With 35 years’ experience in theatre, fashion, TV, and film, John Scott shares the latest turn in his eclectic career
Written by Sarah Trevor
Most of us can relate to that teenager who dreams of being on the television or perhaps working in the bright lights of Hollywood, but John Scott, a face you’ll recognise from your TV screens for the past 24 years, was all set to be a teacher before his career took a different trajectory altogether. At 18 he began studying English and Drama at Bretton Hall College in Wakefield. “I trained to be a teacher primarily because I didn’t know what else to do and the careers advisors at school said it was a good idea,” explains John. Known among his peers for his kind and compassionate qualities, he relished the challenge of working with kids, especially those that otherwise might have been overlooked. “There were some kids that, at age 13, teachers would decide they wouldn’t take exams and think ‘they’re not worth anything.’ They were put on the scrap heap; I loved them the most.”
After rapidly becoming disillusioned with the politics of the teachers’ staffroom, and the prospect of “having another 45 years of this!” John decided to jump ship and enroll as a Costume Interpretation student at the prestigious Wimbledon School of Art. “My friend had studied there so I went ahead and applied, but somehow, I didn’t realise it was the pinnacle of most people’s training and I just waltzed in there!”
It was a bold move, particularly for someone whose entire experience of costumes was based on a drama club he attended in the school holidays. “Believe it or not, none of my family are crafty,” he reveals.
“My dad was a pilot and my mum was a personnel manager. We didn’t even have a sewing box in the house!” he smiles.
THE RIGHT PATH
It didn’t take John very long to realise his future was now swimming in the right direction. “At Wimbledon, the teachers were all people who worked in the industry, so within two weeks of being there, we were being introduced to people who worked on West End shows, at the Opera House and all places like that,” he remembers. “I knew from day one that I’d made the right decision.”
After graduating, he began working as a pattern cutter in the theatre. “I absolutely loved it. It’s true what they say, you really cut your craft working in a theatre.” It felt like a dream come true when the next role John landed meant relocating to New York.
“Every job I had,
