Albert Brooks: A Man of Style

He is the kind of guy who can take a compliment.

Right now, Albert Brooks and I are discussing his enduring sex appeal.

Me: To this day, many people believe Holly Hunter made the wrong choice in "Broadcast News." She should have chosen your character Aaron Altman."

Albert Brooks: "Yes, she probably picked the wrong person. To me there was never a question. But just by saying that you're getting ten extra minutes in this interview."

On a weekday afternoon, the comic legend calls from the set of his new Judd Apatow comedy where he's playing Paul Rudd's father.

Unlike his current film "Drive," where Brooks goes against type and plays a mobster, he says that no one is being whacked today.

"You can put this out there: I do not kill Paul Rudd," he says. "I don't usually kill. Did you see me kill Debbie Reynolds in 'Mother?' No. Did I kill Meryl? No. People are safe with me…usually."

In his new critically acclaimed film "Drive," however, the 64-year-old actor sticks a knife into Bryan Cranston's arm and says in a gentle, but menacing voice, "Don't worry. It won't hurt.'"

Albert says that he is tougher than he looks.

ALBERT BROOKS: CHANGING HIS STYLE

Me: You're playing a mobster? Really!

AB: "Don't you think I can take care of business?"

Me: "Um….well…." Visions of his great nebbish characters in "Lost in America" and "Mother" float through my head.

AB: "I'm a strong fellow, I don't go around slugging people but I can take care of myself."

He decides to prove his toughness.

 "There's one scene in this movie where I have this guy up against a wall," Brooks says. "We did the scene over and over and I had to pin this actor by his collar as hard as I could. The actor kept saying to me, 'Do it harder. Do it harder!'

"On take 14, in the middle of shooting, the guy's eyes roll to the back of his head and he loses consciousness for real," says Brooks. "I thought he was really dead. "

Wait, this is the same Albert Brooks who couldn't defend his life in "Defending Your Life?"

"I mean, all of a sudden, I'm holding a guy by his collar and he isn't supporting his own weight and falls to the ground," Brooks marvels. "The director had a look in his eye like, 'I don't want a dead person on my set. Maybe you went too far.'"

 Luckily, the actor came to after a few seconds, had a few sips of water and then Brooks says, "We did another take."

Okay, maybe he is tougher than he looks.

SIT ON YOUR SUIT

Brooks says that he is a man of style. You can find him looking dapper at premieres in dark Armani suits. He's known for his casual daily look of slacks and sweaters.

He did change things forever for men when it came to sitting down in suits thanks to that scene in "Broadcast News."

"I told William Hurt's character to always sit on his suit jacket. It's good advice for men and women," he says. "Now, a generation of men always sit on their suit jackets to make it look smooth…regardless if they're doing the news or not."

It's his contribution to fashion.

Of course, he also had a scene in that movie that showed one of the ultimate male fashion disasters. His flop sweat scene is stuff of legend.

"Now, people are so afraid of sweating and they still relate it to me. I've replaced Louie Armstrong as the go-to sweat guy," he frets.

He does keep in great shape sweating it out at home…where he often runs into one of his old films.

"If I'm on the treadmill and one of my old films is on I'll watch 20 minutes of it. But I limit myself to doing this only once every six years. And I'll try to forget that I'm the film."

TWITTER KING

If you want your daily dose of Brooks, you should follow him on Twitter where he corresponds regularly with his pal Steve Martin.

"I started Twittering against my will and now I don't get paid for it. I'm going to be in bad shape if the rest is my life is all for free. Plus, I sit at home and think, 'Is this Tweet good?'

"By the way, I've never met Steve Martin in my life except on Twitter," he says. "Hollywood!"

STYLE GOES STRONG'S MONEY WELL SPENT

LIFE GOES STONG ASKS CELEBS: What is the one of the best things you've spent money on in your life?

Albert Brooks: "Private school for my kids. Please don't get me started on this topic. If you're lucky enough you've saved enough money to send your kids to private school. I want mine to have a class size that's reasonable so the teacher actually knows their name. "

"Some people ask me if my kids think I'm cool because I have done voices on 'The Simpsons.' No, my kids think I'm cool because I'm paying for private school," he jokes. " At least, that's what I tell them every morning. I say, 'How come you're going to school?' and they say a chorus of 'Because of you.'"

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