Conversation
Page 8
Street Roots • Aug. 24-30, 2018
As his career reaches new heights - his 4th ‘Mission: Impossible’ film out
and a new ‘Star Trek’ in the offing - Simon Pegg aims to stay true to himself
BY SIMON BLAND
C O N T R IB U T IN G W R IT E R
memorable early work. But it wasn’t until he .
co-created the slacker comedy “Spaced” with Jessica
“ Y T 711 en you know Tom’s been running
Hynes that things really kicked into gear.
I The show became a cult hit, helping Pegg parlay a
it if you didn’t submit yourself for everything,” said
Simon Pegg, pondering the downside of having an
action hero like Tom Cruise as your work buddy.
“You know that whatever you do, Tom will be doing
something 10 times worse.”
Pegg stars in “Mission: Impossible - Fallout,”
playing gadget man Benji Dunn alongside Cruise as
agent Ethan Hunt
Production on “Fallout,” Pegg’s fourth “Mission
Impossible” but the franchise’s sixth installment,
was forced on hiatus after Cruise broke his ankle
building-hopping while shooting one of the film’s
chase sequences. Pegg insists it’s this commitment
to realism that brings audiences back to “Mission
Impossible.”
“WithCGI, even though the spectacle has
become more convincing than ever, we’re less
inclined to believe it or be wowed by it,” Pegg said.
“There’s a degree of detachment because you know
it’s not happening, but the minute it becomes
genuine, when you know that’s Tom Cruise flying
the helicopter, leaping across gaps or riding those
motorbikes, suddenly it reclaims that degree of:
‘Holy fuck! This is actually happening!’
“I think people have forgotten that sensation a
little bit. And Tom’s insistence to do it this way has
reminded audiences of the thrill. It’s thrilling
because it’s actually happening.”
Growing up in Gloucestershire, England, Pegg
seemed destined for the stage. A stint at Warwick
University saw him perform alongside David
Walliams, and a string of roles in famous British
comedies quickly followed. Revisit sketch show “Big
Train,” Graham Linehan’s “Black Books” or Steve
Coogan’s “I’m Alan Partridge,” and you’ll find Pegg’s
fledgling career on the small screen into a full-time
gig on the big screen, spearheaded by a trio of
features with his “Spaced” co-creators Nick Frost
and director Edgar Wright. The 2004 Rom-zom-com
“Shaun of the Dead” started things off, followed by
2007’s cop comedy “Hot Fuzz” and culminating with
2013’s sci-fi booze cruise “Thè World’s End.”
Cut to 2018, and the 48-year-old star now
considers Steven Spielberg, JJ Abrams and the
seemingly indestructible Cruise as his
contemporaries.
As the “Mission” movies get bigger, it’s not just
Ethan Hunt who’s in on the action.
“Benji’s a technician,” Pegg said. “He gels into
trouble, but he generally doesn’t throw himself off
things. Although for ‘Fallout,’ I had to learn to drive
a speedboat, do underwater stuff and all the fight
choreography, which I love. I have this backstory
that Benji plays Fortnight with Ethan,, and it’s the
only place where he can beat him in a fight.”
It’s not just our world that Pegg has helped save
lately. He has saved galaxies as the USS
Enterprise’s Chief Engineer Scotty in three (soon to
be four) “Star Trek” films. He also had a role in
Spielberg’s 2018 hit, “Ready Player One” and a
cameo in Abrams’ 2015 sequel, “Star Wars: The
Force Awakens.” There are also constant rumors of
reteaming with his Cornetto Trilogy colleagues.
“’Mission IIP was my first Hollywood film,” he
said, “and it’s meant that things have escalated for
me globally.”
But with such a sudden career boost came
unwanted side-effects. Last month, the actor
revealed details of a hidden battle with alcoholism
and depression that plagued most of his rise to fame
and threatened to derail his career. Having come
l / l / around on a broken ankle for 10 hours,
V ▼ you’d feel a bit like you were half arsing
through this dark time, Pegg is now able to welcome
his successes and value his time spent out of the
spotlight.
“I generally relish my downtime and tend not to
leave the house when I get home. I live out in the
countryside, and it’s just a nice place to retreat to. I
watch films, play games with my kids, take the dogs
for a walk and keep it all as real as possible.”
He even finds time for TV.
“I’m enjoying ‘Bob Mortimer and Paul
Whitehouse Gone Fishing,’” he said. “I think it’s
one of the most affecting television programs ever
made.”
Pegg’s also one of the few stars who opt to spend
their spare time off social media.
“I didn’t like how available it made me. There
were a few reasons why I quit: partly because I felt
like if I’m a private person, why am I giving the
world a means to talk to me? Also, I didn’t really like
who it encouraged me to be.
“Social media makes you incredibly narcissistic. I
see people who I know on social media, and I don’t
like them on social media. It’s slightly false, too,
because you’re essentially editing and redacting
your own existence to make yourself look as good as
possible. It engenders such ego-driven narcissism
that it made me feel a bit icky, so I left.”
Back to work, anid Pegg’s future looks set to
continue its rocket pace. He recently set up
production company Stolen Picture with friend and
collaborator Frost, and once work on “Star Trek IV”
wraps, Pegg plans to visit Finland to helm his first
feature film.
“I’m a big believer in writing from a point of view
of the truth, and obviously that means being very
personal,” he said. “I think that’s the key to good
comedy: not trying to appeal.
“When Jess and I wrote ‘Spaced,’ shows like
‘Game On’ and even ‘Friends’ didn’t speak to us,
particularly the British shows. They were being