We all wish we could look into a crystal ball to forecast our future, but no one ever knows what tomorrow holds. We can plan and hope for a certain outcome; however, the unexpected will always unfold.
Such is the way of the universe; some are fortunate enough to live out their dreams, like Donna Pescow. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Pescow had her eyes set on a career as an actress when studying at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Manhattan out of High School.
From here, Pescow worked in theatre until a major break arrived in 1977 when she was cast to co-star alongside John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever. Selected to portray Annette, an insecure young woman with eyes for Travolta’s Tony Manero, a talented local club dancer with his heart set on another, Pescow’s performance stood out with impressive relatability and emotion. A key part of the cast, not only did Saturday Night Fever become one of the most successful films of the ‘70s era, but it is considered one of the greatest films of all time.
An amazing beginning to a career in film/television, Pescow continued to work through the decades with memorable roles in sitcoms such as Angie, Out of this World, and Even Stevens, among others. A talented woman, to this day, she continues to be cast in projects showing that what was once a dream has blossomed into a lifelong journey. Dignified and gracious, Donna Pescow recently sat down to talk about her beginnings in film, the magic of Saturday Night Fever, plus much more.
Cryptic Rock – You have built a very diverse, successful career in film and television over many decades now. From your beginnings with Saturday Night Fever in 1977 to present-day projects, what has this incredible journey in film been like for you?
Donna Pescow – Unbelievable luck, along with a lot of training, but sometimes that doesn’t matter. I think luck plays a huge part in it.
Cryptic Rock – We all need a bit of luck in anything in life, right? You could be the most talented individual in the world, but you do need a bit of luck. However, hard work plays into that as well.
Donna Pescow – Of course. Absolutely. You have to be prepared so that when it does come along, you’re ready.
Cryptic Rock – Most certainly. You started out big as well because your first film role was in Saturday Night Fever.
Donna Pescow – That is true.
Cryptic Rock – Saturday Night Fever is one of those films that encapsulates a time and place. Certain films encapsulate a time and place. Looking back all these decades later, what was that experience like for you as an initial feature film experience? Furthermore, what has it been like seeing it take a place in cinema history?
Donna Pescow – Well, I think that film represents that decade in the world. Disco is the backdrop for a story that is kind of timeless. but it made it more exciting. The music played another character in there. I look at this film, and I’m first of all proud of the film itself and being a part of it. It still holds a special place for people. That’s an unbelievable gift to be able to put a film out that touches people and stays with them for whatever personal reason they have, as well as a love of cinema.
Cryptic Rock – Most certainly. It does have a timeless story. It does have the soundtrack, too. The Saturday Night Fever soundtrack is one of the best-selling albums of all time.
Donna Pescow – Yeah, I think so too. It was the first film I had ever done. I knew nothing about making movies, which was a huge gift because all I worried about was acting and doing my job and not going any further about, “Will it be successful?” I was just hoping it would get me another job. I had no clue whether it would be successful or how one would even know that.
Cryptic Rock – Right. It is impossible to have that foresight to see what is going to be successful, but it has stood the test of time. What is interesting about that film is that you are indeed originally from Brooklyn. You went to high school in Brooklyn and went on to study acting professionally in Manhattan. You were studying to lose the Brooklyn accent, and you had to reuse it again in Saturday Night Fever!
Donna Pescow – Yeah. I went to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, and it was very serious. It was a full-time curriculum about everything one would need to know about theater, the history of cinema, theater, and all of that. It also prepared you to supposedly play whatever role you needed.
They felt it was important to lose whatever regional accent you had. We had serious speech classes where we would learn what was called Standard American Speech. Basically, you sounded like you came from nowhere.
Then I auditioned for this, and the casting director said, “Wait a minute. Aren’t you from Brooklyn?” I said, “Yes.” She said, “You don’t sound like it.” I kept habitually correcting myself so I wouldn’t sound like I was from Brooklyn, although I was trying. She was great. She said, “Go home. Stay with your folks. Be in Brooklyn for a while, and then I’ll call you back before you meet the director,” which is exactly what I did.
