Did you offer any sort of ideas for the technology in the film?

No, I'm not the MacGyver like he is. He's really like on a different level. You have to be an expert to know that you can take a baby camera apart and to be able to set it up like that. I have no idea — the wireless and all that — I can hook my computer up, but that's just because I can take the green plug and put it into the green outlet. I'm not the real technological —

So you have a Dell?

I don't have a Dell. I have an Apple. But I'm big on the internet. I'm big on the cell phone. But I'm not a technological wizard, no.

We’ve interviewed you recently for Surf’s Up. Since then have you seen anymore of Transformers?

Yeah, I've seen more of the film. The movie's insane. It's going to do for action what The Matrix did for action.

I’ve talked to someone who’s seen a rough version and he said that while he’s not 100% on the story he said my god is the action jaw dropping.

ILM said — and this is the company that does like Star Wars and Superman — they do all the big ones — Pirates Of The Caribbean — they said they'd never worked on anything like this. They'd never done graphics at this level — this is the most insane thing they've ever done. They said if they were to present their company to anybody, it would be that movie — that would be the movie to look at.

When we talked to you at the Bobby junket you were a little worn out on Transformers. Are you re-energized about it?

Well, the more that you see it, the more it becomes — you hit me right in — when I was doing press for Bobby, I was filming the day before, and then I was filming the day after. It was like there was no time to breathe or — we were in the middle of it at that point. I still had adrenaline from the day before and the night before shoot. I was at the table and we were talking about politics and all I was thinking about was the fucking explosion that just happened in my head. Like talking to the dude who had just come out of the war zone. He's not going to talk to you about the nicest things or be in the most pleasant mood.

Was it worth the pain?

Yeah. The movie's unbelievable. And to be a Transformers fan and to be in something that brings Transformers to a whole other level — when I was born, Star Wars was a bit early for me. Transformers was right up my alley. And I know the fans directly. I know how passionate people get. I've been to tattoo shops and seen people get the Deceptacon logos. I know how insane it gets. People taking the Ford symbol off their car and replacing it with Autobot symbols. I go to Aint It Cool News and read the talkbacks. I was a fan before I was in this movie. If I wasn't in this movie, I'd still be reading the Talkbacks. I'm a Transformers fan at heart. I know everything about Transformers and there's nobody like who could quiz me and beat me.

Do you happen to know the running time on the film yet?

It's going to be long. He's going to give you a lot. You've got 20 set pieces. You like at Spider-Man and it had five big action sequences — five set pieces. We have 20, and you've got to get storyline in, you've got to get the narrative in — so a lot of explanation. You can’t just have robots fighting for no reason. You've got to explain it. The movies going to run, I think, about two and a half.

There’s been some more casting news on Indiana Jones 4 with Ray Winstone but they haven’t said anything about you…

Right. Because it's a rumor. I know as much as you do. I've never had the conversation with him. I've never had the contract. And I told you this when I saw you last. Since then Cate Blanchett was announced, Ray Winstone was announced. I've been rumored before them and I'm still not announced.

Some actors find working for Michael Bay a harrowing experience….

I'd work with him again in a second. I love him. He's a great guy. And the reason I say this — not many people could make Transformers. D. J. Caruso couldn't make Transformers — for sure not. And Michael Bay couldn't make Disturbia. For sure not. It's two different — like comparing Picasso to Warhol, two different artists, two different textures, two different colors. Not that they're at that level, Picasso and Warhol, it's two different worlds, but when you're hair's on fire, you don't want the director who's going to come up to you while your hair's on fire and say: "listen… what I was thinking about — I'm kind of nervous about it — what we're going to do is we're going to put you in the Orpheum Theatre — you're going to hang by the — "because at this point, the Megatron is going to come, right? You know the Megatron, where he's coming from and his emotional place, right? You don't want that guy. You're fucking head is on fire. You want the guy who comes up to you: "your hair's on fire. Here we go. Boot up. Good. Strap up, we're going to go. Mine's right there. This is going to fall. You're gonna go? Good. Action. Boom." That's how movies get made. There's not a lot of like — it's all reactionary, it's response. People who think he's not an actor's director, its garbage, because he goes out of his way to put you in harm's way so you can respond accordingly. If you want a green screen, that's less of an actor's director. That's a director who's just putting you out there. Do your thing, girl. I'm not going to do nothing. There's a green screen and there's a robot and your car's blowing up. Action. But he doesn't do that. He'll put a robot there and he'll blow the car up and he'll go out of the way to do the scene so you can respond accordingly.

Back to Disturbia. When you read the script was it because he goes through such a cool arc was that what drew you to the role?

No it was D.J. Caruso and The Salton Sea and then it was the opportunity to take Say Anything and Rear Window and Straw Dogs and The Conversation and put it in a hat, mix it up and pull something out. That was the attraction. Just the diversity and range of where you could go in one role. Have people laugh at one minute, crying the next, screaming the next, all over the place — that's fun. And especially in genre movies, you never have it. Teen movies, you never have it. So it just felt new to me.

Straw Dogs is being remade.

Is it? I'll audition for that in a second.

Rod Lurie.

(he makes a face)

As a fan of Transformers you’re reaction to Hugo Weaving getting cast as the voice of Megatron?

Look as long as you make sure (Frank) Welker is in and you make sure that (Peter) Cullen is Optimus. If anyone else is Optimus the movie is terrible. It has to be Cullen. Now Welker is older, much older than Cullen and his voice has changed. I’ve heard him in sessions. He’d be great as another robot but to play Megatron you need somebody powerful and Hugo Weaving is powerful.

I think its great casting.

I think its great casting to but I think the fans are going to have an issue with it.

Michael Bay manages to do something that a lot of filmmakers don’t do which is the amount of money he gets always seems to end up on screen.

Yeah.

How is that?

Because he’s not putting all the actors in huge trailers, and we’re not staying in four class resorts and craft service isn’t shrimp cocktail. It’s a movie set and all the money is going into the film. You feel it on set. You know none of us got paid millions of dollars to be in that movie. That’s one of the lowest paying jobs I’ve been in, in my career. And that’s the way it goes. You do that movie not because of the paycheck, I know that everybody thinks “oh you’re in Transformers because of the paycheck.” And I’m sure eventually it will lead to a paycheck – when you have a Japanese following and a following you never had – but the initial being in the movie was never a paycheck. None of us got paid above $70,000 dollars. We were all there to blow shit up.