The secret life of Campbell Scott

Versatile American actor tackles dentistry in Alan Rudolph's new film about marital conflict

The son of acting greats George C. Scott and Colleen Dewhurst, actor, producer and sometime director Campbell Scott has an enviable pedigree to uphold. Yet, this affable, easy-going 42-year-old New Yorker takes his work in stride, always opting for the independent and, at times, controversial (Roger Dodger). His works range from playing a dying homosexual in Longtime Companion to a troubled writer in The Sheltering Sky, a dying recluse in Dying Young and writer Robert Benchley in Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle.
Now he's back as both the star and producer of The Secret Lives of Dentists, based on Jane Smiley's novella directed by Alan Rudolph. The story centres on dentist David Hurst (Scott), who is questioning the "perfect" suburban life he has with his capricious-seeming wife Dana (Hope Davis), also a dentist, and their three adorable but demanding little girls. The repressed anger and frustration he feels are manifested surreally in the form of an alter ego who, in real life, happens to be one of his more difficult patients (Denis Leary).
Tandem talked to Campbell Scott online from New York.

If I'm not mistaken, you brought the book to Rudolph's attention, is that right?
"Actually, Craig Lucas brought his adaptation to my attention. Craig had adapted it from the Jane Smiley novella years ago for American Playhouse, or somebody, the same people who made Longtime Companion. And it never got made, and I was just as an actor doing readings of it, and I just always loved it. Then it went away, of course, for many years, and then I hooked up with this company Hole Digger, who made Roger Dodger and this movie I directed called Off the Map. I sent it to them, they liked it, and then we called Alan, because I thought he would be a great element in that mix. So that's how it all came about."

Were you familiar with the novella?
"I wasn't, no. I had never even read Jane Smiley, who is pretty famous."

Tell me why you liked the script?
"I don't know. It was always funny when we read it. I'm a parent now, but I wasn't a parent when I fell in love with it years ago. So I'm not sure I really identify with all that stuff but it just struck me as really accurate, really subtle, and the specific challenge of playing Dave is that no one ever says what they feel, or what they mean. It's all kind of underneath. He's a very passive aggressive guy, and so the challenge becomes how do you mark a performance and make someone engaging when they don't communicate? Obviously, he has his alter ego, played by Denis, which is good for laughs but it just seemed like a cool challenge to me."

I was watching this with some other film critics, and the women loved it, and the guys didn't.
"You know, some people call Dave heroic, which always kind of surprises me, and other people call him a passive-aggressive pussy. I don't identify completely with the guy at all, but I bought it. It seemed very accurate to me. And, I'd go along with that."

Let's say that you're married, you have a family, you suspect that your wife is having an affair, you love your wife and your kids. Would you have reacted like Dave?
"Absolutely not, no. I'm not at all like him. I think I would have gone in and addressed the problem. One of the things I think Alan loved about the script and the story is that, unlike what we usually get, the woman is the enigma. She has the mystery life, and you don't' really know what it is. You never know, really. And usually that role is held for the man, and we all liked that. You know, it's fascinating that you said that the women got it and men didn't, because in script form, all the women disliked this script, and all the men got it and liked it. Hope was one of the few women who liked it. I wonder if it's because, when women read it, they didn't like the fact that the woman seemed to be almost a villain."

Was not telling us where she went, or if she was having an affair a conscious act?
"Absolutely. And in the novella it's even more so, because the whole novella is in Dave's mind, basically. And that was Craig Lucas' feat. Turning a novella that you couldn't see as a movie into a movie that is quite watchable and quite funny, in a kind of a painful way. The great thing about this movie is that at the end of it, people don't know quite how to feel. But I like movies like that. Usually, we're so spoon-fed, my God."

How was it working with young girls?
"It was great. You're always a little scared about kids. I've actually done it a lot now. I just directed a young girl. I keep running into it now. And now that I'm a dad - I have almost a six year old - it's great. I find as long as they're not slick, weird actor children, which you should always avoid, they add a great focus to the set, for crew and cast. You don't have time to think about your own problems because you're always focused on making an environment where a child is working. It's like accommodating a person who speaks a foreign language, or someone who isn't immediately aware of how to act on the set, but you want to harness what they have, as a child. And these kids were pros. They were great. I mean, they loved it, they knew their lines and everything, but they remained kid-like and Alan encouraged that."

How hard was it maintaining a responsible atmosphere with Denis Leary around?
"Well, it's impossible. I've worked with Denis twice. I directed he and Hope in a small movie called Final, and so I knew Denis. But the great thing about Denis is that he's a pro, too, and he seems very irreverent and everything, but he loves to act. He and the kids were hysterical, because all of those scenes, he's supposed to not exist, and it was really funny trying to tell the kids after every take, 'You can't look at Denis, no matter what he does.' So they really had to concentrate on that."

Were you disappointed that you didn't get more recognition for your amazing role in Roger Dodger?
"Oh, God, no. I got more than I could handle for that. I rarely have a complaint, except when I'm producing, and you just want to get audiences for these smaller or challenging films. No. People seemed to love that movie, and I was pretty happy about it."

I know there was talk about an Oscar, but the nomination never came. Were you disappointed?
"Not really. I don't spend any time in that zone. I think if anything, I was more interested especially for the kid, Jesse [Eisenberg], I thought best supporting or something. Or for the writing. Dylan [Kidd] did get some recognition. With my producer cap on, I was more interested in seeing if that stuff would happen just so that it would give the movie more of a life. But I don't care as an actor. I've been in this too long."

With such amazing parents, did you feel any pressure to live up to their potential?
"I think I escaped that. And how I did that was that I didn't want to be an actor until I was older. I went to school to be a teacher. And it was at the end of college that I decided, I think I'll go and do plays and see if I can make a living. Up to that point, I think they thought that they had escaped the conversation, I think. When I was a young person, it was what came from journalists or other people in the business. They tend to have one perception of you because of who your parents are. But I learned very quickly that that is their perception, and there's nothing you can do about it, so carry on."
Is acting not a passion?
"It is a passion. But as I get older, I want to pick and choose a little more, so I think that's normal. When you're 20, you just want any job. But when you're 42, you're looking for something different from what I did before."

I know you're divorced, but did you experience some kind of catharsis regarding marriage after doing The Secret Lives of Dentists?
"I wouldn't say consciously, no. I never do when I have a job. Usually, if the job affects me, it will be either six months before, or six months after. So no, not really. I get off on how different my life is from my work. I like that difference. I encourage that difference. I'm dedicated to the difference, as opposed to the similarities between them. That's what interests me. I'm much more fascinated with how it doesn't apply to my life."
The Secret Lives of Dentists is currently playing in local cinemas.

Publication Date: 2003-11-16
Story Location: http://tandemnews.com/viewstory.php?storyid=3357