Jack Black On Playing America's Poker King

Here's a role Jack Black never expected play: An eccentric polka showman guilty of financial fraud so vast it sent him to prison, toppling arguably the only polka empire in history.

That changed when Black saw The Man Who Would Be Polka King, a documentary about bandleader-turned-fraudster Jan Lewan, the so-called "King of Pennsylvania Polka." The revelation was instant: He had to play this man.

The actor, comedian and musician has managed to incorporate music into his film career (most notably in Richard Linklater's 2003 hit  but not like this. (to be released January 12 on Netflix) immersed him in an historic musical genre that is alien to most mainstream audiences. It also gave him the opportunity to work with  (as Lewan's wife Marla) and  (as his best friend, Mickey Pizzazz).