Written By Rick Ellis

For better or for worse, when most people think of Andy Dick, they don't think about his work on hit shows such as "Newsradio." What is stuck in their heads are the numerous appearances in tabloids.

It's a problem that Dick himself acknowledges, and that's part of the reason he takes aim at that public image in the movie "Danny Roane: First Time Director."

The movie is written and directed by Dick, and in a recent phone interview, he said he was proud of the film--even if some people didn't get the joke completely.

Q: I read a number of reviews of the film, and while the reviews were generally pretty positive, they seemed to miss the irony of the role. Most of the reviews said "Yeah, this is a good movie, but Dick is just playing himself." But to me, I thought you were really spoofing your public image in the role.

A: EXACTLY! People have this idea about who I am, and while I'm maybe five or ten percent that guy...I wanted to do something where I took that public image and pushed it as far as it would go.

Q: You said that you're only five or ten percent that guy. That guy is pretty memorable. He drinks too much, parties too hard. I think a lot of people think that's what you do with your life.

A: Yeah, and it's not as if I haven't encouraged that somtimes. But that really isn't me most of the time. People see those pictures of me on TMZ and they think all I do with my life is party. But they don't see the time I spend with my kid, or the time that I spend just hanging out at home.

That's part of the reason I've tried to stay away from everything for the past year and a half or so. I've done a couple of small movie parts, but you haven't see much of me in public. And that's because I wanted people to forget that image of me. So now I can come back hard and remind people about the other Andy.

Q: It's true that tabloids haven't helped your public image much, but you do seem to enjoy tweaking everyone's expectations of you. An there are times when I've gotten the impression that you've just went wild because it seemed like a fun thing to do in public.

A: Well...it's not that it's planned, but sometimes things just happen. Sometimes I do enjoy screwing around with people, but sometimes it just happens.

After I screened the film at South By Southwest, someone write that I was a jerk and that they didn't like me, but they did enjoy the film. Which was cool, I mean, I can see why someone wouldn't have liked me there.

Q: Was there a problem during the screening?

A: No, not then. I had two screenings, and there was some time between them and so I had a couple of drinks to relax. And by the time we got to the Q&A session, I was a little difficult. But it wasn't planned and I was sorry that I came off that way.

Q: Looking back, is that one of those times when you probably should have just concentrated on showing that other 95% of your personality?

A: Well, yeah...but it's not planned, and honestly, I'm not sure that people mind me as much as they say they do in those situations. Sometimes being around me is a bit like a carnival ride, and it's scary and exciting.

Q: In the film, you play a guy whose acting career is washed up, and he decides to write and direct his own film. Which begs the question, do you feel that your public image has affected your acting career?

A: Sometimes. I mean, no, I usually don't feel like it's affecting me, but I'm sure there are some people in Hollywood who have this idea about me, and think I'm not capable of doing certain kinds of roles. So it probably does affect me on some level, I just not conscious of it. It's not as if a producer has said to me "Hey, you would have this role for sure if you weren't such an ass."

Q: I know you're a fan of Andy Kaufman, and sometimes watching you in public, I wonder if you're not drawing on some of the same things he did. It's like you enjoy screwing with people's expectations, even if it costs you work or something in the long term.

A: Oh, I loved Andy Kaufman. And you wonder sometimes what he would be like if he were around today. Whether he would have worn out his welcome and whether people would be bored with him.

Q: Is that something that you worry about for yourself?

A: That's part of the reason that I've laid low for a year and a half. I want people to forget some of the stuff they've seen about me in the past. If they can look at me fresh, they might be willing to accept me in some other things.

Q: You said earlier that you had some stuff coming up soon that was going to put you back in the public eye. Anything you can talk about?

A: Not yet. I have a couple of movie things, and a new TV show that will really blow the door off of things. It's a really wild idea, and not something people have seen before.

Q: Can you tell me anything about the show?

A: Not really. There are all these legal things. I'm not really supposed to talk about it. But I can say that it's really going to blow people's minds.

"Danny Roane: First Time Director" is now available on DVD.