The Shrek Who Shagged Me

Mike Myers just couldn't resist making Shrek something of a Fat Bastard. The funnyman — who supplies the not-so-jolly green giant's voice in the animated send-up of classic fairy-tales — admits he borrowed heavily from the gluttonous Scotsman he created for Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. Why, you ask?

"At first, I was making Shrek sound Canadian," he says, "and I wasn't totally happy. Then I remembered that my mom, who's from Liverpool, used to read me children's stories with a British accent. And even though we had [already] recorded a lot of stuff, I said to the producers, 'I want to try something new.' So I made Shrek sort of British and Scottish. I guess that did include a bit of Fat Bastard."

Myers — who replaced Chris Farley after the comic's sudden passing — clearly doesn't take the role too seriously. "I was worried about typecasting," he deadpans. "I think I've played too many green ogres." More thoughtfully, he offers, "I felt an affinity for Shrek, even though he's just an animated character. He's an outsider, he's misunderstood and I related tremendously to that. When I was a kid, I was very small and I had acne. I think I felt left out and ignored just like Shrek did. That's why I love the message of the film, which is basically that you've got to learn to accept yourself for what you are."

Myers isn't worried that Shrek may go too far in its darkly humorous twisting of fairy-tales — even in a scene where a gingerbread man is tortured. "I think the Gingerbread Man had it coming," he scoffs. "I never cared for him. He's my least favorite cookie." Chuckling, the wiseacre adds: "It's silly. It may be a little scary at times, but it's fun and very irreverent. I think kids will totally get it."