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How did you get hooked up with this film?
They came to me to express interest but I think that they, as you were saying earlier, I think there?s always this kind of sense in which they wonder too, they thought I was funny, they thought I might be funny, but they wanted to see me be funny. So I went and I was really funny. Then we did the movie.
Did you audition?
I had to audition to be funny.

With similar actors?
There?s nobody similar.

Come on, let?s be honest. I?m sure they were auditioning other guys, sad as it is to say. That was the process. I?ve always said that if I like something, I don?t care about auditioning. It?s not about just doing the parts that I?m offered or saying that I?m at a point in my life where I should just be offered things. That would be great, but if there?s something that I have to prove myself for, there?s no harm in that. And I just look at it as rehearsal, because there?s so little rehearsal that we get to do in movies. They spend millions of dollars and then the first time these actors are saying the words to one another is on film, and it?s ridiculous, so auditioning to me is just like rehearsal time, which I like.

Did you do any drag research?
The ?Twin Peaks? thing happened so quickly, that part was conceived of, I think, and definitely written for James Spader who knew the producers of ?Twin Peaks.? And he for some reason had to drop out and they were desperately trying to cast the role.

I think I came in on a Friday with an emery board. That was my big deal. That?s all. That?s what I did during the audition and it worked. And then I remember going home and Melanie probably remembers, my manager who was there when I was born by the way, I just remembered thinking, ?Oh my God, I?ve never been in a dress or shaved my legs and now I?ve got to go do this on Monday.? And I had no idea what I was doing. I didn?t have to research. All I remember thinking why aside from sexual preference or liking to wear a dress, which I took as a given or not, why would a man want to be a woman? And I just felt, ?Well, you get to be more spontaneous and open and friendly.? That?s kind of the approach I took. A very innocent, friendly kind of point of view.

How did you look?
Not good. I had good legs, but as Bill Murray said in ?Tootsie,? ?Don?t play hard to get.? That?s probably what I would be told.

Did you pull any pranks on the set?
I seem to remember that I gave Nia a Polaroid of my ass. I can?t remember why, or how I took it, because when you do it in the mirror, it flashes out and you don?t get anything. I?ve tried that 100 times. It was a whole ass thing. What happened was when I?d gotten to my trailer, they had already been up for like two weeks working and Nia had done something to my trailer, something bad. I can?t remember what it was, but I had to avenge it. I Saran Wrapped her toilet seat at one point. You know that trick? It seems clear and it?s not and then you, you know. But she never said anything about that, which leads me to believe? Well, we all know she doesn?t have to go. She?s perfect.

Are you a musical theater fan?
I hate it. No, I can?t stand it. No, I kept saying I could dance as long as you don?t tell me I?m supposed to be dancing. I don't know, I never was a big fan of musical theater. It was funny, when we did the big table read before, the week before we were going to start shooting, Michael and Nia and Toni had all these song cues and they had the actual song arrangements down and they sang. And at first, I thought, ?Oh my God, this is going to take forever.? And it did. But I kept turning to Nia and I go, ?That?s a really good tune.? And she was just laughing at me because it was all these really famous tunes that I was hearing for the first time and I was like, ?That?s a really good song. What?s that from?? She was like ?Yentl? or whatever. ?That?s Cats?? If I had to sit through three hours to hear that one tune, I wouldn?t do it but the good thing about this movie is it seemed like they had all of the good tunes put together. It seemed to me. I?ve got no background in that at all.

PAGE 3:David Duchovny on Less is More, Chemistry, and Another "X-Files" Movie

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
Interview with Nia Vardalos
"Connie and Carla" Photo Gallery
"Connie and Carla" Production News, Trailer, and Credits