John C. Reilly doesn't just act the part. He is the part.
The Oscar-nominated actor will tour for the next couple of weeks in the guise of his upcoming screen persona, the titular rock icon in the mock biopic Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.
Reilly-as-Cox and his band, the Hard Walkers, will kick off their seven-date engagement on Wednesday at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, before moving on to Chicago, Austin, Nashville, San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York—all major music cities.
Tickets will be available to members of the Dewey Cox Fan Club and through local radio station promotions, meaning it might take a little luck to be able to hear songs from the classic albums Free Love Christmas and Strawberry Fox Glove before Walk Hard hits theaters Dec. 21.
Each concert will be preceded by a special screening of the film.
"Not since Duran Duran toured America in 1984 have people been so excited about a rock star," producer Judd Apatow said of the frowzy-haired musician, who, as his fan site says, was just like Elvis, only not as handsome and he had to work harder.
Apatow pal and Freaks and Geeks cocreator Jake Kasdan directed the comedy, which costars Jenna Fischer as long-suffering wife Darlene and features tons of cameos, including Paul Rudd as John Lennon, Frankie Muniz as Buddy Holly, Jack White as Elvis Presley, Jack Black as Paul McCartney and Eddie Vedder as…Eddie Vedder.
The film's distributor, Columbia Pictures, employed a similar promotional tactic with Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, which had Will Ferrell showing up on the NASCAR circuit in hilariously obnoxious character.
"He's unleashing his inner rock star," Valerie Van Galder, president of domestic marketing for Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, told Variety, noting that Reilly and Apatow masterminded the plan. "But this is a little different than Talladega Nights, because it actually requires him to perform live. It works, though, because in addition to being a prodigiously talented actor, John is also a fabulous singer."
Reilly, who has shown in a number of his films that he can play goofy, proved he really could sing and dance in Chicago, for which he received an Oscar nod for Best Supporting Actor.
His other credits include Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Gangs of New York and The Good Girl.