Model, actress, TV show host, producer and advocate, Wendy Stuart Kaplan vibrantly goes through life positively bubbly and always smiling. She’s funny, vivacious, talented, and confident without being arrogant. She advocates for the LGBTQ community, apes, dogs and injustice.
Wendy has experienced everything from producing documentaries in deep Africa on a whim to Pandemic Cooking in New York when in fact she’s never cooked in her life. She models by day, hosts “If These Wall Could Talk” and advocates “ Triversity Talk” by night. One of the busiest women in show business, Wendy is relentlessly reinventing herself on a daily basis. Her energy is limitless and her positivity is priceless.
Daily Pop News caught up with Wendy Stuart Kaplan in Manhattan in between shoots and TV guest appearances for some questions and answers as to what makes her tick……
How did you first get involved in modeling?
I grew up with a mother who had been in the Miss America Pageant and as Miss Connecticut she was fifth runner up in 1935. As a child growing up in the Bronx, I remember my mother sitting in front of her dressing table lining her lips and filling them in with bright red lipstick. I was completely mesmerized by her routine and I knew I wanted that life of glamour. I knew I wanted to be a model. I didn’t deal with the reality that she left that glamorous business to start a family and wear her mink stole, and with her beautiful lips, leave our four flight walk up in the Bronx to go shopping in the Associated Supermarket. I wanted to be glamorous like her.
I went to my first model agency when I was 15. I rode the elevated train from the Bronx by myself. When I walked into Ford Models, the receptionist asked me my age and where was my mother. Good question. I had some test shots I had done with me, with clumpy mascara and a body ten pounds overweight. They thanked me and said come back when I lost weight and bring my mother. I went to model agencies every year till I was 21. I was turned down by every single one. You would think I would give up. But I wanted to be a model, and no one was going to stop me. Some of the comments included “You’re too young, you’re too old, the angles in your face don’t match the angles in your body, and the all-time topper “who told you you should be a model”? Finally at the ripe old age of 22, I got accepted into a commercial print model agency. It was more about being the pretty girl next door than a size 2 fashion model. However, they gave me a list of photographers some of which shot fashion. In those days you could just call and they would see you. If they liked you they would take test shots of you. And that is how I met my husband and got my first portfolio together. All of this is in my memoir “She’s The Last Model Standing”
Did modeling lead you into film making and if not how did you become involved?
It was actually acting that led me into filmmaking and not getting a role that to this day I believe should have been mine. I was submitted for a role in a new show Animal Planet was doing called Ms. Adventure. Ms. Adventure was fearless, could explore the deepest jungles, the deserts, the mountains and take her audience with her to explore animal and human behavior. I was perfect for this role. I had already looked for tapirs in the Amazon, traveled to Vietnam to explore their marketplaces, took care of elephants in an orphanage in Thailand, and that was just the tip of the iceberg. And I videotaped myself doing all of this. They wanted someone with great energy, great with comedy, attractive with charisma. That was me wasn’t it? Well you can figure out what happened next. I didn’t get called to even audition. I learned that when it comes to casting you have no idea what they are wanting. I realized at that point I needed to take these very short films I was creating, with my husband shooting them, to the next level. That I needed to create my own projects. That I could host, interview and produce my own projects. And not depend on “they” to book me. So, my first serious reality based film was called Fragile Beauty. We went to Ethiopia to tell the stories of three tribes living remotely, dressing as they have always dressed, embellished with body paint and wearing animal skins. I went there to create a film about their fashion and beauty. But the film took an unprecedented turn when we met a child sick with malaria. And how we helped her. That was the first film that got picked up by film festivals a year later followed by “Whisperers and Witnesses: Primate Rescue in Cameroon”. Which told the story of two women in Cameroon who created rescue centers to save gorillas and chimpanzees from poaching. It won best documentary at the Chelsea Film Festival.
Why in the hell do you stay involved in everything you do?
I get asked that a lot! Because I can. I am a person that can juggle a lot and make things happen and I like to make things happen. I’m a self-starter, organized, and am willing to do whatever I need to create a product I want to do, whether it be a film, podcast, writing a book, you name it. I have endless amounts of energy and curiosity and I get great satisfaction on not only doing for myself but other people as well. I have been part of an LGBTQ non-profit that I have been with from when they started. I am the connector of people at that organization as well as pre pandemic hosting their live events. I love meeting people, adding new friends to my world and staying engaged. I need a lot to float my boat. I want my world to be as big, and interesting, and as fun as possible. I think I’m doing a great job at it, LOL.
