Harland Williams has been a motorcycle-riding state trooper in "Dumb and Dumber" to the cross-dressing star of "Sorority Boys" to a voiceover in "Robots."

The Toronto-born stand-up comic headlines Pepper Belly's in Fairfield on Dec. 30 and New Year's Eve. He was interviewed by phone earlier last week.

TH: Are you prepared for the Christmas season this year?

HW - Yes. I have a little sister who has braces, and instead of hanging lights this year, I decided to put her on the roof and just shine a bunch of bright lights on her (laughs). With all jokes aside, it should be a great time.

TH: How did you get into doing comedy?

HW - I wanted to do a job that I know I would like and that I could make people laugh. The money is good and you get the chance to travel quite a bit, too. Plus with different roles I get to do, it is never the same thing day to day. I kind of have the freedom to choose what I want to do. There are not too many other jobs out there where you can do this. That makes it TH: You have a new CD out, "Har-larious." How is that going for you?

HW - It is doing well. I seem to sell many. You can find it everywhere. It is on Comedy Central Records. Very fun stuff. This is my first CD that I have done. It was great to have the opportunity to do this. These CDs would make great stocking stuffers.

TH: Have you ever done shows on New Year's before?

HW - This is, like, my sixth or seventh time doing the New Year's shows. You get to meet a lot of interesting people. My routine has changed a lot over the years to where it is not the same thing. People seem to get a kick out of stuff that is kind of on the fly, sort of improv. I have a standard act, but that is just kind of a guideline. I like doing the Pepper Belly's thing, too. A lot smaller place that I can see everyone in the audience and see how they react.

TH: Do your shows get out of hand sometimes?

HW - Of course. Nothing ever goes down without something going wrong. But I love that energy you get when you don't know what is going to happen. There is an adrenaline rush you get from the unexpected. Hands down my favorite feeling. Just having everything unpredictable and not knowing what, or how anyone is going to react to what you say is good. I like to jump into danger. You always learn from what is going on.

TH: You always seem to take on interesting roles in movies. Like playing police type roles. Why is that?

HW - Funny you ask that. Seems like I have done like five or six different roles as a police officer. Every time I get the role though, it is never the same thing as the last one. I should be like that guy from "NYPD Blue" that was a cop before he started acting. I can do just the opposite. Be a cop after acting (laughs).

TH: Why did you choose to take the role as Kenny in the movie "Half Baked"?

HW - I didn't, actually. I was presented with the script like four times. And each time I turned it down. But they kept on me about it and made sure that I took the role. So I gave it another chance and decided to do it. It was a little different for me because it was a "stoner" movie. Kind of like Cheech and Chong type stuff, and I have never been into drugs. So I really had to stretch on this one. But it was funny because Tommy Chong was the guy that protected me in jail. I was in jail in the movie for accidentally killing a diabetic police horse by feeding it snacks. It can't get more stranger than that. Can it? (laughs)

TH: You seem to stay pretty busy and have a lot of stuff coming up soon.

HW - I am keeping myself busy with work a lot here lately. There is this new animated movie I am working on called "Meet the Robinsons." This is going to be a big box office hit. Pretty funny stuff there. The kids will love it. I also have a couple of movies coming out as well as that one. "Surf School" and "Hot Tamale" are a couple of films that I have some more leading roles in. But there will be a lot more things as well.

TH: Do you have any favorites that you like to work with, or worked with?

HW - Oh, man. There have been so many that I have worked with that were cool. Bruce Willis, Jim Carrey, Robin Williams, Ewan McGregor, Gina Davis, James Caan, Michael Rosenbaum from "Smallville" (Lex Luthor). He and I were in "Sorority Boys" together. We are still really good friends. A lot of the actors that I have worked with, I am still friends with. I couldn't ask for anything better. Occasionally you work with someone that is tough to get along with, but there are plenty of great people out there that it can even it all out.

TH: How do you get people's attention besides going out to clubs and doing a comedy routine?

HW - I tell everyone to go and check my Web site often. It is very informative. There is a lot of stuff in there about me, and about what I do. A lot of stuff. It is like a giant town and everything in there is interactive. So check it out at www.harlandwilliams.com. Tell them I sent you. (laughs) Expect the unexpected. Maybe have some baby photos in there or something.

TH: Is there anything else you would like to say?

HW - Yeah. I would like to see everyone out at the show and come and have a good time. You never know what is going to happen. I may even bring some people up on stage to be in part of the act. Or I may talk to you for like five minutes to see what's going on. It's unbelievable. You will not be displeased. A lot can happen that night. It will be a blast.