>>> FOR THE RECORD, YOU FLIRTED
WITH ME.
YOU MADE ME FEEL LIKE YOU REALLY
LIKED ME.
WHICH IS REALLY UNFAIR.
THEN YOU CAME HOME WITH ME AND
WE DID STUFF, FUN STUFF.
AND THEN YOU JUST LEFT.
IT'S LIKE IT WAS NOTHING.
>> OH, PLEASE.
>>> THAT IS CHRIS O'DOWD PLAYING
OPPOSITE KRISTEN WIG IN HIS
BREAKOUT ROLE AS OFFICER NATHAN
RHODES IN THE SMASH COMEDY
"BRIDESMAIDS."
OWE DOWD HAD MADE A NAME FOR
HIMSELF IN THE UK.
BUT THE HUGE SUCCESS OF
BRIDESMAIDS PUT HIM ON THE MAP
IN AMERICA, LAUNCHING HIM INTO A
SERIES OF MOSTLY COMEDIC ROLES
ON MOVIES, TELEVISION AND
BROADWAY.
THE 38-YEAR-OLD KNOWN FOR USING
HIS CHARM AND SENSE OF HUMOR ON
SCREEN, FINDS HIMSELF A TOUGH
GUY WHO USES HIS FISTS IN THE
HIT SERIES GET SHORTY.
CHRIS AND I GOT TOGETHER IN NEW
YORK THIS WEEK FOR A SUNDAY
SIT-DOWN.
>> MILES DAILEY, THE MOBSTER
TURNED FILM PRO DUDERS AT THE
CENTER OF "GET SHORTY" IS A
DIFFERENT KIND OF ROLE FOR CHRIS
O'DOWD.
>> OPEN IT UP.
IF YOU DON'T MAKE THIS MOVIE,
I'LL WRONG YOU.
>> HE CAN INTIMIDATE PEOPLE.
THAT'S NOT SOMETHING I GET TO DO
VERY OFTEN.
SOMEBODY WHO IS MORE DYNAMIC
THAN MOST OF THE -- RATHER THAN
THE HEAD-BUTTABLE KIND OF TARKS.
>> NOW IN THE SECOND SEASON,
IT'S BASED ON THE NOVEL THAT
INSPIRED THE 1995 FILM STARRING
JOHN TRAVOLTA AND GENE HACKMAN.
O'DOWD STARS WITH RAY ROMANO.
>> HE'S A GERMOPHOBE, WHICH IS
FUN IF YOU HAVE TO GET INTO IT
WITH HIM.
THERE'S A FEW TIMES WE'RE KIND
OF TROUBLE IN TOGETHER AND I
HAVE TO COVER HIS MOUTH AND THEN
REHEARSAL, I SAID I'LL PUT MY
HAND ON YOUR MOUTH.
THAT'S OKAY.
I GOT SOME PURELY.
>> AT 6'4", O'DOWD CAN PLAY THE
GUY YOU DON'T WANT TO MESS WITH.
GROWING UP THE YOUNGEST OF FIVE
SIBLINGS IN IRELAND, HE LEARNED
TO USE HIS HEIGHTS FOR LAUGH.
>> AS A TEENAGER, I WAS A FUNNY
LOOKING THING, REALLY.
I WAS 6 FOOT WHEN I WAS 11.
I WAS A BIG FELLA.
BUT NOT REALLY A -- IT WAS ALL
BONE AND -- I WAS A BONE AND
NODES MAN.
>> OLD BONE AND NOSE O'DOWD.
COMING DOWN THE STREET LIKE A
STUPID SPIDER.
WOMEN WERE QUITE REPULSED.
HUMOR IS HELPFUL IN THOSE
OCCASIONS.
>> O'DOWD WAS DRAWN TO ACTING IN
GRADE SCHOOL WHERE HE PERFORMED
IN MUSICALS.
>> I REMEMBER THINKING EVEN
THEN, THIS IS A WONDERFUL
FEELING.
