- 5 weeks ago
Category
😹
FunTranscript
00:00He was the father figure of the show.
00:28I may have created it, but I was too inexperienced to be the comfort blanket that people needed, and Scott was that guy.
00:38Scott Brazil was singularly one of the most integral men I've ever met, never mind worked with, met.
00:44I credit him largely with the success of this show, because beyond what Sean does to write it, or what I do to perform in it, or any of us do, he ran it.
01:02As an actor, I don't think I'll ever really understand the full extent of what he did up here.
01:07Sean Ryan described it to me, that there were just so many problems that he never heard anything about, because Scott got to them before he ever saw them or heard about them.
01:19He had a very calming presence, but you definitely knew when he showed up the bookstop chair.
01:25He showed up, you know, hi guys, act good, act fast.
01:28I really think he felt like a great leader for us.
01:33And there are other people who could do it, but he was our first, and he invested in us, and he chose us.
01:43And there is that initial, you know, unquestioned loyalty for that type of man who believed in us.
01:53And Scott, somebody who's got a track record of, you know, from Hill Street Blues all the way on to now, that he's got a winning track record.
02:01Almost everything he touches always goes.
02:03There were a lot of unique things about Scott, but the thing that always struck me was how accomplished, because I was aware of his work, and I was actually shocked to find out he was only 50.
02:20I thought he was much older, but how accomplished he had become in so many fields within television industry.
02:27I mean, you know, Scott, he was very proficient on the business side, the executive producing side, and then he was also very efficient as a director.
02:35And cut.
02:36Cutting.
02:37Cut.
02:38Very nice.
02:39As a producer, he would scare me to death, and I loved him as a director.
02:44He was such a different man as a producer, because he had so many hats to wear and so many deadlines to, you know, finish up.
02:52And there was so much money on the line that he was kind of terrifying, you know.
02:57And then as a director, he was just sort of like Santa Claus, and so just ultimate generosity and very kind and, you know, just very conscientious of what the actors need when, you know, when we're working.
03:11And you find yourself, when you're working under him, of feeling very inspired to give your very best, because that's what's expected of you.
03:19And Scott, I learned that from him, is kind and yet quite firm.
03:24And if someone wasn't giving their best, they were out of here.
03:27And one of his standards was, if you were the most talented person in the world, that's great.
03:37But if you weren't an innately decent person, human being, you didn't get the job on this show.
03:44Conversely, if you were an innately decent person, and you were talentless, or not up to the standard of talent for this show, or not right for the world in this show, you didn't get the job.
03:56So by using that as his standard across the board, I find myself in a show that is the most familial situation I've ever been in.
04:06He was a great man, and the kind of man that you wanted to impress.
04:14He always believed in the integrity of the show.
04:16He always wanted the show to go on and go forward.
04:19And I think we're honoring him by doing so.
04:23He was a journeyman.
04:24He was a searcher.
04:25You know what I mean?
04:26He was...
04:27He always was trying to find the truth in a scene, or the truth in a situation.
04:33He'd be able to take the germ of the scene, what you were going for in terms of action, what you were going for in terms of character, what you were going for in terms of tone.
04:43And then make it real within the confines, financially and technically, of our show.
04:50You know?
04:51Rather than just saying, oh, that doesn't fucking work, we can't afford it.
04:54You know?
04:55He'd really try to say, okay, no, you know, we can't blow up a nine-story building.
05:00But, you know, maybe we can go find, you know, a building that's already burned down.
05:05And, you know, I mean, it was that kind of stuff.
05:08He never described things as being problems.
05:10He always described them as being challenges.
05:12And I always loved that, that there's always things going wrong on the job, and it wasn't in his nature to get angry about them.
05:21It was a puzzle to him that was meant to be fixed.
05:25You know, the way we shoot this show, which is guerrilla filmmaking with, you know, not a whole lot of dough, without a guy like Scott, you know, this show would not be what it is.
05:37And within that whole arc of him becoming that father figure of the show, really taking care of everyone, making sure that the production went about well.
05:46In the middle of all that, I woke up one day and realized that he had become our best director on the show as well, which was truly the thing that he loved most.
05:56He loved being on the set and he loved working with actors.
05:59He's prepared to kill him.
06:00And then he walks in, but he's never done that before.
06:05Assassinate someone?
06:06I know, yeah.
06:08You know, that's what throws the world into unreality, trying to keep in reality to get to what he has to do, but not succeeding necessarily.
06:21He had a passion to get in there with the actors, to just really, you know, he would give weird notes or make odd comparisons so that your brain was thinking about something else or it was thinking about exactly what he needed you to think about.
