I was nearly naked apart from a thong 
Steve Coogan first got us laughing with his hilarious TV show Knowing Me, Knowing You with Alan Partridge (1994), which displayed his excellent ability to carefully construct popular comic characters. He bailed into movies with The Parole Officer (2001) before teaming up with Michael Winterbottom for the indie hit 24 Hour Party People (2002), which chronicled the rise and fall of Factory Records. Superstardom beckoned when he went Around The World In 80 Days (2004) with Jackie Chan but he has since stepped back from Hollywood to reunite with Winterbottom for A Cock And Bull Story. Here he reveals the challenge of getting the film made, his relationship with Rob Brydon and what it felt like to be suspended in a giant womb...
How was the concept put to you, because a quick look at the synopsis seems baffling?
The script was originally about 60 pages long because it was not completely finished. But Michael [Winterbottom] has a strange way of going about films - he schedules it, then makes it whether the script is ready or not and says we'll worry about the script when it comes to filming. So if this had been anyone else other than Winterbottom doing it I wouldn't have done it because it looked too self-indulgent. I thought at worst by doing this with Michael it would be a noble failure rather than just a clich茅d film. I knew it would be original and different from anything else. But because I'd worked with him before I'd learned to trust him. With Michael you have to get used to not being entirely sure what you're doing because he is not someone who seems to have any military planning to his films. He works largely on instinct and I trust his instinct. It worried me slightly because I thought it was a bit risky. But with Michael you don't judge something by what's on the page.
How difficult was it to get the funding needed to make it?
A lot of funding people weren't interested in putting any money into it at all because they said it was a waste of money, too self-indulgent and no one would care about it. It was very difficult to get off the ground.
So how did you go about persuading people?
Well Michael tries to turn any of the problems he encounters into virtues. For example, I had to visit a financier with Michael to try and get money for the film. I had to perform a bit of the film in front of the financier like some monkey and I did. He laughed and because he did, he wrote the cheque. So that became one of the scenes in the film. Equally, there was a scene where I say to one of the writers "I think Walter Shandy should have a scene with his son because that would make you forgive him his faults." In reality, what I said to Michael was "I think that I, as Steve Coogan, should have a scene with my baby because that would make people think that I'm not a complete twat."
What do you like about your working relationship with Rob Brydon?
Rob's like a good tennis partner. He raises your game. You know that you're both in tune with each other. The difference between a good comic actor and a comedian is that if you put a comedian in a film they will just do their shtick. But if you have any competence as a comic actor you can do the funny stuff but you also listen to the other actors and performers and respond to them. Sometimes I'll pick up and be led by Rob and vice versa. It's really fruitful, stimulating and enjoyable.
How did Michael allow the relationship between you and Rob Brydon to develop in the film?
When Michael was directing the film he adapted to the strengths of what we were doing. He doesn't have a pre-ordained view of exactly how the film should be. It's a bit like a shopping trolley that's got a wonky wheel so that whenever you push it one way, it goes off another. Michael doesn't fight it, he goes that way with it. He just wants to get up a good head of steam.
Is this the film that will catapult you into superstardom?
Well I'm a bit jaded because I always think that every film I do might be the one that's going to turn things around for me and might be the thing that finally lays the ghost of Alan Partridge to rest. I think the best that this film could do is that there's a possibility it could reach a slightly larger audience if word of mouth is good. But if you try to describe it to people they might think it sounds horribly self-important, turgid, avant-garde and inaccessible. In actual fact, it's a lot lighter and more palatable than you'd think if you saw the synopsis.
Do you care about how the film is perceived in America?
I have mixed feelings about it because 24 Hour Party People was noticed more by the cognoscenti in America than it was here. It did get good reviews here but it wasn't really noticed whereas in America, in terms of the film industry, lots of auteur directors saw the film and then familiarised themselves with my work because they enjoyed it so much. They knew about that before they knew about Alan Partridge and it started to lead to some interesting work over there...
Such as with Sofia Coppola?
Yeah I did a film with Sofia Coppola, Kirsten Dunst and Jason Schwartzman earlier this year about Marie-Antoinette . That came from 24 Hour Party People. So I'm hoping that A Cock And Bull Story will have the same effect. It may even reach a better audience because I think it's a more accessible film than 24 Hour Party People. But if you're asking whether I need affirmation by Americans to feel valid then no, not really. I'm currently writing a TV series because I don't see film as the be all and end all, or TV as the poor cousin. I love good television and I want to do more of it. I like working in America as a different kind of experience but I'm currently about to start shooting a new TV series with a new character and I'm more excited about that. I want to do different things but I also want to do more for the people who like me and the comedy I've done, I want to honour that patronage. That is the audience that helped me so I feel an obligation to them. Unfortunately, I'm not that prolific. I need to go away, regroup and think of something before letting it gestate for a while. But when you've done something that people like so much you have to make sure that the quality of what you do next is up there with it, otherwise you get hammered.
How did it feel to be suspended in a giant latex womb?
It was very uncomfortable. Like anything, I made it seem more uncomfortable for the sake of the comedy but it was pretty unpleasant. I mean, if you hang upside down all the blood goes to your head, which isn't nice. But what was worse was when you see me in the miniature womb and there's supposed to be a flush of after-birth that soaks me, which was a mix of wallpaper paste and water. It was very cold and I was nearly naked apart from a thong and they were throwing buckets of this stuff over me. That was probably the most unpleasant aspect - being in the womb and covered in goo. But if it gets a laugh, I'll do it.
A Cock And Bull Story is released in UK cinemas on Friday 20th January 2006.
