Scott Speeds Out of L.A. (Michael Ausiello, TV Guide)

04.13.01

In anticipation of the seemingly inevitable actors strike on July 1, card-carrying members of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) are busy searching for an answer to the question: How many films can one thespian make in three months? Well, Felicity heartthrob Scott Speedman is preoccupied with a query of his own: How many road trips can one twentysomething male squeeze into his spring/summer hiatus?

"I need to take a break," Speedman tells TV Guide Online on the Felicity set, where he's taping the show's season finale. "I don't feel like acting right now. I'm going to get out of Los Angeles for a while... and refill and get excited about acting again... I'm not going to work just because of a strike."

As it is, the Duets star believes Hollywood's obsession with quantity over quality will show in the end. "Studios are rushing a bunch of s--- just to get it done, and I don't want to be involved with that," he confesses. "They're freaking out — and I think the products will not be as good."

Turns out, Speedman may have to cut his vacation short. After this interview was conducted, the actor was cast opposite Kurt Russell in the Ron Shelton-directed drama Plague Season. The film — which starts shooting next week in L.A. — focuses on the days leading up to the verdict in the Rodney King beating trial.

And by the time Season wraps, Speedman should know whether or not the WB has renewed Felicity for a fourth year. (The show returns Wednesday with the first of six all-new episodes.) How would he feel if the show were cancelled? "To be honest, it depends on the week [you catch me]," he admits. "I would be truly sad if the show ended, for sure, because I've met so many people and it's been a really good experience... But I'd move on to other things."