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Compiled by: Jack Foley
Q. This is one of your first lead roles. Was that part of
the appeal of A Guy Thing?
A. Definitely. That's one of the reasons I wanted to do it
- to see if I could handle it because it's a lot of work. Also
I knew it would be more physical.
The stuff I'd done with Kevin Smith was more about the dialogue.
This was about dialogue and the physical comedy, and it took a
lot of energy. But as I just dove into it and let myself go, I
found myself improvising, which is something else I'd never done
because, of course, that's forbidden with Kevin Smith.
Q. Was that fun?
A. It was kind of exciting. I started saying a few things
here and there and Chris, our director, liked it and let us go
with it. It was a real confidence booster, which was great, because
I knew I had to feel comfortable given that I was in every scene.
Q. There's a scene where you get the whole wedding party stoned.
We hear James Brolin was particularly hilarious off-camera during
that scene.
A. Yes, and I think he's really funny because he doesn't really
realise it. He's big and brooding and serious and intense, and
a little intimidating. When he lets that go, he's like a 13-year-old
kid, very goofy and silly. It was great.
Q. Apparently Barbara Streisand saw the film and said she's
not a particular fan of comedy but really liked A Guy Thing.
A. Did she? I wonder if she liked James' performance in it.
Q. You get into one jam after another in the film. What's
the worst jam you've ever been in?
A. Well, I'm a really bad liar. I'd always prefer to be honest.
If you lie about something, it will eat you up, as we all know.
So I've always tried to prevent such situations, so I wouldn't
have to go through that. At least in a movie you get to make these
things funny.
Q. Did you get along well with Julia Stiles and Selma Blair?
A. Yes, they're two wild and crazy women. Selma much more
so, to the point that she wasn't allowed sugar on the set. I mean,
she's vulgar. She loves to tell dirty jokes and talk about farting
and bumping. She's just off the radar.
Julia is more contained but very funny, a little bit of an outside.
Luckily, we all had a good relationship, and with our director,
Chris too, who is very funny and made sure the atmosphere on the
set was light. The only problem was I hurt my back and we couldn't
film for a week.
Q. Did you hurt it filming?
A. Yes, there's a bath-tub scene where I was sitting in it
all crooked for an entire day. I woke up the next day and my back
hurt, and I sneezed and that was it. It's happened before. And
I have to have a lift in my shoe. And a guy had to come to my
hotel room every day and do an ultrasound and the twisting and
straightening of my muscles. I had to do all these stretches.
I was literally in my hotel room for a week.
Q. Does that relate to your skateboarding days?
A. Maybe. But also my right leg is a little shorter than my
left, so I have to wear this lift. Apparently, everyone has one
leg a little shorter. But the way I leaned when I was skateboarding
might have had something to do with it, and I started that when
I was five. So I grew up a little twisted. Maybe up here too (points
at his head).
Q. Do you still skateboard?
A. No, at 32 I'm too old and rusty, and especially now with
my back. But I've taken up snowboarding. I've taken a few falls
but I caught on pretty fast. It's pretty easy to adapt to.
Q. Did you have a bachelor party before you got married?
A. No. And I've never even been to one. I think they're a
silly ritual, as even my character says in the film. Isn't it
a ritual that stems from the idea of it being the man's last night
of freedom. That's a pretty silly idea. If you feel like you're
losing your freedom, why the hell are you getting married? That's
what I think anyway.
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Q. What about marriage as an institution? You've been married
once, and you're getting married again so you obviously believe
in that.
A. Yes, I think that's pretty cool. If you make it what you
want to make it - and it's individual to you. I think it's about
saying I love you, you love me, let's be together, do it this
way and make it our own thing.
I certainly wouldn't do the $300,000 wedding with 900 people and
everyone has matching this and a giant $3000 cake. It's so stressful.
It should be 'I do', 'I do' and it's over. You're nervous, you
haven't eaten enough, you drink too much champagne, you throw
up, you wake up with a hangover and that's $300,000 down the drain.
I'd rather go to Hawaii with my family, so yeah, I will get married
again, to Beth. But I don't know when.
Q. Is she an actress?
A. She was acting a lot, but when we met she took a break
and in that time, she's been doing a lot of photography with me.
We're doing an exhibition together in the Summer - a series of
faces that are about 6 feet by 4 feet. It's going to be great.
Q. Are you hoping to do more serious dramatic acting?
A. Yes, I want to start slowing down on the comedy and leaning
the other way. I'm doing an independent film right now, which
Adam Goldberg from, Saving
Private Ryan, wrote. I have a few really intense films with
Giovanni Ribisi. He's an actor in it and I'm his stalker. He's
an old friend of mine and we've never worked together. Before
that I did this big film, Dreamcatcher,
and this one is so small there's practically no money.
Q. Have you ever had a stalker?
A. No, I think I'm too nice a person. I'm not unapproachable.
I think that might have a lot to do with it. The people who get
stalked are the ones who aren't approachable.
Q. As your career takes off, can you remain approachable?
A. I would hope I'll remain approachable for the rest of my
life.
Q. Even if you start earning $20 million?
A. I don't think that will ever happen. But I have a good
story about that. I went to a comic convention to do a Q&A
about Dreamcatcher. And, of course, they want you to sign autographs.
So there was a massive line of people, mostly because Kevin Smith
was there.
They're obligated, I guess, for insurance purposes to provide
you with staff security. So I'm walking out and this girl rushes
up and practically tackles me to the floor. I say, 'Hi, how are
you?' and I'm being escorted away.
She tries to come back over and one of the security guards just
knocks her in the neck and she falls back onto the ground. And
she says, 'But I've been here three hours, I just want your autograph'.
So I got her DVD, signed it, and everything was cool.
This older guy was watching and said, 'You probably just made
that girl's year'.
And that was just me being me and not wanting to see a person
get knocked on the ground. I'm sure guys like Ben Affleck must
not have time for stuff like that, but what that guy said really
moved me.
Q. Do you still talk to Ben?
A. You know, we were never really friends. I saw him the one
day I worked on Jersey Girl. And he finds a lot of humour in everything
that's going on, which I thought was pretty impressive.
It also made me realise how much stuff is made up. He was saying,
'That didn't happen, I didn't buy her this, we weren't there'.
Q. Don't you have your own project you're trying to make?
A. Yes, I'm finally wrapping up something I've been working
on for 11 years. If I can get the money I need, I'd love to do
it this year. It's kind of a comedy-drama, a dramedy.
Q. Someone compared your performance in this to James Stewart
and Cary Grant in those old films. Do you have any idols from
that time?
A. Jack Lemmon. He could do it all. That mainly came from
Cameron Crowe turning me onto Billy Wilder. When I saw my first
Billy Wilder film, The Apartment, I couldn't believe how great
Lemmon was and how sophisticated it is. I've seen it about 20
times now.
Q. Did you ever meet Jack Lemmon?
A. No, but I've made a point of watching every one of his
movies but I still have a way to go.
Q. You were so great in Almost
Famous. Any plans to work with Cameron Crowe again?
A. I hope so. That was a real treat for me. I don't know what
he's writing but I just hope I'm in there. I'll play the janitor
or anything.
Q. You have your own Arts Foundation. Any ultimate goals?
A. Definitely to have a museum. For now, all I can really
do is keep donating what I collect to the foundation and I'm working
on finding a building so I can find people to go in with so we
can have our own museum. I've been buying paintings for years
and years.
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