LAC: And your other project is a big one based on the best-selling Garth Stein novel, The Art of Racing in the Rain, which is a story told from the perspective of a dog. Tell me about that project.
PD: I’m working with Original Film [and Universal Pictures] and I’m producing it—and will hopefully star in it. It’s a very tricky book to bring to the screen, so finding the right screenwriter is very important, and that’s the process we’re in right now. The question is how do you crack the point of view of the dog? And because the book was so beloved, there’s a lot of responsibility to the fans who adored the book. Hopefully they’ll feel the same about the movie.
LAC: Is this the first project you’re producing?
PD: I have a couple other things I’m working on as well. I really want to go into producing and certainly think it’s very important to control the material and go out and find things that are right for you and not wait for the phone to ring.
LAC: I can’t do this interview without mentioning the hair. Is there a lot of pressure to maintain such a perfect coif?
PD: Sometimes I just don’t want to deal with it, and I just throw on a hat. I don’t want to have to worry about my hair, but it’s funny because if I go out and I’m having a bad hair day and the paparazzi take a picture—that’s all people talk about. It’s really curly. I’m just glad it’s not falling out.
LAC: You’re married with twins and a daughter and you seem to have a really strong relationship. We see Hollywood couples breaking up every day. What’s your secret to maintaining such a great family?
PD: I have an amazing, supportive wife, Jillian, who is moonlighting her own career with Avon and as a freelance makeup artist, and I think that helps tremendously. It gives us a chance to work together and spend time together. It just gets better and better over time. We’ve been married 10 years now. I think relationships just get deeper and better as they go along. They sort of grow. I think our children too have really enhanced our love for each other. Having children is a tremendous thing—at the end of the day that’s what it’s all about. It keeps you grounded. It keeps you exhausted. It wipes you out.
LAC: Can you tell us some of your and Jillian’s favorite Los Angeles places to eat?
PD: Il Ristorante di Giorgio Baldi and, for sushi, Katsuya. We don’t get a chance to get out that often, but those are our two favorites.
LAC: Lastly, I know it has been a long road for you in terms of your career. You were a part of such classic movies as Can’t Buy Me Love and Loverboy early on, but it’s been a long haul to get to where you are today. Does it somehow feel sweeter because it’s come after so much work and time?
PD: Absolutely. You feel like you get the joke of it and you get how special it is to have it. And you realize how quickly it can go away, so you might as well enjoy the moment while it’s here. To never get caught up in believing your own hype is the key. Having gone through that, I’ve kind of experienced everything, which I think has really prepared me for what’s happened with the show and certainly everything else that’s going on with my career.
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