20 Questions: Chris O'Donnell

He is the kind of guy moms dream their daughters will bring home--a respectable, conservative, well-balanced young man with a future. If that makes him sound kind of dull, well, Chris O'Donnell isn't concerned. He's far too busy acting. Still in his mid-20s, he has already made 11 movies. Two of these, "The Chamber" and "In Love and War," will be released later this year. O'Donnell grew up in a large Irish family in suburban Chicago and majored in marketing at Boston College. Although he received no formal training as an actor, a series of modeling jobs and commercials--including a 1987 McDonald's spot in which he served Michael Jordan--led to his being cast alongside Jessica Lange in Paul Brickman's "Men Don't Leave" in 1990. Two years later he played opposite Al Pacino in "Scent of a Woman." His performances thus for have shown him to have a simple, unmannered style that allows his co-stars plenty of room for showboating. Despite making big action pictures such as "Batman Forever," O'Donnell still likes to appear in quirkier, small-budget films such as "Circle of Friends" and "Mad Love," which have boosted his image as a romantic lead. Writer Greg Williams met O'Donnell in London, where the actor was filming "In Love and War" with Sandra Bullock and director Richard Attenborough. Says Williams, "It's clear that Chris O'Donnell isn't smitten with Hollywood. His priorities are like those of any normal guy: his family, girlfriend and buddies. When I met him at his hotel in London, it was evident he was tired from his long day. Despite an early call the next morning, he let a bunch of his friends, who were visiting from Chicago, stay in his room."

1.

[Q] Playboy: Your next release is a John Grisham legal thriller, The Chamber. Is there a crime you wouldn't mind being sent to prison for

[A] O'Donnell: I wouldn't want to spend any time in the prison in Cleveland, Mississippi, where we filmed. Death row was one of the scariest places I've been. I don't ever want to go to prison. If somebody did something to my family, I think it would drive me insane and I might not be able to control myself. But I'd like to think I would.

2.

[Q] Playboy: In the film In Love and War you're playing the young Ernest Hemingway, who was desperate to experience combat. If the U.S. declared war and the Army needed volunteers, would you enlist?

[A] O'Donnell: I remember when the Gulf war came up, I thought I might get drafted. I was 20 and I thought, Oh, my God. This could be serious. What am I going to do? I talked with my dad and he told me to join the Navy. I don't know why, but I'd join the Navy.

3.

[Q] Playboy: You're on the road a lot. What items do you always take with you when you travel?

[A] O'Donnell: My golf clubs go everywhere. I can be stressed out or frustrated, but when I get on a golf course there's that smell. It's something I have grown up with. It's like going to church--it's a very settling experience.

4.

[Q] Playboy: You turned 26 in June. Do you find it strange when people who interview you expect you to have fully formed opinions?

[A] O'Donnell: I need to do publicity to promote my films. The usual stuff is fine, but when the interviewers start getting into my opinions, I think, Oh shit. I'm 26, what the hell do I know? It's ridiculous. And it bothers me when I read articles about young actors and athletes who have these opinions about various things. They say things that are so stupid. I'm sure I've said a lot of dumb things in a lot of interviews. As far as politics and stuff go, I've got thoughts, but they're just things I think. I don't have what I consider to be well-formed ideas.

5.

[Q] Playboy: At what inappropriate times do people come up to you to say hello?

[A] O'Donnell: I had somebody come up to me at a funeral. I'm 20 people from the coffin, and some woman starts asking about Batman. I used to deny who I am. I'd say, "No, that's not me." But then it got to the point where it was better to just say yes, because otherwise they'd say, "I know it's you." It's better to say, "Yes, it is," and then they're like, "Oh, OK," and walk away.

6.

[Q] Playboy: When you were a kid, would you have rather won an Oscar or the NBA Finals?

[A] O'Donnell: I didn't have a clue what an Oscar was when I was a kid. I would have definitely taken the NBA Finals or played in a World Series. Baseball was bigger when I was growing up.

