The crime-family drama “The Straits,” starring Brian Cox, who you probably know from “Manhunter” or “Braveheart” or possibly even “Super Troopers,” premiered on Hulu a few days back and will be doling out a new episode every week, but once you’ve started watching, between the dialogue, the action, the humor, and, sure, the sex and violence, too, you’ll find that a week will seem like a bloody lifetime. 

Bullz-Eye was fortunate enough to chat with Cox about his new endeavor, not to mention a few other highlights from his none-too-shabby back catalog, but be forewarned: he’s been talking about “The Straits” in the past tense for awhile now – it premiered in Australia back in February – so you’ll see that he has a tendency to slip up and offer spoilers on occasion. Not that they’ll stop your overall enjoyment of the series, but just don’t say we didn’t warn you.

Bullz-Eye: Well, I didn’t have enough lead time to absorb all 10 episodes of “The Straits,” but I’ve knocked out three of them thus far, and I’m really enjoying it.

Brian Cox: Well, good! Good, good, good. [Laughs.] It’s a good show!

BE: It is. A nice blend of drama, a bit of humor here and there, and certainly some darkness.

BC: Yeah, it’s got a black-comedy effect about it.

BE: So how did “The Straits” fall into your lap? Did they approach you directly?

BC: They did! They got in touch. I was doing “That Championship Season” on Broadway, and I just got this call from my English agent…because I have agents here and I’ve got agents in England…and they said, “How do you feel about going to Australia?” And the irony was that I’d been trying to get Australia for about the last four or five years, and I’m thinking, “Well, it’s only ever gonna be a job that gets me out there.” So when I got this call, I said, “I’ll do it! I don’t care what it is. I’m desperate to go to Australia!” [Laughs.] Then they said, “Well, hang on, read the script!” And I read the script, and I said, “Well, this is even better: a great job, a great role, and I get to go to Australia! This is a must!” So my wife came and my kids came, and it was a fantastic opportunity, one which I cherish. And I’m very sad that we’re not going to do some more of it, because I do think we were just…you know, the potential of it is enormous. But they’re a little nervous about it, because it’s about a crime family.  But what I love about this show and what I love about Australia…

Australians are very slow-moving. You know, they kind of move at their own pace, and they aren’t really rushed, so it kind of took a long time to get this show out there, and then they finally got it out, and then it took them a long time to decide that they weren’t going to do it again this year. Because we were all set and ready to do it. But the thing about it is that it is a pioneering country, and television is in a pioneering state. You know, they’re doing a lot of great stuff now on Australian television. Australians have really asserted themselves as actors. I mean, I’m of a generation where I remember when all of the Australian actors used to live in England, and then they all went back in their forties. And now Australia is ripe for everything, and people live there. Cate Blanchett lives there. Russell Crowe lives there. My great friend Hugo Weaving lives in Sydney. So I just admire the Australians so much, and I admire what they’ve done, and now with the link with New Zealand and “The Hobbit” and Peter Jackson, it’s kind of an industry all of its own, and quite rightly. But it’s still very much pioneering. And this series is quintessentially about that whole element. It’s like the Wild West, you know? The Torres Strait is like South Dakota in the 1870s. It’s still like that.

BE: It sounds as though you’d been to Australia prior to doing this series, if not in some time, but had you ever been to the Torres Straits before?

BC: No, and I’ve never got the Torres Straits since then, either, unfortunately. My filming never got me there, which I was sad about. I was told I was gonna go to the Torres Straits, but…it’s actually rather expensive. And then we shot a lot of the stuff on the mainland. We shot it in an aboriginal settlement just south of Cairns, which is absolutely stunning. And it’s also where the last man to be eaten as a cannibal act in Australia was eaten. [Laughs.] We shot there. We did the big shootout…wait, how many episodes have you seen?

BE: Only three thus far.

