Green grows into a mature actor
By Nicole Rodriguez
Seth Green may not be Hollywood's first choice for a leading man, but nobody can deny his knack for creating memorable supporting characters in teen ensembles.
Green, who is perhaps best known for his role as Scott Evil from "Austin Powers," is ready to move on to more adult roles.
"I don't think it's realistic to keep playing a teenager once you turn thirty, which is in about a year for me," reveals Green.
However, Green explains that he doesn't have any particular type of character in mind for his future.
"I don't want to play the crippled gay guy that climbs Mount Baldi, there's nothing specific I want to do," he explains. "I'm just waiting for something I can get excited about."
Most recently, Green stars in the ensemble action film "The Italian Job" alongside Edward Norton and Mark Wahlberg.
"[The cast] was one of those things where I got so excited when I got to list off who was in the movie," Seth reveals. "I think any ensemble movie is made up of the sum of its parts, so it's really important to get a good group together and we were very lucky to get this group."
"All the people involved are strong actors and everybody is very creative on sets and F. Gary Gray ("Job's" director) allowed us a lot of improvisation on set," Green continues. "You could really feel that everybody was present, and I'm really excited about it."
In the film, Green plays Lyle, a computer expert who hacks into the Los Angeles traffic center and creates the largest traffic jam in the city's history.
"More than anything, I think I can get cast in these roles because I can say a lot of really complicated, high tech sounding words really quickly and make it sound like it was off the top of my head," Green laughs. "Plus, I think my take on the electronic specialist computer hacker guy is a little more modern than the average perception of people that are good at those things. I don't think a guy needs to be greasy or have glasses to be good at computers."
Of course, he acknowledges, he did feel a sense of personal connection with the character.
"Every part that I take, I have some kind of a personal connection to because I'm not that good of an actor, so I always find something, whether it's a sentiment or a personality trait," he explains. However, he assures us that he has never played an onscreen version of himself.
"Unless, of course, you count my stint on (the MTV reality series) 'Punk'd,'" he laughs.
Green admits, however, that working on the "Italian Job" wasn't all fun and games, particularly in the criticism they received from the British press due to the fact that the film is a remake of the 1969 English film of the same name.
"We weren't setting out to remake this movie as much as we were setting out to use elements of it to make a completely new movie," Green explains. "I just tell [critics of the film] 'listen if you don't like this movie, you've still got the original."
As for future projects, Green is currently in Canada shooting next summer's sequel to "Scooby Doo" alongside Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr. And after that project wraps, he is open-minded about the types of roles he will pursue.
"I always try to pick roles I see potential in. I've actually had meetings with directors where I tell them that I don't think I could do anything with this part that somebody else couldn't do. And I don't say that to be self-deprecating," Green explained.
"When I read something and I really get a vision for it, then I know I should do it," he said. "If I read something and I think 'I could do that' then maybe I shouldn't."
"It's not like I'm trying to constantly wow everybody, I just like to challenge myself and do things I haven't done," Green continues. "I'm not in this game to have a lot of money and be famous, I just love acting."