I have to admit that I like Scott Lowell inspite of Ted Schmidt rather than because of him. The two couldn't be more different, and meeting Scott in person leaves one with a profound appreciation for the depths of Scott's talent.

Ted is nerdy and unsure of himself. He's more than a little beige. He looks like an accountant. He also has a problem that is uncomfortably familiar - he's not pretty enough. He can't get the boys he wants. That's way too much like real life for me. But that's the old Ted.

Season 2 saw Teddy playing out his ultimate fantasy - to be Brian Kinney. He botched it, of course, but in his fantasy segment we got to see a side of Scott we hadn't been privy to before... and we LIKED it.

Season 3 saw Ted going through a downward spiral and he was anything but boring. By the end of the year, he was in full Dionysian downfall - addicted to drugs and out of control. We were mesmerized as he took the character to new depths. We screamed at the TV, yelled at his friends, and loved every minute of it.

The fans' reaction to Ted's darker side surprised Scott. He even said he was a little concerned because we were swooning when he was so thin and angry. Not to worry, though - we were tuning into the same intensity and anger that draws us to Brian. In a way, Brian and Ted switched roles for a while. Brian became more Appollonian in his loyalty to Justin and Ted went full into PANic. Notice people hate the "new" Brian and thought the new Ted was, let's face it, wicked sexy. We do love those bad boys, don't we...

Scott Lowell would easily be the best looking guy in most rooms. He's just gorgeous when you see him in public. He sort of shrinks within himself to play Ted and they dress him in grey and drab olives. Add to the fact that he's standing next to the other guys on the show who are being dressed to show their best features and he fades a little, which is the intention. He has said that he got the part because he was the best nerd they could find. I don't think that's it at all. I think he was the only guy that could play a nerd and still be pretty enough to hang with Brian Kinney. You have noticed that everyone in Brian's world is beautiful, right? That includes Teddy, though Brian would pull his own teeth before he'd admit it.

CowLip even wrote it into the show. When Ted and Emmett were "beards" for the Girls at Lindsey's sister's wedding, the chicks were all over Ted, much to his chagrin. Emmett commented that in an "alternate universe", Teddy was really hot. It was great to see them acknowledge that they knew he's a single girl's dream.
Now if they'd just let his hair grow and dress him in a red sweater...mmmm

It's all in the Eyes

On a personal level, Scott's worst quality is that he's an actor - ha ha. He's an amazing writer, and could make a living at that if he wanted. As it is, he's doing both, and I expect to see great things soon. Scott has style. He dresses beautifully and carries himself with great confidence. He's outgoing and charming and funny. His entire manner is different than that of his character, but you have to see him be Scott to realize what great craft goes into his portrayal of Ted.