Jason Schwartzman Relates To "Fantastic Mr. Fox"

Jason Schwartzman, who has worked on many films with director Wes Anderson, says that he can relate a lot to his character in "Fantastic Mr. Fox."

Ash, voiced by Schwartzman, is the son of the fantastic Mr. Fox, voiced by George Clooney. Ash is insecure, grumpy, and short, and has dreams of being like his father—he dreams of being more athletic and getting the girl he has a crush on but who has a crush on his picture-perfect cousin.

"I related to that character. I didn't hit a growth spurt until a little bit later. I was an athlete, but I would have loved to have been a better athlete. I liked girls who typically liked someone else I knew," Schwartzman told USA Today.

This is the third film Schwartzman and Anderson have collaborated on, after "Rushmore" and "The Darjeeling Limited." Anderson says that Schwartzman is "an optimist…. He's got one of those personalities where there's enough magnetism and originality."

Schwartzman may seem to always get pigeonholed into playing the oddball in movies and TV shows (he portrays an amateur private detective on HBO's "Bored To Death") but he says that he picks the roles he plays based on whether or not he would want to see the movie after reading the script.

"Fantastic Mr. Fox" is in theaters now.