Empire_Australasia_-_February_2017

LOCATION

COSTUME

AUDITION

WORDSCHRIS HEWITT

ALAMY, GETTY, PHOTOFEST

BEST OF TIMES |WORST OF TIMES

DOUGRAY SCOTT

I did a [four-part Irish] TV series called Father & Son. I was

playing this Manchester gangster [who returns to Ireland after

seven years in a British prison]. I’m not that, but I loved the

journey of discovery through that process, the research in

creating that character. He was a million miles away from me.

If the writing’s there, it makes your job so much easier.

It was to play this New York cop in Frequency, and the dialect coach and

I went walking around talking in a Queens accent to prepare for the

screen test. They offered it to me as soon as it was over, but the actor

who was also in it pulled out, and then I had to go do this other movie.

I’m lucky. The ones I do are the ones I get offered. Auditioning is painful.

I remember once when I was auditioning for a play, and I had to say, “I’m

just going to the lavatory.” But all I could say was, “I’m going to the

lavoratory.” All I could think of was “laboratory”. Didn’t get that one.

I did a movie with my wife [Claire Forlani], which was

a disaster. It was called Love’s Kitchen. They lost all

their money, so we had to shoot it in two weeks. It was

a kick-bollock scramble and it looked like shit. I don’t think

I was bad, I think the movie was bad. I’ve never been bad.

You know I’m lying, don’t you?

When I did Ever After, I had this medieval prince outfit. It had a massive

codpiece and I enjoyed parading around in that and wearing a sword and

big leather boots. Did I insist on the big codpiece? It was just practical.

I remember playing Moses in The Ten Commandments, and wearing a

fucking hair shirt. It was so uncomfortable and I didn’t wear underwear,

so it was grinding against that. That was a real pain in the arse. Literally.

I did a movie called

Perfect Creature in

New Zealand. I stayed

in this place called

Kauri Cliffs, and it was

exquisite, beautiful,

magical countryside.

It reminded me a lot

of Scotland, actually.

People get so offended

if you say somewhere’s

a shithole. But Hamilton

in Canada? Not a great

place to film on

Hemlock Grove. Your

fucking face freezes off.

Don’t want to go there

again. Put that down.

On Ripley’s Game, I remember doing this scene with

[John] Malkovich where we’ve laid traps outside the

house. He said, “Let’s throw it around a bit.” He’s

an incredibly generous guy. I don’t think I’m ever

going to work with someone as genius as he is as

a fucking actor. That moment, on that day, on that

set, I thought, “I don’t think I’ll ever be happier.”

couple of years ago I was so frustrated about not,

t, getting the opportunity to do the things I really

nted to do. I’d be offered things and think, “This is

ucking shit.” So I decided I was going to develop

tuff on my own again, and that became exciting.

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