The Wrath of Becky: Actor Seann William Scott talks about his new movie
Seann William Scott, an American actor who definitely means a lot to mostly ’90s kids, has a new movie coming out.
As an actor who might have been destined for one-note forgettable comedies after playing the hilariously immature Stifler in American Pie, Scott has actually evolved into a really interesting performer.
That’s not meant as a backhanded compliment, either. Starring in American Pie (and their sequels), cult comedies (Dude, Where’s My Car?), and underrated gems (Role Models) is not an easy thing to pull off. His character was always a bit dim (to say the least), but they were also always different.
Even in Goon, a fun Canadian hockey movie where he plays a thick-headed enforcer, he brought a charisma and level of heart that the entire story needed in order for it to work.
Scott has another movie that just came out in which he plays an entirely different kind of stupid: a violent men’s rights extremist named Daryl. That movie is a fun action comedy called The Wrath of Becky, and it currently sits at an impressive 86% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Daily Hive recently chatted to the star/actor about the new movie, what drew him to the role, and his love for a certain Canadian city.
“I loved playing this part,” said Scott.
“It’s so different than anything I’ve had the chance to do. I normally play good guys or loveable jerks, but totally different genre and this character is pretty dark and scary.”
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“As an actor, it was really fun to tap into my dark side and take some risks and then ultimately watch the movie and see it turn out even better than I’d hoped.”
“Hopefully I get a chance to do more dark stuff,” Scott added.
Daryl, the character that Scott plays in the film, is a reflection of the far-right movement happening right now that is increasingly growing in the public eye. He feels he is under attack for being a white man in America, and the word militia is part of his daily vocabulary.
When we asked how Scott tapped into the role, he told us that he did research the character, but it wasn’t directly from that source. In all acting, there needs to be empathy to play the part, and Scott focused on the fact that this character was a former Army Ranger with a serious history who was now being attacked by a 16-year-old girl.
“The choices I made as an actor were connected to that,” Scott told us, letting us in on his process. “What would this guy with this experience do? How would he react?”
It seems like those choices are paying off. The reviews for this iteration in the Becky series have been fantastic, and the joy was evident for Scott throughout the shoot.
“It was one of the best experiences I’ve had as an actor.”
“The actual process of filming it felt very special,” he continued. “I had no idea it was going to be as awesome as it is. I think it’s perfect for what it is; it’s just incredible.”
The actor even had the chance to see a screening of the film with a live audience to see if they felt the same way as he did.
“It was reminiscent of some of my earlier comedies, like when I would sneak into a theatre to see how an audience would react to American Pie, and they would shout and yell at the screen and laugh, and this movie was like that.”
Scott has had experience filming in Canada, so we had to ask him about some of his thoughts on our country, like what he thinks of the food scene in different cities.
“My best friend lives in Ottawa. I love visiting him there. I don’t remember the restaurants. He’s a foodie, so he takes me out. There are great restaurants there. I love Canada. I love Vancouver; I haven’t been there in a while.”
Scott then talked about his love for another major Canadian city.
“We filmed Goon 2 in Toronto during the summer, and it was one of the best experiences. I actually get to go back to Toronto in mid-July to shoot another movie.”
“I remember the food being great,” he added.
“It’s the best time. When I was there last summer – this was probably 2016 – I was like, I want to move to Toronto because all my friends from the movie Goon all lived in Toronto.
“It’s a great place.”
We definitely agree that Canada is a great place, and we agree with Scott that his new movie is also really great.
The movie The Wrath of Becky is in theatres across Canada now.