Seth Green

With ginger hair, pale skin and standing just 1.63m tall, Seth Green does not look like a daredevil.

The child Hollywood star turned 34-year-old actor, director, screenwriter and producer was wandering around the Sydney Opera House late one night during an Australian visit last year when he could not resist doing something illegal and potentially fatal.

"I’ve been a climber all my life," Philadelphia-born Green proudly revealed during an interview in Beverly Hills.

Each year, millions of tourists marvel at the design of the Sydney Opera House, but Green found the structure created by Danish architect Jorn Utzon attractive not just for aesthetic reasons.

"It has a perfect rock climber’s crevice," Green said.

"Then, when I got really close to it, what I thought was reflective metal pieces was actually very small and porous tiles so I thought: ’Cool, I’ll be up this in 10 seconds’.

"I gave my camera to a buddy who was with me and said: ’I’m only going to be able to be up there for two seconds so you will only have one chance to take a photo of me’."

Green ran at Australia’s iconic building, jumped into the crevice and kept moving until he was 11 metres above the ground.

"I got to the high point and turned around, my friend took the photo, but it was only then I realised just how steep the incline was and on the way down I didn’t have a lot of stopping ability," he said.

"But, the moment I was ready to slide down and burn the soles off my shoes, a security guard walked around the corner.

"I had to press as tight as I could to the crevice and somehow stay up there."

The friendly security guard, clueless a Hollywood movie star was hanging above him, began talking to Green’s friend and a publicist that was with them.

The guard thought they were American tourists fascinated about the building’s structure so launched into a detailed description of the landmark’s history.

"I was directly above the guy’s head and about to fall," Green said.

"The publicist was so slick and ended up saying: ’I’m interested in this part of the building right over here’ and took him around the corner.

"As soon as he turned the corner I slid all the way down and when I hit the ground I went straight into a cool walk as if nothing happened."

The story has become a great yarn for Green, who happily discusses it on America’s late night TV talkshows. Audiences don’t believe him until he pulls out the photograph of himself perched in the crevice 11 metres up.

"It was a very impulsive thing," Green said.

His decision to be an actor was also impulsive.

Green caught the acting bug at the age of six while performing in a stage version of the musical Hello, Dolly! at a summer camp.

From that moment he didn’t want to do anything else.

The son of a maths teacher father and artist mother, four years later Green starred opposite Jodie Foster and Rob Lowe in the comedy, The Hotel New Hampshire.

Since 1984, he has been cast in more than 100 television or movie roles, including the cult TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the Austin Powers films, the 2003 action film The Italian Job, voices of the Chris Griffin character in the TV animated comedy Family Guy, and is producer-writer-director of parody animation TV show Robot Chicken.

His new film is the teen comedy road trip film Sex Drive, in which he plays an Amish man, Ezekiel, and co-stars James Marsden.

It follows three teenagers as they drive from Chicago to Knoxville and the trio encounters Ezekiel in Pennsylvania when their car breaks down.

"Working on this film was probably the most fun I’ve ever had," Green said.

"We had a riot when the cameras were on and then back at the hotel at night.

"I feel for guests at the hotel that weren’t part of the movie.

"It was quite raucous."

Getting into character was not too difficult for Green as he grew up not too far away from Amish country. He was also used to wearing the costume.

"Two years ago I went to a Halloween party at the Playboy Mansion dressed as an Amish man," Green said.

"I thought that was one of the best costumes ever.

"It was oddly comfortable and recognisable.

"Everybody would look and laugh and say: ’Ahhhh you’re an Amish person’ and all I had to put on were pants, a shirt and a beard.

"And the Playmates come up and say: ’Ohhhh, I’m going to corrupt you!’

"I was like: ’Oh no. That’s against my religion!’."

Sex Drive opens in Australia on Thursday.