The Need For Scott Speedman

The 32-year-old actor doesn't much care for red carpets or bright lights. Not his scene. Still, it's best not to ask what he did last night.

“Ben Covington” broke hearts everywhere as Keri Russell’s love interest on the J.J. Abrams Dean & DeLuca dramedy, “Felicity.” Scott Speedman then went on to ravage women—and garner serious box office clout—as Underworld’s brooding bloodsucker. Next month, he can be seen hiding away with Liv Tyler in this summer's scarefest The Strangers. He shows up for our meeting ten minutes late, dressed casually. He smiles knowingly and, rubbing his eyes, says, "Sorry for the delay. Traffic, and all that. Also, we were out last night until after two." Instead of the usual self-promotion expected from Hollywood stars, he discusses our shared Canadian background. Obviously proud of his work, he'd rather let it speak for itself. Below, however, he opens up about life in the limelight, half-naked vampires, and the toughest women in show business.

BLACKBOOK: You went to high school with Sarah Polley and later worked with her on My Life Without Me. Were you friends?

SCOTT SPEEDMAN: She was a big TV star at that point, but I was in grade 13 and she was only in grade nine. I knew who she was—everyone did—but we didn’t know each other.

BB: You recently wrapped Atom Egoyan’s new movie, Adoration. He’s also worked with Polley on The Sweet Hereafter and Rachel Blanchard on Where the Truth Lies. What is it about Canadians sticking together?

SS: I don’t know if he goes for Canadians, specifically, but he definitely knows what he likes. He’s always had this reputation, you know, black suit, sort of pretentious. But the shooting of that film, in many ways, was the easiest job I’ve had. He took few takes and he really liked my stuff early on. I was surprised how warm he was, really.

Speedman with Liv Tyler in The Strangers.

BB: I just watched the trailer for your next movie, The Strangers. I now sleep with one eye open.

SS: The script was really eerie to read! When you’re reading that kind of thing, you definitely close the door and lock it. And being scared every day, well, it’s weird. That was a really hard movie for me to land. Everyone wanted to audition, so I really was lucky to get it.

BB: You auditioned for Chris O’Donnell’s role in Batman Forever, but didn’t get the part, obviously. Looking back, since the movie tanked, do you feel like you dodged a bullet?

SS: [Laughs.] Well, I was in no danger of getting that part. I wasn’t polished enough. I don’t think I even saw the movie. Sometimes, getting close to a part is luckier than getting the part itself. That happens to me quite a bit, actually, where I do a really good job but am not quite right for the project. Then a better movie comes along.

BB: Having worked alongside Kate Beckinsale, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Keri Russell, who is the toughest?

SS: The toughest? Keri’s a tough gal. No, I’m just kidding. She’s not at all! I don’t think any of them are all that tough. But they are all ambitious, and they all have strong personalities.

BB: You recently starred with Willem Dafoe in Anamorph. Both of you have played vampires in the past. Were you able to bond over that?

SS: [Laughs.] It never came up, no. Also, he played a vampire and was nominated for an Oscar. I played a vampire and took most of my clothes off.

BB: Do you ever feel plagued by your breakthrough as Ben Covington on “Felicity”?

SS: I never really felt pigeonholed by it. And if I have, I’ve always put responsibility on myself rather than the show that allowed me all these great opportunities.

BB: Did you pitch yourself for a role on “Lost”?

SS: J.J. Abrams is great, but if he wants you, he’ll call you.

Speedman with Willem Dafoe in Anamorph.

BB: Most serious actors say that the craft somehow fills their soul. Is this the case for you?

SS: Most of them do not, sadly. But that’s just the nature of the business, the nature of the material. I really liked the movie I did with Sarah [Polley, My Life Without Me]. And when I look back on “Felicity,” the writing was stronger than a lot of the film work I’ve done since. Sure, it was television, but it was high-end television.

BB: What about the others, the shitty ones? How do you react to those?

SS: Usually, if you have a good script in place and you’re working with good people, then good things happen. But I’ve definitely been proven wrong. Things can go south pretty quick. Sometimes, people spend four years on a script, and then it’s cast terribly, and you’re fucked. 

BB: What do you make of the whole Hollywood tabloid scene?

SS: Things seem to have gone crazy in New York—even more so in L.A. I’m constantly amazed by the public’s appetite for celebrity knowledge. But it runs both ways, if you know what I mean. I don’t know many of those people, the ones on the front pages, and I don’t know their situations. But I’m sure if you saw me last night, you know, if people wanted to follow me around at two in the morning, they would see me doing many stupid things. But, that said, I’m not a girl, I don’t date famous people, and I don’t seek the spotlight.

BB: Most actors have one moment, a specific event in their lives, when they realize that they’ve “made it.” Jack Nicholson pays them a compliment; they get nominated for an Independent Spirit Award.

SS: Well, neither of those things has happened, unfortunately. For me, it was growing up in Toronto, and being on that plane to L.A. for the first time. I knew at that moment I wasn’t coming back. Getting off the plane and going to the hotel, I realized that my life had changed. But yeah, it’s too bad that Jack Nicholson hasn’t seen my movies.