By Jenny Halper in New York City

Calling someone a bundle of energy is not terribly innovative, but that’s honestly the most succinct way to describe Giamatti. A live wire from the moment he sat down (bounced down, is more like it) to talk to press, Giamatti’s theatrical pizzazz was on full display.

With an extensive background in film (“American Splendor”, “Paycheck”) and an equally theatrical resume (including praised turns in the star-studded casts of “The Three Sisters” and “The Iceman Cometh”), the Yale-educated Paul Giamatti made a major impact as a character actor before his delightfully downtrodden performance in “Splendor” made him a household name- at least in indie movie houses.

Now Giamatti stars in Alexander Payne’s “Sideways” as Miles, a struggling writer with a passion for California’s finer wines. Attempting to introduce his best friend, Jack (Thomas Hayden Church) to the delicacy of Pinot Noir the week before Jack’s wedding, Miles is distraught to discover that his friend simply wants sex- and lots of it- before he steps up to the altar. Off-beat, unique Payne hilarity ensues, and Giamatti proves adept at making the arguably pathetic Miles absolutely lovable- despite his tendency to be a “pedantic horses’ ass.”

Though Giamatti quickly pointed out that his two onscreen personas are “depressed passive” and “psycho aggressive,” in person, he is simply charming and hilarious- I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so much at a roundtable. Just imagine a cross between Robin Williams and a young Jack Nicholson- with a lot of Red Bull.

Q: So, did you have to audition for “Sideways”?

Paul: Yes I did, yes I did.

Q: Virginia was saying you didn’t even get a copy of the script.

Paul: I had an audition for it. There wasn’t a script available. They gave us sides, I think I had to read that long scene with me and her (Miles and Maya), and I think I had to read something else, I can’t remember. Bt it was very kind of standard, there wasn’t anything unusual about it.

Q: And going in for Alexander Payne- he’s the director everyone wants to work with- did you do anything different?

Paul: No. I was very excited about going in for him, but I don’t think I did anything particularly different. I just try to do a decent job, but…he’s a very kind man, and he’s a very forthcoming guy, so he puts you at ease right away.

Q: How did you prepare for the part?

Paul: I usually just read the script a lot. And that’s one thing I do, I just read the script over and over and over again. That helps me. A big thing, obviously, and this is the wine stuff, not so much actually knowing about wine, but getting a look at the people who were really in the wine. So I did a little bit of that, studying the people who were big wine fanatics, I have a friend who I’ve known for years whose a big wine guy, and he’s fascinating, cause he’s a normal human being till he starts talking about wine. Then he just turns into a pedantic horses ass! And so I know nothing about wine, and I don’t really care, either, so that was what was interesting, the slurping sounds- the way they are, the way they get with it. That was probably the most preparation I did with it.

Q: Which of Miles’ characteristics do you identify with?

Paul: Being a pedantic horses’ ass! (Laughs). Well, I guess, one thing I liked a lot about the character- not necessarily identified with it- but was this idea, the persona of a wine expert, the idea of wine as being some sort of- he’s aspiring to something greater in life, there’s this façade of sophistication. He genuinely loves the stuff, but it’s also wine for getting drunk. I thought that was an interesting thing.

Q: There seems to be a Paul Giamatti persona going on- a little depressed, not exactly at the end of rope, but swinging from it. Are you like that?

Paul: I suppose I am, a little bit. There must be something about me that I either bring to those parts every time or that people see in me that they hire me for them. But there’s definitely a more desperate quality to a lot of the guys that I play. And I don’t know whether I bring it to it, or if it’s there already.

Q: And then in studio films you tend to be-

Paul: A little goofier! With a lighter touch! (Laughs). I wear funny hats. It’s weird, I’m either depressed, or I’m really aggressive! It’s really weird.

Q: Or you’re Harvey-

Paul: Who is both! Somebody said- some great actor, I think it was Dustin Hoffman, said all actors really only have, basically, two characters. Three if you’re lucky. But two basic guys that you play variations on. And that’s what you always do. My two guys are depressed passive guy, or psycho aggressive guy.

Q: Whose fault is that, do you think?

Paul: I don’t think it’s anybody’s fault, you’re drawing on something, your own duality that you have, and its inevitable, all you can draw on is yourself and so it’s something about yourself that always leaks into whatever it is you’re playing. He’s not saying it’s a limitation, it’s just…

Q: Are there limitations imposed on you?

Paul: I don’t think he’s talking about a limitation, I don’t think he’s talking about that. I think his point is that no matter what you do, some aspect of those two things about you will always leak into it, at some point. But that’s also true, you can be very limited.

Q: Is there a role you haven’t played you’d like to play?

Paul: I said to my agent the other day, it’d be really nice if I could play an English butler. Somebody who is just really in control and calm and doesn’t ever have to break out- that is what I’d really like to play. And I have done things like that on stage, but I’ve never done them in movie. I’d like to play somebody very cool…I’ve done it once. In an obscure movie nobody’s ever seen. But it’s one of the things I’ve done I’ve liked the most, cause I’m just totally in control.

