“I’m less psycho now, I promise,” swears rising junior Kate Klein. When the stresses of finals week became too much to handle, Kate decided to post a childhood video on Facebook featuring herself and her older brother duking it out during a day of some typical good ole family time. With 19 comments, 18 likes, and obviously a creepily high number of views, it didn’t take long for “The Killer’s” video to quickly become a Facebook sensation. HerCampus nabbed down Kate for some low-key conversation over ice cream in Nashville before catching a flight, for, ironically enough, her boxing opponent’s college graduation.
Name: Kate “the killer” Klein (in the red)
Hometown: Hinsdale, Illinois
Majors: Anthropology and Spanish
Year: 2013
Campus Involvement: Women’s Varsity Tennis, Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority, WUUPHA (Public Health)
Summer plans: My mom and I are going to Tibet and China! We are going to the Everest base camp too. Then I’m interning at the CARA Program where I’ll be working with the homeless in Chicago to find and keep jobs.
Interview:
HerCampus: Who would have ever predicted that your childhood home video would be incredibly well received on the internet?
Kate Klein: Not me! LOL. I thought it was funny within my family because they made fun of me, but I didn’t necessarily want to expose myself in this manner [via facebook] and was convinced to do it by some friends.
HC: When and how did you rediscover this gem of a video?
KK: Basically every time I’m at home and bored, I sit by myself in the basement and turn off the lights and watch home videos of my childhood. This time, though, I decided this movie was so funny that I stood in front of the television and filmed the video from my digital camera so that I could watch it whenever I wanted.
HC: Do you watch this video a lot in your spare time?
KK: Yes, every once in a while when I need a pick-me-up or when procrastination has reached a low.
HC: What’s your favorite part of the video?
KK: Obviously, the end where I proclaim myself a “good sport” when clearly I have issues.
HC: How have you changed since you were five?
KK: Although I still love playing sports and hanging with my two brothers, I no longer shop in the boy’s section.
HC: Interesting. To me, your outfit screams both “I’m a boy!” yet “I’m a girl!” at the same time. Did you have some sort of gender identity crisis during your youth?
KK: Laughs. I was quite the tomboy, hence the baggy boys pants and lack of shirt. But, the bow I was sporting was part of my daily wardrobe. I didn’t leave the house without one. I actually had twenty plus bows in different colors, and my mom would color coordinate them with my outfits.
HC: Some of your facial expressions in the video look frighteningly familiar to present day. In what ways haven’t you changed?
KK: Laughs. I’d say that I am still over competitive in some situations. On the tennis court, I frequently make the same crooked face and roll my eyes when I get frustrated.
HC: Are you a good sport?
KK: I couldn’t say I’m a great sport or I’d be lying. But it’s something I am sincerely working on!
HC: What would you tell your five year-old self?
KK: I would tell myself not to change a bit—I’m bad to the bone.
HC: You throw some pretty stellar punches at your older brother, Alex. What would your tactic be to defeat him today?
KK: I would have my mom say “dinner’s served,” and it would have him running.
HC: Mama Klein seems to be laughing off your whole tirade! Was this the norm?
KK: She knows not to take me seriously…who would?! When we would be in public, she would reprimand me for my bad behavior (i.e., chucking mini golf clubs during non competitive family time).
HC: Do people think it’s odd that your parents filmed you and your brothers engaging in violent activity?
KK: Some do, but I do not know why! Basically everything my brothers and I did was somehow “violent,” but good-natured at heart.
HC: One day, when you have your own mini Kate Kleins as children, would you like them to be less feisty than yourself?
KK: Not necessarily. I think the typical girl’s toys and activities are lame and girls deserve to have more fun than that. Girls should be encouraged to be active, and not have to play house with Barbies or in the kitchen if they don’t want to.
Can’t get enough of Kate like us? Watch The Killer take on the baseball diamond by storm: