We recently caught up with Caprice Crane, Los Angeles-based writer, mom and founder of Royal Orchard Clothing, to talk about growing up in Hollywood, her writing career and being a mom.
You grew up in Hollywood with a famous Hollywood family. Please tell us a little about your childhood years and growing up in L.A.
Growing up in L.A. was really wonderful. We lived in what felt like a magical neighborhood in the hills, on a private street surrounded by nature. It was mostly just me and my mom [renowned film, television and stage actress Tina Louise, perhaps best known as Ginger Grant from the beloved sitcom “Gilligan’s Island”] as I had no siblings and a father [former talk show host and Grammy winner Les Crane] who would take lengthy breaks from visiting, so my mom and I were and are exceptionally close.
There was a reservoir that we could walk to (though we did have to climb a fence, so we may or may not have been welcomed) and hillside backyards that resembled jungles more than lawns, so we’d go on “expeditions” regularly. I had great friends who lived in neighboring homes — one of whom I’m still close with — and it really felt like the last idyllic time for many reasons. As far as the famous family part, I didn’t know anything different. My friends at school had parents who were on TV and in movies, too. Those that weren’t may have been in the music business. So when you’re growing up with the children of Tony Bennett or Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner, you just think adulthood means you grow up and go on TV, like that was just part of life.
What are some of your fondest memories of L.A. as a child?
I adore L.A. in a way that I think only a true native can. Sadly, a lot of the places [in] my memories are gone now, but some remain, thankfully. I loved going to Coldwater Canyon Park in Beverly Hills. That was our go-to park and that is still there and was the first park I took my kids to. It’s a favorite of ours now, too, so I love that we now have two generations of memories there.
The Beverly Hills Hotel is also a place where we’ve made lots of memories. When I was growing up, we’d go for lunch at the Polo Lounge and then get a cabana downstairs and swim in the pool. I’ve done the same with my kids now, especially when my mom is in town visiting. The little Fountain Coffee Room downstairs is also always fun. There used to be pony rides in West Hollywood that our parents would take us to, and I have great memories from there (though the animal advocate in me now would frown upon it). It was like a little amusement park called Kiddie Land on La Cienega in the middle of the city.
I loved going to La Scala [in Beverly Hills] for lunch. Their chopped salad was and is still the best. Our moms would take us there, and we loved sitting in the big red booths probably surrounded by Hollywood history, but having no idea at the time that someone from one of the caricatures on the wall was seated at the next table. Ma Maison was another restaurant that everyone went to on Fridays. And you had to know the maître d’, Patrick, to get a table. They had a chocolate soufflé for dessert that you would order at the start of the meal to make sure it was ready by the end, and it was out of this world.
I loved shopping with my mom at a little clothing shop called Pixie Town, and I wish something like it still existed, but maybe that’s part of why I created my children’s’ clothing line. I got my first pair of shoes at a shop called Harry Harris that only recently closed, but that was where we always went for shoes and, thankfully, they stayed open long enough for me to take my twins shopping for their first shoes there. It was incredibly special to me to be able to do that. I believe they were open for five decades!
One of my favorite birthday memories was at a place called Flippers, which was a giant roller-skate rink that was the place to go at the time. I was obsessed with the movie “Grease” and wanted to be Olivia Newton John at the time, so I wore burnt-orange skin-tight satin spandex pants. Hers were black. Not sure why I went with orange but you probably couldn’t miss me! I have lots of great memories there. This was before rollerblades were a thing. Just old school skates, loud music and a ton of fun. I really could go on forever about all of the amazing places and memories I have of growing up in L.A. but nothing is as important as the person I made those memories with and the one constant in all of them is my mom.
You began your career writing for MTV. Did you always know you wanted to be a writer?
Not always. When I was very little, I’d tell my mom I wanted to be an actress and a lawyer. Not sure where the lawyer part came from. Then, by the time I was in high school, I wanted to be a veterinarian. I even got a job at a veterinary clinic as one of my earliest jobs, but they fired me for crying every time an animal was injured. My former NYC veterinarian and good friend Andy told me that they made a huge mistake that day, because the empathy I felt was normal. I was just young, and I would have grown a thicker skin, but you need that love of animals to be a great vet. It’s OK, though. I love writing almost as much as I love animals. And by the end of high school, I was well into my writing. I had even written a near complete screenplay with tons of clever dialogue and zero plot to be found. Film school helped with that. I loved my years at MTV; it was almost like going to a second college. Or even a first college because I went to university at NYU, which was nothing like a normal college. I made great friends there, many of whom I’m still in touch with.
Did you have a mentor growing up? And what role did that person play in your life and your career?
I can’t say that I necessarily had a mentor who helped me with my career, (though I’d certainly welcome one at any point), but I definitely looked up to my mom. She raised me by herself. She worked hard to support me/us, and being a single mother with help from no one is probably one of the hardest things you can do. I admire her for so many reasons, but the one that currently gets my vote is that she volunteers her time every week to work with second graders in public school, helping them read. I’m so incredibly proud of her for doing that. And it’s probably why I spend so much time at my kids’ school library as a volunteer, but in her case, it’s not her kids or her grandchildren. It’s just children who need help reading. I love so much that she does that. And she loves doing it, too.
