I am actor/comedian Kevin Pollak. AMA!

AMAZING. And to be clear, I'd rather fight a hundred duck-size horses.

Do you have a voice in your act that you no longer do because people don't recognize it anymore? And do you miss being able to do it? Thanks for doing this AMA. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to fuck myself.

This is a really great question because I miss a few TERRIBLY... Johnny Carson is a voice I take pride in, because I can really get inside his cadence - I love to speak random song lyrics as him, which is fun at the poker table especially. Dudley Moore, Jimmy Stewart and my high school football coach.

Loved you in Willow! what was it like being a brownie???

25th Anniversay, yo!!! It was my first real film, and I have Rick Overton to thank for putting me on the short list when Ron Howard cast him and asked who else he would like to have come in a audition for his scene mate. Then, they shot the entire film in Wales and New Zealand, while Rick and I got to work on the largest blue screen stage (at the time) up in Northern California. My fav moment may have been when I introduced my father to George Lucas (the producer of the film) and my dad said (in true Homer fashion) "Nice to meet you. I really liked 'E.T.'..." Doh!

Actors like you and Robin Williams seem to be able to slip seamlessly between silly comedy and good drama. Is there a process for turning down the funny for the sake of the drama? Are you the class clown between takes or do you keep the tone serious?

Also, Stop With The Kicking still makes me laugh.

Thanks for putting me in the company of an Oscar winner! I didn't choose to do drama, though. The irony of my career, almost, is that I wanted to be like Michael Keaton in "Night Shift," but I did Barry Levinson's "Avalon" really early in my acting days and overnight I was stamped dramatic actor. Then after "A Few Good Men," "The Usual Suspects" and "Casino," it was over for me. I rarely get to be the funny one... The truly strange part of it is that most comedians would KILL for a chance to be have ANY street cred as a dramatic actor and I'm here saying, careful what you wish.

Who is your favorite impersonation?

I personally like your Jason Statham.

Statham is my new fav, yes. But I can talk as Christopher Walken for hours without realizing I'm doing it......and that makes me very happy

Is there something wrong with that...weird...eye?

Cross the Ts and dot the...lowercase Js

So I have heard on the set of Usual Suspects that the opening scene where everyone is being interviewed and asked to say the same line, everyone kept cracking up and Bryan Singer kept yelling at all you to cut it out...what exactly is the story behind that? Why was everyone having a hard time keeping composure during that scene ?

Again, not to be a promoting dick of my book, but the only way to really get a sense of what the fuck caused the whole thing is to read the many pages I devoted to this in the book. Having said that, we just couldn't stop laughing that day for several reasons: Baldwin making faces and screaming, Benecio mumbling took on new heights, and Gabriel laughing was the best, because he was so hard to crack up. At lunch, Bryan told us we had fucked the first half of the day and that we just couldn't afford to waist that much film that cost 5 mil and was shot in under 6 weeks (we were all paid coffee donuts), but that was like telling 9 year olds to not laugh at the funeral, and we fucked up the rest of the day without meaning to. To his credit, though, he took those "outtakes" and made the most memorable scene of the film.

Do you want to play poker wiith me and my buddies next time you are in the Cincinnati area?

We've got snacks....

What kind of snacks...?

Your impression of Alan Arkin was absolutely hilarious! Watched your stand-up The Littlest Suspect. How do you get so good at doing those voices?

1st, I leave it on my outgoing voicemail and gage the responses. Next step, I bring it on stage and see what strangers think of it.

What about it pretzel man, what's your story?

That was MY improvised line - Ha! Good memory, ya fuck, ya

Who do admire most as an actor and why?

Jeff Bridges and Gene Hackman are my two favorite actors. Neither have ever given a performance that isn't just genius, but also different than their last. Being sincerely complimented by Gene Hackman the one time we met, was the single greatest achievement, for me personally.

Best known celebrity to play poker with? Toughest poker opponent you've played with?

Best to play with suggests I always take their money, as opposed to the best poker playing celeb, which might well be Ben Affleck, that Oscar-winning mutha fucka. Best poker player I've faced is Daniel Negreanu, who I felted in my first WSOP Main Event this past July. It fucked me up, actually, because I love his style of play so much that it was like beating your father in one-on-one in the driveway the first time...

Was the Yanni Gogolak line "Don't BE long" your idea?

Also a great question! And a good example of why Matthew Perry is one of the funniest co-starts I've ever worked with. He not only gave me that line (seconds before I was to say it while filming), but several others that are quoted back to me on the street by real fans of the film. He's a master at the "beat the joke" game.

My mom had a crush on Rip Torn until you told that "milk it like a cow" story. Thanks a lot,

You're welcome

You are not in enough movies. When I see you in a movie now, I think I've found a little treasure that outshines the rest of the show. I'm so glad you've taken up podcasting! What has been your most challenging interview so far?

