Reid Scott. Credit: Reid Scott
There’s a dark side to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Because the movies tend to do pretty well at the box office, actors are expected to be a part of sequels or trilogies. In other words, if you get the great gig, you can forget about having a normal travel schedule because you never know when the studio is going to call you to suit up again.
“This is my first foray into the big-franchise movie world,” says Reid Scott, who enters Iron Man and Black Panther’s realm with a role in the long-anticipated Venom. In the film, Scott plays a doctor who’s also the boyfriend to Anne Weying (Michelle Williams), who dated Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) before he transformed into a sharp-toothed alien organism. Like most relationships, things are complicated. But they promise to start sorting themselves out when the movie bows on October 5.
“There’s a bit of sniffing out schedules,” Scott says. “But Sony and Columbia were really cool about it. We definitely talked about sequels and all that. It can get tricky. But look, these are champagne problems. If this becomes a giant hit and they want to make 10 more, I look forward to having that problem.”
Of course, in between shooting and promoting this movie, Scott, a husband and father of two, has also been preparing to reprise his role as the wise-cracking Dan Egan in the seventh (and final) season of the HBO smash Veep. How Scott can juggle all of that while still planning family vacations and doing interviews with us takes a superhuman effort that would make Thor proud.
Another Shot of Scott. Credit: Reid Scott
You’ve got a big movie coming out very soon. Where are you on the excitement scale?
We had a blast shooting the thing. I grew up a fan of Venom. Being part of that world is really cool. And yeah, I’m very curious to see how the movie is received. I think that people are going to really dig it. And yeah, I’m excited to see this thing explode.
Like so many others, I am definitely looking forward to the next season of Veep. What can fans expect from it?
I know for an absolute fact that Veep fans are going to love this season, and not just because they had to wait an extra two years to get it. But with the extra amount of time that we took, the writers really came up with some incredibly good stuff.
We’ve only shot a couple episodes and we haven’t missed a step. We are right back to where Veep was, with the creative profanity and the horrible, despicable, people. But without giving too much away, this season I can say that the bad behavior is rewarded. I think fans will dig that.
Where do you film? Is that an L.A.-based set?
It is now, yeah. We shot the first four seasons of Veep in Baltimore and D.C. And then we moved to L.A. for season 5. So, seasons 5, 6 and now 7 are here in L.A.
San Diego’s Hotel del Coronado. Credit: Hotel del Coronado
I know you recently had a new entry to your family. Congratulations on the baby boy.
Thanks, man. Yeah, our second little boy. Damon is his name. And he’s not so little. He’s a Viking. He is like a gigantic, barrel-chested, fiery red head with a big happy face and giant legs. He is going to be a bruiser.
Between changing diapers and filming movies, have you been able to go on a family vacation this year?
We tried. It’s tough to wedge it in. We spent a little bit of time in Northern California. My sister Katianna Hong is an incredible chef. She ran The Restaurant at Meadowood for years. Now she’s up at The Charter Oak. She’s been nominated for a couple James Beard Awards. Yeah, I’m super proud of her.
So, we got to go up north and check out her restaurant and chill out in Napa and St. Helena for a little bit, which was great. And we did a little beach trip with the boys; just to get them by the water. So, we went down to San Diego at the Hotel del Coronado for a few days, just to sort of get out of town when it was real hot here in L.A.
But my wife and I, we love to travel. We used to travel a ton, and I’m pretty fortunate. I’ve gotten to travel a lot for work, too. We took a little babymoon trip to Hawaii last September after I came back from France. I was shooting something in France for a while. But we’re excited to take a proper family vacation.
Let’s circle back to Meadowood. I must say that I had one of my finest dining experiences in my life at The Restaurant at Meadowood.
It’s amazing, isn’t it? When did you go?
The Restaurant at Meadowood. Credit: The Restaurant at Meadowood
This was late 2016. It was just a magical experience. It felt like theater.
Yeah, my sister, I think she was still there. She might have been transitioning over to Charter Oak. The cool thing is, if it wasn’t her, it was my brother-in-law [John Hong]. My sister and brother-in-law are sort of a culinary power couple. They were both at Meadowood. My sister was the chef de cuisine and, when she moved over to start Charter Oak, my brother-in-law slid up into her spot. It’s incredible. They’re just like food warriors. It’s amazing.
When I think of the first time I ate there, almost 10 years or so ago, I was blown away. Not only was everything so delicious and so fresh and inventive, but there was one dish that came out that was, like, one tiny little bite of something but it was served on the open pages of a Hemingway novel. I had just never experienced anything like that in my life. It was pretty cool.
Reid, you’re from Upstate New York. For the person who hasn’t been, tell them what they’re missing about that part of the country.
It’s beautiful. I think it’s pretty overlooked. I grew up in Saratoga County, a little bit north of the Albany area. I think most people know of Saratoga — if they know of Saratoga — for the racetrack or the blue-bottled water that they put out. But the race track is just amazing. It’s the oldest track in the country. It has a historical little downtown. It’s a picturesque, Norman Rockwell-style town.
In the summer time, when the track is in season, beginning in August, the town just bursts into life. It’s amazing. There’s tons of tourists, obviously. But the flowers and the weather. It’s incredible.
Growing up, my uncle had a box at the track at the finish line, so we would go all the time. Some of my fondest memories are going to the track in the morning then going to Saratoga Lake in the afternoon. It was just idyllic. It was a great place to grow up, that part of the country.
Do you ever get to go back?
I do. I try to go back twice a year. Obviously, with the kids, to see grandma and grandpa. My wife’s been to the track with us a couple times, and we get out on the lake when we can. It’s sleepy up there.
Four Seasons Resort Lanai. Credit: Four Seasons Resort Lanai
When things do settle and you all are able to travel, ideally, where would you like to go?
My wife and I went to Four Seasons Resort Lanai last September. As soon as we got there, [we thought,] “We’ve got to come back here with the kids.” It’s so private and beautiful. The beaches and the hiking [are great, too].
I’m an archer. I like to sling some arrows. And we got up to go to the range. There’s an incredible nature preserve and range up on the mountain side of Lanai, and it was absolutely just magical. It was really, really, special.
It’s exactly what we needed, because I had been gone for a few months for shooting. You fly into Maui, take the ferry across the bay to Lanai and you feel so removed and private. It was just one of the nicest hotel experiences that I’ve ever had.
