He was the most famous actor with dwarfism in the country and most people couldnt name a second.

The film chronicles Villechaizes final hours, with flashbacks from throughout his turbulent life.

And hes the guy being stuffed into a suitcase by Roger Moore inThe Man with the Golden Gun.

But I caught up.

That was pretty bold move in the early 1980s.Yes, oh my gosh.

And we address that in the film.

He would walk down the street and he would get [fans yelling] the plane, the plane!

24 hours a day.

I know that feeling.

Being a dwarf, we tend to stand out in a crowd.

But how its handled is the trick.

Why humiliate yourself for something you love doing?

I didnt want to be miserable doing what I loved.

To be fair, Herve lived in a very different time than I lived in.

He didnt take any prisoners.

He knew who he was and embraced it fully.

The shirt says Bionic Midget.

I can say the word.

Its not a great word.

Which I also respect.

Sometimes I think we tiptoe around the issue so much we never address it.

He was lovely in that way.

He offended a lot of people, but that was part of his joy as well.

When did you first want to portray him?I didnt.

I was terrified of portraying somebody who actually existed.

[Writer-director Sacha Gervasi and I] started our conversations 14 years ago when it wasnt a full script.

TV in the 80s were very different than now.

You couldnt jump into the world of films and vice versa, you were pigeonholed.

Sacha felt when he met him in the 90s it was like stepping back into another time.

Herve was still holding onto hisFantasy Islandheyday.

The film took such a long time to make.

What were some of the obstacles?Why?

was the big question.

Why do we make that movie?

There are big questions asked in the early stages of anything.

Why make a show about dragons?

But in the script, Sacha peeled back the layers of the onion and its the most brilliant story.

It also takes a long time to get anything made.

Thank god HBO finally came through.

My close relationship with them helped.

HBO is a perfect place for this, the more I thought about it.

What was most challenging about this role?His energy level.

Herve lived pretty hard and I had to match his energy.

And during a lot of the film he doesnt feel physically very well at all.

So it was those two things.

Hes such a complicated man.

He was such a bright light and everybody around him loved him so dearly.

But he burned too brightly.

Obviously, its a common tragedy in Hollywood.

But he lived much longer than anybody expected him too.

The internet is the best thing and the worst thing.

Herve was judged by how he looked, and cast and perceived to be who he is accordingly.

It says [Villechiaze was half-Filipino] on Wikipedia.

Family members cant change information on there.

My daughters name was Zelig on Wikipedia for a long time.

Her name is not Zelig.

Theres this term whitewashing.

But Herve wasnt Filipino.

Dwarfism manifests physically in many different ways.

I have a very different jot down of dwarfism than Herve had.

Ive met his brother and other members of his family.

He was French, and of German and English descent.

So its strange these people are saying hes Filipino.

They kind of dont have any information.

He has a very unique face and people have to be very careful about this stuff.

This [movie] isntBreakfast at Tiffanys.

Personally, I would never do that, and I havent done that, because he wasnt.

People are jumping to conclusions based on a mans appearance alone and that saddens me.

I tried to figure out where the claim originated.

It wasnt in any obituaries or archived stories about the actor that I found.

But thats also part of the mystery and fun of this movie.

He was so many things and he was proud of the myth of himself as well.

Everybody I met his brother, his girlfriend, people who worked with him said he was so proud.

If [being Filipino] was part of his heritage he would have been very proud of that.

Herve would be laughing at this right now, and part of me is too.

I have a go at be optimistic about it.

I never really set out to change the parameters of casting.

I just like good writing.

The fame thing for me is a little hard.

I dont enjoy it.

Herve enjoyed it more than I do.

Maybe thats the difference between myself and Herve.

He embraced it fully like he embraced life.

He lived pretty hard.

Im a much more private person.

And I understand bills have to be paid.

But it does perpetuate things.

Not to get too political about it, but its a stereotype that still exists.

Dwarf tossing still exists.

There are still people of my size dressing up as elves at Christmas time.

And if everybody continues to do that, then it wont stop.

But my daughter doesnt think Im a mythical creature.

Unicorns dont exist, but I do.

Its tricky, what we put out there, to perpetuate for future generations.

People seem to have mixed opinions on whether such shows are helpful.Right.

Anything that sheds light on certain topics is helpful and informative.

Anything that makes the unknown become known is helpful.

Its just how its handled.

There are many different stories out there.

It sheds light on somebody and challenges your assumptions.

I saw the Netflix documentaryWild Countrywhere your judgment is constantly being shifted.

I think thats what [My Dinner with Herve] does.

Sacha went in with a judgment about this guy and Herve changed Sachas life.

You might think you know but you dont.

And thats the fun of life.

My Dinner with Herve premieres on HBO on Saturday, Oct. 20.