Ryan Scott – ‘Harold Wentworth’
By Justin
First, I would like to say thank you for taking the time to answer our
questions. I’m sure you are very busy, and agreeing to this
arrangement shows your loyalty to your fans! I just would like to say
that you are a great actor and hopefully Days gives you a new storyline soon
because you are a great asset to the show!
1)What were you doing before you landed a reoccurring role on Days? Is
this your first time on daytime?
Prior to my audition for Days of Our Lives, I was in the middle of
pre-production on a short film that I co-wrote, co-produced, and
co-starred in with my roommate (at the time) entitled "Ben & Matt". It is
a farce on the making of Good Will Hunting, and a humorous look at the
relationship between Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. This 8-minute short
film can be viewed online at
http://www.ifilm.com
(type in “ben & matt” in the search engine on that homepage). As far as my day
to day goes, there are a hundred different things I was doing to make the
rent…all legal of course :)
2) How does it make you feel to be working with one of Salem’s
supercouples, Jack and Jen? Harold got thrown into the
mix with Jack, Jen, and Greta, so it must have been awesome to
be part of that storyline!
The thrill was lived out more by my mother, initially, when I first booked
the part. I wasn’t up to date with the show (I watched it for about a
year when Austin, Carrie, and Mike were on the scene). My mom was excited
that I was going to be working with J & J. She was, none-the-less,
despondent about which J. I was going to be romantically involved with :)
The early days of working with Julianne Morris were great, and every day of
work with Matt and Melissa have been a blessing. Both are tremendously
talented and exceedingly generous as human beings, as well as actors.
3) Now, dressing up like a Vegas showgirl was so much fun to
watch. How did you handle not cracking up with Matt running
around like that? You all were very entertaining in
those scenes!
Believe me, we shared quite a few laughs between takes! That is often the
case with Matt, regardless of what he’s wearing. Of course, Matt in a
fire red wig and showgirl make-up was especially humorous. One thing I
learned, after wearing heals for the majority of that week, is that women
deserve some serious respect (not to mention foot massages)! How women
do it I will never understand.
4) You yourself are straight; was it hard for you to play a gay
character at first, and what did you do to prepare to play Harold?
Playing gay was exciting. All characters outside of my everyday life are.
But really, finding Harold did present a challenge. My initial portrayal
of Harold was more a caricature than an actual character. That was due
in part to the flamboyant way he interacted with everyone (how he was
written) and his attitude (or my interpretation of it). In preparation I
went to gay bars in West Hollywood, I rented the British series Queer As
Folk on DVD, and I spent time with a close friend of mine who is gay. It
really gave me an appreciation for the opportunity I had in Harold. It
is easy to lose the humanity in the stereotypes of a gay character.
Shows like Will & Grace succeed magnificently at molding the two into
pure comedy. It all comes down to the writing and living from the heart.
Harold is all heart, and that was incredibly fun to discover as we
(Harold and I) pursued Jack.
5) You have stated in an article not too long ago, I believe in
“Out” magazine, that you are very open to having a love
interest on the show. Is there any word that Harold will have
a love interest coming up? Or at least will we be seeing more
of you on the show?
There has been no word about a love interest, but you never know. As for
seeing more of Harold, I just found out yesterday that I will be going
back for at least one more episode (airing 3/3), so Salem isn’t rid of
Harold just yet…
6) Ryan, so far you have mainly been working with Matt Ashford
and Melissa Reeves. Is there anyone on the cast that you
would just like to have scenes with? I’m sure you would love
to work with them all, but does one actor/actress stand out?
That is a difficult question, because there are several. Part of me
would like to continue to work with some of the veterans of the show,
like Jim Reynolds and Renee Jones, or John Black and Deidre Hall, the
list could really go on as I continue to think about it. There are just
a lot of really amazing people to consider. I think Harold and Sami
could cause quite a stir, and Allison Sweeney would be a blast to work
with. Kyle Lowder and Nadia Bjorlin would be very cool, as well as Bryan
Dattilo. I could go on and on…
7) What are your goals as an actor; do you want to
get into movies, or do a sitcom? I think everyone
who watches the show notices that you have great
comic timing, what other types of shows would you be
interested in doing?
All of the above. Comedy is so much fun to live, and doing a sit-com
would be an exciting and wonderful challenge. Currently I have a
screenplay that I completed a few months ago that has gotten some very
good response early on, and that would take my film/producing career in
the direction I want it to go. Of course I wrote a part for myself. I
have two other screenplays that are on the dramatic side that I am also
very interested in playing. Much in the path of Edward Burns I aspire to
create my own projects and enjoy opportunities like Days or any other show
without depending on them. I also write a column for Medium magazine
entitled “L.A. Proper” that has really opened my eyes even further to my
love of writing.
8) Are you an Internet surfer? Besides our site,
which other Internet sites do you check out (non-soap related)?
My time online is limited, but I usually find myself at entertainment
related sites like imdb.com (internet movie data base) or ifilm.com.
Lately I have been catching up with emails when I have the rare chance to
go on line, so I am kind of out of the loop when it comes to the art of
surfing the web. When in doubt I depend heavily on google.com.
9) And finally, (You're almost at the end, I bet you're relieved)
do you have any advice for anyone out there that would like to
be in the acting business?
You have to need this more than anything else in the world. When I first
moved out here someone told me that this has to be it for you. If you
feel there is anything else in the world that will make you happy, then
you should do that instead and quit pursuing acting immediately. At
first that sounded a bit harsh, it’s acting. It’s fun, right? Yes, when
you’re working. When you’re not (which is the majority of the time for
the majority of professional actors) you have to find the joy in the
pursuit. You have to love getting knocked down and getting back up
again. You have to love failing, over and over again. There is almost a
masochistic way of living as an actor. To face scrutiny and rejection on
a daily basis, voluntarily! We truly live into the saying “whatever
doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” To be happy, as well as
successful, as an actor it has to be in your heart.
10) Is there anything at time you would like to add or say
about yourself personally or professionally?
The love and devotion Days fans have for this show are like nothing I have
ever experienced (with the exception of Nebraskan’s love of the
Cornhuskers!). I receive emails and fan mail from human beings throughout
the U.S. and Canada that continue to inspire me and help me to appreciate
the opportunity I have to share something with each of you in this
lifetime. I am truly grateful and humbled that you took the time out of
your day to read this Q&A. I’m sure I speak for all the members of the cast
when I say “Thank you” for your continued support of the best show on
Daytime.
Namaste,
Ryan Scott – ‘Harold Wentworth’
Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me. I look forward to
watching you on Days of our Lives, or wherever you may end up. Be sure to
visit us on the web http://www.tvmegasite.net
and drop us a line some time. We
would love to hear from you. Be sure to tell other cast members this
isn’t a painful process. I would love to interview them as well. Take
care and thanks again.
Justin
Page updated 5/11/12
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