How She Does It: Kate Walsh

WD talks with the TV star about why she's committed to the fight against breast cancer

Jim Ethridge/KFF Media
Recently, Kate Walsh, 43, who plays the brainy and beautiful neonatal surgeon Addison Montgomery, MD, on the ABC primetime hit Private Practice, teamed up with Purina Cat Chow's "Cat Nap for the Cause" breast cancer initiative. Her mission? To encourage everyone she can to log on to and register to take a virtual cat nap; for every person who does, Purina will donate $2 to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation. Easy enough! But that's not the only thing the sultry redhead told us about. In addition to her work for breast cancer research, Walsh gave us insight into her controversial onscreen character, her take on Obama and even what kitchen staples she always has on hand.

Why have you decided to team up with Susan G. Komen and Purina?

My mother is a breast cancer survivor—she's 12 years cancer-free. But for all the other women out there, myself included, I want to find a cure. It's so rampant. Every 69 seconds a woman dies somewhere in the world from breast cancer. This is insane to me. It's like, "Is this what I have to look forward to at some point?" I don't want that to be the case. So when Purina told me 84 percent of women who have had breast cancer said how much comfort they got from their cats during their recoveries, I was really moved. It's so sweet and beautiful—and specific! Signing on to help them reach their goal was really a no-brainer. Plus, I've never been asked to take a nap to raise money for a cure!

You watched your mother fight breast cancer 12 years ago. What was the experience like and how did it change you?

Probably everyone feels this way, but it felt like it came out of nowhere. My mother was 64 and I'm like, "Wait, no! You're healthy. You don't smoke; you don't do this or that." In the end, she opted for a mastectomy, and I remember thinking, "Gosh, this is the choice? You lob off a part of your body?" It seems so archaic.

My mother's diagnosis also forced me to reassess my own health. I thought, "OK, there hadn't been a history of breast cancer in our family—and now there is. Now I have to go get mammograms and perform self-checkups more often." At that time, I also had to convince my insurance company I needed coverage for a mammogram. That was a big one.

Another thing is you hear about these mammograms and it all sounds very scary—but it actually isn't. It's just like a hopped-up X-ray. I want to take this opportunity as Purina's spokesperson to really encourage women to get their checkups.

Which character do you identify with more closely—the Addison Montgomery from Grey's Anatomy or the Addison Montgomery from Private Practice?

Ha! Definitely the Addison on Private Practice; the Addison on Grey's Anatomy was largely consumed with a love triangle, and I myself am not involved in a love triangle—though I'm not dating my best friend's ex-husband, either!

You campaigned for Obama in 2008. How do you feel about the current media scrutiny suggesting that he's lost his connection with his original supporters?

I think it's almost impossible to do the job a president has to do while remaining connected to every person. I think campaigning is a lot different from governing—though I'm speculating because I've never governed—but I don't think he's lost his touch. I think he came into office with not just a full plate, but about 12 place settings that were absolutely full—overwhelming issues that needed to be managed, rectified and changed. And there's so much happening—with the economy, the war, health care and education—it's a massive job that I can't even imagine undertaking. He's working really hard. Even for me—an actor who works on a TV program—I feel it's very hard to do a full-time job, then go out and connect with people as well. There are only so many hours in the day.

What's the last thing you listened to on your iPod?

I can't remember the exact song, but the band was Grizzly Bear.

What's the last book you read?

I'm reading two books now: Furious Love (by Sam Kashner and Nancy Schoenberger) and Never Let Me Go (by Kazuo Ishiguro). The first is the delicious biography of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, and the other is fiction—the movie is in theaters soon, so I want to finish it.

What are the three items you always have on hand in your kitchen cabinet?

Tamari roasted almonds, wasabi peas and coconut milk.

What future projects are you working on?

I have a movie—I don't know when it's coming out—called Drift, and I'm working on something else, but it's super–top secret—though you'll start hearing about it in the next few weeks.

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