Gary Cole prepped for 'Talladega Nights'

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 7 (UPI) -- Actor Gary Cole was well prepared for playing a bad dad in the new U.S. film comedy "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby."

"It was pretty clear to me what they created -- any bad choice and any irresponsible way of looking at things was the best way to go," Cole said of the character conceived by writer-director Adam McKay and writer-star Will Ferrell, Zap2it.com reported Monday. "Anything that was wrong, short of violence, was a good choice for Reese Bobby. Anything that was not nurturing, was uncaring and was short-sighted was the way to go."

Cole has played a variety of other characters, including the boss in "Office Space," so he is well versed in ridiculous characters, Zap2it said.

Cole also shot two independent films in Utah this summer.

He told Zap2it that when he's recognized, 90 percent of the notice comes from his role as Bill Lumbergh in the 1999 cult film "Office Space," but he admits that if there's a formula to finding that kind of phenomenon, he hasn't found it.