American actor David Spade takes his comedy very seriously. When he wanted the hugely talented and slightly scarey actor Christopher Walken to appear in his new film, Joe Dirt, Spade himself paid the actor's fee. "We paid his fee out of our own pockets because there was no money left in the budget," the deadpan comedian said. Once they tested the film and people laughed, they paid us back."

A spoof on the world's worst hairstyle, the mullet, Joe Dirt has been universally panned by the critics for some particularly gross moments. Spade is a little taken aback by the criticism, but is enjoying the last laugh : despite the reviews, the film is enjoying a healthy run at the box office and will undoubtedly do well when it is released on video.

"I didn't think we would get it (the criticism) this time. In the US, they are always asking why don't I do something else, that it's so easy for me to do the sarcastic thing," he said. "I do something else and they ask why I'm not being sarcastic. Some of them have gone after me that hard I have had moments where I believed they hated me personally. But I sit with the crowds and watch it and people seem to like it."

He understands that some of the nastiness has been provoked by his determination to elevate the redneck mullet to a comedic pedestal. It seems some people simply hate mullets. "Look, the mullet always looks funny," he said. "Billy Rae Cyrus was my inspiration for the look. We tried on dozens of wigs before we settled on the one in the film which was a little higher and a little crazier than the rest. It fulfils the perfect criteria - 10 per cent on top and 90 per cent in the back."

The incredibly slight Just Shoot Me star appeared to clone himself during his whirlwind Sydney visit, appearing everywhere from the Moulin Rouge premiere to his own debut showing. Although Spade's endurance levels weren't the best - he yawned through most of his interviews last week - he sang Sydney's praises and wondered why a fellow American star seemed not to be enjoying her Australian sojourn. "What's up with surly Sarah (Michelle Gellar)?" he asked.