By Nick Haramis

Knock, knock. "Hello? Anyone in there? Patrick?" Outside of Fugit's room at the SoHo Grand, we start to worry that the star of Wristcutters: A Love Story has decided to jump ship. After several calls to the room, his cell phone, and an obnoxiously loud barrage of door rapping, we give up, retreating toward the elevators. Just then, of course, a dead to the world actor opens the door. "Man, I must have dozed off for a few minutes," he groans, rubbing his face. And then, with a disarming grin: "Waiting long?"

Fugit's first major part (with the exception of the critically revered Legion of Fire: Killer Ants!) was alongside Billy Crudup and Kate Hudson in Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous. He went on to play a video game junkie in director Jonas �����kerlund's Spun, a meth movie starring Jason Schwartzman and Brittany Murphy. Since then, Fugit has popped up on various TV medical dramas and the Christian send-up Saved! For the last few years, though, the Salt Lake City native has kept a relatively low profile. Until now, that is.

With Wristcutters, an enjoyable film populated by successful suicides, Fugit plays Zia, an unlucky everyman desperate to reunite with his girlfriend (Leslie Bibb) in the afterlife. He takes to the road with his friend Eugene (Shea Whigham) and hitchhiker love interest Mikal (Shannyn Sossamon) in an adventure at once heartfelt and ridiculous. Below, Fugit sits on his hotel room bed, tries to wake up, and reveals a secret he has been dying to tell.

BLACKBOOK: What attracted you to Wristcutters in the first place?

PATRICK FUGIT: My agents called me and told me they were sending over something called Wristcutters: A Love Story and that already interested me. I asked what it was about and they explained that it was a love story that takes place in the suicide afterlife, so that got me more excited. I like that kind of thing. BB: What, the suicide afterlife?

PF: [Laughs.] No. Well, yeah.

BB: Given the choice, how would you end things?

PF: I liked Jake Busey's way. It's not really discussed in the film, but he jumps from his balcony, falling ten storeys onto a barbed wire fence. That's a pretty good one. BB: I'll say. What was the atmosphere like on set? You weren't allowed to smile, correct? PF: Most people were pretty excited about that, actually. We had to do more takes on a couple of scenes because of smiling faces. [Smiles.]

BB: Do you expect the film to get any negative feedback?

PF: I heard that people are protesting the film, and I would expect it. There are people who haven't seen the movie��������who probably aren't ever going to see the movie��������who are protesting it because of its theme. That never really makes any sense to me, people who protest stuff they haven't even seen. BB: Do you read your reviews?

PF: No way, too scary. BB: You veer towards some pretty risky roles, especially for someone from Utah.

PF: Well, the Mormons back home don't mind Saved because it's a Christian satire. Most of them haven't even heard of Spun. BB: You know what's funny? I used to go to the Toronto Film Festival and tell people that I was the son of Jonas �����kerlund so that I could get into parties.

PF: That's hilarious! I've got so many of those. There was one I got in pretty big trouble for at school. Freshman year, my English teacher, Miss Smith��������I don't know why you teach if you hate children. I don't why you teach school if you hate teaching school, or if you hate yourself. She is an evil person, and, anyway, she allowed portable CD players in her classroom. For some reason, she had a real problem with me. I got kicked out of her class almost every day during that first term. She sent me to principal's office, like, everyday. Literally.

One day, I think I was listening to [Adam Sandler's] What The Hell Happened To Me?, and I laughed. She freaked out and took my player from me. So after school, I searched for the janitor, who let me in the classroom. I went into her drawer and took it. The next day she freaked out because she thought somebody had stolen it. She called my parents, and they were like, "Patrick, did you take your player back?" I said no and watched her squirm.

BB: Given your upbringing, do you find it hard to acclimatize yourself to New York and Los Angeles?

PF: Los Angeles, yes. It's a different world over there. I know that's a stereotype, but it's true. I really can't stand it there. It's a different reality that sucks the life out of me.

BB: What do you hate most about the business?

PF: I don't always get what I want. That's the biggest thing for me. I never realized how political it was, trying to get roles. When I first started, I thought, well, I'll prepare and do well at the audition, and I'll play the part well, and they'll hire me. Why wouldn't they? I soon realized that wasn't the case. BB: What's your least noble motivation for acting?

PF: I get off on tricking people into believing whatever I'm telling them onscreen.

BB: Your mom was a dance teacher. Do you have moves?

PF: It's funny, actually. I got pretty good at classical ballet and tap dancing, but I've never been really good at making it up on my own. When I started going to clubs and realized that I had to do it myself without being shown anything, well, let's just say I'm not very good. I can, however, dance like a girl. I can booty shake like a girl, turn my friend Jesse on.

BB: What question keeps coming up in interviews?

PF: Easy. "So, how did you land Almost Famous? I bet you feel pretty lucky about that." And the worst part is they ask the question and then answer it themselves.

BB: Do you still get star-struck?

PF: I used to more, I suppose. Jason Lee was someone I knew from his skateboarding and Mallrats. And I had a huge crush on Kate Hudson. I remember I met John Malkovich once. I was so totally star-struck and he had no clue who I was, and so I made the biggest fool out of myself. [Does weird tongue and face spasm.] When I was working on Almost Famous, obviously Cameron Crowe knows Tom Cruise. Cameron was always talking to somebody and one time he was like, "Hold on, hold on, here's Patrick." He handed me the phone, and on the other line it's Tom, and he's like, "Hey, how's it going? Enjoying the experience?"