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It so happens we have things to do.
Now, how do you want me to go about this?
We gotta find out about your 52-year-old Vietnam veteran self. The guy who saw way too much action with the boys in the 82nd and 101st Airborne back in the late '60s when 'Nam was an insane mess.
But you survived, physically, worked out a few problems emotionally, then jumped into the Chicago theatre scene in the '70s as home-from-the-front therapy.
Bleacher Bums and Cops were two of the theatre productions that made a name for you. You did Cops with Joe Mantegna. Hill Street Blues did the trick 14 years ago, got you connected to the mainline for five years. Followed that with a couple of weak TV series, and all of a sudden, it's like you're this star, a true NYPD Blue star.
Not to mention you land a role opposite this Dustin Hoffman guy in a film version of the David Mamet play American Buffalo.
Big shot. So tell me about the yawn? Is it the big-shot, big-star, Emmy-winning could-care-less yawn?
"It's only because of the time of day," says Dennis Franz rubbing his face, then pretending he needs a late afternoon nap by falling face down.
NYPD Blue's Andy Sipowicz, Franz is not. He is a Southern Illinois University graduate with a major in drama and speech. He is kind and considerate, but does have a midwestern American tinge to his accent -- like Sipowicz -- that he will never shake.
He also is a theatre ace who has found a home on television, and is looking to do the same in film, quietly and with a measured patience that recalls his 24-year career.
That's why appearing in Mamet's movie verison of his play seems just about right for Franz, who, by all accounts and reports, is one of Mamet's favorite actors.
"Yeah," Franz says, "I did a Mamet script of Hill Street Blues way back in '85."
That show was hardly American Buffalo, a complicated word play about losers planning a heist at a tacky thrift shop. Buddy Joe Mantegna calls Mamet "harder than Shakespeare."
Franz calls Mantegna "dramatic" -- but for fun.
"No, I think Joe's evaluation is fair," says Franz. "I call Mamet stylized naturalism."
Same could be said for Franz's actor persona, rugged, and raring to get things done. Same could be said for Franz in varying degrees and at different moments.
Filming American Buffalo, for instance, had its moments featuring Franz and Hoffman -- some of them not so agreeable.
"I can say that we had mutal admiration and respect for each other's work," says Franz cautiously. "I really do appreciate everything he's done.
"And, yes he's intense, but he's also intent on getting his best possible performance, and get more than one to choose from.
"I come from a different school, where you give the best performance in the shortest possible period of time, and then you move on.
"But he throws in a variation on a theme. It's an experience to watch him come up with so many possibilities."
That experience over, Franz is back in familiar TV territory, where "ya do it and it's done.
"I have become spoiled," Franz admits, referring to the cast and crew of NYPD Blue. "Working with Jimmy Smits is one of the reasons. He shows a generosity and support for other actors. Dustin did. I put myself in that category.
"Some other people don't have the same sort of generosity and friendship, but they still put out excellent performances."
Speaking of David Caruso. Franz smirks.
"David," says Franz, "is a very honest actor. He goes very deep inside of himself and is very difficult on himself, to get his best performance.
"Sometimes," adds Franz diplomatically, "it was difficult to keep up with him, to stay with him, and he acknowledged that at the end of the day."
And at the end of Caruso's controversial run on NYPD Blue, he jumped at the big movie star deal that never happened after Kiss Of Death and Jade bombed. "But David is a very talented actor. I think it is a matter of time before he gets the right project.
"So I guess what I'm saying is that I'm not going to make a value judgment on what he did or how he did it. At the time it was kind of hard for him to turn down the opportunities that were offered him."
But you waited. You held on for what you wanted. You got it. And in the meantime, NYPD Blue soared in the ratings when it was supposed to sink minus Caruso.
"I'll say this," says Franz still being diplomatic and modest at the same time. "I recognize the adjustment. They put the burden on me on the show. And it worked, which is not bad for a guy who was supposed to be killed off in the first episode."
Hey, pal. You've arrived.
"I certainly agree, this is my time," says Franz politely. "When you first get involved in show business, you set your sights and goals, set a level of achievement.
"I had hoped it would come quicker. But the fact that it came at my age in life means that I appreciate it. If it had come sooner, I might not be so grateful."
He chuckles to himself.
"I used to hurry things along," he says.
"Now, I'm trying to slow down the clock a bit, enjoy it as much as I can.
"When you're younger, you wanna move on to the next thing, you become expectant."
And now?
"Now," says Franz smiling as he fakes a yawn, "what I want to move on to is a nap."
THE DENNIS FRANZ FILE
TV HIGHS/LOWS: NYPD Blue, Hill Street Blues, Beverly Hills Buntz, Bay City Blues.
MOVIE HIGHS/LOWS: American Buffalo, Die Hard 2, A Fine Mess, Psycho II, Body Double, Blow Out, Dressed To Kill, The Fury.