I’m bummed that Scott Wolf won’t have time to experience the awesomeness that is Austin, Texas. The actor, best known as Bailey Salinger on Party of Five, loves food and music. So, it’s a shame he won’t get a chance to venture into our cultural abyss. He’s hoping to stop by a few food trucks though, so I steered him down to South First.
Wolf came to the ATX Television Festival to premiere the animated series he voices for The Hub Television Network. Since this series is for kids and since Wolf now has kids, I asked how that impacts the roles he takes. He said he doesn’t specifically take projects where the audience is children, but if it is something aimed at children, he wants to be sure its appropriate for the age group and has a good message.
Kaijudo is about friendship, teamwork, bravery, yada yada. You know the deal. And while lots of little ladies showed up today (the show was paired with My Little Pony), it’s a series Wolf expects young boys will dig. Though it’s a bit too mature for his three-year-old Jackson who acts as a gauge for what’s appropriate for his age group. “Too scary,” he will tell dad.
Wolf has been married to his wife Kelley for eight years now. She is no stranger to cameras either. The blonde beauty appeared on The Real World New Orleans in 2000. She also appeared on MTV’s Battle of the Seasons Challenge in 2002 where the underdog was part of the winning team.
Don’t look for the couple to be competing in television reality together though. Wolf says those days are behind Kelley. She may look to get back into entertainment, though right now she’s prepping for birth of their second child. The pair is also looking to relocate from Park City, Utah, back to LA.
We talked about the fact that reality TV has gotten a little out of control. While the first season of The Real World was fascinating since it was the first style of show to focus on people who come from different walks of life, producers seem to now simply prey on the meek. There is some value to the genre though. Wolf sited The Biggest Loser as a show proving the positive benefits of the style.
At 43, Wolf looks exactly as he did on the 90′s FOX hit Party of Five. He says it’s all about good genes. Just another thing I can blame on my parents, I guess. Just kidding!
When looking back on Party of Five, I asked him to give me one word to describe the experience. “Great,” he said. But one word wasn’t enough. He went in to say that it was the greatest way to start a career, referring to it as “acting school.”
Considering the other programming on FOX at the time, PO5 was very different. It was a complex, morally sound series with good writing and a strong cast. The cast was really what made it work. They looked like a family. They acted like a family. They were a family.
Wolf recalled a moment when they were all cast where the writers put the main four (Wolf, Matthew Fox, Neve Campbell and Lacey Chabert) in a circle and said to them, “You’re the Salingers.” Wolf looked around at his new brother and sisters and the only thought running through his mind was, “We are.”
Look for Wolf’s new series Kaijudo: Rise of the Duel Masters on The Hub TV Network Saturdays at 7 p.m.