BC: Oh, so you haven’t seen that yet. Yeah, sorry about that. [Laughs.] But, yeah, we shot that there. And a couple of the boys did actually go out and shoot in the Torres Straits, so there was quite a lot of shooting there. And they’re amazing. I mean, I’ve seen a lot of footage on it, so I know the area. And I went up to Cape Tribulation (in Queensland), and I went up to the top of Australia, and I went to the Daintree. So it was a great time. A great, great time.

BE: I understand that “The Straits” was originally intended as a miniseries rather than an ongoing series. When it was pitched to you, were you presented with the script for the project in its entirety or just the pilot?

BC: I got the first three scripts. And then because of my availability…they wanted me in it, and, actually, as it turned out, I could’ve been there for the whole thing after all, but then they had this whole sequence where I’m shot… [Hesitates.] Ugh. I don’t want to give it away! But, anyway, I’m shot, and I’m in a coma for a bit, and then I come out of it, and then I’m okay. I love the dialogue, by the way. They’re such good dialogue writers. And it was just so terse, so completely on the money. And witty. And Harry was just one of these great characters. He was a great creation.

BE: The point of reference a lot of critics have used is “The Sopranos,” but for those not limiting themselves to U.S. television, “Underbelly” is a good one as well. What comparisons struck you as you first read it?

BC: Well, first of all, yes, “Underbelly,” certainly. Of course, it came to my mind that Tony Soprano and Harry Montebello…they’re kissing cousins, in a way. Although Harry’s older. And Harry’s also…I mean, you know, it’s not the Italian way, it’s the island way, and Harry’s an outsider to the island. He’s an outsider, but he’s been tolerated because he’s played ball. And things are starting to go wrong, so now he’s going back to his old culture. His back story is that he was a hit-man for the Krays, which was a famous gang group in the ‘60s and ‘70s in London, and he went on the run. And ended up in Australia, met this beautiful island girl, and married her, and he didn’t realize that she was sort of the heiress apparent to this big chief of this island. And he married thinking he was going to have kids, but she was actually childless. And then they started to adopt these children, and…that’s a common thing in these islands: some people don’t have children, some people have large families, and they share the families out. They give the families to those who are childless. It’s very common. It’s a thing that they do. So it all becomes about the community.

But, you know, they have their problems. Particularly health issues. I think it’s the highest rate of diabetes in the world, in the Torres Straits. It’s the food, because they love this Southern fried chicken. They love KFC! And they pay a fortune for it. But it’s bad for them, just as it’s bad for the aboriginals in Australia. Their rate of diabetes is ridiculously high as well. And you see these kids eating this horrible processed food, and…these are an ancient people! These are a people who are still in the hunting-and-gathering stage. Australia’s still like that. It still has that element.

I saw this fantastic documentary about these guys who put out fires, and there’s this old guy…I can’t remember his name, but he’s fantastic. He’s an old abo, and he had all these people coming up from Melbourne, in their fire trucks and their outfits, and he’s going [Doing an aboriginal accent.] “Why you wearing all that stuff? You don’t need all stuff. Get all that stuff off. Just get in the shorts and the jacket!” The documentary was about how you put out fires as well as how you make fires, and how you don’t allow the fires you’ve made to burn beyond a certain level, because once it does, that’s when fires go crazy. And this old abbo, he could light a fire, he could clear a piece of ground and show where it stopped. He would light a fire so it went to that point. But not only that, you would look at the ground and see little green shoots that his fire had avoided, which was fresh stuff coming up. He burned it in such a precise way. And they’re doing this in shorts and sandals! These big sort of Aussies are in their firefighting outfits, they’re kind of scratching their heads and going, “How did they do that?” And at one point he sees an old tree and says, “Now, there’ll be water in that tree.” The guy says, “No, not possible.” He says again, “There’ll be water in that tree.” “Can’t be. It’s been burned.” He takes a machete, he cuts it…and this huge spout of water comes out. It was astonishing. Now that’s their culture. That’s who they are.

