Interviews
Exclusive Interview: Actress Scout Taylor-Compton
By Jonathan Stryker
Sep 5, 2007, 00:41

Scout Taylor-Compton has been working steadily as an actress for nearly ten years, cutting her teeth on “Ally McBeal” and “ER”, “Frazier”, and “Charmed”, then landing acting gigs in CLASS ACTIONS with Diane Venora and SLEEPOVER with Steve Carell.  Last year she landed the role of Laurie Strode in Rob Zombie’s “re-imagining” of John Carpenter’s HALLOWEEN.  Scout is bubbly, approachable, and a fountain of enthusiasm, and was more than happy to speak with me a few weeks prior to the opening of HALLOWEEN about her interests, career, and Rob Zombie. 

Jonathan Stryker:  You were born in Long Beach, CA.  What was it like growing up there?  Did you live near Signal Hill?   

Scout Taylor-Compton:  Yes, I was born in Long Beach.  I had the measles for two weeks!  Then I moved to Hemet, CA, then to Apple Valley, CA, then to Bishop, CA, and my father is a mortician, so I spent a lot of time traveling with him.  I am now based back in Apple Valley, CA, which is a really small desert town near Victorville, CA in San Bernardino County.  I love to ride dirt bikes, so it’s great for me. 

JS:  Was performing in your blood from an early age? 

STC:  I’m a very talkative person, and I don’t shut up, so my parents got me into acting.  We got scammed out of $5000 in the beginning, but I got some good head shots out of it so, my parents knew I’d be a good actress, and it took me ten years to get to this point, so it took a while. 

JS:  Were you an avid TV or film viewer as a child?

STC:  I was more into films when I was younger like the teen movies, you know?  I like the older movies like THE GOONIES and SIXTEEN CANDLES and stuff.  Really, though, I am a fan of horror.  I like the Chucky movies.  Meeting Brad (Dourif) on the set (of Rob Zombie’s HALLOWEEN) was amazing.  And, I also like Freddy, and of course Michael.  Can’t forget Michael! 

JS:  Can you tell me your earliest memories of going to the movies?  What were the films that you saw? 

STC:  I really didn’t go to the movies much, but we would rent movies. 

JS:  Sure, renting VHS tapes was very big at the time that you were growing up.

STC:  Yeah, so my parents would buy me THE GOONIES, PULP FICTION and THE EXORCIST.   I like the older films. 

JS:  Did you go to the drive-ins at all? 

STC:  I go to drive-ins now, actually!  I take my jeep and my guy friends and we go up to the Skyline Drive-In in Barstow, CA.  I love driving, so it’s great. 

JS:  That should be cool when they get HALLOWEEN!

STC:  Definitely! (laughs)

JS:  What are some of the films that made the biggest impact on you? 

STC:  I love Steven Spielberg’s work, his films are terrific.  Like I said before I really like THE GOONIES.  I wish that Hollywood would go back to doing something new and original for a change.  They keep making prequels and sequels and remakes –

JS: Like HALLOWEEN?

STC: Yeah (laughs), and that’s fine, but I want to see something big and new for a change! It’s like no one has any originality anymore. 

JS: I think that there is originality; you just have to look for it and that it usually out of the scope of the Hollywood production. 

STC: Right.

JS: I mean, there are so many opportunities to see something low budget and independent, especially with DVD and high definition and all of these new cable channels that need programming.  Granted, the climate in Hollywood is not like it was in the 1970’s when the studios were all in shambles and the up and coming directors were given free reign to do anything they wanted, but independent cinema really affords filmmakers the opportunity to explore subjects that Hollywood won’t touch, even though American films are still fairly violent and afraid of sex again! 

STC: The studios are hard to get by.  Especially for this one, Dimension.  Rob (Zombie) had a few problems with Dimension.  I mean, I love them but they had to screen the movie in order to get more money because they said, “Okay, this is good, but we’ll give you more money to go and fix it.”

JS: I was talking to Rob Zombie recently and he said that doing just that was actually the dream scenario, to get more money to go out and get extra stuff, because that never happens in reality. 

STC: Well, Dimension now has a great fuckin’ movie on their hands! 

JS: Do you collect movies on home video?  Any favorites? 

STC: I collect all the old movies like THE EXORCIST, SIXTEEN CANDLES –

JS: Great double feature!

STC: Yeah!  (laughs)  THE BREAKFAST CLUB.  I love James Dean, too.  I really like all the Indie horror films, such as the Eight Movies to Die For. 

