HERE’S A LITTLE TREAT FROM THE BIG HOMEY, YOURS TRULY. ANOTHER DOUBLE DOSE OF CELEBRITY CHATTER, A FUN Q&a duo for you to enjoy. Today’s featured celebs are two funny men who are enjoying a current run of commercial success in their respective fields. I’m referring to jay mohr & steve zahn. I know you’ll dig, so go ahead & do that.
Got a minute? Comedian Jay Cox Mohr (né Jay Mohr), the star of Gary Unmarried (Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m. on CBS), sounds off about the sitcom's success, packing on a few pounds, and taking his wife's last name.
Q: You've appeared in several short-lived TV series, and Details crowned you the King of Pilots. How does it feel to be on a People's Choice Award–winning sitcom?
A: It's about time. Whenever you do a pilot, you put all your interest and passion into it. This really is a business based on rejection and failure. Baseball has a higher success rate. If you hit 30 percent of the time, you go to the Hall of Fame. In acting, if you hit 30 percent of the time, you're Gene Hackman.
Q: What's in store for Gary in the rest of the first season?
Gary's going to play the field more. He's going to break up with his girlfriend. We went from "Gary unmarried" to "Gary very committed" very quickly. And hopefully I'll be a thinner Gary in Season 2.
Q: Have you put on weight?
A: When you get into a relationship where you're truly happy, the belly seems to grow a bit. I was talking with Ed Burns on the set of The Groomsmen, and we both have larger bellies than we're used to. He said to me, "Show me a happily married man with a six-pack and you have to question his sexuality." As long as you have big arms, it's all right to have the big belly —like Harvey Keitel.
Q: Is it tough to play a divorced character when you're so happy in your marriage (to actress Nikki Cox)?
A: There's no character I would find depressing to play. I want to be on TV and enjoy its benefits, its wonderful health and dental plan. You know what's depressing? Not playing anything on television. Getting cut out of movies. It's also depressing to have to go through your IMDb page with a complete stranger at a Dodgers game. "Where do I know you from?" "Jerry Maguire?" "No, never seen that."
Q: You've been married for two years, but in December you added your wife's last name to yours. Why?
A: She took mine. It only seemed fair. We both have the same name now: "Cox Mohr."
Q: Better that than the other way around.
A: We thought about sending out wedding invitations for "Mohr Cox." Who could say no? Even if you're a heterosexual male, out of curiosity you'd wonder, Where is this room with "Mohr Cox"—and how will they all fit?
By: Ryan Wenzel
Got a minute? Veteran actor Steve Zahn sounds off about living in the moment, his new movie Management (in theaters May 15), and groping Jennifer Aniston's butt.
Q: Your character in Management, Mike, falls in love with Sue (Jennifer Aniston), a guest at his family's motel. Early on, she lets him touch her butt. How'd that go down when you were filming?
A: The butt-touching scene is supposed to be the most awkward scene in the world. It's fucking bizarre. In any other movie, they would go on a date, it would be funny, and the montage would begin. But this turns into two 11-year-olds in the basement playing doctor. It's odd and yet at the same time very sexy. It had to be perfect—not just with what Jennifer and I were doing but with the camera. We did a lot of takes. I'm embarrassed by the outtakes.
Q: Did she use a butt double?
A: No, that would have been ridiculous. Because then I would have used a stunt hand.
Q: Mike tries to woo Sue by serenading her with Bad Company's "Feel Like Makin' Love." Was this kind of stuff part of your courting repertoire?
A: I pursued my wife (actress Robyn Peterman) so much it was embarrassing. We were doing a musical, Bye Bye Birdie, and I remember planning my routes—crossing backstage just because she was crossing backstage. Ridiculous shit, but that paid off, man.
Q: You're known for playing funny, quirky characters. What's it like to be a leading man?
A: It's the same kind of character, but busier. It wasn't like I was replacing some hunk. If I'm the romantic lead, you know it's going to be different from what you're used to. Even years ago, in New York when I was reading scripts, I always responded to the other parts. I was like, "I like this guy. I like the buddy."
Q: You have five movies scheduled for release in 2009. Has that been overwhelming?
A: Honestly, a lot of those movies were shot a while ago, like The Great Buck Howard, Sunshine Cleaning, and this one. It's always interesting when people say, "Man, are you busy." A week earlier, I'm selling the car because we need money, asking, "Are there any bad movies out there I could do?"
Q: What's next for you?
A: I have to take a pee, man—I don't think too far ahead.
By: Ryan Wenzel
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