Interview with Kevin McKidd – The long road to Hollywood
'Grey鈥檚 Anatomy鈥 star Kevin McKidd is one of the most loved TV actors in America.
Kevin talks to Thomas Kelly, 草莓社区鈥檚 Head of Development and Alumni Relations, about his journey from QMC to Hollywood, taking the rough with the smooth, and how a little bit of luck can change your whole career.
鈥淲hen I was a kid, I was painfully shy.鈥 We catch-up via phone as Kevin drives through Los Angeles. He鈥檚 having some down time during the filming of 鈥楪rey鈥檚 Anatomy鈥 season 17. As he takes me on a journey through the highs and lows of his career, it鈥檚 evident he鈥檚 come a long way from being the shy boy from the Scottish Highlands.
In Primary 5, he took part in a play about a king who couldn鈥檛 stop sneezing: 鈥淚 played the sneezing king, the comedy role. My shyness disappeared when I walked on stage. That鈥檚 when I got hooked!鈥 At the tender age of 16, Kevin went to the University of Edinburgh to study engineering.
His parents wanted him to study 鈥渟omething sensible鈥, but Kevin confesses:
"鈥n my heart I knew I wanted to be an actor. So I applied for drama school. I鈥檇 fallen in love with Edinburgh so I only auditioned for Queen Margaret."
Kevin only made it as far as the car park after his audition before being offered an on the spot place on the course! 鈥淚 went to the phone box to call my mum and dad. I was nervous as hell. 鈥溾楳um, Dad, you鈥檙e never going to believe this. I鈥檓 leaving university, I鈥檓 not going to be an engineer, I鈥檝e just got into drama school鈥.鈥
鈥淚 thought they鈥檇 go off at the deep end, but instead they said: 鈥榃e always knew that was what was going to happen, Kev. Congratulations, we support you'.鈥
When we talk about Kevin鈥檚 time at QMC, incredibly, he reels off every single production he was part of, character he played and class he took part in 鈥 from fencing to method acting. 鈥淚 always remember Lynn Bains teaching Uta Hagan techniques.鈥 Uta Hagan was a German-American actress who went on to be very well known for her acting techniques based around acting normally in imaginary circumstances.
He explained: 鈥淲e had to bring every item from our bedrooms into class. We were asked to setup our bedroom on stage, sit on our bed, in front of everyone else, and just act normal. It鈥檚 much harder than it sounds and f***ing intimidating. Every class was like going to the dentist, but boy, did we learn! To this day, I still use these skills.鈥
Fast forward to Kevin鈥檚 final year. 鈥淚 got lucky, as I had my first acting job already lined up before graduating (鈥楾he Silver Darlings鈥 with John McGrath). Wildcat Theatre Company needed a young, male actor who sounded like he was from the Highlands 鈥 I鈥檓 from Elgin. It was a done deal.鈥
During the Scottish tour with The Silver Darlings, Kevin 鈥済ot lucky again鈥. ICM, the biggest agency in London, saw the production and signed him.
"I鈥檇 never even heard of ICM 鈥 I thought it was a computer company. I was very much a country bumpkin, never having left Scotland before, but I went down to the ICM Offices in the middle of Oxford Street, 鈥 and that was it! I had a London agent!"
That was far from Kevin鈥檚 鈥渂ig break鈥. Work dried up for a while but eventually he gets a gig in Glasgow 鈥 a film called 鈥楽mall Faces鈥 鈥 and takes his first step away from theatre. 鈥淒uring the filming of Small Faces, Danny Boyle was in Glasgow for the pre-production of 鈥楾rainspotting鈥. Danny hears about the up and-coming actors filming Small Faces and wants to see footage. He asked me to audition for the part of Tommy and the rest is history.鈥
We chat about filming Trainspotting and the reality of filming a low budget film. He laughs about the one little campervan where all the male cast members would cram in together and get changed into costumes. They would then get out, smoke some cigarettes on the freezing cold street corner, whilst the female cast members got changed.
I can鈥檛 help but imagine the scene: Kevin McKidd, Ewan McGregor, Robert Carlyle, Jonny Lee Miller and Ewen Bremner all crammed into one campervan!
"Whilst we were still filming, the producer showed us the five minute film trailer with that Iggy Pop song. We all thought we had been filming this hard-hitting piece, but what Danny did was mix up real gritty action with pop culture. After seeing the trailer, we realised this could really be something special for Scottish cinema."
鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 until walking into the premier, and seeing the likes of Liam Gallagher, did I realise this was much more than a film 鈥 it was a cultural movement!
鈥淎fter filming Trainspotting, I was living in Partick and work dried up. By the time the premier came around, I had no money and I had to borrow a suit. We got picked up in a limousine to go to the premier, and I remember thinking 鈥業 hope we鈥檝e got a lift back鈥! We didn鈥檛, so after the premier, and the big fancy do, me and my girlfriend walked home in the pouring rain!鈥 Everyone told Kevin to move to America after Trainspotting. He said: 鈥淭he Trainspotting cast were all doing really well; Ewan (McGregor) had just got the 鈥楽tar Wars鈥 gig. However, this is one of the only times I listened to my gut 鈥 and got it right.
I was a reasonably innocent boy from Elgin and didn鈥檛 have much street smart about me. Los Angeles would have just chewed me up and spat me out.鈥
During his mid 20鈥檚 he was forced to take jobs on building sites and pubs to support his young family. He thought he鈥檇 made the wrong decision staying in the UK, however, his acting work grows momentum again with work at the Royal Court, and then with the 2002 action horror film 鈥楧og Soldiers鈥.
In 2003, Kevin finds himself in Bucharest filming 鈥楪unpowder, Treason and Plot鈥. Bruno Heller (executive producer of the soon to be HBO hit 鈥楻ome鈥) is also there scoping out the studio next door as a potential filming location. Kevin hears the American voices and introduces himself 鈥 it was his first step towards securing the role of 鈥楲ucius鈥. Throughout our interview, Kevin often talks about 鈥渂eing lucky鈥 or in the right place at the right time. There is clearly an element of luck here, but a lot of hard work, determination and resilience surrounds it.
鈥淚 get annoyed when people refer to my 鈥榦vernight success鈥!鈥 There鈥檚 a real passion in Kevin鈥檚 voice now.
"I had 15 years of really hard work before I got the Rome gig. But QMC prepared me for this. The course demanded everything from us, but also prepared us to deal with rejection, failure, and uncertainty."
Rome paves the way to the lead role of Dan Vasser in 鈥楯ourneyman鈥. As the romantic, time-travelling TV show takes off, Kevin makes the big move to LA! However, the 2007/08 writers鈥 strike begins, and Journeyman is cancelled, LA becomes a ghost town for eight months and Kevin is running out of money ... again. 鈥淚 picked the worst time to move to LA.鈥
Kevin鈥檚 kids are at school in LA and that is the only thing that keeps him there during this really tough period. However, the writers鈥 strike ends and one week later Kevin gets a call from his agent to say that Shonda Rhimes (Producer for 鈥楪rey鈥檚 Anatomy鈥) wants to talk to him about a new character in the show. 鈥淢y agent tells me the role of Owen Hunt was between me and James Van Der Beek (known for playing Dawson in 鈥楧awson鈥檚 Creek鈥) but Shonda is going on holiday for two weeks and she鈥檒l decide when she鈥檚 back鈥 Two weeks later I get a call saying 鈥楽he chose you鈥. And that was it鈥鈥檝e been here ever since.鈥
Kevin has been Owen Hunt in Grey鈥檚 Anatomy for eleven years now, and he loves it as much today as he did when he started.
"The life of an actor is like a travelling salesman - you鈥檙e living out of a suitcase and you don鈥檛 know where you鈥檒l be next week. With Grey鈥檚 Anatomy, I鈥檝e signed long contracts and I鈥檝e used this as a chance to plant my feet in one place for a while. I鈥檝e played this brilliant character, whilst being at home and getting to watch my kids grow up."
The show鈥檚 also given Kevin the chance to direct 鈥 over 30 episodes so far!
We finish up by talking about Kevin鈥檚 bucket list, which involves directing his first film, writing (which is the one aspect that scares him most) and joining the Royal Shakespeare Company 鈥 something that Kevin has had to turn down in the past.
"I feel like the past 11/12 years has been a detour on this mad journey that I鈥檝e been on. As they say in America 鈥榠t鈥檚 all been gravy鈥."
Kevin studied Diploma in Drama (Acting Studies) and graduated from Queen Margaret College in 1994.
Kevin McKidd - Photo: Mitchell McCormack/Trunk Archive