Eddie Izzard

You know Eddie Izzard (The Secret Agent, Trumbo, Lennie) as an actor from films such as Oceans Twelve and Thirteen. You may know his stand-up, as well. This year he hosts the Independent Spirit Awards, a whole new take on independence.

Izzard, who likens his career to a maturing Bordeaux, discusses the differences between stand-up comedy and his evolution from street performer to stand-up comic to actor, his love of mainstream movies such as Die Hard, his thoughts on independent films, sharpening his acting chops on FX's The Riches, and improvising during the 2001-02 production of Peter Nichols play A Day in the Death of Joe Egg. He also recounts meeting Nelson Mandela and performing in South Africa for the first time last month, running marathons, getting lost while piloting an aircraft, and why hosting the Independent Spirit Awards on March 5 will be a one-off.