A Strange, wild trip of a career

After years of playing the second banana to everyone from George Clooney (Out of Sight) to Matthew McConaughey (Sahara), actor Steve Zahn (Rescue Dawn) is starting to receive top billing himself. First showcasing remarkable dramatic range as a prisoner of war in the drama Rescue Dawn, Zahn now returns to comedy with the lead in Strange Wilderness.

Zahn plays the host of a wildlife show about to be canceled, and in order to save the show, he and his inept crew (which includes Accepted's Justin Long and Superbad's Jonah Hill) go on a desperate search for Bigfoot.

Zahn chatted with The Diamondback in a conference call about the film, his career and the odd casting of former matinee star Ernest Borgnine (he was in the first Poseidon Adventure, the one that didn't suck) in the film.

On how he got involved in the project: "I had just shot Rescue Dawn in Thailand … And so I was in my room at the Hanoi Hilton and I read this script. And I laughed so hard when I read it. And then I thought, 'Man, am I just laughing because I just did Rescue Dawn and now I'm in Hanoi?' I'm sitting there in my hotel in my underwear and that's why it's funny, or is it really that funny, you know what I mean? So I read it again and I laughed even harder, and I thought, 'Man, I have to do this,' so I immediately called up and I said, 'Yeah, let's do it.'"

On how Ernest Borgnine was cast: "I don't know. I mean, isn't it great, though? I couldn't believe it. I said, 'Wait, Ernest Borgnine, like he's the Wild Bunch Borgnine?' They're like, 'Yeah.' I was like, 'That's just incredible…' He thought it was really funny. The guy is 88 years old, but he totally got every bit, every pause … which I thought was just remarkable."

On his leading man status and previous typecasting: "It's just that [the roles] seem to change gradually as I get older. I mean, I've said before, I was typecast to an extent. But it never really bothered me. It was like, 'OK, great, Hollywood is typecasting me. Isn't that a goal?' But … the college, stoned sidekick is funny at 20. But at 40, it's bad, you know?"

On whether or not this is a stoner comedy: "Yeah, that pisses me off. We drank a beer, too, so it's a beer-drinking movie, you know? But I thought it was funny and I'm 40 years old."

On whether or not he's the straight man in the movie: "No. I mean, it comes off like that. I mean, I'm just the most sane, I think, but he's still like a complete idiot, which I found extremely funny. He's the through line. He's the story. He's the one that makes all the stupid decisions."

On any regrets/things he would change about his career: "I mean, I remember when I was young. Every movie [I] was up for, you know, Stephen Dorff [got]. And I was like, 'What the f---, man? I can't get any gigs. Who is this mother?' I remember, I was up for Courage Under Fire. It was between me and Matt Damon. And I was like, 'Who is Matt Damon?' And I'm sure Matt Damon was like, 'Who is Steve Zahn?' And we sat for like a month, and, finally he got it."

On whether or not there was a moral or lesson in Strange Wilderness: "There is absolutely no moral and there's absolutely no lesson in this movie. The intent of this movie is to be as funny as possible at all times, even if that means the story needs to not make sense. And that's why I thought it was so funny, and that's why I did it."

The film is not being screened for critics, so you'll have to find out for yourself if Steve Zahn is telling the truth about how funny the film truly is. Strange Wilderness opens nationwide Feb. 1.

dan.benamor@gmail.com