Sunshine
Steve Coogan as Bing Crosby
Steve Coogan is probably best known for his character Alan Partridge from Knowing Me, Knowing You With Alan Partridge and I'm Alan Partridge and also for his TV show Coogan's Run.
Ìý
Outside the UK he is well known for his film roles: he played factory boss Tony Wilson in 24 Hour Party People and Mole in The Wind And The Willows.
Ìý
He also starred in The Parole Officer, A Cock And Bull Story and Around The World In 80 Days.
Ìý
He has made appearances in Hot Fuzz and Night At The Museum and is starring in the new comedy film Tropic Thunder, alongside Ben Stiller.
Ìý
Outside of film and television he still does stand-up comedy and is starting his latest tour, Steve Coogan Is Alan Partridge And Other Less Successful Characters.
Ìý
Speaking about his role in Sunshine, Steve says: "I think Bing is like a lot of working class men in the 21st century, struggling to be the kind of person he wants to be but is being pulled by an addiction.
Ìý
"He has an addiction which is gambling, and so he reveals a sort of Jekyll and Hyde character.
Ìý
"That is, he's sort of got this duality; he is a good person who isn't able to maximise his potential because of his addiction, and a consequence of his addiction is that the positive side of him is suppressed so he ends up being not a particularly good father, even though the intention is there.
Ìý
"In practice and reality he's not particularly attentive so the main thing is that he's just a decent, happy-go-lucky fellow who's been drawn into the dark side."
Ìý
One thing that is apparent throughout Sunshine is the love that Bing's wife Bernadette feels for her irresponsible husband.
Ìý
Steve says: "I think it is because Bing is so self-deprecating and tries to be positive all the time. There's always a positive energy around him, which can come across, on first sight, as stupidity but I think he wants things to be right so he tries to inject a certain kind of playfulness.
Ìý
"He doesn't take himself too seriously and I think he makes Bernadette laugh, which is why she perhaps puts up with his misbehaviour probably longer than she would otherwise."
Ìý
This is the first time that Steve has been directed by Craig Cash but the pair go back a long way.
Ìý
"I met Craig probably about 20 years ago. He was friends with Caroline (Aherne). I was at college with John Thomson and there was John Thomson and myself and Caroline so Craig was around.
Ìý
"Craig was a DJ on the Stockport radio, CWFM it was called, and I used to go on his radio show.
Ìý
"Craig would actually ring me up and say will you come on my radio show for free and just say some funny things, late at night, which I would do. I did it a few times.
Ìý
"Henry Normal was part of that scene too... there was a little kind of Manchester thing going on.
Ìý
"Dave Gorman was on the fringes of it as well, and we'd all do gigs at the Green Room and the Streets, so I've know him for quite a few years, and I admired the work and progress he was making.
Ìý
"Henry Normal worked with him on The Royle Family first series, so we're all kind of interconnected as a northern scene."
Ìý
Steve is about to kick off on a nationwide tour and is really looking forward to reconnecting with a live audience: "I missed doing it, and I've not done it properly for 10 years and I really, really miss it.
Ìý
"It's really important to reconnect. I felt like there was a kind of distance - you become detached from your audience.
Ìý
"The only way you know what people think or whether they like what you do is through the filter of the media, through newspapers or television.
Ìý
"They are, if you like, middle men, so you can become detached and sometimes get a distorted view of how you're perceived by the punters.
Ìý
"There's no aisle for such ambiguity when you do a live performance, it's quite immediate and I want to make that connection because I think it's important to go back to fundamentals.
Ìý
"Also it's quite nice to write gags and hear people laugh out loud.
Ìý
"When you do something on TV you don't hear people laugh unless you do a studio show, which I've also not done for a long time, which I might do again one day.
Ìý
"They've fallen out of fashion, but hearing an audience laugh is a really great, really, really rewarding thing to do and I miss it."
Ìý
Printable version