Holy crap, it’s our first interview. After rigging up a phone-line-microphone–recorder device with ducktape, Andrew Hedley boldly goes where we’ve not gone before and talks with the freaking awesome Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, on the eve of the release of Hot Fuzz in New Zealand cinemas…
FLICKS: Simon and Nick – you’re in Wellington, but I guess you’ve just been sitting in a room, talking to people on the phone?
NICK: No, sometimes face to face!
SIMON: We got here last night and we went out to dinner and went to bed and then as soon as we woke up we’ve been doing promos all day since.
Alright, so which do you prefer – talking to people face-to-face or on the phone?
SIMON: We’ve been doing it face-to-face until now so it’s nice to finally take your clothes off and enjoy yourself and not worry about feeling self-conscious.
Okay, right… Well let’s start off by talking about the three of you including Edgar [director Edgar Wright]. You seem to be the three that go around the world promoting the films. [They laugh] What’s it like working together? Edgar’s the director, so ultimately he’s in charge, but I’m guessing that there’s a lot of teamwork involved there?
SIMON: Yeah, it’s a great working situation to be in. Working as an actor-writer and writer-director together it’s the kind of ultimate working structure and in a way that’s why we end up, you know, going around promoting the films because we are present at every stage of the process and when it actually finally comes out we want to make sure that it gets seen by as many people as possible. So it’s not just like a film where you’re brought on board as an actor or a director of whatever. It’s gratifying to work like that, you know, because you do get a lot of freedom and a lot of say in what goes on.
NICK: Also it allows Simon and Edgar – all three of us, actually – you know, Simon and Edgar can say things and act around me uh in a way that they could never do with Timothy Dalton or Billie Whitelaw. Do you know what I mean? It’s a nice kind of way to let of a bit of steam, and because we’re all so close it enables one another… you know… if someone’s being a dick then it’s not the end of the world.
There must be moments when you two go into the editing suite and say ‘No Edgar, that shot’s rubbish – take it out.’
NICK: No…
SIMON: No, once it goes into the edit, then it’s all Edgar and Chris. I mean I remain… I don’t, you know, interfere obviously because there are decisions they have to make when it comes to cuts and stuff. But I mean they do such a great job of editing the film and you know… I go in every sort of week and check out what they’ve done. I mean that’s part of the process that we are pretty much part of.
When Edgar directs you, how much leeway does he give you to do your own thing? How much does he trust you to act in your own way?
SIMON: Do our own thing? Make it up?
Well, is there any improvisation?
SIMON: Well… no because we write it together anyway, so when we come to set, it’s uh… it’s already there. We have a period of rehearsals, where we get – particularly with Nick – we get Nick in for a week so we can go through everything and Nick will bring things to it that we put into the script. And then we try and have like three weeks or so with the rest of the actors where they can say their lines before they go on set. But in terms of doing our own thing, Edgar is part of the ‘own thing’, do you know what I mean? So it doesn’t really work like that. I mean we’re pretty anal actually when it comes to the set, because the way we write is that certain things have to be said and beats have to be hit and so the room for improv once we’re shooting isn’t that great.
So, you’ve written the script and then several months later you find yourself on set with all the cameras pointing at you. Are there ever any moments where you think ‘Maybe this line could be a bit better’?
NICK: Well I mean, I’m talking for Simon and Edgar now, but uh if the line can be made better, there’s a chance that it would have been made better, because, you know, there’s such a long time between writing it and shooting it that by the time you get to shoot it, it’s done. You know, it’s all there ready to go. But, you know, if we do shoot a line and it doesn’t work or it’s not funny, then you know then that there’s enough talent on the set to either perform your way out of it or to find something which is going to work.
SIMON: That’s the of joy being and actor-writer / writer-director combo so if anything does come up, you just rewrite it. You don’t have to ask anybody. You don’t have to find the writers and ask them. You’re there right there and then. You can do it on the spot. So, you know, it’s the ideal situation really.
So Simon, what was it like playing a straighter character? You’re not so much of a clown in this one?
SIMON: Uh, it was fine. It was quite difficult obviously because I didn’t rely on my usual art of comedy ticks to make it look like I can act. But it was actually probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. Because, you know, it was very serious; I had to play it straight because of the role. But when you know your part – it’s always been… we’re particularly in ensembles. Right back from ‘Spaced’, it’s always been about the group stuff and when you know that it’s part of a process rather than just, you know, hogging the limelight then it’s easier.
