InCard

Matt Schulze - Fast and Furiously Becoming a Big Star
Rita Cook - 11/1/2001
I wanted to get to know him better, but who has time in 30 minutes, right? So as I skimmed the surface of who this guy is and realized that Matt Schulze may not yet be a household name, I'm convinced he will be soon. He's soft spoken, but his personality comes out in the decisions he's made about his career. For example, Universal fought him all the way about his beard in his film The Fast and the Furious, but he showed up for work with it and it stuck. Now off on the set of Blade 2 shooting in Prague, Schulze is fast becoming a star.

IN: Tell me about yourself.
MS: I am from St. Louis and grew up in a rough area. I moved out at an early age and went to a music conservatory in Atlanta and studied guitar. I came back to St. Louis after that and taught music when I was 17. I had 65 students a week. I did that for a year and then moved to Los Angeles. I pretty much became a studio musician when I got here.
I went to a School of the Arts for theater and all that stuff when I was kid. But when I got here [L.A.] I got a Levis campaign, and it opened up a whole new world for me. I went to Europe and did runway shows and all this modeling stuff and lived there for a while, but always tried to focus on acting. But I never wanted to do any television shows, so it took me a long time to finally get in to where I am at now, as far as getting inside of films without really having any credits. And I have been doing it more and more.

IN: You said you left school and graduated early.
MS: I didn't actually, I ended up getting a GED.

IN: And then you went to the school...
MS: The conservatory...

IN: And then you came back to St. Louis at 17 and started teaching guitar?
MS: Yeah.

IN: That's amazing. What made you decide to pick up the guitar? What drew you to that?
MS: As a child it, was my only means of expression. It was a way for me to hide out and try to be creative. I tried to resolve a lot of unsettled emotions inside me. I used that as a vehicle because my outward life was pretty much crazy. I was a hellion.

IN: So you were really wild?
MS: Yeah.

IN: Is that why you went to Atlanta?
MS: I had always wanted to go to the conservatory, and it just ended up being the right timing and I was able to do it.

IN: So you calmed down a little bit?
MS: Not really. In the moment of learning I did. You know, [you're] a young boy and you're crazy.

IN: Are you still pretty wild or have you changed?
MS: I think I try to develop all that stuff and transform all that energy into the characters that I do, so that it is positive. music to modeling to acting

IN: How did you say you got started in acting?
MS: Well, I started off doing acting, but like I said, I started getting [ad] campaigns and I didn't want to turn that down. It helped finance me to try and continue with the acting and let me grow as a person. Most models never make it, you know. I was never really a model, though. I have always been an actor. I was just fortunate enough that I was able to make a living at [modeling] for a while.

IN: What has been your favorite job to date?
MS: Well, the movie that I just did, The Fast and the Furious, was probably the best job I did so far. We got to learn how to do Indy racing cars and they allowed me to develop a character that really, on the page, wasn't written. I roughed it up. [In the film I have] dark hair...

IN: And that's not what you really look like?
MS: No, I have white hair. I am doing another movie, Blade 2.

IN: And you were in the first Blade, right?
MS: I had a very small role in that, and now they have given me a lead role in the new one.

IN: Tell me about your character in The Fast and the Furious.
MS: My character is Vin Diesel. We are basically robbing trucks to finance underground street racing. I am the intimidator of the whole crew, the badass, sort of. I am also the downfall character, [the guy] everyone kind of shits on.

IN: Did you feel comfortable with that part and what you had to do in that part?
MS: Yeah, I mean I put on like 25 pounds and grew a beard and dyed my hair black. I wanted to make sure that it left an impression.

IN: Was it hard when you had to put on that kind of weight and then take it back off?
MS: Well, it is okay now because [for] this other [role] I am doing I am supposed to be big also, so I am staying this size, but I am changing certain features like my hair. I made [it] white because I [play] a vampire.

IN: You had to grow a beard for the part of Vince. You had never had a beard before, right?
MS: No, I had [one]. Everything you see as the character is my idea. Universal fought me the whole way for the beard. They didn't want [any] of that stuff, so I just showed up ready to work with it.

IN: Good for you.
MS: Paul Walker in the movie, that is kind of what I look like normally. He and I looked like brothers and I had to totally alter my original appearance.

IN: Do you have any interesting stories that happened while you guys were shooting?
MS: Ah, to be honest with you, the whole experience was a positive thing because of the group element. Michelle Rodriguez, everyone there was great. And as far as finding that kind of teamwork again, it probably will never happen, because everyone who was working was relatively new to the business so there were really no attitudes, you know? And it was a very positive experience. That's it, really.me, the character?

