Kevin James Plays Good Cop

Kevin James received an Emmy nomination and a lot of fans during his nine years as the star of King of Queens. And he's made his mark on the big screen in comedies opposite box officeheavyweights Will Smith and Adam Sandler.

Now, James is getting his shot as a leading man in Paul Blart: Mall Cop, playing a bungling security guard with a big heart who faces somenasty villains taking over the mall to pull off a bank heist.
 
Q: Whose idea was it for you a play a mall cop?
 
A: It was pretty much mine. I thought we could have fun because mall security guards aresupposed to be in charge but they have no weapons and they get hassled a lot. Paul Blart is sort ofa classic underdog who takes his job way too seriously even though he's constantly screwing up. Ispent some time with real mall cops and you have to respect them because people just walk all overthem but they keep trying. Some days, the biggest thing they face is a spill in the food court.
 
Q: But you made him an action hero.
 
A: I just wanted to give the people what they want. When people think of me they go, 'Actionhero.' It's pretty obvious. So why deny them the chance to see me run, jump, fall down and take outbad guys? But seriously, it was a lot of fun to sort of follow in the footsteps of some of thestars I grew up watching like Bruce and Sly, even though the character I play is clearly not in thebest of shape--just like me.
 
Q: What did you do to get ready for your role?
 
A: I did some polyester pants training because that was part of my uniform. You've got totrain because polyester doesn't breathe. You need to get ready for that or your legs will breakout.
 
Q: It looks like you're in the middle of the action. 
 
A: I did as many stunts as I could. There are some things you just can't do, like jumpingfrom one tall building to another, because the insurance company would have a heart attack. But Idid a lot of what they call 'proving shots,' proving that it was really me in the middle of theaction. That's what makes it feel real.
 
Q: What was the scariest?
 
A: I'm afraid of heights and they wanted me to drop from a high ceiling in the mall. I had mydoubts but they tricked me. They put me in a harness and hoisted me up saying, 'We'll just get aquick shot of you falling 10 feet.' Before I knew it I was up like 40 feet in the air. Then I foundout that Mike V, a super skateboarder who's playing a bad guy in the scene, is scared of heightstoo, so I didn't feel so bad. In fact, I did it twice.
 
Q: You seem to get a kick out of physical comedy.
 
A: I was always into sports growing up so I was very physical. I played fullback on mycollege football team. And I always loved comedians who were big guys but could move their bodiesgracefully like Gleason and Farley. So I really threw myself out there in this movie and just wentfor it.
 
Q: You also look impressive wheeling around the mall on a Segway personal transporter.
 
A: I wasn't faking it. It's a little scary because your body's leaning forward and if youlose your balance you can take a fall. But by the end I could turn on a dime. They gave it to me tokeep after filming but unfortunately I hit a curb while I was being chased by a dog and it had adent in it because I got a couple of dents myself in that scene.
 
Q: Growing up, did you crawl a few malls?
 
A: I'd hang out with my buddies. A mall was like a nightclub for us. You had no real life andyou'd walk around with your black 'KISS concert' t-shirt and hit the food court and go to Sam Goodyand check out the albums. And while you were hanging out, you'd see a girl and the joke became howlong you'd follow her before going home without ever making a move.
 
Q: Do you miss King of Queens?
 
A: I miss everyone in the cast and the crew. I watch an old episode occasionally.Unfortunately, the minute I see myself I can tell what year it is by how heavy I look. The longerwe went on, the more weight I put on.