‘Rocketeer’ Movie Role Is Hardly Out of Character for Alan Arkin

Alan Arkin, who plays the wise mentor of “The Rocketeer”--Disney’s much-hyped megabudget summer flick--has never been a leading man. And that’s perfectly fine with him.

“I always considered myself a character actor,” Arkin, 57, says. “That’s what I always wanted to be. I always liked mustaches and hair and limps and nose pieces and accents.”

And for his role as Peevy in “Rocketeer,” Arkin dons an Ed Wynn-style wig, wire-rimmed glasses and a mustache.

“I see him as a hybrid of Jimmy Gleason, Walter Huston and Thomas Mitchell,” Arkin says, who adds it’s “no fun” having to work with special effects in a movie. “You just recognize that it’s going to end up looking wonderful.”

Arkin launched his career as a member of the original company of Chicago’s improvisational revue, Second City, and won a Tony for his first Broadway play, Carl Reiner’s “Enter Laughing.”

He hasn’t appeared on stage, though, in 25 years. “I love directing for the stage. I keep doing that, but I don’t like acting on stage at all. I don’t find the repetition creative or stimulating.”

The theater’s loss has been the cinema’s gain. Since making his film debut as the Russian submarine commander in 1966’s “The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming,” Arkin has created a gallery of memorable characters, including the evil thug in “Wait Until Dark” and the tragic deaf mute in “The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter.”

“I got an Oscar nomination and the New York Film Critics Award for ‘Heart,’ ” Arkin says. “I also got a letter from somebody who said, ‘Dear Mr. Arkin, I thought your performance in ‘Heart Is a Lonely Hunter’ is one of the best things I have ever seen. I will cherish it throughout the rest of my life. I enjoyed it so much that I never again will see anything you will ever do.’ ”

Arkin bursts into laughter: “She thought she was doing me a favor.”