You've managed to turn yourself into a mini-corporation. Where did it start?

Danny Masterson:McDonald's. I had the hat and the outfit. Actually, I was in a Hardees commercial, so maybe there. Really, I've been acting since I was four and when you do something for such a long time you have to find something else that piques your interests. I like playing records, so I started DJing and that turned out pretty cool.

As DJ Donkey Punch, you spin both rock and hip-hop. Which love came first?

Danny Masterson: My first concert was Jackson Browne in '79 with my mom and dad. Bruce Springsteen came out for the encore, and they sang like 20 minutes worth of Beach Boys songs. I was rocking the Osh Kosh overalls and standing on my seat and was like deaf for two days afterwards. So I definitely liked rock first, but there's tons of hip-hop that I love, especially early and mid-'90s stuff.

What are you listening to these days?

Danny Masterson: Right now my favorite band is Clap Your Hands, Say Yeah, which is an insane New York band. I'm not sure if they're on iTunes or if you can download off their website, but they're unbelievable.

Which makes you more nervous, acting or DJing?

Danny Masterson: DJing, easily. I just did a party the other night at a big club in Vegas and I almost threw up like four times before I started. DJ AM, Mark Ronson, Stretch Armstrong, Juske, DJ Vice-those guys are my friends, but when they walk in, I become retarded and can't mix records. It's like Sean Penn watching you audition. I would be like, "Mom, I want to go home."

We hear you're a huge Penn fan. Have you had a chance to meet him?

Danny Masterson: We're both friends with a painter named Gottfried Helnwein. I was at one of his shows and Sean Penn was there. At one point I was on my cell giving someone directions because they got lost and Penn was looking at me because I was that dick at the art show on his cell phone. Fuck. I just looked down real embarrassed, completely mortified. People are like, "Hey, did you meet Sean Penn?" And all I can say is, "No, not yet."

How did you get involved with the restaurant Dolce in L.A.?

Danny Masterson: Some dudes that play in the basketball league I play in came up to us-actually they came to me, and I was thinking, "That's kind of fucking Sinatra."The next day I spoke to Kutch [Ashton Kutcher] and Wil [Wilmer Valderrama] about it and I was like, "Hey, you want to invest in a restaurant?" And they were like, "Maybe." We all decided that we may lose all our money, but it would be really fun and a cool spot, and all the people that were putting it together are famous designers. So, we all invested in Dolce, the same as any other investors, except we talk about it and people that we know show up there and they get press. Then Dolce got fucking huge and we made money in a year. It was fucking unbelievable. It was kind of a thing that we thought would turn out really funny, like, "Hey man, I'll meet you at my restaurant." But it turned out to be a smart business. The place is always crowded and people have a good-ass time.

What's next for you on the acting front?

Danny Masterson: I just did a movie called Easier, Softer Way that Mekhi Phifer directed. It's basically a buddy comedy about these two guys who get evicted from their house and are trying to find a place to live and con themselves into rehab.

Rehab, huh. So what do you think the dangers are for you career-wise right now?

Danny Masterson: I guess really the only danger would be not caring about what I am doing and sucking and doing shitty TV or movies. I would rather not work on crap for money. I'd rather wait my time and do something good. A lot of the things I turned down made a lot of money and did really well but weren't things that I thought I'd want to be famous for, I guess. I just want to be able to keep working on good shit when I am 50 and not be any kind of pop sensation. Home // CELEBRITIES // THE SHOTCALLER // Danny Masterson