Page 56 - Alumni Horae: Vol. 94, No. 1 Fall 2013

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FACETIME
Alexis Denisof ’83: Much Ado About Nothing
I enrolled at St. Paul’s out of Seattle
Country Day School. My family was
from the East Coast and my mother had
attended boarding school, so it was a
concept that, while unusual in Seattle,
was not so unusual in our family. Look-
ing back, my St. Paul’s experience is one
of the definitive journeys in a life full of
many journeys.
St. Paul’s was a new world for me in
every conceivable way. I am a dilet-
tante, so I tried a little bit of everything
and had mixed results. But I did excel in
theater and in fine arts.
I did [Harold Pinter’s] two-man play
The Dumb Waiter with my pal Tod
Brainard ’83. I also remember a cool
production of Biedermann and the Fire-
bugs, where we used the whole room –
it was very interactive, crawling around
pipes in the ceiling. I also remember a
small role in Jesus Christ Superstar.
[Former theater director] David
Newman transformed my experience
at St. Paul’s. He gave me amazing
experiences in theater. He encouraged
my strengths. Doug Marshall (retired
classics) and Cliff Gillespie tutored me
outside the classroom and taught me
the value of persistence through chal-
lenges. And, thanks to Vice Rector DJ
Quirk, I discovered the value of learning
from my mistakes.
My first paid acting job was in a music
video for the song “Got My Mind Set
on You” by George Harrison. I had just
graduated from the London Academy of
Music and Dramatic Art, and was hoping
for a career in classical theater, but it was
this music video that helped pay the rent.
I was paid the princely sum of £500 to
buy me out for the run of the video. As
often as I am asked about it, and every
time I hear the song, I think they got the
better deal.
Since the mid-1980s, the actor has
appeared in numerous films and
television shows, including lead roles
in the dramas Angel and Buffy the
Vampire Slayer , where he met writer/
director Joss Whedon. Denisof stars
in one of Whedon’s latest projects, the
indie film Much Ado About Nothing,
filmed on a shoestring at Whedon’s
Los Angeles-area home. Having
created a buzz among those who love
Shakespeare (and some converts as
well), the film was recently released
in theaters and is now available on
DVD. Denisof spoke with Alumni
Horae Editor Jana Brown about his
acting career and about the film’s
unexpected success.
PHOTO: Getty Images / Mat Hayward