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Steve Coogan is sick of feeling like a coffee table.
At least that's close to the analogy he makes when he's talking about his status as a major TV star in England—where his greatest successes usually involve his fictional alter ego, the narcissistic radio DJ Alan Partridge. In the U.S., Coogan remains largely a cult figure, probably best known for his inspired portrayal of record label head Tony Wilson in 2002’s “24 Hour Party People,” despite prominent roles in "Around the World in 80 Days," "Marie Antoinette," "Night at the Museum" and, most recently, "Tropic Thunder" (as the director who meets an explosive end).
That just might change thanks to his latest starring vehicle, “Hamlet 2,” which arrives in theaters with great buzz stemming from a $10-million distribution deal at this year's Sundance film festival. The parody of inspirational teacher movies—think “Mr. Holland’s Opus,” “Dead Poet’s Society” and “Dangerous Minds,” all referenced in the film—places Coogan in the role of painfully mediocre high school drama teacher Dana Marschz who decides to write a sequel to Shakespeare's masterpiece.
In person, Coogan proved to be effusive and engaging as he sat down with Metromix to discuss what makes good comedy and the perils of performing a song called “Rock Me Sexy Jesus.” Just don't ask him about a certain tabloid-friendly rock star...
What do you think when someone sends you a script called “Hamlet 2”?
I’ve read quite a lot of comedy scripts and I write a lot—comedy has just been in my blood for 20 years—so I’m quite a tough audience. When you write a lot of comedy, you become familiar with the patterns in the writing, the formula, and you become a little jaded. This script managed to confound me at every turn and make me laugh. The best kind of laugh is when you’re not quite sure why you’re laughing. This script had uncomfortable laughter, odd laughter and a character that was not a character I’d seen before [as the star of] a film.
What makes Dana Marschz so unique?
When I read on the second page that he was putting on a [high school] production of “Erin Brockovich,” I knew that this was an earnest person that really believed in art but didn’t quite have what it took. There’s something very endearing and tragic about that.
Do you find your real life influencing your comedy?
Every single experience I have is filtered into what I do. If I’m talking to someone and something uncomfortable happens, or I’m in an uncomfortable situation, a little part of me will be thinking "this will probably make good comedy at some point." When something very bad happens, I think, "Well, there’s an upside to this. At least I’ll be able to use it."
Any worries that people might find the songs in “Hamlet 2”—like, say, “Raped in the Face” or “Rock Me Sexy Jesus”—offensive?
If you approach any kind of volatile topic through comedy and don’t get it right or don’t approach it in the right way, it can be a hundred times [more] offensive. So it’s always very difficult. Good comedy will not please all the people all of the time, but if you set out to be offensive and that’s your end product, then you’ll screw up. There has to be a point of view or an attitude behind [the joke].
Dana plays Jesus in the school play and Tony Wilson basically thought he was Jesus, did that connection ever occur to you?
It’s only struck me today that there is a bit in common with Dana Marschz and the Tony Wilson character in “24 Hour Party People.” Only a tiny bit, because Tony was a real person and people did accuse him of having a megalomaniacal God complex.
You've got two movies out and BBC America is about to start showing your series “Saxondale,” it sounds like you’ve got a proper American invasion going on.
There’s a lot of stuff going on in America, I’m very excited about [it]. There’s a genuine curiosity about what I’m doing, whereas in England, they like me but I’m kind of part of the furniture. The curiosity about me here is energizing because I feel like it’s all new.
Another way to conquer America is to turn up in the tabloids, which you did when you were allegedly dating Courtney Love. You could do something like that again...
If you don’t mind, I’ll thank you to not take your advice.
Why not?
No comment!
