Keeping up with Scott Speedman.

This month sees the release of Peacock’s new horror series Teacup starring Canadian actor Scott Speedman. Speedman first achieved fame in the television drama Felicity, going on to cement his reputation with parts in Underworld, Grey’s Anatomy and The Strangers.

His first major role after Felicity was in the Ron Shelton thriller Dark Blue (2002), starring Kurt Russell. He describes the transition from established TV actor in a female-led, “sensitive, quiet show” to relative newcomer in the film world, “dealing with a lot of testosterone”, as a trial by fire. “That was a hard movie, for sure,” Speedman recalls. “But that was like the before and after for me. I learnt a ton in that movie. Kurt was amazing to me and getting to watch him work was incredible, and what it took to be a natural pro, number one on a call sheet on a movie versus a television show was illuminating. Putting me through the wringer in a good way. The journey from that point to where I am now has been immense.” That arc reflects the unusual agency Speedman has had over his career decisions from the very beginning. “I always had, even in Toronto when I was just starting out, an idea of what I did want to do and what I didn’t want to do.” So, having attracted a lot of attention with Felicity and the popular film successes that followed, he took a step back. “I was saying no, a lot – way too much! Then over the last ten years, I’d say, I’ve been trying to work more, be more part of the business.”

Recent highlights have included working with David Cronenberg on 2022’s Crimes of the Future. “You’d expect somewhat of a darker, sullen, introverted personality but you get on set and he’s the loveliest, nicest, funniest, lightest guy … so welcoming and enjoyable to be around.” Cronenberg’s working method was also unexpected. “He had no shot list or anything like that – just likes to show up, do a rehearsal and then take the DP aside and put it together based on what we did. They figure it out, and then they set up the shots; there was no micromanaging, which I was surprised by. And then the other aspect is very few takes – one take, most of the time.” Another notable shoot took place last year when Speedman spent just fifteen days in Portland, Oregon filming Cellar Door, a thriller due for release this November. “We did that very quickly. Laurence Fishburne, I loved working with him, he was incredible. Those movies are fun to go and do, have a bit of fun and see what comes out of it.”

“You’re always fearful that it’s going to be a lot of green screen or after-effects, or it’s going to be what I call cheesy effects – that’s going to take the audience completely out. So when I started to see the modelling and the artistry that was going into this, I was really excited.”

— Speedman

Following the filming of Cellar Door, Speedman began work on Teacup, attracted to the project by creator Ian McCulloch’s script. “I’ve been lucky enough to work with him a little bit on other things. I guess it was the atmospheric feel of the family on this weird rural farm, in the middle of nowhere in Georgia. It just felt really real and raw, and that kind of drama alone I was interested in. I like the scenes with the family, with my son, my daughter, my wife. Even before the genre elements kicked in, I thought, ‘Wow, this dynamic, it feels super unique and original. I haven’t read anything like this.’ I just liked how he was writing in a real cinematic way.”

McCulloch also acted as showrunner, which meant he could ensure his original concept was followed through in every aspect. “[He’s] got major integrity about what he wants to do, and once he got up and running on this show, his taste really came through visually and otherwise,” says Speedman. “What’s great about working with first-time showrunners, they’re in it 24/7 – they’re in the prop department, the camera department, the clothing department, and the care is immense.” The series, which has already won praise from Stephen King, has been lent further expertise by horror specialist James Wan as executive producer.

The eight 30-minute episodes were divided equally between four directors – E. L. Katz, John Hyams, Chloe Okuno and Kevin Tancharoen. While they shared the same vision of the story they were telling, Speedman says that each of them made their own unique contribution to the show. “Like Chloe Okuno had a much different directing style than some of the other directors on it, but she was amazing. I loved working with her. She was very specific about a tone and feel to a scene, so you do seven or eight takes, and you’re wondering what’s going on. But you realize it’s because she’s just so into the shots and how everything looks and feels. Really, at this stage of my career, you want that. You want somebody that has that kind of care.”

Filming relied heavily on practical effects, to Speedman’s relief. “You’re always fearful that it’s going to be a lot of green screen or after-effects, or it’s going to be what I call cheesy effects – that’s going to take the audience completely out. So when I started to see the modelling and the artistry that was going into this, I was really excited. I was weaned on stuff that had more practical effects, and that’s just how I think my eyes perceived movies. That’s what I like to watch still to this day, so if it’s too computer-graphics heavy it just takes me out. But I thought it was great: going to do that first crossing-the-line scene, we had something to look at, rather than a tennis ball on a tripod!”

Teacup opens at a difficult time for Speedman’s character James Chenoweth and his wife, played by Yvonne Strahovski. Although he hadn’t acted with her before and they didn’t have the chance to do a readthrough of the tense early scenes together before filming, he was confident that they would get on. “I knew Yvonne’s work from other things, especially The Handmaid’s Tale, and I could just see her plugged into these scenes. I had a feeling I was going to work well with her, and she didn’t seem shy about bringing all of herself to all of her scenes. She shows up ready to go. That’s how I like to work too.”

Although the script was inspired by Robert R. McCammon’s capacious 1988 novel Stinger, McCulloch took the early decision to concentrate on events as they affect a few key characters rather than an entire town. Having trimmed his source material down to a more manageable scale, McCulloch then brought the same economical approach to his work on-set, resulting in a character-focused drama that, while still full of horror and suspense, draws much of its interest from the human elements of the story. “If we were doing something and it was a little too broad, he was right there to bring it way down,” says Speedman. “And then you start to see that in his writing, the spareness, which is some of my favourite kind of writing. If there’s not a lot of overdoing, it just creates an atmosphere and a cinematic feel to things, and it separates him from other writers.”

Teacup is now available on Peacock.

Author: Rachel Goodyear