Steve Zahn's Clueless Confession

Actor Steve Zahn is best known for his slow speech pattern and benevolent, slightly-stoned gaze. In flicks from Out of Sight to Saving Silverman, he often plays the clueless sidekick on the lookout for a good time. Currently, the loveable goof appears in Ethan Hawke's Chelsea Walls as a hard-partying musician who's, yep, on the lookout for a good time. He admits the fella reminds him of himself when he first began acting.

"I was this kind of naive guy who was just having a great time in New York," Zahn tells TV Guide Online, "and that was really all I cared about. Being naive was a very good tool, and I still try to keep that. You do things for the right reason — because they're fun. The more you know, the more you have to dance and be political."

Zahn says he maintains his anti-Hollywood perspective by living on a New Jersey hay farm with his family. And while his laid-back 'tude probably accounts for the one-note roles he's usually offered, Zahn takes the lack of variety in stride.

"In general, it's great just to be noticed as an actor," he says, "so to bitch about being typecast would be insane." Still, there is one little part he longs to play. "I want to be GI No. 10 in the background, named 'Smitty,' in some World War II movie," he sighs. "I sit down with directors and producers, but I can't get a job in things like that to save my life."