[IMG:L]Larry the Cable Guy said I could call him by his real name, Dan (as in Dan Whitney), but since I know him as Larry, I stuck with that. The sleeveless comedian from the “Blue Collar Comedy Tour” has arguably become the biggest success of the foursome: tours and TV shows are one thing, but Larry is a movie star.
His latest film, Delta Farce, debuts on DVD Sept. 4. This comes after his auspicious feature debut in Health Inspector and providing the voice of the lovable tow truck Mater in Disney’s Cars. And his latest epic Delta Farce also stars Bill Engvall, his Blue Collar buddy, and DJ Qualls (Hustle & Flow) as Army Reservists called upon for the war in Iraq. An accident leaves them stranded in Mexico, but they don’t know the difference, and when they run afoul of a local gang, run by fan favorite film villain Danny Trejo, the boys have to step up and “Git-R-Done.”
Hollywood.com: Did the script have Git-R-Done in it, or do you add that yourself?
Larry the Cable Guy: I found a place to add it. It’s just something fun that I like to do. It doesn’t need it but I like to stick it in somewhere so I get it in there once for my fans. My fans like when I say it, so I like to at least stick it in one place somewhere.
HW: Is there going to come a time you get tired of it?
LTCG: That’s the thing, I gotta be honest with you: I don’t take myself that seriously. I know what I do. I’m a stand-up comedian. I like to make people laugh and I have a different kind of style. People always go, “Do you get sick of that? People just saying ‘Git-R-Done?'” No, I don’t. I like it. I’m glad that they like what I do. I’m glad they like the product that I deliver them. If it makes them happy and makes them smile, then I’ll say “Git-R-Done.” It doesn’t matter to me.
HW: And most of your characters have been named Larry? Is that just a coincidence or did you rename each one after yourself?
LTCG: That’s what I do so I just keep it all Larry. I don’t want to confuse anybody. People know me as Larry the Cable Guy. That’s me, that’s what I do, so all the characters are going to be me. It’s me playing a guy named Larry.
HW: Are you looking for any films with more acting challenges?
LTCG: Honestly, not really. I’m enjoying doing this. Like I said before, I don’t take myself that seriously, so it’s not like I’m really having an inner battle about “Well, now that I’ve done this, I’ve accomplished this, now I want to get into a serious role.” Believe me, I’m not doing anything like that. I have fun doing these and I just always felt if you’re doing something that you really like and it’s fun and you enjoy it and people get a kick out of it, why change it?
HW: I was disappointed there was no nude scene in Delta Farce. We saw your ass in Health Inspector!
LTCG: Believe me, I fought for full frontal. I fought and fought but I didn’t get it. Now I won’t disappoint you in [my next movie] Witless Protection. There’s an airport scene where I’m completely naked with a ball cap on my nuts. So there you go, you’re a happy guy.
[IMG:R]HW: I was worried maybe you’re so big now, you have a no nudity clause.
LTCG: Anything for the laugh. If I gotta pop out a butt cheek, I’ll do it. Will Ferrell‘s no stranger to that.
HW: When we see you guys working out in the movie, was that all acting?
LTCG: You’re right, it was. Let’s put it this way, there wasn’t a lot of working out going on on that movie set of Delta Farce. Me and Bill and DJ learned that our favorite part of the military is the part where they say “At ease.” We were pretty good at the “at ease” part.
HW: Do you do talk about the war and politics in your standup act?
LTCG: I tend to stay away from it in the environment that we’re in because nobody can take a joke like that. I’m not like that. I can watch somebody that I don’t agree with politically and laugh my ass off at him. I can sit down and I can watch Bill Maher, I can watch Lewis Black. I don’t have to agree with what he says politically to like him as a friend and to laugh at his jokes. I find on stage, nowadays, if you’re on stage and you do something political, you’re going to alienate a third of your crowd. I’m not there to alienate anybody. I’m there to make people laugh and have a good time.
HW: Was there one big break that launched you into movies?
LTCG: I think when we did Blue Collar TV, I think it just showed whoever was in charge of doing that stuff. I mean, sketch comedy’s different than the full movie, but there are some things in sketch comedy that you use. I think it showed them that I have some acting ability, I guess. I could carry a scene or whatever. I think it just showed them that I could do other things, other than just straight stand-up. There are some stand-ups that just aren’t good actors. They can’t memorize lines and they sound like they’re just reading.
HW: How do you stay true to your blue collar roots with all this success?
LTCG: I haven’t changed at all. [I have the] same friends I’ve ever had. I do the same things. I have a family. It’s almost like you get punished for being in a certain field and you become successful and to the top of the game in your field. Obviously you’re going to make more money if you become successful in the field that you’re working in. We just happen to be regular guys that did standup and people gravitated to our standup. Yeah, we made some good money doing it. It doesn’t mean we’ve changed at all. We’re the same people we’ve ever been. We just have some money. We’re still blue collar.
[IMG:L]HW: Now that you’re so famous, can you go anywhere and just blend in?
LTCG: Well, not really. Here’s my problem: When I started doing this, I said, “You know what? I’m just going to dress comfortable.” I didn’t worry about dressing up anymore because I didn’t have to. It kind of went with what I was doing. So my problem now is they know me as the guy with no sleeves and the baseball cap and that’s how I always dress normally. I didn’t separate my stage dress from my everyday life dress. Now when I go out in public, I’m wearing a pair of shorts and a cutoff T shirt and a baseball cap so they instantly recognize me. The only time I don’t get recognized is if I put on a dress shirt and a pair of sunglasses and I don’t wear a hat, sometimes I don’t get recognized. I have a couple times but I don’t like dressing like that. I like dressing like I dress and so I pretty much get recognized everywhere I go. And again, I really don’t go anywhere fancy. If I’m going out, I’m going to the Wal-Mart or I’m going to a movie or I’m taking my wife out to Bennigan’s. So I pretty much get recognized, but that’s fine. I like it. I like my fans. They’re awesome.
