KVIS to Host Campbell Scott for Film Screening, Q&A

Campbell Scott will have a homecoming of sorts this Friday night at the Katonah Village Library. Invited by the Katonah Village Improvement Society, he will introduce the film, The Spanish Prisoner to local audiences at a screening this Friday night.

The 50-year-old actor was raised in South Salem by his parents, actors George C. Scott and Colleen Dewhurst, and attended John Jay High School before heading off to Hollywood to star in such films as Longtime Companion (1990,  Dying Young (1992, with Julia Roberts) and Singles (1992). More recently he starred in the 2009 drama, Handsome Harry, with Steve Buscemi, had a recurring role in the television drama Damages, starring Glenn Close, and now appears in the USA Network show, Royal Pains.

Scott lives in Manhattan with his wife, actress Kathleen McElfresh, and their seven-month-old baby. Scott also has a 14-year old son from his first marriage.

For details on Friday's event, Read on for the Patch interview with Scott.

Patch: Can you share some childhood or high school memories—what did you like about growing up here?

Scott: Well, South Salem was much less populated back then, and Katonah wasn't as chic as it is today. I remember the train station being much smaller. I loved going to the firemen's carnivals—in Katonah and South Salem. I did my first play at John Jay High School, and remember strong arts departments there. Gil Freeman was a great music teacher and he put on challenging plays. The theatre can be a magnet for popular people and those wanting to be away from people—I fit into the latter—so it was an interesting mix. I was going to be a teacher, but the [acting] hook had sunk in by then and I never pursued it.

Patch: And you met fellow actor Stanley Tucci at John Jay?

Scott: Yes, he was a year ahead of me in school and I started acting with him. We obviously went on many years later to act and direct together [in Day Trippers, The Imposters, and Big Night, which they co-directed).

 Patch: What will locals enjoy about The Spanish Prisoner? 

Scott: Well, I haven't seen it in a long time! And I do really want to see it and see if it holds up. It was very popular for an independent movie—[director] David Mamet was a big draw, and it had a big audience, because nothing is what it seems in this film, which is sort of an intellectual thriller.

Patch: Speaking of independent films, much of your work seems to fall into that category. Was that a style choice or philosophy?

Scott:  Well, it seems to be the world I’ve ended up in—mostly by choice, and by necessity. I did studio movies early on, and perhaps by mutual agreement with the industry I've appeared in independent films, which I've found more satisfying all around. The genre has changed quite a lot in the last 20 years, now movies can be made with a hand-held camera edited on your laptop, and it will be interesting to see what happens in the next 20 years.

Patch: Over the years you've been in so many roles in film: actor, director, writer, producer...which have you enjoyed the most, and how does one inform the other?

Scott: As an actor, you're sort of self-involved, so once I did other things, I became more well-rounded. You move from auditioning yourself to concentrating on other people and other things and guiding others. The big surprise was producing— which I found very rewarding. Absolutely, it makes you better.

Patch: Which character have you enjoyed the most or most identified with?

Scott: As an actor, it's your job to fall in love with whomever you play as much as you can. I’ve done a lot of theater, which is more actor-oriented and different from film, and there have been some parts in plays I have loved. There have been some weird ones—I often like the misfits! One great role I really loved was my part in Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle, where we all played real people. It was so much fun with different characters and actors, and director Alan Rudolph was in love with the actors.

Patch: Any role you haven't played yet that you would love to play?

Scott: I'm too old! (laughs). I'd love to try Shakespeare. 

Patch: I'm sure you've gotten this before and I don't know if I can ask without gushing—but Singles was one of our favorites. Whey you think it resonates, 20 years later?

Scott: I do get asked about this film all the time! I think it can be watched by 20-somethings—people of that certain age—of any generation. It's light-hearted, but a good examination of that time in one's life, when we're not adults yet, but are trying to be. It's nostalgic for all of us.

Patch: And what advice do you have for young people in our community wanting to get started in film or acting?

Scott: I have said the same thing for 20 years—you should make decisions first about your real life. Where do you want to live, what turns you on the most? Is it Chicago theatre? Film in L.A. or New York? The geography can start you off, it generates the group of people you are with and the jobs you get and pool of people you are associated with. And don't be afraid of new choices—television, for example, is not as looked down upon as it used to be and well-known actors are going to cable television where they can stretch their muscles.

Patch: Can I offer you some restaurant recommendations in town for after the screening?

Scott: I'm afraid I'll be rushing back to the city to be with the baby! But thank you. I look forward to it.