How Simon Pegg became a big fish He works with his heroes, lives out his childhood fantasies, and has real Hollywood clout. And the ‘nerd’ from Gloucester’s stock is still rising By Craig McLean7:00AM BST 29 May 2012 (TELEGRAPH)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=yfDUv3ZjH2k

In the darkened interior of Shepperton Studios in Surrey, Simon Pegg wraps a robe around his fatigued body, stretches back on his personal recliner, and lets his entourage minister to his every need. Right now, this means a make-up artist tending to his tired eyes and a PR scuttling over with a message to the effect that, “we’ve had a note from Bruce’s people that he is supportive of the project”. Nearby lingers a former rock star and scion of an acting dynasty, hanging on his every word. But he’ll have to wait — Pegg is having his nails done. Next: a hairdo.

The actor/writer scrolls through his ever-present iPhone. What’s this? Another A-lister has been in touch? Yes indeed — Rastamouse is free for a meeting.

“Yup,” the actor nods coolly, “that’s the kind of company I keep these days.” It seems the Caribbean-accented rodent star of CBeebies is one of Pegg’s circle — probably because of Pegg’s infant daughter. “We met Mr Tumble the other week, too, at Legoland. He was ever so nice. He said someone who used to be Laurel and Hardy’s dresser got in touch and said he was a big fan of his slapstick.” Outside, it is August 2011, and wet. Inside it is day 23 on the 29-day shoot of A Fantastic Fear Of Everything, a small-scale British film in which Pegg plays lead character Jack, a children’s author-turned-paranoid slovenly wreck.

Pegg – last “seen” on-screen playing a Thompson twin in Steven Spielberg’s 3D, motion-capture Tintin – has worked hard to make this oddball comic film come to fruition. He’s been involved from its earliest days, and his association helped secure the support of Universal, the studio with whom Pegg made Shaun Of The Dead, Hot Fuzz and Paul. Now he’s crammed filming of AFFOE into the hair’s breadth gap in his schedule between completing work with Tom Cruise on Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol and beginning preparations to join, once more, the crew of the Starship Enterprise.


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