I wouldn't feel satisfied being on set every day doing a romantic comedy - I'd be bored to death.
I don't know if there is a gene for comedy but my dad was a very funny man. He just didn't know it. He was a naturally funny character and when my brother and I would laugh at things he said and did he would say 'What do you think is so funny?'
Comedy was why I got into acting the first place. Peter Sellers was a huge influence on my wanting to act. I grew up with him and found him hysterical. The Pink Panther films were an inspiration from my earliest childhood days when I was watching them with my brother and my dad.
The problem with me as far as getting married and having a family is that my comedy is so important to me. So I don't know if I'll ever be as good a dad as my dad.
You can think of Hollywood as high school. TV actors are freshmen comedy actors are maybe juniors and dramatic actors - they're the cool seniors.
Comedy is so hard to do so it was very cool to do dead pan humor.
I just thought it could make a really cool movie. It's not that it's just a buddy comedy but it's all about two guys hating each other and towards the end they're good friends. I liked that these two guys were best friends from the very beginning and they're crazy.
Period costume films are fun to discover but they're not relatable. It's more 'Wow that's cool - did it really look like that back then?' Whereas with a comedy you're like 'Yeah that's me that's my friends.' No matter what I want people to relate.
I'm addicted to laughing. I go to see a lot of comedy shows. I'm addicted to playing really loud and obnoxious rock music in my car. I'm addicted to beautiful clothes and shoes. I just love gorgeous stuff and work hard to acquire pretty things shiny things. I'm addicted to shiny things!
Comedy may be big business but it isn't pretty.
If you play it straight it's funny - the best comedy is always played straight down the middle. The adjustment is understanding from the screenplay that a moment is hilarious.
You can't study comedy it's within you. It's a personality. My humor is an attitude.
I did this Super-8 film at art school called 'Tissues ' this black comedy about a family whose father has been arrested for child molestation. I was absolutely thrilled by every inch of it and would throw my projector in the back of my car and show it to anybody who would watch it.
The only honest art form is laughter comedy. You can't fake it... try to fake three laughs in an hour - ha ha ha ha ha - they'll take you away man. You can't.
What is comedy? Comedy is the art of making people laugh without making them puke.
In my early 20s I was so miserable doing construction I wanted something that paid money. I liked nice stuff. I liked cars and architecture and things that cost money. I wanted to not swing a hammer and make money... and not do stuff that was dirty. I attempted to get into comedy. I started to do stand-up but I wasn't very good at it.
All improv turns into anger. All comedy improv basically turns into anger because that's all people know how to do when they're improvising. If you notice shows that are improvising are generally people yelling at each other.
Well all comedy starts with anger. You get angry and its never for a good reason right? You know its not a good reason. And then you try and work it from there.
John was the smartest and most amazing comedian I've ever worked with. I think more than teaching me about acting or comedy he taught me about life and the love of people and respect of people.
When I tour it's like well like a food tour as much as a comedy tour. I try to eat at all the weird places the obscure barbecue joints burger places. There are a few spots in L.A. that I'm obsessed with - one of them is the Taco Zone taco truck on Alvarado. There are secret off-menu items that are amazing.
My favorite laser disk ever was the laser disk for The Graduate which had a commentary track that wasn't even the filmmakers it was a professor some film criticism guy who just happen to be this amazing commentator who went off into the whole theory of comedy.
I think physical comedy is an amazing asset because it tells a story that's more universal than just language and dialogue. I grew up watching Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. They're very powerful figures in my life.
I've been very fortunate to be able to jump around. I just did this really wonderful film called Map of the World. That was a real amazing dramatic story. Then I did a movie called Company Men a little comedy about the Bay of Pigs.
I love Benny Hill. He one of my favourites of aaall time. Like the way Benny did it he was just amazing. Just seeing how he put songs together and comedy and the timing and the sketches. He was way ahead of his time.
We were raised without movies theater or music. We had only nature the hills the trees. When I got on the set of 'Manon ' I wasn't star-struck because I didn't know what a star was.