Minneapolis-born actor Vince Vaughn is laid-back to the point of inertia. His laconic charms worked to great effect in Swingers, Made, and Old School; less so in pretty much everything else he's done - including the pointless shot-for-shot remake of Psycho; Jennifer Lopez misfire The Cell; and John Travolta thriller Domestic Disturbance. Playing DodgeBall's unambitious gym owner Peter La Fleur gives him his best leading man role to date, and he follows the sports comedy with an intriguing bunch of pics: Anchorman, Thumbsucker, Get Shorty sequel Be Cool, and Brad Pitt/Angelina Jolie thriller Mr And Mrs Smith.

You're quoted as saying you found DodgeBall to be rather similar to The Wizard Of Oz. Can you explain why?

I was referring to the performances. In the movie a lot of the characters are extreme and exceptional, in a way. Playing the lead in a movie where a lot of characters are that extreme, I felt like Dorothy in The Wizard Of Oz - someone who allows the audience to see the film through their eyes.

Are there any similarities between you and your character, Peter La Fleur, a man whose gym proudly proclaims that failure is an option?

I never have been a big workout person per se, so there is that similarity between me and Peter La Fleur. I really like that, although he's accepting of Average Joe's gym and glad that these people who don't necessarily fit in - in a mainstream way - have a place to go, Peter's not particularly motivated to save the gym; he's reluctant to do that.

When you consider your body of work - Old School, Starsky & Hutch, going right back to Swingers - you've kind of got this image of being a Dean Martin for the new millennium - the coolest white man in the movies...

I take offence at the white part.

But is it difficult to live up to your image as this icon of cool?

Not really. Even from the beginning with Swingers - I always thought the success of that film came from an innocence that those guys weren't really that cool. And sadly it was based on me and Jon [Favreau]. We were surprised that the characters were seen as cool - in fact, the last scene of the movie where I think a girl is hitting on me and really she's talking to a child, hit the nail on the head. I think if there's any cool in it, it's the geekiness and awkwardness that people can relate to. [Ben Stiller interjects: I have to say that, after hanging out with Vince, that persona is not a put-on thing, it's just a natural part of his personality.]

The characters in DodgeBall all learn important life lessons in the movie. Did you learn any on the set?

I did learn a life lesson. Not exercising for a long period of time and then running a lot without stretching is a bad idea, and I would like to pass that on if I could.

This is the third movie you and Ben have made in 2004 (following Starsky & Hutch and Anchorman). Are you looking for projects to do together?

I've always been a big fan of Ben's, starting with the show that he did [The Ben Stiller Show]. When we were younger, we did a short for MTV, a comedy sketch; Zoolander really was just a cameo; and Starsky & Hutch not so much. This was really the first time we were able to do a film and actually have scenes together. It was a lot of fun for me and, no, we will not work together ever again. [Laughs]

Was there any sport at school you were hopeless at?

I did play sports in school, but I was good enough to make the team. Above average athlete but not any great shakes at any of them. I liked American football and baseball - although I was horrible at that. I wrestled from 5th grade through my freshman year of high school, but at a certain point that wasn't interesting any more.