ALL THESE OTHER KIDS ON EDGE AND
EVERYBODY IS NERVOUS.
I'M LIKE OH, ISN'T IT THE BEST
FEELING IN THE WORLD?
>> O'DOWD STUDIED POLITICS AND
SOCIOLO
SOCIOLOGY.
HE COULDN'T SHAKE THAT SPECIAL
FEELING HE GOT FROM ACTING.
HE ENROLLED IN THE LONDON
ACADEMY OF MUSIC AND DRAMATIC
ART.
JUST MONTHS SHY OF GRADUATING,
HE DROPPED OUT AND HIT THE
LONDON AUDITION CIRCUIT.
>> THERE'S A RUMOR ABOUT YOU IN
AUDITIONS THAT YOU CREATE
SOMETHING TO HELP THE CASTING
DIRECTOR AND THE DIRECTOR OF THE
FILM REMEMBER YOU.
AND THAT IS THAT YOU PRETEND
YOU'VE BEEN BITTEN BY A DOG.
IS THAT TRUE?
>> IT'S TOTALLY TRUE.
SOMEBODY SAID TO ME WHO HAD BEEN
DOING OKAY, THEY SAID LEAVE THEM
WITH SOMETHING TO REMEMBER YOU
BY.
HE PRESUMABLY LIKE A GREAT FUNNY
SENDOFF LINE.
BUT IN MY HEAD, I WAS LIKE.
GOT IT.
SO I WOULD GO INTO EVERY
AUDITION PRETENDING I HAD JUST
BEEN BITTEN BY A DOG.
>> DO YOU COME IN LIMPING?
>> YOU GO DOWN -- DO YOU SEE
THAT?
?
WHAT?
>> THE COCKER SPANIEL.
I'M ALL RIGHT.
I DON'T THINK IT'S DRAWING --
SORRY.
BUT I HAD TO START DOING IT,
BECAUSE I WAS DOING IT ALL THE
TIME.
THEY WERE LIKE, THAT'S SO WEIRD.
THEY SAID BECAUSE THE LAST TIME
YOU WERE HERE, YOU WERE BITTEN
BY A DOG.
>> IN 2006, ONE OF THE AUDITIONS
LANDED HIM THE LEAD ROLE IN THE
BRITISH COMEDY SERIES THE I.T.
CROWD.
>> HAVE YOU TRIED TURNING IT OFF
AND ON AGAIN.
>> FOUR SEASONS LATER, HE LEFT
LONDON FOR LOS ANGELES.
>> I HAD JUST BROKEN UP WITH
SOMEBODY.
I WAS GOING THROUGH A LISTENING
TO BON EE BER PHASE AND GOING
THROUGH THE AIRPORT WITH MY
HEADPHONES ON, BAWLING MY EYES
OUT.
>> ALL ALONE.
>> GOING TO HOLLYWOOD ALONE,
YES.
>> WERE PEOPLE LOOKING AT YOU?
>> YES, VERY MUCH SO.
KIND OF LIKE, THAT'S TOO MUCH.
THEY'RE LIKE YOU POOR -- BUT
IT'S TOO MUCH.
>> I DON'T WANT TO GET INVOLVED.
>> IT'S FLASHING.
I WAS FLASHING THEM EMOTIONALLY.
>> BUT O'DOWD WASN'T HEARTBROKEN
FOR LONG.
IN L.A., HE MET SCOTTISH WRITER
AND TELEVISION HOST DAWN PORTER.
THEY'RE NOW MARRIED WITH TWO
YOUNG SONS.
>> O'DOWD FOUND WORK QUICKLY IN
HOLLYWOOD PLAYING A GENERAL IN
THE 2010 BIG BUDGET JACK BLACK
MOVIE, GULLIVER'S TRAVELS.
IT WAS THE NEXT YEAR THAT
PROPELLED HIM AND HIS FEMALE
CO-STARS TO STARDOM.
>> YOU'RE LIKE THE MAID OF
DISHONOR.
