Seann William Scott – Role Models – Home Entertainment Exclusive Interview

Sean William Scott’s on screen persona is known as that young guy whose sense of responsibility is extremely limited and not exactly a role model for children.
In Role Models, Sean alongside Paul Rudd trash their company’s truck, drink on the job, curse in front of children and get naked on a camping trip.

Scott calls the shoot a “real challenge” especially the naked scene that caused a real dilemma. “I looked at my ass in a mirror for the first time… the day before shooting the scene. I was like “I’d better check this out, it’s going to be on film for ever, so I looked and I went … “Oh God no!”

Scott, a method actor, not only did his own nude scenes but also wore the gigantic Minotaur costume in all the scenes (even though his face was not visible). Sean says: “I didn’t really feel like an actor, I felt like a clown, I was thinking to myself “This could be anybody, you don’t even know it’s me. You could just tell a guy “Do this in the outfit” but I’m not like that and I really felt like I had to be in the outfit all the time.”

When asked about his own role models, Sean mentions the influence of his older brother. “He is 10 yrs older than me and he was the guy who kind of inspired me to pursue acting. He encouraged me and convinced me I could do this.”

Q: Can you talk about the costume?

A: I felt like I was an action hero in that thing… That sucked, I mean every time I went to the beach I had to remember I was not working at a coalmine that I was lucky to be an actor. It was hard though. I think they tried to torture me as much as possible. There was a scene that they cut out where I’m in a chipmunk Charlie’s outfit, so basically in the movie I dress as a chipmunk and minotaur, am a member of Kiss and get naked and it get swap around the all time…

Q: Which one is the most challenging?

A: I think the naked part was the most challenging. I was like: “Should I get an ass double?” And isn’t it a line from a Julia Roberts Movie or where she’s like “oh Mel does all his own ass work”… doesn’t it sound familiar? It’s from Notting Hill…I thought if the guy has a worst ass than I do, or even if he doesn’t but everybody going to think it’s mine and it’s not going to be mine, I was like ok I have to do my own…

Q: But the thing is that you didn’t just have to do that. You had to lay down with everybody around…

A: Yes for sure… and kids too… I think one threw up, he was an extra, I was like oh great, it means one kid threw up…

Q: Did you exercise for the film?

A: I should of, but at that point there was no way to pull off a miracle… also the day once I looked at it I started to do squats but I started to cramp up because I haven’t been to the gym. So wasn’t used to working out… I just thought ‘forget it.’

Q: So you didn’t use a double?

A: No I thought about it, I considered using somebody else ass but no I didn’t.

Q: Are you a good role model?

A: I’m a terrible role model, I’m a good role model to my nephew, although I make him watch all my bad movies, so maybe it’s a little selfish

Q: How old is he?

A: 8 years old, he‘s seen it twice, so I told him about all the nudity and stuff, I made him watch “road trip” too, so he’s heard me swear… but he went to a screening in LA and my mom has seen it twice and she’s a Christian girl. She laughed so hard when Jane Lynch says “I used to s…his d…. For drugs” She said “I feel such a sinner for laughing…”. I told her “Mom you’re a sinner if you don’t laugh…”

Q: Growing up, was there a role model for you? Someone you looked up to, that protected you?

A: I was lucky because I had 4 brothers and 2 sisters, I’m the youngest of 7. I have a brother who worked on the Onion, he is 10 yrs older than me and he was the guy who kind of inspired me to pursue acting because I thought I could go play college baseball or football or I could pursue that wild dream that is acting. He said “You should do it”. It was the first time I ever left Minnesota, I went to visit him because he had started a newspaper in Albuquerque. I was like “I am thinking this thing and there is also that girl that crushed me and I want to show her that is her loss and become a movie star…” He was like “You should do it.”

Q: So you owe that girl then?

A: Kind of yeah, in a way.

Q: What kind of girls do you generally like?