Q: What film?

Paul: “Thunderpants.” It’s this English kids movie. But I actually get to play a guy whose just really calm and cool…it’s meant to be funny, it’s ridiculously calm and cool at all times, but it was really fun to play somebody who never has to lose his cool.

Q: Is the rumor that you’re going to be in “Glen Gary Glen Ross” on stage true?

Paul: Not as far as I know…

Q: Will you do stage again?

Paul: I’d like to, but it’s a big commitment, I’m a little bit afraid of it now, I’ve gotten lazy, you get lazy you really do. The idea of doing a play is kind of scary.

Q: Are you from the west coast or the east coast?

Paul: I’m from New Haven, Conneticut. Very east coast.

Q: Between Jack and Miles, who needs who more?

Paul: That’s an interesting question. At least in this movie, Jack realizes he needs Miles more, and Miles realizes he doesn’t need him as much any more. It may have been different at one time, and it may be different at different points in the movie, but at the end of the movie Jack needs miles more. Cause jack is the more screwed up guy, which makes miles wake up a little bit. He sees somebody more fucked up than he is.

Q: As a character actor, what’s it like to see another character actor’s penis smushed up against a window next to you?

Paul: Cool. It made me happy. Got to see M.C. Gainey’s junk. That guy was unbelievable, man, right before we shot that thing I was standing in that really scary house, which was pretty much just left the way it actually was, it was a big drug kitchen, it was a meth kitchen, and the guys had been arrested the week before. And they’d had to put a new door in, because the police had kicked the door in. And I’m standing there with this guy whose at least three feet taller than me, and he’s like (growly voice) “Hey man, you ready to do this?” And I was like, “yeah, this is going to be fun…” And he just goes, “You better haul ass, cause I’m going to catch you, buddy!” He was literally about a foot behind me, and he was literally trying to catch me. He was not fucking around! He was not wearing shoes, and he was a big man! And he was going fast…and I was fucking terrified!! And the second take, we did it at- he was so fucking close to me that his arm got in the door, and I slammed the door on his arm, and he shattered the window. And it was a GREAT take, we were all just like “Awesome!!” But of course we couldn’t use it, because the window wasn’t broken in stuff we’d already shot, so it wouldn’t work. We were all really bummed out, cause it was great! And he got cut up and just kept going…he’s insane…he’s out of his mind, but he’s a great, great guy, he was terrifying actually. He’s HUGE, he’s really big. And he’s from Alabama, so he was really scary. But I loved that sequence.

Q: Did you need wine before you did that sequence?

Paul: (Laughs). No, no, no wine necessary. Terrifying, man. I love that sequence. It’s so out of the blue.

Q: You mentioned wanting to be in control- your character in “Paycheck” is-

Paul: I’m in control in that movie? Am I? I got the funny hat in that movie! That was an interesting experience, that movie. It was very strange- at one point in that movie- my character’s name is Shorty, and at one point they were like “we decided that Shorty’s dying of cancer.” So then we got there, and we were shooting a scene where Shorty’s dying of cancer, and we’re in mid shooting and they’re like, “we decided that Shorty’s not dying of cancer.” And I just was like- it was insane.

Q: All that preparation went out the window-

Paul: All that cancer work…(laughs). It was just like- I really had a great time making it, but it was one of those times where you just didn’t know what the hell was going on, from one second to the next.

Q: Can you talk about working with Thomas a little bit?

Paul: What can I say about Thomas? He’s a bronze god. That man is a bronze god. He’s unbelievable, and when I get around him, I start talking about him, I start saying things like, “He’s a bronze god.” He was nothing but pleasure the whole time, he never stops screwing around, he’s a very serious guy underneath it all, but he never stop screwing around. He was great.

Q: You had great chemistry with Virginia Madsen- is that something that just happened?

Paul: She was great. We never had to actually talk about anything. It just happened. With her, particularly. She’s such an important presence, and she’s so great in it, but she’s not even in it that much, and she wasn’t around that much. But it’s a huge thing, she’s amazing. Really good actors- the REALLY good actors, they’re just immediately available to do whatever they need to do.

Q: What’s next for you?

Paul: I did a movie called “Cinderella Man” with Russell Crowe, a boxing movie, that comes out in June.

Q: Is it a comedy?

Paul: Russell Crowe boxing is a comedy? (Laughs) Not a comedy. I don’t have a funny hat! I’m the aggressive, funny guy in this one. I’m the aggressive, grizzled trainer. No funny hats, though!

Q: Are you getting more offers now, for lead roles?

Paul: I’m getting more interest now. Not more offers, but people are more interested. I’m a hard sell, no matter what, for lead roles and things. So it’s tough, it’s really nice that this movie and "American Splendor" have made people see me in a different way, but I think people are actually more confused, cause it’s like “where’s the funny hat?” (Laughs) So people are like, “we can let him read this, I don’t want to offer it.” But it’s nice, it changes people’s perceptions. But that’s ok, I don’t mind confusing people.

“Sideways” opens in select cities on October 22nd.