Funnyman Jason Segel works eight-day weeks (yes, eight!), so he barely has time to sleep, let alone have a girlfriend. Since he's single, he tells iVillage exclusively that he wants "someone who's nice. Funny helps, but nice comes first." Maybe that's because Segel's sense of humor -- which he says helps him with the ladies -- is enough for two people!
The solo actor, 30, has a lot on his plate right now. He's promoting Gulliver's Travels (costarring Jack Black and Emily Blunt), is on CBS' How I Met Your Mother and is starring in 2011's Muppets movie, which he also wrote. The actor took some time out of his busy schedule to chat with iVillage about whether he'll do full-frontal again like in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, why he thinks his fame could "end tomorrow" and which Muppet is his favorite (hint: It's not Kermit!).
Are you single?
I am. Absolutely. Still single.
Do you always sing Prince lyrics (like your character Horatio did in Gulliver's Travels) to get women?
(Laughs) No, I don't. I usually try to write an original song.
Does your sense of humor help with the ladies?
Yeah, it's all I got really. Sense of humor and the cash!
In a recent interview, you said the toughest part of Gulliver's Travels was playing someone who Emily Blunt would be attracted to. Do you really believe that?
I don't know if it's the toughest part, but it really helped with the role because I had to feel like she was above my station in life, you know? So I think that actually really helped that I'm intimidated by Emily.
Some of us at iVillage are thinking of starting a "Make Jason Segel the Sexiest Man Alive" campaign.
I would highly encourage it. And, good luck! (Laughs) That would be very impressive!
Thank you for not leaving How I Met Your Mother even though you have a big movie career now.
Well, of course. It's sort of my family, you know. We've been together six years now. It's the longest I've known a group of people besides my family, if that makes any sense. I've watched them have babies -- well, not literally (laughs) -- and we've just really grown up together. It's a really special thing in my life.
You signed a contract for eight seasons of How I Met Your Mother. Will you be done after that?
I would have to see how I felt at eight seasons. I think once you've done your contract, you've done everything that you said that you would do. So I wouldn't feel like it was abandoning ship or anything like that. Eight years is a good long time. But you know I love working on the show and I love my cast and crew so I think I'll play it by ear when I get there.
Your schedule must be crazy right now.
Yeah right now it's seven day weeks because I'm shooting Muppets at the same time, but again, How I Met Your Mother bends over backwards to make the schedule work so that I can do both. So I shoot the TV show Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and I shoot the movie Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. In a weird sort of way it's eight-day weeks because Tuesdays I double dip.
Do you sleep?
In all honesty, on those nights I sleep in my dressing room.
That's impressive.
It's just raw desperation.
Why? You're doing so well.
I had a moment when I was about 19 when I felt like I was about to be set, right after Freaks and Geeks. And it didn't pan out. Everything went away. So in the back of my mind is still the notion that it can all end tomorrow. So while I have the chance, I'm going to try to accomplish my dreams.
You wrote Forgetting Sarah Marshall, but Muppets took you three years to write. Does it hold a special place in your heart?
It does. The Muppets are actually something that was really important in my life and I've been such a tremendous fan. And when all of a sudden I realized that I had an opportunity to not only just work with The Muppets but help bring The Muppets to a generation of kids so they can experience what I got to experience, I was just over the moon. And it's certainly a lot of pressure and it's scary at times, but I feel awfully proud.
So you are feeling pressure?
I don't feel any pressure in terms of success or box office gross or anything like that. I feel pressure to do justice to the essence of what The Muppets is to me. That's all that I care about. If this makes any sense, I want the puppeteers to be happy. The guys who worked on the original Muppets movies and who remember that period in time. I want those guys to be proud, you know?
You got emotional when you first met Kermit. Was he always your favorite?
I loved Kermit, and he's also the icon, but I have a real soft spot for Fozzie Bear. He's great. He's never said a bad thing about anyone. He's so sweet and he wants Kermit to be happy. His jokes are terrible but he keeps on telling them. He still calls Kermit sir after 30 years.
What are you doing when you're done with The Muppets?
I start filming another movie that I wrote with my writing partner Nick Stoller that he will direct and Judd (Apatow) will produce. It's called Five-Year Engagement. It's about a couple who gets engaged in their mid-twenties and it follows them over five years of just how fluid relationships are, breakups and the power dynamic shifting and things like that.
Will you be getting naked like you did in Forgetting Sarah Marshall?
You never know. I said I wouldn't do full frontal again, but I don't know. If you can get me world's sexiest man, I will do full frontal again. How about that?
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