Virginia Madsen, who co-stars in "A Prairie Home Companion" with Kevin Kline, claims that while reading the script before casting was announced, she had pictured Kevin Kline as the perfect guy to take on the role of Guy Noir. Little did she know how right she was.

The star of such hits as "Sophie's Choice," "French Kiss" and "A Fish Called Wanda" brings a fusion of class, humor, and sophistication to the role that makes him one of the more memorable characters in "A Prairie Home Companion." He's centered around a group of A-list talent, including Meryl Streep, Woody Harrelson, Tommy Lee Jones, John C. Reilly, Lindsay Lohan, and Lily Tomlin in this feature inspired by the long-running radio variety show hosted by Garrison Keillor.

Below, Kevin Kline talks about his role in the Robert Altman-directed musical comedy.

Q: So you were one of the few characters that didn't get to participate in the song performances on stage...

KEVIN: It was frustrating but the band was there 90% of the time, all during the day, so during setups, John C. Reilly, Woody, and I would go and jam with the orchestra so we were filled with music. The days were filled with music and joy.

Q: Your character, Guy Noir, seems to be delusional in that he dresses like he's in an old-time film and is the only person that is able to see the Angel at first. Did you have discussions with Robert Altman as to how over-the-top to play him?

KEVIN: He's the only one who's completely delusional. He thinks he's in a film noir from the 1940s. In searching for this character…is he one of those marginal show business people on the fringes but he really wants to be on stage and thinks he should be on stage and would be better than them. Is he one of those? Or is he one of those who really is a doorman but he had a freak accident. I don't know. Well, he's a nut.

Q: Did you try to rationalize why the other characters don't call him out as being delusional?

KEVIN: I said, "Shouldn't they comment on the fact that they're indulging this borderline, psychotic who really should be institutionalized?" He [Altman] said, "No, no." That's the kind of dialogue I would have. Probing, deep, inside the actor's studio. But he would always give directions that were freeing that opened a door for you to go in a fill with…he always likes the actor to bring something or not. Then, that becomes a part of the whole fabric. It's all happening, give and take between the camera and the actors. It's a very improvised setting.

Q: It's weird to see this one strange character amongst what is supposed to be a cast of "real" people...

KEVIN: That's why Altman is such the perfect director for this material. It's about the totality. It's about the simultaneous. It's a feud with eight voices rather than one melody with an accompaniment.

Q: Were you familiar with the Guy Noir character from the radio show at all?

KEVIN: In a word, no. I had heard the show a few times over the years but I didn't know Guy Noir was a national institution. I probably would've been more daunted by that feeling that I would have to live up to some expectation or something. I knew he was a regular recurring character and I got the CD with all the Guy Noir sketches. But it was clear in talking with Mr. Altman that it was a film. You can't do a lot of physical comedy on the radio. It just doesn't work.

Q: Did working in the midwest help at all help with the atmosphere in shooting the picture?

KEVIN: I've always been ambivalent about assigning national characteristics to people. I think that's how the mind works, is to put a human cause and effect, or a rationalization. People are all the same everywhere.

Q: One of your first films on screen was with Meryl Streep in "Sophie's Choice" and you get to reunite with her on this movie. How has she changed over the years?

KEVIN: Since "Sophie's Choice" to "A Prairie Home Companion," 25 years maybe had passed and I found her unchanged in terms of this fierce, boundless talent but stunned me during "Sophie's Choice" during the end of the day. She would have a million ideas and not one of them bad. It's that kind of focus and drive and self-confidence and self-possession is still there. It hasn't become jaded or tired. I think her accent in "Prairie Home Companion" is as wonderful in its way as it was in "Sophie's Choice" in terms of her instinct, her choice, and her detail and what she selects as an accent. She just lives in it.

"A Prairie Home Companion" is now playing in theaters everywhere