Adam Goldberg on the contradictions of fear, fame and playing The Hebrew Hammer.

As told to Justin Monroe; Photo: Alex Prager "There are a lot of things I was fearless about when I was a kid: body surfing, skiing, and performing in front of an audience.... But something kind of snapped in me at a certain point. I can't do the stage. I become too petrified. I like to control the environment. Like, I like recording music, but the idea of playing live is completely abhorrent."

Acting is kind of an immediate form of expression, like jogging or something, you know, "I gotta go out and have a jog...." But filmmaking is a more fulfilling, markedly less lucrative way of expressing one's self.

There's no question I've been typecast or typecast myself [as a neurotic Jew].... But when I first read The Hebrew Hammer, I remember thinking, Fuck it, I'm going to embrace it. I can discuss my ambivalence about it in interviews.

I really don't view it as cynicism but realism that has helped me not be too disappointed when projects fail.... But there has to be a certain amount of passion and a belief that if you really dedicate yourself fully to something that you can push it through the cracks of the mainstream.

You can't possibly have wanted to act for a living without being a narcissist to a certain degree. It gratifies the very shallow part of one's ego that you can get recognized.... But it's just sort of this generic kind of recognition, which to me does seem odd. It becomes part of your life, and you just end up shaking a few more hands than the average person might-which, in my case, may not be the best thing since I'm sort of a germophobe.

I'm just about as famous as I really ever could tolerate. I don't feel at all equipped for hearing things about my personal life.... But it's so minimal comparatively that it'd be ridiculous for me to really complain about it.

The positives of fame include a certain amount of financial stability, which allows you to focus on what's valuable to you creatively and spiritually.... But the accessibility of high-end hookers helps. That goes without saying, though.

This fall, Goldberg is in David Fincher's Zodiac and Tony Scott's Déjà Vu. His self-directed I Love Your Work (2003), is out on DVD. Home // CELEBRITIES // MY COMPLEX // Adam Goldberg