saw the need for it for actors. She wants them to understand that at the end of the day it’s all about storytelling. They need to learn ways to be more effective with it and what to do when opportunities in those areas show up. 

Cox: You have started producing now, where did that come from?
Haggquist: I like the business side of things. So producing was a natural progression in my love for creative exploration. Producing involves the goal of crafting the message and what’s the best way we can express ourselves as storytellers through the production. As a producer, I have to ensure that the audience receives what we are offering and sees the benefit of it. 

“I think the cross-pollination of skills, especially with the access to technology means that there are so many artists who have started down one road and don’t realize that their success can come from another one.”