DAVID ARQUETTE

Performing must be in his genes. David Arquette represents the fourth generation of actors in his family, along with his four siblings: Rosanna, Patricia, Richmond and Alexis. Older TV fans may remember his grandfather, Cliff Arquette, the lovable “Charley Weaver” on Hollywood Squares.

David is pretty lovable himself: He’s easygoing, friendly with fans and passionately committed to enjoying himself.

He first came to prominence as Dewey, the simpleminded but dogged cop in the trio of Scream films, but he has since scored repeatedly in films like Never Been Kissed, Eight Legged Freaks and The Grey Zone. He and his wife, Courteney Cox, are now producing the hit FX TV series Dirt, in which she also stars.

On National Stoner Day, April 20, Arquette will release his first directorial effort, The Tripper. Naturally, HIGH TIMES wanted to cover a flick that opens on such an auspicious day. But David Arquette has more on his mind than mere movies.

Interview and photos by Dan Skye

You’re the youngest of the Arquette acting family. Did your siblings encourage you to be an off-center free spirit?

What are you getting at? [laughing] My whole family was nuts, so I fell into my own pattern of craziness.

Where were you raised?

I was born on a commune in Virginia. My mother and father sort of dodged out of the late ’60s with this spiritual philosophy called Subud. You can be any religion and be a part of it. It’s just a philosophy that says there’s a higher power, that we’re all working toward a better future, and that no one religion is right—all of them have something to offer.

So you grew up in the counterculture.

Yeah, completely. But I grew up in LA and Hollywood, mostly from the age of 5. It’s crazy growing up in the real Hollywood—not the glitz and glamour part. It was a trip, but it was fun, too. We would just roam the city and wreak havoc: running around in the streets, selling maps to stars’ homes at 11 years old, getting flashed by weirdos—the whole thing.