06:36He taught me things like a whisper is like a thought. A whisper to an actor is like a thought. And he would come up to us and he would whisper things in the form of a question.
06:44And he doesn't whisper you the answer. He just whispers things that gets your mindset of, well, what if this? And what if you thought of that? What if? What if? How would that make you feel?
06:57He would come up and say, I wonder if there's any value in X? And you go, yeah. And it was sort of like you were having the thought yourself.
07:06He never speaks to you in a sort of a direct way like, I'm not quite sure why you did that, but I didn't like it or something like that.
07:15He would sort of say, is there any value in what you just did? Do you see? Is there any way that you might want to tweak it or change it?
07:24So he never gives you, he always gives you indirect direction, but it forces you to think on your own and be more creative because you come up with more alternatives.
07:36He would change your rhythm. He would change your entrance. And if something didn't work, he would wave it off and just erase it from the board, just like, OK, that was gone. That's no good. Didn't work.
07:51You know, he would let it be so OK to try something different and let it not work and then keep going.
08:01Can you ask her about coming back on the cop killers? Yeah. Can you hang in there? Can you play, stay in the game with her?
08:07Did we find out what's going on?
08:09Negotiate with her. OK. Try it. If it doesn't work, change it back.
08:15I think most actors that work with him love working with Scott. And it was just sort of like this calm that he always bought to the set and to the show.
08:23And, you know, I always thought it was because he had a grasp of everything that was going on.
08:29You know, it was always like this saying that in order to break the rule, I mean, you should know the rules before you break the rules and then you can benefit from it.
08:37So he understood everything that was going on on the business side and on the television side.
08:42You know, there are some directors who, you know, want to make sure you know that they're very smart when they're giving you the direction.
08:49And Scott didn't care about that, you know. And he also knew that the performance was within you. And his job was to kind of, you know, nudge that, nudge that to the surface.
09:04He spoke to me in ways and that and took me to places as an artist within a television paradigm that I didn't know you could do.
09:16You know what I mean? I didn't think you could have those conversations in an hour long drama, that it was what it was.
09:21I've done pilots before. I've done a lot of television. And there, for the most part, is not a lot of heart and soul. You know, it's showing up and saying the words.
09:30And Scotty gave you the license to feel and think in ways that you weren't allowed to think, or me, I wasn't allowed to think in other jobs that I've gotten before.
09:47He had one of those fine hands at directing. Really, the velvet glove, the iron stick, kind of, that sort of firm, soft, firm, but soft way of directing. And I feel missed that.
10:07Scott became, I think, the biggest fan of The Shield. And I think he became the best director through The Shield.
10:13And I think he ultimately creatively got to do everything he probably dreamed of as a director through, you know, through this show, I believe.
10:23I just saw how much joy and excitement he had. And, you know, to lose that, you can't replace it.
10:29You know, you can only use it as an inspiration to become a better human being. But I think it's a huge loss. I think it's a huge loss.
10:36He was involved up to the very end. It wasn't as if he was, you know, got sick and then went away. I mean, he was here in the middle of it.
10:48And everyone was sort of, you know, stunned that it happened as quickly as it did.
11:01Scott wouldn't let his illness affect the tenor of the show. In fact, if you tried to feel sorry for him, he, you know, he would brush you aside.
11:13It was hard to actually see someone so vibrant and have so much to offer and just sort of see him physically diminish in a sense and still know that, you know, that that was, you know, that was still Scott.
11:31And he really underplayed what he was going through, which was his nature. He didn't want people worrying about him.
11:36You know, he had a certain amount of energy that he could give to his work. And when he was here, he wanted to give it to the work.
11:41He didn't want to give it towards explaining how he was doing that day or what the doctors had said.
11:46So in many ways, a lot of us were blissfully in the dark about how bad things were becoming for him.
11:56At first, when Scott had a limp, it was odd. And this guy was a picture of health, you know, tireless.
12:09So when he had a limp, it was a bit strange. Then the cane came in and I would ask him, are you okay? And he's like, well, yeah, we're sorting it out, figure it out.
12:20And then I remember one day I asked him and he scowled and just like, I wish I knew. And he changed it to a smile.
12:30And I think that was the last time I started. That was the last time I asked him. Because I realized it was bigger than I thought.
12:37But I think bigger than anyone had thought.
12:39I don't think any of us had this sort of total white acceptance of, oh, that's what it is and you're getting better.
12:54Because when we saw him, it was like, well, I don't know what those doctors are doing, but you don't look like you're getting better than me.