IN: What different parts of yourself do you think you bring to each character? Or do you just totally become a different person when you are acting?
MS: I think I always try to remain with some certain part of me. But the element that use to bring to characters, I study a lot of people to try to bring certain things to each. I kind of use an improvisation of jazz, you know, like what a jazz musician does. It is all the music training. I have really applied that to acting, which is kind of a unique approach. I really don't know anybody else that does it like that.

IN: What was your pivotal role as an actor? What do you think was the role that got you going?
MS: This one. I think this is my first real break.

IN: How did you end up getting this part?
MS: It was basically off a general meeting and then there were about seven times I had to go back in and meet the director. No one could make their mind up. But eventually the payoff was that they took a chance with me.

IN: And then apparently you did the right thing in telling them I am going to grow the beard and all that, because it sounds like it gave you an individuality .
MS: Yeah. You know, when you see me I am kind of like this big kind of gladiator. It suits the film.

IN: People are going to remember you, I'm sure.
MS: And I did all the stunts. I am on the freeway doing 80 miles an hour on this truck. It's really me, I did all that stuff.

IN: Now, did they try to convince you not to do it or did you just say I am going to do it?
MS: I just said, I am going to do it and then we did it.

IN: And what made you decide that you wanted to do this?
MS: I am more of an extremist. I really don't turn down anything in the face of danger. I don't know why, but it is just my background. And I really enjoyed it.

IN: What is your favorite part of your career right now?
MS: Well, I am leaving in a week for Prague. I think that is going to be, its like God or whomever is giving me these things to go ahead and isolate myself into a new thing, a new phase of life. I am really excited about that. That is probably the best thing, the traveling. I mean, I am able to go there and totally be that character without any judgment, whereas here sometimes I have the beard and all these things. When you are in a relationship with somebody [sometimes] they have a hard time understanding that it is the character, and I try to think the way the character... I try to not change my clothes or anything for the whole time of the shoot.

IN: Change you clothes as in wearing the same outfit every day?
MS: Yeah, well for The Fast and the Furious I wore the same thing. I took it home with me, I slept in it, you know, I became the character.

IN: Are you married?
MS: No, I was in a relationship for four years, but we broke up and it is kind of difficult. That's what I am saying, the process of being an actor for a regular person who is in society, it's hard for them to understand, that's all.

IN: Tell me what you do in your down time. Or do you have any? It sounds like you are very busy.
MS: I am pretty busy. Mostly I play music. I write. There is a group called American Pearl, they are signed with Creeds record label. I teach the guitar player in that group. I give them lessons and help them write songs and I do a lot of music in my down time to offset the acting so that I can change... I try not to repeat any kind of movements in each character and develop something new for each one, which is a hard process. So I try to totally surrender myself to music to clear that pathway for the next movie.

IN: That is cool.
MS: It is kind of difficult, because there are moments when I get frustrated with acting and want to hide in music, and sometimes I get frustrated with music and want to hide in acting. For me acting is the goal, because traveling on the bus and all that shit with music is just, you know...

IN: It wouldn't be cool.
MS: No. Playing the [same] songs every night, no, thank you.

IN: So, you are going to be playing a vampire in Blade 2. How are you getting prepared for that character?
MS: Well, I helped develop [the] character and the clothing. I made him this kind of Excalibur kind of guy that transcends all time. He is Wesley's, they are in this blood pact. He hired this blood pact for him to go out and overthrow the evil vampires. I am actually a good [vampire]. So I made him this timeless character.

IN: Tell me a little bit more about your background growing up.
MS: I have lived in a relatively nice area before, but I chose to hang out in East St. Louis, which is the ghetto. My friends lived in downtown St. Louis. St. Louis is a really... downtown was a rough area [at the time] and those were the people I chose to hang out with to get the rawness of life, you know what I mean? There were no judgments... I was really one of the only white guys down there.

IN: And they were totally accepting of you?
MS: Yeah. Never once... It just was like we were able to live life to the fullest extent. They had no limits and neither did I, because they had nothing to hold them back they were coming out of the projects. So if you can imagine a white person in that environment, you know it was pretty crazy.

IN: Well, I'm sure you have learned a lot from it.
MS: It made me an extremely strong person to physically get through anything. Now I am trying spiritually to do that, also. That combination will be, well, you cant stop something like that.

IN: Tell me something about you that nobody else knows.
MS: I am actually very sensitive. I think people always tend to think of me as brassy and kind of a bully, but that is not the way I am inside.

IN: Actually, on the phone you sound sensitive. I don't know what you are like in person, but...
MS: People, well since I am so big, people get intimidated.