Versatile actor David Cross’ plan for world domination is simple: recruit fans at a young age so that he’ll have a steady stream of residuals. He’s kidding, sort of. The star and creator of IFC’s “The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret,” Cross also has a young fan base, thanks to his movie roles in “Megamind,” “Kung Fu Panda” and the “Alvin and the Chipmunk” franchise. Cross, 47, is also known for his work on the TV series “Arrested Development.” Engaged to actress Amber Tamblyn, Cross is an avid traveler whose bucket list includes visiting places such as Moscow, Warsaw and Lisbon.
Q. What is your favorite vacation destination?
A. St. Martin, the French side. The water and the island are amazing. It’s the very bluest, clearest fantasy water I’ve ever been in and the food is really good, too. You go to the beaches and they’re not that populated and there are all these things called Lolos — guys making barbecued ribs outside and rum drinks. And you have some ribs and swim, and then you have a drink. It’s really all that you need. Each Caribbean Island has its own motto and theirs is the “friendly island.” The people are really very nice and there’s lots to do. Ziplining, hiking. If you’ve been busting your a– for nine months in the s–t cold in London, it’s a nice place to unwind.
Q. Are you an adventurous eater overseas?
A. Yes, I eat off the street carts and had some amazing dishes. I’ve had some not-so-great food, too. My girlfriend and I went to southern Africa for 2-1/2 weeks and went on a safari and ate some questionable food.
Q. Was there anything on the menu that you would not recommend?
A. I encourage everyone to try things at least once. I ate bullfrog and earthworm soup in Shanghai and those weren’t so great. It was really tough to put the bullfrog stew into my mouth. The earthworm soup wasn’t hideous, but it kind of tasted like you would imagine — very earthy. The dog was actually good. It was stewed and very pungent, strong and gamey, but not too much for me. It was closer in taste to rabbit than venison.
Q. What are some of the down sides of traveling?
A. I can’t think of anything other than jet lag. Outside of having had alcohol poisoning, I don’t think I’ve ever gotten sick on a trip.
Q. When did you start traveling?
A. My family moved constantly so we were in a new place all the time. For the first 12 years of my life, I was in a new city every year within the United Sates. I was on a plane at a very young age.
Q. When did you get your first passport?
A. It was when I went to London in 1994, when I was about 30.
Q. What are your favorite cities?
A. In the U.S., New York City is right up there; also, Seattle, Austin, Portland, Chicago and Atlanta.
Q. What do you always bring in your carry-on?
A. A flashlight, iPod and a small stack of magazines.
Q. Is there any place you don’t feel a need to visit again?
A. I know this may sound obnoxious, but I’m kind of over Paris at this point and don’t really have a desire to go back there. I love Italy — Florence and Bologna are great — but I was really disappointed in Venice. I thought the people there were really s—-y, but in a way that I could empathize with ‘cause they’re dealing with almost 100 percent tourists who don’t speak their language. It was also super expensive and wasn’t particularly clean.
Q. Which destination do you most want to visit again?
A. Turkey. I tooled around western Turkey for about a month and had all kinds of crazy adventures there. I’d also like to go on another safari in Africa.
Q. Where would you like to visit that you haven’t had the chance to get to yet?
A. Thousands of places! I’m lucky ‘cause my girlfriend is an avid traveler, too. I still want to see the Northern Lights in Norway. I want to go to Tokyo. I want to see Tulum. I scuba dive as well and would love to do that for a couple days there. I want to go to Israel. I want to go to Lisbon, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Warsaw, Krakow, Gdansk.
© 2012 JAE-HA KIM
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