That’s the extraordinary part about Australia. And those ways, they’re still prevalent. And slowly the aboriginals are getting their rights back, but…it’s an ancient land, and it’s the most incredible place. It really is. Australians don’t even know about it. So when you do get a series like “The Straits,” you’re in a very privileged position, because it is pioneering. In terms of television, in terms of drama, but also in terms of dealing with and showing the culture, and how they’re having to adjust to European ways, which are detrimental to them.

BE: You made things sound pretty ominous for the future of the series at the top of our conversation, but given that it’s just now debuting on Hulu, is it feasible that its success there could yet result in a second season of “The Straits”?

BC: Well, if it’s a success on Hulu, then there will be. And I do think it needs to see world success. I think it’s got the potential. I’m certainly up for it. In fact, I loved doing it. But, then, I just love working in Australia.

For me, though, and at my time of life, you’re always in for the reinvention, because you don’t want to go on the same way infinitely. I’ve always tried to keep ahead of the times and tried to go into new ventures. I’ve never sat still. I mean, I’m sitting now. [Laughs.] I’m sitting in my little aviary in Brooklyn, looking out at the Freedom Tower, 50+ floors up, in my reasonably small apartment. Mind you, it’s a far cry from the house I used to have in L.A., which was 5,000 square feet. But, actually, it was meaningless. I mean, this is a bit tight, but…that’s the actor’s way, you know? We’re still the strolling player.

I’ve spent very little time here this year, because I’ve been involved in the UK, doing a whole series on addiction, funnily enough. I’ll be presenting this series of documentaries on addiction, which fascinates me. It’s all about sugar, tobacco, whiskey, and opium. I spent most of the year doing that. I think I’ve only been home maybe four weeks this year. My kids don’t like it. My little boy said to me, “Listen, Dad, you’ve got to stay more in New York. This is no good. It’s just no good!” I said, “Well, you know, I’ve got to go where the money is. I’ve got to earn the money.” He says, “Dad, you’ve got a credit card!” [Laughs.]

BE: As far as your back catalog goes, do you have a favorite project you’ve worked on over the years that didn’t get the love you thought it deserved?

BC: [Long pause.] Oh, yes.

BE: Or possibly more than one.

BC: Oh, yeah, definitely more than one. [Laughs.] Things that were controversial, things which have achieved cult status. I’ve done more cult films…I mean, my retrospective…I’ll tell you, when I go, I’m gonna have the best retrospective of anyone, given the catalog of stuff I’ve done. It’s just been very special. I did a film in Iceland called “The Good Heart,” which I think is a wonderful film, with Paul Dano. I also did “L.I.E.” with Paul, which had relative success, but because it was dealing with pedophilia, it didn’t have a wide range of success. There’s a film called “Running with Scissors” that I made, with Ryan Murphy, who created “Glee.” He directed it – it was his first movie – and I think it was a wonderful movie. And, again, people will look at that movie in a few years and say, “How did we let this escape us?” But that’s ‘cause Sony buggered about. Studios always bugger about with something, you know.  I tend to do studio films and then do independents, and one kind of subsidizes the other.

BC: Another film I did was a British film called “The Escapist,” which I helped produce.

BE: I actually own that film.

BC: Do you?

BE: I do!

BC: I’m glad to hear that. I think it’s a very good film, and I’m very proud of it. And, of course, Rupert (Wyatt) has gone on to bigger things.

BC: Oh, and there’s one other film: “Red.” But not the “Red.” I think I’ve made more films called “Red” than anybody. [Laughs.] I’ve made about five films called “Red.” I’ve even just made “Red 2”! But this “Red,” it’s a Jack Ketchum story about a guy whose dog is killed – I did it with Tom Sizemore – and he just seeks some sort of reparation for it. Actually, he just needs some acknowledgement. He’s not even after anything. But then it comes into a revenge drama and blows up, and…it’s a really interesting film.

So, you know, there’s a lot of movies out there. And there’s a lot of movies that you wish they’d forget about as well. [Laughs.] Actually, there’s not too many of them. I’ve actually been quite good in that way. My career’s been quite good to me.

