Kathryn McCormick first danced her way into our hearts as the third place finalist on Season 6 of "So You Think You Can Dance," and she continued to dazzle us with her contemporary dancing as an All-Star on Season 7 of the Fox dance competition. As if learning a couple crazy-hard dance routines every week weren't enough for McCormick, she has now taken on a new challenge: dancing and acting as the lead in "Step Up Revolution."
In this fourth installment of the "Step Up" franchise, McCormick plays Emily, a young woman who lands in Miami with dreams of becoming a professional dancer. Soon, she falls in love with Sean (Ryan Guzman), the leader of a dance crew called The Mob. When Emily's father (Peter Gallagher) decides to turn The Mob's neighborhood into a commercial development, the couple must choose between their love for each other and staying loyal to their respective families. Plus, there's no shortage of the spectacular dance routines we've come to know and love from this series.
McCormick let her feet rest for a bit to talk to us about her first movie role, her acting dreams and who she thinks is going to win this season of "So You Think You Can Dance."
What was a more intense experience for you: learning the dance routines and the script for "Step Up Revolution" or competing on "So You Think You Can Dance"?
I feel like when I was on "So You Think You Can Dance," I would say that was the hardest thing in my life, but then when I did this, I was like, "This is the hardest thing I've ever done." I think I needed to go through "So You Think You Can Dance" to be ready for this opportunity, so they were both equally challenging. So, "So You Think You Can Dance" was basically one of the hardest things I've ever been on … There's so much pressure and you feel horrible and sleepy and physically kind of beat up, but every day that you walk out on that stage, you come off realizing you have greater ability than you ever knew, so it's so rewarding.
And then when it comes to a film like this, it was really hard because it was something completely new. So it was like the world gets to see my journey into acting in this process that I'm going through. I don't get a test run, I just have to show the first steps to the world. I had a little bit of pressure, and that was scary, especially having a fan base from "So You Think You Can Dance."
Would you ever want to star in a movie where you didn't do any dancing, just acting?
I don't know where my career is going, but I know that when I'm not active, it really drives me crazy. So it wouldn't have to be a film with dance in it, but hopefully I'll be able to be somewhat active with the projects that I do or, if not, I'll have time on the side to do my yoga.
What would be your dream role?
Eventually a romantic comedy. That would be funny, I think. I don't have any experience in that right now, but I know that I'll get there … I can't really say what my dream role [would be] because I never dreamt of doing this, so I haven't been thinking about it for very long. It's just been the past year that this happened, so I'm kind of stepping into it and learning from it and trying to do my homework.
Who do you think has a shot to win this season of "So You Think You Can Dance?"
I actually grew up dancing with Tiffany [Maher]. We were part of the Tremaine Dance Convention. For a while together, we were both part of the apprentice program. So we've known each other, and she's a little bit younger than me, so it's crazy to have kind of the same path and her kind of follow behind that, so that's really awesome. She's passionate, she's so strong and she's a really good person. She's a hard worker, so she's gonna go really far.
And as well, we actually have someone who did "Step Up Revolution": Brandon Mitchell … Oh my gosh, he's so sweet. His smile is contagious. And I think he's gonna go really far. Hopefully someone in the family will take it. And Tiffany actually has a little part in "Step Up" as well.
What's coming up next for you?
That's a good question. Right now, we've spent the last month doing flash mobs all over the streets, so it's been a blast. I've been in acting classes … trying to train … still dancing a lot and everything … so hopefully I'm going to be doing acting. I don't know if it's gonna be quick or it's gonna be slow — I'm not sure what it's gonna be — but I'm going to keep doing my homework until I can really make this happen because I really see a future.
New York or L.A.?
L.A.
Rock or rap?
Rock.
Beer or wine?
Wine.
Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest?
Facebook.
Justin Bieber or Justin Timberlake?
Timberlake.
Vampires, zombies or werewolves?
Werewolves.
Apples or oranges?
It depends on what kind of apple. I would say apples.
"Dirty Dancing" or "Center Stage"?
"Dirty Dancing."
