When she was seven years old, twin moments of certainty in two fields of endeavor proved prophetic for Alicia Witt regarding inner satisfaction and real-world success. It was the year of her acting debut in David Lynch’s 1984 planetary fantasy epic Dune as Alia, the spice-induced blue-eyed young sister of protagonist Paul Atreides (Kyle MacLachlan), and the time she first began playing the piano.
“I’ll always remember the feeling of walking onto the soundstage for the first time when we were in rehearsals for Dune and having this familiarity — like knowing this was something I was going to do for the rest of my life,” Witt recalls. “I felt the same way the first few weeks I took piano lessons — like I already knew the keyboard.”
Building upon her auspicious theatrical debut, Witt has since created memorable characters for such varied TV series as Twin Peaks (1990 & 2017), Cybill Shepherd’s sitcom Cybill (1995–1998), The Sopranos (2000), Friday Night Lights (2009), Justified (2014), The Walking Dead (2016), and Orange is the New Black (2019).
She’s also appeared in dozens of feature films, including Mr. Holland’s Opus (1995), Urban Legend (1998), Vanilla Sky (2001), Two Weeks Notice (2002), 88 Minutes (2007), I Care A Lot (2020), and most recently in this year’s indie horror hit, Longlegs, where she has charmed both critics and audiences with a performance of astonishing depth and darkness.
On the musical side, she’s found success and acclaim as a singer, songwriter, and pianist, releasing several albums, EPs, and singles since 2009 that have drawn comparisons to the music of Carole King and Elton John.
While she has mastered managing and maintaining artistic and commercial success in two mediums, the balance required for that achievement took time to develop. That was especially true during the early ’90s when Witt moved to Los Angeles to pursue her acting career and found a day job playing background music at the famed Beverly Wilshire Hotel.
“It was a blessing to not have to do something like waiting tables like most actors do,” Witt says. “But it also skewed my view of piano for a while because it was something I had to do for a living. I was just making background music.”
And, unlike the audience tip earners at restaurants had to contend with, hers was often capricious regarding the feedback provided.
“I had the constant push-pull of people coming to hear me play, making requests, and giving me tips against other people coming up and saying, ‘Excuse me, we’re trying to have a meeting here. Will you pipe down?’”
The job kept her performance skills sharp and allowed her great flexibility for auditions and acting jobs; the downside was that a creative endeavor became an uninspiring chore. Even after her acting career reached the point that she left the job, her music remained a second or even third-hand concern.
“I was writing, but it wasn’t consistent,” Witt says. “I’d write one song and think it was pretty good, and then another I’d think was mediocre, or I would start on a song, lose faith in it, and leave it half finished.”
Music was a huge unclaimed part of my purpose.
—Alicia Witt
Sometimes, a year would go by without writing at all. “The notion hadn’t yet sunk into my brain that I could just write songs and go out and play them,” she says. “It’s like I was waiting for someone to give me permission.”
While she never received permission, a significant change came when she ended a long-term relationship in her early 30s. “The first song in this chapter of me as a singer-songwriter was ‘Blind.’” Witt says.
“I started writing it the moment my ex left the house with the last of his things,” she continues. “He closed the door, and I sat down at the piano and started writing lyrics. I think it came together — the life I was supposed to have wasn’t the life I was living, and music was a huge unclaimed part of my purpose.”
A powerful song of resolute acceptance with a hopeful eye cast toward the future wrapped in an infectious pop melody, “Blind” appeared first on her 2009 self-titled debut EP. Witt also re-recorded it for her 2015 album, Revisionist History, produced by Ben Folds. It started a deluge of songwriting as she reclaimed her melodic muse.
“Once I put it together, I started being flooded with ideas for songs every day,” Witt says. “I was connecting with other singer-songwriters or meeting people who would invite me to do a tune with them on stage or collaborate with them.”
Witt recalls a notable example of this serendipity while working on an episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent with actor Chris Noth: “The first day at the table read, he said, ‘Are you a singer?’ Right there, he invited me to open mic night at the club he owned. Things like that started happening all the time.”
As Witt’s musical career began to take off, she not only found it to be simpatico with her acting career but an added attraction as she started to secure roles with a musical connection. This includes six appearances on the ABC-TV series Nashville, where she played the vivacious and scheming pop-country star Autumn Chase.
“By the time I started putting out music, I knew I could do both,” Witt says. “I didn’t have to make a sacrifice. There have been a handful of times when an acting job was offered to me that I really wanted, and I had to cancel a gig to make that happen. But there have been times when I have music gigs scheduled and acting job slots right between them like magic.”
Although managing two careers has been easy for Witt, defining the similarities and differences between musical and theatrical arts is a bit more complex.
“They’re both means of expression and shape-shifting in a way,” she says. Discerning the difference between the two mediums “is why it took me a while to become comfortable as a singer-songwriter.
“When you’re acting, you can reveal the most intimate parts of yourself, but you’re also playing somebody else,” Witt continues. “It allows you to be very free, like there’s no risk. You’re just part of a bigger picture.”
On the other hand, she says, “When you’re a singer-songwriter, there’s a feeling that your songs are your stories, your voice. You’re sharing something that means a lot to you personally. There’s no character to hide behind. You may be playing a larger-than-life version of yourself, but it’s still you.”
Speaking of contrasts, there’s a sharp divide between Witt’s most recent cinematic endeavor and her next musical release.
In Longlegs, director Osgood Perkins (son of Psycho icon Anthony Perkins) delivers a slow-burn, dread-filled tale of young FBI agent Lee Harker (Maika Monroe) on the trail of a ruthless and occult-driven serial killer known as Longlegs (Nicholas Cage).
Witt plays Ruth Harker, the devoutly religious mother of the film’s protagonist, in a performance praised as one of the movie’s most unforgettable elements. It’s a part that Witt relished even before the accolades began to pour in.
“It may be the best role I’ve ever been offered combined with one of the finest directors I’ve worked with,” Witt says. “Oz really trusted me. It’s been a huge blessing. I’m grateful that it’s happening now because I’ve been acting long enough that I can really appreciate the rarity and the gift of it.
“I felt a visceral connection to the character,” she continues. “I tend to not get too connected to roles before I know they’re mine because this is a business where most of the roles you audition for won’t be offered. This one was the exception. I couldn’t stop thinking about the role and wanted it to be mine.”
Her ability to connect with and inhabit Ruth within the darkness and nihilism of Longlegs might make Witt’s next album come as a surprise for some. Due for release in November, I Think I’m Spending Christmas With You will serve as a lovely palate cleanser after the dread induced by watching her latest movie.
Whether or not you and the family watch Longlegs on Christmas Eve is up to you. But it’s worth pointing out that Witt has serious skin in the game when it comes to that most wonderful time of the year.
Her love of the holidays is on full display in her position as one of the “Hallmark Queens of Christmas.” She earned the unofficial title by appearing in nine Christmas films (mostly for the Hallmark Channel) since 2013, including I’m Not Ready for Christmas (2015) which was inspired by her song of the same title.
“I’ve wanted to do a Christmas album for several years, and last Christmas, I decided 2024 would be the year, so I was able to write several new songs during the holidays,” Witt says.
When she isn’t filming or on tour, Witt spends her time at her East Nashville home, enjoying her life as a Nashvillian, a continuing role she was glad to take on in 2017.
“I moved here because my heart was certain that this was my home,” she says. “I’d been here many times, and every time I would visit, I always had this funny feeling like I didn’t want to leave. It was a place I always wanted to come back to.”
