Java with Jamie: Catching up with Kimberly J. Brown
You may know her as teen witch "Marnie Piper" in the "Halloweentown" films, where she starred alongside Debbie Reynolds; or from her roles on "Guiding Light" and "General Hospital." But Kimberly J. Brown also has an Etsy shop, a book, and she's a makeup brand ambassador. And most recently she has a new title: Bride.
Today it's coffee with a side of sparkle. Kimberly J. Brown met for Java with Jamie in Tarzana.
"We're at Lili Bridal, the bridal shop where I got my wedding dress, and had more fun than a person should have," said Brown.
Her upcoming marriage is also fun for Brown's fans. She's marrying Daniel Kountz, a.k.a. "Kal," her nemesis in "Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge."
"We waited a little bit until I like posted anything on social media, but then the fans went just, I mean, just had a ball with it. They crack us up so much because they love throwing in the 'Halloweentown' references," said Brown.
"So many people I didn't know over the years, shipped Marnie and Kal, our characters, where they wanted them to be a couple in the movie. And I thought, 'Well, Marnie would've never gone for Kal.' He was the family's archnemesis. Like, those things just don't happen. But yeah, the fans have just really given us so much laughter and fun," said Brown.
It wasn't a love match immediately. In fact, it took 20 years for the two to reconnect.
"It was years ago I messaged him on Facebook, because I thought he would be great to do some of the sketches I was working on for my YouTube channel," said Brown. "'Cause I'm sure if he was in one, the fans would get a kick out of it. And we met up and started hanging out, and he was in some of the sketches and then, we just started, I get -- what do the kids say? -- 'catching feelings.'"
Fans did get a kick out of it and now nearly 2 million people follow the couple on TikTok.
"People have so much fun on TikTok. It's like a great community of just people just wanting to entertain each other and, you know, give everybody a laugh during a Wednesday when you're in the middle of something tough," said Brown.
"Halloweentown" marked its 25th anniversary last year, but fans never stopped loving Marnie Piper, a teenager who learns she descends from a long line of witches.
"A lot of people, I think, meet me now sometimes hope that I have magic powers in real life, which, please," said Brown. "If I could fly on a broom to get through the 101 traffic, I would be already doing that. I would've flown here. But it doesn't work that way."
The continued love of "Halloweentown" lead Brown to start an Etsy shop.
"I started getting a bunch of requests for quotes from 'Halloweentown.' And so I started doing that. And then I love graphic tees, so we started putting them on graphic T-shirts, and it's just now everybody comes for their 'Halloweentown' goodies. And we've done keychains and all kinds of fun stuff now," said Brown.
Brown has also partnered with JCPenney to talk all things makeup.
"The fun part about this is I have found some products that I love using every day, as well as prepping for my wedding. One of them is the e.l.f. Power Grip Primer. Really one of the best primers I've ever used, because it just, it goes on and everything sticks where it's supposed to, which is, you know, when you're wearing makeup all day, either for work or on camera, or of course on my wedding day."
When not playing a businesswoman, Kimberly J. Brown continues to act. Some of her favorite projects include starring in Stephen King's miniseries "Rose Red" as an autistic and gifted telekinetic.
"I didn't have many lines throughout it, but I got to move things in a house with my mind," said Brown. "And that was very different than anything I've ever done before."
She also got to star alongside Steve Martin and Queen Latifah in "Bringing Down the House."
"Talk about just a fun set with a bunch of amazing professionals that just wanted to come in and laugh every day," said Brown. "And it was just such a dream set."
Most recently, Brown appeared on "General Hospital."
"I had to play a nurse who was not the nicest person," said Brown. "It's weird in the sense that it's so the antithesis of who I am, that it kind of takes me a minute to -- your logical mind wants to kick in and go, 'Is this OK? Is everybody OK? You know this isn't real, right?' But then there's also, there's some freedom."
Brown has also played a bride before, as she prepares for the real role.
"I got married in a Hallmark 'Crossword Mysteries' movie with my best friend Lacey Chabert, who actually was here watching me try on my real dress, who's going be in my wedding. But, yeah, it's much less stressful doing it in TV, because everybody just gets you dressed and you know, you're told where to stand."
Kimberly was just 13 years old when she landed the role of Marnie on "Halloweentown," and that wasn't even her first acting gig. She also performed in her first Broadway show at age seven, and was coming off the soap opera "Guiding Light" when she stepped into Marnie's witch shoes.
