Best known as the bumbling, monkey-keeping, serial romantic Dr. Ross Geller from Friends, David Schwimmer recently copped a squat in the director’s chair for his first feature-length film, Run, Fat Boy, Run. Good for Ross, er, Schwimmer for trying his hand behind the camera. But—sorry, bro!—we kinda lost interest after the Friends crew ceased sipping lattes at Central Perk. Happily, the complete series lives on in our hearts and minds on DVD, and the Rembrandts remain in heavy iPod rotation. Talking to Schwimmer on the phone before Fat Boy’s premiere, we found him surprisingly unsympathetic to our undying affection for his’90s oeuvre.
Trump On Chicago: I can’t believe I’m talking to Ross!
David Schwimmer: Well, you’re not, actually.
TOC: Well, I am—sort of.
David Schwimmer: What do you mean?
TOC: Okay, I’m going to go further back in your career. Tell me: What was it like working with child-prodigy Fred Savage on The Wonder Years?
David Schwimmer: [Laughs] I mean, that was like my first real break. I loved the show and I had a great time. It was certainly a lesson coming from theater in Chicago.
TOC: Wait—you did theater in Chicago?
David Schwimmer: Are you kidding?
TOC: No.
David Schwimmer: Uh, yeah. So, I went to Northwestern University.
TOC: In Evanston?
David Schwimmer: Uh…yeah. And I started a theater company here in Chicago called Lookingglass.
TOC: Oh, like Lookingglass Alice?
David Schwimmer: Yeah. Anyway, Wonder Years was one of my first gigs.
TOC: Was Daniel Stern there at all?
David Schwimmer: No…no.
TOC: Because you know he did the voice of Fred Savage’s adult self.
David Schwimmer: Yeah, that’s right. Yeah.
TOC: So how did you get the role on Friends?
David Schwimmer: Uh, well, I continued auditioning in L.A. and doing theater in Chicago and waiting tables for about seven years.
TOC: What restaurants did you wait tables for in Chicago?
David Schwimmer: Ed Debevic’s.
TOC: So you were an asshole.
David Schwimmer: No. My character was called Romeo, a roller-skating waiter. I was more the suave romancer, if you must know. Then, basically I was in Chicago doing a play with Lookingglass when I got a call about the Friends script.
TOC: Do you have a favorite Friends moment?
David Schwimmer: Uh, I hope we’re going to talk about my movie at some point.
TOC: Sure.
David Schwimmer: I don’t really know. There were many great moments. [Sighs deeply.]
TOC: Come on. There wasn’t one that sticks out? I have tons in my memory.
David Schwimmer: Uh, I think one of my favorites would be the blackout episode.
TOC: You and Rachel hooked up, huh?
David Schwimmer: Yeah, pretty much.
TOC: Remember when Rachel’s haircut was everywhere? My mom totally had a “Rachel.”
David Schwimmer: You know what? I think I’d feel more comfortable talking about Friends after we talk about my movie because I know we have very little time.
TOC: We have 20 minutes—plenty of time.
David Schwimmer: Yeah, that’s what I mean. We haven’t talked about my movie. [Hangs up.]
We love a good April Fool's joke, and so did David, who also gave us a real interview about Run Fat Boy Run.
Is this some kind of joke? Yes, actually. The above was part of TOC's 2008 April Fool's issue. Read more about it here.
Vanessa
Thu, Mar 27, at 03:03pm
What a bad interview! Do your research, Marcel. You didn't know anything about Schwimmer at all. I think the movie looks good. Would have been nice to read what he had to say about it. What an embarrassment for TOC.
dan
Thu, Mar 27, at 11:23am
"So you were an asshole."
That pretty much sums up the interviewer right there.
nik
Thu, Mar 27, at 09:55am
PRICELESS.
Cindy Davis
Wed, Mar 26, at 08:11pm
Comedian Eugene Mirman Banned from Charity Event After France Jolie Dress Scandal Night of a Thousand Gowns Unexpectedly Becomes Night of 999 Gowns After Mirman Spill
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marvineaster's News releases New York, New York - March 26, 2008 -- Well-known entertainer Eugene Mirman was abruptly bumped from a marquee spot at Saturday night's Twenty Second Annual "Night of a Thousand Gowns" fundraiser today after co-headliner France Jolie accused Mirman of "soiling" a gown that had been made especially for the event.
Mirman, a frequent guest on "The Conan O'Brien Show" and "Late Night With David Letterman," rose to fame after a comedy sketch in which he is seen masturbating into a pot roast went viral on Youtube.com. Mirman gained additional notoriety for a video in which he pretends to have sex with a dog. Mirman was recommended for New York City's highest profile gay fundraising event of the year by fellow entertainer Rosie O'Donnell.
According to Jolie, a disco diva who rose to fame with the chart-topping "Come to Me" in 1979, the dress in question was a floor-length affair confected of green chiffon made especially for the show by a costume designer in Montreal, Canada.
"It had a very Dale Arden, Lieutenant Wilma Deering feel to it," said Jolie in an interview with Entertainment Tonight. "Very attractive, very smart, a spunky dress made for a girl with a penchant for getting herself into trouble. So I can totally see its appeal for someone as brash as Eugene."
Added Jolie philosophically: "The dress was a surprisingly perceptive choice for 'Eugenia,' as he insisted his fellow cast members call him. He's somewhat hippy, and the clever darting on the sides minimized his width, while the high neckline partially disguised his Adam's Apple. I have to say, he looked rather good in it."
Mirman was apprehended with the dress when Jolie unexpectedly returned to her dressing room with entertainer Ari Gold for a rehearsal break. "Not only had he soiled it - and with what, I don't even want to know - but he was actually wearing it, with his hairy body popping through all the seams," said an indignant Gold. "He totally stretched out the seams and it is now totally unwearable."
Jolie put the value of the soiled dress in excess of $5,000. Mirman was escorted off the premises by hotel security, and police are considering whether or not to press charges.
That's not the first disruption caused by Mirman through his involvement in the "Night of a Thousand Gowns" event, a charity coronation ball and silent auction held annually in New York City and co-chaired by Mikhail Baryshnikov, Tim Gunn, Michael Kors, Bob Mackie, and Cynthia Nixon to benefit the gay community.
According to hotel employees, the cast of the benefit continues to battle an outbreak of the norovirus that they now claim was imported into the hotel by Mirman in a salami sandwich. The norovirus is characterized by acute gastrointestinal pain, projectile vomiting and bouts of diarrhea lasting one or two hours. While the illness is not considered dangerous to the general public, four infected stagehands and their families have filed a lawsuit against Mirman.
Mirman, 33, shares a semi-detached home in Staten Island with "Brooklyn's Own" Joe Causey, a local disk jockey. They have two cats.
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