Paul Giamatti and Alex Shaffer on Win Win and the Upside of Being in Big Momma's House

One of two things happens when interviewing a pair of subjects at once; most often it's some variation on the tried-and-true "I'll take the first question, you take second one" formula. Then there are Win Win co-stars Paul Giamatti and newcomer Alex Shaffer, for whom a more unique, conversational style takes over. Which is to say, unique in a sort of "older brother the younger brother obviously respects but also openly mocks" kind of way.

Opening Friday in limited release, Win Win stars Giamatti as Mike Flaherty, a lawyer and part-time high school wrestling coach who, to make some extra money for his family, somewhat unethically agrees to be the guardian for one of his elderly clients (Burt Young). His client's grandson, Kyle (Shaffer), turns out to be a champion wrestler who is coerced to compete on Mike's team. Shaffer, a first time actor and real life high school state champion wrestler (now sans the bleach blond hair he sports in the film), is not afraid in the least to hold his own on the same screen -- or in the same room, for that matter -- as the Academy Award-nominated Giamatti; Movieline talked to the duo about the difficulties of being a first time actor, if high school wrestlers still watch Vision Quest, why Giamatti should do a baseball movie (but never will) and the perks of having Big Momma's House on one's resume.

[After some initial chit-chat, the subject quickly turns to Giamatti grilling Shaffer on his dislike of coffee.]

Giamatti: [Sips some coffee]: You want some coffee Shaff?

Shaffer: I don't drink coffee.

Giamatti: You don't?

Shaffer: No.

Giamatti: You don't smoke or drink coffee or anything? You smoke cigarettes?

Shaffer: No way.

Giamatti: OK.

Shaffer: What do you mean, "OK"? I don't smoke!

Giamatti: I was just wondering about cigarettes, that's all.

Shaffer: No. I chew tobacco.

Giamatti: Do you?

Shaffer: Yeah.

Giamatti: For Christ's sake.

Shaffer: Grisly Mint.

Giamatti: Is that what it is? That stuff's nasty, man.

Shaffer: No it's not, dude. You have to pack a lip one of these days.

Giamatti: I used to do it a long time ago.

To be fair, I don't drink coffee either. It smells great, though.

Shaffer: I get that aftertaste in my mouth.

I drink a lot of Diet Pepsi.

Giamatti: I can't drink that, either

Shaffer: My dad drinks so much Diet Coke. He drinks so much of it...

Giamatti: That stuff is so nasty tasting.

I liked your movie, by the way.

Giamatti: [Laughing] Thanks!

Shaffer: Yeah, I guess we should talk about it.

Giamatti: No, Grisly Mint and coffee!

So did they find you or did you have to try out in an audition?

Shaffer: There was an open audition, basically, in the newspaper, and my friend told me I should audition for it. My first response was like, "No, dude, I do not want to do that. It's wrestling season; I want to focus on wrestling." But eventually I was like, "Why not?" It was a once in a lifetime experience.

Giamatti: Was [your friend] a wrestler?

Shaffer: Yes.

Giamatti: Oh, he was?

Shaffer: He's awful. He's an awful wrestler...

Giamatti: So he didn't go in for it? That's pretty cool of him.

Did they tell you, "Hey, you're perfect for this, but unfortunately we are looking for a kid with blond hair?"

Giamatti: Wait, you were blond already?

Shaffer: I came in to the audition with my beach blond hair.

Giamatti: Didn't your whole team do that?

Shaffer: Yeah, my whole team did it for [one meet].

I know with your father there's a sports background in your family, but did you have a wrestling background at all?

Giamatti: I wrestled one semester during high school. And I was not very good.

Shaffer: You did judo, too.

Giamatti: I did do judo. Judo is great! I loved that until, I think I told you this...

Shaffer: You got the crap beat out of you.

Giamatti: He slammed me so hard into the ground. Up until then I had been loving it. And it's interesting because it's the difference between me just kind of being into it and having a good time and like a guy who really wanted to kill me. And once I realized that that's what it's going to become, I was like, "I'm not interested." I was like, "Holy sh*t."

From what I remember from my wrestling friends in high school, you're either really into it or you're not.

Giamatti: There's no in-between. You don't half-ass it. Do kids on your team half-ass it?

Shaffer: Those are the JV kids who don't cut any weight and just kind of like walk around at practice. Those are what we named the "J-birds" -- they don't really put much into the practice. But my actual wrestling partner was a J-bird.

Giamatti: Was he good?

Shaffer: No. He wasn't good but we had the exact same style. And I give the kid respect because when the districts and regionals come around, they don't wrestle. So a lot of them stop coming to the practices. He came to all of the practices.

I might be dating myself with this question, but how many times have you seen Vision Quest?

Shaffer: Oh, I've seen Vision Quest so many times!

Giamatti: Have you really?

Shaffer: Oh! I've watched Vision Quest...

Giamatti: Is that a movie you guys watch as wrestlers? Like, you're into it because it's a wrestling movie?

Shaffer: I watch it just because it's a wrestling movie. It's not like I'm into it. I mean, 300, that was a movie I used to watch before my matches.

Giamatti: Really? That's hilarious.

Shaffer: To get pumped!

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