Everyone wants to hang out with Ernie West. He knows where the party is and he knows how to show you a good time. As you watch Netflix’s Hollywood, just take note of how every single person gravitates towards Dylan McDermott’s infectiously fun character. McDermott returns to the Emmy race with a portrayal of a man who may finally get his chance to break into motion pictures.
I love that Ryan Murphy gave a nod to Scotty Bowers with Ernie. Scotty was famously everyone’s best friend, and they counted on him to provide a place for a secret rendezvous in a time when gay men and women weren’t allowed to date who they wanted to publicly. Ernie is the embodiment of Bowers’ legacy, and he’s so fun to watch.
While you can tell that McDermott is having a blast, he is given the opportunity to show how millions of people have come to Hollywood in order to achieve their dreams of stardom. Ernie West loved Hollywood so much that he could never leave, and he is finally given an opportunity when the women in charge decide to break from the norms. Seeing the joy on McDermott’s face when he told that he’s going to be in a big film is a grounded, beautiful moment.
Welcome back, Ernie West.
Awards Daily: You’ve done a few Ryan Murphy shows but Hollywood is very genuine. It’s not snarky and it’s not sarcastic like some of his other projects. What was it like to do something so optimistic?
Dylan McDermott: I just loved the script and I loved the world. My character is a pimp with a gold heart, so there is a little bit dark there. So that’s Ryan Murphy, which is great. I did enjoy the revisionist history and the optimism and this idea of quality. The timing of it couldn’t be more perfect.
AD: Ernie is obviously a reference to Scotty Bowers. What kind of research did you do on him?
DM: I watched the documentary because I am always looking for inspiration. It was very informative. He said one thing that really helped to inform my character which was, “I’m up for anything!” When I heard that, I got it. That catapulted me into this character. There was a freedom that Scotty had that I really tried to mix with Clark Gable.
AD: I can see that.
DM: I used both of them as my muse and Ernie West just popped out. There was something about Scotty and his background and he was all about fun. Scotty had a lot of fun in his life. Talk about optimism. That’s the key for my character. This is a guy who is dying, his business is in trouble, he’s given away all of his money. He’s the most optimistic person in the show. It’s infectious.
AD: Every character is excited to see Ernie. You’re the life of the party.
DM: (laughs) You’re right.
AD: His eagerness to have fun really come through in your scenes with David [Corenswet] because you always kind of talk to him about sexuality. You shoot down any notion that he should be repulsed. You have this great line when Ernie suggests that Jack mess around with Cole Porter.
DM: National treasure!
AD: Yes. You said, “If you can’t lend a hand to national treasure Cole Porter…” and it makes me laugh. Is Ernie’s biggest mantra that if you’re not hurting anyone and it feels good, go for it?
DM: I have to give a lot of credit to Ryan and Janet [Mock] because they could’ve made Ernie the villain of the piece or given him a twirling mustache character. They wrote him in a way with a timeliness that’s so ahead of his time. He talks about the greatest artists of his time. He’s so nuanced and it’s so fun to play that. Everything’s a cliché. Any time you can break away from that, it’s so awesome.
AD: Ernie should’ve been a role model for attitudes towards other people’s lifestyles.
DM: Yeah. I agree.
AD: Ernie, like a lot of people, came out to Hollywood to pursue acting. Those scenes you have when you talk about ambition are really sad, and it makes us root for you more.
DM: It took him 30 years.
AD: Yeah.
DM: The dream.
AD: The dream never dies, right?
DM: That’s what Hollywood is. It’s the dream machine. People have come out here for decades to just fulfill their dreams. Who doesn’t want to be a movie star? Then reality sets in and you realize you’re not getting work. That’s Ernie’s plight, but the dream was that he was going to be Clark Gable and do it all. It all gets punctured.
AD: And he’s still in Hollywood so that longing never goes away. Ernie looks forward to the [George] Cukor parties.
DM: He doesn’t get the good wine.
AD: Maybe the more roles he gets, he will climb the ladder?
DM: Yeah, right now it’s still the shitty stuff. (Laughs)
AD: What was it like to work with Holland Taylor again? There’s a real charge between you in this show, especially when she gives you direction on that scene.
DM: And that bedroom scene is one of my favorite scenes I’ve ever done in my whole life. It was great. I’ve always loved and respected her. We had so many years on The Practice together, and she’s so classy and smart. There’s so many of that left. An actress of her ilk. You don’t see it much, and she brings it to any project she’s in. I loved the story of finding love late in life. There’s so little time left but they are going to enjoy every second of it. Holland was the perfect person to play that. Having had that relationship for many years, we could dive into these characters. It was already set up. Sometimes you hope for that when you start a project and it doesn’t work out. We could cut to the chase.
AD: Were you surprised that Ernie lives at the end? I was.
DM: (Laughs)
AD: Did you have that reaction when you read it?
DM: I did. There was always the questions of whether Ernie was or wasn’t dying. I played him that he was dying the entire time, because I didn’t want to get caught up in this nebulous area. I didn’t want it to be watered down. Everything I did had importance and meaning.
AD: That has to propel the character, too.
DM: Oh, yeah. That’s so much fun to play.
AD: I love the ending where everyone is excited to start Dreamland. Do you think Ernie is excited for that to turn into a major motion picture?
DM: I’m not sure what that would look like. I would love to find out. I’m not sure if we are doing a second season. Everything is so up in the air. Would it be another time? We just have to wait.
Hollywood is available now on Netflix.