June 5, 2005

1. Have you had a chance to watch the American version of "The Office?" If so, what do you think of it?

I've only been able to see a couple of episodes and while I am willing to give it time to grow into it's own, my first reaction is that it doesn't work quite as well. I am (and have been) a huge fan of Steve Carell but he's missing the crucial element of desperation and neediness behind his character to make the humor of the show work. Ricky Gervais is a hard act to follow in terms of that but without that quality the boss is just a loudmouth jerk that we don't care about in any way. Just my opinion.

2. Is there any chance that Showtime will do any Queer As Folk movies?

Not that I've heard of, but if their subscriptions drop way off after we leave the airwaves and there's a huge letter writing campaign I suppose anything's possible.

3. Peter Paige has mentioned that now that he's no longer "eating to be naked on television," he's loving carbs and food in general. How has your diet changed since the show ended?

I just allow myself a little more freedom to have the occasional pizza and dessert now and then that I wouldn't while filming. Nothing too extreme, though.

4. Do you listen to a lot of jazz? And if so, who is your favorite jazz artist?

I don't listen to a ton of jazz but I do like Chet Baker and Miles Davis quite a lot.

5. Scott, how much of a diva are you? Do you clean your own house, do your own laundry, cook your own meals, etc.? Or do you have a huge staff of underlings to take care of your every need?

Let's remember that I worked for cable, people. Not only cable, but Showtime: "the li'l network that could." So I can afford a cleaning lady to come every two weeks and that's about it. Other than that it's all up to me. Even if I had a ton of dough I'm not sure I'd be comfortable having someone all up in my business anyway. I'm too private that way to have a staff of minions.

6. Would you ever get a tattoo, and if so, what would you get and where?

I have trouble committing to one woman for the rest of my life. How the hell am I going to commit to an inky drawing on my flesh forever?

7. What qualities do you want most in a director?

A director that I know has the ability to create beautiful interesting pictures on the screen as well as challenging me to find something deeper and truer in the scene we're creating ... unless I'm already perfect in what I'm doing and then they should just tell me I'm a genius and leave it at that.

8. How did the ideas for your play and screenplay come to you?

Dreams, obsessions and life experiences.

9. I was horrified but not really surprised at the reelection of George Bush; I heard his brother Jeb might run for president. This frightens me; is it really expensive to live in Canada?

Not if you live in Saskatchewan.

10. Can you explain the difference between an agent and a manager? Do you have both?

Technically, an agent is sanctioned by the unions to negotiate contracts for you and is your main procurer of work. Agents can not be producers as it would be a conflict of interest for them to be negotiating contracts for their clients in projects that they have a financial interest in. Agents usually represent a large pool of talent. Managers work with a smaller group and are therefore able to give more one-on-one attention and focus on the 'Big Picture" of a career as opposed to a job-to-job mentality that agents may have. Because they are not involved directly in negotiating union contracts they can produce works for their clients. Legally managers are not supposed to procure work for you but in reality the do, quite a lot (and you want them too). Ideally your manager is off finding projects for you that your agent can't and vice versa. They should come to each other's aide when one is having difficulty getting their client in the door for a project and the other has connections or relationships that can help get their mutual client considered. I do indeed have both.