It's been quite a year for comic actor David Spade. His Disney debut, the Emperor's New Groove, was one of the biggest films of the 2000-2001 Christmas period; his tv series, "Just Shoot Me" is still going strong; he has a funny new movie coming out which he also co-wrote and talking about shooting, his personal assistant tried to kill him. Yet, through it all, David Spade survives with humour intact.

David Spade needs to maintain his uniquely self-effacing sense of humour. After all, when your own personal assistant is attacking you, staring death through the barrel of a gun, it's healthy to joke about it. "That was one of those things where I thought it could be over, and that lasted about 15 minutes. Then when I got out of it, the jokes started." Not that it was a laughing matter to begin with, Spade hastens to add. "It was really unfortunate and took me by surprise, and unexplainable, but it happened."

Spade proved an able impersonator of celebrities ranging from Brad Pitt to Tom Petty and has appeared on many television talk shows and guest starred on several series. He began his film career in the late '80s playing a small role in Police Academy 4 : Citizens on Patrol. In the 90s, he began playing major supporting roles in such films as Coneheads (1993), and P.C.U. (1994). He and former SNL alumni Chris Farley shared top billing in two popular comedies, Tommy Boy (1995), and Black Sheep (1996).

Farley was Spade's closest friend, and even now, the comic's untimely death affects Spade. "I think about him all the time. In fact his brothers have little parts in Joe Dirt, and they remind me of Chris a lot, which is a bit weird. But Chris was my best friend and I loved the work we did together."

Spade is back on series television with his recurring role of Finch in Just Shoot Me, although originally, he wasn't a part of the show when the pilot was shot. "I wasn't in the original pilot, but then it didn't make it on the original schedule, so they asked me if I'd be in it, they re-shot the pilot and it's a lot of fun to do.

During his breaks from the series, Spade is ferociously busy. Audiences heard him gleefully as the spoilt dictator of Disney's Emperor's New Groove, a huge hit, and another boost in Spade's career. "I was just glad that movie didn't bomb. I'm not the MAIN reason it made a lot of money, but I was in it a lot and my voice is really connected to it, so I really wanted it to do well. I think Disney did a great job with it, made up a lot of jokes, hoped they used them and they used a lot of them. Kids and parents like it, and I get a lot of people stopping me in the street and it's nice to be part of that."

Spade's Kuzco is the young emperor of an Inca nation who takes a self centred joy in the troubles of others. Not surprisingly, Kuzco's attitudes have earned the enmity of many of his subjects, including Yzma (voice of Eartha Kitt), a sorceress who wants to seize power away from the emperor after he relieved her of her royal duties, declaring she was too old and unattractive to do the job. Yzma and her musclebound assistant Kronk (voice of Patrick Warburton) hatch a plan to poison Kuzco and take the throne, but thanks to a mistake on Kronk's part, Kuzco isn't killed - he's instead turned into a talking llama.

Kronk can't bring himself to kill the llama and instead sends the former emperor into the jungle to fend for himself. Kuzco doesn't do too well as a llama until he runs into Pacha (voice of John Goodman), a poor farmer whose property Kuzco once planned to take over for a vacation home. Soft hearted Pacha agrees to help the emperor-turned-llama find his way back home where, hopefully, another sorcerer can reverse the spell, but once they hit the road, they discover Yzma and Kronk are looking for them, with Yzma determined to finish the assassination she started.

It was a three and a half year process to bring the voice of his Emperor Kuzco to screen. "We did a year and before Disney decided to scrap the whole movie [then called Emperor of the Sun]. They changed it all and fired people." But, adds Spade, it was the right decision. "Even though it was a lot more money and a huge hassle, it was great, though challenging to do that voice over and over again, because by the end I was like : Guys, it's 90 minutes and I feel like I've been here 90 weeks.

It was worth it. Emperor's New Groove was a huge hit, and with Joe Dirt, it's not just his voice, "but every crazy inch of me" is there for the world to see. His next film, which he also co-wrote is the zany comedy Pooka Pete. "It's about a 60s, burn-out, peace loving guy who gets swallowed by a whale, gets spit out on an island and wants to start a family. So 20 years later he gets rescued and starts looking for girlfriends." Sounds like your typical Spade comedy. "Whatever is kooky and weird appeals to me."