Scott Blaylock This is Me

Education

 Web References

1. 1. The Bolivar Commercial Internet Edition

   www.bolivarcom.com/NF/omf/boli - [Cached]

   Published on: 3/14/2003   Last Visited: 3/15/2003

   Cleveland resident Scott Blaylock made the transition from Civil War reenactor to actor on the big screen in Gods and Generals.
   
   Blaylock, whose photograph can be found in the cover of the movie soundtrack, was chosen to be a background actor in Gods and Generals after friends told him to give it a try.
   
   "I was picked to be a wounded confederate soldier," said Blaylock. He was given the role two weeks after sending in a picture of himself in his own Confederate uniform.
   
   Gods and Generals follows the events of 1861 through 1863 by following the lives of certain figures in the Civil War. The film is the first part of a trilogy, preceding the movie Gettysburg, which was actually filmed first.
   
   ...
   Blaylock, who is a former marine, has been reenacting Civil Wars for eight years. He said the skills he had learned from those experiences prepared him well for his experience in the motion picture.
   
   "In reenacting, it involves mostly improvisation," said Blaylock. He said that skill came in handy when he was told to "walk with a limp," "put that coat on," "make a face like this," and so on.
   
   The hardest part, he said, was all the amount of running involved in certain scenes. When charging a particular federal camp, Blaylock and his command were required to run about 500 meters.
   
   "We had to do that all day long," he said. "There were people supplying us with water and food to make sure we didn't get too hot."
   
   He said growing up in the hot Mississippi Delta prepared him for the heat, but others had a hard time enduring it.
   
   "I'm from Mississippi. This heat is nothing compared to that," Blaylock said he told other actors who wondered why he wasn't winded.
   
   The film was made in Virginia and Maryland, from August to just before Christmas last year. It was important that as many battles as possible be fought in the exact field they were fought in during the Civil War, according to Blaylock.
   
   "This is the most historically accurate movie ever filmed," said Blaylock. "We went through days and days of inspections to make sure all the reenactors were historically accurate." He said their hair had to be parted just right, and their uniforms had to be worn a certain way.
   
   "I was proud to be a part of this film," said Blaylock. He said the Civil War is presented in an objective way in this film, to show both sides to everyone who sees it.
   
   "You can't watch it thinking, 'I'm for the South' or 'I'm for the North,'" said Blaylock. He said you see the soldiers as fathers, sons and brothers.
   
   "You see the human side," said Blaylock.
   
   Blaylock, who was the only cast member from Mississippi, said he learned a great deal about reenacting while he was filming, including the importance of being serious while having a good time.
   
   He said after he returned home, he received some good-natured ribbing from his buddies about changes he wanted to implement in their reenactments. They happily complied after giving their friend a hard time.
   
   Though Blaylock intends to pursue his acting career further, he currently is a graduate student at Delta State University. He is earning his master's degree in history and education.
   
   His future plans include teaching at a university, military academy or private academy.
   
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