Is Nick Frost really stupid in real life or just a very good actor? Megan Hughes
Simon Pegg: He's a very good actor, a very good actor. Nick is possibly the funniest human being I've ever met. Well, he is definitely the funniest human being I've ever met.
Edgar Wright: Me, too.
SP: He's very intelligent and a very natural talent, and he's far from stupid.
EW: Although - in his attempt for Method acting - he did shave his pubes off so that his pubic area would be itchy for the entire shoot, which is why he's always scratching. In one of the early scenes you can even hear him really scratching himself. That's a proper sound effect.
SP: He also shaved a chunk out of his hair just because he thought [his character] Ed might have done it, either drunk or someone at a party had shaved a bit of his hair off like they do in Jackass. For someone who has had no training as an actor, he's incredibly Method. I think he just wanted an excuse to shave his pubes off, he likes the feel.
SP: I'm having chats with Dominic Preston at 2000AD about writing something a little bit more full-length as well. If we don't do a sequel, movie-wise, we might do a direct sequel in graphic novel format about what happens next. Have you seen the new Dawn Of The Dead, and if so, what did you think of it? Marie SP: I haven't but I really want to.
EW: It's funny, cos when I saw it I really enjoyed it, but the more I think about it - apart from a couple of bits, like the chainsaw bit - it hasn't really stayed with me that much. I like it and it's really well directed and it's a proper, good popcorn film, but it doesn't really have any of the character of the original. My favourite thing in the original film is that it seemingly takes place over an eight-week period. Whereas the new Dawn Of The Dead, it kind of felt like Speed with zombies...
SP: Or zombies on speed...
EW: Yeah, and the actual use of the mall was wasted a little bit. The zombies are always outside, and my favourite thing from the original is that the zombies are in the mall. I thought the first ten minutes and the last 15 minutes were great, but I didn't think they got the most out of the mall - it seemed slightly superfluous.
SP: You have a theory about that, don't you?
EW: Well, somebody told me that the original script was not a Dawn Of The Dead remake, it was just another zombie film and it was retooled into being a Dawn Of The Dead remake. But it is good. It scores major points for the Johnny Cash opening sequence, which is incredible.
SP: For me the great thing about Dawn - and it is a result of it being a sequel to Night Of The Living Dead - is that it kicks off right in the middle of it all. You've got this TV station in absolute disarray and everything's gone to s*** and that's how it starts. I think it's great to see Dawn Of The Dead without having seen Night Of The Living Dead, because you get this wonderful sense of disorientation which you share with the people in the film.
EW: I think if it wasn't called Dawn Of The Dead it would be a lot easier to enjoy.
SP: If they hadn't called it Dawn Of The Dead, the mall sequence might have been viewed as just an affectionate nod to Dawn Of The Dead and it'd have been a film in its own right. Could Shaun be the beginning of a zombie trilogy like Evil Dead? Craig Robertson EW: I don't think so. We definitely want to do something which continues the sensibility. We've had vague ideas of how to do a direct sequel, but I think we've had our zombie lot. There are lots of other genres that we're equally obsessed about, so I think we'll dip into other territories.
SP: One of the great things about making the film, coming from writing a series, is that when you make a series you have to make sure that things return to normal at the end, so you can pick up for the next episode, whereas we had the rare pleasure of not having to return anything to normal. We could decimate the cast and whittle everybody down and not have to worry about it. In a sense that's why we can't do any sequels, because it would be retreading old ground.
EW: Unless Shaun went back in time and fought the medieval dead!
SP: Yeah! Working closely with people for a long time can cause serious arguments or strong friendships - which was it for the cast of Shaun Of The Dead? Louise EW: We had strong friendships. We had one minor tiff but that's not even worth talking about. The good thing about having worked together is we've kind of achieved this shorthand and it was nice - certainly with performers who'd worked on Spaced - it was great to have a shorthand. And that's something I'd like to do, work with a repertory of actors and crew, so you can achieve things quicker.
SP: We went into this film as strong friends and it's only served to develop our relationship further. And I think also working with Nick [Frost], and also with Lucy [Davis], Kate [Ashworth], Dylan [Moran], Bill [Nighy], and Penelope [Wilton] for the first time, I've made friends with them as well. We had a really intense experience and we got close and I would hope that continues...