Suddenly, it was very easy to get it back. I think the accent I used in the film was a little stronger than the accent I had, but it worked. I had to get it back where it felt organic again.
Cryptic Rock – It is wild to think about where you are working to lose something and then, “Oh, guess what? You need to use it again.”
Donna Pescow – It’s hilarious.
Cryptic Rock – Serendipitous! As we said, this was your first feature film. You didn’t know what to expect going in. You acted opposite John Travolta, who, at the time, was established in television, but this was one of his first leading roles. It was his big coming out as a big star. What was it like acting opposite in the film?
Donna Pescow – He was just amazing. He had a tremendous fan base from Welcome Back, Kotter. There were mobs and kids all the time around where we were shooting. Everything was on location in Brooklyn in that area.
At one point, they were sending out false call sheets so people would go to other places so they wouldn’t interfere with the film. It was very funny. Working with John, once I met him and we all started to rehearse, he was just so incredibly present, and there was no ego involved. He was just this wonderful actor who wanted everyone to do their best and for him to have the opportunity to play this role that was so extraordinary. It just became this great acting event.
Cryptic Rock – You could tell the chemistry that you both had on screen together. Your character is someone you could empathize with. There is a certain tragedy behind your character, though. Would you agree?
Donna Pescow – I agree. I think she’s very identifiable. Everyone knows someone like her. I used to get a lot of, “Oh, I went to school with a girl just like her,” or “She reminds me of so-and-so.” She was just this girl who fell into a situation where she wanted the same things that everybody else in the neighborhood wanted. They wanted to get married, have kids, and stay in the neighborhood. Her goals were pretty much that of a domestic world, more so than a career. I think that when she fell in love with John’s character in her youth, that was everything to her.
Cryptic Rock – Absolutely. It is a character you can relate to. You mentioned how it was all shot on location in Brooklyn. Obviously, things have changed. A lot of the film locations are not even there anymore.
Donna Pescow – No, I don’t think so. I don’t think the club is there. I know they sold the floor. I think a lot of the neighborhoods in Brooklyn have become very gentrified, and a lot of those really wonderful neighborhood places are probably gone.
Cryptic Rock—You are right. They have become gentrified. There is something to be said about filming on location. It seems like nowadays, we do not see too much of that. As stated earlier, Saturday Night Frever encapsulated a time and place because you could see the locations, and if you’re from New York, you say, “I know that.” Whether it be the billboard or the supermarket in the background, in many ways, we lose that with modern films.
Donna Pescow – Absolutely. There’s an authenticity to it that you really cannot create. You can do wonderful things, but if you’re actually in the neighborhood, if you’re actually in the area, there will be elements that are above and beyond what you could put into it.
Cryptic Rock – Most certainly. What is great about much of the cinema from the ’70s and ’80s is that it used real locations.
Donna Pescow – Yeah, exactly. I think the ’70s and the ’80s were considered art films in the sense that they were exciting parts, not CGI, and not all of the ups and extras. It was the grittiness of the reality.
Cryptic Rock – Yes. That grittiness is what is so endearing about the film, honestly.
Donna Pescow – Yeah, I agree.
Cryptic Rock – As you mentioned, you did not know where things would go after Saturday Night Fever, but it did transpire into a lot more. You had a very successful career in television. You went on to Angie, and then later on, you did other things, such as Out of This World. How did that happen that you went into television like that?
Donna Pescow – I came out to California to have all these really amazing meetings with the extraordinary top-of-the-line kings and queens of Hollywood. I had an agent who I was sent to by my New York agent. It was very overwhelming for me.
I was sitting there having meetings with Dino De Laurentiis, Ray Stark, and all these people. I felt myself watching rather than being there because I was so ill-prepared personally for all of this enormity. It was wonderful. I was treated beautifully.