7.

[Q] Playboy: If you were going to have a tattoo, what and where would it be?

[A] O'Donnell: I'm not big on tattoos. If I had to get one, I'd get a shamrock on my ass. There's a bar in Chicago called the Hidden Shamrock, and somebody told me the family who owns it all have shamrocks tattooed on their asses.

8.

[Q] Playboy: Do you consider yourself to be an accidental actor?

[A] O'Donnell: I remember seeing the movie Goonies, in which those kids got to go down a water slide. And I thought, I want to do that. It wasn't so much that I wanted to act, I just wanted to be able to do what those kids got to do. Growing up with seven brothers and sisters, you didn't go to the movies all the time. Accidental? Yeah, I mean right place, right time, for sure. But you still have to deliver a certain amount. I definitely got some great breaks. But, you know, I've worked hard since then.

9.

[Q] Playboy: When were you most thankful to be sipping a cocktail?

[A] O'Donnell: Last December I thought I was going to be in a plane crash. I'm not a good flier. I was with the new cast of Batman--Uma Thurman, George Clooney--and we were going to get fitted for our new costumes near San Francisco. We were on the Warner jet leaving Burbank. They said, "This is our new plane, you'll love it." So we are taking off and all of a sudden the engines stop and we start slowly dropping. It's quiet, and I'm like, "It's noise abatement, no big deal." I look back and the stewardess is yelling, "Oh my God!" That did it for me. I'm like, "Oh my God, what's going on here?" Uma gets up, and she's trying to teach us crash positions. I'm looking down and my heart just stops. I found out later that we were heading for another plane that was flying in the wrong zone, and the traffic controller ordered our pilot to cut the engines. As soon as it was over we were like, "Bloody marys, please!"

10.

[Q] Playboy: You live in Chicago and still hang out there. Why have you resisted moving to Los Angeles

[A] O'Donnell: I like Los Angeles. I go there a lot. I'll probably get a place there. It would be more convenient not to stay in hotels all the time. But something happens when I'm there for too long. I get really tired of all the talk about the film business. Everyone's smooth, flashy--you know, your car is so important. Don't get me wrong, I have great friends out in Los Angeles and I'm meeting more as I work in the business. It's such a beautiful place, but I won't trade the great weather for my old friends or for more comfortable surroundings.

11.

[Q] Playboy: While you were making Scent of a Woman, Al Pacino told you never to date an actress. Have you followed his advice

[A] O'Donnell: No. I dated an actress right after that. [Laughs] But I understand what he's saying. I mean, it's kind of true. Basically, his idea is that you'll always come second in their lives, and their career will always come first. Some people make it work and some don't. I think it's more about individuals. I'm not dating an actress now, so I don't have to worry.

12.

[Q] Playboy: You made The Three Musketeers with Kiefer Sutherland and Charlie Sheen. They're known as kind of party animals. What partying skills did you learn from them?

[A] O'Donnell: Kind of party animals? Kind of? [Laughs] That was an experience. I had always played the son or a kid and had never hung out with anybody while doing a movie. Sutherland and Sheen aren't much older than I am, but they were big movie stars. I thought, Wow, what are their lives like? And I got the chance to hang out with them. At a certain point I realized that they're not much different from my friends, they just have a lot of money to spend. There's a limit to how much you can party with your friends, because everyone runs out of money: "OK, night's over, boys." But it doesn't stop with these guys--they can keep the party going.

13.