BE: You mentioned that you’ve been in more cult films than just about anybody, but you’ve also got such a diverse group of films to call your own, everything from “Super Troopers” to “X2.”

BC: Exactly! Well, you know, with “Super Troopers,” the proof is in the…you know, you get reviews where, like, I think it was the Sunday Times in London that said, “If Mr. Cox needed the money for doing this piece of nonsense” – this was for “Super Troopers” – “then I’m sure friends could’ve come to the rescue.” [Laughs.] And you go, “Well, you got it wrong.” Because that film has a following among the kids that’s second to none! I mean, I remember going to a place called Eddie Z’s in Austin, it’s a steakhouse, and the kids, all the waiters could quote endlessly from “Super Troopers.” They knew it backwards and forwards.

BE: Do you find that’s the film that’s quoted back to you the most?

BC: Yeah. That, and “Manhunter.” You know, “I will send you something wet,” that comes. And “Braveheart,” of course. I get, “First, learn to use this, then I’ll teach to you use this.” So, yeah, “Braveheart” is one I get a lot of. I’ve had a lot of ‘em over the years. [Hesitates.] My phone’s just beeped, which means I may be about out of battery.

BE: Well, I’ll wrap quickly, then. But I did just want to ask out of curiosity how you came to provide the voice of the Elder Ood on “Doctor Who”?

BC: Now, that’s a very interesting story, and I’ll tell you what happened, because it was kind of odd, but…I thought I was doing an advert for “Doctor Who.” [Laughs.] I didn’t think I was actually doing the show. I thought I was just doing a voiceover. Because they came through my voiceover agent, you see, and they said, “We’ve got you doing this thing,” and I said, “What is it?” And they told me it was a bit of voice acting, so I said I’d do it. But we, uh, never read the fine print on it.

So I arrive in the studio, and the very nice director (Euros Lyn), a young man who was from Slovenia, I believe, or one of those places, he was sitting down there, and he said, “Now, I think this character…” And I go, “What character?” He said, “The Ood.” And I went, “Oh,” but I was thinking, “I didn’t realize I was playing a part.” I had no idea! But, anyway, I just suddenly decided, “Oh, to hell with it, okay.” So I didn’t say anything. I just did it, and that was it. So that’s how I came to do the Ood. It was complete absentmindedness on my part. Even as I did it, I thought, “I shouldn’t be doing this,” because it was a performance. It should’ve come through my other agent, but because it came through my voiceover agent…I really should’ve gotten more money for it! [Laughs.] So I got screwed for not being attentive enough.

BE: Lastly, just to clear up a longstanding rumor, were you really an uncredited extra in episodes of “The Prisoner”?

BC: No, it’s one of the great myths. [Laughs.] It’s on Wikipedia, and I keep wanting to sort it out, but, no, I was never in “The Prisoner.” I would’ve loved to have been in “The Prisoner,” and I remember seeing it, and I watched it when it first came out. I’m old enough to have seen it and watched it and, yes, to have been an extra in it. But I never was. I don’t know where that came from. I did actually film in Portmeirion maybe 10 or 15 years ago, where they made “The Prisoner” and which is an extraordinary place. But, no, I was never in “The Prisoner.” So perhaps you can finally help me lay that one to rest! [Laughs.]

Bullz-Eye: First off, let me just tell you what a pleasure it is to talk to you. I’ve been a fan for many years.

Chris Elliott: Oh, well, thank you. I just don’t hear that enough. [Laughs.]

BE: In my case, it’s no exaggeration: when I was in high school, I sent off for tickets for “Late Night with David Letterman.” Granted, I had graduated by the time I actually got them, but, hey, at least I got them.

CE: Oh, my gosh. That’s pretty funny. So did you actually wait four years for tickets?

BE: No, but it was more than a year: I sent them off during my senior year, and it was well after graduation when they finally arrived.

CE: Wow, that’s pretty amazing. But it proves that you were a hardcore fan. Do you remember who was on the show when you went?

