For Reid Scott of ‘Veep,’ horror-movie ambitions
Cable television can offer a pretty fruitful career for a young actor, what with the juicy roles and the increasingly abundant viewership.
But somehow or another, the film world often comes calling.
Add Reid Scott’s name to the list of actors in that category. The 35-year-old has been on something of a TV roll in the past few years. He was the male lead in the hit TBS comedy “My Boys” for its three seasons, then in 2010 signed on play Laura Linney’s doctor in Showtime’s Emmy-nominated “The Big C,” which wraps its final season this spring.
Lately, he’s also been seen as he unctuous Dan Egan in “Veep,” which premieres its second season on HBO Sunday night.
But Scott is also trying to get a little piece of the movie action. The actor tells The Times that he’s soon to star in and produce “Hunter,” an indie film project he described as an “environmental horror comedy.”
Scott will collaborate behind the camera with director Austin Redding and producer Nicholas Schutt, an actor who counts indie darling “The Wackness” among his credits.
“Austin, Nick and I were raised on these great classic monster movies that in this day and age you just don’t see much of,” Scott said. “We wanted to make a movie like that, the kind of double-feature drive-in, grind house film genre fans want to see with their friends.”
Wryly acknowledging that the project is a bit of a shift from his other Hollywood job, Scott said, “Oh, it’s the most natural progression in the world: pay-cable political comedy, environmental horror comedy.”
Ted Raimi will also produce the movie, Scott said, adding that despite its indie budget, the film will feature an elaborate visual-effects monster. Production is likely to get under way this summer.
In the meantime, Scott will appear on the screen in a different way. Last month he wrapped production on “Veep,” which ups the ante this year as Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ vice president is given (slightly) more power, while those in her office find some novel new ways to battle D.C. forces and each other.
As for his character, Scott said there are some switches in store too.
“This season Dan evens out a bit,” Scott said. Though Dan remains unlikable, “he’s not quite as effective as we saw in Season 1. Last year he had the answers for everything. This year he falls on his face a lot.”
ALSO:
Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ talents power through ‘Veep’
Tough lesson in the biz for cast of TBS’ ‘My Boys’
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