LiveWorld Transcripts

Checkout.com presents

D.J. Qualls
Co-star of "Road Trip"

May 25, 2000

CheckOut.com presents actor D.J. Qualls who discusses starring in the comedy, “Road Trip.” Qualls, who plays Kyle Edwards, talks about the plot of the film: four guys embarking on a long trek to recover and illicit tape, why he idolizes Steven Spielberg, and future projects.

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CheckOut.com: Welcome to a chat with actor D.J. Qualls, star of DreamWorks' hilarious new comedy "Road Trip." The film co-stars Tom Green, Breckin Meyer, Amy Smart and Seann William Scott and is currently playing in theaters. Send in your questions for D.J. about what its like to shoot a movie with a young, fun cast! Welcome, D.J.!

D.J. Qualls: Hello, everybody. I'm glad to be here today. Feel free to ask anything you want.

SallyQ: Hi, D.J.! What is your movie "Road Trip" about?

D.J. Qualls: It's about four guys who go on a 1,800-mile road trip to retrieve an illicit tape mistakenly mailed to one of our girlfriends.

ChatteringSon: What is your role in the movie "Road Trip"?

D.J. Qualls: I play Kyle Edwards, kind of a shy, sheltered guy, who gets conned into coming on the trip because he has a car and a credit card, but who winds up changing over the course of the movie. My character is 18 years old.

Folsom: Tell us a funny story from the set that is not in the film.

D.J. Qualls: One time, Seann William Scott bought poop in a can and sprayed it all over another actor's trailer. He didn't realize it foamed up and it foamed up to be about two feet tall and it ruined the trailer.

Timmie: What does D.J. stand for?

D.J. Qualls: Donald Joseph.

HerNameStartsWithAB: Did Tom Green really put a rodent in his mouth? I hope it was plastic!

D.J. Qualls: He really did! It was live. I was there the day they shot it. But the mouse is trained to do that. He liked it. The mouse kept trying to go back in. That's how you could tell he liked it.

WookieNumbers: Why do you think moviemakers enjoy making movies about road trips?

D.J. Qualls: Because it's an American right of passage, and it also opens the door for a lot of things to happen. And it's a universal thing, too. Everyone takes road trips.

MrSocko68: Was if fun working with Tom Green and was he as funny in person as on TV?

D.J. Qualls: It was really fun. Tom is pretty much a normal guy off screen. I mean, we hung out and he's a good friend now, but he's not as crazy in real life.

Sonic: What are you hobbies and interests?

D.J. Qualls: I do a lot of traveling, mostly with work. But I lived in England for three years, and I go back every chance I get. And I read all the time. Right now, I am reading “Catcher in the Rye,” by J. D. Salinger. It's a great book.

CO-lady: How long did the movie take to shoot?

D.J. Qualls: Three months.

Roadhog: How does it feel to be in a movie that is being compared favorably to a classic comedy like "Animal House"?

D.J. Qualls: It's completely unexpected. Of course, it feels great. And it's a pleasure for me to be involved in a movie, especially one that was in the lineage of "Animal House" because we had Ivan Reitman, who was our producer, and he did "Animal House."

Veejay: What are you working on now? What projects do you have coming out in the future?

D.J. Qualls: I have a movie called "Cherry Falls" coming out in September. It's a teenage horror film. And I'm getting ready to start shooting "Big Trouble" with Tim Allen and Rene Russo.

Skyler: How did you get into acting?

D.J. Qualls: I was discovered a year ago, doing community theater for free in Nashville, Tennessee. I was discovered by a casting director from Atlanta. He just came up to me after the performance and said that I should be in the movies. I said, "Okay," and then I auditioned for a movie the following week and got it.

MrSocko68: I'm an up-and-coming actress. Do you have any advice to help out any fellow actors for in the future?

D.J. Qualls: Yeah, if you are serious about it, then you need to move to New York or L.A. And keep in mind how completely tough it is to break into the business. I know actors who have been here for two years who can't even get an agent. So, I think it's important to set a time limit for yourself on how long you are willing to try, and if it doesn't happen for you I think you should think about what else you would like to do in life that would make you happy, because being an actor isn't everything. It's just a job.

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