By Katherine Yeske (KatYeske@aol.com)

Sitting with comedian/monologist Eddie Izzard in the bar of Chicago's swank Sutton Place Hotel, it's hard to remember that he's the same man who has been inspiring near chaos across North America with Circle, his sold-out stand-up show. Like his gregarious onstage persona, the real-life Eddie turns out to be friendly, but more soft-spoken and reserved -- especially when the waiter presents him with a drink sent over by a fan. After all, Eddie earned megastar status in Europe years ago, but getting the same treatment Stateside is a relatively recent turn of events.

Thank HBO for instigating this surge in interest. Over the past year, the channel has kept Eddie on heavy rotation with a tape of one of his shows from his 1998 Dress to Kill stand-up tour. Americans were instantly enthralled with this pithy Brit's intelligent mix of self-effacing humor, warped ramblings about history and religion, and sly jabs at political figures and the Royal family.

At the same time, Eddie's impressive acting abilities have been broadening his worldwide fame. His credits include memorable roles in films like The Avengers and Velvet Goldmine, as well as wowing London theater critics with his vivid portrayal of Lenny Bruce in Lenny, the hit West End play. Coming up: watch for him alongside John Malkovich and Willem Dafoe in the Nicolas Cage-produced Shadow of the Vampire, set for an autumn release.

And, oh yes, it helps that he's also blessed with sexy good looks -- and as a heterosexual "out" cross-dresser, he's free to indulge in drastic appearance changes. In Dress to Kill, he was downright pretty -- heavy makeup, frosted blond curls, high heels and vinyl pants -- but Circle finds him in a more masculine phase, complete with goatee, simple all-black wardrobe (still women's clothes, however) and zero makeup.

So it is that Eddie winds up in this Chicago bar, talking to Playboy.com over wine and cigarettes about going from struggling London street performer to worldwide star -- and doing it on his own terms.

Playboy.com: Your audience gasped when you walked onstage last night -- people seemed shocked at how different you look, compared to Dress to Kill.

Eddie Izzard: It's good if people gasp. I will get locked into this sort of "professional transvestite" thing if I'm not careful, and it's got to be bigger than that. I'm [not] trying to hide from the sexuality thing -- that is what the whole idea of coming out was about. I only bang on about it because nobody else is; there's no information out there. There's just this old information of, "Transvestite equals weird." Gay and lesbian now equals sort of cool, hip, edgy, presentable. Lesbians and gay men have got a much better place, and transvestites are lagging way behind, lost in some sort of frumpy catalog-look thing. That's the thing that puts it into a weird place. When I came out, I thought I could lose the whole career; that was the potential.

Playboy.com: You honestly thought that?

EI: Oh, yes. I mean, how many out transvestites do you know in the public eye? That's why there's a big deal about it. But if all the TV people in the world suddenly came out, you'd find there's a whole bunch of people, and then everyone would just go, "Oh, yeah, yeah -- [another] transvestite." That's where it has to get to. I think now about 80 percent of the people are saying, "I've got enough problems of my own, I'm sorting my own shit out. So if you wanna do that, then off you go."

Playboy.com: Unlike most comedians, you don't have your show scripted -- you're known for making things up as you go along.

EI: I started this tour with entirely Dress to Kill [material], and then gradually ad-lib[bed] stuff and chuck[ed] old stuff out. It's a constant work-in-progress. I don't sit down and write, and then say, "Here's the new show." But I go back to similar themes. It's like Woody Allen in his films, going back to similar themes about relationships in Manhattan. I go back to religion and history.

Playboy.com: But it's so risky to ad-lib and change things every night -- what happens if you blank out, or get stuck?

EI: You can back out of it. If I hit a brick wall or have a problem, it's like I'm in a car: I can back up, turn around and just shoot out of there. But in France, because my French isn't so good, if I hit a brick wall, I have to do a sort of three-point turn. Actually, more of a seven-point turn! [laughs] I have to go back for about four months next time and be really immersed. My French gets phenomenally better -- in two weeks [last time], I went from the equivalent of an eight-year-old's French to about a 14-year-old's French. Et maintenant, je peut parler français.

Playboy.com: It's surprising that no other comedian discusses history as much as you do -- it seems like such a topic gold mine.

EI: I know! It's like a mirror on every decade, and on society, and the changing ways of social interaction. Like, women were more oppressed, and they still are in Islamic societies.... Sorry -- don't know what I'm talking about! [laughs] Well, I [do] know what I'm talking about, but I'm not articulating it very well. My brain's not switched on!

Playboy.com: Speaking of women and equality, you seem very supportive of that, except in Margaret Thatcher's case. You really attack her in this new show.

