Everything is bigger in Texas — except for this breakout star’s ego. When he’s not busy acting opposite Ben Affleck in Argo or playing Regina Spektor’s love interest in a hit YouTube video, Dallas native SCOOT McNAIRY would rather have a chainsaw than a script in his capable hands. He also knows a thing or two about auto mechanics and landscaping. And yes, the art of creating unforgettable characters onscreen. Just ask Brad Pitt!
For newly anointed comedy queen Ari Graynor, the star of this summer’s out-of-nowhere hit, “For a Good Time, Call,” becoming an actor was never a question. “Some of us come out of the womb an actor, an artist, whatever pretentious term you want to use,” says the 29-year-old actress who relishes every opportunity to make a bit of fun of herself during our coffee date. “You hear some stories of people being approached while walking down the street, ‘Want to be in a movie?’” This was not the case with Graynor, who notes she began plotting her path at the ripe age of 4. “I spent hours talking to myself and playing dress up and saying, ‘How do I make this happen?’”
In this homage to Film Noir she shoots first and asks questions later!
Photography by Jeff Vespa
Thankfully for us, Sarah Rafferty isn’t always a tough femme fatale, we had a chance after the dust settled to talk with her and find out more about how she got her start and what drove her to get where she is today. Here is what she shared with us.
SR: I am from Greenwich, CT and I am the youngest of four girls. That kind of dynamic home life, encourages you to develop your own voice and make yourself heard. I grew up listening to my big sisters music, going to their school plays and at least once a year my parents would take us all to NYC to see a broadway play. I remember sitting next to my sister Connie at Les Mis, and being spellbound. At the curtain call we leapt to our feet and found ourselves shamelessly and inexplicably crying. Of course we bought the cast album, on cassette and listened to it constantly. When she got her drivers license, we used to climb in the car, and belt out the tunes as she drove us around town for hours. I definitely fantasized about playing Jean val Jean, or Javert on Broadway one day. I think my deeply earnest high school yearbook senior quote came from Les Mis. Must have.
Don’t ask Riley Voelkel why America is the best country in the world!
Photography by Jeff Vespa
Even though she is Canadian, that question has been a prosperous one for her and as of now she is inextricably linked to it. If you tuned into HBO anytime over the past 6 months you will know who Riley is, she is the girl in the new show “The Newsroom” starring Jeff Daniels who sends him into a tailspin when she asks “Can you say why America is the greatest country in the world?” That scene played out thousands of time in the promo for the show to the point where if you reference it, everyone knows that scene, but unless you were completely curious and read the credits in the first episode you didn’t know her name until now. We got a chance to talk to Riley recently about her life growing up and how she got where she is today, tetering on the Verge!