Scott Patterson Plays Father to Aliens in America
Scott Patterson is going from Gilmore Girls love interest to family dad on The CW's new comedy Aliens in America.
Joining the cast after the pilot was shot, he will refilm scenes for the first episode and continue in the role of Gary,
father to a high school outcast, taking in a foreign exchange student from Pakistan.
Scott Patterson on Aliens in America
"The main attraction right off the bat was to work with [producers]
David [Guarascio] and Moses [Port] and stay in the family at The CW,"
explained Patterson. "I was pleased to do that. What attracted me to
the role is I read the script and I fell in love with it. I just thought
I was terrifically funny and I thought Gary was a blank canvas that I was
interested in filling in. I talked to David on the telephone and I thought
he was a funny, insightful, smart guy and met Moses."
Perhaps the latter producer's celebrity likeness curried favor with the actor.
"I gotta tell you, he looks a lot like Al Pacino in Serpico to me and I just
think that's great. That just sealed the deal for me. Then when I met Amy and
Moses and the gang, I jus thought this feels right."
Patterson still does not know much about Gary at this stage.
He'll be making it up as he goes along. "It's a blank canvas
like I said. It's a chance to really mold a character from the
bottom up. The producers are really open to ideas. I just find
these guys smart, funny, talented and flexible. They want to hear
ideas which is kind of rare with show runners. You've heard stories
but these guys, I don't know if they'll accept any of the ideas but
I think they're going to listen. That's all you can ask for."
Some actors would take a longer break before getting right back
into another series, but the network had other plans. "I was fully
committed to an eighth season on Gilmore Girls. I had signed the
contract and I also had in that contract the hold deal with Warner
Brothers that if, for one reason or another, Gilmore didn't come back,
that I would be placed on another Warner Brothers series. So I was fully
committed."
Now, there's more than one year left on Patterson's contract. "All of
these contracts are six years. That's standard. It's a half hour. I think
it's going to be a much easier schedule."
Aliens in America airs on The CW.
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