Goldthwait, Bobcat - actor/director/comedian
By: Dominick A. Miserandino
What makes Bobcat tick? Does he take himself seriously and how does he view his career?
DM) The title of your recent CD is a little self-deprecating, "I Don't Mean to Insult You But You Look Like..."
BG) The title came from a woman who actually said that to me in an airport in Oakland. I didn't have anything to say to it then, so I made my album. It may seem self-deprecating but I wanted to originally call the CD, "The Uninspired Ramblings Of A 40 Year Old Has Been." My manager didn't like that though.
DM) Is that how you look at yourself though?
BG) Not really, but I know in the reality of things, I know I'm not in America's face every week in a series. I also know that I'm pretty lucky. I really like working behind the camera, and I like doing stand-up and those are the two things I do.
DM) When somebody says something like, "I Don't Mean to Insult You But You Look Like Bobcat Goldthwaith", how do you feel at that moment?
BG) Really, pretty happy. I was thinking, "That's a good line." I have no delusions. I don't think I'm a babe or anything. I know I'm not a leading man. It doesn't bother me. What's funny is that, it's happened more than once. It just happened to me in Cleveland.
A woman working behind the counter at Starbucks said, "Don't take this the wrong way..."
DM) So now that you were well prepared, what did you say to her?
BG) I started laughing and said, "I have a new CD out and that's the name." I don't get offended at all. I also used to weigh 50 pounds more and had long hair. I only get annoyed when people don't realize that the character I played in the movies is really just a persona. But there's plenty of people who think that Marilyn Manson really is Satan, so go figure.
DM) Do people think you are really the guy from the Police Academy Movies?
BG) What's amazing about those movies, there are people who have that perception of me, which I think is pretty funny because I never went to those movies. I never saw them.
DM) You never saw them in the theater?
BG) Nope, never. It's just not my cup of tea. I've seen one of them where there's a hot air balloon chase.
DM) You mean, you've never seen all of the movies that you're in?
BG) I read the script, I know how it turns out.
DM) Okay, even while you're touring around doing the stand-up, in some hotel somewhere, late at night when it's on some rerun?!?!?
BG) That would be the worst place to see it. I'd probably put a gun to my mouth.
DM) Is it that you weren't happy with them?
BG) No, not at all. There's a lot of people who like those movies and I don't want to take that away from them. But it's not necessarily, it's not something that interests me. I'm not an artiste' or anything. I was on CSI this year and I never watched. I don't watch myself.
DM) When you were in "Happily Ever After" and you were the voice of the puppet, were you more willing to watch yourself?
BG) There's different reasons I don't watch myself sometimes. There are certain people who watch themselves and there are certain people who don't.
DM) Do you feel awkward or embarrassed in seeing yourself on screen?
BG) Most of the time, I'm kind of bored.
DM) That sounds horrible. It sounds like something you go to therapy about.
BG) It's not that hard to avoid me in pop-culture. It's not like I'm Tom Hanks or somebody whose in every recent film release. Like people ask my fiancé about things I've played in and she says, "I don't know, I'm not allowed to watch them." I'd just rather watch Spinal Tap or Sunset Boulevard.
DM) You mentioned CSI, are you trying to push your career in a different direction away from the camera?
BG) I think that everybody in front of the camera perpetuates the myth that they're trying to stretch and move their career. When they offered me that role, it was really cool. That was never going to happen again. People are like, "After you're in CSI you're going to get a lot of offers." But after that I got offered a role in a UPN show and another show to play a bum. It was never a drastic change in perception and I didn't expect it to be either. I'm happy that people liked it, even though it was different for what I was known for. I'd rather be behind the camera now, and doing stand-up. If I thought I was going to make my living as an actor, well, that's a stupid line of work to get into.
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