BE: Absolutely: it was Jane Pauley and Bruno Kirby. I also remember that they did Shoe Removal Races that night, with a podiatrist squaring off against a shoe salesman.

CE: Ah, yes, that was an excellent episode. [Laughs.]

BE: You were actually just on Letterman’s show a few nights ago. It sounded like you may have taken a bit of flour into your lungs.

CE: [Laughs.] I started to smell like cookies after I was under the lights for a little while. But I thought it came off all right. It’s always fun to go back there, and I hate coming back on there as myself in any form. This interview is okay because I can’t see you. [Laughs.] But I don’t like coming on and just talking as myself, so I always come on with something.

BE: The “Downton Abbey” thing was great, too.

CE: Yeah, I thought that came out great.

BE: So let’s talk “Eagleheart.” One of the most surprising things about the series, at least to me, is that you don’t actually get a writing credit on the show. Not that you don’t have some input, given that you’re a consulting producer, but…

CE: I’d say these guys have my voice down. I knew that when I met with them. They were huge fans of mine, and, honestly, I didn’t want the extra work. [Laughs.] And at the same time, y’know, they changed the pilot quite a bit to suit me, and what I do – and Adam Resnick does this, also – is sort of take a pass at the scripts when they’re done with them and change a couple of jokes here and there, and if something’s not quite in my voice, I just kind of paraphrase what I would be saying, and that sort of thing. I’m sort of at the point in my career where writers that are working in the business sort of grew up knowing about me. At least the ones that are fans of mine, anyway. And they’re really capable of writing for me. It wasn’t always that case. Early on in my career, it was pretty much Adam and me just trying to establish this voice.

BE: Of course, it makes me wonder if people sometimes come to you with something utterly off the wall, saying, “Well, ‘Cabin Boy’ was so nuts that I figured you’d be into this.’

CE: Yeah, I think I get that a lot. It’s interesting: some people put anything weird in the “weird” category and think, “Oh, Chris’ll do that because it’s so weird.” But you’re right. Certain people, like yourself, get why certain things are funny-weird as opposed to just being strange. That’s a different breed. I think I do get lumped in a lot with “he’s just off the wall, he’s crazy.”

BE: On paper, “Eagleheart” would seem to be more or less just a “Walker: Texas Ranger” parody, but it’s definitely been evolving into something more.

CE: Yeah, it was sort of that when it first started. That’s what the pilot was like. It was gonna be this half-hour show…you probably already know this, Will, but it was gonna be a show within a show, like “Walker: Texas Ranger,” and then behind the scenes of that show. We shot that pilot, and then within it were also examples of what the actual show we were doing was like…and Adult Swim actually liked the fake show better than all the behind-the-scenes stuff. [Laughs.] So that’s what they picked up: the fake show.

BE: Have you been happy with the show’s evolution?

CE: I’ve been very happy. I mean, right from the start, I thought it was gonna be fun, but it really did sort of evolve into this very surreal and very comfortable place for me to work. I mean, like you said, it seems like I’m a writer on it because it’s all my kind of humor. Jason Woliner, who directs all of them, gives the shows a very film-like look to them, which makes them stand apart, and then Andrew Weinberg and Michael Koman, the writers, along with Jason, are a cut above, I think. We all came from kind of the same background to a degree. Andrew and Michael were “Conan” writers. So the sensibility was always the same.

BE: Speaking of Mr. O’Brien, I haven’t actually seen the Season 2 episodes yet, but I understand he has deigned to make a cameo.

CE: Yeah. He was really hard to get. [Laughs.] A lot of contractual obligations for that one. Basically, there was one sticking point that was really hard to get over, which was that he didn’t want to do it. But once they got through that…

BE: Bud Cort apparently turns up as well.

CE: Yes! Bud Cort, Conan O’Brien, Ben Stiller makes an appearance. It’s a star-studded cast this year.

BE: As a “Breaking Bad” fan, I’m thrilled to see that Dean Norris is going to be appearing as well.