JS: Yeah, some of those were really creepy, like THE ABANDONED. 

STC: Yeah, I just saw WICKED LITTLE THINGS, which was part of that.  And THE HAMILTONS, by the Butcher Brothers.  I am going to be working with them on the remake of APRIL FOOL’S DAY, so that’s exciting.    

JS: You play Laurie Strode in HALLOWEEN, one of the all-time great scream queen characters and originated by Jamie Lee-Curtis in John Carpenter’s original.  Have you seen John Carpenter’s version, and how did you approach your role in Rob Zombie’s film? 

STC: Absolutely, I have seen it many, many times.  I loved her performance in the film and wanted to make sure that I didn’t mimic everything she did.  I went in and read it with Rob and changed some things here and there and spiced up her character a little bit.  She’s a lot freer, she’s not the bookworm who sits in the back of the classroom and you don’t really see her.  Her friends are playfully mean to her, but she gives it right back.  She also has a little spiciness to her character when dealing with her mom, played by Dee Wallace, which is fun. 

JS: Did you spend a lot of time with the other cast members on the set, or did you keep to yourself? 

STC: No, I had a great deal of interaction with the other cast members on the set.  Tyler Mane (Michael Myers) was like my dad on the set.  We’d watch movies together and play football.  We watched A CLOCKWORK ORANGE with Malcolm (McDowell) in Malcolm’s trailer.  I’d go into Malcolm’s trailer while he was doing make-up and vice-versa and we’d have these really long conversations and debates.  I would spend the night at Danielle’s house and she and I and her boyfriend would go out to dinner, and also to a few parties, and I’m really close with Kristina, so it was really nice. 

STC: At first I was just given my scenes, but then when I went to read with Rob I was given the whole script and initially it read very close to the original.  But then as we continued to read he made some changes, particularly in the dialog. 

JS: How would you characterize Rob Zombie’s directing style? 

STC: I’ve been a fan of his music and movies and he’s a very laid back person.  You just go up to him and talk to him about the scene before you do it.  He tells you what he wants and if you’re not comfortable with it, you can tell him and he’s open to that.  He’s such a sweetheart.  He works great with actors.  He wants to create an atmosphere on the set where everyone is comfortable.  If he doesn’t get what he wants, he keeps after it until he gets it. 

JS: I’ve read that you play the drums.  How long have you been playing? 

STC: Oh, wow, yeah!  I’ve played for three years, off and on.  I’m pretty good.  I know a couple of Beatles songs, a couple of Misfit songs. 

JS: Are there any particular drummers you admire? 

STC: Tommy Lee’s pretty good.  I wanna meet him.  He’s hot!  (laughs)  I tried guitar and piano and they just didn’t sit with me.  I’m the type of person who needs to be moving a lot.  I can’t sit still. 

JS: When you play the drums do you use both of your legs in addition to both arms? 

STC: Well, I have a double bass, and you use both your feet for the double bass.  Or some drummers use one foot for a single bass and the other foot with a high-hat. 

JS: Does that come easily to you? 

STC: Yes, especially when I’m stressed!  (laughs)  When I get really stressed or angry I just go to my drums and just let loose.  I start really fast and then I come down to a slower beat. 

JS: Neil Peart of Rush and Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater are my two favorite drummers and they have these insanely large drum kits with over 100 pieces that practically swallows them up. 

STC: I couldn’t do that – I would get so confused! 

JS: I see that you’ll be in the remake of APRIL FOOL’S DAY.  Have you seen the original?    

STC: I have not.  I’ve been getting yelled at by the fans today for not having seen it!  I am actually going right to North Carolina right after the HALLOWEEN premiere (on August 23) to shoot the remake. 

STC: Just recently I worked with Catherine Keener and James Franco on a film called AN AMERICAN CRIME, which is based on a true story (about a woman who kept a teenage girl locked in the basement of her home in Indiana in the Sixties), and I learned a lot from them.  So, that film will be coming out soon. 

JS: Catherine Keener is one of my favorites, she’s very under-rated.  I just saw her in SURVIVAL QUEST, the Don Coscarelli film from 1989, and she’s almost unrecognizable in it.  Who in Hollywood would you like to work with?

STC: Everyone!  (laughs)  Steven Spielberg, Johnny Depp, Mel Gibson…God, there are so many…

JS: Thank you for your time, and good luck with your future projects.

STC: Yeah, thank you for interviewing me!