What was your biggest career adventure thus far?
Going to Cameroon to make a documentary about two women in two parts of the country who were rescuing gorillas and chimpanzees from poachers in the jungle. I make it sound so easy but how it came about is an amazing story. I am a member of the Explorers Club, a club dedicated to pushing the boundaries of air, sea, land or space. My adventure started at the club where within a month they featured two speakers, one an American woman Dr Sherri Speed, and one a British woman Rachel Hogan, both in the jungle for 12 and 20 years, dedicating their lives to saving these primates. I knew I had to tell their stories and the stories of those people who worked with them. Not to mention spending ten days up close and personal with gorillas and chimpanzees. They share 98 percent of our DNA. You look into their eyes and it’s a feeling so primal that came over me I can’t even explain it. The film was called “Whisperers and Witnesses: Primate Rescue in Cameroon.” It was also an adventure staying in the jungle in one of the camps with no real toilet. Just a hole in the ground. Now that was an adventure I don’t want to repeat again! Not true, if it meant spending time with the gorillas and chimpanzees again I would endure it!
You have a weekly cooking show with a twist, Pandemic Cooking, explain the twist?
Ha! The twist is it’s a comedy show, for people who want entertainment as well as an easy to make recipe! I appear as a different character every four or five episodes. The episodes are very short, 5 minutes and meant to be comic relief during this not funny time. I wear costumes, and wigs, and am different characters, like a fairy, or a flight attendant or a traditional woman from India to name a few. For instance, the flight attendant served up a traditional airline recipe, chicken with a side of Mac and Cheese. In plastic dishes like what you’d find on the airline. Covered in foil. Her name was Pandemic Pam and the airlines was Pandemic Airlines. In one of the segments she had to call security to arrest someone smoking pot in the bathroom. It’s really about the comedy, with a by-product of a cool recipe.
You were involved in a new show. Can you please explain the premise of it…
If These Walls Could Talk is a 45 minute talk show featuring guests from the entertainment industry and the arts. But what I believe makes our show unique is the personalities of myself and Tym Moss, my co-host. We are kooky, curious, and will ask whatever pops into our heads that we think would be great conversation. Each week we “spill the tea” getting our guests to talk about real experiences that drove them to the path of success they are on now. We look to bring out authenticity as well as keeping the humor and comfort level going. We want people to have a great time on our show because in our real lives Tym and I are about having fun and great conversation. We both truly enjoy talking to people.
The other show I do is called Triversity Talk which explores topics that pertain to the LGBTQ community. We’ve covered everything from transitioning, to adoption, to changing legislation. Our guests are entertainers, politicians, advocates, religious leaders, doctors and more. My co- host is Steven Teague who has a law background and a different sensibility to me, but our chemistry works fantastically. I truly love doing all of my shows. They reflect the messages I consider important and want to share with the world.
Where do you get your drive from ?
As Lady GaGa would say I Was Born This Way”. I have always been determined, and as a Capricorn true to my sign I am always climbing. Not as in “social climber”, but climbing to learn more, do more, see more, be more. My curiosity is insatiable. It is unthinkable for me to give up on anything I want to do.
You are involved in the LGBTQ Community and nightlife. How did that come about?
Again, I’ve always been there, from grammar school my two best friends turned out to be gay. To this day I cannot explain how or why but from college when I came to NYC I found so many people I had interests in common with were gay, from acting, modeling, anything I did in the arts I always met people who became dear friends. Back in the 80s when we were losing friends left and right I became part of POWARS Pet Owners With AIDS Resource service. We took care of the pets of anyone who had HIV or AIDS. My husband and I threw fundraisers, did photography projects, anything to raise awareness about AIDS. Around ten years ago I helped start an LGBTQ organization called Triversity in Milford, PA, where I am on weekends. Pre-Covid I did a lot of Social events for our community which I love doing. Those events are now virtual and it’s not the same for me in terms of meeting people, but it’s what we’ve got now and Triversity Talk came from this and as well as some fun online events spearheaded by Steven Teague my host and our Executive Director.
What advice would you give someone who wants to get into the entertainment field?
It has to be your passion. There are so many people out there with talent. But you also need drive. You need ambition. You need to be truthful with yourself. It is not easy for someone from the outside to break into the entertainment field. But if you have first the talent, and next the drive and passion you will reign supreme! Of course in the words from the show Gypsy “ya gotta have a gimmick” that won’t hurt either!
The official website for Wendy Stuart Kaplan may be found at https://wendystuarttv.com