EW: ...forever! [laughs] Are there any plans for a Shaun Of The Dead computer game? I have an urge to whack a load of zombies in the head with a cricket bat - you made it look like so much fun. Amanda SP: I don't know. I don't know what we could do that Resident Evil hasn't already done other than change the setting and the narrative. It would be quite fun, I think, to do a computer game. Cos you could do that thing, even like in the little game that's up on the web at the moment, you could have Shaun start off with records and progress to the cricket bat and finally a gun. I met a guy from Capcom the other night, actually. He gave me his card. I'll give him a ring.
EW: How long would it take though?
SP: We wouldn't be able to let it go.
EW: I want little Lego Shauns. That would be my ideal merchandise.
SP: Yeah, action figures we want to do. If anyone reads this from McFarlane Toys, get in touch! Let's do some figures! Who are your favourite actors? Jason Teale SP: Scarlett Johansson! Bill Murray, funnily enough, I really love. Who, of course, was also in Lost In Translation.
EW: Bill Murray, Owen Wilson. Who else?
SP: Bruce Campbell. De Niro, obviously, just for Taxi Driver.
EW: Donald Sutherland. Seventies Donald Sutherland. Jack Black! Best performance of the year. I loved School Of Rock. It's fantastic. I've seen it three times.
SP: I loved School Of Rock. Simon, you rawked in Shaun Of The Dead? Any plans to shoot off to America, sell-out and do a big action film? Dave Starke SP: Yes.
EW: We want to do an English action film.
SP: I would love to do something in America because the resources are obviously there and production is more prolific over there, but I don't think going over to America for the sake of it and being in anything is a good step. That's not really a move forward. It's more sort of going over and living the dream a little bit. But, yeah, sure!
EW: As long as you don't end up playing second fiddle to Chris Tucker or someone.
SP: If it meant a toss up between doing our next film and being in Rush Hour 4 or Tom Cruise's team in Mission: Impossible III... I would definitely do Mission: Impossible III [laughs].
EW: Same kind of thing [for me] really. We want to continue the sensibility of this film. One of the things we're proud of is we've hopefully managed to make a UK genre film that works on its own terms, that doesn't pretend to be an American film. But that said, if I got offered Con Air 2... [laughs]
SP: Or Scary Movie 5. You've recently been involved with (and excellent in) From Bard To Verse on 91热爆3 - do you reckon 'serious' acting is something you'll want to do more of? Anna Lowman SP: I haven't seen that! I don't know if that was any good. Or my performance. I don't think serious acting or comedy acting are particularly estranged. It鈥檚 all about conveying emotions in whatever way. I find serious acting slightly harder because you can't rely on the little tricks and techniques that you use to make people laugh. Whereas you'll find that most serious actors find comedy harder. But, yeah, I'd love to do some serious stuff. Is The Second Coming really as good as the first Stone Roses album? Jonathan SP: No, but there are good songs on it. Those songs do not a good album make, but I would save The Second Coming for Ten Storey Love Song, Going South, I'm Begging You... I mean, if I could throw individual tracks, there would probably be a few off that album you would throw.
EW: Somebody asked me this: what albums would you throw? And I don't really own any albums that I'd throw out. But within people's careers there are ones that you'd rather forget. Like I'd chuck out all Queen records after the Flash Gordon soundtrack. Simon, you are obviously a big comics fan. Which comics, if any, do you currently read and which are your all-time favourites? Iain SP: I tend to read trade paperbacks now. I don't really collect weeklies any more because they end up... I lost a lot of comics in a flood and never quite got over it. I've just been re-reading Marshall Law, which is very funny, very black. It's about a policeman in San Futura who basically polices this very corrupt world of really debauched superhumans. It's great. My favourite of all time would probably have to be The Watchmen or The Dark Knight Returns, which are fairly obvious, but also V For Vendetta, and I like some of Frank Miller's Sin City stuff. And Preacher, which is very good. And Hellboy. I'm really looking forward to seeing the movie because they seem to have transferred the look so well. I'm hoping the quality of the movie matches the quality of the art design.
EW: I was always a bit of Marvel boy when I was a teenager. There was a point over five years where I used to get every single Marvel Weekly. I used to be a big fan of Todd McFarlane's stints on The Hulk. He did this great stint when the Hulk was grey and could speak and was a wisecracking Hulk. The Killing Joke is another one of my favourites. And we both read 2000AD as teenagers.
SP: Yeah, 2000AD. I think it's great that it's still forging ahead and still breaking ground. It's a great proving ground for British comic talent and sci-fi talent as well, and long may it live. Long live 2000AD!
