B.L. What moved you about this script that made you want to be in About Schmidt?
D.M. You know, even the funniest of scripts don’t always make you laugh. You read them and you know it’s going to be funny when you see it but this also just read funny. I was laughing out loud when I read the script; I knew that Jack Nicholson was playing Schmidt so it was already a film. It was already a complete movie reading the script instead of having to imagine how funny that’s going to be when you look at it. At the same time once the film was completed, what I was surprised by was how much feeling there is in this movie too. You know what it deals with and what he’s going through, but the emotional impact that it has was very surprising to me. So, it has both—it’s not only hilarious it’s also heartbreaking.

B.L. You play Randall, who is such a great character. I call him a sweet doofus.
D.M. That’s what he is!

B.L. His look is special! How much influence did you have on that?
D.M. All I had was what it said in the script. This was the character that they had imagined. This is what Jim Taylor and Alexander Payne wrote. It’s what they wanted. So I was surprised when I got the part because I don’t look like that.

B.L. What did you do?
D.M Well I shaved the top of my head and wore a wig with very little hair and then extensions in the back. So I had my own hair but just around the side.

B.L. What did your wife Catherine Keener think about this look?
D.M. She was cool with it, she understands. This is one of those situations where it does help being married to an actress.

B.L. What was it like to work with Jack Nicholson, because I am sure you got on to set thinking wow, this is Jack Nicholson.
D.M. I’m a huge fan and I have seen all of his movies, I’m sure of it. He was surprising in a lot of ways, he didn’t keep apart from anybody, the crew was comfortable around him and he was low key. You could see him working just the right amount, hard but not too hard and just determined to keep his performance in line. I definitely watched him take his job really seriously.

B.L. What did surprise you the most about him? Here he is in an unflattering role, and it’s not the Jack we all know. What did you learn from him?
D.M. I wasn’t surprised that he would be willing to look a certain way for the part. Once I understood that he was really in this role it helped all of us, I’m sure. I know talking with Hope (Davis) that we just understood and the way that Alexander was approaching the direction was just to respect these characters and to have the story tell itself. Even the way he chooses what shots to use in the film, it’s all very simple where in this day and age everyone is so tempted to make it flashy or fast paced. Not that it’s slow but it’s at its own speed.

B.L. I don’t think that there is anybody out there that cannot relate to this film. What touched you most about it?
D.M. Well, I loved Randall from the beginning because you learn after he is introduced that the more you get to know him you find out that Schmidt’s not right necessarily, he’s not giving this guy his due. He may not be a genius or much to look at, but he’s sweet and he loves this woman. They are definitely a proper match. I just think that he is lovable in his weirdness.

B.L. Have to ask… are we going to see any more movies soon with your wife Catherine?
D.M. Well I hope so, we’ve both been at it for a while but we do love it when a project comes along that we can do together. I’ll let you know!