Alan Arkin, one of the many great things about Little Miss Sunshine, is a Brooklyn Boy.

AP: You were born in New York. It’s hard to imagine your voice coming from anywhere but Brooklyn.

ARKIN: Hey! (in a Brooklyn accent) We moved to L.A. when I was about 11, but it never rubbed off. I never felt comfortable there. I understand it [in New York] more. There’s anger in both places, but it feels much more lethal in L.A. than it does here.

AP: What do you like about living in Santa Fe, N.M.?

ARKIN: It’s a small town. I go to restaurants there and I know everybody in the restaurant. I know all the artists who are waiting on us.

AP: Community or camaraderie with actors is also important to you. It’s something you stress in the acting workshops you teach.

ARKIN: The supportive aspect of it frees you to do better work than you ordinarily would. A lot of people I’ve known in film protect their own turf, but I don’t think it really does the work any good.

AP: How is that camaraderie between a cast built on a set?

ARKIN: Smaller, less comfortable trailers and a significant rehearsal period. We had that on “Little Miss Sunshine.” I can remember vividly the movies that had it and I feel like it shows. You often have little more than a cursory ‘Hello, how are you’ relationship with the people you’re having intimate scenes with — which is nuts. You can’t do it. It’s phony.