411 Movies Interview: Scott Patterson of Saw V
411's Tony Farinella sits down with Scott Patterson for an exclusive interview about Saw V!
Scott Patterson is probably best known for his role on Gilmore Girls as Luke Danes. But these days he's not serving coffee or telling jokes at his coffee shop. He's too busy fighting for his life in the Saw franchise. Scott Patterson returns as Agent Strahm in Saw V, which hits theaters on Friday, October 24th. In my interview with Scott Patterson, we talked about his role in Saw V, Gilmore Girls, baseball, and why you should see both Saw V and High School Musical 3 on Friday. I hope you enjoy my interview with Scott Patterson.
TONY: What can we expect from your character in Saw V?
Scott Patterson: Well, in Saw V, it's really more about, without giving too much away, seeing Strahm at his investigative best. That's the best way I can put it. He gets involved in a few traps, and he's really, really searching and hunting down clues, and that's the dimension of the character that's fleshed out in this film. We see how Strahm goes about his business. We see how he investigates a crime scene, and we see how he gathers the pieces of the puzzle and comes to a conclusion and goes after his mark.
TONY: What was it like changing directors on Saw V? You've said in previous interviews that you really connected with Darren Lynn Bousman on Saw IV.
Scott Patterson: Well, David Hackl is a tyrant. He hits people on the set; that's how he keeps people in line. He hits us and he puts us in little cages if we don't do what he says. We all love and respect him. No, I'm kidding. (laughs) David is a low-key kind of a guy, he's a very self-assured person, he knows exactly what he wants, he's extraordinarly kind and very giving and very polite, and he really respects the actor's process. And he doesn't talk a lot. He doesn't give you a lot of direction, because he trusts that you know what he's thinking. There are times that he comes up to you and he'll tilt his head a little and go, 'You know ...' And you know exactly what he means and that's all he says. That's a real plus to work with somebody like that, who trusts his actors so much. Darren was much the same way, although with Darren, there was entertainment value with Darren. He was like a one-man show doing an improv stand-up routine all day, which kept the troops loose and kept them motivated and entertained. David has a shot list a mile long and very ambitious days, and he usually finishes his days.
TONY: When I interviewed Darren last October, he told me there was a fart machine on set in Saw IV ....
Scott Patterson: If anybody was a little uptight or a little frightened, the fart machine would be installed into the scene and at the crucial moment, fart, fart, fart and laugh, laugh, laugh.
TONY: How did you prepare for your trap in Saw V?
Scott Patterson: Well, I'd run into Mark Burg in Colorado in December, we were at the same restaurant, and he came over and sat down and told me about the first trap that I was gonna be in, and it sounded pretty intimidating and I didn't know whether I was gonna do it. He gave me the option of using a stunt double, and I opted to just do my own stunts, because I thought I could man my way through it. And I almost was not able to, actually. It was quite frightening. I don't know what I can say about it, it's the head in the trap. It was terribly frightening, and I almost went into shock and they were gonna pull me out of the thing. After two takes, I didn't think I was gonna be able to do it, because we shot most of it, and then, after about thirteen hours, the key element of the trap was gonna go into operation, and that was the scary part. And, boy, it really, really was. But we pulled it off. We did it without the stunt double, and I think we got a pretty good scene out of it, at least judging from the hardened industry veterans last night, because they were still shook up by it.
TONY: Do you think that fear is going to translate well on the big screen?
Scott Patterson: Oh yeah. Oh sure. I was really frightened. I was panicked. It was the real thing. And I think that's the beauty of the Saw traps, these things are actually terrifying to be in, because they're real steel and it's real iron and it's real moving parts grinding away. It's really daunting to just be in a room with one of these things, much less get strapped in.
TONY: How do you explain the success of the Saw franchise?
Scott Patterson: I think it's because the character of Jigsaw is, underneath it all, a very honest and very loving human being who is really trying to do right by his fellow citizens. As bizarre as that sounds, he has his own logic that is ... how can I put this? He's doing it for the greater good. I mean, if you can see it as somebody who is more of a vigilante, judge and jury type of a character, but this is a guy who the audience can identify with, because how many people are walking around who have been in situations, you know, everybody's fighting their own battles every day, thinking, 'That guy or that gal really ticked me off, and, boy, I tell you what.' Everybody has thoughts, 'If I could just get away with something ...' If you have a problem with a neighbor or some jerk cuts you off on the highway, whatever it is, momentarily you will have a thought like, 'Oh my god.' And that's really the primal reaction you have to somebody messing with your turf or your person or your loved one. These are primal things, there are primal urges, and I think part of it is the Jigsaw character allows the audience to cathartically experience these things through his character. And Tobin is also one hell of an actor, and he's created a very believable, almost sympathetic guy. It's really a terrific acting job. And I think also credit needs to go to, obviously, the writers. The traps are really, really horrifying. But let me tell you something, I think people respect Jigsaw, because, man, he comes up with some really dark stuff. He really jacks some shit up, doesn't he? That's not a guy you mess with. A lot of people talk a good game and think they're tough, but this guy really is. Imagine being him. He doesn't really talk a lot. He just goes, 'OK, you're gonna do this to your wife, your daughter, and you're gonna murder somebody and you're gonna get away with it. The legal system, there's a technicality, you get off, well, I'm gonna take care of it.' And I think there's some comfort in that, and I think the audience walks away with some comfort in that. So that's really the reason it works so well, because it's kind of serving a public need.
