november / december 2005:

WINTER MOVIE PREVIEW: Jack Black
His career has revolved around his comedic talents, but this holiday season we'll see the dramatic beast unleashed when theaters across the nation get a glimpse of King Kong.

profiles by Benyamin Cohen & Bradford R. Pilcher


Who knew Passover games could be so life changing? Jack Black knew. The year was 1979, and little Jack was invited to play a game of ‘Freeze’ after a family seder. The “basically improvisational game” unleashed something inside the boy.

“I discovered acting and the attention it could garner,” says Black. “There’s a gene in my DNA that says I need more attention and love than most.”

Read all the winter movie profiles: Sarah Silverman Steven Spielberg Jack Black Amanda Peet Zach Braff Jon Favreau Mel Brooks

From his Passover roots, the young actor has built a cult following, leaping from guest roles in The X-Files and Picket Fences in the 90s to breakout roles in High Fidelity and Shallow Hal in the early part of this decade. It was his star turn in The School of Rock that solidified his mainstream credentials, something fellow “Frat Packers” Will Ferrell, Ben Stiller, and Owen Wilson had secured a few years earlier.

This winter, however, Black will move into uncharted territory: drama. In King Kong, Peter Jackson’s first film post-Lord of the Rings, Black will be in one of the biggest of holiday films, and he won’t be playing for laughs.

Determined to approach his straight-man role with the same “balls-to-the-wall attitude” as his more comedic fare, Black had altogether different challenges in making this film: his friends.

“All my friends are telling me the same thing, too: ‘Get me in King Kong man. You’re tight with Jackson,’” Black revealed at the 2004 MTV Movie Awards. “I'm not really that tight with Jackson. And I'm not going to be telling him, you know, ‘Cast my neighbor, he really wants to be in your movie!’”

If you find yourself missing Black’s funny man routines, don’t worry. After he’s done handling a giant ape (“He's not gonna be sweet and cuddly,” says Black. “He’s a f---ing carnivore, as in, eats flesh!”) he’ll be wrapping up a new film based on his quirky band, Tenacious D.

This winter, however, we can all cuddle up to a new side of Mr. Black. Then we can run in terror from his big furry friend.

Release date: December 14



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