“Cocaine Bear” is filled with big-name stars who have been acting for decades. Scott Seiss, on the other hand, you might recognize from your cell phone. Seiss is a Baltimore-born comedian who rose to fame with his viral “Angry Retail Guy” character who has taken TikTok by storm. “Cocaine Bear” is the comedian’s feature film debut, and he nabbed the part when the casting director’s assistant messaged him on Facebook asking him to audition.
“I’m lucky as hell that my first [movie] was something so fun,” Seiss told OnMilwaukee. He also appreciated that the role didn’t pigeonhole him as a TikTok star. “They were super collaborative and I was treated just like any other actor on the set doing work. It wasn’t just like a joke part.” Indeed, as Tom the EMT, Seiss plays one of many characters who’s a victim to the bear’s coke-fueled ire — anti-customer-service screeds not included.
Seiss may have shared a gruesome scene with Margo Martindale, but he still hasn’t forgotten his social media roots. The comedian took to Twitter to helpfully explain that “Cocaine Bear” viewers need not prepare by studying up on convoluted IP or decades-old source material. “If you’ve ever heard the words ‘cocaine’ or ‘bear’ before, you’re completely up to speed.”
