B.L. How familiar were you with Harvey Pekar and his comic series, American Splendor?
P.G. I had read some of them and I knew who he was mostly because I had friends who were more into his stuff than I was. I also knew of him from his appearances on the Letterman show.

B.L. When you got the script, were you a little bit freaked out about actually playing this guy?
P.G. Freaked out about playing him because of who he is?

B.L. Not so much of who he is, but more for the fact that there was going to be some pressure of him actually being alive and watching every move that you were going to make playing him.
P.G. Yeah, that was pressure but it was interesting and was actually something that made me excited to take on the role. I was looking forward to playing someone who I would have to mimic and knowing that he was actually going to be in the movie got me excited. He was very relaxed about it so it wasn't like I felt that he was studying my every move and telling me what to do. In terms of saying to myself this is going to be a depressing part, no I was kind of rubbing my hands together with glee about the idea of playing the guy. It's a miserable life, but it's not my life.

B.L. Yeah, you could wrap at the end of the day and go home to your family.
P.G. I get all the joy of playing the rage and all that stuff without having to live it. So, I was very looking forward to playing him.

B.L. How hands-on was he in terms of giving you any guidance?
P.G. He was completely hands-off. He was so hands-off he practically had no hands! In some ways I thought that he could care less about this whole thing. He never looks like he is too concerned about anything. He was very relaxed and would come to the set and hang out. Really I think he was there for the free soup and donuts...

B.L. ... and jelly beans.
P.G. Yeah, the jelly beans, exactly. He was just having a good time and was actually a real pleasure to have around.

B.L. One of my favorite scenes in the film is when the real Harvey and his friend Toby are up front discussing jelly bean flavours and in the background we see you and the actor who plays Toby just watching this exchange and the look on your face is priceless. You looked like you were having the best time up there, smiling and laughing about it.
P.G. Everybody is saying that. That is really funny because that was the thing that made me most uncomfortable was the idea of me having to be me. Originally they sort of thought that we would all be standing there chatting about the jelly beans and of course they did actually shoot some footage of that and I felt so painfully awkward. I just wanted to sit down, I thought that I was screwing it all up because I felt so lame. Without the character and the lines to say I just dried up. I kept trying to inch off camera, so they eventually told me to sit down. I didn't actually realize that we were on camera.

B.L. Really?
P.G. I have seen the movie a number of times and I never really paid attention to that so now that people have been saying this to me I'm going to look at myself the next time I see it.

B.L. You are laughing and it is fun to watch.
P.G. It's hilarious stuff; Toby and Harvey were amazing together. Harvey was just trying to draw him out and get a response from Toby. It really is fun to watch, it's like a talk show with the two of them.

B.L. Did anything surprise you about Harvey once you started playing him and got the chance to spend some time with him?
P.G. He's a lot less intimidating than you would think. He is actually a really sociable guy. What I came to realize is that to some extent you could mistake him and think that he's a misanthrope and he doesn't like people but in fact he is completely the opposite. Robert Crumb — the animator — doesn't like people very much.

B.L. Did you get to meet Robert? He was the one who of course ultimately drew the comics for Harvey and got him going.
P.G. No, but his stuff I had read more than Harvey's.

B.L. His stuff was more mainstream.
P.G. But his view on things is much uglier too. He's a misanthrope, but Harvey's not.

B.L. As cynical as his view was you really have to feel sorry for Harvey, given everything that he went through.
P.G. Totally, but again I realized that too. I don't know if he's as cynical as he is really realistic about things. I don't know that he is cynical in a weird way.

B.L. I think that is was amazing that he was able to make somewhat of a career out of observing real life situations.
P.G. He was brutally realistic, but he didn't make a career out of it. He was a file clerk in a VA hospital, he made next to nothing from those comic books. He made an art out of it, but not a career. He published them himself for a long time and lost money doing that.

B.L. In most of your films you have made quite a living playing broad comedy and the sidekick. How has it been to finally get a chance at a meaty role like this and play the lead?
P.G. While it was a big change of pace, playing Pekar was closer to my own personality than doing the second-fiddle funny guy. I actually find the kind of broad comedy thing much harder to do, so it was nice this time not to have to do that. The tough part about those comic sidekick things is, that's the task. You're just supposed to be funny, and that's it. I find that really difficult, so something where I can forget about having to be funny is really nice.

B.L. The directors of American Splendor say they cast you because you embody the "strange magnetism" that makes the unassuming Pekar such a compelling figure. What do you say to that?
P.G. I'm flattered, although I don't exactly know how much magnetism I project. I never would have thought of my magnetism at all. I would think I have very low-key magnetism, a very low charge, if I have any. I understand what they mean certainly in terms of Harvey. He does have a very peculiar sort of magnetic quality, which is effortless. He's not working it at all. He's just a strangely compelling guy. Maybe that's what people like to hire me for, a sort of unobtrusive quality. When I say low-key magnetism, I think I bring just enough to play the second-banana guy without overwhelming the other guy.

