‘Mob Cops’ Star David Arquette On The Art Of Being Bozo the Clown: “It Took Me 15 Years To Acquire The Rights”

He whitethorn beryllium portion of an acting bequest that includes some his grandfather (Cliff Arquette) and his begetter (Lewis Arquette) arsenic good arsenic his siblings Rosanna, Patricia, and nan precocious Alexis Arquette, but David Arquette successfully managed to beryllium himself arsenic a thespian from his very first TV domiciled – Fox’s adjustment of The Outsiders – and quickly forged a profession that made him a recognizable face. Sure, a bully chunk of that occurrence came courtesy of his domiciled successful nan Scream franchise arsenic Dewey Riley, but he’s been moving regularly connected some nan large and mini screens since nan early 1990s. 

Currently, Arquette tin beryllium seen successful nan caller movie Mob Cops, which – arsenic nan title implies – is so astir a mates of cops who activity pinch nan mob. DECIDER was fortunate capable to drawback a fewer minutes pinch Arquette, chatting pinch him astir nan film, his knowledge of nan real-life cops connected whom nan movie was based, and his appreciation of play pieces. The second taxable besides led america down nan way of discussing an early Robert Rodriguez associated and nan aforementioned Outsiders series, but we besides recovered clip to talk astir his return to nan Scream franchise and his caller quality astatine Coachella arsenic Bozo nan Clown. (Yes, really.)

Photo: ©Lions Gate/Courtesy Everett Collection

DECIDER: How did you find your measurement into this movie successful nan first place? I cognize you’ve sewage a history pinch nan director.

DAVID ARQUETTE: Yeah, I’d done a fewer films pinch Danny Abeckaser. Everyone calls him “Danny A.” He’s an astonishing guy. We did Mob Town together, and we did different movie aft this called The Perfect Gamble. So I emotion moving pinch Danny. He creates this family connected set, this group of group that he loves to activity with, like Barry Markowitz, an unthinkable cinematographer who did films for illustration Sling Blade and All nan Pretty Horses. A awesome filmmaker. So he gets this group together that he really loves and really enjoys and has a batch of nosy with, and he creates this situation wherever you consciousness very free to find immoderate moments that whitethorn not beryllium successful nan book and explores these characters successful a measurement that feels comfortable. 

He loves mob movies. I mean, he was successful The Irishman himself arsenic an actor. He’s a awesome character himself. So he surrounds himself pinch really awesome people, for illustration Jeremy Luke, nan different feline pinch me. We’re nan 2 mob cops. And Jeremy grew up successful Staten Island, truthful he knew a batch of these guys, a batch of nan families, and talking to him and Joey Russo, Lorenzo [Antonucci], and Bo Dietl… All of these guys person acquisition wrong this world, and you could conscionable spot really authentic they are. So it made it really easy to spell successful there. I benignant of play nan consecutive man successful it, to beryllium honorable pinch you., to Jeremy Luke’s really large character. He wants attention. My feline only wants to supply for his family and get immoderate bad guys disconnected nan street. But you benignant of warrant it successful his mind. He conscionable doesn’t want to beryllium exposed for moving for nan mob. 

So really overmuch familiarity, if any, did you person pinch nan communicative of these guys beforehand?

I’d seen immoderate news articles connected it, and I’d publication immoderate stuff, and I’d ever heard these stories astir it. It was ever this unbelievable story. I couldn’t understand it. And past to get into nan weeds of it and fig retired that this feline [Lou Eppolito]  wrote a book, and he appeared successful these different movies, for illustration Goodfellas… And past afterwards, Jeremy Luke sent maine a clip of my sister [Patricia Arquette] and him successful Lost Highway! I was, like, “Uh, what?!” [Laughs.] So it was interesting, because it’s existent life. It’s existent group involved. Real victims. 

Did you do immoderate investigation connected your ain beforehand, aliases did you conscionable instrumentality to what was successful nan script?

No, we did immoderate research. We looked astatine a batch of news articles and conscionable publication up on  batch of different mobsters. Watched immoderate mob movies and immoderate stories connected ’em. There’s plentifulness to research. It’s a really absorbing world. Highly toxic masculinity, you cognize what I mean? But there’s a existent knowing of family successful it, and there’s this existent camaraderie and emotion for each other. Sadly enough, it’s misguided, but…it’s easy to understand wherever they’re coming from and benignant of put yourself successful their shoes. I besides cognize a batch of cops. And I play cops each nan time. I’ve astir apt played much cops than immoderate different occupation! [Laughs.] But, yeah, to benignant of spot really cops think… There’s this mentality of not panicking erstwhile thing really horrible is going down. And my characteristic was besides a soldier, truthful he’d been astatine war. He knows nan extremes of life, and really to beryllium capable to stay calm and grip things. Nothing’s a large deal. You conscionable benignant of woody pinch ’em.

How did you bask nan period-piece facet of nan film?

I loved it. I mean, I emotion that world, that clip period. These guys were cops successful nan ’70s and ’80s. It’s fun. Whenever you tin benignant of engulf yourself successful a world… You tin do it a batch pinch mob movies, you tin do it a batch pinch westerns. You tin look astir astatine definite parts erstwhile you’re successful a scene, and you conscionable benignant of consciousness for illustration you’re there, and you really consciousness grounded. It’s easy to get into character, and it’s easy to find these small thumps that mightiness not beryllium successful nan book to commencement with, wherever your characteristic mightiness opportunity thing wherever it’s disconnected nan cuff but it fits correct successful because it’s really he’s emotion aliases what he thinks. When you commencement getting to that place, it really makes it much comfortable.

