The professional skateboarder turned actor made his first movie appearance in "Mallrats" in 1995. After winning over the critics, he went on to star in "Chasing Amy", "Dogma", "Almost Famous" and "Stealing Harvard". He talks here about his first leading role, in the romantic comedy "A Guy Thing", which co-stars Julia Stiles and Selma Blair.
What drew you to this project?
I met with the director and he had a very specific idea of what he wanted to do, and it was what I wanted to do. It's the most physical comedy I've ever done, and that was one of the reasons why I wanted to do it. I wanted to see if I could go beyond the dialogue and use my body a lot more and be very high energy. I had a very good time doing it.
How was it being the leading man for a change?
Oh, I don't know. That's for other people to decide. I just like doing the work and having a good time making an ass of myself on camera.
What was different about playing the leading man?
Having been a supporting actor for most of my career, I found that working every day was very tiring. Especially with the physical comedy, it took a lot of energy. So trying to maintain that was very difficult. And knowing I was running the show and had that kind of responsibility - that was difficult.
Just what is "a guy thing"?
I think it's a cheap excuse for poor behaviour!
