Advertisement

His career is smokin’

Share
Special to The Times

JUSTIN KIRK plays creepy Andy Botwin on “Weeds” and has also starred in “Angels in America.” “Weeds” airs Mondays on Showtime -- there are just four episodes left this season. Also he is looking for work, if you are hiring.

You wrapped shooting in July. So what the heck are you doing?

Well, I trucked out to New York for a while, went up to Cape Cod and saw a friend’s play, who was one of the writers on “Weeds.” You know -- trying to get a job. Why is that so funny?

Um, it’s true, right?

The great thing about our gig is the season is extremely short. It’s hard to call nine months a hiatus.

Advertisement

You should be able to cram, like, five movies in that.

I told my agent last year I wanted eight, but I wouldn’t feel like a failure if we only got five. We did three.

Was all that work worth it?

It’s always worth it. I live on the soundstage. If I’m not there I don’t know who I am. That may not look that good in print. Please write that he said it in a theatrically hilarious voice. Honestly, I do like to work: I’m not married, I don’t have any kids.

I understand.

My current obsession is “Match Game.” When I went to the East Coast for a little over a week, I cleared my TiVo of everything except “Match Game.” So the first day I came back I had a marathon of 10 in a row.

So it’s not just all like Proust over there.

Yeah, sure, there’s plenty of Proust over here. Is that a snack?

What was the most recent nice thing you’ve actually done?

Well, I’m always really nice, like, I like talking to people who want to come up and talk about the show -- um, about me really! I don’t understand how you couldn’t want someone to come up to you -- like, “I don’t know you and I dig you!”

I was tested recently. I was flying back from New York, I had not slept much the night before, I was crashed out and the seat next to me was empty. And I felt a presence, and I thought it was the stewardess or something. This woman was next to my seat saying, “Are you Andy from ‘Weeds’?” I was like, ‘Do you want to come up when I’m up and about?’ Then I chatted with her and her boyfriend in baggage claim.

What are you most looking forward to this week?

I had a meeting last week about a job I would like. So that’d be nice if that happens! What may prove to be one of the best parts of the legacy of “Weeds” in my life, is I’ve gotten to meet a couple of my rock heroes. I found out that Bob Mould, from Husker Du, is a “Weeds” fan, so I e-mailed him and went to his show and gave him Season 3. That was bizarre and cool. The most exciting thing I did was I hosted “Jonesy’s Jukebox,” on Indie 103.1 FM, because the Pistols were on tour. And I had the guys on from Redd Kross, another band I was a huge fan of. So Steve McDonald, I got a hold of him, and he brought his wife, Anna Waronker -- and I’m having drinks with Steve tonight! So that’s pretty cool. Meeting my childhood rock heroes. Up next, Paul Stanley! Did you see the Gene Simmons sex tape?

Advertisement

NO!

It was definitely linked on Gawker. It was such a bizarre experience for my group of friends. It was like our Zapruder tape. We were e-mailing all night, all over the country. Some found it upsetting and depressing! I don’t look at things like that, in that manner. I was completely enthralled.

He’s magical.

Yeah. Though I don’t need Gene Simmons’ family jewels. He was a major figure in my youth. But like many reality shows I have a hard time. I think the reality-show format is brilliant, has endless possibilities. It’s documentary! But unfortunately it’s rarely executed well. So it becomes just a scripted show, but without actors. So “Match Game,” Gene Simmons’ sex tape, “Jonesy’s Jukebox,” that’s my life.

Advertisement