I wanted to inquire astir a mates of different things successful your backmost catalog, but 1 successful peculiar is different play piece. What do you retrieve astir nan acquisition of doing Roadracers?

Oh, man, I loved Roadracers. That clip play specifically was truthful great, and Robert Rodriguez… You know, he was astatine nan opening of his career, correct after El Mariachi. He is conscionable an unthinkable filmmaker. I mean, he strapped a camera connected his enarthrosis and was, like, “Just drive!” Holding onto nan beforehand of nan car, because we were conscionable trying to bargain nan changeable earlier they wrapped for nan day. Just things for illustration that. And playing personification who’s very cool is fun, because you, uh, don’t ever consciousness that measurement successful existent life. [Laughs.] And I was ever a instrumentality of nan Fonz. So location was that, and conscionable being capable to play a characteristic who gets nan girl…and loses nan woman astatine nan end, yeah, but he chooses to leave. But, I mean, nan basking rods and nan stone ‘n’ roll… It was conscionable specified a nosy movie to beryllium a portion of.

Actually, I conjecture your first TV domiciled was a play portion arsenic well: Fox’s bid adjustment of The Outsiders.

Yeah! I loved that book. And gathering S.E. Hinton was incredible. Working pinch Fred Roos and Francis Coppola connected that was conscionable a dream travel existent correct retired of nan gate. They formed it pinch this group of actors who were each these troublemakers. [Laughs.] We were each conscionable figuring it each out. I was 17 erstwhile I did nan aviator for that! And past to beryllium portion of a book bid that I was specified a immense instrumentality of erstwhile I was increasing up. I mean, The Outsiders and Rumble Fish were, like, my 2 favourite films increasing up. So, yeah, to beryllium a portion of that was really thing else. 

I loved it. I learned a lot. We did 13 episodes connected film, 1 hr long, truthful arsenic a first job… I mean, successful general, getting a aviator is tough, and successful wide having that aviator picked up to bid is tough, truthful to beryllium capable to do some of those things correct retired of nan gate… I had an astonishing coach named Ben DeBaldo successful precocious schoolhouse who really gave maine nan assurance to yet book my first job. And past I sewage connected set, and…there were moments successful that wherever I was just, like, looking astir astatine everything. It’s truthful play and perfect, you really consciousness for illustration you’re successful nan world. Whenever you tin enactment location and not spot nan camera aliases nan unit and conscionable beryllium successful nan moment, that’s wherever nan magic happened. 

Are you excited astir nan impending merchandise of nan caller Scream movie?

Yeah, I mean, Kevin Williamson directing his first Scream movie was really exciting, because he evidently wrote nan first 1 and 2nd 1 and nan fourth, and he was conscionable specified a immense portion of building this world and these characters… He came up pinch it all! We evidently miss Wes Craven, but… [Trails off.] It was expected to beryllium a surprise, and past personification leaked it, so…there’s not overmuch I tin opportunity astir it. But I do emotion playing nan domiciled of Dewey. 

I cognize I person to commencement wrapping up, but I’m curious: if you person to determine which has been nan much important point for you successful your life, would it beryllium your WCW experience, aliases being capable to proceed carrying nan torch for Bozo nan Clown?

Oh, my God. Well, that’s funny, because they’re some things I loved pinch I was younger, but I’d opportunity Bozo was my first point that I fell successful emotion with. I lived successful Chicago – well, successful Evanston, Illinois – and conscionable loved Bozo nan Clown, and it had specified a immense effect connected me. And past I went to nan circus and saw Lou Jacobs astatine Ringling Brothers and conscionable was, like, “I emotion this world truthful much!” And it stuck pinch maine my full life. And past astir apt 17 years agone now, I met pinch Larry Harmon, who had turned Bozo from Bozo nan Capital Clown into Bozo, nan World’s Most Famous Clown. And it took maine 15 years to get nan rights, but erstwhile I did… I mean, I was precocious astatine Coachella pinch Yo Gabba Gabba onstage successful beforehand of each these group pinch nan Teletubbies, H.R. Pufnstuf, Strawberry Shortcake and nan Care Bears, and past Paul Williams and “Weird Al” Yankovic and Thundercat and Portugal nan Man. This full group was truthful amazing, specified unthinkable group to beryllium associated with. It was conscionable the champion time! A batch of work, a batch of dreams, and it conscionable benignant of came to this point. It really meant a batch to me.

Lastly, really would you person done connected “The Grand Prize Game”? Would you person crushed it? 

Well, I sewage to play it erstwhile astatine WGN…and I did get each six buckets! [Laughs.] I was a natural! But it’s fun. We spell astir and do it each nan time. I conscionable did Vandy Camp, Dick Van Dyke’s charity, and I put retired nan buckets, and location was a woman location who was, like, “Oh, we’re gonna play nan Grand Prize Game!” [Laughs.] So we played it, and she sewage specified a footwear retired of it. And personification did play it and get each six buckets…and they went location pinch a crisp $100 bill! 

Mob Cops is presently playing successful prime theaters, but besides available connected integer for rent aliases purchase.

Will Harris (@NonStopPop) has a longstanding history of doing long-form interviews pinch random popular civilization figures for nan A.V. Club, Vulture, and a assortment of different outlets, including Variety. He besides collaborated connected Surely You Can’t Be Serious: The True Story of Airplane!, a book pinch David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker. (And don’t telephone him Shirley.)