Where’d you get your sense of humor from?
(Laughs) I think from my mom - my mom was a quiet, but a very funny person.
When
do you think your big break was?
Have I had it yet? (Laughs) I don’t know - definitely
getting in "Galaxy Quest" really changed... I had done a couple little things before that, but it was just a wonderful
story of... they were having trouble casting the part and my manager suggested me to the head casting at Dreamworks. I got
an appointment, and the casting director showed a video of another actor and she said, "this is kinda what we’re
looking for". It was a man doing one of the alien characters, and I was; "oh, I see what you want". She video
copied it and tossed my resume and said, "this is the person you want - if you don’t cast her then I’ll be
done". It was very funny. Then I started the job pretty much the next day.
Do you like playing
the quirky characters?
I do. I’m really tall, I’m almost six feet tall...
not that there’s necessarily a height requirement, but a lot of men are short... so I think I just gravitated towards
those characters because they were the ones I could get. I enjoy them because they give you a little more freedom to make
your own.
Which character is more like you?
That’s funny.
(Laughs) It’s hard to say. There’s so many aspects of myself - I’m a passive person - so I kinda get out
a little of my aggression in some of the characters that I play. I’m doing a movie right
now, and that feels like the closest thing to myself that I’ve played in a really really long time.What’s the
most fun you’ve had on set?I just shot this movie called "Spring Breakdown", well there’s a couple more
days left... but it’s been the most fun I’ve ever had... other than "Galaxy Quest", which was so exciting...
that was a really fun set too, and it was incredible for me to be around some of those actors. But "Spring Breakdown"
has been so much fun working with Amy Poehler, Rachel Dratch, Parker Posey, Jane Lynch... they’re women that are all
so funny. We just made each other laugh - we really try to make each other laugh on camera.
Which movie
or role are you most proud of?
I would say, in some ways, "Galaxy Quest".
I feel that I was more open and available as that character, if that makes any sense.
How did you get your part on "Dodgeball"?
On "Dodgeball" I read
the script, a lot of times I read a script and I literally see the character... and if I can get a really clear image of the
character then I know that when I go in that I have a very good chance at getting it, and if I don’t do that before
I go in then I know that I’m not getting it. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten anything that I didn’t
see fully in my head before I went in. I filled in my eyebrows, and basically looked hideous. Fortunately I didn’t have
to go to a giant office building or studio - I just quietly went into the casting office.
So the image
of Fran was already created?
They had said that - they said in the script that she had
a uni-brow, and that she had sort of a voluptuous body.
What's a side of you that you'd like
to show people in the future? Or side that you wish people could see of you?
Well, you
know... I'm really looking to play more characters that are closer to myself. I think there's a fear there because
you don't get to hide behind a wig or a lot of makeup. People say, "Oh, she's so good at characters..."...
there's just something about showing people who you are that is a little scary. I would really like to do that - I started
out in the theater playing more parts that are a little closer to myself, I just really haven't had that opportunity in
film yet. I feel that I haven't been challenging myself in ways that I really want to.
What makes
you laugh?
(laughs) Well... (laughs) that's a great question. What makes me laugh?
My dalmatian, he humps the bed every single day. That makes me laugh. Jon Stewart makes me laugh. Rachel Dratch is very funny.
What are you working on right now?
I just finished "Spring Breakdown",
and I'm shooting this movie called "Patriotville". I did this one movie called "American Crude", and
I kinda feel like it's one of the best movies that I've ever done, but I don't know if it will ever get released.
What's it about?
It's about this group of people that... this one
guy is about to get married... Rob Schneider and Ron Livingston, and I play this transsexual prostitute. (laughs) It's
just one of those movies where they take this guy out to his bachelor party and someone ends up getting murdered. But it's
one of the greatest characters. John C. McGinley, he and I have this opening scene and he sets up my character so beautifully.
It's such an interesting character, like nothing I've ever played. It managed to work, I was really kind of worried
about it... I usually have a sense of what I'm doing, but with this movie I didn't have that sense. I'm really
proud of it.
And it might not be released?
I don't know,
it's an independent movie so it doesn't have a distributer at the moment. So we'll just have to see, and it's
kind of a great cast.
And you also did a movie called "Stormbreaker?
I
did, yeah. We shot in London last year... it's based on a series of kids books. It's called the Alex Rider series,
and Alex Rider is a teenage spy like James Bond. I shot that in London last year, and I play a German hench person. It hasn't
been out here in the U.S., it's already been released in London.
