I met Lucia Kaiser at the Blue Water Grill, sitting at the bar.
AskaNewYorker: Is purple your favorite color?
Lucia: Actually, red is. But, this is one of my favorites. I’m going to a party tonight so forgive me for being so dressed up at only 4:00 in the afternoon.
AskaNewYorker: What about these wonderful earrings you are wearing.
Lucia: These are from India. I spent four months, when my husband was alive, in India. Actually, one of my favorite places in the world is Nepal. Even though that’s not India, that’s Khadmandu, but I bought these in Rhajistan, India. I was very blessed, believe it or not, to spend the month in Nepal at the palace with the Maharaja Bubbles, where many of the presidents have stayed.
AskaNewYorker: Bubbles?
Lucia: That’s his American name, the name that the Presidents of our United States, call him. His real name is a long long Indian name, it would take up the whole interview if you want me to tell you.
AskaNewYorker: We’ll just call him Bubbles. Look at your gorgeous hands!
Lucia: I’m in the entertainment industry and I always feel, even if I am just going to the grocery store, which is rare, I don’t cook, I have to be groomed perfectly. That’s my philosophy. I normally do a French manicure. You are so observant, thank you for noticing!
AskaNewYorker: If you had to choose another city to live in, other than New York City, where would it be?
Lucia: I’ve been very blessed to live in many cities. I lived in Hong Kong for two years running Bruce Lee’s company. I was the first, and last, woman President of Bruce Lee’s company. I’m going to date myself, that was in 1971-73. I adored Hong Kong at the time. I don’t think now I’d like to live back there though. I was working for Bruce Lee’s company, distributing films.
AskaNewYorker: Do you know any martial arts?
Lucia: Yes, a little bit. I’ll show you later. I was becoming a brown belt. I’m not officially a black belt, I’m in between. Back to the question. I love Europe, I loved living in Europe for six years, a big part of my life was living in Hawaii for 21 years. I think that if I had to live anywhere else than New York, it would be tough because I’m so in love with New York. I’d really have to think. I lived in Bangkok before Hong Kong, and I will tell you that they are the kindest people in the world in Thailand. I haven’t been back for many years, but I think I could live there again. I lived in the Royal Family Palace there, actually. So I was very fortunate. It’s a long story you don’t have time for. A boyfriend of mine was friends with the daughter of the king.
AskaNewYorker: What do you do here in New York, Lucia?
Lucia: Presently I am bringing in financing for films. I’ve been a TV Producer most of my life. I won several Emmys that I’m very proud of. I’ve produced mini-series and many things in television. I started with Johnny Carson when I was only eighteen. He taught me everything in this business, and I am very proud to say that I knew him. I was devastated when he passed away. I was his Publicist and Talent Coordinator for four years. Right after that I jumped into being a TV Producer, at 23 years old. Right now my focus is producing. I’m finalizing with an investment group in New York City regarding a movie about Biggie Smalls. It’s a life story feature-film. I can now talk about it. We are just now completing the contract and I’ve just raised a tremendous amount of funds and when that contract is signed in a few weeks we’re off to pre-production. I’m executive producing along with my group and Sean Combs is my partner in the music end of it. I’m very excited about this.
AskaNewYorker: Who’s playing Biggie Smalls in the picture? Will Smith?
Lucia: No! Maybe if he gained about two hundred pounds! We’re going to do a world-wide casting and actually, I can’t take the credit for this, but the estate of Biggie Smalls Wayne Barrow and Mark Pitts have just recently told me they found someone totally unknown.
AskaNewYorker: Being in the entertainment industry you must know all kinds of people. Who is the most interesting person you’ve met?
Lucia: Off the top of my head I have three. Without a doubt, without a doubt, Bill Clinton. I was the first female in Hawaii to run the Democratic Party for four years. When Ron Brown was running President Clinton’s organization, his campaign, he came to Hawaii and introduced me to President Clinton and Hilary. We were more than acquaintances less than friends, whatever that is. When I came to New York I helped Hilary Clinton run her birthday party a few years ago and raised a lot of money for Hilary. I’ve run into Bill throughout the years and I have a meeting with Bill Clinton in less than two months on something official.
AskaNewYorker: What is it about Bill’s character that is so scintillating?
Lucia: He is without a doubt one of the sexiest men I’ve ever met. Everyone says that, I know it’s ridiculous, but he is amazingly fascinating, brilliant, spontaneous. This has probably been said a million times, but I could not believe after not seeing the Clintons for several years, that he remembered my full name. And I know other people have said that. Number two most interesting person on the planet for me is Prince Aly Khan, who is one of my dearest friends. He came to hear me speak as the Keynote Speaker at the Venice Film Festival last September. He flew down from Geneva. He is now the heir to the thrown in India. Nothing to do with Bubbles, but that’s how I met Bubbles! Number three is the Larry King, without a doubt. Good friend, amazing person. I met him when I was General Manager of KGU all Talk Radio Station in Honolulu. I brought Larry King in for the first and last ever live remote, which was broadcast throughout the US and Canada to very high ratings. You have to get to know Larry King! The reason I became so close with Larry is because I took care of his daughter Chaia, who is the apple of his eye, and two of her friends for two weeks while they were in Hawaii. They were wild but good kids. Larry remembers me. When I call Larry, he takes my calls, needless to say! I have many Larry King stories but the best one is one night we were in a restaurant and I’ve never laughed so hard in my life. He told me a story and I almost had a heart attack, people in the restaurant thought I was dying. He’s a real comedian and nobody knows it.
AskaNewYorker: So, I don’t think I got an answer yet to the question about where you’d live if not in New York.
Lucia: I’ve given it more thought and I would say I’d definitely go back to Munich, Germany. I lived there years ago; it’s the most diversified city. You’re in Italy for lunch, Switzerland for breakfast, and you’re in Austria for dinner. I love Munich. I’d go back and live there, yes.
For more about Lucia and her projects, see www.islandconnections.com/lkbio.htm and www.femmenet.com
