From Springfield to 'Babylon': Missouri State grad Troy Metcalf appears in Brad Pitt film

Veteran actor and Missouri State graduate Troy Metcalf recently strolled down the red carpet for the Los Angeles premier of "Babylon".

The film's headliners, Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie, were a few steps away.

Metcalf, a Columbia native, garnered the small role of actor Orville Pickwick in the movie about Hollywood ambition and debauchery during the 1920s silent film era. It hit local theaters Thursday.

Pitt, who plays silver screen icon Jack Conrad, was happy to work with another talent with Missouri ties.

"He came up to me and told me he loved my (audition), and then we got to talking about Missouri," Metcalf said of Pitt, a Springfield native. "I told him I was from Columbia but went to college in Springfield."

"He said, 'No way! I'm the opposite. I grew up in Springfield and went to college in Columbia.' We talked Missouri things. We both have an affinity for Missouri."

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Metcalf said his character in the film is loosely based off of Fatty Arbuckle, a silent-era screenwriter, comedian and actor. The film illustrates how excessive partying, wealth and excess derailed the lives of many Tinseltown actors of the period.

"It was super fun," Metcalf said of production. "(Director) Damien Chazelle really gets the culture right. It was debaucherous."

Metcalf, who attended David H. Hickman High School in Columbia before graduating from Missouri State in 1996, said he has never had a bad day on a production set.

After his time at Missouri State, where he met his wife, Michele, who designs high-profile Hollywood film costumes, he went on to graduate from the New York Actors Workshop.

Metcalf cut his professional acting teeth with a small role in the Comedy Central cult classic "Strangers with Candy" that starred Amy Sedaris and Stephen Colbert.

"Back then, I remember they would FedEx a script to my apartment" Metcalf said with a laugh. "If I got a script sent to me, that meant I had work that week. A lot different than today."

Metcalf now has dozens of acting credits on a variety of networks, including ABC, NBC, Lifetime, FX, Showtime, Cartoon Network and more.

After nine seasons as Jim on the show "The Middle," playing a character with face tattoos opposite music star Rhianna in "AntiDiary," and roles in "Dexter," "Hot in Cleveland," and "Superstore," Metcalf welcomes all characters.

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The Los Angeles resident still keeps in touch with Missouri State faculty and alums and said he wished he could have seen the new John Goodman Amphitheatre dedication in October.

Missouri State has produced several Hollywood actors, including Goodman, Kathleen Turner and Tess Harper.

"It's so hard, what we do," Metcalf said of the acting profession. "We want what everyone else wants: love. We're just a little more needy about it sometimes."

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Missouri State grad Troy Metcalf appears in Brad Pitt film 'Babylon'