Paul Walker: an interview with a modern day cowboy

Paul Walker, is known for his many films, which include 2 Fast 2 Furious and Varsity Blues. However, "just wanting people to think of me as a good guy" is what he'd most like to be remembered for in his lifetime.

Promoting his new movie Timeline, originally a novel by Michael Crichton, Walker comfortably ripped (SoCal lingo for "surfed well") his way across many a subject matter: from wave riding (he used to do more, but now only goes 3-4 times a week), the film he's hoping to make in the near future (a western), to, of course, Timeline itself, which opens November 26th.

The film's premise investigates the question of what happens when a group of modern day archaeological students travel back to the 14th century France in order to save their professor, only to later get stuck there themselves.

"Guys who work on these types of films are big kids.," Walker said. "We get to pick up swords, but it's just like when you were younger and picked up a stick and went on to beat the hell out of your younger brother. Guys here never grow up."

But his desire to work on the film stems deeper than just the physical satisfaction of play violence; he has a fancy for the time period itself.

"If I could go back in time, I'd definitely go back to medieval times ... I want to see if King Arthur actually happened -- I want to be Lancelot, hell," laughed Walker in what appears to be a not atypical, laid-back personal style.

At one point of the interview, fellow Timeline actor Billy Connolly walked by, and Walker piped in a "hello" with the ease of someone on the phone with his mother, as opposed to 15 possibly dirt hungry journalists. He handled delicately natured questions with the same casual finesse.

When asked about his sex symbol status, Walker said: "Just so long as I'm working, if some girls find me cute -- right on."

He later expanded on his statement, noting that "the majority of the people who approach me on the street are guys. And it's great when some 16, 17 year old kid thinks you're awesome. If girls think you'd cool, that's great. But, unless guys think you're cool too -- you aren't anybody."

His relaxed take on the world likely stems from his family upbringing. For one thing, if he was not so 'down to earth', Walker jokes that his dad would kick his ass. But all jokes aside, his natural humility appears to make him uncomfortable with fame. According to Walker, he asks his parents to refrain from buying magazines that contain pictures of him, and he shies away from the magazine aisle at grocery stores in order to avoid seeing himself portrayed in such explicit fashions. "I live in denial about it," he says.

But make no mistake; Walker is very multifaceted. For one thing - he can't get enough of the Discovery Channel or Animal Planet. "I love that shit! That's all I watch," exclaimed Walker at one point during the interview.

Certainly, his fun loving side isn't hard to see. As he spends his free time horseback riding and lassoing, one might say he's a modern day Hollywood cowboy. Minus the Hollywood.

He talks about the great outdoors as if its real magic, not the kind manufactured on the big screen. And he wouldn't dream of making his future western film without genuine cowboy stuntmen. Walker calls himself young for his age, but he's far older than many of his contemporaries.

At points, his modesty seems to take on the form of denigrating himself, trying to avoid calling a spade a spade. To this I'd say, Paul -- go be a nice guy. Like cowboys, they're an endangered species.