An interview with Simon Pegg

Is Simon Pegg the Dalai Lama of fanboys? The “Shaun of the Dead” and “Hot Fuzz” star used his love of all things pop culture to become a star, landing roles in films like “Mission: Impossible III,” George Romero zombie flicks, and, perhaps most impressively, one of geekdom’s dream roles, that of Montgomery Scott in J.J. Abrams’ relaunch of “Star Trek.”

Here Simon discusses being Scotty, stepping onto the bridge of the Enterprise, and living the fanboy fantasy life.

JS: So, if I give you my fax number, will you send me your copy of the “Star Trek” script? SP: [laughs] Actually I don’t have a copy of the “Star Trek script. When I first read the script, I was with a guy at the Toronto Film Festival last year, and the man stayed with me while I read it. I did have it obviously during the making of the film, but they were printed on paper so that we couldn’t even actually touch it. But there’s a rabid kind of desire to spoil things for everyone, to get a scoop on it, and say “ah, I know something about it.” JJ (Abrams, the director) is adamant that it is a surprise and that it should be enjoyed the way it’s meant to be enjoyed.

JS: Can you shed some light as to why the film has been pushed back to next summer, rather than the Christmas release? SP:I think JJ is really excited about it and wants it out there, but the studio was so excited, they were like “we have to put this in the summertime,” so it went back from December to May. But he would have to really, really be working 24/7 for Christmas, and I know people want it out, but I think he’d like to have more time to finesse it.

JS: How was playing Scotty? Did you feel pressure to live up to the legend, or was it more of an honor? SP: It was really good fun. That’s exactly what it was, an honor. I relished and tried to with all of my ability to treat the role with the kind of respect and gravitas it deserved. The role belongs to James Doohan. I didn’t want to do James Doohan doing Scotty, I wanted to look at the character as a character on the page and perform it from there. I had Chris Doohan (James Doohan’s son) as my assistant on the set, and he came and we hung out. Some of the other cast, like John Cho, got to meet their equivalents, and they were very lucky. Sadly, James isn’t with us any more, so I chatted with his son and sort of got an idea of who he was and what he brought to the role, so I was lucky to be able to do that.

JS: What was it like actually going on the set, seeing the inside of the Enterprise? SP: It was amazing. I was constantly marveling at how the production designers managed to stay utterly faithful to the USS Enterprise without making it look dated and making it look like it was built in the ’60s. What they’ve had to navigate, since they are going back to the original, is not making it look ironic, or making it a joke in any way. I was amazed when I went back and watched the old show after I’d been shooting, about how basic the original bridge of the Enterprise was. When I walked onto set, I was like “yeah, this is it.” And when you go back, and watch the TV show, and you go, “no, that was far simpler.” I think people who go through the film will have to watch it twice, because they’ll be geeking out the first time.

JS: Are you the fanboy that lives the fantasy? SP: Living the dream.

JS: You make “Shaun of the Dead” and Romero starts throwing you into his zombie movies. SP: I’m sure I’m thoroughly derided by certain members of the geek community, which is sad, because I’ve gotten to be in “Doctor Who” and Romero’s zombie films, and “Star Trek.” That’s the kind of stuff I love, and of course I’m going to be interested in participating in it. I think I’m very lucky. Work should be fun. If you can get a job you enjoy, you’re very lucky, and for me I do it because I want to enjoy myself when I’m at work. When you select your projects, you have to keep in mind whether you’re going to have fun on it.

JS: With Edgar Wright making “Ant Man,” any chance of you getting in on that? SP: No, I’m not attached to “Ant Man.” I think that’s a little way off for Edgar, he’s got “Scott Pilgrim” next, that they’re shooting in Toronto. I don’t want to be Edgar’s Bruce Campbell, you know, and just because…although I wouldn’t mind being Bruce Campbell, because I think it’s when you see Bruce in Sam Raimi movies. But we want to do some stuff separately too.

JS: You’ve been a pretty big part of this resurgence of British humor in the US. Why do you think it’s caught on? SP: Well, it’s down to the capacity to exchange information, really. We have a lot more access to each other with the Internet, and the world’s maybe gotten a little smaller. Before all that America saw were the extremes, “Monty Python” and Benny Hill, and vice versa we didn’t get much. But shows like “The Larry Sanders Show,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “The Simpsons” are huge in the UK. And we have a very particular bonus of speaking the same language, so we can understand what we’re saying.