Seth Green doesn’t feel typecast, but most of the time the 29-year-old Philadelphia native is cast as the little brother, sidekick or arguably his most famous role as the son of Dr. Evil in the Austin Powers series.
The roles don’t seem to change for Green, but it seems that his experience does.
Every role is different for me, Green said. It’s hard for me to say which project has been my favorite or which experience has been the best for me because each one is different and unique.
While playing a child or teenager for the majority of his career, Green said with the thirties knocking on his door, he will now start looking for new avenues for his career. He said he could almost draw a line in his career.
It’s interesting with stuff that happened before I was 17 or 18, Green said. It feels like a separate person, like waving to myself from a moving train. My perspective is different because I have been fortunate to have had a long career.
I have seen what fame and success is, and I am not affected by (it). I am just pleased to have work.
Green’s latest paycheck has him working with a very notable cast in The Italian Job, to be released May 30. The cast includes Mark Wahlberg, Edward Norton and Charlize Theron in a remake of the 1969 version of the film starring Michael Caine.
Green said the popularity of the first film overseas had made him feel pressured to take part in the project, but that audiences should remember the film is just a remake.
If they don’t like it, they still have the old one, Green said. We just took some of the elements from the original and tried to go a different angle. Hopefully they will appreciate this version too.
It’s a really fun film.
Green said the cast of The Italian Job may have been the best experience of his latest project. He said he met Wahlberg six years ago and they had been scheming to work on a movie together. When director Gary Gray came to him with this script, he said the time was right.
It was a great cast, Green said. This was a ridiculous group of people. It’s super important to get a good group, and we were really fortunate.
The film’s story follows a group of thieves double-crossed by one of their own members in a gold heist. The traitor (Norton) thinks he has killed off his old comrades but is mistaken.
The leader of the group (Wahlberg) devises a scheme to steal back the gold by using the largest traffic jam in Los Angles history.
Green’s character, Lyle, is the computer savvy team member who orchestrates the traffic jam by hacking into L.A.’s traffic light system. He said both he and his alter ego had some common ground.
On a personal level (Lyle’s) not good with women and embittered by it, Green said. He participates in this group of tough thugs, which doesn’t help. We can both say highly complicated terms fast and with some authority, which is probably why I keep getting these parts.
We look a lot alike too.
In the film, Green’s character claims to have invented Napster, only to have the prototype stolen by Shawn Fanning. Even though he doesn’t own a computer or download music, Green said he still took time to talk music with the famous creator of the MP3 program.
(Fanning) was awesome, Green said. We spent the whole day shooting (basketball) and talking about CDs.
While finishing up work on Scooby Doo 2 and Party Monster, Green says he will continue to look for roles that intrigue him.
In the next five years, well, I would like to keep working I am a big fan of that, Green said. I like to find scripts that feel right. I don’t want to be the crippled guy that climbs Mt. Baldy. I always try to pick stuff I see potential in.
I actually have meetings with directors saying I couldn’t do anything for this part. It’s not that I am always trying to wow people. I do it because I love acting, and I have just been lucky enough to find those roles.
