Actor and Comedian Scott Takeda is starring in feature films shot in town and local comedy shows with some improv in between.
With roles in major films like “Gone Girl” and Academy award winning “Dallas Buyers Club”, Scott Takeda is simply unstoppable when it comes to taking showbiz by storm. Currently working between Los Angeles and Albuquerque, Scott is filming a movie starring Tina Fey (30 Rock), Billy Bob Thornton (Fargo), and Margot Robbie (Wolf of Wall Street). The feature film Fun House which is being produced by the creator of Saturday Night Live Lorne Michaels, is based on the novel The Taliban Shuffle by Kim Barker, a reporter and former bureau Chief for the Chicago Tribune. The story is a harrowing and witty comedic account of her experiences covering Afghanistan and Pakistan. Though he is based in Denver, this film adds to the long list of projects Scott Takeda returns to Albuquerque for again and again, and he’s certainly not complaining. “I love Albuquerque. It is beautiful and the people are so friendly. There is a real simple beauty about Albuquerque and I’m thrilled every time I have a chance to go there.” he tells us.
Takeda seen above in the feature film “The Dallas Buyers Club”
As a matter of fact, Scott’s first acting job on a set was right here in the Land of Enchantment. The first TV Show he ever book happened to be the short-lived 2008 dramedy Easy Money. Scott remembers his first role in front of the camera and remembers it as his “foundational memories of being on set and [learning] what it’s like to be a professional actor.”.
Aside from returning to the five-o-five for Fun House with Tina Fey, Scott is touring in a special improv comedy that will be showing at The Box Performance Space. He will be starring with a cast of fellow improv actors in a show titled Working Together that is being directed by Scott’s improv instructor and founder of the project, Justin Franzen. Working Together originally premiered in Denver where it received standing ovations. The show is a workplace comedy that is stylized in the form of a 1990s sitcom and is a product of collaboration between Scott and improv comedy actors he works with regularly. “We wanted to think of a kind of show that we hadn’t seen before. So we thought, what about a sitcom? And we wanted to make it period specific so we decided on the 1990s, the era of shows like Beavis&Butthead.” Scott says. Even more unique, the show will be largely interactive with the audience. “We definitely try to get the audience involved. We like to bring a guest onstage and kind of interview them and ask questions about what goes on in their workplace.”
Though having worked in major films and on multiple sets, Scott embraces his roots in improv and theater. He recalls studying in the Upright Citizens Brigade theater in Los Angeles and believes that kind of talent and skill is the foundation for all acting. “It keeps your comedy chops sharp. We have to create our own scenery and our own little world. It is really refreshing to go on stage.”. The transition from being on set so often and going back to stage does however have some humorous challenges for Scott, “One thing that freaks me out on my way to every single show, somewhere halfway in between, I think I didn’t memorize my lines! But then I remember, I don’t need them! It’s okay. There’s no script. We create it ourselves.”
Look for Scott in Working Together at The Box Performance Space starting March 27th at 10:30pm and March 28th at 9:30pm.
Takeda in the center of the poster for local improv show Working Together.
