Illustration: Rob Kelly

David Schwimmer doesn’t wish to be recognized. To that end he’s seldom seen in public without a baseball cap pulled low on his head and a freaked-out caged-animal kind of look in his eyes. “Some fans don’t have boundaries, so it’s up to you to set them,” he explains, “because they would literally take you home with them if they could.”

Since Friends ended in 2004, the actor-director’s solution to the problem has been to spend more time behind the camera. His full-length directorial debut, the Michael Ian Black–penned Run Fat Boy Run, is a sweetly sincere romantic comedy starring Simon Pegg as a ne’er-do-well who vows to actually complete something—in this case a marathon—to prove to his ex (Thandie Newton) that he can change. TONY chatted with Schwimmer, a good-natured but admittedly guarded 41-year-old Tribeca resident, at Bubby’s, where he had a cup of chili, a tuna sandwich on whole wheat and fries. We didn’t even slip up and call him Ross.

When did you realize you wanted to direct?
A long time ago—in high school, actually. I always hoped to direct film someday, but it takes over a year, so I couldn’t do it while I was doing the TV show. I just find it really rewarding; it’s more intellectually satisfying than acting. Acting’s more intuitive and emotional, and directing is much more intellectual.

What did you like about this movie in particular?
It had real heart to it. I laughed out loud at some of the scenes when I read the script, but I found myself really moved by the end of the story. Finding the balance was tricky. You don’t want to go too schmaltzy; on the other hand you don’t want to go too broad.

How does working with a monkey compare with working with a child compare with working with Run Fat Boy Run star Simon Pegg?
Um, on a sliding scale, awful to fabulous.

This movie was originally set in New York, then it up and switched to London. Is New York not good enough for you?I wanted to shoot here, but the script was bought by a London company and their mission is to make films there. So suddenly I found myself the director of a British comedy. We had to rewrite the script to anglicize it. Luckily, Simon Pegg is both a great actor and a great writer and he did the rewrite.

Are you a runner?
Not long-distance like in the movie. I run more for pleasure or on the treadmill mostly.

Did you find your lack of experience running marathons to be a detriment?
No. Good follow-up!

Thanks. I’m not just going to launch softballs at you. How did you feel about taking a fat person’s role away from a true fat person?
[Laughs] I felt okay about it. It’s funny because Simon was actually much heavier when I first talked to him about the role, but suddenly when he shot Hot Fuzz he had to get into incredible shape, and when we shot [Fat Boy] he literally didn’t have time to gain the weight back.

Can I ask you a Friends question?
Okay.

Wow, you just grimaced. You winced a little.
I’m wary.

Did it ever frustrate you to play such a wimpy character?
What frustrated me was that the character didn’t start out that way, but as new writers came onto the show it became a caricature. He became less credible, and I think I take responsibility for allowing myself to go along with that in a way. But it’s hard, you lose perspective; it’s a very subtle change, until six years later you’re like, Wait a minute, I’m this guy? Having said all that, I’m still immensely proud of the show, and the standard of writing I thought to the end was pretty excellent.

When you see it on TV, what do you do?
I’ll probably go past it or go, Oh my God, that’s what we looked like? I can’t bring myself to watch. Maybe when I have kids I’ll introduce them to it and discover the whole show over again, but I get embarrassed. Watching your own work is a strange thing.

Run Fat Boy Run opens Mar 28, 2008.

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