LOS ANGELES — When Dane Cook was 3, he was attacked — and almost killed, he says — by a German shepherd. Beneath his hair is a zigzagging scar that became etched into his cranium after receiving nearly 80 stitches. Following the disclosure of this "fun fact,” as he coyly calls it, the actor-comedian uses the opportunity to tell a joke.

"Hopefully, someday, I'll play a James Bond villain,” he says. "I'll...