Comedian Eddie Izzard eyes career in European politics

NEW YORK -- British comedian Eddie Izzard, who is gaining prominence as an actor, is considering yet another possible career -- politician.

Izzard, who plays Wayne Malloy in FX's "The Riches" and who just finished shooting "Valkyrie," starring Tom Cruise, told Newsweek he sees himself getting into European politics at some point.

"We've got to make it work in Europe," the cross-dressing comedian, 46, told the magazine for its issue hitting newsstands today. "People are very worried about sovereignty and the loss of sovereignty. I think the stakes are if we don't make the European Union work, then the world is screwed. End of story."

Izzard, who's lending his voice to the upcoming film "Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian," said he enjoyed working on "Valkyrie." The film stars Cruise as Col. Claus Graf Schenk von Stauffenberg, the aristocratic army officer executed after a failed attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler in 1944.

Izzard's stand-up comedy act, "Stripped," is set to begin April 28 in Boston.