EI: Thatcher goes on and on supporting military dictators who have been in charge of murder and torture -- supporting a Hitler character -- it's insane. And when she spoke out about it, no one seemed to mention it. I just wanted someone else to say, "This is disgusting." Apparently, when Bush came into power, she was dictating to him, telling him what he had to do. I remember reading this article about how Bush's advisors were going, "What the fuck? We're gonna do what we want!" I can so totally see her being patronizing, saying, "This is what needs to happen," and thinking of herself as a global player. But yeah, it was really unfortunate -- woman gets the power, and she's more obnoxious than any man had been.

Playboy.com: Your audiences get incredibly rowdy; how do you keep that from distracting you?

EI: That comes from street performing. In street performing, there're cars and cats and dogs, and you have to be aware of everything. We used to have street people drunk off their faces just wandering into the shows, and then you'd have to deal with it. We got so fast at being able to sense someone pushing their way through. And then you'd go, "This is my dad over here!" -- you could introduce this guy, make him part of the scene. Or, "This is my manager!" -- that was the classic line you'd use.

Playboy.com: Now you inspire the same wild, worshipful response as rock stars get.

EI: Yes, I know. Everyone claps a bit more than I'd like. That's why I start talking in the middle of it, to stop people applauding. I don't like too much applause unless I think I've been incredibly funny. I think at my best, I can be very funny, but I'll judge it on my standards; I won't trust anyone else's. I'll think, "I've done nothing there; there's nothing worth applauding." That's why, if I touch on something from another show and people start going bananas, I'll think, "God, I've [got] to get rid of that stuff really quickly." There is a certain stage where you do any sort of gesture, and they'll start laughing, and then you're in a situation where you don't want to be. I would encourage all audiences just to be calmer. Before, I had to fight for everything, which I kind of liked.

Playboy.com: In your show, you often turn serious personal experiences into jokes -- like when you talk about how you got beat up because of your transvestitism. Why share such painful things?

EI: If you talk about your weaknesses, it makes them strengths; it makes them unattackable. A lot of people think I'm lying all the time, anyway. If I'm talking about the ancient Greeks, it's obviously nothing I've experienced, but anything to do with me -- they're essentially based in the truth. If you give me an example, I can tell you what's true and what's not.

Playboy.com: All right: in Dress to Kill, and again in Circle, you talk about the big problems you had with losing your virginity.

EI: That was all true. I did lose my virginity at 21. I did lose it before, when I was 20, but she did give it back to me -- or, I thought I'd lost it, and she said, "No, you haven't," and I thought, "What?!" I was sort of [way] ready, just got to this point where I was thinking, "God, just [lose] it!" [laughs]

Playboy.com: Now women throw themselves at you....

EI: Yes, things do change. But I did think, "My God, being a transvestite -- women aren't going to talk to you anymore."

Playboy.com: I'd think that women would like it because it means you can relate to them more.

EI: I know. [But] I didn't think that when I first came out. I just thought it'd be a [big] problem, 'cause you also do hear stories where people have gotten married, and then they say, "I'm actually a transvestite," and [their spouse] says, "Oh, this is horrible! I'm divorcing you tomorrow!" So you think that's going to be the response all the time.

Playboy.com: Do you get stage fright, knowing people's expectations are so high now?

EI: If I get stage fright, then I know I'm not going to do a good show. I need to get very relaxed, because it's only when I'm really relaxed that the really interesting stuff comes. Fear and nervousness don't get me anywhere. It seizes up my brain. I try to cut off from what I'm doing, so it's not really that, "You're going to do a show" -- you have to tell yourself that it's just in a pub with only a few people in it, or something.

Playboy.com: Have you considered moving to America to further your film career?

EI: I don't know if I would necessarily live here, but I love working in film, so I'm going to have to spend time here. It's that thing of being in LA where they'll say, "Well, there's a film coming up; do you want to do a meeting? It's gotta be tomorrow." Someone who's jetting back and forth will go completely insane. So I don't know how that's going to go. People say, "Oh, be careful, 'cause you'll go Hollywood, and then they'll just eat you." And I'm sort of aware of that; I do know the bullshit is there.

Playboy.com: Will you stop doing standup if you keep getting good film and theater roles?

EI: No, I'll do both. If you get into films and start to do well, then the pay is good and great, and then super...fantastic...off-the-scale. If you're getting halfway decent parts, you think, "Well, I could slog around the world doing [stand-up] gigs and earn a similar amount, or just stay in one place and do a film." I can see where it becomes easier to do films. For me, money isn't the key thing, but it is a factor. I intend to keep the standup going because I can control it -- I can play where I want, when I want. It is my rock, my thing that got me off the ground.

Posted 05/03/2000