B.L. Narc is something a little different for you. What was it about the script that not only made you want to star in it, but produce it as well?
R.L. I just really liked the script. I thought that it was a really interesting story. At its core it's a movie about somebody who gets murdered and we are trying to figure out who did it. But within that, it reminded me of a '70s type movie, movies that I grew up on where the characters aren't black or white, there is grey and as good as they are, they also cross the line. Then I met Joe Carnahan -- the director and the guy who wrote it -- and I just liked his sensibilities.

B.L. Interesting characters to develop as well.
R.L. Yeah, It's just really raw, edgy, great characters, and we did it as an independent movie that we shot for $3 million in Toronto and it's taken on a life of its own. Tom Cruise came on board because he liked it and said he really believed in the movie. We were getting calls from people like Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman and Robert Towne, huge people. Harrison Ford saw it and said it was one of the best movies he's ever seen -- it's really just taken on this whole life. I'm glad I wanted to do it!

B.L. Henry Oak, the character that you play, is quite the role. For someone who is so used to being trim and fit, you packed on 30 pounds to play him. What was that like for you?
R.L. It was fun to eat anything that you want. It's tough getting rid of it obviously, but it was just a great character to play. His name is Oak, I don't think that he really cared about his appearance in any way and he's committed to his work. I am sure that he would be happy just sitting in his car eating fast food; he wasn't the kind of guy that went home and made a salad at the end of the day. I also used a lot of makeup under my eyes so that I could look tired and worn out.

B.L. Plus this guy gets pretty violent at times. Where on earth did that rage come from within you?
R.L. The rage was just a fun part of it because as angry as he is, he is also extremely loving to the people who are close to him. So, he was a really great character to play.

B.L. How much preparation did you have to do to learn about what narcotics officers do?
R.L. Well I don't play one, I mean Jason and the other guy are the narcs. It was really all left up to imagination. I have done movies in the past where I play cops, so I went on rides along with them just to see what their lifestyles were like, which was a fun and interesting thing to do.

B.L. Working with Jason must have been great. What surprised you about that guy?
R.L. He was really good in this and what's great about it is that my character is so wound up and volatile and his guy is very internal and cerebral and he didn't compete with my guy. When I was yelling, a lot of actors have a tendency that when someone has a flashy kind of role they want to compete with it because they are afraid that they may not be getting enough attention. But Jason just committed to what the part was. He committed to the cerebral and to trying to figure what was going on. I can't think of anybody else but him in this movie.

B.L. Because the two characters are so different, was it tough to play off each other?
R.L. Basically I don't really care about his character one way or the other. I just want to use him to get to what I want to get to, so if anything, I was a little bit more "methody" and stayed away from everybody. That was pretty much how it was, I didn't know him before -- I just figured it was better to keep a distance and let him do his thing and I'd do mine.

B.L. This is the first film that you've produced. Was it difficult for you to just be an actor and not worry about putting on that producer's hat?
R.L. No, because I had a partner who did more of the day-to-day stuff. What was tough about it was that we ran out of money. Somehow the people who financed the movie, the money stopped showing up which was really difficult on us. Every day after work we were chasing it down. It was hard on the crew because they never knew if they'd get paid. Thank God they stuck with us, because towards the end it finally came in, but it was a really difficult shoot. So that was rough. Joe was so on his game and knew what he wanted that it made it easier for me. It was great having a say on casting and getting to do things as a producer that I really enjoyed.

B.L. We see you a lot in tough guy roles and dramatic movies but it was fun for a change to see you in something like Heartbreakers, which was a comedy. Will we see you doing any more comedy?
R.L. Well I did a guest shot on the TV series, Just Shoot Me, which was a lot of fun and goofy. I would love to do more. Hey, I did a movie with Miss Piggy once, that was great! Yeah, I would definitely like to do more.

B.L. You have another film coming out soon with John Cusack called Identity.
R.L. Yes, it's a down-the-middle Hollywood-type thriller sort of like Ten Little Indians. There are 10 people during a stormy, rainy night outside of Vegas who end up at this hotel and one by one people start disappearing. Hopefully it's scary and smart.

B.L. Obviously the producing bug has bit. What is in store for your company?
R.L. I am just looking for stuff for my partner and my wife who have three movies in various stages of pre-production. It's fun and I like doing it but I am keeping my options open.

B.L. Will we see Ray Liotta, director any time soon?
R.L. No way!

B.L. Why not?
R.L. I don't know. I just have no desire, not even a little. I'll keep acting and producing -- that's what I really enjoy doing.