Woody Harrelson: 'Most folks don't have much patience for actors with the movie-star blues'

Woody Harrelson, 41, began his acting career as an understudy in a New York production of Biloxi Blues. By the mid-Eighties, he was in the sitcom Cheers. Since then, he has made a successful film career, starring in White Men Can't Jump, Natural Born Killers and The People vs Larry Flynt. He lives in Hawaii with wife, Laura Louie, and their two daughters, Deni Montana and Zoe Giordano. Harrelson is currently in the West End with Kyle MacLachlan in On an Average Day.

What happened with you and that London cab driver?

I couldn't get the ashtray to open; it came off in my hand. The cab driver starts yelling at me, and I have this thing where I can only take being yelled at four times. I got upset and I said "stop the car" and he sped up. The car stops and I manage to get out, but then he starts chasing me. Eventually the cops arrive, and there's sirens and a sea of blue, all over an ashtray. I spent the night in jail but the cops were real gentlemen. The sum total is I was an idiot.

Will On an Average Day be your UK stage debut?

Yeah, I'm really excited about it; it's a real privilege to do something in the West End, where so many great actors and directors have worked.

Tell me a little about your character...

My character, Robert, is living alone andhas some heavy stuff going on in his life. His father abandoned him when he was seven and his brother raised him until he was about 15, but he left him too. The play begins with the return of the brother, so there is a lot to be resolved.

Why did you return to the theatre?

Most folks don't have much patience for actors with the movie-star blues. But I was getting the feeling that I was doing all these film projects that may or may not pan out the way I wanted them to. But with theatre, you are a lot more part of the process.

How did you get started in acting?

I was in the library at school one time when some buddies of mine from the football team said "Come on Woody, do your Elvis". Before I knew it I started singing "Well bless my soul, what's wrong with me". I jumped up on the table and was doing my little Elvis dance and everybody loved it. A girl from the theatre group asked me if I had ever thought about doing theatre – I was more of a jock, but I said I was interested.

You became a TV star as Woody Boyd in Cheers – whom were you closest to among the cast?

Ted Danson was always the big brother figure – probably to most of the cast, and certainly to me.

What advice would you give to someone dealing with fame?

Most people take it pretty badly and just go crazy – I was no exception. But I feel like I've come out of it with my spirit still intact.

What do you think Woody would be doing now?

Well, Kelsey Grammer went off to Seattle and every once in a while he will mention something about Cheers on Frasier. That's how I know that Woody is still at the bar.

Describe your perfect day.

It would take place in Hawaii, where I live. I'd pick my breakfast off a tree – some mango, banana, papaya. Me and the kids would run down to the ocean, play in the surf. I'd just hang with my family. About three years ago, I stopped needing success.

You're a vegan, no coffee, sugar, additives – do you miss these?

I used to love chicken livers fried in flour. The way my mom prepared it, it was scrumdiddlyicious. Also, mom used to make Paris Puffins: a little muffin rolled in brown sugar and butter. But it's a long time since I have had something like that.

You are keen on promoting the use of hemp

Absolutely. One of Henry Ford's early cars was partly constructed from a resin derived from hemp. The philosophy was that everything that can be made from a hydrocarbon can be made from a carbohydrate. You can make paint, varnish, construction devices, clothing, fuel, paper...

Do hemp shirts shrink in the washing machine?

There is minor shrinkage.

You're quite political about the fact that you use marijuana

I am not that political. I think that it's absurd that you throw people in jail for smoking a joint when alcohol is more destructive.

What work are you proudest of?

I would say Larry Flynt, or The Hi-Lo Country.

Is there a film that you wish you had been in?

James Brooks asked me to do Jerry Maguire and I said I don't think anyone is going to care that much about an agent. Also, I wanted to play the character that Greg Kinnear played in As Good As It Gets, the gay next-door neighbour.

What are you reading now?

I am reading Opening the Dragon Gate, the biography of a Taoist wizard. It's pretty wild.

What was the last CD you bought?

I just got the new Red Hot Chili Peppers album By the Way – it's fantastic.

A friend of mine came up with a sequel to White Men Can't Jump – it's called Black Men Can't Swim, in which Wesley Snipes stars as a guy who hangs out at swimming pools, hustling white swimmers into races. Do you think he'd go for it?

I'll talk to him and see what he says.

'On an Average Day', 25 July - 27 October, Comedy Theatre, London. Box office: 020-7369 1731