Jake Busey: Wild Man?
"Just flew in from Cancun and man are my arms tired". Rimshot. Jake Busey, who plays ultra-womanizer Kyle Brenner in the new, outrageous comedy Tomcats, recently went from freezing on the New York streets to Spring Break in South America on a press junket. "We were judging this contest (on the beach) and girls were like smearing honey all over and rolling in dubloons". Not a scene from Tomcats but it certainly could be.
"Jake, 29, son of actor Gary Busey, grew up skateboarding in Malibu, California. He was into extreme Motocross sports until breaking his back in 1997. "It's the biggest fullbody workout of any sport. I did Starship Troopers and we had to do bootcamp and part of how I got in shape for that movie was doing motocross". Now he just flies airplanes and snowboards! Safe stuff. "Hey, when you're flying airplanes and you mess up, you don't know about it. You don't just hurt your wrist".
"At Sony studios in Hollywood, Jake talked to us about his new, raunchy film, his dad, his approach to acting, life and his upcoming projects.
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
Pardon, but you play kind of an ass in this film.
JB: (Laughs) Oh, I beg your pardon. Kyle's just more self-focused. He's wealthy at a young age and has been on this perpetual sort of singlehood thing...(it's like) if you could live without morals and have no repercussions and (have) all the money you ever wanted and as many dates as you possibly wanted. He's the ultimate Tomcat. Kyle's just livin' it up.
So he's just living everyone's dream?
JB: He's living his own fantasy so he has no regard for anyone else's feelings...the great thing about playing a character like Kyle is that he does have a bit of a learning curve. He does "get it" in the end.
How close is Kyle to the real Jake?
JB: Basically, any character you see me play with the exception of some wacky guy like in The Frighteners, you're watching a combination of me and maybe three or four different friends of mine. I've got a couple of friends that Kyle very closely resembles. I'm certainly not as much of a wild and crazy guy as Kyle. My girlfriend now, I've known for three years before we even started dating. I was labeled the serial monogamist because, instead of dating, I would just jump into a relationship and do that for two years. I guess I'm more of a homebody than Kyle is. That's for sure. (Rumor has it that Jake is currently engaged).
Are you happy with the way Tomcats came out?
JB: I love it. It moves along real fast. I mean you think it's racy now? Woooo, there was some stuff that we shot...you're doing it and you don't think it's not that bad. Wow, this is fun stuff and then you step away from it and you realize, okay...that's pretty extreme. The script was ten times funnier than the movie. (At some point) you just go, it's too much. I mean Boston banned our poster!
What was it like working with Shannon Elizabeth (American Pie, Scary Movie)?
JB: Shannon is very sweet. She's very professional and kinda quiet. She's very serious about her work and...the energy on the set was like Jerry (O'Connell) and myself, Horatio Sanz (Steve) and (director) Greg Poirier just being complete, wild, loud jackasses and joking around all the time. I would imagine it was a hard environment for someone who hadn't had as much experience in movies. Jerry has done like 25, I've done 22 movies and Greg's written a lot and been on a lot of sets.
Would you like to play the romantic lead for a change?
JB: If I were handsome enough to pull that off, I would do that. Jerry O'Connell's got the looks on this one. I like being the second banana. I like being the buddy, the best friend and you get more freedom. A lot of people have said to me "Wow, your role in the movie is the (most fun). Yeah, because the movie doesn't hinge on my character. I can be a jackass and it doesn't matter.
Do you have plans to work with your father?
JB: It's going to be one of those things where you just go, okay, this is the right project and right timing". I love it in Wall Street when Marty Sheen and Charlie had a great little moment at the lunch table where Marty gives Charlie advice and I thought, what a great thing 'cause here's Martin, a great actor, been in everything and he comes in and does a quick little thing with his son. Hopefully, someday my dad and I can do something that is as poignant.
What's next for you?
JB: I did an independent film that is submitted to Cannes right now. It's called Fast Sofa.
What does THAT mean?
JB: The movie was a road trip in a 1971 Buick Skylark. You look at those old '70's cars and the back seat of the thing and, My God, it's the size of a sofa. It's a rolling couch! (The film) is gritty, dark, heavy. I have always liked to change things up and be completely different.
You're so good at playing psychos. Is this "Sofa" character anything like that?
JB: No. He's just a guy who is 22...he blows it with his girlfriend so he goes on the road to Palm Springs with a porn star and they pick up Crispin Glover who's a homeless ornithologist. You've got a guy who listens to Speed Metal wearing cowboy clothes hanging with Crispin Glover who's wearing a plaid wool suit, has a wall eye and is talking about birds. It's a very wild but strange movie. It's trippy.
Okay, fess up. Did anyone play a prank on you on the Tomcats set?
JB: There was a group of people huddled outside my trailer with disposable cameras the day that I had to do the "thong" scene. That was very fun. Very jovial set. If they do a sequel, I'd do it again.
And they just may. The buzz on this outrageous new film is building and "wild man" Jake is up for anything!
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