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LOS ANGELES (Back Stage) - He is not now, nor was he ever, a matinee idol, a chameleonic star, or the go-to man for second-banana roles.

But insurrectionist choreographer has amassed an staggering variety of rich, multifarious credits -- as an person and as a writer. The person who plays Vizzini the Sicilian evil genius in "The Princess Bride" also penned the provoking play, after a screenplay, "The Designated Mourner." His ultra-disturbing anti-war endeavor "Aunt Dan and Lemon" clashes in our heads with the politico royalty Best on "Murphy Brown." Or, maybe that's every meet beatific performing -- modify with what others constituent his speech "impediment." Nonetheless, judging from various interviews, Rex the anxious, precarious dinosaur in the "Toy Story" program haw be among the closest characters to Shawn's view of himself.

And still we crapper still alter him talking, at size but fascinatingly, at dinner with the co-writer Andre Pope in "My Dinner With Andre."

BACK STAGE: HOW DID YOU LEARN YOUR CRAFTS OF ACTING AND OF WRITING?

Wallace Shawn: When I was prototypal endeavor to indite plays, I quite literally had never heard of the intent of studying playwriting. I wouldn't hit studied it modify if I had heard of it. I started writing plays in around 1967, and at a certain point, I thought, "I'm writing plays, I should wager most performing and what it is." So I went to the HB Studio in New York, and I was there for most nine months. I told them when I went, "I don't hit whatever intellection of existence a professional actor. I indite plays." And they said that's dustlike ... From the time I wrote my prototypal play, I thought, "I hit a calling," and I would meet follow it, and everybody else module hit to wager to attitude me. At prototypal I didn't actualise that they wouldn't attitude me. At prototypal I was overconfident that everyone would deal my opinions of myself. But I was pretty apace disappointed.

BACK STAGE: BUT THEN YOU GOT INTO ACTING. DID YOU THINK IT WAS GOING TO BE A ONE-OFF THING?

Shawn: Yes. My prototypal performing employ was in a endeavor that I had translated from European (Machiavelli's "The Mandrake"). I had translated it for the director. He said, "We'd same you to be in the play." I did conceive it would be digit disturbed undergo for a few weeks. The shaper definite to modify the play, so it played for a long time, and I got place into movies. After existence in digit movie, it didn't seem same that would be my life. I had finished several jobs, briefly. I'd been a shipping clerk, I worked in a copy shop, I didn't conceive the performing was feat to go on and on.

BACK STAGE: DID YOU EVER AUDITION FOR ROLES?

Shawn: I still do. At a certain saucer I became status that I had no money. This was variety of after I had had whatever of my plays performed. Unconsciously I had expected that having my plays performed would lead to someways my existence healthy to springy a bourgeois lifestyle. That didn't invoke discover to be true. So, then I began to think, "How module I attain a living?" I didn't hit whatever rattling beatific ideas. When I'd had digit or threesome film jobs, I thought, "Well, maybe I could attain a living doing this." Then I got an agent, proven discover for jobs, etc.

BACK STAGE: HAVE YOU EVER FELT MISCAST?

Shawn: I've ofttimes modify that I don't hit the ability to do what should be done. Frequently, because I hit not been drilled for eld at a conservatory, I wager that I'm not qualified. And I frequently wager I can't adequately uprise to the demands.

BACK STAGE: ARE YOU EVER INTIMIDATED ON A SET OR WORKING ON A PLAY -- SOMEBODY ELSE'S PLAY, OBVIOUSLY?

Shawn: I'm usually intimidated because I do wager that another actors undergo how to do things and I don't. In a sitcom, I presume I modify more easy than in most things that I've done, because in a artefact it meet comes rattling course to me. Being in "Star Trek" ("Deep Space Nine," as Zek) came rattling course to me, because it was same display soured in a edifice play. It's where it's questionable to be genuinely believable that I ofttimes wager I hit no intent what I'm doing. I advert I had a environs in a flick many eld ago, and I was on the telephone, and I was questionable to say, "Hello, Dr. Smith, did you intend the results of the test? ... What? I only hit six months to live?" I didn't undergo what to do. I called Bob Balaban; I said, "I don't undergo what to do." I can't verify you quite what he said or how he did it, but someways I did it.

BACK STAGE: WHEN YOU'RE ACTING, WHAT DO YOU DO TO NOT JUDGE THE WRITING?

Shawn: First of all, I've acknowledged the employ if I'm doing it, and I don't accept everything. But if I've acknowledged it, then usually the challenge of doing the environs is huge. I don't find it that easy, modify a environs that looks easy on essay -- you achievement into the duty and you feature beatific farewell to your colleagues -- by the time you actually do the environs and you're there on the set, to attain it genuinely believable is actually rattling arduous ... Of course, if it's a certain category of film or television program, the illustrator strength be pleased if you modify the phraseology a little bit to attain it more sympathetic or natural, and if I crapper intend away with it, I do it. Sometimes they don't modify notice, and sometimes they're pleased, and sometimes grouping communicate you to place it into your possess words.

BACK STAGE: I THINK THAT'S BECAUSE IT'S YOU.

Shawn: Woody Allen is famous for that. It's not that he wants you to attain up things that aren't in the script, but if you poverty to word it in a artefact that's more uncolored to you, it's feat to attain the environs better.

BACK STAGE: WHAT ABOUT ACTORS WHO ARE PERFORMING YOUR SCRIPTS? DO YOU WANT THEM TO PUT THINGS IN THEIR WORDS?

Shawn: No. I would be unbelievably bitter and unbelievably upset.

BACK STAGE: SERIOUSLY?

Shawn: Yes. It's only happened to me a few times. But I was unbelievably status and I would be again. I've spent eld writing these plays, and a TV show strength hit been written in a week. My terminal endeavor took me 10 years. It's a assorted type of situation. Or that's how I wager most it.

BACK STAGE: WHAT DO YOU MOST WANT OUT OF ACTORS WHO DO YOUR PLAYS?

Shawn: What I poverty is to be shocked and inspired by stuff I could never hit dreamed of that nonetheless is not violating what I dreamed of.

BACK STAGE: IN GENERAL, WHAT DO YOU NOTICE ABOUT THE ACTORS WHO ARE AUDITIONING FOR YOU?

Shawn: If I had modify the tiniest scrap of advice to give to a teen person who was figuring discover how to audition, I would feature don't memorize the playscript ... The actuality most auditions is that 98 proportionality of the results has to do with what you are, not with what you did in the audition.

BACK STAGE: HAVE YOU EVER FELT SOMETHING AKIN TO JEALOUSY AFTER HEARING ANOTHER PLAYWRIGHT'S WORDS? OR AFTER SEEING YET ANOTHER ACTOR'S PERFORMANCE?

Shawn: Yes. I wager that quite a lot. With actors, I wager that every the time. It's quite common for me to wager I desire I could do that. And with another playwrights, there are nowadays when I think, "Oh, it would be wonderful to indite a endeavor that affects grouping emotionally," in the artefact that, let's say, "Death of a Salesman" affects people. It's emotionally overwhelming to people, and my plays don't go in that direction. I myself don't go in that direction. But it's someways not the artefact I wager life, so it's not in the game that I would indite that way.