[Q] Playboy: We heard you scraped the Batmobile once. Have you had any other close shaves

[A] O'Donnell: I was in a bar in Los Angeles with a buddy of mine. It's a terrible place, and I'm like, "Let's get out of here." We walk out and are going to our car, and we pass a Mexican restaurant that's closed. So we're taking a piss behind a Dumpster, and suddenly I hear, "Bang! Bang! Bang!" And I'm like, "Either that was a car backfiring or those were gunshots. I've got to see this." So I'm going to check it out while my buddy's still pissing. I go out and there are two gangs--about eight guys--with bandannas on and fucking guns out. I go, "Holy shit! Come on, let's get the fuck out of here!" We're running down the street and I have my car keys dangling on my finger--they're silver--and all of a sudden a cop comes from out of nowhere, gets down on one knee, pulls a gun on me and shouts, "Freeze! Drop your fucking gun!" I shout, "I don't have a gun!" He goes, "Drop your gun!" He sees the keys and thinks they're a gun. So I drop them and he realizes what they are. I thought he was going to shoot me.

14.

[Q] Playboy: Give the uninitiated a tour of Chicago.

[A] O'Donnell: You have to go to Wrigley Field. It's the first order of business. You have to sit in the bleachers. You have to eat a lot on this trip. You have to go to Gino's East for pizza. You have to get gyros at Five Faces. You have to get a great steak at Gene & Georgetti's. Got to go to Butch McGuire's for some beers. You eat and drink. You go to the beach. You know why Chicago's a great city? It has everything a big city such as New York has, but it still has a smalltown feel. I have friends from New York who visit Chicago and they'll be like, "What's with the police here? They're nice to us." I say, "Yes, that's the way it is here." Everyone has the Midwest mentality, family-oriented, and yet it's a cosmopolitan city. It's a beautiful city. It's flat, it doesn't have the mountains of Seattle, but it's got a gorgeous lake, it's got amazing restaurants, it's got all sorts of ethnic areas, and people just love to have a good time there.

15.

[Q] Playboy: After making Mad Love, Drew Barrymore described you as the brother she never had. Do women always want to take you into their families?

[A] O'Donnell: Unfortunately, they do sometimes, which isn't always what you want: "I wasn't exactly thinking about you being my mother." It depends in what company people meet me. When I'm with my girlfriend, it's kind of, "Yeah, nice guy, whatever." If I'm with my buddies, I don't know what they think. [Laughs] If I'm with my family, it's not the same. I definitely act differently with different people.

16.

[Q] Playboy: What is the downside of sounding like a really nice guy? Do people think you're dull?

[A] O'Donnell: Sandra Bullock said to me, "You know, I thought you'd be the biggest geek in the world." I talk like this so I don't get myself into trouble.

17.

[Q] Playboy: You've been described as a "mini-Tom Cruise." Care to respond?

[A] O'Donnell: Well, even a mini-Tom Cruise bank account wouldn't be bad. [Laughs] I heard those comparisons at the beginning because my first film, Men Don't Leave, was directed by Paul Brickman, who also did Risky Business. I think Cruise is great. I'm a huge fan.

18.

[Q] Playboy: You're part of a large Irish-Catholic family. Is religion important to you? Would you have made a good priest?

[A] O'Donnell: I try to go to church every week. I've got a crazy life and I try to stay sane. I may not even pay attention to what they're saying up there. But to be quiet and think, it's a great experience. However, I wouldn't have made a good priest. I like women too much.

19.

[Q] Playboy: Tell us a couple of things you're good at and a couple of things you're not so good at.

[A] O'Donnell: I can take anybody on in Tetris. I will not lose at that. I'm good at Monopoly. I'm not so good at keeping the ball on the fairway. I like to hit the ball too hard. I'm not so good at making decisions when ordering food. I love food, I love to talk about food, I love to eat food. I much prefer when it's just served to me. If I had a three-page menu with 75 things to choose from, it would drive me insane.

20.

[Q] Playboy: Write your own personal ad.

[A] O'Donnell: I used to have a T-shirt--someone stole it from me--that read, Seeking Buxom Blonde virgin willing to cook, clean and carry golf clubs in miniskirt and high heels. No experience necessary. I loved that T-shirt. It was a great T-shirt.

batman's sidekick takes us on a tour of his hometown, shares a cautionary tale about pissing in an alley and explains why he has no fully formed opinions