Upclose with Rob Archibald
Hong Kong-based Canadian actor Rob Archibald will be playing the nitrous-huffing, woman-beating, sadistic mad dentist, Orin Scrivello DDS, in the American Community Theatre’s upcoming production of “Little Shop of Horrors.” He tells Tessa Yung about playing the bad guy, and even dispenses some advice to Britney Spears.
HK Magazine: Tell me about your character, the Mad Dentist.
Rob Archibald: He thinks he’s a nice guy and he really, really enjoys his job. He thinks he’s pretty friendly, but he’s definitely a sadist.
HK: What tiny peeve sets off the mad dentist in you?
RA: How slow people walk in this town. I call it the Hong Kong Weave – where people are walking really slowly and you try to pass them but they weave right in front of you...
HK: Do you prefer playing the good guy or the bad guy?
RA: I usually end up playing the bad guy, or the guy with few redeeming qualities but I don’t mind it. Being told you’re a total prick after the show can be a good thing. Then you really know you’ve done a good job playing the character.
HK: What about in real life?
RA: I’m a pretty nice guy.
HK: Isn’t being an actor pretty grungy?
RA: Doing a lot of commercial casting calls is not fun. You get herded in and herded out, you’re just a number and nobody cares. When you have to pretend you’re driving a car with a doll and baby carriage beside you, you start to ask yourself – what am I doing here?
HK: Is that your worst stage moment ever?
RA: No, that’s being a kid in church. I was a shepherd in the nativity and wanted to hold the baby Jesus. So I grabbed it and ran off with it.
