Pop Culturalist Chats with Jack Cutmore-Scott

Jack Cutmore-Scott, an actor on the rise, stars as the title character on Cooper Barrett’s Guide to Surviving Life—which can be seen on Sundays on FOX. It’s TV’s version of The Hangover meets Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, told through the mistakes and lessons learned of a post-graduate millennial. We were lucky enough to chat with Jack about the show and his career.

Cooper Barrett Questions

PC: What attracted you to this role?
Jack: Primarily? Unemployment. Secondarily—the fact that it is a fun, action-packed role about an ordinary guy dealing with extraordinary situations.

PC: You’ve described the show as the television version of The Hangover. What’s it like having a cast member from the actual movie?
Jack: Who, you mean Justin? He was in The Hangover?

PC: Cooper and his friends get themselves into a lot of crazy situations—what’s been your favorite?
Jack: Cooper gets himself dumped in the middle of the ocean in an episode still to come. That was interesting.

PC: Can you describe your character in 5 words?
Jack: Impulsive, stubborn, well-meaning, misguided, fun-loving.

PC: Would you say you’re the “Cooper Barrett” in your circle of friends?
Jack: I don’t know if I have enough friends to make up a full circle, but if I did then probably not. I’m more likely to wave goodbye to my friends as they go off on a crazy adventure and curl up on the couch with some red wine.

PC: Cooper and his friends have a pet pig named James Franco. What’s it like working with him?
Jack: Biggest diva on set by a mile. Demands food every few seconds, refuses to come out of his trailer. He’s a pig, basically.

PC: Cooper accidentally falls in love with his neighbor, Kelly. Where will we see them at the end of the season?
Jack: No spoilers. But things do develop…

PC: You guys went on a college tour to promote the show—what was that experience like?
Jack: Really amazing—it was mainly cool to introduce the show (and us, as a cast) to people who didn’t know about it or us yet. The reception was really great.

PC: The premise of the show is learning life lessons from Cooper’s experience—what’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned on set?
Jack: If you hang upside-down off a balcony for long enough (and get dropped, repeatedly) you can burst the blood vessels in your face.

Career Questions

PC: Do you have a dream role?
Jack: Not really, to be honest—I have a few in the back of my mind that I’d love to play over the next few (40) years, but I wouldn’t want to jinx anything.

PC: You’ve done film, television, and theater—what’s your favorite? And, do you think you’ll make a return to Broadway?
Jack: They’re all completely different and tons of fun and really hard work in their own ways. I truly believe that they’re very different skill sets and each of them requires as much experience as possible—am sure it’s a cliche, but I’ve not stopped learning since day one and I don’t see that changing. And yes, 100%. Theatre will always be a huge part of my life whether it be Broadway or elsewhere.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure movie & television show?
Jack: Movie – Love Actually (family Christmas favourite) TV Show – anything comic-booky. Flash/Arrow/Daredevil…

PC: An artist or band that people would be surprised to find on your iPod?
Jack: What’s an iPod?

PC: Favorite Broadway Play?
Jack: That I’ve seen? No idea—but Off-Broadway I recently saw RED SPEEDO, which should go to Broadway if Broadway knows what’s best for it. This guy in it—Alex Breaux—is going to be a very big deal.

PC: Favorite Book?
Jack: I forgot how to read anything but scripts after I graduated, so it’s been a while. But if we’re talking guilty pleasures then I’ve read all the Harry Potter series, at least, four times.

PC: You’ve become more active on social media—do you have a favorite platform?
Jack: Not really—it is a whole new world for me and I’m still deciding whether or not I like any of it. I’ll get back to you…

We want to thank Jack for taking the time to chat with us. And, if you’ve fallen in love with him, make sure to follow him on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Cooper Barrett’s Guide to Surviving Life airs on Sundays on FOX.

Photo Credit: Brooklin Rosenstock