"You're asking me to choose between two children, the one that pays more and the one that I secretly love more. With the acting, it's somebody else's brainchild, and I'm just sort of helping flesh it out; with the music, there's a special satisfaction to being the brains behind the operation." ~ Jack Black
Jack Black (1970-), the popular entertainer with the passion for music and film, was born on this day in Santa Monica, California. The versatile comic also fronts Tenacious D, a mock folk-metal duo formed in 1994, often featured on HBO, and described as the "Greatest Band on Earth."
"Never for a second did I think of myself as the sexiest guy in the world," he once said. "When I was a kid, I thought I was the strongest man in the world. Then, the fastest runner and then the smartest person in the world. One by one my delusions got shut down. Now I just see myself as the lamest guy in the world."
Unrestrained and bold, Black practically stole every scene he played as the sarcastic record store clerk in High Fidelity (2000). How about his over-the-top performance with Neil Diamond in Saving Silverman (2001)?
The comic-musician starred opposite Gwyneth Paltrow in the Farrelly brothers film Shallow Hal (2001) and with Tom Hanks' son, Colin, in the offbeat comedy Orange County (2002).
"All the characters I've played are closer to me than, say, a real chameleon actor's roles would be. Like, DeNiro would be a totally different guy in every movie. I'm always kind of similar, but there are subtle differences," Black explained.
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