The funny thing is, Mike actually stopped by here. Kentucky Refugee Ministries is hosting its Passport to Flavor event with a special twist: You could win a meal with actor Steve Zahn. Its like, Hey, remember this? And youre like, Yeah, I havent even seen it! 2023 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. He wants his family to be this amazing, connected group. What is real? Yeah. I want to think that there's a glimmer of hope, but man, I don't know. What do you get recognized for the most these days? Its insane, yknow? What becomes obvious quickly is that this is how Steve Zahn sounds about everything. Im like, Of course, thats the first thing you do.. By using our Services, you agree to our use of cookies. Photographed by Egan Parks Steve Zahn was running a few minutes late because he was tending to a horse who had had surgery and. director Tom Hanks (who he worked with on You've Got Mail, From the Earth to the Moon, and The Great Buck Howard), and his Sahara co-star Matthew McConaughey, who reunited with him in Dallas Buyers Club. One! I'm like, "Yeah, it's fine. They were always out doing stuff. Zahn was born in Marshall, Minnesota, the son of Carleton Edward Zahn, a Lutheran minister, and Zelda Clair Zahn, a bookstore clerk and later a YMCA administrator. I take that back. I'm not going to be doing streaking scenes down the street and stuff.. He's got some voice work lined up (opposite Rainn Wilson, Ellen Page, and Ron Perlman) in the animated flick Robodog, and an appearance in the Silicon Valley drama Valley of the Boom(from House of Lies creator Matthew Carnahan) on the books, but other than that, the future appears to be all but unwritten for Zahn. We just drove around Normandy doing this World War II tour. While a little downtime back on the farm is certain to occupy some of that future with a possible return to the community theater stage as well we can't help but hope that the obscenely gifted actor finds his way back in front of the cameras as soon as possible. We're kind of fucked up, aren't we? I remember seeing Les Miserables with the original cast this was in 87 and I was blown away by it. When Zahn and I talk ahead of the shows finale, the beloved character actor (lately I've been seeing the word Zahnaissance floating around) is at the Kentucky farm his family moved to in the early aughts. It's true. 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. 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). Every night, we'd be down on the beach, watching the sunset, he says. I had that made in New Orleans for Mardi Gras. Wow.There are some movies you forget. Kind of laid back. I had a Skype conversation with [director] Matt Reeves for, like, an hour and 15 minutes. I remember rehearsing as a band for like a month straight. All these characters are so flawed, man, and they're so bruised. More recently, Zahn appeared as a small-town sheriff in way over his head on ABC's mind-bending sci-fi drama The Crossing. He literally says the words what is real?" While Diary of a Wimpy Kid didn't quite land with critics upon release, it more than held its own at the box office, pulling in a whopping $75 million worldwide. First episode. I've played bad guys, I've played good guys, dumb guys, smart guys, he says. GQ: In one of your more memorable scenes, you pretend to be a drunk ape seducing Connie Britton. There, they raise horses and goats and all manner of produce. Cynicism is dead. He has nothing. It was the most physical job I think Ive ever done. The role that introduced me to you was that of Lenny, the goofball bandmate in That Thing You Do. Never. I pick tomatoes, I go grocery shopping. [16] In the 1990s, they bought a cabin in Pennsylvania and then a farm in New Jersey, near the Delaware Water Gap. Over the course of nearly three decades hes garnered recognition for playing an array of stoners, slackers, screw-ups, and oddballs, but once you start talking to him, you realize thats all an expertly executed act. I was like, "Oh, okay, cool." I'm the activities director here I mean, I'm not like Mark. Were actually seeing a body double wearing a prosthetic, but what did you think when you first read it in the script? It's true. If you were late, you were sprinting.. My son's 21. Its about filling it with something else, you know what I mean? Yeah, totally. Tell me about filming that. I didnt go full-on. Thats a Youve Got Mail.. And they followed suit, man. It's sad to me to see him try to connect with his son. Luckily, he also spent that time opposite cinema's greatest motion capture performer in the great Andy Serkis, who Zahn praised as "one of the greatest actors" he's ever worked with. The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series wasn't Zahn's last franchise, either. Whats a distinctive memory you have from shooting it? Well, I will say, it's not something you see on TV a lot. I was like, "Oh geez, no, this is crazy." But good to have you back!. When I'm not working, I get up early and feed all the animals, then I get most of my stuff done by noon. I didnt know what the fuck I was going to do. I mean, you see it everywhere. He was photographed June19 on his farm in Georgetown, Kentucky. Saving Silverman, interesting. The first college I went to, I remember taking a trip to London with a dance group and it was January, between the semesters, and I got credit for going to see London theater. His film roles include "Reality Bites," "That Thing You Do!," "Crimson Tide," "Stuart Little," "Saving Silverman" and "Dallas Buyers Club.". We're kind of oppositesshe writes well into the night. He's like, "No, no, we're going to use a prosthetic." Steve Zahn visited Conan Tuesday night and gave a loopy interview about life on his farm in Kentucky. People come up to me all the time about it. As it happens, his old That Thing You Do! The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series was far from Zahn's first foray into family-friendly fare. I mean, Ive played a lot of dramatic roles. Were by a waterfall? Privacy Policy and You'll die laughing at STEVE ZAHN's story of NOT being recognized Really Famous with Kara Mayer Robinson 7.19K subscribers Subscribe 69 Share 4.5K views 1 year ago #SteveZahn #ComedyActing Get. We're kind of fucked up, aren't we? Its like, I just wanna be on set. Zahn, 53, has a farm in Georgetown, Kentucky. Zahn is married to Robyn Peterman, an actress and the daughter of John Peterman, whom Zahn met on a touring production of Bye Bye Birdie. Still, it wasn't until the early 2000s that Zahn went full sidekick, and it's a role he played to near perfection opposite the likes of Martin Lawrence in National Security, Eddie Murphy in Daddy Day Care, Penlope Cruz and Salma Hayek in Bandidas, and Matthew McConaughey in Sahara. I loved being an actor in New York, it was so exciting. Zahn admitted Limited: When asked if he got a chance to enjoy the scenery Hawaii offered, he said it was 'limited' though he did get scuba certified He also has 8-Bit Christmas with Neil Patrick. And then I had to approve it. I didn't even think about it." Thirty seconds doesnt seem long. 