Vince Vaughn Takes on Menacing Role

N E W   Y O R K, Oct. 25, 2001 -- Actor Vince Vaughn is probably best known for the line "You're money, baby," from the 1996 film Swingers. The line from Vaughn's smooth-talking character became a rallying cry for guys on the prowl.

The 31-year-old actor whose acting debut was in a sex education film, has had some other unusual parts.

He had 2 feet of his intestines pulled out in The Cell with Jennifer Lopez. He stepped into Anthony Perkins' shoes in the remake of Psycho. Despite the rather grisly roles, Movielinemagazine still called him one of the sex symbols of the 21st century,with the best 5 o'clock shadow.

Vaughn is now starring with John Travolta in the new movie, Domestic Disturbance, a thriller.

He spoke with Good Morning America's Charlie Gibson. Here is an unedited version of the transcript:

GIBSON: Nice to have you here.

VAUGHN:Nice to be here. Good morning to you.

GIBSON: Sex symbol of the 21st century and a mean guy in this movie.

VAUGHN: Yeah.

GIBSONMean, nasty.

VAUGHN:Yeah.

GIBSON:Scary guy.

VAUGHN:Yeah.

GIBSON: It's basically the story of the boy who cried wolf?

VAUGHN: Exactly. A boy who cried wolf and what I liked aboutthe material was a lot of times when a married couple splitsup and there's a child involved, they will move on, and they'll datesomeone else, but the child and the new significant other neverreally have a courtship period. They're sort of thrown into a veryintimate situation without ever getting to know each other. And alot of those situations turn out to be good where we have a greatfriendship that develops or a parent/child relationship. But ourmovie sort of deals with, you know, what if the worst-case scenariohappens and you really don't know who it is that's around your child.

GIBSON:Travolta and his (on-screen) wife divorced.

VAUGHN:Very nice man.

GIBSON:Yeah, very nice man. But John Travolta and his wife…

VAUGHN:In the movie divorced.

GIBSON:…divorced.

VAUGHN:We don't want to start a scandal.

GIBSON: Oh, no, no, no. Not Kelly Preston.

VAUGHN:You're so money. You're so money. Am I supposed to say that and behappy?

GIBSON:No, no, no, no. In the movie…

VAUGHN:OK.

GIBSON:…he's divorced from his wife and there are kids. And you come inas the new suitor…

VAUGHN:Yes.

GIBSON:…and you are a murderer.

VAUGHN: I'm kind of a guy with a past, yeah.

GIBSON:Yeah.

VAUGHN:With some problems, with some things happening. And then…

GIBSON: And the kid knows it and can't get anybody to listen.

VAUGHN: Because the kid sort of was acting out early on, and so no one reallysort of takes him seriously because they're just like he'sgoing through a hard time with the divorce.

GIBSON: And you're very menacing, as we will see in this clip, from DomesticDisturbance. (Clip from Domestic Disturbance)

GIBSON: Ooh, oohh, menacing man. As I read about your background, firstfilm you made.

VAUGHN: I know it. Well, this is…yeah, I guess you could call it that. Butwhen I was in high school, I was a junior in high school, and afriend of mine — I grew up outside of Chicago, Lake Forest, Ill.,and I went to…

GIBSON: I'm an Evanston boy.

VAUGHN: Are you really?

GIBSON: Yeah.

VAUGHN: There you go. Are you a Northwestern fan or no?

GIBSON: I am absolutely a Northwestern fan.

VAUGHN: Tough— tough to be but…

GIBSON: Well…

VAUGHN: …but you are. And all the Chicago teams, it's hard for us. Isit the Cubs? Are we going to make it this year? Things don't workout for us.

GIBSON: It never does.

VAUGHN: Yeah, it never does. But I love that story, let me tell it again.But anyway, I went down with a friend who was going to audition forsomething and I got cast in the part. And it was an industrial film,a sex education film. You know where it starts like in a car…

GIBSON: You started in a sex education film?

VAUGHN: I did.

GIBSON: Where the girl says, "No, no, Fred, don't do that."

VAUGHN: We're like in a car sitting together, I believe. Youknow, I never saw it. But the funny thing was once Ileft, it was like shown in my high school, like in the health classor whatever. But, anyway, I was in a car and it's like,"Come on, I think we're ready," and she's like, "I'm not ready," andI'm like, "When is it ever," something like that. She storms out ofthe car.

GIBSON: Ready for what, Vince?

VAUGHN: I don't know what — it's a morning show. You know what I mean?

GIBSON: That's where you start, in a sex educationfilm, and then on you go.

VAUGHN: On you go, man.

GIBSON: And it was shown in your own high school?

VAUGHN: That's right.

GIBSON: Hmm. It's an interesting way to start. When you were shootingthis film down in Wilmington, N.C., there was somepublicity about the fact that there was a disturbance in a bar. AndI never know how to pronounce his name — Steve Buscemi?

VAUGHN: Buscemi. Yeah, he's a great actor, Steve.

GIBSON: Buscemi the terrific actor in the movie…

VAUGHN: Nice man.

GIBSON: And he got cut up pretty badly.

VAUGHN: He didn't get cut up that badly. You know, there was a lot ofmisconceptions about what happened and, you know, thank goodness thetruth has come out with everything. And the actualattacker is in prison as we speak, and you know a lot of…

GIBSON: Do you have to be careful when you are on location for a film? Youknow, going to a local bar, you know, people treat actors a differentway.

VAUGHN: Usually, people are very nice. And with this, you know, like I said,it turned out that this kid was on psychiatric drugs and was drinkingthat night and had threatened to cut up a few different peopleearlier prior to our incident happening — which we had no ideaabout. So you hear very much that it was sort of about celebritiesbeing there, that kind of stuff, but it was just really not — not thecase with this particular…

GIBSON: About a poor unfortunate kid.

VAUGHN: It's about a kid who had some problems and drankand was on some things and sort of flipped out. And you hear that alot with kids today. A lot of these high school disturbances andstuff, it turns out, a lot of time, it turns out they are on Ritalinor some sort of thing so…

GIBSON: Right.

VAUGHN: …you know, I also for me have forgiveness for the kid ultimatelyand hope that after he serves his time that he'll be able tohave a life and be OK. But it's nice that the truthis out about everything and everyone's OK.

GIBSON: Good, good. Well, again, the movie is Domestic Disturbance, opensa week from Friday with John Travolta. You got a terrific careergoing. All the best to you.

VAUGHN: Well, thank you, I appreciate it. Nice talking to you.

GIBSON: Nice to meet you.

VAUGHN: You're so money, man.

GIBSON: I wish. That's Diane. Good Morning America continues, stay with us.