Thursday, May 31, 2007
A+E, Movies, Q&A

Playing against type

Comedian Dane Cook gets serious with 'Mr. Brooks'

Dane Cook (top) stars with Kevin Costner in the thriller "Mr. Brooks." CREDIT: Photos courtesy of MGM

"MR. BROOKS" Kevin Costner, Dane Cook Directed by Bruce A. Evans Rated R Wide release

BY BERT OSBORNE

Usually upstanding Kevin Costner seems a rather unconventional choice for the title role of a cold-blooded serial killer in “Mr. Brooks”—so who better to cast as his equally deranged blackmailer than Dane Cook, the stand-up comedian best-known for his HBO reality series “Tourgasm” (if not for starring opposite Jessica Simpson in “Employee of the Month”)? During a recent interview in Los Angeles, Cook, 35, talks about getting in touch with his “dark side” to play his role in the film, which also features William Hurt as a menacing figment of Brooks’ imagination and Demi Moore as the intrepid cop on their tail(s).

Q It’s safe to say you’re not the most logical actor for this part. Was that what appealed to you?

A After doing stand-up comedy for close to two decades—it sounds so weird to think it’s been that long—and having people primarily know me as a comic, I was certainly eager to do something where I’d be able to show off another facet from the left side of my brain. I don’t know. Even though he’s so salacious and deviant, I just got this guy for some reason and I knew I had what it took to draw from in order to play him. I had a real intuition about it, you know? This was something I could really pour my guts into, where I could give it the same kind of unfiltered, no-holds-barred quality I bring to my comedy. I really understood his fearless bravado.

Did you have any of your own fears? Was it intimidating working with a big star like Costner?
As I learned growing up as a stand-up, fear’s where the good stuff comes from [laughs]. To be perfectly honest, once you’ve played comedy clubs in front of thousands of people, everything after that is a bit easier. At the same time, though, sure, there’s a little bit of a rush, because I’ve been such a fan of all these other actors. You really get a sense of being out there playing ball with the best of them. What surprised me about Kevin is that he’s one of the funniest people I’ve ever met. Somebody should write him a comedy, because he tells great stories, jumping into all these different characters and voices. That’s a side of him I didn’t expect.

What about working with William Hurt, when you’re not supposed to know he’s even there?
It was tough. I mean, come on: William Hurt is a felt presence.

You’ve got several other movie projects in various states of development. Do you ever foresee a time when stand-up comedy might take a back seat to your acting career?
I’ll always consider myself a stand-up comic first. Well, that or maybe a Red Sox fan [laughs]. But it’s nice to take a little break or respite from the [comedy] clubs every now and then. Fortunately, I’m doing all right and I pretty much get everything I could want or need from my comedy career, so now when it comes to other choices, about making this or that movie, I can afford to only do the ones I think are necessary or important, because the stories excite me or because there are people involved I’ve always wanted to work with.

Who are some of your favorite comedians?
Oh, man, there are too many to name. Steve Martin. Martin Short. I used to love John Ritter’s physicality and his fearlessness. I could go on forever. Johnny Carson was a huge influence. He did one of the best comedy interviews of all time—March 18, 1968, you can look up the date and find it online—where he was so articulate about what it is to be a stand-up, the lifestyle of it, all the work that goes into it. I have a lot of inspirations, and Carson’s definitely one of them.