A Q&A with local FBI agent portrayed in The Informant!

In Steven Soderbergh’s new movie The Informant!, Matt Damon plays Mark Whitacre, a bio-chemist at Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) who sets off an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation into allegations of price-fixing at the agricultural industry giant. Whitacre suffers from delusions of grandeur (among other things) and is all too eager to make the feds’ case by recording insider conversations. He imagines that when it’s all over, his grateful bosses will promote him to the top of ADM. The movie is based on a true story, in which local FBI agent Bob Herndon is played by actor Joel McHale (most recognizable as the host of E!‘s “The Soup“).

After the jump, nine questions with Special Agent Herndon, a 23-year veteran of the FBI who works in the FBI’s Kansas City Division. Warning: spoilers ahead!