When it comes to lowbrow, Rob Schneider is riding high. The Adam Sandler protege has convulsed/repulsed (delete according to taste) audiences in broad comedies such as "Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo" and "The Animal". Now he's just playing the broad, in body-swap comedy "The Hot Chick".
There were quite a few body-swap comedies in the 80s. Why do one now?
I'd hate to get mixed up in that crappy genre, because some of those movies were godawful, but I guess I do swap bodies with somebody. I just hope we're more like "Big" than "Switch". What appealed to me most was the risk, because, ten minutes in, if you don't believe me as woman, there's no movie.
You seemed to know what women wanted when you made "Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo". Did doing this film teach you anything new?
I was really embarrassed because there's stuff I should have known, like the emotional availability. A woman can laugh and cry in three seconds and it's not weird. But if a man does it, it's very disturbing. The way I'd describe it is like this: I have been allowed inside the house of womanhood, but I feel that they wouldn't let me in any of the interesting rooms.
What was the most challenging thing?
Being able to pull it off, physically. Because women aren't 100% feminine, I did not want to play it so over the top that people would think I was a fruitcake the entire movie. It was good that I wasn't in perfect shape. If I hadn't had my ass and my gut hanging out, it wouldn't have been funny.
You didn't feel self-conscious?
Women always feel like they're being stared at and judged, and rightfully so. The weird part is, they think: I'm being judged right now, but I look hot! You know, it's the swagger some of these bitches have. I use that word affectionately, by the way.
Was there an element of revenge in the scene where you knock some of your female co-stars around with a pillow?
Yeah, definitely. I just think that beautiful people don't have it as hard, you know? They just don't know what rejection's like. That's why super models aren't good actresses, because they don't need anything. If someone is beautiful and she's needy, she's probably had a terrible childhood. But, she's also got the potential to be interesting. Some of those women, the beautiful people, they peak in high school. When they're 18 is the best time of their life. It's all downhill from there. That's why I'm lucky.
What's next for you?
I'm doing this movie with Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore called "50 First Kisses". It's like a romantic comedy version of "Memento". We're also working on "Deuce 2" and I'm wondering whether to put in a scene where a girl has her twin brother's penis grafted to her face after a car accident.
