Seth Green: Leads a Cash-Hunting Comedy Ensemble in Without a Paddle

By Chris Pryor

Seth Green has monkey feet. Well, at least his character Dan Mott does in the comedy Without a Paddle. In the film, Dan, the successful-yet-neurotic young doctor, reunites with his childhood buddies Jerry and Tom (Matthew Lillard and Dax Shepard) while attending the funeral of Billy, a thrill-seeking chum who’d left years earlier in search of adventure and treasure.

Apparently, Billy was only a hair’s breadth away from finding $200,000 and after stumbling upon the secret maps that Billy left behind, the three greenhorns decide to continue his quest, bravely trying to find the money that’s buried somewhere in the thick hinterlands of Oregon.

With a plot like that, laughs are surely just around the corner. Seth Green, the experienced 30-year-old actor who leads the laughfest, got his first big break as a kid portraying Little Joe in Woody Allen’s Radio Days. Since then, he’s worked with some of the biggest names in Hollywood, appearing in films such as theAustin Powers trilogy, as well as on television in the cult hit "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

According to Green, he prefers a team setting when shooting films. "I like the ensemble movies. This poster [for Paddle] freaked me out because I’m like front and center on it, but it’s [an] ensemble. I’m very comfortable in that environment."

Green’s managed to continue building his body of work as an adult and avoid becoming tabloid fodder. The actor reveals what has kept him from being raked over the coals in the scandal sheets.

"I was never famous when I was young – it’s exactly that. I was a character actor from a young age," he says.

"Macaulay Culkin, he’s an example of how it’s done right," continues Green, referring to his Party Monster co-star. "I think that he’s an anomaly because, honestly, he is probably the most decent and well-adjusted human being that I’ve ever met in my entire life."

The Paddle star also appears comfortable with being himself as he expounds on why he’s still in show biz. "There’s no debating for me. I’m less about crafting a particular type of celebrity. I’m more about doing good work that creatively satisfies me that I can stand behind. I’m not chasing money," he says matter-of-factly. "I’m not chasing celebrity – I’m just in it because I love acting."

In Paddle, Green shares most of his screen time with his co-stars, which include Matthew Lillard (whom he co-starred with in Scooby-Doo 2) and "Punk’d" star Dax Shepard.

"I like working with people who are going to elevate my game," says Green. "I knew that the three of us together were going to find the funny in any one of those scenes. You’ve got [director] Steven Brill (Mr. Deeds, Little Nicky), who’s worked with [Adam] Sandler. He’s an actor/writer/director – he understands how to control that chaos.

"I say this with no pretense, that this is the most fun that I’ve had making a movie," he laughs. "It legitimately is! And I’ve had some really fun experiences making movies."

Green also had the opportunity to work with Burt Reynolds, who plays a modern day 49er named Del Knox in Paddle. The younger actor recollects working with the veteran on the set.

"I wasn’t somebody that grew up with Smokey and the Bandit or [The] Cannonball Run or knew anything about it," admits Green. "[Reynolds] is just unbelievably charismatic and humble in a way you wouldn’t expect. And man, that guy affects a room – Burt walks in and everybody shuts the hell up. They’re like [whispering], ‘That’s Burt Reynolds!’"

Outdoor antics and legendary TV stars aside, Green says he’s confident that Paddle will deliver the comedic goods. "People have been saying that it’s a coming-of-age movie for 30-year-olds," he says. "I’m glad to hear that because I feel this movie is good. Anybody who goes to see this is going to have a blast."

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