Old McDonald has a charm, e-i-e-i-oy (podcast)

You know him. You love him. You have no friggin’ clue what his name is. Ah, the plight of the character actor. Pity poor Chris McDonald. He can alternate identities faster than the T-1000 in TERMINATOR 2: JUDGEMENT DAY but is still no more nameable than… the guy who played the android, you know, that dude who was also on The X-Files.*

Perhaps you know Chris better as… Shooter McGavin. (Need I say more?) Or, as Darryl in THELMA & LOUISE, Tappy Tibbons in REQUIEM FOR A DREAM, Dean Simmons in THE HOUSE BUNNY or as the voice of Kent Mansley in THE IRON GIANT. He is as recognizable as the Nike Swoosh, yet as overlooked as Verne Troyer in a cornfield.

I hadn’t anticipated interviewing Mr. McDonald in Park City, but after an on-camera exchange with Drake Doremus and Lindsay Stidham, the adorable duo behind SPOONER — Drake directed, the couple co-wrote the script — asked if I’d like to talk to Chris. Hell, yeah. Sure enough, they called him and within minutes the affable actor appeared at the Seattle House. After an hour of off-the-record conversation, we finally sat for our fireside chat... minus the polio-plagued president. (I imagine landing FDR nowadays would count as a quality “get.”) Chris was light-hearted and serious-minded, thrilled to be associated with SPOONER, Kenneth Turan’s “sleeper hit” of Slamdance, envious of Matthew Lillard‘s dual role as actor and producer.

Catch the highlights of my short game with filmdom’s most notorious golf pro on today’s edition of The Warren Report podcast. Then, draw your own conclusions and share your thoughts right here.

Three strokes shy of Dick Cheney,

Warren

* That would be Robert Patrick, of course!