06/21/2000

by Veronica Mixon

He and pal, Dana Carver made the leap from the small to big screen with their nerdy, lusty characters from "Wayne's World" in 1992. A sequel followed and then Myers' sailed alone in "So I Married an Axe Murderer." Last year, Myers stunned critics by delivering a wonderfully, crafted dramatic portrayal of Steven Reubell in the flawed '80s tale "54."

Born in Scarborough, Ontario Canada, Myers started in local television before coming the States to work on "Saturday Night Live." The 36-year-old actor has two other films - "McClintock's Peach" and "Pete's Meteor" - coming out later this year.

The Interview

Mike Myers in Austin Powers

Have you worked to a point where you've lost your mojo, too? Yes, I lost my mojo in 1994.

How did you lose it? My father passed away. I lost all interest in doing anything so I took time off. And that's how I came up with 'Austin Powers,' the first one.

Was your dad a big fan of British films? Huge fan. That was huge in our house - Peter Cooke and Dudley Moore, Alec Guiness, Peter Sellers and the Python movies. He loved the Matt Helm movies even though they weren't English, but they were based on something English. So cool. You probably had a lot more fun doing these movies.I don't know about that, but I know it's the most fun I've ever had, certainly, working on the two movies.

How was this one different, considering that it's so highly anticipated? Well, that's very flattering. The first one was, 'Let's scramble and make this small movie.' The second was the same. And that is to [director] Jay Roach's credit. He was like, 'OK, everybody, let's be as silly as the first one, and have as much fun.' I think we ultimately had more fun, because we didn't have to explain so much to people, you know? Virtually the same crew, same group of people, and the world was created with the first one, so we could enjoy ourselves more.

Would you like to make one every two or three years? I would. We've had Pink Panthers and James Bonds and stuff. It lends itself to it because it's a different mission every time, and that's what's fun about it.

Have little kids come up and done their Austin Powers imitation for you? Yes, it's so weird.

Where's the weirdest place someone has done that to you? I think I was taking a pee at Maple Leaf Gardens, and some guy just said, 'Oh, behave.' I'm like, 'I'm peeing, pal. I'm... peeing!'

You were so good in '54.' Would you like to do more of those kinds of roles? I never have any plans. I didn't plan that. It came and four weeks later I was shooting in Toronto. The thing that interested me was, OK, it's a really interesting role. It's two weeks in Toronto. OK. You know? You can't plan anything.

Does it make life easier, not to plan it? Oh, it's totally liberating.

But you are planning 'Austin III'? We have fake plans. No, it's a lot of time. Writing takes a lot of time. It's a lot of like, 'What if, Dr. Evil and Austin knew each other at the Academy...'

How does it feel to be a tycoon now, as well as an actor? Well, I'm more of a tyke, really, than a tycoon. I don't know. The big news on this movie is that there is something to buy. Which is an odd statement of our times. After the first movie, there were thousands of angry letters that there was nothing to buy. That's what New Line told me. I mean, it's absurd. You write a character, and then all of a sudden you see on the news that there's a big doll launch. I didn't have hardly anything to do with it. I mean, I did look at them, just to make sure they weren't crappy, but that was about it.

Does your approach to the business have anything to do with 'So I Married an Axe Murderer'? No. It has to do with one day finding out that my father has Alzheimer's, and then one day he's dead. I think what happens is, you stop. It's bigger than you are. You have to drop all plans for world domination at that point. That's what happens. It's just stupid to think you can say, 'Here's what I'll do, gentlemen. First phase...' It just doesn't work that way.

Do you worry about whether this movie will succeed? Is that intimidating at all?No. And I don't say that smugly. I'm out of the 'it's gonna be a big hit' business because it doesn't mean anything. When a movie's a big hit, it doesn't solve any of your personal problems. I don't answer any of your universal questions of 'what the hell are we doing on this planet?' It's nice, but it's not the full picture.

Where do you think the irony lies in Austin Powers being a pop culture reference now? The irony is, Mike Myers is an employed actor. Do you know what I'm saying? That's the irony. It's just been an amazing experience. The whole movie is kind of a universal in-joke to my house. Jay and I were just having this discussion yesterday, because they were just putting the finishing touches on the sound. Jay had directed the first one, and he was going, 'Would you have any idea...?' We made it for ourselves. We never thought that anybody else would like it.

Why do you think it caught on? I don't know. The only thing I can think of is, my mom is a trained actress. But she uses 'turn of the century' terminology for acting, so I never know what she's talking about. But she said that what she liked about Austin Powers was that he was a happy survivor. In the way that Bugs Bunny is, and James Bond. The character has the ability to create his own fun.

Austin Powers was really the focus of the first movie, but in this one you spend a lot more time with Dr. Evil. Why is that? In the first movie, Jay and I were just learning. He said, 'It took us a movie to learn how to make an Austin Powers movie.' It took us a movie, as well, to sort of establish the world of it. And once the world was established, we could then do the further adventures of each character. Because Dr. Evil's journey was kind of undernourished in the first one, we could nourish it more in this one.

What was it like to work with Verne Troyer, who played Mini-Me? Its going to sound very corny, what I'm about to say, but Verne Troyer was an inspiration to everybody who worked with him. As you know, he is a very small person. And the amazing thing is, you look at him, and he's all about what you can do, and not what you can't do. He did all his own stunts -- except being hit against the pole. [laughter] He didn't do that one, although he wanted to. He is totally self-sufficient. He never complains. He's really funny, too. He spends a lifetime with people talking a little louder to him. And saying things like, 'Oh, what a cute little coat,' and all that stuff. And he's cool. He's come to some sort of peace with it. It's very inspiring, I thought.

How did you hook up with your wife? What makes me blush is being asked how I hook up with my wife. I think we are the yin to each other's yang. I met her in Chicago. I went to see the Toronto Maple Leafs play the Chicago Blackhawks, because I heard they were tearing down Chicago Stadium, which was one of the original six stadiums. And I was told an art deco masterpiece. So I went there, and that night I caught a puck. The mathematics of that is very small. That night, at a bar across from Second City, I met Robin. We moved in almost immediately. Three years later, we went to another original six stadiums, the Boston Garden, and Robin caught a puck. Then shortly after that we were married. The mathematics of that -- that's the meteor scenario.

Is your wife jealous about the incredible women surrounding you in these movies? She thinks it's hilarious. If you knew me very well, you would find it very funny because I'm a nerd. I'm basically a sexless geek. Look at me. I've got no chin, I've got acne scarring, and I'm five foot nothing. That's a recipe for sexual dynamism? You know what I look like? You know when you see black and white footage from World War II, and it's the British Army having makeshift showers in the desert. 'Here our boys are trying to make do.' And their pasty white bodies are giving away their position to the German aircraft. Oh, yeah. I'm a sex machine. I don't think anybody credibly thinks that I'm sexy.

But why do you think Canadians are so funny? I think we're an observer nation. We're not American; we're not English. We're also not the countries your parents came from. So it's an odd thing. We're not a melting pot -- we're a salad bowl.