Q&A

He's Got Legs

Will Arnett, Arrested Development's favorite son, mouths off on blind people, Amy Poehler, and the grossest commercial ever aired

This article is from the April issue of Radar Magazine. For a risk-free issue, click here.

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SITTING PRETTY Arnett in typical lounging wear (Photo: Robert Trachtenberg)
Will Arnett is standing at a Manhattan coffee shop, shoulders hunched, clad in a gray overcoat, navy fitted baseball cap, and blue and white patterned button-down, hard at work on his BlackBerry. I tap him on the shoulder. Without looking up, he responds, "Don't you ever touch me again, or so help me, I'll get my publicist down here to fuck you up so fast." All the while, his fingers haven't stopped moving over the keys. For half a second, I'm panic stricken—could Will Arnett be one of those stars? Then he cracks a smile: "Just kidding," he says.

Of course he is. Arnett has made a career out of puncturing the kind of grandiose arrogance Hollywood is famous for. His deadpan growl first cropped up on Fox's Arrested Development, where he played the spoiled heir and amateur magician Gob Bluth. When the series was canceled after three seasons amid a chorus of agonized wails, he moved on to films, starring in Let's Go to Prison and The Brothers Solomon, and stealing scenes with his wife, Saturday Night Live's Amy Poehler, in the otherwise forgettable Blades of Glory. This spring the 37-year-old actor will voice the eagle Vlad in Horton Hears a Who; play in Rainn Wilson's band in The Rocker; and ruin Poehler, Parker Posey, and Rachel Dratch's vacation plans in Spring Breakdown. Nonetheless, the soon-to-be star was kind enough to put down his BlackBerry for a few moments, take off his hat, and ask us to loan him some money.

Click here to read Will Arnett turn the tables and interview Radar.



Will Arnett: Before we start ... can I borrow $1,700?
Radar: What's it for?
I'm trying to get my new toy line off the ground.

Toy line?
Trannie-babies! Little transgendered dolls for kids who are thinking about having sex changes.

Why don't we see how things go here and then we can discuss.
Fair enough.

I'm honored to have been asked to do this interview for Gaydar magazine. It is Gaydar, right?For a while, your wife's movie Spring Breakdown was scheduled to come out the same day as Horton Hears a Who. How do you think the two of you would deal with having competing films?
Well, thankfully, Spring Breakdown got moved. But we have another conflict of interest coming up. I did a bit in this movie called The Rocker that Rainn Wilson is the star of. That comes out on the same day as Baby Mama, which is Amy and Tina Fey's movie. But I look forward to trouncing them.

You and your wife have appeared in a number of movies together. Is that intentional?
To be honest, it's something that we try not to do. I mean, in Blades of Glory, it made sense because of the humor in us playing brother and sister. On Arrested Development, executive producer Mitch Hurwitz wanted her to come on and do this bit that she ended up doing for all three seasons. That was really fun. Everybody loves her, including me. And I should, because she's my wife. At that point, we made a conscious decision not to do stuff together. But it keeps happening! I'm in a few scenes in Spring Breakdown. They asked both of us to do Horton. We can't get away from each other.

When I was researching this interview, I was surprised to find out that you and Amy met before either of you were famous. How did that come about?

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COUPLING With wife, SNL's Amy Poehler (Photo: Getty Images)
It was here in New York. I'd been acting and had a slew of defeats. Amy was well known from her work at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. We met through that, and within a year of dating, she went on Saturday Night Live. I like the idea that when you were researching this, you had a research team.

Oh, yeah. A staff of 20 people, all handsomely paid. Also, we hired private detectives.
Why wouldn't you? You guys spare no expense at Gaydar magazine.
By the way, I'm honored to have been asked to do this interview for Gaydar. It is Gaydar, right? My understanding is that you guys interview people who you think have great gaydar. I've got to say, mine is going off hardcore right now.

I'll tell you what sets off my gaydar. The voice of KITT in Knight Rider, which I understand you were almost signed on to play in February's TV movie.
Yeah. But if I had, KITT wouldn't have been gay anymore. He'd be bi. He/she. I'm not sure whether a car can have a gender without having reproductive organs.

How were you planning to prepare for the role?
I don't know. For me, that process is such a magical journey. It's an opportunity for me to utilize my craft and get in there and dig out the mouth of this character.

Which means what, exactly?
Talking to robots. Going to used car lots, new car lots. Hiding under the hoods of people's cars. That's tricky. It's okay in a Porsche because the engine is in the back, but in an American car?

You really have to want it.
Exactly.

But it ended up all being for naught, since the voice-over work you do for GMC precluded you from voicing a Ford.
Sadly, yes. I just came from the GMC office this morning, actually. I've been working for them for a few years now. It's been great. I supported myself for many years doing voice-overs here in New York. It's really tough doing those technical spots where you have to talk about "a 5.3 liter V8 Vortec Allison transmission."

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