During all of this, Gary Marshall wanted to have a meeting with me. I was thrilled to do that. He was so engaging and down-to-earth, and he was somebody that I felt I could pitch this idea to. To me, that was just the natural thing to do. I felt so akin to it all versus suddenly tossed into this Hollywood Cuisinart.
Cryptic Rock – So essentially, you were looking for a level of genuineness. It seemed like it was a different world, and you were coming from a very different place as a very down-to-earth person.
Donna Pescow – Yeah. The gratitude, when I look back at all of this, seems so unreal because it was so enormous. It was so big, so fast. That film hit. Suddenly, I went from leaving pictures and resumes to being wined and dined and sitting with the leaders of show business. I had no training for that. As I said, always sort of overwhelmed by it all.
When this came along, I felt, “Yeah, I understand, and I understood this character, and I understood this world that they wanted to do the show in.” Gary, as I said, you’re not going to ever do better than working with him. He was just extraordinary.
Cryptic Rock – It led to many other things, too. Not just in a short span of time, though, because your career has lasted decades. We go into the late ’90s, and you had a very successful run for three seasons with the show Even Stevens on Disney. That was another big project.
Donna Pescow – Yeah. I’ve been lucky because I think longevity is everything. My gosh, I’ve been doing this for almost five decades now. Yeah, it’s a wonderful life. I’m forever amazed by the fact that I’m still going. I think if you love what you’re doing, you’re somehow good at what you’re doing, and you’ve given yourself some sort of resume that still applies, you’ll be there.
I fought for a long time not to just do what was handed to me or what came along but to do something I felt was the right move. I’ve always had very good people around me to advise me and all of that. I think that’s why. You can have a long career if you have very good people giving you the right advice and you have the right instincts.
Cryptic Rock – It is great to see that, in hindsight, you are happy with the decisions that you have made. That is all you could ask for in life, honestly.
Donna Pescow – Absolutely. I completely agree. If you can turn around and say, “You know what? I did okay. I’m proud of it.” I’m still humbled by it.
Cryptic Rock – You have also kept things very diverse in different genres, from Drama to Comedies.
Donna Pescow – Yeah, I love that. I love going back and forth from Comedy to Drama. I love going back and forth from film to stage to live theater. That’s what keeps it fresh when you don’t get pigeonholed in one thing and you don’t allow yourself to get too comfortable in one area.
Cryptic Rock – Exactly. It keeps things fresh and new and keeps you inspired.
Donna Pescow – Absolutely.
Cryptic Rock – You mentioned theater as well. You have theater, television, and theatrical motion pictures. Theater is more of an instant thing where people react instantly, whereas a movie and television may be a little different. How would you compare the mediums?
Donna Pescow – Theater is an actor’s medium because aside from the immediacy of the audience being there when you do a role in a play, and you do it eight times a week, you have to keep it fresh and spontaneous. It requires everything you’ve ever learned and then some. It’s exciting.
It stretches you as an artist. You don’t have the luxury of saying, “Can I have another take?” Be there when it happens. I love that. That was really what I was trained to do. Film sort of happened, and I went in that direction. I go back to working in the theater as often as I can because I think that’s still my biggest love.
Cryptic Rock – A lot of actors and actresses would agree that theater is their biggest love. It makes sense completely. Beyond acting, you have also done a little bit of directing. You have directed some of the series that you have been involved in. Is that something you have thought of exploring more?
Donna Pescow – Yeah, I did. I love it. I got sidetracked from working in that field because acting gigs would come in, and I would say, “Oh, that’s a great role. I want to do that.”
I would have worked more as a director if I had just put my mind to it. I was bouncing a lot from acting to directing, so the momentum changed. Also, I think I started before there were many women directors. It’s wonderful, and I love it. I’m sure I’ll go back to it at some point.
Cryptic Rock – Great. And you are right; you were one of the first women directors of television. There has been more through the years. We know Penny Marshall; she had her successes early on, but you were one of the first.
