Hearne: Bryan Callen on Nick Nolte, Offing Zombies, Shaving on TV & Breaking Out

Outside of KC Confidential, Bryan Callen may be one of the most famous guys you never heard of…

Caught up to him during his recent gig at Stanford’s, but held off since Craig wrote about him everyday for like a week.

But now it can be told…

For starters, Callen’s excited to play the lead lawman on MTV‘s new "scripted horror-comedy" Death Valley.

"It starts in late August," Callen says. "It’s about a policeman that kills zombies, vampires and werewolves in the Valley of Los Angeles. And I’m Captain Frank Dashell."

Any sex?

"There’s a lot of hot as shit girls in it, I’ll tell you that much," Callen says. "Hot vampires and hot girls."

You may also know Callen from his ubiquitous TV spots taking the Gillette ProGlide Challenge.

But paycheck aside, did he really like the razor that much?

"It’s a good product," Callen says. "Have you ever tried the ProGlide? It’s the best razor on the market."

A little known fact about Callen – who played the wedding chapel owner in Hangover One and strip club owner in Hangover Two: he’s a former mixed martial arts (MMA) tough guy.

To that end, "I’m coming out in a movie with Nick Nolte and Tom Hardy called Warrior and I got a great part in it," Callen says. "We shot it in Pittsburgh and I play Bryan Callen in it – myself. My buddy wrote it and said, ‘I want to get people to know your name."

So, uh, how’s Nick Nolte – infamous for his DUI mugshot – looking lately?

"Well, really sober," Callen says. "And he’s phenominal in this movie – he’s unbelieveable. He’s a hall of fame actor."

Callen’s slated for a one hour standup comedy special this fall either on Showtime or Comedy Central.

All of which adds up to Callen breaking out of relative obscurity despite being one of the most prolific comedian actors of of the day.

"I’m kind of a middle class guy, you know?" Callen muses. "And until you become one of those three guys, it’s always a hustle. I like playing characters; the problem with me is there’s nothing unusal-looking about me. In a lot of ways I can be a very generic, non-descriptive guy. So I have to separate myself and my only hope of getting a job is being energetic, plus in a costume. But that’s the fun of it."