CE: And he’s really funny. Really, really funny. And a great guy, too.

BE: How did Mickey Rooney find his way into Season One?

CE: Uh, I wasn’t in that meeting. [Laughs.] It kind of happened without my knowledge. That was an episode where they needed an actor who had a good wattle underneath his chin. An older actor, because the premise was that there were all these older people who were doing sound effects on television, and apparently the sound effects were made by the neck wattles. And Mickey Rooney…we had a lot of people come in and audition for that, and apparently Mickey Rooney had the best wattle. Apparently. [Laughs.]

BE: As an old-school Letterman fan, I could ask you about dozens of things about “Late Night,” but first and foremost has to be your Marlon Brando impression. To my mind, the banana dance is nothing short of iconic.

CE: Well, that’s nice to hear. And you’re not alone. Yeah, it was pretty popular back in the ‘80s. I think that and the Truffle Shuffle were the big dances back then. [Laughs.]

BE: Being that Brando was as eccentric as he was, did you ever actually hear from him about the impression?

CE: No, but we actually did… I think I got his phone number at one point, and I remember actually calling and getting to a maid or somebody… [Starts to laugh.] I asked to speak to him and said who I was, and the line went dead after that. So I never actually spoke with him. And then I do remember him doing an interview, I think with Connie Chung, and she asked him…not specifically about the Brando impersonation, but she asked him, “What do you think about David Letterman?” And he didn’t answer. He just made a grotesque face. That may have been a reaction to my doing him on the show. I don’t know. I like to think that it was.

BE: Is it strange to find yourself now the middle Elliott, generationally speaking, given that your daughter (Abby Elliott) is now on “Saturday Night Live”?

CE: It’s really nice, but it is odd. Anyone at 51, I think, is starting to look back a little bit with a bit of astonishment at how fast time goes, so it is odd. I think it would be odd if… Both of my daughters are in the business, and I think it would be odd if they were doing anything else. I now have a 24-year-old and a 21-year-old, but the fact that they’re actually doing what I did when I was at their age is even weirder. And it must’ve been weird for my dad, too.

BE: And how is your dad doing?

CE: He’s doing well, thanks. He just turned 89 a couple of days ago.

BE: It’s fun being able to look on YouTube and see clips of some of the “Bob & Ray” stuff.

CE: It is. I do that every now and then myself. [Laughs.] It’s amazing to me how much I have in common with my dad and our comedy, because on the surface it does not look the same at all. But especially when Bob and Ray were starting out, some of the stuff they did was pretty bizarre and off the wall, and I realize that, yeah, that’s obviously where I got it from. I was thinking the other day that…I think if I worked at a radio station when they were first starting out, I would’ve been drawn to their sense of humor right away. I would’ve tried to be on their staff. And they probably would’ve been drawn to me in some way. They would’ve made me the goofy record-puller in the studio. [Laughs.]

BE: Abby’s obviously doing very well on “SNL,” but given that you had the chance to work with your father on “Get A Life,” were you disappointed when the pilot you did with her, “You’ve Reached the Elliots,” didn’t take off?

CE: Yeah, I mean, I actually thought that was a good pilot. It’s…ever since “Get A Life,” it’s been hard for any network to sort of see me doing anything but what I did on “Get a Life.” And at the same time, they don’t want me to do what I did on “Get A Life.” [Laughs.] So that’s doubly hard for me. I mean, back then, six years ago, the idea of playing a dad but playing him like a grown-up Chris Peterson, seemed like, “Okay, this is the best of both worlds.” But ultimately I think it’s hard to imagine that guy from “Get A Life” having kids. [Laughs.]

BE: Speaking of “Get A Life,” has there been any movement on seeing it released as a complete series on DVD?

CE: It is going to be coming out. I’m not entirely sure when. I think probably in the fall…? But, yeah, it will be actually coming out…finally!

BE: Do you know who’s putting it out? Is it Shout Factory?

