I want to think that there's a glimmer of hope, but man, I don't know. While The Crossing received generally favorable reviews, its mix of heady plot lines and somber tone never quite connected with audiences, andwas canceled after just 11 episodes. Any glimmer of hope is beautiful in this show. That has a lot to do with his growing workload on television, including an often scene-stealing role on HBO's grossly underrated drama Treme and an equally impressive performance in Amazon Studios' limited series adaptation of the UK hit Mad Dogs. It's true. We caught up with Zahn at the New York offices to talk about the craft of acting, the difficulties of Skype auditions, and how he can identify what movie you recognize him from before you even say it. He's so myopic about the world. Rick Gomez is my partner. How is it not acting?Well, youre not interacting with anyone. He'd been hunkering down there during the pandemic, light on work, when the script for The White Lotus came his way. Id say Saving Silverman or Sahara or That Thing You Do. Photographed by Egan Parks Steve Zahn was running a few minutes late because he was tending to a horse who had had surgery and. Then my wife wakes up and starts her writing. Is an accomplished singer/guitarist. [Mimes seeing someone coming toward him.] In the last five years, I've said it daily. Its just looking at yourself, and you end up calling each other because its too bizarre. Its nun versus AI in Damon Lindelofs new series. He went on to deliver equally memorable supporting turns in '90s staples like Crimson Tide, That Thing You Do!, Suburbia, Out of Sight, Safe Men, Stuart Little, and You've Got Mail, not to mention a scene-stealing turn on Friends as Phoebe's ice dancing "husband of convenience" Duncan. Also known as Steven F Zahn. I was working in a machine shop, tool-and-die, and I got this eight-month run of Biloxi Blues. Did you dream about being an actor when you were a kid?No. GQ: In one of your more memorable scenes, you pretend to be a drunk ape seducing Connie Britton. 2023 Vox Media, LLC. Although we did scuba dive. Still, few actors from that era were quite as prolific or as consistently entertaining as this brashly energetic performer. We're kind of oppositesshe writes well into the night. Over his now decades-long career, Zahn has proven one of the more versatile actors around, doling out laughs and tears in equal measure (and with equal grace). Now I'm just all those guys, but they have kids.. He thinks he has cancer, then finds out his dad is gay and died from AIDS. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. And now I'm finding, "Oh yeah, no, I'll wear this.". I had that made in New Orleans for Mardi Gras. All rights reserved. Its somebody else wearing a prosthetic. I was going to ask if you were happy with the final product. It always goes back to the water. Rescue Dawn wasnt exactly a comedy. I want to think that there's a glimmer of hope, but man, I don't know. Zahn made his first voice appearance opposite Michael J. I'm writing now with my partner, and you're constantly thinking, "Have I seen this before?" The Hollywood Reporter is a part of Penske Media Corporation. You know, the disc jockey at the station that talks fast or whatever. While in paradise, Mark surfs through an existential crisis (first obsessing that he could have cancer, then learning that his late father was closeted and died of AIDS), while struggling to connect with his Lean In power wife Nicole (Connie Britton), his sweetly dopey, device-addled son Quinn (Fred Hechinger), and his terrifying daughter Olivia (Sydney Sweeney). 2023 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. Of course." For those unfamiliar with the movie, it's based on a popular series of young adult novels, and follows the travails of a whip-smart 12-year-old attempting to make the complicated transition from elementary school into middle school. Steve Zahn: It was so difficult. This is a show about some of the luckiest and most privileged people in the world, who are completely incapable of being happy. If you're wondering why Steve Zahn hasn't been appearing in many Hollywood projects of late, it's likely due to the fact that he lives about as far away from the Hollywood scene as you can get. Great.". I'm not going to be doing streaking scenes down the street and stuff.. Its about filling it with something else, you know what I mean? To revisit this article, select My Account, thenView saved stories, Steve Zahn has played all kinds of guys. I'm like, "Yeah, it's fine. With a list of nearly 100 film credits including Dallas Buyers Club, Saving Silverman, Diary of A Wimpy Kid and so many more, Steve talks about his beginnings in acting and what projects he has coming up next. Thats what we do. [3][7] The couple married in 1994 and have two children. This story first appeared in the July 16 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Stiller was on hand to scout Zahn's castmate Ethan Hawke for a role in his directorial debut Reality Bites, but he enjoyed his work enough to offer the young actor a supporting