Dane Cook, for those of you not ‘in the know,’ is a stand-up comedian and actor. He has released two albums, “Harmful If Swallowed” and “Retaliation,” the latter of which went double platinum and became the highest-charting comedy album in twenty-eight years.

Cook performs on many television shows and in the fall of 2006 performed in his own HBO special, Vicious Circle. As an actor, Cook has appeared in fifteen films since 1997, including Mystery Men and Waiting, and starred in the 2006 comedy Employee of the Month with Jessica Simpson.

This year, Cook couldn’t be in films that are more different than each other - Mr. Brooks, a movie with Kevin Costner about a serial killer, and Good Luck Chuck, a good old-fashioned, vulgar comedy with comes out this fall and co-stars Jessica Alba.

Delaware County Magazine: Were you the class clown?

Dane Cook: In school I was pretty quiet. Kinda shy until my junior year. But at home I was a freak. I’d rub peanut butter on my face and dance to Disco Mickey Mouse albums to make my family laugh.

DCM: When did you begin Standup? After high school?

Cook: It was right after graduation, I went to Harvard Square open mic night. David Croft was the host, and just randomly pulled names. Well, it was about halfway through the night, and David Croft called out, “Ernest Glenn”...there was a pause, and with that pause I knew he wasn’t there, or at least not going to go on stage...so I raised my hand and said,“I'm Ernest Glenn!” So, my 1st five minutes of standup was as someone else. I should try to get in touch with Ernest and thank him.

DCM: What are your favorite topics to talk about?

Cook: Anything. I don't write any of my material down, I like to improvise and be spontaneous. The day of the show, I may see something new that I think would be cool to put in the act, like today... “Have you ever seen a mannequin that you’d like to have sex with...well I saw one today...” Every joke has its origin. The ‘punching people in the face’ joke. I got into a fight once and you know, it hurts like hell to get punched in the face. But, that split second afterwards there is that sensation that feels sooooo good, so I had to talk about it.

DCM: Do you consider yourself funny or do you think you could always be a little funnier? Are you a perfectionist?

Cook: Yes, I do think I am funny or I wouldn't be where I am today. I do think there is always room for improvement and learning. So, I can always get better. [Chuckles] A lot of my Ex-girlfriends don’t think I’m funny. They’re like, “don't think you joking around can get you out of this one, Dane.”

DCM: What was your worst gig?

Cook: It was at the Rock of Boston. Al and the Monkey's in '93 or '94, it was a huge show. We thought we were the opening act, but we ended up being after the Spin Doctors. We got on stage which was set up for music and not comedy. Maybe a third of the people could hear us...all of a sudden, we see lighters going up in the air and the crowd singing. They started throwing stuff like shoes, shirts, lighters, cups, anything they could get their hands on. I turned around and told the other guys we should get the hell off the stage.

DCM: Have you ever had a person in the audience heckle you while you were on stage, and how did you deal with it?

Cook: Early on, some guy was heckling me, so I told him if he wanted to talk crap for him to get on stage, so he did. He came on stage, things happened, and I ended up getting in a fight with the guy. The mic volume was already loud to begin with and when I hit him repeatedly with the mic the feedback was soo loouuud...Don't heckle me during a show with my mom there, she thinks she’s the bouncer as well as my mother and will toss ya. No B.S.

DCM: Who is the coolest star you have met so far in your career? Not most famous, but the coolest!

Cook: Vince Vaughn. He is a genuine person, awesome guy. He’ll come to a lot of my shows. It’s not that often that you can meet someone as cool as Vince.

DCM: Tell us about your new comedy film, Good Luck Chuck.

Cook: I play Charlie, who’s a guy who has unwittingly become a good luck charm to the women around him. The word on the street has it that if they sleep with Charlie, they’ll then find the perfect man and marry him, which means Charlie is destined to live out a life of perpetual one-night stands and never settle down himself. But when he meets Jessica Alba’s Cam, he decides to attempt to break this “good luck” curse once and for all.

DCM: What was it like working with Jessica Alba?

Cook: Jessica will surprise everybody with her physical comedy in this film, which she really went for 100 percent! She hurt herself a couple of times falling. There was this one scene we were shooting where Jessica and I were kissing in a very aggressive way, and we both chipped our teeth. [Laughter] And Jessica actually lost a molar I think. [Laughter] And we kept going. There are a lot of good pratfalls as well. I got hurt a bit. My back was sore a lot.

DCM: Is there a secret to good comedy?

Cook: Good timing and delivery. Some amateur guys take too long to tell a joke or don’t tell it right. You either have it or you don’t.