Chris O'Dowd, star of The IT Crowd, on his new comedy, what links him to Tarzan and impressing Minnie Riperton's daughter

What are you doing right this moment?

I'm in London at Steve Coogan's offices, knocking off a TV show I've been working on. It's called Moone Boy, which is based on me growing up in Ireland as a 12-year-old. I'm not playing the 12-year-old, though, because I wouldn't fit the clothes, but there is a part for me as his imaginary best friend.

What do they think of you back in Boyle now that you're all famous in Hollywood?

I hope they think well of me. I guess I'll find out when we go there to shoot Moone Boy in January. They'll probably be excited for a couple of days and then they'll be like: "Get these bloody cameras out of here, we're trying to do a day's work."

No homecoming parade, then?

Oddly, the most famous person from Boyle ever was Maureen O'Sullivan, who was Jane in the Johnny Weissmuller Tarzan movies.

She was also Mia Farrow's mother...

Oh really? Wow. I distinctly remember she came back to Boyle and I must have only been six or seven and the whole town turned out to cheer her through the streets. She went through the town and planted a tree somewhere. I remember wanting that kind of adulation, which is weird for a little kid but I reckon it must have affected me deeply enough to steer my life the way of stardom.

Did you choose comedy because it comes naturally or did you plan to be an actor first and then found out people thought you were funny?

When I was a kid, I wanted to be serious, like Daniel Day-Lewis. No one really dreams of being a comic actor, do they? Now I realise how stupid that is – and it's because comic acting isn't taken seriously enough. It's a discipline. You know instantly – either you're funny and getting the laughs, or you're not. With serious acting, it's harder to tell if it's working until someone taps you on the shoulder and says "get off".

How are comedy and drama different, then, from the performer's point of view?

In comedy it helps if there's a friendly atmosphere on the set. Drama, for me, is about people not getting on, so if it's a bit frosty on the set, maybe that's not a bad thing. A director can use that tension in the edit afterwards.

When did you realise you were funny?

Actually, I still like to do serious stuff, you know. I was in The Crimson Petal and The White on the BBC recently but since Bridesmaids broke through, I've been getting loads of offers for rom-coms in Hollywood. I'm not a standup, I've never, ever done it, but I think I held my own in a very creative room on The IT Crowd. Richard Ayoade is a very bright chap and Graham Linehan (Father Ted) is a genius writer, and they always encouraged me to write and try stuff out. Even now, as I'm writing my comedy series, I think to myself after every gag: "Would this cut the mustard with Graham and Richard?"

Was it like that on Bridesmaids too?

It was comedians, so yes. Kristen [Wiig] had spent years writing the script with her friend Annie [Mumolo] but was not at all precious if you improvised and changed her words. I was doing an American accent at the time and the director, Paul Feig, stopped me halfway through and told me he really liked the accent I have on my TV shows in Britain. That made me even more relaxed and Kristen seemed to get it, too. So, I've developed a rule now: if there's a need for my character to be from a certain place, then fine, but otherwise I'm just going to be Irish.

Has the film's success changed your life? It must seem unreal how many people know you now, especially in the States.

I don't think any women knew who I was before Bridesmaids. I mean, The IT Crowd had some female fans but it was mainly 17-year-old boys. And my character in the film was such a nice fella, so now a lot of people ask me to do their washing. In fact, they try to set me up on a blind date with their sister. I don't get a lot wanting to throw me up against the fridge and do me, which would be good, too, but I'll take anything, to be honest. Workwise, I am trying to make hay while the sun shines, why not? I'm ambitious, certainly, otherwise I wouldn't have gone out to LA and sought these opportunities. Somehow it didn't take me long to land a part in Gulliver's Travels opposite Jack Black, but after Bridesmaids, yes, I'm being selective in how I use whatever it is I now have – some sort of clout and Judd Apatow's mobile number.

So, what have you done with these magic new powers?

Well, I sold a TV show to NBC last week. It's a comedy about a male weight-loss group.

Blimey, that's not bad going. Why aren't you out celebrating?

I would, but I'm too busy. I've just shot a film in Australia called The Sapphires about a real-life Supremes-style girl band from the outback whom I manage – these Aboriginal girls who had a hit and went to Vietnam to entertain American troops. Then I've got these shows to write and film in the new year. And I've got a film called Friends with Kids coming out, reuniting some of the Bridesmaids cast, including myself playing Maya Rudolph's husband and Kristen Wiig, and there's Jon Hamm, and his partner Jennifer Westfeldt directs. Oh and Megan Fox, over whom I get to fight in a swimming pool.

Are you talented or lucky?

There must be an element of both, but at the moment, I just feel lucky. I was on the way back from set with Maya Rudolph in the car recently and I started singing "Lovin' You" by Minnie Riperton. Maya said: "Oh, that's so sweet," and I said: "Well, it is such a lovely song." She said: "Oh, I thought you were doing it for me – my mum sang that song." I had no idea her mum was Minnie Riperton. Now Maya thinks I'm sweet and was singing a tribute to her mum! That's how I see my career of late: a series of happy, accidental kindnesses from strangers.