Actress Kathleen Rose Perkins grew up in a small town in Michigan—about 40 miles outside of Detroit and got bitten by the acting bug in 8th grade when her English teacher suggested she be a performer. Since then, she’s never looked back. You may have seen the actress starring along Matt LeBlanc in Showtime’s critically acclaimed series, Episodes or saw her opposite Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike in David Fincher’s buzzed about movie GONE GIRL by Twentieth Century Fox Films. We caught up with the busy actress before season four of Episodes (premieres January 11, 2015) to dig deeper about how she realized acting was for her, what it’s like on the set of Episodes, how she prepared for the role in GONE GIRL—and the little known fact on what she loves about visiting 37 national parks around the US.

FACTIO MAGAZINE: When did you first realize you wanted to be an actress?
KATHLEEN ROSE PERKINS: In Mrs. Carrothers’ 8th grade English class, there was a mandatory performance of The Diary of Anne Frank. I was cast as Anne Frank. Even though I was a very introverted kid, I remember feeling comfortable standing in front of an audience of family and classmates. I was pretending to be a Jewish girl having conversations with a boy named Peter and cowering as Nazi’s knocked on the attic door. It felt very real to me. I could completely sympathize with my character and her predicament. After the performance, Mrs. Carrothers pulled me aside and said, “You need to keep doing this. You need to keep performing.” So, I did.

FM: You’re currently playing Carol Rance on Showtime’s critically acclaimed series,“Episodes” opposite Matt LeBlanc. Can you give us a behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like on set?
KRP: What people might not know is that each season is written in its entirety prior to production. We shoot Episodes like one big, fat four-and-a-half hour movie. On any given day, we could be working on a scene from Episode 2, then hop to a scene from Episode 7, then end on a scene in Episode 5. Everyone needs to know the whole season’s storyline backwards and forwards. While it’s a challenge keeping nine episodes alive in your head, it’s also a lot of fun. We’re all huge fans of both the show and each other. It breaks my heart that some of them live in England. But at least I get Mircea, Matt, Jeffrey, and David year-round in LA. On a side note, Matt and I never work together. We’ve only spoken a total of five lines to each other over four seasons. We joke that the writers are scared to put us together in the same scene because they probably couldn’t contain the amount of “magical chemistry” the two of us would generate.

FM: With your recent work in David Fincher’s GONE GIRL as Shawna Kelly, opposite Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike, how did you prepare for this role?
KRP: First of all, I loved the book. I was so excited to be a part of that story. We shot in a small town called Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Before I shot my scene with Ben, I got to spend two days in the background of a different scene. I was surrounded by five local women who signed up to be extras. I watched them interact, learned about their lives and asked them how they would say “Chicken Frito Pie”. I was glad to have the chance to hang out with local small-town Missourians before I pretended to be one in front of David Fincher and Ben Affleck. I don’t know what I would have done without those ladies inadvertently acting as my dialect coaches.

FM: Which actor/s are you dying to work with (that you haven’t yet) and why?
KRP: Emma Thompson, because of course.
Matt Damon, because he seems smart and approachable.
John Michael Higgins, because I think he is touched.
Robin Wright, because I have been in love with her career since Princess Bride.
Chris Pratt, because I think he would be great as my brother.
Matt LeBlanc, because he’s really good in Episodes.

FM: How would you describe your signature style?
KRP: Classic and clean, with a touch of quirky. Earthy and natural. Basically, I’m a tomboy that loves to play dress-up.

FM: What are some beauty tricks you can’t live without? Any unique tips you’ve learned
from makeup artists on the set?
KRP: Drink lots of water and sleep when you’re tired. Eat fish. Find the best moisturizer for your skin. If you can avoid wearing makeup in your everyday life, do. And don’t be too hard on yourself. You’re beautiful; sun-spots, scars, crooked tooth, and all. I’ve had so many lovely experiences with makeup artists over the years. A couple of tips I’ve learned; Use a frosted eye shadow in the corner of your eye (nearest the nose) to look fresh and awake. Do a bold eye or bold lip. Never, ever BOTH. And Makeup Forever’s body makeup is to-die-for. It goes on milky smooth and doesn’t get on clothes.

FM: What are some of your favorite travel destinations and why?
KRP: We shoot Episodes in London. I love London: the culture, the architecture, the food, the parks, the people. And working there the last four years has afforded me the opportunity to bounce around Europe. Some of the coolest places I’ve been?
Venice, Italy: the food, the shopping, the canals.
Dublin, Ireland: the food, the music, and the people.
Majorca, Spain: the villages, the coves, and yes, the food.
Santorini, Greece: the art, the water, and the damn food.
I’m a list-checker-offer, so I prefer to try new places rather than to go back to places I’ve already been. Life is too short, see and do it ALL.

FM: You’re an avid hiker, visiting 37 national parks with 22 more to go! With a plan to visit them all, when and why did you start this quest?
KRP: In my third year of college I took a class called National Parks Landscapes to fulfill my general education science requirements. The class was in the middle of the afternoon and the professor would show slides of these magnificent national parks, all the while speaking in a soothing monotone as the slide projector gently hummed underneath her voice. I slept through almost every class and barely eked out a C for the semester. But what I also eked out of that class was a deep respect and fascination for these pieces of land that our government has sworn to protect and preserve. I’ve never once been disappointed while visiting a national park. Each one is unique, majestic and awe-inspiring.
They are what makes me most proud to be American.

FM: We heard you have a soft spot for Michigan‘s national park, Isle Royale in Lake Superior. Since you grew up in Michigan, what are some of your favorite memories from your home state?
KRP: Going to Detroit and watching the Tigers play. Nothin‘ better than a ball game on a summer night in Motown with my four older brothers. Give me a hot dog, a beer, and round it out with some peanuts, “I don’t care if I ever get back”.  My hometown, New Baltimore, has an annual Bay-Rama Fishfly festival. It’s crazy. We’re situated on a lake that is home to a certain larvae that lies dormant most of the year. Every June the larvae rise to the surface of the lake. They hatch and these little, harmless fishflies infest our town, covering homes, businesses and every inch of the streets. It sounds like you’re driving on cornflakes from the snap, crackle, and pop of the flies. And of course, we celebrate the infestation with a parade, carnival rides, a beer tent, and a crowned queen. It’s fantastic. I really miss football season. My dad was the phys-ed teacher and coach at our high school. My brothers played football and I was a cheerleader. There’s no better season than autumn in Michigan: the colors, the smells, the crispness, the piles of leaves. Man, I miss that.

FM: What are people surprised to learn about you?
KRP: I’m a third degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do.