America's favorite MOM
Dealing with the triumphs and tragedies of her seven TV kids, usually as she prepares meals and snacks 12 to 14 hours a day, and playing a very active role in the life of her own 10-year-old, Catherine Hicks is a natural at parenting.
"I know I couldn't play Annie if I weren't a mother in real life," says the star of "7th Heaven", the WB's long-running hit about the trials and tribulations of family life in America today. "Everything I say in the show, I've already said at home."
Hicks' character, Annie Camden, preacher's wife and mom to an extended brood ranging in age from pre-school twins to 20-something newlyweds as well as any neighborhood kid who needs attention, is the modern day answer to the 50's sitcom mom, but savvy.
"We're smart parents," says Hicks of Annie and Eric Camden. "We're not fools, nobody's going to pull the wool over our eyes like the parents in the sitcoms."
Perhaps that explains the show's success. Embarking on its seventh season, "7th Heaven" has consistently led the WB lineup, many believe because it portrays family as it should be.
Although "7th Heaven" idealizes family life, the show counts among its fans a vast array of viewers, young and old, gay and straight, singles and couples, according to Hicks. "Probably because we all come from a family no matter where we're at now," theorizes the Emmy-nominated actress.
"People are starved for a functional family," says Hicks. "If we want to change society and have it less damaged, we have to do a little bit of the 50's thing to make them feel secure."
Hicks also believes the show is so popular because people learn from its topics, and she credits Brenda Hampton, "7th Heaven's" creator and executive producer who writes every episode, for addressing today's issues with intelligence and wit.
Hicks is quick to note that not all episodes wind up with happy endings because the issues facing parents today are difficult and often not easy to resolve. The Camdens deal with problems effectively but firmly, she says.
"I think all of us as parents are trying to be fair with our kids, trying to do it a little less strict than in the 50's when I was raised," says Hicks, recalling her own childhood. "The appeal of the show to modern parents is that Annie and Eric are strict, and I think it's given people permission to be strict."
Playing the role of Annie Camden has even had an impact on Hicks' real-life parenting experience. "Annie's made me tougher," she boasts. "I was real wishy-washy. Annie's real strong. She's made me able to say, 'Okay, it's time to go to bed.'"
Just where does Annie Camden end and Catherine Hicks begin?
"It's so weird doing the series," says Hicks. "I'm in the kitchen all day at work and I come home and I'm in the kitchen again," explains the actress, who admits to spending much of her free time cooking from scratch, including pancakes on school mornings.
Like Annie Camden, Catherine Hicks is devoted to her family. She and her husband, special effects designer and director Kevin Yagher, are madly in love. They met on the set of the cult favorite "Child's Play," starring Hicks and the gruesome Chucky, one of Yagher's wild creations. Their proudest collaboration, however, is their daughter, Catie.
As much as Hicks enjoys her work, it's the job of Catie's mom that she finds most satisfying. And, she makes it perfectly clear where her priorities lie. "I wanted to be a big movie star," says the veteran of 13 films, "but I'd turn down a movie now," she adds with no regret, explaining that her "7th Heaven" schedule allows her to have the best of both worlds. As a trained professional, she gets to keep her hand in her career but, more important, she gets to be an active participant in raising her daughter using what she's learned from Annie Camden.
"I really respect women who can stay at home," says Hicks with admiration. "At first when I took the job of Annie I was embarrassed that she was a stay-at-home mom," recounts Hicks, adding that she even went as far as suggesting the character have a night job. "Now, I'm not only not embarrassed for Annie, I'm proud to say she's a role model."
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