The Minnesota Interview: Alix Kendall’s next stop might be Hollywood

When Alix Kendall departs KMSP’s morning airwaves on Friday, it’ll mark the end of a 25-year run that made her as essential to many Minnesotans’ morning routines as coffee and a hot shower. But the 63-year-old isn’t retiring.

She’s following up her co-anchor stints on “Fox 9 Morning News” and “Fox 9 Good Day” with a full-time commitment to screenwriting. Kendall chatted last week by phone about her colorful past and ambitious plans for the future.

Q: What has been the reaction from viewers since you made the announcement that you’re leaving the station?

A: It’s been overwhelming. It’s really hard to comprehend how people connect with you and how much they feel they owe me. I’ve been getting lots of random gifts at the State Fair. Old pictures, lots of letters. Got some salt-and-pepper shakers. I don’t know why. I also just got a couple of birdhouses with my name on them.

Q: Are you really into birds?

A: No. It’s so random. I had to do some mental exercises. Did I once mention birdhouses on the air?

Q: The station has been airing highlights from your career. What memories are making the strongest impressions?

A: They just showed a clip of when Kristen Wiig came on the show. That was really cool. There was another one from the ice bucket challenge days. I’ve been thinking about the early days, that original group on “Good Day Minnesota.” The format was a lot looser. It was a wild and crazy experiment. There was the time we had a Tupperware party in our green room with Miss Richfield and a few drag queens. Another time, people were introducing us to Vespas. I ran from the studio to the parking lot and got on one with virtually no training whatsoever. I fell over almost immediately.

Q: You’ve been working on a screenplay for almost a decade. What’s it about?

A: I guess you might call it a dramedy, although there’s a lot more comedic moments than dramatic ones. The main character is me, a news anchor. It’s about my relationship with my brother, who has complicated mental health issues. The newsroom is just a backdrop. The script has gone through many incarnations. I’ve entered it, at various times, in contests and taken online master classes on screenwriting. I’ve been working with a small production company out of Santa Monica [Calif.] that really likes the story, but we’ve been running into creative differences, so it may end up somewhere else. The main thing is that now I’ll have the time to craft the script the way I want it to be.

Q: Who is in your dream cast?

A: It’s funny. The production company asked me the same thing. I never had anyone in mind while writing it. I threw out Anna Kendrick’s name and maybe Jeff Bridges as my brother, but the two together probably wouldn’t work because of the age difference. Whoever ends up playing him has to have quite a range because the character is so lovable and so troubled.

Q: What are the films and screenplays you admire?

A: I like small stories with lots of dialogue rather than stories with lots of explosions and people shooting each other. I like “Rain Man,” “Thelma & Louise.” I loved “Argo” and all the Barbra Streisand films. “Grey’s Anatomy.” I think I’ve listened to every master class Shonda Rhimes has ever given.

Q: I understand that you also play guitar. What is your go-to song around the campfire?

A: I picked it up around the same time I started screenwriting. I don’t think I’m good enough to do campfire songs. I play chords. I do know that song by Paula Cole, “I Don’t Want to Wait,” which is kind of fitting right now.

Q: What other musicians do you like?

A: Growing up, I was very much into R&B and funk. Prince. Alicia Keys. Bonnie Raitt. Lenny Kravitz. I love Rickie Lee Jones, but you have to be in the right mood. “Do I want to be depressed for a while?” I’m a Taylor Swift fan.

Q: You’re finishing up your TV career. You don’t have to try to impress the younger demographic anymore.

A: I really do like her! That’s a concert I can still go to with my daughter. I also like Dua Lipa.

Q: Are there places you want to travel?

A: Spain is at the top of my list. I want to go to South Africa, Greece, Thailand. My schedule has been pretty rigid. This truly does seem like the right time to explore the next chapter of my life, when I have the energy to do it. It’ll be an adjustment, but sleeping in? Being able to travel more? I think I’ll be OK.