Interview conducted by Josh Horowitz
March 26, 2004
David Arquette is a man of many hats. Star of the SCREAM trilogy. Husband to Courtney Cox. Father to be. Producer of WE’s MIX IT UP. Youngest child of an esteemed acting clan. Former WCW champion. Oh those Arquettes…they’re a funky bunch.
The 32-year-old Arquette is currently starring alongside rapper turned actor in the action/drama NEVER DIE ALONE. DMX does the heavy lifting in this one in terms of action. Maybe David is still pooped from fending off all those EIGHT LEGGED FREAKS in the 2002 film of that name.
I chatted with David on the phone recently from Los Angeles.
David Arquette: Josh?
Josh Horowitz: Hey David. How’s it going?
DA: Good. How are you?
JH: Good. I know you’ve probably had a busy day of interviews so you’re probably tired of this sort of thing.
DA: No problem. I just had a break. I’ve been relaxing.
JH: I see. So you knew this was going to be the toughest one of the day?
DA: Yeah. This is it. I’m buckling down.
JH: So despite the title of this film, NEVER DIE ALONE is not a film for the kiddies? This is not your companion piece to SEE SPOT RUN?
DA: No. Not for the kids. That’s for sure. Unless you’re raising young gangsters.
JH: So what happened? There was no room for a picture of you on the poster?!? Who the hell does DMX think he is?
DA: I know. Exactly. They’ve suspiciously put my name in a color that if you squint your eyes, it disappears.
JH: Sort of an optical illusion thing?
DA: Yeah. I think they’re trying to hide me as much as possible. They don’t want to lose their core audience.
JH: No no, you’re core gangsta. You’re what it’s all about.
DA: I know! See, they don’t know that. The infamous “they”.
JH: How did you hook up with this project?
DA: I read the script. I knew [director] Ernest [Dickerson] was doing it and once I read it I met with him and I just really wanted to be a part of it. I knew DMX was going to be in it and I think he’s an excellent rapper and he’s done some excellent action movies. I just liked the tone of the script. It was really unapologetic. You seldom find a main character who is so ruthless. You just watch him and are fascinated by him.
JH: That mirrors somewhat your character in the film. Paul is in awe of King David.
DA: At first, until he really figures out who this person is. People are so taken by and impressed by this whole being tough and ghetto thing. It goes on at a lot of different levels. Men are taught to be womanizers and tough and all this shit that in reality isn’t that important and in reality can screw your life up.
JH: You’re essentially the only white character here. Did you feel like an outsider at all in the film?
DA: Not so much. I’m sort of the catalyst for the audience to learn from and help along on the whole trip. A lot of my scenes were alone. I just kind of sat there and would sort of absorb the story and kind of felt a little lost at points but Ernest would sort of clarify it for me and he knew what he wanted so it all turned out.
JH: I was surprised to see this film was shot in just 18 days. Sounds like a schedule for independent film and not something released by Fox.
DA: It actually was made as an independent and was picked up by Fox Searchlight. It was independently financed and had that indie mentality. Ernest knows the camera so well and just made a film that would stand up and actually looked like a full budget movie.
JH: Did the fact that you were well received in a very dramatic role in THE GREY ZONE change things at all in terms of how you were viewed in the business?
DA: I did a string of commercials and a series of sort of SEE SPOT Run movies. After that I was kind of burnt out on it. People kind of just saw me in that light. I had done independent films in the past. Once you do something sort of over the top, they throw out all your past work. I’d rather do good acting work although I love doing comedies and entertainment for kids. When a kid recognizes you it means so much. But yeah, after THE GREY ZONE I did want to start making better choices.
JH: Well you’re obviously not afraid to mix it up. Not many men can pull off going from a holocaust film to a monster movie. I didn’t see Liam Neeson going to do GODZILLA after SCHINDLER’S LIST. Are you pretty self aware of your career and how the choices you make effect what comes next?
DA: No. I’m not very self aware about my career. I probably should be more so. Just to be brutally honest, it’s not like I have every movie at my fingertips. I can’t get seen on a lot of pictures. So I like to take chances with first time directors and try to help with my name to put things together to help raise money for films that might not otherwise get made without me.
JH: Can you convince me why I should choose your show, MIX IT UP, over TRADING SPACES?
DA: Well MIX IT UP is a reality show unlike a lot of the other ones. We really go in there. We try not to overproduce things. We use a lot of mistakes and the real emotional stuff. We always try to have a happy ending. The whole show is based on two people arguing about a room and we try to blend their styles to make them happy. That’s unlike TRADING SPACES. TRADING SPACES is about watching the train wreck.
JH: I want to talk to you about a few of your early roles. In the brief TV series version of THE OUTSIDER, you had the tall order of stepping into the shoes of Emilio Estevez. And then it seems like a pattern was developing here, you had the Keanu Reeves role in the PARENTHOOD series.
DA: That’s right. It was really something else…
JH: I mean what the hell?!?
DA: I know. It was really bizarre. PARENTHOOD was a
great group of people and THE OUTSIDERS was my first job and it was really incredibly educational. I decided to act professionally on that job rather than go off to college. I got THE OUTSIDERS during my senior year and it was a matter of, either learn on the job or go study it. I decided to just go for it.