As much of a coup as it was booking her, getting a laugh or even a smile out of Jane Campion made for the most difficult chat show session.

Is Kevin Pollak your birthname or a stage name?

Birth, but I did ask my mother if I could change it when I was 11 years old, and had decided I would spend my life in show business. I told her it just felt too clunky... I actually wanted to change it to Kevin Klein (her maden name) as it felt more cinematic. This was long before Kevin Kline was famous, btw.

Kevin, thanks for doing the AMA. Big fan of your work.

I think you have become a master at the long-form interview after listening to KPCS. Do you find it easy to navigate the 2+ hours they often tend to be? Have there been any revelations admitted by guests that took you by surprise?

Thanks again.

Thanks!! Getting Christopher Guest to even talk on camera was a miracle, and if you knew him you'd be shocked by how much he spoke about. At the end of hour hour plus chat, CEO and Founder of Tesla Motors and Space X, Elon Musk ( I LOVE my Model S !!!!!!!), started talking about his recent divorce and insisted that the rumors that he had abandoned his children were more disturbing to him than anything he'd been through in life.

How awesome is Don Rickles? Any chance you'll get him as a guest on the Chat Show?

The longer version of this is available and oh-so hiLARious in my book, How I Slept My Way To The Middle, of course, but in a nutshell, watching him rip De Niro a new asshole was nirvana...

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He's FAR from a pro poker player, but there's NO ONE funnier at the table than Richard Kind...

Kevin, big fan and aspiring NYC improv/stand up/impersonation comedian here.

Are there any impressions that took you some time to master? What is your process? What were the hardest ones to pick up?

You rock!

Put in your 10,000 hours is my only advice. It all gets crazy easier after you've done the time. I'm lazy, of course, so while I put in my time, I only do the ones that come naturally, but mostly I do people that I'm obsessed by in real life... Good luck!!

Kevin, On your last Opie & Anthony show visit, how big of an ego stroke was it to have Jay Mohr kiss the ring when it came to Walken impressions? Always love your appearances on the show and how candid you are. You're a boss, Mr. Pollak, a boss.

LOVE to do O & A!! That was shocking, actually, when I got the Mohr nod because he was the first that I had ever seen do it, and SO brilliantly at that.

Besides your own, are there any other podcasts that you enjoy?

My gal pal, Jaime Fox, turned me onto Scott Aukerman's Comedy Bang Bang, which I'm now completely hooked on. I also love How Did This Get Made and Pod F. Tompkast is ALWAYS funny as hell.

Do you have any interesting is doing more directing?

I wrote a little contemporary film noir detective thing that I'm suppose to be directing soon, so here's hoping that happens! please... Kickstarter...?

Since the "podcast boom" a few years ago do you think its helped or hurt comedy for the new generation of comics?

WAY more helpful. Just in terms of exposing comics to a devoted audience of of this newish artform, it's greatly helpful. Also, it a place where you can actually work on your act.

What's your favorite project that you're working on at the moment?

IMDB lists quite a few films that you're a part of in the next year or so. What should I be watching out for?

Just finished playing the estranged son of Jerry Lewis in a indie fucked-up-family drama, which was surreal and great to do. Another indie with A.J. Michalka called Grace Unplugged is screening to better than expected responses, so that's always a relief... And as I mentioned, I hope the Beverly Hills Cop pilot turns into a great series that you know and love. Barry Sonnenfeld is directing it, so that's fucking amazing and Shawn Ryan is the head writer/show runner which is also dreamlike.

Love it when you sit in as third mic on Opie & Anthony, Kevin, especially the day you told the Michael Clarke Duncan story.

My favorite role of yours, however, was as the President in "Deterrence", a movie a lot of people haven't seen. Does it bother you that it's not a better-known film?

Again, LOVE O&A and doing their show is always something I get excited about more than the others. It bugs the SHIT out of me that more people haven't seen "Deterrence," because I just dig the film and films like it, as a film geek.

Hey Kevin, where do you see the future of podcasting? And do you see the increase in popularity of non-traditional media as a slow growth or as an indicator that traditional network entertainment is dying?

We launched on Earwolf.com today, and we're extremely excited about the future of this collaboration. Traditional media will always be around, but it's diminishing returns are proof positive that new media is winning! Having said that, I hope like hell the Beverly Hills Cop pilot I'm doing runs as a beloved tv series for 6 and 3 quarters years...

Kevin! Seanthings reporting in!

Who would you love to have on the Chatshow that hasn't been on yet?

Albert Brooks has promised to come on, but until he does he remains my #1 wish. Walken, obviously...