NEW YORKER Mizuo Peck recently stepped into the limelight with her role as Sacagawea in Ben Stiller’s stumble-rama Night at the Museum, where she competed for screen time with Robin Williams, a pissing monkey, Dick Van Dyke and a Mongol horde. Needless to say, the half-Japanese actress was one of the more watchable parts of the blockbuster (due out on DVD on April 24, 2007). Previously, she’s appeared in New York stage productions, television episodes and music videos, but she’s poised for bigger and better things. Tripmaster Monkey had a chance to catch up with her.

TMM: How long have you known you wanted to be an actress?
Mizuo Peck: I’ve wanted to be an actress since I was 11 years old. I was at TADA!, the professional Children’s Theater Company, singing and dancing till the age of 14. Then went on to study drama at LaGuardia High School of the Performing Arts. I started dabbling in commercial work and modeling around 16 and became an official SAG member on my 18th birthday! I remember how excited I was to sign my own name. Then it was off to SUNY Purchase to round out my education and get a BFA in theatre. I feel proud that I’ve always been so goal-oriented and focused. And yet, I also wish I had explored other things like sports, music, graphic arts, the Peace Corps, etc. Well i suppose I can start now…. Better late than never!

TMM: You really added a lot to Night At The Museum. What were some of the interesting things you learned this time around?
MP: I learned so much from this film. Mostly about how important it is to be prepared and professional. I was working with so many great actors that I would’ve never wanted to be the one who dropped the ball. I really enjoyed doing all the research and preparation to play Sacagawea. She was an amazing woman in history.

TMM: What’s the best thing someone’s said about your acting?
MP: I think the best compliment has been that I was strong and grounded in my role. For Night at the Museum, many people said that I was graceful and gave the character depth.

TMM: What are some your favorite movies?
MP: My all time favorite movie is Luc Besson’s La Femme Nikita. [TMM: That’s our kind of girl!] I love movies from the seventies like Badlands and Clockwork Orange. I’m also a big fan of everything Tim Burton does.

TMM: Do you have any immediate projects you’re going to be working on this year?
MP: I do have some options and some scripts that have come to me but I haven’t made any decisions. Perhaps I’m waiting for something better? I am in LA right now trying to book a pilot!

TMM: What would your views be surprised to know about you?
MP: I think they’d be surprised and glad to know that I am a regular girl just like them. Well, maybe a bit kookier but definitely not like those perfect shiny stars they read about in magazines. I try to stay healthy and active but I’m terrible at going to the gym. I like African dance classes! I drink coffee and eat cookies. I don’t have a closet full of designer clothes and I love to visit my dad upstate so I can wear sweatpants and chop wood.

TMM: Do you have any advice for people thinking of getting into acting?
MP: Don’t do it! No, I don’t mean that. Do theater and make movies because you love to and not because you want to get rich and/or famous. It’s such a hard life of inconsistency that it’s really not for everyone. And yet, on a personal positive note, with luck and perseverance dreams really can come true!

TMM: Has your family been supportive of your acting?
MP: My family is extremely supportive and psyched about my budding career. My dad lives in a small town upstate and has plastered my picture all over it. Everyone from the mailman to the guy who works at Radio Shack knows about my role in Night at the Museum. His gushing can get embarrassing at times but I know he’s just so proud.

TMM: So, how many degrees of separation are you from Kevin Bacon now?
MP: Well, I did get to sit in the audience for the taping of James Lipton’s “Inside the Actors Studio” with his wife Kyra Sedgwick. But other than that the closest we’ve got is me watching Footloose a million times. I’m sure if I IMDB’d the actors who I worked with on Night at the Museum they would make the degrees of separation closer!

[Thanks to efforts of the TMM Research Department, the answer to the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon question: Mizuo Peck stars with Robin Williams in Night at the Museum, Robin Williams starred with Tim Robbins in Cadillac Man, and Tim Robbins and Kevin Bacon starred in Mystic River.]

TMM: Will there be any fun extras with you in the Night at the Museum DVD (out on April 27)?
MP: I hope there are! It would be great if they showed all of the different takes Robin Wiliams explored during our scenes together. He had me cracking up with all his off the cuff adventures in Africa stories and sexy hot wax jokes as I was melting his body back together.

TMM: Um, on that note, what are your feelings about monkeys?
MP: I think the capuchin monkey in Night at the Museum stole the show. How amazing was he?! Monkeys are awesome in general. I love how it always seems the jokes on us. Especially when they laugh and point and throw poop at you! •