‘No Leading Man,’ ‘King Ralph’ Insists

John Goodman, who shows up in such movies as “Sea of Love,” “Always” and “Arachnophobia” during his off-hours from the “Roseanne” television shows, isn’t ready to be tagged a leading man.

Goodman has been elevated to leading man status for the first time with Friday’s release of the comedy “King Ralph.” But Goodman is a reluctant movie king, preferring the label character actor.

“Don’t call me a leading man. This is just another part, with a lot more lines,” Goodman said.

In “King Ralph,” Goodman plays a Las Vegas lounge singer who, through obscure tracing of his lineage, winds up sitting on the throne of England after the royal family is killed.

“The only difference for me this time was that I didn’t have time to fool around when I wasn’t working.” Goodman said. “When you’re the leading man, your meter’s running all the time and you’re always working. There’s no goof-off time.

“But that still doesn’t make me a leading man. I’m still just a character actor. Nobody’s ready to call me Mel Gibson Jr., and I don’t think anybody’s ready to pay good money to see me get the girl in the movie.

“I know I wouldn’t go see something like that.”