Will Forte is no stranger to Atlanta. He landed a minor but memorable role as a police sergeant in the 2012 Ben Stiller-Vince Vaughn comedy "The Watch," which filmed here. In April, he rode into the Tabernacle on a mechanical bison, tricked out like Ted Turner for a hilarious bit with Conan O'Brien when the late-night host filmed his show there.
What is new for the actor known for his work on shows including “Saturday Night Live” and “30 Rock” is drama. He stars in the touching, black-and-white drama “Nebraska,” opening in Atlanta on Nov. 27.
Forte plays David Grant, the exasperated son of cranky Woody Grant (played by Bruce Dern, who is already generating Oscar buzz). Woody mistakenly believes he has hit a sweepstakes jackpot and is determined to make it to Nebraska to claim his loot. David finally agrees to drive his father to Lincoln, Neb., after the old codger takes off on foot (from Billings, Mont.) several times, and together they face troubling truths en route to a pot of gold that isn't there.
“How can I not be drawn to it?” Forte said during a recent interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “There was something about this character that I felt a connection to. My mother’s father was a man of very few words like Bruce Dern’s character in the movie. I had some experience in the frustration in not getting much, communication-wise.”
Stacy Keach stars as Woody's old friend and rival Ed Pegram, and scenes pitting the two acting veterans against each other are alternately riveting and heartbreaking.
“You’re really feeling these emotions,” Forte said. “It wasn’t like I had to act that much.”
Also known for his work on shows including “Gravity Falls,” “Bob’s Burgers” and “The Cleveland Show,” Forte has enjoyed his time in Atlanta but isn’t sure when work will bring him back.
“I absolutely loved Atlanta. I can’t wait to get back,” he said. “I stayed at the Georgian Terrace. Even though I stayed across the street from the Fox, I never got to see a show there.”
(So, that’s reason enough right there to return, yes?)
“I don’t know,” he said of what’s next. “This (role as David Grant) was not part of some orchestrated plan. It just came out of nowhere. I guess I’ll just keep not planning.”