role. He has nothing. The way he did it was just great. What about when you were canvassing as a Revolutionary War soldier? People come up to me all the time about it. "Is this good?" [12] In the wake of Happy, Texas, Zahn began playing darker, more nuanced characters. It depends on Youre kind of a part of peoples subconscious and its weird to see it pop out. I didnt go full-on. I did another show for HBO called Treme, and the first thing you see of me in the entire four years we did was my ass. Just work. At one point, I was the dumb stoner guy. There are closets in this house they're filled with coats that have never been worn and still have the paper over the buttons. "Is this good?" But then to do it on Skype, I mean, just talking to your kid on Skype is weird. I do the dishes, do the laundry, and stay busy. "I've played bad guys, I've played good guys, dumb guys, smart guys," he says. There, they raise horses and goats and all manner of produce. Right, its not like when youre acting in Diary of a Wimpy Kid.Exactly. While Steve Zahn has managed to keep one foot in the Hollywood blockbuster door over the years, he's always kept his other firmly in the indie films that gave him his first taste of stardom. But just, you know, your responsibility as a leader on set, your responsibilities. (1996) and played guitar and sang in Saving Silverman (2001). Now I'm just all those guys, but they have kids.. I had a Skype conversation with [director] Matt Reeves for, like, an hour and 15 minutes. Usually, youre acting for time; theres always this emphasis, whether or not you have people pointing at their watches, you know this big machine has to keep moving. Connie Britton and Steve Zahn as Nicole and Mark Mossbacher. And now I'm finding, "Oh yeah, no, I'll wear this.". And I remember asking Mike, "You don't want full frontal, right?" pal Liv Tyler. Look, I just knew that that would change. What do you guys farm out there?We have horses and goats. Your father-in-law is J. Peterman of J. Peterman. Well, I will say, it's not something you see on TV a lot. One! Yeah, totally. Theres been a lot of talk about that very graphic scene in the first episode. I mean, what happens in my business is, we're telling stories about people. Were actually by the waterfall. [3] His father is of German and Swedish descent, and his mother is of German ancestry. First episode. Filming in Hawaii wasnt a bad deal either, and at least the cast seemed to appreciate it more than their fictional counterparts. You've probably noticed that even after appearing in a couple of legit blockbusters and an scoring an endless stream of indie hits, Zahn hasn't really been appearing on the big screen much in the past few years. In The White LotusMike Whites bitingly funny HBO satire about a group of guests at a Hawaiian resort who are as spectacularly miserable as they are privilegedhe portrays Mark Mossbacher, a platonic ideal of a Zahn role: one part clueless slacker, one part befuddled dad. [7] At A.R.T., he worked with the venerated stage director Andrei erban. If that doesn't affect your work, having kids, then you're not human. And I think sometimes people Its funny. I remember seeing Les Miserables with the original cast this was in 87 and I was blown away by it. In addition, it has been verified that he made a whopping . Like most actors, Zahn got his start in theater by performing in high school productions. Of course." I said, "You know what, man? I have a wide variety. 1. Get ready to crack up! It was closed, so we were truly in a bubble. I do the dishes, do the laundry, and stay busy. The company is now defunct, but the founding members have remained close over the years. You werent really a slacker.I mean, Im the guy who gets up at six without an alarm clock. They're far and few between, but they stick out. And they followed suit, man. An enjoyably indulgent but paper-thin adaptation shrinks Taylor Jenkins Reids best-selling novel into a claustrophobic love triangle. Im not doing the movie, Im doing what were doing right now, even if its contradictory to my idea of what were going to do, ultimately. Usually it's That Thing You Do, which is having its 25th anniversary, which I can't believe. What becomes obvious quickly is that this is how Steve Zahn sounds about everything. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy. I mean, my kid, Henry, the first time we ever Skyped, he looked at it and he was like at the time, I think he was 9 he goes, Hey! I go, Hey! He immediately drops his pants and shows me his ass. Whats it like for you to do all this CGI acting, where you have to have the jumpsuit on?To be honest, what makes it so terrifying is that theres no difference other than youre wearing a jumpsuit with a helmet and a camera in a backpack, which takes about a minute to get used to. But good to have you back!. I pick tomatoes, I go grocery shopping. They're far and few between, but they stick out. Steve Zahn. Lets Do the Thing: How Online Were You in February 2023? That was actually for a Mardi Gras outfit. 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