2000
David Arquette's manager is trumpeting the 28-year-old actor as Hollywood's next Adam Sandler. Can it be? Only time — and box-office receipts — will tell. But the goofy actor and AT&T shill is making an energetic run at big league stardom. This month he reprises his role as doofus Deputy Dewey Riley in the slasher-spoof sequel Scream 3, and April will see him starring in Ready to Rumble, directed by Varsity Blues' Brian Robbins, as a lunkhead waste disposal expert who happens to also be a major wrestling fanatic.
If it seems like he's being typecast as a bonehead, well, that's a character niche with which Arquette is clearly at ease. During a recent appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, he showed up as a soused hobo missing a tooth (blacked-out), and pushing a cart crammed with goofy props. But these days, the bright young star has more going for him than just his affable personality: At the close of Scream 2, a blood-drenched Dewey is rushed to the hospital by ambulance, anxiously accompanied by hard-boiled — and newly lovestruck — TV reporter Gale Weathers (the former Courteney Cox). Last June, life imitated art when Friends stalwart Cox added an Arquette to her name and the screen couple became real life co-stars.
In some ways, Arquette's rapidly unfolding movie star lifestyle seems blessed by destiny. He's the youngest of five actor sisters and brothers — the others are Rosanna, Patricia (wife of Nicolas Cage), Alexis, and Richmond — and his showbiz lineage extends to father Lewis, who co-starred on The Waltons; and grandpa Cliff, ol' Charley Weaver on The Jack Paar Show and Hollywood Squares. At 17, David debuted as a greaser on the short-lived TV series incarnation of The Outsiders. He went on to act in and produce five independent features — including Dream With the Fishes and The Alarmist — showing up five years running at the Sundance Film Festival.
Earnest-but-inept Sheriff's Deputy Dewey — "My name is Dwight!" — brought an end to all of that, of course. Just three days after the dawning of the year 2000, Mr. Showbiz chatted with a chipper, yet grounded Arquette. In person, the man who fearlessly (and obnoxiously) assaults hapless strangers in his "1-800-CALL-ATT" commercials is soft-spoken, low-key, and talks with a slight Southern drawl. He's also just about the happiest newlywed you could hope to meet.
So what did you do on New Year's Eve?
We just went up North to a little
hotel. It was very subdued, but fun.
Do I detect a Southern accent?
It's sort of a hodgepodge. If I hang
out with Courteney's family [native Alabamans] a lot, I have a Southern accent.
If I hang out with my friends from the East Coast, I have an East Coast accent.
It's more of a slur, I think.
Was making Scream 3 more fun now that
you and Courteney are married?
Yeah! We got to share a trailer!
Have lots of scenes together?
Yes — which was great.
Did you rehearse and talk about your
scenes a lot during the shoot?
A little bit, but not very much. The
movie was being rewritten the whole time, so we kept getting new scripts and new
changes.
That's always fun.
Yeah … I don't really enjoy that
process. It's hard when you aren't sure of anything that's going on.
Were there lots of bodies, and bloody
stuff going on?
There's always quite a bit of that. At
the beginning [of the shoot], there was sort of a backlash. So I think they
tried to tone it down. But after they saw one thing they shot, they said,
"You know what? This is the kind of movie we're making, and this isn't
scary." If you don't make it jarring, then it doesn't have as much impact.
Is that why they kept rewriting it?
They just reshot one of the first
killing scenes and then, I think, they got into the killing mode.
Does this Scream have more humor than
the others?
It does have a lot of humor. Parker
Posey is really funny. She plays the actress that's playing Courteney's
character in the movie they're making — a movie inside a movie. She just had
everyone cracking up. And Courteney is really silly in it. She's always silly.
Offstage, too?
Well, she's a pretty humorous person.
Does someone play your character,
Dewey, in Stab 3?
Matt Keeslar. And he's just wonderful.
It was funny seeing him in the outfit and the mustache.
Does he look like you?
No, not really. He's actually better
looking!
This was the third Scream you've done.
Were there any challenges left playing Dewey?
Even though the movies aren't too
serious, you do have to approach certain aspects from a realistic, emotional
point of view, which is always a little difficult. But we have such a great time
doing them, so it's not really the most difficult film to make.
How have the Scream movies furthered
your career?
Scream was my big break. It really
helped me immensely.
Do directors see you now as more of a
comic actor?
Yes, but I'm not sure if that's been
from Scream. I think it may have come more from the AT&T commercials that
I'm doing. They kind of got people into seeing me as comedic, which [is how]
I've always considered myself, on account of my family's background. It's what I
feel comfortable doing.
But I also enjoy dramatic work. I know I can do that any time. But right now
people are seeing me as a [comic actor], so I'm indulging that rather than
trying to prove myself as something else. That's what's here right now.
So you enjoy playing comedy?
Yeah. It's a lot less stressful than
doing dramatic stuff all the time.
Your manager says you're the next Adam
Sandler. Do you agree?
No. That's my manager speaking. No, I
don't see that.
Your family was the biggest influence
on your comedy?
Yeah. I studied improvisation with my
father. He had the biggest effect.
Was your grandfather Cliff still alive
when you were born?