CE: It is Shout Factory.

BE: I knew it had to be. [Laughs.] That’s awesome. Now if we can just get “FDR: A One-Man Show” back out there…

CE: That was out there once upon a time. I think it was on tape when it came out. I don’t think it ever went to DVD at any point, unfortunately. But, of course, I continue to travel the country performing it… [Laughs.]

BE: Of course. Have you done any special features for the “Get A Life” set yet?

CE: We’re going to. I guess the end of April we’re going to go out and do those. Commentaries and that sort of thing.

BE: As you can tell, I’m a little psyched.

CE: Oh, good. No, I’m glad! I think it’s time that fans like yourself can get it. I don’t know why, really, that it’s taken so long.

BE: To touch on “Cabin Boy,” I also must tell you that I’ve got my daughter to the point where, whenever she sees a sock monkey, she asks, “Would you like to buy a monkey?” And she’s only six, so she’s clearly damaged for life.

CE: [Laughs.] Yeah, that’s one of those catchphrases that’s entered our culture, thanks to “Cabin Boy.”

BE: I also write for the Onion AV Club, and we just had a piece on there where the film was inducted into the New Cult Canon.

CE: I saw that! Yeah, that was nice to see. I’ve always said that I stand by that movie. I think Adam did a great job directing it. Every time I see it on TV, I’m amazed at how interesting it looks and how bizarre it is. At the time it came out, it was just vilified, but it seems to have grown on people.

BE: Setting aside the obvious answers of “Cabin Boy” and “Get A Life,” is there any other project you’ve worked on over the years that didn’t get the love you thought it deserved?

CE: Oh, that’s a good question. You mean something that actually was made that then was not appreciated as much?

BE: Right.

CE: Just about everything. [Laughs.] I know that sounds like a broad answer, but just about anything that’s been initiated by me or by people close to me for me…it’s not that it hasn’t been appreciated. I always feel like I’ve been very lucky, and I have a hardcore following, but I think that most of…just about everything I do is met with a certain amount of bafflement by the general public. [Laughs.] And I think that’s a good place, actually, for me to be: just slightly on the outside of the mainstream. And I’m perfectly comfortable being there.

BE: To get really obscure for a moment, I talked with Stephen Collins last year…

CE: Oh, yeah!

BE: …and we talked briefly about your work on the series “Tattinger’s.”

CE: That’s funny. Geez, that’s going way back. That was, like, my first outside television gig other than working for Dave. Yeah, he was in that, and…who else was in that? Blythe Danner! And I remember that Gwyneth Paltrow was a little kid, and she was running around on the set when we were shooting “Tattinger’s.” [Laughs.] But that was really fun. Those guys were fans of mine from what I was doing on “Letterman,” and they let me be this goofy character. I think in general that’s where I’ve fit in the best: when I’m the odd next-door neighbor or the odd brother or something like that. “Get A Life,” actually, was always kind of…the concept of that show, essentially, was that it was built around a bizarre secondary character from any other normal, more or less mainstream sitcom. In the real world, that character would’ve been on, like, the old “Newhart” show or something. With our show, we followed him home and saw him living with his parents.

BE: I know we’re up against the wall, but, lastly, I just wanted to touch on your voice work over the years. You said in an AV Club interview a few years ago that you were never fond of the work you did on “Dilbert,” but is there anything you’ve done that you’ve been particularly proud of?

CE: Um…I’ve never liked my voice. [Laughs.] Unlike my dad, who has this beautiful radio voice, I’ve always thought that I had a whiny, adenoidal voice, and it’s really hard for me to listen to it on its own. So I don’t enjoy doing voiceover-type stuff. Also, I don’t think I’m any good at it. I don’t think that’s where my expertise lies…if I’m even an expert at anything. [Laughs.]

BE: Well, you’ve doing very well with “Eagleheart.”

CE: Well, thanks. Again, this is my comfort zone: playing a complete moron in a really crazy, violent show. [Laughs.] It’s what I was born to do.