He arrives in style. Not a moment too soon, the New York native grabs a seat and gets ready to talk to director Laurene Williams about writing the machismo man and playing a tranny hooker. Pushing the envelope while living in Los Angeles, Jacobs does it with a wry smile. A performer who strips his characters bare and puts their souls on the line, he delivers a gem of a performance in the upcoming film, El Superstar: The Unlikely Rise of Juan Frances, slated for a May 2010 release. And as the creator of the LA cult-hit 7 Redneck Cheerleaders, produced by the Elephant Theatre Company in Hollywood, he knows how to throw crass lunacy at an audience by letting loose a bunch of American simpletons. In between the writing and the performances, he gets pissed off as Phil's prickly neighbor in Phil Cobb's Dinner for Four.

Tell us about your background. How did you get into acting?

I played a snowman in third grade and wore the top hat for weeks afterwards. That kind of thing. Also, my grandmother inspired me. She had a black beehive and garden gloves and she painted in oils. She taught me how to draw people.

You have a small part in Phil Cobb's but I first saw you on stage in a leading role in Tim McNeil's Anything. Let's just say that was a dynamic and meaty part. And you won the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle award for best actor for your performance. So what was that like? Getting into that role night after night — grueling or enjoyable?

Both. The physical transformation was pretty grueling, that of becoming a Vicodin-addicted, tranny hooker. But after a while you learn to manage it all. Tim McNeil (playwright/co-star) and Dave Fofi (director) and I were a pretty tight unit in the rehearsal process and it was important for us to get the story right. I ate very little and smoked cigarettes. Finally you have to just show up and do it. Your film came soon afterwards...and suddenly as The Neighbor in Phil Cobb's, I'm wearing slacks and a pencil mustache. Thanks for that opportunity by the way. That sort of transformation is the best.

You're also a playwright. How does that work for you when you're a performer in someone else's piece? Is it easy to switch off the writer's chip?

I try to keep the two separate when I work as an actor.

"Try?" Is this the operative word? Tell me you never want to rewrite a line or two or three.

I suppose when things are really cooking on stage, dialogue sometimes gets unintentionally twisted up. Ultimately I try to avoid pieces that I'm not into, in regard to the text.

Can theater ever "modernize" or join the Digital Age? Should it end up on Netflix?

Obviously we are hooked on many aspects of modern technology and the entertainment that comes from it. But "live" theater will always be that: live actors performing before an audience. People who don't allow themselves the gift of theater are really missing out.

7 Redneck Cheerleaders. Love the title. This is a play you wrote. And it's coming out in publication when?

It's been published by Original Works Publishing. It's out now.

So how would you describe this piece?

I think it's fun. It's about a novice playwright attempting to direct his first play, which is about rednecks. Who doesn't find that fun? Sort of nasty and in-your-face, vaguely political as it was written during George W's administration...so, under duress. I think it's also representative of my battle with machismo. In the way the playwright character 'Ben' battles with his cocky, macho producer, so does 'Young' (the teenage hero of the play-within-the-play) battle with his macho, redneck father. Naturally, it's also about the community that one finds in theater and the crazy personalities that populate it.

What kind of life has the play had?

It premiered at the Lillian Theatre in Hollywood in August 2005. It's had a couple very successful runs since then. People would see the show many times and shout out the lines from the audience. Crazy stuff.

How often do you write?

I certainly don't write as often as I'd like, but when the inspiration hits, I try to pay attention. Presently I'm working on something about 1964 in central New York. This is called Saratoga Springs. I have another full-length called The San Francisco Play, which has a couple readings. And there are several shorter plays as well.

You've worked with LA director Amy French both on and off screen. Tell us about your collaborations with her.

We originally worked together on a piece called The Rental by Mark Levine. She directed Nicole Fazzio and I. After I'd written 7 Redneck Cheerleaders, she had a vision and that's always good to hear. She directed the first run and really helped to shape the whole thing. For example, her original concept of 'Rose's funeral' is amazing. Her first feature film is El Superstar: The Unlikely Rise of Juan Frances, a music mockumentary that focuses on identity and family. She created the role of a Mohawk Indian-celebrity stylist for me to play — Philip Fancydance. It was a riot. Like she had me pierce the star's ears on screen my first day of shooting! Who does that anymore?

Which came first, your writing or your acting?

The acting.

How would you describe yourself as an actor? Are you difficult?

You'd have to ask the people I've worked with. I get a little obsessed with the task of building the character, like a broken record trying to flesh it all out. But I enjoy the process and try to involve myself in pleasurable projects.