Atlanta native Chris Lowell figured he had no shot at landing a part in "The Help." The role as Skeeter's boyfriend Stuart called for a guy in his late 20s to mid 30s but Lowell, now 26, clinched it.
Then he realized he'd be working with Octavia Spencer, Sissy Spacek, Cicely Tyson, Emma Stone and Viola Davis -- "incredible personalities and very intimidating resumes," and felt a bit apprehensive. Again, his fears soon abated. "Everybody was so unbelievably supportive of each other," he said.
An Atlanta International School alum now living in New York where he's a senior at The New School, Lowell said "The Help" manages to accurately portray a complex time and story.
"It really showcases the South in an honest light," he said. "A lot of people really like to blame the South, stereotype it as this completely decrepit wasteland full of backwards-thinking people. It’s a beautiful place but it’s a complicated place. The movie captures that beautiful complexity." Lowell still has family in Atlanta and appreciates home more now that he has left.
"When I was growing up in Georgia I couldn’t wait to leave," Lowell said. "Now, living in New York, I’ll go out and have a cocktail and put on the thickest Southern accent I can manage."
Although his character comes across as something of a heel, Lowell embraced the role of Stuart with director Tate Taylor's help. "I asked Tate at the beginning, 'is my character the villain?' He said, 'No. The best thing that can come of this is if we can see how flawed Skeeter is.' Tate Taylor brought such a strange and beautiful energy to the set. He has the ability to make everything feel like a joke or a prank and then you realize you're halfway through the day and you've been doing some very important and dramatic work."
Stuart's antics offered a bit of comic relief. "Playing a drunk [jerk] pounding whiskey was a blast," Lowell said.
Buzz in our ear
Actress Lea Thompson visited SCAD-Atlanta this week to film scenes for an upcoming television movie called "Gamers." We're told the movie concerns a guy who attends art school to become a game designer, so what better place to shoot it? The project is tentatively scheduled to air in December. When it does, keep your eyes peeled for SCAD students and interactive design and game development professor David Spencer, who will essentially be playing themselves, as fellow art-school students and a professor.
Celebrity birthdays
"Beetle Bailey" cartoonist Mort Walker is 88. Actress Anne Jackson is 85. Actress Eileen Brennan is 79. Country singer Tompall Glaser is 78. Actress Pauline Collins is 71. Rock singer-musician Al Jardine is 69. Actress Valerie Perrine is 68. Rock musician Donald Brewer (Grand Funk Railroad) is 63. Rock guitarist Steve Jones (The Sex Pistols) is 56. Actor Steve Schirripa is 54. Actor Holt McCallany is 47. Rock singer-musician Todd Lewis is 46. Actor Charlie Sheen is 46. Singer Jennifer Paige is 38. Actress Ashley Jones is 35. Actress Nichole Hiltz is 33. Actor Nick Wechsler is 33. Actor Garrett Hedlund is 27. Olympic gold medal snowboarder Shaun White is 25.
Contributing: news services
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