Entertainment - Reuters

Woody Allen, That's What I Call Neurotic
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By Nicola Christie

VENICE, Italy (Reuters) - Woody Allen (news) is afraid of elevators,
tunnels and even certain kinds of shower drains. Some people might
call that neurotic -- he certainly does.



"I am a neurotic in a more benign way. I mean I have a lot of
neurotic habits," the quirky American director and actor told Reuters
Television.


"I don't like to go into elevators, I don't go through tunnels, I
like the drain in the shower to be in the corner and not in the
middle," Allen said in an interview after showing his new
comedy "Anything Else" at the 60th Venice Film Festival.


His fear of elevators forced the cast, including Christina Ricci
(news) and Jason Biggs (news), to climb three flights of stairs for a
news conference ahead of the premier on the Lido.


"I cut my banana into seven slices every morning before I put it in
my cereal," said the creator of off-beat characters like Isaac Davis
in the romantic comedy "Manhattan" (1979). "These things don't hurt
anybody else, but they are neurotic."


His famously unstable characters, frequently played by himself, have
suffered a wide range of phobias, fears and neuroses, often seeking
solutions on the psychiatrist's couch.


In his new romantic comedy, Allen, 67, plays David Dobel, an aging,
neurotic schoolteacher who sees anti-Semitic plots all around him.
But this character is more than quirky. His pent-up fears have made
him paranoid and even violent.


Allen handed over the leading man role to Biggs, 25, who plays an
aspiring comedy writer smitten by unpredictable Amanda, played by
Ricci.


"I didn't want to give up the girl to somebody else, but I got too
old to play that part," Allen said.


"I had to let Jason play the part that I would have liked to have
played... I could have fooled around with (the girl) for a while,
which would have been more fun than taking all those walks in the
park."


His character, Dobel, spent a lot of time in Central Park giving
advice to his young protege, played by Biggs.


Allen said he is currently working on a new "serious comedy," but
attempts to lure Robert Downey (news) Jr. had fallen through, so he
was still looking around for the right actors.