A "League" of Ordinary Gentlemen

We've all had that dream. The one where that girl completely out of our league -- Jessica Alba, Megan Fox, Angelina Jolie, or even your best friend's sister -- is somehow attracted to you and you're wondering just how this happened.

This is the experience that Jay Baruchel's character has in the new romantic comedy, "She's Out of My League."

The film tells the tale of a Transportation Security Administration employee, Kirk, who is satisfied with his life. He doesn't have any higher aspirations. He's content to work from 9-5, hang out with his high school buddies, and pine after his ex-girlfriend. It isn't until Molly, played by Alice Eve, walks into his security checkpoint, that his life changes.

The consequences of their meeting are relatively normal. She forgets her cell phone and he returns it. She thanks him and offers to take him to a hockey game. He accepts. Comedy ensues.

Kirk cannot understand what she sees in him. After all he's just average, a 5, while she is the epitome of perfection, a 10. It is this disparity in rankings that creates the circumstances for hilarity.

I had the opportunity to interview both Jay Baruchel and Nate Torrence, who plays one of Kirk's high school friends and, let me tell you, they are remarkably similar to you and me.

The interview started out as a serious affair. The other reporters and I were forced to call in exactly on time and wait for roll call. After roll call was announced, we were given a series of guidelines we were to follow, keep on topic, be respectful to the other reporters and not speak out of turn. It was as if we were a rowdy bunch of teens in a high school class.

So when the interview started, I was understandably nervous.

Those butterflies lasted about 30 seconds. Both Jay and Nate had a way of easing the conversation. Instead of viewing them as celebrities who were to be feared, I started to see them as people who just happened to work in the entertainment industries as actors.

With that in mind, I asked my first question.

It was a simple question. It wasn't even about the two actors themselves. Rather I asked how it felt to work with the director, knowing that it was the director's first time working on a feature film.

Instead of some rote response, I got a glimpse of what it was like to work in Hollywood.

The director, Jim Field Smith, is new to feature films and to Hollywood. He started out as a sketch comedy actor and director, and that skill set allowed him to let the actors sort of muck about on-screen. He let them bring their characters to life by improving and ad-libbing, but at the same time keeping them on task.

They finished their answer by telling me that the director was a funny guy, that he was wired for comedy and that he was never worried. They compared working on the film to going to a summer camp.

Then, as if my question was too serious, another reporter asked them what their best April Fool's Day prank was.

The floodgates opened. The two actors started laughing and reminiscing and finally came up with their all-time favorites.

Nate Torrence opened up by taking it back to the fourth grade. He saran-wrapped the toilet and put baby powder on every fan in the house. By his standards today, he agrees that the tricks were relatively simple, but remembering his point of view as a kid Torrence said, "I was in the 4th grade and this was the greatest prank ever."

Jay Baruchel simply stated, "I applied hand lotion to a phone and called said phone," leaving the rest to imagination.

Those were only a couple of the questions that they answered.

The rest were along similar veins. No matter the question, they took it in stride, made us feel like welcome rather than inquisitive strangers and generally showed us a good time. So this one is for you guys.

Enjoy.