Cinema Retro continues to shine the spotlight on worthwhile independent films. Tom Lisanti interviews David Youse, one of the stars of the new movie The Neighbor starring Matthew Modine.
Busy character actor David Youse is co-starring with Matthew
Modine, one of the most charming underrated actors who came onto the Hollywood scene in the mid-Eighties, and French actress
Michèle Laroque in a new romantic comedy called The Neighbor. Directed by
Eddie O’Flagherty (whose previous film was Fighting
Tommy Riley) and based on the French TV movie Mon voisin du dessus, it is a tale of a high-powered real estate
developer (Laroque), who with her equally snobbish wheeler-dealer fiancé (Ed
Quinn), purchase a condo with the intention of evicting the upstairs tenant (Modine)
so they can expand into a duplex. Only
problem is—he won’t leave. Youse plays
Modine’s former best friend who is about to marry his ex-wife (Meredith Scott
Lynn). When he gets an invite to the
nuptials, Modine puts aside his war games with Laroque and makes a deal with
her to give up rights to his apartment in return for her to be his hot date to
upstage the bride and groom. Of course, unexpected sparks will fly between the disputing
neighbors as they get to know each other away from the battle ground of the
condo.
David Youse is hugely entertaining as the fumbling
groom-to-be in The Neighbor. An accomplished actor of stage, film, and TV,
Youse has appeared in a variety of genres.
A familiar face to viewers of the defunct UPN network, he turned up on
practically all their sitcoms including Living
Single, Unhappily Ever After, and
Sister, Sister plus appearances on Murphy Brown and Ellen, among others. Star Trek fans remember him as one of
the religious zealots who take over the star ship in “Chosen Realm†on Enterprise;
soap watchers know him for his recurring role as Father Kelly on Days of Our Lives; and gay romantic
comedy fans remember him as one of Matt McGrath’s blind dates from hell in The Broken Hearts Club.
What drew you to the
role of the ex-best friend in The
Neighbor?
When I first read the script, I fell for the comedy.
Comedy is a very tricky thing. You have to have the timing down and
it has to be honest. And to rehearse that comedy, to get it right, that is what drew me to The Neighbor. Knowing that I could
have the chance to rehearse, work and eventually shoot comedy, with such fine
actors like Matthew Modine, Michele Laroque (french comic genius) and Meredith
Scott Lynn, I jumped at that chance.
What do you think you
did in your reading that made you stand out?
I remember it was a rainy Friday about 5 PM and I was not in a very good mood. Director Eddie O'Flaherty and Producer Michel
Rampal were holding the auditions. The process was going extremely slow.
A few name actors were there and I thought I didn't have a chance.
So I just went in, without nerves, took my time and just nailed it.
I remember Eddie looking at me for a moment and he didn't say a word.
I asked, "Like that?" He
said something like, "Um, yeah, great. Let’s do the next
scene." I did it. He busted up laughing and said, "Great,
thank you." I remember asking then, "Do you need to see it
another way?" and he said, “No.†I left and just thought he'll hire
some one else with name recognition. But
I knew I nailed it.
How was it working
with Matthew Modine?
Wow. To get the chance to work with an actor that has
consistently put out some amazing work and that is so respected among his peers
was a blast. Matthew, to me, is child-like, fun, silly, playful, yet
intelligent, wise and so grounded in who he is, that it makes working with him
an absolute delight. I spent a few hours with him and Eddie the weekend
before we were to start shooting. We rehearsed at the house where Matthew
was living at the time and we got to know each other as best as we could in the
4 or 5 hours that we spent. We play best friends in the film and Eddie
really wanted to see that relationship come through in the film. So after
the initial hellos and coffee and tea that Matthew made for us, we started
rehearsing what we call the Dentist scene. Running around, physical
comedy and we arranged his furniture to look like the office. We had a
great time, trying new things, laughing a lot and Matthew sharing some personal
stories about his life—a great guy.
Was it a pleasant set
to work on?
Oh, absolutely. What a pleasure to get up in the
morning and be happy to go to work. To spend the day with Michele
Laroque, laughing, and Matthew playing jokes, I mean, come on. The entire
crew was so helpful and nice. Everyone
just worked hard and had a great time. We shot the film in 25 days.
What do you think
makes The Neighbor stand apart from
other romantic comedies of this ilk?
Well, I have to say that it's nice to see the woman in a
position of financial power and guy trying to understand what's going on with
himself, emotionally. That I think is the key. Here is a character,
whose life is falling apart, his business is going down the tubes, his best
friend is marrying his ex-wife and his neighbor is trying to evict him.
And that's the guy! She holds the strings. He doesn't and
that's nice to watch it play out in reverse.
Do you prefer playing
these fumbling type comic characters or more serious roles?
Well, comedy is always
fun to do, but at the same time, it could be very frustrating. You really
have to get it just right. But when you do and you know it clicks, that's
the best. The serious roles are great to do in a whole different way.
To feel that emotion in a tough scene, take after take, is very grueling.
But at the same time, when you've been worn down and you feel like you
have nothing else to give, that's usually the best take.
Have to ask about Enterprise.
Do you have any anecdotes from working on that series with Scott Bakula?
Star Trek: Enterprise—I tell ya.
Four hours of make-up and hair sitting in a chair without moving.
Fun.
What’s next for David
Youse?
I've been offered a play here in Los Angeles that starts rehearsing in early
September, with an opening the following month. I haven't said yes yet,
but that's looking pretty good right now—at least today.
The Neighbor is
playing a limited engagement in Los Angeles
at Laemmle’s Sunset 5 until August 22.
Click here for the movie’s official web
site.
-Tom Lisanti/www.sixtiescinema.com