JH: PARENTHOOD had a very interesting cast. I believe it was the only time Ed Begley Jr. and Leonardo Dicaprio teamed for a project.
DA: (LAUGHS) Maybe. I think so. It was a lot of fun. Leo was great. He was always a really great actor so it was fun. We had some really interesting scenes [together]. It’s funny to see us because although I’m just a few years older than him. That was at a time when he looked really young and I was already kind of old. So we have scenes where he looks like a little kid.
JH: When I say the words CRUEL DOUBT, does anything pop into your mind?
DA: (LAUGHS) That actually was a pretty fun miniseries or whatever when it came out.
JH: It had an interesting cast. You, Blythe Danner and Gwyneth Paltrow.
DA: Really? I didn’t know that!
JH: You don’t remember that? You have to check it out sometime.
DA: No kidding! You got all the poop.
JH: You were the WCW champion for two weeks. I have to say that the fact that you were a wrestling champion makes me…
DA: Uncomfortable?
JH: Well, can you restore my faith in the sport? You earned that title, right?
DA: The fact of the matter is it really upset a lot of people and I’m sorry for that. I don’t write the storylines. If it’s sports entertainment and entertainment is what it’s all about, then what’s the big deal? I got so much shit. It was ridiculous, hearing on the radio these morons tearing me apart.
JH: Did Courtney treat you any differently for those two weeks? Did you walk around with an extra swagger?
DA: I actually did. I got her and Kurt Russell to do a promo during one of the shows which is like one of the greatest promos ever. They’re on the set 3000 MILES TO GRACELAND and I come up with the belt and I’m like, “I’m the new WCW heavyweight champ” and then Kurt Russell goes “yeah right!” He walks off and then I grab a chair and go after him. (LAUGHS)
JH: Did you get hurt at all in the wrestling?
DA: Nah. I didn’t really get hurt.
JH: Just your emotions?
DA: Yeah and plus they didn’t show me how to do it at all so I look back on some of the tapes and I’m flopping around and taking phantom hits and it’s just kind of embarrassing.
JH: The Rock has a movie coming out. Can you and DMX take down a fellow professional?
DA: We’ll see, man. The Rock’s pretty tough. That’s another movie that they didn’t want me for.
JH: Oh really?!? (LAUGHS)
DA: It’s nice. It’s a good feeling.
JH: It’s a good feeling not to be wanted.
DA: They just don’t want you. It’s nice. When you’re just an actor, maybe not the top of the list guys, you get constant rejection and it’s fun.
JH: You were in the movie FREE MONEY with Marlon Brando. Did you get any quality time with him?
DA: You’re blowing me away with all of these references! I did! I had like a whole day with Brando!
JH: I need a Brando story. What was it like?
DA: It was like, “My Day with Brando.” It’s the most ridiculous day you’ve ever...like it was so surreal. I show up and it’s snowing in Montreal and it’s freezing and I’ve got two scenes with Brando. We show up and he takes forever but I totally don’t care. I couldn’t be happier even though it wasn’t such a great scene but it was with Brando. I would have much rather had some big acting scene with him but I’m trying to sell him my truck. We get there and he comes out and he’s like, let’s rehearse. He’s like, [in a Brando imitation] “let’s re-work this scene. What if the kid gets on his hands and knees and what if he shakes my hand and he won’t let go?” He’s bringing out these things that are like old three stooges references. And then he’s like “what if the kid pulls a Groucho Marx and he gets on his hands and knees and I step on his back to get into the truck.” And I was like, “sure!” And the director was like, “no way!” because he was like 350 pounds. The in between takes he said “you wanna come sit in my car?” cause he has a heated car on the set. So he sat in front and I sat right behind him. It was so surreal because I was like talking to the back of his head the whole time. I was kind coming down with something and I didn’t want to get him sick. I was like sniffling in the back and he was like, “do you have a cold?” At that point I was like (feebly) “no no” and then I got out and didn’t get back in the car.
JH: That is hilarious. Your day with Brando…soon to be a Vanity Fair story.
DA: I’m telling you. It goes deep too. There were some strange moments.
JH: It seems like you’re always described as goofy. Does that get a little old? You don’t want to be 60 years old and described as goofy I would think.
DA: I guess I’ve always been a little goofy so I can’t avoid that. I don’t know. I’m getting older. I’m going to be a father. At some point it’s got to let up a little.
JH: But the kid is going to want a goofy dad.
DA: There you go. At least until high school and then you just embarrass them.
JH: I know you did THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW in LA. Have you ever considered doing Broadway?
DA: I would love to. If anyone ever wanted me to do Broadway out there, poopshoot readers, please think of me.
JH: Can you tell me anything about the Stephen king film you just did?
DA: Yeah, it was great. RIDING THE BULLET.
JH: Are you the creepy guy or the guy being creeped out?
DA: I’m the creepy guy. I pick up Jonathan Jackson and yeah, I creep him out. I just slowly start getting creepier and creepier. It was fun, just like getting to go nuts for a few weeks.
NEVER DIE ALONE is now in theaters. MIX IT UP airs on WE.
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