What pet project would you invest time and money in if you found yourself with the means to spare? (Time and money, that is.) For David Arquette, the answer to that question is: rehab the much-maligned image of clowns. Horror films have gone too far in besmirching the good name of clowns at large, and David Arquette is here to do something about it! He bought the rights to Bozo the Clown in 2022, and dear Chuckles, do I hope there was a pen gag at the document signing for that deal. Arquette was just interviewed by Page Six to talk up his movie The Good Half, but managed to steer most of the conversation to his lofty clown aspirations instead:
David Arquette knows clowns have gotten a bad rap in the last few years with Pennywise from “It” and Twisty the Clown from “American Horror Story,” but he wants to change that.
“There’s more good clowns out there than there are scary clowns, despite what kind of films are being made,” the actor, 52, tells Page Six in a new exclusive interview. “I love clowns in general.”
“And if you find clowns creepy, you should give them a second shot,” he adds.
The “Scream” star isn’t kidding about his attachment to clowns, as he bought the rights to Bozo the Clown in 2022.
“We’re on a mission to sort of bring joy back to the world and short of shine a light on happy clowns and Bozo is one of the happiest,” he explains. He even brought the famous clown into the 21st century by introducing Joz Bozo, the first female Bozo the Clown.
And he’s serious about a Bozo relaunch.
“It’s a lot of work,” he shares, “(and we’re) still figuring it out. I’ve made a lot of mistakes in the portrayal of Bozo but we’ve gotten to a really good place.” He adds that he recently met with “the foremost Bozo collector and historian for a documentary we’re doing.”
Arquette managed to tear himself away from the greasepaint, bulbous nose and flaming red wig to film “The Good Half.”
The movie stars Nick Jonas, who plays a writer grappling with the death of his mother. Arquette plays the pop star’s stepdad.
The father of three, who shares daughter Coco with ex Courteney Cox, and two sons, Charlie and Augustus, with Christina McLarty, says he was drawn to the movie for the way it tackled the issues of death and loss.
“I’ve lost a lot of people in my life and addressing grief in such a way that you know, takes it head-on but also has a humorous slant to it…I just really think it had a voice,” he explains.
Arquette, who is part of an acting family that includes his sisters, Rosanna and Patricia, lost his mother when he was only 25.
“I really was super lost and super hurt and super self destructive,” he shares.
…Arquette will be appearing as Bozo in Nashville on July 21 for a city-wide baby shower that serves families affected by gun violence.
“Arquette will be appearing as Bozo in Nashville on July 21 for a city-wide baby shower that serves families affected by gun violence.” Is that a great event for a great cause? Absolutely. Is that also one of the most chaotic, mad lib-tacular sentences ever strung together? YES! This is actually Nashville’s third annual baby shower, and it’s for families affected by gun violence and the mass incarceration crisis. Joining Bozo will be the aforementioned Jozo Bozo, and the good news is you don’t have to be local to help out! They have an Amazon wishlist where you can purchase items to donate.
As for Arquette, well, everyone needs a hobby! And this is clearly his, as his Bozo enthusiasm dates back much further than purchasing the rights in 2022. I’ll be honest, I have yet to read Arquette’s statements on clowns without conjuring the image of Modern Family’s Cam in my head. And then I think of the episode where Cam’s clown mentor dies, and all of the clown students show up in character at the funeral. The part where I always fall to pieces is when… they all emerge from the same car.
Photos credit: IMAGO/Jeffrey Mayer / Avalon, David Acosta / Image Press Agency / Avalon and via Instagram
I think all of this is super sweet! good for him for doing good. for keeping Bozo going, for bringing Jozo in (there should be more female clowns! and Bozo deserves a lovely companion clown). and for sending them out to do good charity work. awww. such a wholesome story!
💯 agree 🤡
Did y’all remember when those clownings were happening, you know clowns were apparently going around beating people up with baseball bats on college campuses?
This Hour Has 22 Minutes did a really funny bit about it, and I think David should pair with them, and Loonette, it would be wicked.