From River City to Tinsel Town after soap star gets big break on big screen
Shieldinch copper heading to Hollywood as first film hits cinemas
Former River City star Scott Vickers is swapping Shieldinch for Hollywood. Scott, who played police officer Will Cooper for four years, has been signed up to one of America’s top entertainment companies. And the buzz about his first Scots-shot film is such that 3 Arts Entertainment, who are behind blockbusters like Tom’s Cruise’s The Edge of Tomorrow, are now helping get his second movie made. Scott, 41, who sold his house to finance making Matriarch, which opens next month, for just £45,000, admits he can’t quite take in the dizzying pace of his success. “Getting signed by 3 Arts was a real champagne moment,” Scott said. “It was a surreal call from them to say they really liked Matriarch and asking if I had anything else. “I sent them a script for another film, Catalyst, I’d been trying to make before and when they saw that they said they’d definitely sign me. So now I have two managers, one in LA and one in New York – and I was in River City two years ago.” As well as being snapped up by management and production powerhouse 3 Arts, who are also behind big TV series like 30 Rock and The Good Place, Scott has also got crucial backing for Matriarch. He was looking at going down the difficult festival-screening route when he got a call from Covert Media, whose films have starred Brad Pitt, Robert De Niro and Richard Gere. “It was a massive moment as far as getting this film seen,” said Scott. “A major studio is getting North American rights, so there will probably be some cinema screenings as well as a pay-per-view deal with a Netflix-style channel. “And there are other theatrical releases, too, with cinemas in South America showing it and potentially South Korea.” It’s a remarkable turnaround in Scott’s fortunes. While always acting to help pay the bills, he has long been keen on getting behind the cameras and getting his own work made. After leaving River City he was running an acting course while developing psychological thriller Matriarch. One of those taking the course was Balfron farmer Alan Cuthbert and he ended up not just backing Scott’s dreams but providing his farm as the location and co-starring in it. Even so, Scott had to make a big sacrifice to get the film off the ground, selling the home he and wife Nicola had in London. “I pretty much decided I was doing it but thankfully she was totally supportive. “She’s still working – she’s a business psychologist – thankfully, so she’s supporting us at the moment. Otherwise I’m still living on what’s left from selling the house and I don’t think I would have been able to do this if we were both out of work.” With such an incredibly tight filming budget, every penny was a prisoner on the set of the thriller. As well as Alan taking the key role of, aptly, a farmer, the two female leads played by Charlie Blackwood and Julie Hannan are supported by Scott. “I didn’t plan on being in front of the camera but we were always looking to keep costs down and obviously I could do the acting for free. “Working on River City was a great training ground as things are shot really fast and that helped with the directing.” The location of the film, about a couple who find themselves in a fight for their lives after a countryside crash, has proved to be one of its biggest worldwide selling points. “The Americans love everything Scottish about the film,” said Scott. “We were shooting near Loch Lomond, so the scenery was spectacular and that was a big selling point for them. “I’m so proud that this is going to be seen all over the world.” Scott is being given every support by 3 Arts on getting the script for Catalyst in the best possible shape for filming and is now working with them on the fourth draft. Matriarch will be premiered at the Glasgow Horror Fest at the Classic Grand on October 28 with Scott and the cast on hand for a Q&A before opening at Cineworld in the city on November 2