One of the least likely men to take over the world is slowly doing so. Rob Schneider’s “Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo” now takes the Euro for payment.
“Deuce Bigalow is an international movie,” Schneider told The News during a telephone conference call in April. “People would yell out ‘Deuce!’ in all different [parts of Europe].”
Schneider, who was the star of the original “Deuce Bigalow,” said he has a soft spot for the character and felt inspired to make a follow up, “Deuce Bigalow: European Gigalow,” which hits theatres Aug. 12.
“People were saying they wanted to do a sequel and we figured different gigolos (from another continent) would be funny,” Schneider said, later joking he really just wanted an excuse to travel abroad. He added: “I wanted to go to Amsterdam for a few months, go to coffee shops, sample hookers.
“I think Europeans are willing to do crazier stuff. They’ll do the Turkish Snowcone or the Belgian Steamer.”
Filmed primarily in the Netherlands, the new film centers around the good-natured fish tank cleaner, Deuce, getting pulled back into prostitution when his former pimp T.J. Hicks (Eddie Griffin) becomes a suspect in the murders of several prominent European gigolos. To prove his innocence, Hicks wants Deuce to return to man-whoring undercover.
The bad guys of the film are the “European Union of prosti-dudes (The Man-Whore Society)” who provide competition for Deuce’s escort abilities. While fighting back the prosti-dudes, Deuce must put up with some rather unusual women looking for a sensual evening. Most of these women are as repulsive in some way as in the original “Deuce,” but this time Schneider’s overwhelmed escort meets one woman he does find attractive, Eva (Hanna Verboom), who unfortunately suffers from acute obsessive-compulsive disorder and works in the porn industry.
While this movie has some of the same types of gags, Schneider said he teamed up with former writers for “The Simpsons” to come up with ideas to take the story to a more extreme level.
“It was a little harder than the first,” Schneider said regarding how to do something different without going too far. “You’ve got the penis nose and the hole in the throat. But we had to take it to another level. Some audiences were shocked.”
Schneider said the way Deuce deals with the ridiculous situations he’s prone to is what he focuses his comedy on.
“I like the John Cleese theory of comedy,” Schneider said. “What’s funnier? Watching a guy freak out or watching someone watch someone freak out?”
He went on to list some of his comedic influences as a child, including Cleese’s Monty Python comedy troupe, Richard Pryor, Gene Wilder and Mel Brooks.
When asked about criticism, Schneider took a few moments to defend himself and his acting, pointing out the distinction between dramatic and comedic acting.
“People don’t ask Andre (Agassi) ‘Hey Andre, you’ve been a top-five tennis player – ever thought about pro bowling?'” he said.
Schneider reacted particularly sensitively to the subject of a Los Angeles Times article in which Times staff writer Patrick Goldstein belittled Schneider as a “Third-Rate Comic.” Schneider admitted that it was actually him who took out a full-page ad in Variety magazine featuring a letter of retort shortly after. (The original story and ad can be found at www.defamer.com.)
“So many critics slam people and [Goldstein] wasn’t even talking about my movie, he was trashing Hollywood,” Schneider said. “I mean I’m funnier than him, smarter than him and I guarantee I know more about film than him.”
Schneider also offered tips for those interested in following his steps in becoming a gigolo.
“Start off with a good waxing,” he joked. “It’s very important for a gigolo to be smooth. Go to the gym once a month … and it’s not just about sex – listen to a woman.”
Despite his penchant for pimping, Schneider is still keeping comedy his primary concern.
“I just hope people have a good laugh at this one,” he said.