I was about 5 when he died. I remember
him a little bit. I went to the Museum of TV and looked at some old Hollywood
Squares he was on. I wish I could have seen more of the Jack Paar Show, but they
did have a neat special where they went traveling together. It was pretty
incredible.
Did you always want to be an actor?
Yes, but I was put off when I was
about 15 because I'd been rejected a lot going out on auditions as a kid. I
never got a job, so I got distracted and a little bit resentful about it. Then I
did a school play, and it relit the spark inside me. After studying, I went on
another audition and got my first job, on The Outsiders. It was only on for a
year but gave me enough experience and love for acting that I wanted to
continue.
Tell me about Ready to Rumble.
It's pretty much an adventure — one
of the funniest scripts I've read. These two kids are best friends, and their
hero is Oliver Platt's character, a World Championship Wrestling champ, who's
had a fall from grace. They want to help him get his glory back. But they get in
trouble — and have a lot of fun.
Is this your biggest part thus far?
Probably. And it's broader comedy. But
it has heart too. It's not just some kind of spoof. The wrestling world is so
intricate and fun.
Did you actually wrestle?
A little, but we had stunt doubles,
which made it a lot easier on us.
What's it like being the youngest of
five kids?
I think the youngest have it easy.
They've already had a path forged for them. I mean, the parents have adjusted to
being parents and don't have to make the same mistakes again.
Do you and your siblings give one
another career advice?
I've gotten priceless advice from my
sisters and brothers. We help each other out; but when it comes down to it,
really, it's up to you.
How's married life?
Oh, it's great! It's everything I've
dreamed of. It's just so much fun.
Are you and Courteney planning a
family?
Eventually, but nothing right now.
You met working on Scream, didn't you?
Yes. We got to know each other. It
took us a while to know we were right for each other. But by the end of Scream
2, we were getting more serious.
Did you try to keep it secret?
When we first met, on the set of
Scream, we did. It was a whole new thing, and we didn't … [Shrugs.] But I
guess everyone kind of knew.
You must be pleased that Courteney
changed her name, professionally.
Yeah, it's wonderful. We have so much
fun together. Her family came out, and we had a great time.
Does she have a big family too?
Yes, in Alabama.
You were born in Virginia, on an
artists' commune. So you both share a Southern background.
Her more so than me. I was born in
Virginia, but pulled out, so I didn't really get to know the South too much. I
only spent a couple of years there, and then we moved to Chicago, where we
stayed until I was about 5. Then we moved to L.A. But I always feel a fondness
for the South. I love doing Westerns.
Before Scream 3, you made The Shrink Is
In, also appearing opposite Courteney. What's that one about?
I'm a magazine salesman who really
falls for Courteney's character. She's posing as a therapist, and I'm a patient.
You've made several independent
features. Any yen to do more?
I was going to make another one, but
it was starting right away, and I needed a little time off. I hope to do more,
only there isn't a script that's knocking me out right now.
You want to develop your own movies.
Why is that important to you?
Because you get to do what you really
want — pick and choose. The process of producing a movie is like raising a
child. You help nurture it and watch it grow and have a lot of say in certain
things. It's just enjoyable. But as an actor, you come in and people expect you
to just do it and get out. It's not as fulfilling as being part of something in
which you have a vested interest.
Do you have anything else on the agenda
along those lines?
Nothing actually scheduled, but a lot
of things are in the works. Honky! is a movie we've been trying to get made for
awhile. It's about this black dance show that hires a white kid to be on the
show to tank it. They teach him how to get in touch with soul. It's got such a
great background as far as the '70s — a lot of dancing. We had it at a studio,
and now we've been trying to move it around to different ones.
Was there ever a rough time or hurdle
in your life that you had to overcome? You said you weren't getting jobs when
you were very young.
That wasn't a hurdle exactly. But,
yeah, there have been life lessons I've had to learn. Growing up in Los Angeles
is a pretty tough deal. In any big city, there are a lot of kids, a lot of
things you have to deal with; and you have to figure out your way through and
make the right decisions.
Growing up, you have to focus on certain things, hang out with the right people,
put your schooling first. Because you can have sex with the wrong people, you
can do drugs. You can do a lot of different things. But you have to get a grip
and understand who you want to be and what you want to do with your life — or
you will get lost.
But you've made all the right
decisions, haven't you?
No, I've made a lot of mistakes in my
time, but I learned from them and moved on.
What's your key strength?
I enjoy life and try to be the best
person I can. That's all we can do. And try to bounce back from letdowns.
Remaining true to yourself is the most important thing.
What do you do to kick back?
I like painting and drawing, and
spending time with my family and Courteney and her family. I enjoy reading and
writing, and watching movies, listening to music.
You have a rock band, EAR2000. Will we
hear it in Scream 3?
We're on the soundtrack. I'm not sure,
though, if we have a spot in the movie. Hopefully it will be at the end.
Do you sing?
I sing, help construct the songs, and
produce. We all take part in manufacturing the music.
You appeared once on Friends, right
after Scream. Any plans to guest-star again?
No. But I love watching Courteney on
it.
By Jane Wollman Rusoff, Mr Showbiz
©2001 Absolutely Arquette