The star of the gangster comedy reveals five secrets from the set

1

The show is about Miles Daly, a hitman who wants to be a movie producer, and the trickiest part about playing him was holding a gun. I didn’t feel comfortable – I’m a hugger not a fighter!

2

To give myself the look of someone who can handle themselves, I tried boxing. In one sparring session I hurt my wrist and I said to the trainer, ‘I think I must have punched too hard,’ and he said, ‘No, you’re holding on to your glove too hard.’ That was emasculating!

3

Ray Romano [pictured right, with Chris], from the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, plays a movie producer and he kept us entertained for hours on set with his party piece – he knows every capital city in the world.

4

A lot of soundstages at Paramount Studios in Hollywood, where we filmed, have inscriptions saying great movies, such

as Rear Window and Sunset Boulevard, were shot there. That jacked up the pressure, realising the standards that have been set.

5

I have two sons with my wife Dawn [O’Porter], so I understand Daly, who wants to escape from his life to provide stability for his daughter. I struggled as an actor for ten years and am keen to give it everything I’ve got. Daly and I are doing exactly that in Get Shorty.