By Christina Radish

Jack Black at the premiere of "School of Rock" held at the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood, Calif. on September 24, 2003.

In the New Line Cinema comedy Be Kind Rewind, Jerry (Jack Black), a junkyard worker who attempts to sabotage a power plant that he believes is melting his brain, accidentally erases all of the videotapes in a local video store where his best friend Mike (Mos Def) works, as a result of the magnetic field he has inadvertently created. Fearing that the mishap will cost Mike his job, the two friends team up to keep the store’s only loyal customer -- an old lady with a tenuous grasp on reality -- from realizing what has happened by recreating and re-filming every movie that she decides to rent. From Back to the Future to Robocop, and from Rush Hour to The Lion King, Jerry and Mike become the biggest stars in their neighborhood by starring in the biggest movies ever made.

Funnyman Jack Black talks to MediaBlvd Magazine about improv, being a father and becoming an animated panda.

MediaBlvd Magazine> When you were a little kid, did you ever run around with a camera making your own films, or were you not like that?

Jack Black> I didn’t have a camera, no. I was always pretending to be characters from television or films, but just as a kid horsing around. No one was filming. But, I had a tape recorder.

MediaBlvd> Was there a lot of improvisation on this?

Jack> There was a lot of improvisation. More so than any movie I’ve ever done. Michel had all the beats down, but when he first pitched the movie, he was saying it was an improv movie. So, I was prepared for that. But he had a lot more written than I think he was planning on, y’know. It was just clearly written by a dude who didn’t speak English. ‘I think what you mean is blah, blah, blah.’ So that was what the improv was more like, translation improv.

MediaBlvd> What was it like working with Mos Def?

Jack> Mos Def is an amazing actor. He’s the real deal. He’s a method actor. He’s got all the motivation and he lets his characters really breathe and take their time in the reality of scenes, which was good for me to have. He was my anchor. He kept me on planet earth.

MediaBlvd> Why does Michel Gondry interest you as a filmmaker?

Jack> He interests me in his inventiveness. He’s stretching the boundaries and leading the way, in many ways. I think a lot of people are going to imitate him and be part of that carving out of new territory.

MediaBlvd> How quickly did you shoot this movie?

Jack> We did it very fast. I don’t think it was a month. Maybe just under two months. It was really fun.

MediaBlvd> How do you pick projects? Does a script have to be funny on the page?

 Jack> You can’t be sure. You can never tell. I respond to things, not just because they are funny, but because they move me in some way. This idea was interesting to me. These two friends in this rundown neighborhood get creative and find a way to escape their own dull existence. I responded to that good neighborhood vibe. I responded to it in an emotional way that I liked.

MediaBlvd> How did Tenacious D end up performing for the Writer’s Strike?

Jack> I think they tried to get Rage Against The Machine and they said, “No.” And then, they called Bruce Springsteen and he said, “No.” And then, they called 10 other people, who also said, “No.” And, they called Tenacious D and we said, “Yes.” I think that’s how it happened. We never back down from a challenge and it’s hard to say no when it’s a good cause. We like writers and we believe they should be compensated fairly. We like to ride in and save the day and get all the credit for being good guys.

MediaBlvd> Any plans to release a new record?

Jack> We’re writing songs. We’ll see. We need a little more time. I’m thinking it’s going to be some time in the ‘tens.

MediaBlvd> You’re recently become a father and had been concerned about that prospect beforehand. How’s it going?

Jack> So far, no screw-ups. So far, so good. He’s super cute. He’s a dance machine. He does scream, if he doesn’t get what he wants, but that’s normal. I’ve learned some new techniques. Someone told me that you have to explain to them why they are not getting what they want. Even if he doesn’t speak language yet, he can tell that I’m trying to communicate and he respects me. He still cries, but he cries with less urgency and less protest.

MediaBlvd> What has surprised you the most about fatherhood?

Jack> I didn’t know that I could feel much for someone. I was surprised by the size of my own awesome heart.

MediaBlvd> Do you want your son to follow in your footsteps?

Jack> I think he’s going to be in the arts. I do hope that he’s an artist of some kind. He doesn’t have to be an actor. I hope he does more than just act because that’s a little easy.

MediaBlvd> How much fun did you have being a cartoon panda for Kung Fu Panda? (Out on June 6th from Dreamworks Animation)?

Jack> Being a cartoon panda was fun. It’s an easy gig, in terms of not having to wake up at the crack of dawn, and not having to get into costumes or make-up. You just go straight to the recording session at noon, have some Koo Koo Roo chicken, do a few hours of vocal work, and then see them again in a month. You work once a month, for a few years.

MediaBlvd> Did you act out any of the Kung Fu?

Jack> Yeah, I get really physical because they have cameras there. But, they just use it as reference, and not as motion capture. 

MediaBlvd> How do you think you look as a panda?

Jack> Strong, solid and well-built. I’d say 60% of the animation for the film is done. It’s still being tweaked.

MediaBlvd> Who do you play in Tropic Thunder?

Jack> We are all playing actors going out to make a war movie, but then we get into trouble when we go out to Vietnam and accidentally stumble into a different part of Asia. We go off the map and we trespass into a drug cartel’s territory. They are shooting at us for real, but we think it’s part of the movie, so we just keep on acting and shooting blanks. I play a Chris Farley-esque comedian who is trying to go for a stretch with a real action role. It’s a real stunt movie with real stunts going on.

MediaBlvd> Did you have your own stunt double?

Jack> Yes, I did. He was great.

MediaBlvd> Do you want to do more dramatic parts at all?

Jack> No, not really. I get mostly comedy offers, and that’s fine with me. I like directors. If there is a director with a vision and I like their work, that’s how I’ve been doing it. I’ve been lucky that I’ve been able to work with great people. Let’s see if that continues.