Troy Metcalf, a seasoned actor and Missouri State alumnus, recently walked the red carpet for “Babylon’s” Los Angeles premiere.
Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie, the stars of the movie, were a short distance away.
Metcalf, a native of Columbia, was cast in a supporting role as actor Orville Pickwick in the film about Hollywood ambition and excess in the 1920s silent cinema era. It opened Thursday in nearby theatres.
Pitt, who portrays cinematic legend Jack Conrad, was pleased to collaborate with another artist with links to Missouri.
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Pitt, a Springfield resident, “came up to me and told me he loved my (audition), and then we began to talking about Missouri,” Metcalf recalled of Pitt. “I told him I was from Columbia but attended Springfield College,”
“”No way,” he retorted. In contrast, I am. I was born and raised in Springfield and attended college in Columbia. We discussed issues in Missouri. We both have a connection to Missouri.”
According to Metcalf, the character he plays in the movie is partially based on Fatty Arbuckle, a comedian, actor, and playwright from the silent era. The movie shows how excessive drinking, riches, and extravagance ruined the lives of many Tinseltown performers during that time.
Metcalf gushed about the show, saying, “It was very fun.” “Damien Chazelle, the director, really gets the culture. It was outrageous.”
Metcalf, who graduated from Missouri State in 1996 after attending David H. Hickman High School in Columbia, claimed he had never experienced a negative day on a set.
After attending Missouri State, where he first met his wife Michele, a well-known Hollywood costume designer, he later earned his degree from the New York Actors Workshop.
In the Comedy Central cult favourite “Strangers with Candy,” which also starred Amy Sedaris and Stephen Colbert, Metcalf made his acting debut in a minor role.
Metcalf chuckled, “I remember back then they would FedEx a script to my flat. “I knew I had work that week if I received a script. very different from the present.”
As of right now, Metcalf has a large number of acting credits across a number of networks, including ABC, NBC, Lifetime, FX, Showtime, Cartoon Network, and others.
Metcalf embraces all characters after nine seasons as Jim on “The Middle,” playing a face-tattooed figure opposite pop diva Rhianna in “AntiDiary,” and appearing in “Dexter,” “Hot in Cleveland,” and “Superstore.”
The resident of Los Angeles said he still maintains in touch with Missouri State’s faculty and alumni and expressed regret for missing the new John Goodman Amphitheatre’s October dedication.
Hollywood has produced a number of actors from Missouri State, including Tess Harper, Kathleen Turner, and Goodman.
Acting, according to Metcalf, is really difficult. “Everyone wants love, so that’s what we want too. Simply put, we can be a little more needy about it at times.”
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