Actor Chris O'Dowd on the "trigger-happy" world of new series "Get Shorty"

Actor Chris O'Dowd has appeared in popular movies like "Bridesmaids," "This Is 40" and "Saint Vincent." He also earned a Tony nomination for his role in Broadway's "Of Mice and Men" and guest starred in the HBO series "Girls."

O'Dowd joined "CBS This Morning" to discuss his latest role as a hit man who is trying to leave his past behind for a career in Hollywood in the new series, "Get Shorty."

"I hadn't read something this sharp in a while that was also quite funny, so it was an easy one for me to jump on to," O'Dowd said of his decision to join the Epix series.

"I don't get to play kinda tough guys very often. People see me as more of a hugger than a fighter. But what they don't realize is that my hugs are quite violent," O'Dowd joked.

O'Dowd's character aspires to be a filmmaker but struggles to remove himself from the circle of criminals he's been part of.

"I'm surrounded by people [on the show] who are very trigger-happy and probably borderline psychotic and I'm trying to get out of all of that and create this new life for my family," said O'Dowd, who in real life recently welcomed his second child. 

The new series is based on the Elmore Leonard novel "Get Shorty," which inspired the 1995 movie of the same name starring John Travolta.

Of the difference between the series and the movie, O'Dowd said, "It's totally, quite different. It's like you visit a bar at a different time of the week. So, the movie is quite sharp — it's like visiting the bar on a Saturday night when everybody is dressed to the nines and looking their best," while the show is, "like you visit it at 3 a.m. on a Wednesday, the floor is sticky, you're fighting with your girlfriend."

O'Dowd has other projects in the works, including the upcoming film "Molly's Game" which marks Oscar-winning screenwriter Aaron Sorkin's directorial debut.

"It's definitely all about the language. He's very specific. When you're a writer that good, it's kind of nice to be told that the commas matter," O'Dowd said. 

"Get Shorty" premieres at 10 p.m. Sunday, August 13 on Epix.