There was quite a gap between "Swingers" and "Made". Did you and Jon try to do anything sooner?
Favs wrote this comedy-western about a Hassidic gunfighter in the Old West, but it's sort of an odd animal and we couldn't get the money. "Made" ultimately came out of him deciding to write something contemporary and inexpensive, just so that we could get something done.
How does your character in "Made", Ricky, compare to Trent in "Swingers"?
Trent was a little wild and said things that were a bit off-the-cuff, but people responded to him positively. Ricky thinks he is very charming and cool but really he is like the most annoying person in the world and you just want him to shut up. It was fun to have a crack at playing him like that, because in most films you wouldn't get a chance to do it that way.
Is this a reflection of your and Jon's taste in humour?
Yeah, we like comedy that makes you feel really uncomfortable. I like things when they're sick but also funny and you feel bad for laughing, like when Jon leaves all those telephone messages in "Swingers" or when Ricky throws vodka at Sam Rockwell's bellhop in "Made".
Finally, Jon and "Swingers" director Doug Liman argued over who had done what on that film. Did you both feel you had a point to prove with "Made"?
Not really. The bad blood that happened between Jon and Doug was similar to the bad blood that happened between Jon and me; we just weren't as public about it as Doug was. When the movie started to do well, it was very easy for a lower side of everyone's psyche to come out and for everyone to feel:听"I got to take my claim for what I did in this movie." Unfortunately, we all fell prey to that to some degree.
