Be sure to tip at least 20% to your waiter, and then tell him/her that “Scary Movie” was really funny.
Audiences in New York can see the sixth installment of the long-running horror parody series this weekend, then head to Checchi’s restaurant in the West Village. There, one of the stars, Cameron Scott Roberts, is the server.
The 28-year-old from Los Angeles has had a busy and surreal week. On Sunday, he was walking around the tables in his orange uniform on West 13th Street, asking, “Why are these onion rings taking so long?”
By Tuesday, Roberts was on a plane to California for the glam premiere, where he walked the red carpet with Anna Faris, Regina Hall, Cheri Oteri, and the Wayans brothers.
And in a bit of showbiz whiplash, this Saturday it’s back to serving steaks and pork chops and nimblely balancing cocktails on trays. He wouldn’t have had it any other way.
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“I’m a big believer that actors should be waiters,” the boyish Roberts told me during a Sunday shift. Meanwhile, regulars in the know excitedly congratulated him. “It’s good for us. It keeps us grounded. And it’s a great way to stay on your feet during auditions.”
Roberts, who plays the boyfriend of new girl Sarah (Olivia Rose Keegan) in the Paramount parody film, first learned about the big audition when the staff were joking around at the restaurant where he’s been working since January 2025.
“We were all eating together as a family,” Roberts said. “I got the email and read the description, and it said, ‘This character is handsome in a serial killer kind of way.'” All of the restaurant’s employees were in the room. And they all said, “Oh, you’ll see.” ”
they were right. That’s exactly right. Two weeks later, Roberts flew to Atlanta for a two-and-a-half month shoot.
Cecchi’s owner, Michael Cecchi-Azzolina, has been an actor in the theater for years and is flexible when his employees have outside projects. His three-year-old restaurant has become a haven for artists.
Roberts actually wanted to join Cecchi Azzolina’s team after reading his revealing memoir, “Your Table is Ready: Tales of a New York City Maître D,” which chronicles what really happened at the city’s most popular eateries.
“I thought, ‘I’m really impressed by the way you talked about not just acting but waiting tables and how those two things support each other,'” he said he told his future boss.Roberts has become a popular player in the spotlight, and said he recently received a $900 tip in $900 bills from a celebrity.
Down South in September, Roberts will be co-starring with much of the original “Scary Movie” cast, including Sean Wayans and Marlon Wayans, who returned to write the screenplay with their brothers after a 25-year hiatus.
“When Marlon is on camera, it’s like he’s in control and he can play and come up with ideas and improvise,” he said.
The young actor found that same adventurous spirit in Dave Sheridan, who returned as Doofy Gilmore.
“He was like the wildest guy in the whole movie,” Roberts said. “He tried everything, and he gave me the strength to try it by the end of the shoot. I remember on the last day of shooting, I had an idea and I didn’t tell anyone about it, I just did it. And nobody said anything about it in a positive way, and nobody said anything in a negative way, but it worked in the movie.”
“Scary Movie” is poised to hit the box office this weekend. It is expected to gross more than $45 million at the box office, an unusual feat for today’s big screen comedies.
But Roberts’ biggest fear is that his colleagues will see it. He is expected to receive them within the next few days.
“It’s going to be fun because everyone is invited, and I said I’m going to get people’s popcorn,” he said.
Their support means the world to him. The actor remembers that when the movie’s trailer was released in March, the first person to blow up his cell phone was not a school friend or family member, but a restaurant employee.
“I received calls and texts from food runners, waiters and bus workers at every restaurant I worked at in New York,” he said. “I feel like by doing that, I knew this movie was going to be a great success because those are the people who are actually going to go see the movie.”
