Welcome again wrestling fans to another exclusive interview here at *Kayfabe Kickout. I had the immense pleasure, and honor to speak with Julie Hart. For those of your who have been living under a rock for the past 20 years, Julie is a member of the iconic Hart Family of Professional Wrestling and former wife of WWE Hall of Fame Legend Bret "The Hitman" Hart. Julie is a First Nations member of Metis descent, who was born in the Province of Saskatchewan in the prairies of Canada. In addition to her experiences in the controversial world of professional wrestling Julie has been involved with a multitude of several different charities and organizations. One of which is "For the Love of Children Society" a Canadian Organization which offers aid to impoverished children in third world countries. Julie has been active in raising funds for the Winnipeg Children's Hospital, in 2006 she has worked In Israel raising funds for homeless charities, she is an active speaker for 'Brain Injury' Awareness, and other charitable work. Julie has just signed to write an Autobiography entitled: "Hart Strings: My Life with The Hitman, the Hart Family, and me, and will be published by Tight Rope Books, which is based out of Toronto, ON. I spoke with Julie about the infamous 'Montreal Screw Job,' Native Rights in Canada, her upcoming Autobiography and more. Richard: For wrestling who may not be aware of what you have been up to these days, can you give us an update on what’s going on in the life of Julie Hart?
Julie: I'm a grandmother now and that takes up most of my time. I also just put the finishing touches on my autobiography Hart Strings, coming out in early 2013 with Tightrope Books, a Toronto publisher. Richard: You were an overseas coordinator for "For the love of Children Society." A Canadian Organization that gives aid to children all over the world, Can you share your thoughts on what that was like? Julie: I love working with this organization and find the experiences rewarding. It makes me feel good about myself and the world in general. Richard: Before you and Bret knew each other were you a fan of professional wrestling? Julie: To a degree. Growing up in Saskatchewan you couldn't help but know about wrestling, but it wasn't a major part of my life. Richard: The ‘Montreal Screwjob’ will go down as one of the most notorious incidents in professional wrestling history. Can you comment on what it was like for you during that time to see Bret in such turmoil, due to the fact he thought he had been betrayed by Vince McMahon? Julie: So much has been said about that night, but there was just so much tension going on in general both in our marriage and wrestling as a whole. 1997 was the breaking point for wrestling and in many ways, my marriage with Bret. Outside of real-life tragedies such as Owen's death and his stroke, that was the hardest night of Bret's life for sure. Richard: You have an upcoming Autobiography entitled “Hart Strings – My Life with the Hitman, the Hart Family and Me.” Will this book be a “tell all” or will it be of a more flattering portrayal of life as a Hart? Julie: The book will be as honest as Bret's book, but focus more on my life story, not Bret's. The book reveals my life growing up as a foster kid, then the story of how Bret and I became involved and raising our family. It's not going to be like Linda Hogan's book that's for sure! Richard: Your ancestry is First Nations of Metis descent; do you think the Canadian Government does enough to help the First Nations Population in Canada? Julie: Not at all, however, are we doing enough for ourselves to become a stronger Nation? No. I'm not a political person nor do I pretend to be fully involved in the issues at hand, but I believe in order for First Nation - Metis people to advance, education is a must. I'm probably going to piss a lot of people off but this is of my own opinion. The ways of yesterday... is not the way for tomorrow. Education equals empowerment which equals stronger leaders and people. Richard: What were your immediate thoughts the first time you met Stu Hart? Julie: The whole experience was at the time overwhelming, Stu and Helen were the foundation and the cornerstone for the whole Hart dynasty, the ever-expanding family. Stu was a nice person, funny and generous. Richard: Do you think that being the former wife of a professional wrestler of Bret’s fame has enriched your life or complicated it? Julie: It has complicated and enriched it, but it's impossible to answer that really any other way, don't you think? If I hadn't married Bret I'd have a whole different set of paths and results that would have lead me to this moment in my life. Richard: Do you keep up with professional wrestling in 2012, or was that an aspect of your life that was just part of the time when you were with Bret? Julie: My favorite wrestler of all time was Randy Savage. I get a lot of emails from fans just checking in on the family, asking about Bret and general chatter that usually has some lineage to wrestling. I watch on occasion, and my kids were really into it when they were little of course, so I watched it more then. Richard: Do you and Bret keep in close touch? Julie: We talk every few months, but we don't have regular conversations. I hear about him through our kids, as he does about me I'm sure. We try to be as normal with each other as possible, and our time in the ring metaphorically duking it out so to speak, is thankfully over. I want to personally thank Julie Hart for taking the time to speak with me here at *Kayfabe Kickout.
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