'The Mandalorian' Season 3: What Was Grogu Looking at in Hyperspace? I remember having to ask Mike, Just total raw, primitive? I don't think I was doing it correctly at first. Fred Hechinger and Steve Zahn as Quinn and Mark Mossbacher. Usually it's That Thing You Do, which is having its 25th anniversary, which I can't believe. And I'm kind of like Mark in a way. Although we did scuba dive. Still, it seems just a matter of time until Zahn finds the right fit for small screen success. Theres a scene where were all drowning in the sub. Seriously Zahn and his crew actually own and operate a quiet little farm in a quiet little town just outside Lexington, Kentucky. Auditioning or reading for people in general can just be kind of weird to begin with, because its not acting. Did you dream about being an actor when you were a kid?No. Its about filling it with something else, you know what I mean? And its not even about acting. Oh, as opposed to non-comedy films where youre the comedic character.And yet, I dont get the commander of the U-Boat, either. Weve been there for 13 years, outside Lexington, Kentucky. Pasture, Creek, Shade, Utilities. Zahn also appeared withhis Friends screen partner Jennifer Aniston in the indie dramediesThe Object of My Affection and Management. You could play him so many different ways, but I wanted him to come off just as this vulnerable guy that you could adhere to. CoachCal.com's TJ Beisner just teased a new segment featuring the actor and players that already looks hilarious: @TJBeisner @TJBeisner I wanted his honesty to come off as a good thing, even though it's really his Achilles heel. Do you feel like lately youre trying to transition into more dramatic roles? It's not even your kids anymore, it's these people who live in your house. I'm like a kid. You've worked in Hollywood for a long timeis that attitude something that you've encountered a lot and taken as a cautionary tale? It was good, it got good reviews, and one of them encouraged me to go train. That made me laugh: "Oh, I've been a monkey in two films. How does this show compare to your own familys vacations? I learned all that stuff too. My kids don't even sit on social media, which is really kind of insane. Of course." (Laughs.) Related To Nathan Zahn, Carolyn Zahn, Janice Zahn, Carol Zahn, Marie Zahn. In 2004, the family moved from New . FARMFLIP #343863 If you were late, you were sprinting.. To have this brilliant script fall into my lap and have it be in Hawaii? Then my wife wakes up and starts her writing. And they followed suit, man. [5] He also has a lake cabin near Pine City, Minnesota,[19] where he enjoys tubing and fishing with his two children. Matt didnt do that to you, I hope.No, Matt didnt. I did 30 percent what I thought a chimpanzee would do. Hed been hunkering down there during the pandemic, light on work, when the script for The White Lotus came his way. I remember seeing my sister in a play when I was very young, and I remember telling my folks, I want to do that. In sixthgrade, I was in the high-school production of The Wizard of Oz as a munchkin, and one day, Dr. Lamby, I think his name was, was yelling at all the cast and he pulled me aside and screamed, This is the only guy up there doing anything! [Laughs] I was the guy in high school; I was the guy who was good at it. With fellow thespians Josh Hamilton and Frank Whaley in tow, the group would go on to form the Malaparte Theater Company and spend the next few years making names for themselves in off-Broadway productions. Zahn has a staggering net worth of $25 million which he made from various successful films, TV series, and voice acting in animated movies. And that's what I love about the show. Though Zahn clearly enjoyed working on the movie, he's referred to the film's six-month shoot as "the most painful of my life" mostly because he spent much of it hunched over pretending to be an ape. What do you think happens to your character and his family after he leaves the island? That was it. Terms of Service apply. There are closets in this house they're filled with coats that have never been worn and still have the paper over the buttons. So HBO, isn't it? It wasnt like I wanted to be a star, it was just that I knew that I can. Are there any types of roles that you havent played yet that you want to get to one day? For the past 15 years or so, Zahn has been living the working man's life with his family in rural Kentucky. When Steve Zahn isn't tending to the farm or turning up on the big screen, it's a safe bet you'll find him on the stage in one playhouse or another. As he's in this kind of crazy Disney Land for rich people, where everything is fake, everything is false, they're going to have a new group of people the next week and they're going to treat them exactly the same way. I have great irises. Oh God, all the time. That was something we shot at the end of the day, and Tom [Hanks] kept having ideas like, Youre playing crazy eights! Id be like, Oh, thatd be great! I remember all this stuff we did, like just eating the candy on the plane and how Tom would just encourage all this kind of great, funny, stupid shit. [2][4] He graduated from Robbinsdale Cooper High School in 1986, planning eventually to join the United States Marine Corps. Great.". On the latest episode of the Rex Chapman Show with Josh Hopkins, the guys are joined by the incredible actor, Steve Zahn. What is real? 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