B.L. How did you enjoy working with Hope Davis who plays Joyce, Harvey's quirky wife?
P.G. She was amazing in this movie and I think she makes the movie.

B.L. Oh, don't be so modest — you did a great job.
P.G. Well thanks, but I mean she is really great and I do think that in a lot of ways the movie builds up to her character coming in and sort of focusing the guy's life in a way. I felt like Hope did that for me as an actor. She was my focus and made things so much easier for me. I really liked her because I suddenly realized that she's everything that I'm not as an actor.

B.L. In what way?
P.G. She is smart and clean and elegant and simple and really intuitive and loose and everything you want in an actor, which I'm not!

B.L. Oh please, come on.
P.G. It's true.

B.L. Come on, you did a fine job playing an ape in Planet of the Apes.
P.G. Well that's my forte, so there I was at home (laughs).

B.L. Do you think there might be another one? Tim Burton left things very open at the end of the film.
P.G. Yeah, they really left it open but it doesn't seem like there will be another movie. Everybody signed contracts to make another one but I don't think it made anywhere near the money they were expecting it to make. I would do another one of those in a heartbeat though. It was a ton of fun to work on.

B.L. I have to tell you that my kids loved Big Fat Liar. You were hilarious in that movie. You must have had a lot of fun making that one.
P.G. It was fun, I'll tell you the makeup was actually much worse than becoming an ape. That blue stuff was kind of gross, it went up my nose — it was everywhere.

B.L. Given Harvey Pekar's turbulent relationship with David Letterman (as we see in the movie), I was wondering if you have been approached to do his show to promote American Splendor?
P.G. No, but frankly I hope that Harvey will be asked to go on. I really think that they should.

B.L. You should both go on, it would be really interesting.
P.G. I would gladly go on but just as long as Harvey gets on there. I think that it would be really terrible if they didn't have him on. It would be really un-cool.

B.L. You have a bunch of other films coming out; you recently spent some time in Vancouver shooting Paycheck directed by John Woo.
P.G. It was really great, that was one of the main reasons I wanted to be in the movie. I love Face/Off, it's one of my all time favorite movies. I was really happy to have the opportunity to be working with John.

B.L. Ben Affleck is also in the film, do you have a lot of interaction with him?
P.G. Oh yeah, I play his comical sidekick in it. So everything I did in the movie was with him.

B.L. So, how did you like working with him?
P.G. He was a great guy and very smart. He is really loose and easy too as an actor, I am so not loose and easy. I wish I was, these people are really good. I'm glad I get to work with them.

B.L. Would you call yourself more of a method actor, more intense when you take on a part?
P.G. I guess so, I would have to say that I am just a mess! My approach is very messy and scattered. It comes off looking okay but trust me, I am very scattered. I mean when Hope came in to play Joyce in American Splendor she had her down in 10 seconds. She put it together and was really focused. I am sort of all over the place.

B.L. You'll be teaming up with writer/director Alexander Payne (About Schmidt) for a film called Sideways.
P.G. That's starts shooting this fall, late September. It's more of a comedy and not as satirical as some of his other movies. Its about two guys, a failed writer and a failed actor and the actor is getting married and they are friends and they go on this drunken bachelor week through wine country in California.

B.L. I understand that Sandra Oh is in it — Alexander's wife, and a Canadian I might add.
P.G. Yup, she is in it. She's a great actor and she is really charming and so sweet.

B.L. What's up with this John Waters project?
P.G. Unfortunately that is not happening. It didn't work out, but it would have been a blast. It's kind of heartbreaking because that script was insane and it was very funny.

B.L. Do you look for anything in particular when you read a script?
P.G. Having played a lot of supporting stuff, I look at the character probably more than anything. I never know what's going to strike m;, it's a funny thing, roles just come out of nowhere.

B.L. Your brother has a recurring role on Judging Amy; will you two do anything together?
P.G. That would be nice, but we've got nothing planned. He and I have done a lot of plays in the past but we have never done any movies together. We are both far too lazy to initiate something for us to do together. I would love to do something with him; we are always talking about it.

B.L. Maybe a guest spot on Judging Amy?
P.G. Yeah, we've talked about him having a long-lost cousin or something. The problem with me and him is that we can't be together. You want to talk about messy, yikes we are it. We can't shut up or calm down when we get together.

B.L. It's been great talking to you and I think that you did a great job in the film.
P.G. Thanks a lot, it's been a pleasure talking to you too.

B.L. I'll keep my eyes open for you on Letterman!
P.G. (laughing) I'll get right on that!