Pegging Pegg
Simon Pegg, star and co-writer of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, describes the current "geek" film climate quite eloquently to Film School Rejects:
"You realize that now the film industry is sort of populated by film fans, by people that appreciate the medium. I think J.J. Abrams is a fan. If you look at the directors now, the current generation, you look at people like Tarantino, Sam Raimi, Edgar (Wright), you know, they’re all film geeks who are now making films. They were all people who grew up with cinema through the video boom and are now making films themselves."
Chalk it up to a class act like Pegg to not lump himself in that category, though he certainly has earned his place. From his cult classic, cult culture-influenced television series Spaced to his upcoming space-traveling adventure in Star Trek XI, Simon Pegg has precariously superglued his precious little bottom to the collective heart and mind of the fan community.
Pegg’s been hard at work promoting his latest film How To Lose Friends and Alienate People. As can be expected, the man’s silver tongued quips have made the rounds on many a Web site, either being misconstrued as fact or just being pointed out as a prime example of absurdity. We’ve gathered a sampling of some of the better Pegg quotes over the past few months regarding his upcoming projects and a whole lot of other cool stuff.
Spaced, The Final Frontier
Before there was Star Trek, there was Spaced… in terms of Simon Pegg’s career, that is. The cult British television series focused on Tim (Pegg) and Daisy (co-star Jessica Hynes), two strangers who pose as a couple to satisfy a requirement for renting a flat. Incorporating plenty of geek humor and sub-culture, the show at it’s core centered on the confused youths discovering themselves and each other.
Pegg, who is grateful for the success that Spaced enjoys, thinks a return to the series to be unlikely.
"In some respects it would be hard to return to the show as it was, because our lives have changed so much," he tells Ain’t It Cool News. "We aren’t those people anymore. We’ve all done different things, big things in our lives, whether that be personally, professionally. And I think, we were kind of Tim and Daisy really. We were in that situation. We’re not really now."
That doesn’t mean other parties aren’t interested in the property. When word broke out that an American remake of Spaced was being planned, fans briefly believed that it would be much in line with NBC’s take on Rickey Gervais’ The Office. Sadly, Pegg and his co-creators revealed that they had not been contacted in any form regarding the remake.
"My main problem with the notion of a Spaced remake is the sheer lack of respect that Granada/ Wonderland/Warner Bros have displayed in respectively selling out and appropriating our ideas without even letting us know," Pegg said in a written statement. "A decision I can only presume was made as a way of avoiding having to give us any money, whilst at the same time using mine and Edgar’s name in their press release, in order to trade on the success of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz."
"f they don’t care about the integrity of the original … why not just lift the premise?" Pegg continued. "Take it, have it … [just] don’t call it Spaced."
Pegg and Romero: Zombie Consultants at Law
Though Spaced came first, it was another of Simon Pegg’s projects that launched the comedian into the larger American viewership. Shaun of the Dead cricket batted its way through the brains of zombie lovers everywhere, setting a new trajectory for Pegg’s career. In fact, Pegg’s cult classic has been revered so widely that some fans put it on the same pedestal as George A. Romero’s Dead franchise. Film School Rejects cornered Pegg and asked him the obvious question:
FSR: Quickly, now that you’re part of zombie pop, are you and George Romero part of a secret government advisory committee in case of the rising of the undead?
PEGG: Yes. Yes we are. I can’t say anything more than that. [Laughs] It’s all about getting people used to the idea…it’s in the back of their minds. You’ll all know what to do. It’s instruction videos we’ve been making. [Laughs]
Pegg further clarifies the culture of zombie films and declares his support of the "slow zombie" over the "fast zombie."
"I think the reason the ‘zombie’ thing is so popular is because you do have a chance," he tells the site. "That’s why the fast zombie spoiled everything, because didn’t have a chance. With the slow zombies it was like ‘I…I could make it.’"
