Michael Rapaport shares his favorite memories of shooting 'Beautiful Girls' in Minneapolis

There's a reason you haven't seen character actor Michael Rapaport on screen much the past three years. He's been on the road performing stand-up and will be at the Mall of America's House of Comedy next Thursday through Saturday.

"That's how I started when I was 19. That's what I was really passionate about," Rapaport said. "Then I started doing acting auditions and I eventually stopped. Once I started doing comedy again, I was all in. When I was younger, I didn't have a lot to say or know how to form an act. Now I understand it."

He has displayed his comic chops over the past few decades through his frequent appearances on the "Howard Stern Show."

Rapaport shared his thoughts last week on some of his enduring work in a phone interview from New York City.

"Beautiful Girls" (1996): While the film was set in Massachusetts, director Ted Demme shot the entire film in Minnesota with an all-star cast, including Matt Dillon, Timothy Hutton, Uma Thurman and Natalie Portman.

"Ted created this real family-like environment. We were staying at the same hotel as the guys who were shooting 'Fargo' so we'd run into Steve Buscemi and others in the lobby. We played a lot of basketball at that hotel and went to the movies a lot. I loved the food. I was surprised you could get good sushi in Minneapolis. I went to a lot of Timberwolves games and spent a lot of nights at Glam Slam, although I never ran into Prince."

"Cop Land" (1997): James Mangold's crime drama featured a who's who of tough guys, including Robert De Niro and Harvey Keitel. It also gave Sylvester Stallone one of his meatiest dramatic roles.

"I was like a kid in a candy store with that cast. It was surreal. At the time, people were taking Stallone for granted. I guess it took 'Creed' for people to realize just how good he is. I was so pissed that he didn't win the Oscar for that."

"Friends" (1999): At the height of the show's popularity, Rapaport guest-starred in numerous episodes as a cop who dates Phoebe. It was his first experience doing sitcoms.

"They were all making like a half-million dollars a week at that point, but they were all really cool. Very chill. Shooting in front of a live audience with four cameras was a different thing for me. No one explains anything to you. Maybe there should be a little class before you step in."

"Beats, Rhymes & Life" (2011): Rapaport directed this well-received documentary about A Tribe Called Quest.

"That was really about what they meant to me growing up and what they meant to hip-hop. For years, I kept saying somebody should tell their story. Eventually, that person turned out to be me. I'm not sure I'll do another documentary. They're not for the meek. You have to wear so many hats."

"Atypical" (2017-21): Netflix just dropped the fourth and final season of this touching dramedy about a couple (Rapaport and Jennifer Jason Leigh) raising two children, one of whom is autistic.

"So many people who hear me on Howard Stern and read my Instagram assume that I'm screaming 24 hours a day, but 'Atypical' has a lot of heart and warmth. The big contrast is fun."