You have written multiple books and continue to write for film and television. Tell us a little about your writing process and how the stories develop for you.
They develop in so many different ways. Sometimes, they start with a title. I’ll think of something and know I want to write that story. Sometimes, I’ll have an idea for a book or movie, and I have to figure out which it will be best. They’re so completely different, and I enjoy doing both for the reasons that they’re dissimilar. It’s exciting to get to switch hats and work in the different formats. For TV, if it’s something I’m creating from scratch, like a pilot, it’s usually going to be based on a character I think would be fun to watch or a world that I have a good handle on that we haven’t seen before. But if I’m on a staff in a writers room for an existing show, the big ideas are broken at the start of the season and then they develop from there. I’m working on a pilot I’m creating right now.
You are a mom of twins. How old are they and what are their names?
I am! They are by far my greatest creations. They are 6 years old, and their names are Clementine and Kingston.
How has parenthood changed you?
A better question would be how hasn’t it changed me, and the only answer to that would be I still drink a lot of coffee. Aside from the obvious going to sleep earlier and definitely waking up earlier, it has changed me in almost every way. It has taught me patience. It’s taught me that I am not the center of anything except for my kids’ world. It’s definitely shown me that I am more capable of loving than I ever imagined. It’s a cliché, and I can’t stand that it’s such a cliché, but my love for them is so deep and so constant. One thing I know is that my kids know how loved they are. I make sure they know it every single day. They’re in kindergarten now, and if I happen to be at a PTA meeting and the end of it coincides with my kids’ snack recess, I am beyond excited to run out and see them again — as if it hasn’t only been 90 minutes since I walked them to school. It’s just the purest, most total form of love. And I couldn’t have even imagined it before being a parent. I loved family, friends, of course my animals, but this was a game-changing kind of love.
You recently launched a children’s clothing line, Royal Orchard Clothing. Tell us the inspiration behind that.
My kids are actually the inspiration behind the line and the name. Royal Orchard is a little play on their names: Royal is for Kingston (king) and Orchard is for Clementine. As soon as they were born, I fell in love with dressing them, and when you have twins, it’s super fun to coordinate them. I found a big, wonderful community of twin moms who would share great matches they found, but we always struggled with the boy match. It seemed like girls got all the special stuff, and the boys just got a plain solid shirt or something that was definitely not as unique as the girls’. And then within the small shop world, I found so many families — even with siblings or cousins that they wanted to get together for family pictures — had found the same issue. So, I wanted to create a line that had special pieces for everyone. Fun, casual, everyday pieces for those who just like cute clothes and then beautiful coordinated pieces for all of the holidays and special occasions, too. You don’t have to have multiple kids to shop with us; you just need great taste.
How do you juggle your career and motherhood?
To be honest, for the first several years of their life, I wasn’t having a career anymore; I was really just focused on the kids. At first, because they were tiny. Then Covid hit, and nobody was working and then the landscape of the film and TV business had really changed. Once they started school was when I could really start to think about working again, and then when I was raring to go, [but] we had the WGA strike… so it was a good thing that I’d started the clothing line, because at least I was able to do something. Right now, I just write when they are at school and work on designs both when they are at school or after they have gone to bed. But when they are home, I try to be present.
When not working, where will we find you?
You’ll find me playing with my kids at the park or at one of their activities, taking hikes with my rescue dog (who is very silly) or going with the family to an animal sanctuary. They rescue farm animals that were either mistreated or hurt, and you can go pet them and love on them. It’s really special. I’ve always been a big animal lover, so, for me, sanctuaries are better than Disneyland. Though my kids would definitely rather go to Disneyland, they still love the farm visits.
What would you tell your middle school self?
You are enough. Don’t compare yourself to others. Be yourself, always. There is only one you. These sound like bumper stickers, but I guess they exist for a reason. Everyone has so much self-doubt. I know I did. I was very hard on myself.
Best life advice you received growing up? Best advice on parenting you’ve received?
Life advice: “Keep going.” It’s a necessary motto because there are just so many rejections in this business. You’re promised things that don’t come to fruition. You need to have a thick skin and a lot of staying power. The second part of that advice was: “If there is anything else you think you can do instead, do it.” I didn’t listen.
Best advice on parenting? To “get down on their level when they are upset.” It’s not a cure-all and doesn’t always work, but these are little humans who are still developing, and we are very big compared to them. If you can stay calm, crouch down and look your child in the eye — really try to connect and make sure they know you are a safe place, they are loved, and you are just trying to understand what is going on with them — it can make a difference. I’d like to think we are all doing our best and that’s all we can do. Everyone’s situation is going to be different. Parenting is hard. But also magical.
Learn more about Caprice Crane here.
