Talk about pressure. After years of playing second banana in films like Big Momma's House, Private Parts and Big Fat Liar, Paul Giamatti's first gig as a leading man finds him starring opposite the very subject he's portraying! In American Splendor, the actor plays real-life comic-book legend Harvey Pekar, who also appears as an interview subject in the flick. Surprisingly, Giamatti says the inventive (albeit nerve-wracking) storytelling technique actually drew him to the project.

"I was really interested in doing [Splendor] because [Pekar] was in it, and I was going to have be juxtaposed with him," he tells TV Guide Online. "It will certainly be clear if what I'm doing is any good."

Giamatti admits that he was mostly concerned with mimicking Pekar's distinctive deep voice. "I was worried that it would sound fake, but it was not that bad," the 36-year-old notes. "I found a way to do it that it didn't hurt at all."

Ironically, the most painful part of the shoot came after the movie wrapped, when Giamatti had to return his circa '70s garb. "I really wanted to keep some of those clothes," he laughs. "I loved those clothes. The costume designer was great.

"I think a lot of it was [Harvey's] actual clothing that he still has 20 years later," he continues. "Some of them were just really ratty, and I would have kept them, but my wife was just like, 'No.'"