Arquette also opens up about working with Nick Jonas in The Good Half, taking on a more serious role for the film and his own experience with grief, a central theme of the film.
David Arquette knows that even in the worst of circumstances, there’s a lesson to be learned.
That’s a theme central to the actor’s new movie, The Good Half, a film where Nick Jonas’ character returns home for his mother’s funeral and is forced to confront his grief head on. Despite the tragic circumstances of his return, the trip ultimately becomes a healing journey and catalyst for positive change.
Arquette plays Jonas’ stepfather Rick in the film, playing a character which allows the Scream alum to tap into his more serious side. Speaking with TooFab, he said he took the role because he really wanted to work with director — and longtime friend — Robert Schwartzman, before praising the script.
“It was funny because in my head, I’m like a people pleaser at heart,” he said of his gruff character. “So it’s sort of the opposite of this guy. So a lot of my internal dialogue was opposite. My reaction was opposite. Like, I’m excited as a person to be acting with these people and on this set and be able play this role. But my character just wanted to get out of there. He couldn’t be bothered.”
Arquette said “it’s really cool” when directors like Schwartzman are able to “see outside of what people think about you,” giving him a chance to do some more dramatic work in the film.
“Even though I’ve been working in this business for a long time, people have their opinions or they’ve seen certain things and they kind of think of you in a certain way. But people are complex and they can have different layers and different life experiences,” he continued. “You can bring a lot to it and you can show different shades and it’s fun. That’s the best part.”
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“I mean, I’ve played roles too, that I was really sort of, it wasn’t the right role for me to play. So I know the difference well,” he added, before we asked whether he was willing to name one part he felt he wasn’t suited for, in retrospect.
“Sherlock Holmes! I played Sherlock Holmes once and it was just a disaster,” exclaimed Arquette, referring to a stage play he did in 2015 from playwright Greg Kramer and director Andrew Shaver. The show wasn’t exactly a hit with critics, some of whom also questioned the casting choice of Arquette in the title role.
“I learned a lot from It, but it was a painful, painful experience,” he added.
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Less painful was working on The Good Half, in which he has more than one tense scene with costar Jonas.
“I was really impressed. I mean, he’s been acting for a long time, so I shouldn’t have been surprised,” Arquette said of working with the Jonas Brothers star. “But just his sort of attitude and his maturity. I know that sounds strange, but he’s had the kind of career where he kind of grew up in front of everybody.”
As for the film’s theme of finding a way through grief, Arquette said he tries to focus on the food good times.
“The more you can think about those moments of joy and happiness you shared with these people you lost, the more you can sort of lean back into gratitude for having them in your life to start with,” he shared.
“But the funny stories of life and the messy stories of life and the times that were crazy and wild and even in retrospect, some of those really painful times, you can remember smiling about it afterwards and like getting through it together,” Arquette continued. “Any of that stuff that you can remember of the good times is really what it’s about.”
The film hits theaters Friday, August 16.