Lucas Black likes things short, sweet and simple. In the new film “The X-Files: Fight the Future” (PG-13), Lucas factors into a single, pivotal scene. He plays Stevie, the Texas boy who encounters that mysterious black oil. The development sends FBI agents Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson) on their most dangerous quest ever. Chatting with KidNews on the phone, Lucas, 15, wraps his thick Southern drawl around precious few words.
How did he land the role of Stevie? “My agent heard about it and told me they wanted me,” Lucas recalls. “I didn’t audition or anything.”
Is Lucas an “X”-phile? “No, sir,” the polite Alabama native says. Did he watch episodes to better understand the show? “No, sir, sure didn’t.” How about pumping friends or family for details about the black oil? “No, sir, I sure didn’t,” he explains. “I didn’t want to know what the black oil was.”
That’s not to say Lucas didn’t enjoy his “X” adventure.
“It was fun to see how they did the special effects,” he notes. “I got a lot of dirt thrown in my face. So it was cool. We shot it in Los Angeles, and it wasn’t too tough. They only gave me the script pages I was doing.”
Does Lucas want to see the film? “It doesn’t matter,” he says.
Lucas obviously has an incredibly laid-back attitude about acting, but he delivers the goods every time. His credits include “Ghosts of Mississippi” and “The War,” and he’s best known for playing Billy Bob Thorn-ton’s pal in “Sling Blade” and Caleb in the creepy TV series “American Gothic.”
“I like acting because I get to meet a lot of different people,” he says. “I get to see a lot of different things, do a lot of different things, like flying. The acting comes pretty easy. It sure does. I just do what the script says.”
Right now, Lucas is on the set of “Crazy in Alabama.” He co-stars with Melanie Griffith; her husband, Antonio Banderas, is directing.
Lucas, however, doesn’t see himself acting forever. What does he want to be when he grows up?
“A bass master,” he replies instantly.
A what?
“A bass master. That’s a fisherman who fishes in tournaments for bass.”
Can you make a living at that?
“Yes, sir,” Lucas says, laughing. “You sure can.”
Lucas Black, bass master… short, sweet and simple.
