ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Youve had a very diverse career, fromChristmas VacationtoRoseanneandThe Big Bang Theory.
I had no interest in wearing both hats.
Therewasa scheduling conflict with the initial actor, and everyone just ignored my cardinal rule.
[Bobby] called me and said, Well, you have a wardrobe fitting tomorrow morning!
So, it was not the premeditation of playing the role whatsoever.
I was as thrilled as I was terrified to take on those reins, but it wasnt by design.
It very much was.
Being a producer was a bit of a distraction from the acting and some days vice versa.
Still, at least tonally, this is a very different project for you.
I must admit its a welcome change.
Its much more exciting or liberating than it is even scary or challenging.
But, goodness, Ive been lonely before.
Thats really the number one word to describe [my character] Paul Berger inThe Master Cleanse.
Id like to think that Im pretty self-aware; at least Itryto be.
How do you think your experience as an actor informed your work as a producer onThe Master Cleanse?
you’re free to never predict how an audience is going to respond.
Bobby and I hit it off immediately.
When youre of like mind like that, the communication is pretty effortless.
Its immediately apparent that its a special and valuable creative partnership.
And they looked good!
I know this is a low-budget film, but I think the monsters looked really good!
We knew we had to get [the creature] stuff right.
We knew if that creature didnt work, we were dead in the water, but it worked great.
I started to forget it was a freaking puppet!
How do you think the industry views actors who want to make a transition from acting to making films?
Do you have any fears about that?
I dont have any fears about it.
I wanted to be in the trenches.
[The Master Cleanse] is not a vanity effort on my part whatsoever.
I dont see the point in that.
I dont have to prove anything to anyone.
So, what aboutThe Master Cleansemade it the one?
Weve seen stories about killing your own demons and facing your own self-loathing before.
I loved Bobbys take on it.
We find it very difficult to let go, and that resounded with me.
In this film, you share the screen with Anjelica Huston and Oliver Platt.
Everybody was so immediately committed profoundlycommitted.
We knew she read the script, but thats all we knew.
So we bit our lips and showed up empty handed.
Within 30 seconds, she was showing us wardrobe ideas for the characters and pouringussome champagne.
It was like, whoa, okay, I guess Anjelicas in!
Oliver was the same way.
Its a wonderfully comforting thing for me to see, because I cant do anything else, really.
This world of storytelling is the only world I know.
Im going to love every single day of it just like I did when I was seven.
What can fans look forward to in terms of where your character orThe Big Bang Theoryin general is going?
I would tell you if I knew!
We just have the utmost trust in them, so nobody asks whats coming up for their character.
No ones impatient about it.
We trust whatever direction theyre going to take those characters in.
Itll be interesting to see how Howard and Bernadettes baby impacts the group.
