BY PHILLIP NAKOV | Phillip recently visited the set of "Starsky and Hutch", and had an opportunity to talk with Owen Wilson.

Was Vince shoving the gun in your face too hard?

He was. Vince Vaughn doesn't know his own strength.

Is this ‘begging for your life’ in the script, or something you added?

We added that to kind of- - I always like John Turturo in that Coen Brothers’ gangster movie, Miller's Crossing, where he's begging for his life.

You got something comedic out of that?

Yes. I lost my voice actually.

What about the comment "the balls are not yours"?

That's Ben's sort of trademark phrase, "Your nuts are mine." Again, he repeats it in this scene and I'm insisting to Reese that no, your nuts are yours. They're not in fact Ben's.

What does he mean though?

It's like a corny, like "Your ass is grass." Your nuts are mine, it's like, "You're dead."

Does the cowboy outfit feel familiar?

Yes, and the kind of begging for my life from Shanghai type stuff.

Were you a fan of the original series?

Yeah, that was the first show I remember being into when I was a little kid. Then ‘Miami Vice’ was much later and obviously that was a huge thing, but this was sort of the one that kind of began all this. In fact, I think Michael Mann wrote some of the ‘Starsky and Hutch’ episodes.

What makes this buddy partnership unique?

I guess it's working with Ben and we've worked together a lot. I think that these character, their relationship, I don't know that it is that unique. I think hopefully it'll just be funny.

What's the secret of your and Ben's relationship?

I think we've just been friends for a long time, you know. I guess what made us become friends in the first place was just kind of liking the stuff that each other does, thinking the stuff's funny. We just have kind of the same sense of humor. I think that's what makes it nice.

Do you improv in most takes?

Yeah, some movies more than others. Some movies you feel more comfortable and you're encouraged more to improv, and then some you don't hardly improvise at all.

Has the time gone by slowly?

Yeah, it's been a long shoot it seems like. Long hours and stuff but it's funny. This is one of the first movies I've ever really shot in Los Angeles. I shot Permanent Midnight with Ben here in LA but I think I worked only two weeks on the movie.

What's different about working in LA?

Just that I go home at night and kind of go out with friends and stuff. But more traffic. It seems to move slower.

How do you like the '70s fashions?

I like it actually. I think I'm going to keep some of it. In fact, I've already kept some of the shorts they've given me for my character. I think it's kind of cool.

What does it add to the film to set it in the '70s?

Well, we were trying to update at first and then they decided no, to place it in the '70s and now I can't imagine what it would've been like to have it be modern. Would it have been like ‘The Brady Bunch’ and we're like these two guys in a time warp from the '70s? It would've been such a weird, strange thing. So, I think it's easier to do it this way.

How is the car?

The car becomes almost the star of the movie, the Grand Torino, so instantly recognizable.

Will you try to keep one?

No, I don't like them that much.

Are you driving it in the film?

No, only Ben's character drives and he's very adamant. Kind of ‘Beastie Boys’ / Sabotage video shot. In fact, that video kind of was sort of if we can get that tone in the movie, that'll be great.

Do you have a rhythm of doing a studio picture, then going back and working with Wes?

Yeah, I'm going to go work with Wes when I finish with this. We're going to Rome in August to work on a movie. To film a movie. We'll be there for four months with me and Bill Murray and some other people. That'll be fun.

Is that a different set?

Sets don't ever feel that different. It's always people seem to be working hard and I think the crew, the way they rely on getting rehired is by being not just good at their job, but getting along so everybody's usually pretty cooperative.

Will you use a lot of Rome?

Actually, I think Wes is using a lot of Italians and stuff.

How is the action stuff in Starsky?

The action stuff again was again, kind of the Sabotage model. Whereas ‘Charlie's Angels’ amps it up from the original show, we're kind of doing a more lo-fi approach. It'll be interesting to see how the ‘2 Fast 2 Furious’ crowd reacts to our very lo-fi car chases with just screeching tires and stuff going around a turn, but maybe they'll embrace it.