And you're the voice of the main dinosaur…

Yeah. This is not your regular Disney movie. It's a PG movie. Sometimes those Disney movies can be a little syrupy because they're trying to appeal to such young kids. This is geared toward slightly older kids -- not quite a Jurassic Park intensity, but close to that. It's about the last days of the dinosaurs, and it's not a musical; it's a straight drama.

How is it shaping up?

I've been on project for about 3 ˝ years. I go in every two or three months, and I do some dialogue, and I see it growing and evolving. I think it's really going to be something special. Julianna Margulies, Joan Plowright and Alfre Woodard are also doing voices. There are some really good people involved.

With all you've got going, what enticed you to return to television?

Well, the best writing right now, I think, is happening on TV -- if you look at the stuff that David Kelly is doing, as well as ER and, certainly, The X-Files. Now you look at the movies, and I don't remember seeing one movie this summer where I thought there was an intelligent script -- though I haven't seen American Beauty yet; I hear that's really a good film. I may be forgetting one, but I certainly can't think of a handful of movies that I'd say, "I want to be in those because they're so well written." By and large, they're event movies--and those are fine for what they are, but, in terms of finding good stuff to play as an actor, the best stuff right now is on TV.

Speaking of event pictures, I watched the pilot of Harsh Realm and it seemed to have something of a Matrix vibe running through it.

On first viewing, that's certainly reasonable to say because there's a parallel universe and computer technology figures so prominently, but I think it separates as you get further into the show. That movie was about the effects. I thought it was brilliant, but this show is more about people. It's a broad, romantic canvas for stories about people -- instead of it just being about the canvas.

Is there any one particular film or performance that got you into this profession?

Well, Raging Bull came out around the time that I was a baseball player in college. I got injured, and I didn't know what I was going to do with my life. I remember seeing that movie, and I thought, "That is something to be able to have that kind of power." That was, certainly, an influencing factor. Also, Raiders Of The Lost Ark -- which couldn't be a more different kind of movie -- but, at the same time, it was an experience in the dark that was completely transforming.

You mentioned Raging Bull, and I've heard you're a huge sports fan. What are some of your favorite sports films?

Of course, you can't really talk about sports movies without mentioning Raging Bull, which is a classic movie beyond sports. And Bull Durham is a terrific movie. Baseball is very difficult to communicate, and I think Ron Shelton captured a lot of what it is that the people who love baseball love about it. But I think the best sports of all time is Slap Shot because it surprises you, and that's the hardest thing for a sports movie to do.

You made a damn good one yourself in Eight Men Out.

Yeah, I'm very proud of Eight Men Out. That's a strong film with a lot of very good and different performances. I think everybody who was involved with that was very proud of it.

How did you like walking in the socks of Shoeless Joe Jackson?

I felt like it was a responsibility to get it right. I'm a right-handed hitter and, as a baseball fan, I didn't want to watch Shoeless Joe Jackson hit the wrong way so I spent 6 ˝ months learning how to hit left-handed. That was sort of a crazy thing to do. I took myself out of the business for half a year just to play baseball. It was fun, and I think, ultimately, it was the right thing to do. But my agents thought I was crazy.

Okay, here's a curveball. What was the first movie you made out during?

(laughing) I think it was Star Wars.

I guess it would be indiscreet to ask you who you were with.

She's probably married with six kids, so I should probably leave her alone.

And finally, what's your favorite thing to do that has nothing to do with movies?

I love to cook. When I was starting out, I used to cook in restaurants and I developed this joy of preparing food for myself and my friends. It just makes me feel sort of self-sufficient and useful. I also own a furniture company called Highland Design with some friends of mine. I enjoy going down to the factory and looking at the latest designs that we're working on and just being around the sawdust. Acting is interesting for eight or nine hours a day, but you've got to have other things in your life, too.

-You can check out some of Highland Design's creations at www.winecabinet.com