UP grad lands role in Justin Timberlake video

By Hannah Kintner, Staff Writer kintner13@up.edu

After seven years, Justin Timberlake is back in the music scene, and this time he's brought a former Pilot with him.

Kacy Owens, a 2006 alumna, is in the official lyric video of Timberlake's new single "Suit and Tie," an opportunity she didn't expect.

Owens, who works as a model and actress in Los Angeles, received a call from her modeling agency and was offered a job shooting inside-cover art for the upcoming CD of an anonymous A-list celebrity. She accepted the job and was thrilled when she arrived on set and learned that she would be shooting photos with Justin Timberlake.

"He's just a cool, humble, down-to-earth person. He was just normal," Owens said. "And he was tall, which surprised me! I'm used to seeing people on TV and then you see them in real life and you're like, 'Woah, that's a miniature man!' He is definitely not."

Owens noticed cameras filming behind-the-scenes footage during the photo shoot, but she didn't know of her appearance in the music video until a friend saw it on Good Morning America and alerted her.

"I thought I would just be in stills, so it was a cool bonus," Owens said.

Owens and Timberlake are the only people in the video, and she is featured three minutes in straightening Timberlake's bowtie and laughing with him. Owens described Timberlake as "really really nice" and enjoyed discussing basketball with him while they were shooting.

Owens could not share specific information regarding the photos because of a non-disclosure agreement, but they are expected to be released March 20.

Making it in the Entertainment Industry

"You know what, I had ugly duckling syndrome as a little kid," Owens said. "I always wanted to act, but I never thought I could."

Owens had a change of heart when she played center for the UP women's basketball team. Nike and other modeling agencies approached her several times asking her to model for them, but she was unable to. She did not have a modeling agency prior to signing as an NCAA athlete, making her ineligible to accept work as a model.

"So, basically as soon as we were done my senior year I just marched right over to an agency," Owens said.

She modeled in various cities, including New York, where she ended up at an audition for a USA network sitcom and, with no acting training or experience, was nearly cast in a pilot.

"So, I came home and thought, you know, I need to really think about this," Owens said.

She and her husband, UP alum Jesse Rodgers, now live in Los Angeles with acting as her main career focus.

Her Resume

Owens considers the Timberlake video to be her most high-profile job yet. She has also modeled for Anthropologie, JC Penney, MAC Cosmetics, and other companies. Examples of her work can be found at kacyowens.com.

"I was doing this job for MAC Cosmetics and I was making balloon animals and then two months later they had me on roller blades," Owens said, "It's so crazy, because it's the only job where your clown skills will come in handy and make you money."

Owens has also acted as a principal character in the CBS show "The Bold and the Beautiful," in several shorts, most recently playing a lead roll in "Lucky Hog" and full-length films like "The Corners," which was filmed in Portland.

The day after her Timberlake gig, Owens had an audition for a Jennifer Lopez music video. Lopez was not present and Owens' biggest hope was that she would not be asked to dance.

"I don't do music videos usually, but it was Jennifer Lopez and she's cool. But sure enough, they're like, 'Well, can you dance for like 45 seconds?' and I'm like, 'I don't do this sober,'" Owens said with a laugh.

Getting Personal

Owens is originally from Colorado Springs and met her husband while they were both studying communications at UP.

They are quite the athletic couple. Rodgers was the starting short stop for Pilots baseball from 2004-2007 and was team captain his senior year. Now he works as an assistant baseball coach and recruiting coordinator at Occidental College.

Considering her background, Owens would have never dreamed she would end up where she is.

"Jesse and I will sometimes be in the car and he'll be like, 'I can't believe we live in Los Angeles,' and we'll just kind of laugh, because he's from Olympia," Owens said.

Coming from cities so vastly different from Los Angeles meant that celebrity run-ins took some getting used to.

"It's really funny when you're walking down the street and you have this debate with yourself like, 'Was that John Stamos?'" Owens said. "And it's so awkward when you realize you've stared at them really hard, but you didn't say anything."

Hopes for the Future

Owens' goal is simply to be a working actress. Her ultimate dream is to become an offer-only actress, which would mean that producers would contact her agency with parts for her, rather than her auditioning for parts.

"I don't care if I become a name or not, I just want to work," Owens said.

 

Correction: The original version of this story inaccurately reported Kacy Owens was in a Jennifer Lope video. In fact, she auditioned for that video.