Just One of The Boys
Though no official announcement has been made, anyone reading Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson’s The Boys knows that when the movie version comes out, Simon Pegg is gonna be Wee Hughie. At least, he better be. In an interview with Wizard Universe, Pegg laughed about his resemblance to the counter-superhero agent in the Dynamite comic book, stating that he finds it an honor.
"I was chuffed to bits," Pegg says, "and it was really funny because Darick who draws it was slightly embarrassed and I was, like, ‘Are you kidding? This is amazing!’"
"For me, it was a huge compliment," he continues. "It was done in complete good will and if it had been mean or something then, sure, I might have been a bit upset but it was like somebody considers me eligible for that kind of interpretation. As a comic book fan there wasn’t a higher compliment so I was genuinely chuffed, you know?"
Does Whatever a Spider Pegg Does
The Boys isn’t the only comic property that Pegg has his eye on. Kirsten Dunst’s return to the Spider-Man franchise was widely reported this week, but Simon Pegg’s "alleged" involvement got skirted under the rug.
"I’m in Spider-Man!" Pegg proclaimed to MTV earlier this week. "I play Mary Jane’s brother. He comes to New York from the university, and he says, ‘Hey, what are you doing hanging out with that web-crawler?’"
Despite the obvious joke, Pegg showed off his fanboy love of the character upon further questioning. He states his desire to see The Lizard as the fourth film’s villain, prompting Dunst to suggest Pegg for the role — though MTV’s quick to point out that Connors has already appeared in the series.
"I’d like to see them concentrate on one villain," Pegg recommends. "Spider-Man 3 had too many villains, I thought."
While Pegg’s passion for Spider-Man might not be enough to land him a role in the film, there are other properties that the actor has a better chance on. Edgar Wright’s attachment to direct Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and Marvel’s Ant-Man could spell good news for Pegg fans, considering the professional and personal history between Wright and Pegg.
One Small Step for Man, One Giant Leap for Simon Pegg
When it was announced that Pegg would be taking over the role of Scotty in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek XI, fans were surprised by the news — and that includes the actor himself. What Simon wasn’t surprised by was the nervous reaction from devoted Trekkies.
"I thought you were going to ask, ‘Who the hell do you think you are?’" Pegg jokes in response to being asked about taking on such a beloved role. "I was thrilled, and I wasn’t surprised at the reaction. I understand that it’s a precious thing. You don’t want it in the hands of someone who a) doesn’t appreciate it or b) might seek to undermine it. Star Trek is a beloved story and is being treated as such. It’s being done very seriously. There’s no attempt to wink at the camera."
Pegg’s approach to the character is a testament to that ideal. The actor claims that in slipping on Scotty’s fleet uniform, all preconceptions of the character went out the window.
"I am Scottish," Pegg describes his method to Sci Fi Pulse. "I tried to approach it like James Doohan did when he got the part, which is say ‘Ok the guy is Scottish. He works in space.’ I didn’t try and do an impression of James Doohan."
"I’m a huge fan of James Doohan, and it’s a characterization that cemented him eternal life in the pantheon of science fiction," Pegg elaborates. "I thought, ‘Wow, this is a responsibility.’ I absolutely made sure I wasn’t doing anything that could be construed as an impression of James Doohan or pastiche of him.
Still, Pegg can’t deny the scope of this opportunity as a lifelong Trek fan.
"I’ve been very out as an [Star Trek] enthusiast, because Spaced obviously pinned me as a geek," he tells Philadelphia City Paper. "So it was amazing to be part of that whole universe. To be a grown man acting not just with Leonard Nimoy, but with that character [Spock] who I’ve known since I was a child, is just mind-blowing."
When Star Trek XI hits theaters next year, many fans will be beaming up to theaters in large part to see Simon Pegg’s enthusiastic high profile performance. Alright, that’s probably not entirely true. Most fans will be there to see the return of Kirk, Spock and the rest of the Enterprise gang. But as a self-proclaimed film geek, Pegg wouldn’t want it any other way.