EXCLUSIVE: Scott Mescudi Talks Working with Ariana Grande, Kathryn Hahn, & his New Movie, Don’t Look Up
Scott Mescudi, aka Kid Cudi, has made quite a name for himself in the music industry. With two Grammys already under his belt, the rapper/singer is bringing his talents to the big screen in Adam McKay’s Don’t Look Up.
We got the chance to hear from Mescudi about his role as DJ Chello, joining the cast, Kathryn Hahn, working with Ariana Grande, and so much more. Check out what he had to say below.
On joining the cast: “I came into this project very nervous. You can imagine, just like the weight of it and-and the cast. The first day it was really nerve-racking. But watching Adam [McKay], watching Tyler [Perry], watching Cate [Blanchett], watching Ariana [Grande], and seeing how everyone was kind of just like in the element, so laid back and so in tune and comfortable, it made me comfortable. You know what I mean? It felt like even though I was there for, what, three days, it felt like a family setting, and everybody embraced me.
On working with Tyler Perry: “It was my first time meeting Tyler, who I’m a fan of, and it was so cool. I didn’t know he was so tall, and so swole. But, I just learned that sometimes you’ve just got to relax and just go with the flow and just be in your space and be comfortable with shit.”
On chatting with Kathryn Hahn before filming: “I talked to Kathryn Hahn, who’s a friend of mine, and she was telling me about Adam [McKay]. And she was like, ‘Just be ready for him to throw you anything,’ And I was just like, ‘Okay, that makes me even more nervous.'”
You can read the rest of the interview below the jump. Don’t Look Up hits select theaters tomorrow, December 10.
On his and Ariana Grande’s song in the movie, “Just Look Up”: “I met up with Nick Britell and he played me the song. And I immediately was like, ‘Holy shit. Where do I fit? Do you even need me? How do I approach this?’ And he had something written for me. And we tried that, but it just wasn’t working, and I was just like, ‘Maybe it would be better if I approached this like doin’ my flavor, and kinda taking that approach.’ And then another thing was this song is not me writing a song from the Kid Cudi perspective; this is from DJ Chello’s perspective and they just linked back up. So he’s pretty much just like kinda confessing and expressing his love to her [Grande’s Riley Bina]. He’s forgetting about the importance of the song in general and just kind of thinking ‘Oh I’m just happy to be with my baby.’ So I kinda just took this approach of you’re on the stage with this girl, you’re you’re making this song with the love of your life, you guys just had a huge fallout and everyone around the world knew about it. And now you guys are comin’ together. It’s the reunion moment for me.”
On working with Ariana on the song: “It was intense at first because Ariana is such an incredible artist. Her vocal performance is just like stellar, like her voice is just amazing. So I’m just really happy that we were able to figure it out, and it worked man. I’m really proud of it.”
On what he would do if it was his last day on earth: “I think I would definitely try to get to my daughter wherever she’s at. Now of course, I would wanna see my mom, and like my sister. But like, my daughter I got to get to her, definitely.”
*This interview has been edited for length and clarity
Photo Credit: NIKO TAVERNISE/NETFLIX