'Friends' Actor Goes Wild

David Schwimmer has loaned his voice to a new set of friends. In the animated film "Madagascar," Schwimmer plays Melman the Giraffe, one of four coddled animals at the Central Park Zoo.

A fan of both animated films and giraffes, Schwimmer tells The Early Show co-anchor Rene Syler, he didn't have to think twice or even read the script when he was asked to do the part.

Melman has many fears and phobias. In the film's production notes, Schwimmer explains, it describes his character as one that needs routine and security, which he gets at the zoo from the veterinarian visits.

Schwimmer says, "When he's cast into the wild - or even leaves the premises - he's completely thrown and terrified. His journey is one of coming to terms with the fact that he can survive...with a little help from his friends."

What he likes about giraffes the most is that they are vulnerable and sweet, Schwimmer tells Syler.

"If you imagine a giraffe being kind of attacked, what's it going to do?" he asks, "Is it going to lick you back?"

The film also stars Ben Stiller ("Meet the Fockers," "Meet the Parents") as Alex the Lion; Chris Rock ("Chris Rock: Never Scared") as Marty the Zebra; and Jada Pinkett Smith ("Collateral") as Gloria the Hippo.

Schwimmer is also making his West End debut in the London premiere of "Some Girl(s)," a new play by Neil LaBute.

As for the rest of the cast of "Friends," he says he hasn't been able to see them since he's been in London so much recently .
"Everybody seems to be doing well," Schwimmer says, "I've stayed in touch over the phone and e-mails, and everyone has got their own careers and families, so we don't get to have a whole group reunion that much, but we all try to keep in touch."

About David Schwimmer:
Born in Queens, N.Y., on Nov 2, 1966, and raised by his lawyer parents in Southern California.

• At age 10, he was cast as the fairy godmother in a Jewish version of Cinderella. He continued to appear on stage at Beverly Hills High School, where his classmates included actor Jonathan Silverman.
• He attended Chicago's Northwestern University, and during his senior year, co-founded The Lookingglass Theater Company. After graduating in 1988, he returned to Los Angeles to pursue his acting career.
• In 1989, he took the role of a Long Islander who murders his girlfriend's abusive father in "A Deadly Silence"; then he returned to Chicago and devoted the next few years working at his theater company.
• In 1992, he took the part of the hippie boyfriend of Olivia d'Abo's Karen Arnold on the nostalgia-laden ABC sitcom "The Wonder Years." Also this year, he appeared in the coming-of-age story "Crossing the Bridge," and he performed as an ambitious lawyer on the Stephen Bochco-produced "L.A. Law."
• From 1993-94, he was the liberal son of a conservative talk show host in the failed Henry Winkler series "Monty." Also in 1993, he was in the short "The Waiter" (1993), playing alongside Jon Cryer and Sally Kellerman.
• In 1994, he was cast as Ross Geller, the geeky paleontologist, in NBC's hit ensemble sitcom "Friends." He earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in 1995.
• In 1996, he landed his first leading role, as an architect asked to deliver the eulogy for a high school friend he doesn't remember, in "The Pallbearer."
• In 1998, he took supporting roles in Bryan Singer's "Apt Pupil," based on a Stephen King novella, and Ivan Reitman's comedy "Six Days/Seven Nights," in which he played the noncommittal boyfriend of Anne Heche. And he took a smaller role in the ensemble of "The Thin Pink Line."; "All the Rage," another ensemble, followed in 1999.
• In 2000, Schwimmer appeared opposite Woody Allen and Sharon Stone in Alfonso Arou's straight-to-cable"Picking Up the Pieces." He had an uncredited cameo in "Love & Sex."
• In 2001, he was in Mike Figgis' "Hotel;" was an Army captain in Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks' acclaimed HBO miniseries "Band of Brothers;" and was a Jew in the Warsaw ghetto in that cable network's film "Uprising," directed by Jon Avnet.
• In 2004, Schwimmer had a recurring stint playing an uptight version of himself on HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm," where he was cast opposite Larry David.
• In 2005, he portrayed the title character in the independent feature "Duane Hopwood," which premiered to rave reviews at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival.
• Schwimmer has also worked extensively on the stage. He made his London debut in the world premiere of "Some Girl(s)," a new play by Neil LaBute, which opened May 24 at the Gielgud Theatre.
• Schwimmer has also acted in and directed numerous productions with Lookingglass. Most recently, he adapted Studs Terkel's book "Race: How Blacks And Whites Think And Feel About The American Obsession" for the stage, and also directed the play as the premiere production for the company's new theatre on Michigan Avenue. In addition, Schwimmer starred in the premieres of Roger Kumble's "D Girl" and "Turnaround" in Los Angeles, and Warren Leight's "Glimmer Brothers" in Williamstown.
• Schwimmer has also directed numerous episodes of "Friends," "Joey" and "The Tracy Morgan Show." He just finished shooting the pilot for "New Car Smell," a new half-hour series for Fox, starring Brooke Shields and Christopher McDonald. And he is also set to direct the feature "Run, Fat Boy, Run," a romantic comedy written by actor/writer Michael Ian Black.