13:02And I was that kind of, well, what are they giving you? Well, is it working? You know, that kind of.
13:09And I think very possibly that Scott knew a long time before that it was not just Lyme disease.
13:19And that perhaps he could just work because the brain's intact. That's functioning. I can get up. I can go to work.
13:27And I think it was very important for him to be helming the ship until he could no longer do it.
13:34You know, up until I think a couple of days before he passed, he was still having meetings.
13:40And he had another pilot in the works that he was going to do.
13:44We were going over casting tape together and he was giving me his thoughts on some of the people that I liked and people that he liked.
13:51And he just never missed a beat. And that was what was so weird about it was that he was so upbeat even to the end and so still involved in the show that none of us had.
14:01When he did die, it just felt like this guy's not that sick because somebody who is that sick can't be this active and this in tune.
14:11And for him, I think that it was all about art and the creation of art. And so as far as the show goes, his illness did not impact the show because he drove it.
14:28Right up to the very end. And I don't even say up to the bitter end because it was not a bitter end.
14:33It was a shocking end. But it wasn't a bitter end because he didn't let it be.
14:39He it never affected his mind. It never affected his worth work ethic. It affected his mobility.
14:46It was a physical thing. It was a nuisance to him. But he was always very much at least the Scott that we saw in the workplace.
14:54I'm sure there were a lot of very private frustrating moments for him and for the people that worked closest to him in the office.
15:00But as far as the actors and the crew, the mind and the creativity and the voice that he was never, ever left.
15:10And in retrospect, it should have been very clear for us to see what he was going through.
15:18But we're all in such denial because, A, you know, we needed him. We didn't want anything to happen with him.
15:25And finally, he was so optimistic about things that he convinced you to be optimistic about it.
15:33So his passing really took us all by surprise and shocked us, even though it should have been seen as inevitable.
15:42Again, you know, without him here. And he's here. He's everywhere here. But, you know, it's not the same.
15:50I just miss talking to him. Working with him was great. But two or three times a week, I would either go into his office or he would come into my office and we'd sit down and we'd start talking about life more than problems with the show.
16:10We'd eventually get into, you know, he would always have a little buck slip where he'd written down the things to discuss with me. But I would never let him jump right into that.
16:19I mean, the last conversation I had, it's weird, is he called me a few days before I think he, you know, like five days. And I don't know, it's just something about his voice. He was just, I don't know, just a positive light.
16:39And to me, you know, sure, you miss his directing. You miss his creative input. You miss, you know, playing and ping pong as a director, actor.
16:47But, you know, just him saying, oh, Kenny, give me a call. And I could feel his spirit being weak. And he's just like, you know, give me a call. I'd love to talk to you. We've got to, we've got to hang out.
16:57And it'd just be really great to talk to you. It'd be great to hear from you, you know. And then, I don't know, it was this human being reaching out.
17:04And I think he was a very kind, gentle soul. And you could hear it in his voice, you know.
17:10You know, he would call me. I mean, I think he would call all of us, you know. But in my self-centeredness, you know, I felt like he called me, you know.
17:20And when he did, even when he wasn't around and even when he wasn't directing, it made your day. It made your week.
17:28Because he saw something. And he took the time to tell you how he felt about it.
17:34You know, it's a little cliché to say that, you know, someone you work with becomes a friend.
17:39But he was. And so the thing I'll miss most about him was, you know, being able to come into this very room, which was his office.
17:49And just be able to talk with him. And he was someone who had more life experience than me.
17:57And had more experience in show business than I, a lot more television experience.
18:02And he was a mentor to me. But a mentor who became a friend, someone that I could confide in and talk to.
18:10And, you know, and he was just a gentle, sweet man that was wonderful to get to know.
18:17A lot of us didn't realize how much fabric of our lives has become.
18:23It's very short five years, you know, to five years. It's so swift in your life.
18:30And yet because of what we do, it's five very, very intense years.
18:33So the people that you're with become like we've been together for 50 years, you know.
18:39And so the loss is great. And because we know him so much, we feel like we know him, then the loss feels great for Marie and for the children.
18:51And that, that's kind of a devastating feeling. It's like, you know, you wish you could spot places sometimes.
18:58I need a wife and, and two children. And it's hard to, it's hard to feel too bad for yourself when you know that they're the ones who are really suffering.
19:08So there's just a ton of things I miss about him, that I do miss about him.
19:15And, and I think kind of what we're all dealing with, what I'm kind of battling with is, is instead of saying, look, I'm not his family.
19:22I'm not his wife. I'm not his child. But, but I do think I was his friend. And, and to, in my reflection, to look back, I knew him from the time I was 29.
