For someone who never quite intended to become an actor, Nick Frost sure is having a good go at it. The British comedian rose to fame on his collaborations with Simon Pegg, including Shawn of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, and they have more in store (including the alien comedy Paul and a tandem role in Steven Spielberg's The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn) but in the meantime, Frost can be seen as part of the sterling ensemble in Pirate Radio, directed by Richard Curtis (Love Actually).
Movieline caught up with Frost to discuss the challenges of making the boat-set comedy, and Frost was happy to share some tidbits about his upcoming, fanboy-friendly slate at the same time.
I've noticed that the British press really, really has it out for Richard Curtis. They're positively vicious! Is it a case of tall poppy syndrome?
I don't know! Richard is such a positive person, and often I think that's enough for people to take a crack at.
Did you know him very well before you made this film?
I'd seen him around and stuff, obviously. He does Comic Relief and things, though I didn't know him a great deal. For him to write me a part in his film...I was very flattered.
He wrote it specifically with you in mind?
That's what he tells me, anyway. It made me feel like a big man. [Laughs]
I know they've made some cuts for the U.S. version. Were you privy to any of that?
Well, I think it was a little bit long, you know? I know they've been trimming it, but I actually haven't seen the U.S. version of it. From what I've heard, it's a very lean, trim animal.
Do you think there's a difference in comic sensibilities when you cross the Atlantic?
You know, after making Shawn of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, I think you become aware that we're not that different after all. In fact, we're actually quite similar, it's just the local specificities that change. On the whole, though, I think the things that make us laugh, make you guys laugh too, you know?
Speaking of Hot Fuzz, it was pretty heavily inspired by Michael Bay. I have to ask, did you see the Transformers sequel?
I didn't yet. I'm sorry!
There's a giant robot with wrecking ball testicles in it, Nick.
[Laughs] There's not enough of that in movies, I think! Maybe if Pirate Radio had a giant robot with wrecking ball testicles, the British press wouldn't have slagged it off so much.
So you actually shot Pirate Radio on a boat instead of a soundstage? Did I read that correctly?
You did read that correctly. We had a big boat, and we were out there for four weeks in a place called Weymouth, which is on the south coast of England. We got in the boat at eight o'clock in the morning with the tide, and off we went! It was a good way to make the film, because we felt a bit like pirates anyway.
Hollywood's got a lot of horror stories about shooting out in the water. Did you run into any problems?
Absolutely. You know, the problem with shooting on the water is that it's constantly moving, so the tide's changing and the wind's blowing. Also, you have to make the film look like you were ten, twenty miles out to sea, so we'd go out and get a shot and then we'd have to cut for half an hour while this little green tugboat pushed us into position.
I wondered, have you seen Zombieland, which was compared to Shawn of the Dead pretty often in reviews over here?
I haven't. God, I wish you'd told me to see these films before the interview! [Laughs] I haven't had time to see very much.
Well, one film I know you're familiar with is Greg Mottola's Paul, which you just shot with Simon Pegg. I've heard that Greg is going for a very "early Spielberg" vibe.
Absolutely. Simon and I were really big fans of Spielberg, and really big fans of The X-Files, as well. We kind of had the idea for Paul when we were shooting Shawn of the Dead, so it's taken quote a while to actually make it. We were shooting the scene in the garden when we were throwing the record at the zombies, and our producer said, "So what do you want to do after this?" And we just kind of came up with an answer on spec, and lo and behold, we made it a few years later.
Part of Paul takes place at Comic-Con. What was your first experience like there?
My first experience? It kind of felt like I had come home! [Laughs] It was also very comfortable to dress as Jabba or a Wookie. It was the first time I ever met Greg Mottola, actually.
Speaking of Greg, was it odd to make Paul with Simon Pegg but without Edgar Wright, who usually directs the two of you?
It kind of felt like we were cheating on each other, but in a good way -- a kind of sexy, duplicitous way. It's good for us all to go off and do other things. Obviously, we'll get back together. People enjoy the stuff that Simon and I do, but I think they get bored of us.
I don't think that's true! Everyone is waiting for you to finish out your Blood and Ice Cream trilogy.
Yes, the third in the trilogy of Shawn of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and one other. As soon as Simon and I have finished with Paul and Edgar's finished with Scott Pilgrim, I think we'll say, "What's next?"
We were talking about how Paul is sort of Spielbergian, but you've now worked with the actual Spielberg on Tintin. What was that like?
Well, I probably expected to get fired! It was really terrifying, since I've only been an actor for eight years. I was a waiter before that for quite a long time. Going from someone who didn't really want to be an actor to working with Steven Spielberg was a heck of a leap. I felt like a five-year-old boy going to college, if you know what I mean. I don't really remember going to high school that much, but I remember watching Close Encounters for the first time as an eleven-year-old and thinking, "Fucking hell, this is amazing." Being on set with him and he knows your name, and when he's happy with a take he does a little dance...it's a great way to work.
This is a motion-capture movie that's basically unlike anything Spielberg has shot before. Did he seem intimidated by it?
I think he was basically learning as he went along, but his rate of learning and a normal human's rate of learning is a lot different. Most of the time, he shot it like you would any other movie. He would actually operate the camera a lot of the time -- he was very hands-on. The way we shot it, it kind of felt like rehearsing a play, because we were doing long takes in a room with four or five other actors in gray suits. It felt a little bit like we were in the Actor's Studio.
And they had a monitor there where you could see the mo-capped version of your character as you performed him?
Oh, yeah. As far as the technology goes, it's amazing. It's more like Cape Canaveral than Hollywood.
There was some Twitter speculation that you were taking a role in Joe Cornish's Attack the Block...
Let's wait and see. Me and Joe have been friends for a long time, and that's it. I don't know if I'm good enough! I don't know if Joe wants me.
After doing a Spielberg film, you still have doubts about yourself?
I think I'll always be slightly doubtful. I think I'd rather be doubtful than have a big head and be knocked on my arse, you know?