It was her mother who suggested the name
Larkin.
“Larkin is my cousins’ grandmother’s
maiden name,” she explains. “I thought it was
beautiful.”
It would be another six years before
Larkin’s big break presented itself. After
spending a year on tour with “On the
Record,” she came home to Pittsburgh in
2007 to perform in “Beauty and the Beast.”
While she was in Pittsburgh, her agent called
to inform her about auditions for “Gypsy” in
New York City.
“I was back home doing ‘Beauty and the
Beast,’ and I told my agent I thought I would
just skip the audition and stay in Pittsburgh,”
she says. “He told me no, and to get back to
New York. I’m glad he did.”
After a matinee performance in Pittsburgh,
she jumped on a plane to New York City,
auditioned, and then flew back to Pittsburgh
for the next day’s show.
“Somewhere in between there, I found out
that I got ‘Gypsy,’” she said. “It was nuts.”
Even though she now loves life in New
York City, she misses the simplicity of life
back home in the ‘burgh.
“New York is unlike any other city in the
world, and I love it,” she explains. “But I do
miss the family time I had in Pittsburgh.”
Despite her busy schedule, she still finds
time to root on her hometown sports teams –
especially the Steelers.
“I don’t know if you can be from Pittsburgh
and not be a Steelers fan,” she says with a
laugh.
She comes home as often as she can to
visit family, including her siblings and parents
Marilyn and Ed Wielgus, who still live in
Ross.
“We Pittsburghers are so proud of being
from Pittsburgh. I’ve met people in New York
and Los Angeles who are from the area, and
there’s just such a sense of pride and such a
connection,” she says. “There’s nothing like it.”
As Larkin auditions for her next role, she
remains thankful for the path her career has
taken thus far.
“I feel really, really grateful for all of the
success that I’ve achieved,” she says. “I try to
remind myself of how far I’ve come because
the business keeps moving forward at a rapid
pace and you are aiming to move with it.
“It’s only when I stop and reflect that it feels
surreal,” she adds. “In the moments of the
greatest success, I am trying to be calm and
confident so that I’m doing the best job that
I can.” ■
Compassionate Care
At Convenient Locations
Gregory Molter, DO,
Steel City Internal Medicine–UPMC
is now accepting new patients.
Gregory Molter, DO
Internal Medicine
Dr. Molter earned his Doctor of Osteopathy from the West Virginia
School of Osteopathic Medicine. He completed his internal medicine
residency at Allegheny General Hospital. He is certified by the
National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners and the American
Board of Int W&