TONY: It seems like you're always willing to throw yourself into whatever project you're a part of and you're not afraid to fail. Where does that come from?
Scott Patterson: I don't know, I like to be challenged. I like to see if I can pull it off. I've always been that way. Complacency bores me. If I know I can do it, I'm not so interested in even trying. I know I can do it, why bother? Let's try this thing and we'll put this type of spin on it and see if that works. Trial and error, trial and error. I've always been motivated by that: To see what I could do in this life.
TONY: It seems like you have been able to find steady work since Gilmore Girls was taken off the air. What's the best way to move on after a hit show?
Scott Patterson: Oh, there's so much more I wanna do in this business. I mean, playing that character for seven years was satisfying but it wasn't stimulating anymore, and I think that's the way everybody felt. You only have so many performances in you, and you don't really wanna waste them all on one simple television series, as good as it was and as beneficial as it was to all of us. There's a million different characters out there, and you'd like to play them. You'd like to change it up a little bit. Variety is the spice of life, and that's especially true with acting.
TONY: It seems all of your characters have a little bit of yourself in them. Would you say that's true?
Scott Patterson: Yeah, I would. I absolutely would. My favorite actors are the ones that we can always see that, and I'm not comparing myself to these people, but we can always see that it's Al Pacino, we can always see that it's Brian Cox. There's always an element of that person, and to deny that to the role, then the role suffers or the piece suffers. And there's also the logic of: When I was growing up and studying in New York, a lot of people talked about not taking on the great roles of the theater, because they've already been done, but it would always be pointed out to them, 'But they've never seen you do it, so it's going to be unique.' And that's the advice that I would dole out to young actors who approach me on occasion for advice, and I just say, 'Just put yourself into it, because therefore it becomes unique, because there's nobody like you.' So, really, I think the key in film and in television is to bring your true self to every role, because, therefore, it will have to be unique.
TONY: I know you used to play baseball, so I have to ask you, who do you like in The World Series?
Scott Patterson: (laughs) Well, look, I grew up part of my life in South Jersey and I was actually born in Philadelphia, so I better be careful, but it seems like Tampa Bay is a team of destiny. But we will see. It will be an interesting matchup. I think the key is always starting pitching and defense. They're gonna score their runs, but who's gonna pitch well and who's not gonna make errors?
TONY: Is it hard sometimes to remove yourself from the hype and hysteria of certain projects like Gilmore Girls and Saw?
Scott Patterson: No, it's not hard to remove myself from it. I don't really think about it. It's interesting what happened last night walking from the theater after the screening up to the private party: We were escorted into a public walkway, and fans came out of nowhere and shoved a hundred photos in my face to sign them. I was stunned by that. It just seemed like it was a feeding frenzy, and there were so many of them and I signed so many of them, and I just kind of forgot about the effect these films have on the public at large, because I don't walk around thinking, 'Hey, I'm a movie star.' I just walk around and go about my daily life and mind my own business, so it was a little bit of a shock and it was a little jarring, actually. I don't really think that's good for you. I tend to avoid that. I don't think that's good for an actor, and I don't like the way it makes me feel. I feel like I don't deserve it, and it's just kind of silly.
TONY: Do you have any plans to work with Darren Lynn Bousman in the future?
Scott Patterson: You know what? Interesting you should ask, last night we were talking about his next project. He was describing it to me; it's called Wichita. Obviously, there are a lot of people trying to get at him and get it made, so we didn't really have a chance to go into depth, but we have been looking for a project to work together again on, because it was so much fun working with him. So we'll see about this Wichita project. I was supposed to be in Repo! and that didn't work out, because I did that series up in Vancouver, that comedy series, and they just couldn't work out the schedules. And that was just heartbreaking, because I really trained hard for that and really went for that. I'll go to the premiere of that, I think it's a week from Friday, because I'm real eager to see it. I know those songs by heart, because I sang them all. While I was shooting Saw IV, I was training for that film. I'm really eager to work with him again. He's a new young visionary in the film world. I think he's gonna do great things in this business, and I think this Repo! film is gonna surprise a lot of people. I know they didn't give it a wide release, and it is definitely challenging material, but I think it's gonna have a long life.
TONY: Finally, I have a fun question for you: Why should people see Saw V over High School Musical 3 this weekend?
Scott Patterson: Well, I don't see why people can't see both. You could puke at both movies for different reasons. (laughs) I guess in a young teenage relationship, I guess the girl would make the boy promise to take her to High School Musical if the girl promised to allow him to take her to Saw V. It's a win-win for everybody.
TONY: Thank you so much for your time, Scott. It was a lot of fun talking to you.
Scott Patterson: Alright, buddy. Take care.
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