A: I like them all… I’m not very picky, I like the super heavy ones… just kidding

Q: Looking at your film list, there is always a constant thread, it is that self-confidence that your character possess, and I was wondering how evocative is that thread of you in real life?

A: I think it is really different actually, I’m not a very confident guy and the films you are talking about are probably Road Trip, American pie… and I’m not that guy. In American Pie I always felt like he was the guy who always talks about having sex but he’s probably a virgin, he’s probably the guy that never had sex… maybe he was gay but never really knew, although he couldn’t figure it out. I’m not that confident, that’s why it’s fun, I don’t think I’m good at playing the Ben Stiller rip-off character. I tried with “Woodcock” and even if the movie had been good and it wasn’t, I think I would have probably not be effective in that.

I think in this genre, the broad comedy, it is better I play the guy’s guy role, I’m kind of a private guy, I’m definitely not the guy going out to clubs and trying to get girls all the time, sometime I envy those guys that have the confidence just to go up and talk to any girls and do those things but I just don’t have the energy for it. I was the most friendly in high school that’s the most ironic thing, you know with all the movies I’ve done. But actually that character is different because he’s actually a nice guy, he’s pretty optimistic, he’s not mean with anybody.

Q: What is the difference between the relationship you had with the teacher there and how you are with the kids in this one?

A: Oh… it is fiction

Q: So you’re not friends with them?

A: I became really good friend with Bobby, because you know Bobby has a genius mind. He started doing stand-up comedy, I mean at 10 or 9, working at the Apollo I think and after couple days he just let his guards out, and started to be a typical 10yrs old kid. And I spent a lot of time with him. I think I was a pretty good role model, he swore way more than I did. He had a big party mouth.

Q: If you had had that kind of potty mouth when you were younger, what would you parents have done?

A: I would have had my ass kicked. I actually tried once, I dropped an F… bomb at dinner once, because I was never grounded because I was so spoiled. I remember my Dad sitting at the table with all the kids. He was going around the table asking the kids about their day… and I had planned this, because I wanted to know what it was like to be grounded I never could get grounded. So he came to me and he was like so Sean what about you how was your day? And I went “Fucking shitty”. And he was like “What?” –“It was fucking shitty Dad”. I was 7 years old. And he’s like you’re grounded. And I’m like yeah!! But it sucked and I was like Dad I did it on purpose, no you didn’t… I smelled popcorn because the Dukes of hazard was on… please Dad no you said the F… word… No but no way, I grew up in a church we went to a lot of weird churches but at the same time my father was that beer drinking, factory worker, blue collar guy so… but as many crazy jokes he told us about his factory he never swore

Q: So how are you doing your research for this characters being such a nice guy? You have to find all the details…

A: I think everybody has it in them, it is like girls like in Sex And The City, we are all a little naughty, we all have a little bit of naughtiness in ourselves. Guys no matter what their style can relate. That’s why I have a career because I speak like guys, I can be a version of a guy’s guy - watching sports every Sunday… but for me I think my family was rich with comedy, we grew up in the same dialect that we’ve seen in Fargo. So we had the weirdest language and food and my family was all nuts… so I usually just rip-off everything I’ve heard from my family

Q: Do you think as you age you become more political or more socially conscious?

A: I’m very different, some people have to go through various issues, they are really young, in their teens or early 20’s, but generally you feel invincible but in a few years I lost 8 people and it forces you to grow up… like my dad, 2 uncles… friends… or just one or dealing with sickness with family members…, so you look at life in a different way…?

Q: Going from LA to NY? Was it a big change?

A: Yes I still live here for work, I like to people-watch that’s challenging with movies, you get recognized and it is a great compliment but I just love to be a fly on the wall and watch people. But I don’t know if I could be there more than 4 months at a time but it is so nice.

Q: Do you feel more anonymous in NY?

A: Yes I think so, it doesn’t seem like they care as much. In LA it’s kind of the same everybody does kind of the same job, it’s like if Wall Street took up all over LA… There is much more culture in NY it’s more like Europe.