Rising Star: Zach Galifianakis

With roles in “Into The Wild,” “What Happens In Vegas” and “The Comedians Of Comedy,” Zach Galifianakis is no newcomer to the Hollywood scene, but in this weekend’s “The Hangover,” audiences are going to see more of him than they ever expected.

As Alan, the soon-to-be brother-in-law of Doug (Justin Bartha), Zach bares his backside — and beyond — in the raunchy film, which chronicles a bachelor party in Las Vegas gone horribly wrong. It’s a brave, breakthrough role for the bearded comedian – and it’s made him AccessHollywood.com’s latest Rising Star.

Though his character is no stranger to losing his pants, the 39-year-old funnyman told Access taking them off took some convincing from director Todd Philips – who also oversaw the infamous Will Ferrell streaking scene in “Old School.”

“I signed a nudity clause saying I would not be nude,” Zach said. “Then I got to set and… Todd talked me into it. I never want to take off my pants”

Zach also gets punched out by former boxing champ Mike Tyson, who plays himself in the film.

“It’s a dream come true,” Zach told Access. “It was very, very neat.”

While the men of the movie’s night out is so crazy none of them can remember it, Zac said his real-life experiences with bachelor parties haven’t been so wild.

“I think bachelorette parties seem more out of control,” he said. “Guys don’t walk around with penis straws.”

In the film, Alan is an eccentric, black sheep character who welcomes co-stars Bartha, Ed Helms and Bradley Cooper into his “wolf pack” and insists on carrying a man-purse (“It’s a satchel!”) during their night on the town. It’s an extension of the awkward, oddball comedy he’s practiced elsewhere, including his FunnyorDie.com celebrity interview series, “Between Two Ferns,” and the music video for Kanye West’s “Can’t Tell Me Nothing,” in which he and indie musician Will Oldham drive around his North Carolina farm in a tractor and lip-sync to the rapper’s bling-heavy lyrics.

But Zach called “The Hangover,” which saw co-star Ed Helms actually have a tooth removed for his role, a more intense experience.

“It’s like a war zone,” he joked.

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