Donna Pescow – Oh, yeah. Fabulous director. She was just great.
Cryptic Rock – Yes. Into present times, you are keeping busy. You are doing shows, etc. What can you tell us about the new projects you are working on?
Donna Pescow – There’s a couple of things in development, which everybody says that, but it is true. I don’t know if it will happen. I’m hoping there’s another TV series, possibly. Who knows? It’s such a fad. Everybody jumps on a bandwagon that’s working. I think I’m in good shape because I still get offered roles on TV and film, and I take them if I love them. I don’t if I am not drawn to them. I think the biggest success in life is to be able to say yes and no.
Cryptic Rock – That is a blessing to have the ability to select what you want to do and what you believe in. You said that some things may be happening. You did an episode of Grey’s Anatomy recently.
Donna Pescow – That was so much fun. It’s fun to do shows that you’ve been watching for a long time, and that has been fun for you as an audience. When I did The Sopranos, I was so thrilled because I was a huge fan of that show. Never missed it. I had to talk myself down from being a fangirl when I was on that show. That’s one of the great perks. If you can work with people you admire and you’ve been watching, it’s just amazing when that happens. Again, you just never know where things are going to go or where they’re going to come from, and you have to be open to it and ready.
Cryptic Rock – That is a good way to approach anything in life. You mentioned The Sopranos. You said you were a fan of it. It is probably one of the most flawlessly written shows of all time. You were a part of the finale of that series, too!
Donna Pescow – Yes. David Chase directed that. It was a double bonus to work with the man who created the show and is such a great director. I look at that, and again, some of the things I’ve been able to do in my life and in my career, I kind of look at them from afar and say, “Wow, that’s amazing that happened.” I’m always excited about it. I don’t get jaded or entitled. That’s a real danger because I never know what’s going to come in. I never know if something I’m in is going to be successful. You just kind of have to take it as it comes.
Cryptic Rock – Agreed. That is the keyword right there, entitled. It seems like a lot of people have a sense of entitlement in today’s culture, and it is not a good thing.
Donna Pescow – Oh man, is that the truth? Yeah. You know what? It bothers me because I think they’re cheating themselves, people that don’t realize just how great the position they’re in, or to take a moment and just enjoy the position you’re in, and just keep thinking it’s got to get better and better and better because it’s already good.
Cryptic Rock – Isn’t that one of the biggest problems with society today? Everyone seems to think that it has to be better rather than living with what they have and realizing that what they have is special. Even if it’s not so good right now, realize that it could be worse.
Donna Pescow – Absolutely. I agree. You have to remember when it was worse. You have to realize that it’s all cyclical, and things are going to be good sometimes, and things are not going to be good sometimes. You got to just keep going.
Cryptic Rock – That is what it’s all about.
Donna Pescow – Absolutely.
Cryptic Rock – Everything that you have experienced through the years, all the successes, all the work… here is a big question. What do you think are the most important things you have learned through all of this?
Donna Pescow – It’s very much what we were just talking about. The most important thing is don’t get stuck in thinking something won’t ever change, good or bad. Enjoy it for what the moment is giving you. Stay enthusiastic. Stay centered about it. It’s not easy, but it’s a lot easier than living on some emotional roller coaster. Also, it’s important to have a life. You can have a great career, but if you don’t have a life and that’s your whole world, that’s going to be tougher.
Cryptic Rock – Completely agreed. If you invest all of yourself just in a career, like you said, you need to have a life. Family or whatever it may be, you need to have other things going on.
Donna Pescow – Yeah. Absolutely. It makes you a better person, and it makes you a person who has a better scope of the world. That’s going to make you a better artist.
This interview is the best of all! I love it with all my heart and soul cause it is super sincere, honest, and relatable for any actor! Thank you from the very bottom of my heart
Thank you for your readership! We are extremely pleased to hear you enjoyed the interview and appreciate the thoughtful approach taken to it. We hope you will continue to follow Cryptic Rock Magazine for future interviews and reviews.