19:36I was almost 35. And, and the impact that he made on my life, both professionally and personally, during some of the most pivotal years in a young person's life, were, were unparalleled, you know.
19:58You know, you know, like I said earlier that as a producer, he scared me. And I think that I miss being afraid.
20:05I know he's laughing at me right now. I can just feel it. He's like, I'm sitting in his office and he's like, I could just, I can feel in my heart. He's smiling or laughing or just shaking his head. But,
20:19yeah, you know, I miss, I miss that fear because it made you stand on your toes and think, you know, and it kept you from being lazy or complacent. And it kept you from being too sure of yourself or too confident and confident in a, in a way that, you know, I mean, I think that we should wonder if we're all going to get killed off in the next episode.
20:42You know, we should all kind of be on our toes and doing our best work at, you know, any given moment. Um, and so I, I, I sort of, I can't believe I'm saying it, but I think I miss the fear and the good, the, the fear that makes you stronger and the fear that gives you character and the fear that makes you, um, glad that you've got something interesting and challenging to do.
21:06When, after he did pass away, they did, he had a memorial and it was, it was really like the most amazing thing I've ever seen. There had to have been like 400 people, uh, at this memorial. And there wasn't a person there that didn't say, Scott Brazil helped me, you know, get where I was. He gave me my first break. He gave me my first break doing this. He gave me a first break doing this. And, you know, at this memorial, it's just really nice because you, you actually, it sort of uplifted you and, and sort of made you feel like, all right, there's a lesson to be learned from this guy's life.
21:35Uh, which is, you know, it's just television. It's just art. What's most important is, is people and family and, and helping people and getting people to work and sort of fulfill their dreams. And that was something that Scott was all about. And, and at his memorial, seeing all of these people who, everyone had the same thing to say about him, just showed that it was real. And it wasn't just in this, in our little micro world of the shield, that he was this guy that was helpful and, and sweet and kind and smart.
22:04He affected, you know, he affected, you know, hundreds of people.
22:06You know, he's one of those very few spirits in the world that you'll miss horribly. But the value and, and the, and the gifts that he's given you will stay with you for the rest of your life.
22:21We all miss him very, very much. But I think we're all hopefully turning to a place of being thankful for the time that we got to, to spend with him.
22:30And I know that there are a lot of capable people who are really stepping up and have been for some time, but it still feels like that, you know, the dad isn't there. And, and so you just try to, to make dad proud in his absence, you know, that's what we're trying to do, I think.
22:59He's gone. And, and this show was always shaped by his, his belief in what we could do. There was nothing impossible on our limited budgets, on our severity of the violence we were going to portray.
23:19Okay. Okay. That's how it is. Let's make it real. Let's make it real, real. And let's not back away from that. And if they don't like it, they don't like it, but let's tell a good story. Let's do it for a reason.
23:28But you can do anything that way, you know, if it's violent or if it's not violent, if it's just, you know, whatever we are having to show. He made sure that there was a reason behind it. And I think that that's what we carry on.
23:43And you ask me, how does it affect the show? Tremendously. He'll never be replaced. How do we, how do we, the crew and Cassville, we lost a great guy.
23:53And, and what does he leave with us? Everything.
24:00You know, he, you know, he was not somebody who would want everyone to be sad about it. And, and, uh, he's, he's left a great legacy, um, for people to watch.
24:12You can go back and watch, uh, Hill Street Blues DVDs and, and that's where he got to start directing.
24:19He directed on a number, number, number of, uh, episodic television shows. Um, you know, Party of Five and Jag and Nip Tuck and Grey's Anatomy.
24:29Um, Angel, uh, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Just a ton of things that, that he leaves. Uh, and then five great, wonderful years on The Shield.
24:41Uh, so I think he'd be the first person to say, you know, uh, don't, you know, don't get too upset about me.
24:49But maybe once, you know, once every year or two, you know, pull out one of the episodes I directed and give it a watch and hopefully you'll enjoy it.
24:56Do good.
24:58Do good.
25:00Do good.
25:01Do good.
25:02Do good.
25:03Do good.
25:04Do good.
25:05Do good.
25:06Do good.
25:07¶¶
25:37¶¶
25:46
|
Up next
1:00:27
55:45
19:14
29:55
21:26
48:21
9:16
7:36
21:14
10:34
Recommended
1:58
1:02
1:39
4:13
3:28
0:33
40:24
5:45
5:18
1:08:59
1:15:10
1:28:32
7:04
44:09
10:37
5:11
5:26
1:31:53
46:39
Be the first to comment