>> "BRIDESMAIDS "REQUESTS WAS
YOUR BREAKTHROUGH ROLE HERE IN
THE U.S. DID YOU THINK YOU HAD A
GOOD SHOT AT THE AUDITION?
>> I ARRIVED AND THEY HAD THIS
THING TO SIGN IN TO LET THE
CASTING DIRECTOR KNOW YOU'RE
THERE.
IT'S A BASIC PIECE OF PAPERWORK.
IT'S ALL OF THESE INCREDIBLE
ACTO
ACTORS.
IT SUDDENLY CALMED ME DOWN
BECAUSE IT WAS SUDDENLY, I HAVE
NO CHANCE OF THIS.
I CAN GO IN AND HAVE FUN.
>> HE HIT IT OFF WITH
BRIDESMAIDS STAR KRISTEN WIIG,
THAT LED TO A MEETING WITH JUDD
APATOW AND O'DOWD GOT THE PART.
>> I WAS GOING THROUGH THIS KIND
OF PHASE OF MY PROCESS WHERE I
DIDN'T READ PARTS OF SCRIPTS
THAT I WASN'T IN.
I DIDN'T WANT IT TO CLOUD
ANYTHING I WAS DOING.
I FELT LIKE WE WERE MAKING A
NICE LITTLE MOVIE.
AND THEN I DIDN'T SEE WHAT THE
GIRLS WERE DOING.
WHEN I WATCHED IT, I'M LIKE OH,
MY GOD, THIS IS A RIOT.
WHAT DO I NEED TO GO TO TOILET
IN?
>> WITH THE MASSIVE SUCCESS OF
BRIDESMAIDS, FANS LABELED O'DOWD
A HEARTTHROB.
THOUGH HE PREFERS A DIFFERENT
TITLE.
>> WHAT'S THE TERM YOU USE?
YOU'RE NOT A SEX SYMBOL.
>> I'M A FRIEND SYMBOL.
>> THAT'S A TIME WHEN WOMEN
DIDN'T WANT TO HAVE A FLING WITH
ME, JUST BE SPOONED BY ME.
IT'S MORE LIKE A DESSERT SPOON.
SWEETER AND KIND OF AN ODD AFTER
TASTE.
>> AFTER BRIDESMAIDS, O'DOWD
BECAME AN APP TO YOU FAVORITE
WITH ROLES IN MOVIES LIKE THIS
IS 40 AND FRIENDS WITH KIDS, AS
WELL AS THE HBO SERIES "GIRLS."
IN 2014, O'DOWD EARNED A TONY
NOMINATION FOR HIS TURN AS LENNY
IN BE "OF MICE AND MEN" ON
BROADWAY.
>> I'M STEVIE WONDER.
>> REAL MATURE.
>> HIS LATEST MOVIE ROLE IS AS A
PROFESSOR OBSESSED WITH A
WASHED-UP ROCK STAR PLAYED BY
ETHAN HAWK IN THE FILM JULIETTE
NAKED.
>> IT FEELS LIKE A CHRIS O'DOWD
FILM.
SMART, FUNNY, GOOD TYPE CAST.
DO YOU THINK THAT WAY ABOUT YOUR
CAREER?
>> I'M DEAF NIFTLY MORE ENGAGED
WITH THINGS THAT I BELIEVE.
A HUGE KIND OF -- BUT I'M ALWAYS
AVAILABLE.
>> YOU CAN WATCH CHRIS IN SEASON
2 OF "GET SHORTY" SUNDAY NIGHTS
ON EPIX AND HIS FILM IS IN
THEATERS NOW.
THANKS TO GEL SO AND GRAND FOR
HOSTING US IN NEW YORK.
TO HEAR THE HILARIOUS STORY OF
HIS ONE TIME JOB AT A CHARITY
CALL CENTER AND TALES HE SPUN TO
DRUM UP DONATIONS, CHECK OUT OUR
WEB EXTRAS.
>>> DON'T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE TO