Actually, you mentioned Timothy Dalton earlier – There are a lot of famous actors in Hot Fuzz. Was it easy to get them interested in being in the film?
SIMON: Yeah, you just give them the script and say ‘Do you want to do it?’
Who refused?
SIMON: Nobody.
NICK: No-one.
I saw Peter Jackson in one of the web blogs, but I didn’t see him in the film. Was he in it?
NICK: He is in the film.
SIMON: He played the part of Jim Broadbent.
Oh, right. Okay…
SIMON: No, he’s Santa Claus in the opening montage when Angel gets stabbed in the hand. He stabbed me through the hand.
That was him? And was it actually Cate Blanchett as your…
NICK: (laughs) We’re not allowed to say legally.
You’re not allowed to say it legally…
NICK: Because she’s uncredited, and their lawyers kind of got hold of us after we’d mentioned their name a few times in the British press, so we’ve been told to be quiet about whoever it might be (laughs).
Okay, fine. I heard that it rained a lot during the shoot.
SIMON: It did rain a lot.
NICK: We had a lot of rain. Down in Wells in Sommerset–
SIMON: –It had to rain.
NICK: Yeah, it’s quite a nice place actually, down in Sommerset, because it creates its own microclimate. It all used to be underwater. So I don’t know, I think it’s in like a naturally, sort of like a little bowl. So the rain just comes in and fucking hammers down. That’s where the Glastonbury Festival is. Which is why that usually gets rained out as well. But yeah, we had a lot of rain. And, you know, Edgar was kind of sick of the rain. And we worked out… discovered just why there were no British action films made really, because of the fucking weather (laughs).
And how were the real townsfolk? How did they react to you filming in their town square?
SIMON: They were really good about it, weren’t they? I mean they just kind of uh, you know, after the first few weeks they were always hanging around and watching. But after a while they just got back on with it and they were very accommodating. Sometimes when you’re shooting in a city people get to be real assholes and sort of, you know, just walk through shot because they believe they have the right to. But in Wells, they were very nice.
Is it true that Wells Cathedral was digitally removed from some shots?
SIMON: It was actually digitally removed from Wells.
NICK: Yeah, you don’t see it at all.
SIMON: You still can’t see it.
Oh, right! Now you must have heard about the New Zealander’s mixed feelings towards the New Zealand Police Force at the moment?
SIMON: What, Rick?
Rick. Rickards.
SIMON: Yeah, I know. It’s all over the news, innit?
What do English people think about the British Police?
SIMON: Um… well the British police force is very um traditional and I think every society has the same relationship with its police service. They sort of resent the authority but need the security, you know? Every culture has its schizophrenic relationship with its police force.
NICK: I think on the whole the British people do realise that they do uh a very hard, very shit job for very, very little money. So I think they have… you know, certainly amongst certain sections of society I think they’re very well thought of.
SIMON: It’s not good when you get… when the police service is shown to be sort of fallible or whatever because they’re kind of who we trust in to protect us, and when the integrity of some is questioned, it sort of shakes everything up, which is why it’s such a big story when a police chief is accused of a terrible crime.
You must have done some research into what it’s like to be a police officer?
NICK: Well we spoke to them a lot up in London. We had uh, meetings with them and – well, Simon and Edgar more so than me – and then we all went our separate ways and we had ride-alongs with the separate forces. Uh, we did some work up in London and then transferred down to the South-West and worked with the more rural police and uh yeah – very, very eye-opening.
We’ve got time for one last question. Perhaps if you could just quickly sum up the differences between filming Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz?
NICK: (laughs)
SIMON: We had more money and more time but we were dealing with a more ambitious script. So if anything the difference is… it wasn’t that different in some respects, because we were still up against it all the time and we were still fighting the elements. But uh–
NICK: –No Kate Ashfield.
SIMON: No, we didn’t have Kate. We didn’t have Kate to look at.
NICK: Shame. Certainly could have needed it. I was sick of looking at Simon’s beautiful face by the end of it.
SIMON: Ultimately we’d learnt a few lessons from Shaun of the Dead. And you know, we were able to employ those in Hot Fuzz. And that iSIMON: get to the dinner queue early. Otherwise all the good mashed potato goes.
NICK: Yeah, get there.
Alright, thanks guys.
NICK: Cheers, mate!
SIMON: Bye!
NICK: Ta ta!
