If you’ve been reading Collider for awhile, you know how much of a fan we all are of Simon Pegg. And since of all you love his work as much as us, I shouldn’t have to tell you that he co-wrote and was the lead in “Shaun of the Dead” and “Hot Fuzz,” or that he was part of the great British TV show “Spaced” (coming this summer to DVD here in the states), or that he has a few movies coming out soon like “Run Fatboy Run,” “How to Lose Friends and Alienate People,” or that he’s part of a small independent movie that arrives in 2009 called “Star Trek.” (He plays Scotty if you didn’t know)

But for those few that read movie websites and don’t know who he is…. seriously, what the hell is wrong with you. If you’ve gotten to this point without watching “Shaun of the Dead,” you need to stop what you’re doing and go buy a copy and watch it. You’ll then understand why geekdom has a thing for Simon Pegg.

Anyway, about a year and a half ago I posted what I still consider to be one of the best interviews I’ve ever done on Collider. And for those wondering…it was with Simon. For what may have been an hour, we sat and talked in his hotel room about all the projects he had coming up and we even geeked out over “Superman Returns” and “Star Wars.” (Remember, the interview was done in 2006) While I’ve learned a lot over the past year or two on how to do better interviews, that one was just great. Especially because I didn’t have prepared questions or agenda, we just talked about whatever came up.

So if you enjoyed that interview, I’ve got a new one with Simon that you’ll definitely love as well. Is it better than the first one…I’ll let you decide.  But this one has great stories from the sets of all his new movies….even Trek!

And with that, here's Simon. Of course, a big thank you to Simon for agreeing to do the interview and you can expect more with the Peggster later this month as he’ll be in town again to promote “Run, Fatboy, Run.”

Collider: The first thing…are you surprised at how many people are writing about Spaced and how unhappy people are that it’s getting remade and has anyone now tried to contact you?

Simon Pegg: The support has been staggering. People are genuinely hacked off. We've said all we have to say on this matter on our websites. The fact that it has been picked up by the press at large goes to show the depth of feeling involved with the situation. I'm not interested in some sort of public slanging match. Everyone knows what they've done, including those responsible for doing it.

Collider: Run, Fatboy, Run is finally coming out in the states but it did really well in Britain already. Were you surprised by the success or are you slowing making peace with the fact that you have more than 10 fans.

Simon Pegg: I have more than 10 fans?!!!! It was nice to have two number one films at the British box office last year, although it would be supremely arrogant to assume it was entirely down to my involvement. To be fair it was probably only about 89% that.

Collider: You did Run, Fatboy, Run with David Schwimmer. Obviously he’s Mr. Friends. What was it like working with him and did he ever tell you any juicy gossip from the show. Also, were you a fan of Friends or did you “have to watch it” because of a girlfriend.

Simon Pegg: I resisted Friends at first, because I had preconceptions about it being all schmaltz and white teeth. Those things are undoubtedly a part of it but pale into insignificance against some very sharp and inventive sitcom writing and a truly cohesive ensemble.

David's a great person. He's warm, funny, sensitive and incredibly generous. As a director he was  extremely attuned to our needs as actors. He has an uncanny ability to sense your mood and he's also very keen on everyone having input. I look back on the experience very fondly.

Collider: What was the best part of making Run, Fatboy, Run and did it involve Thandie.

Simon Pegg: Hanging out with one of the most beautiful women in the world is never gonna be a chore unless she compensates by being an ass and Thandie most certainly is not ass-like. She's incredibly down to earth for someone as aesthetically equipped. I think, having just come off Crash, she was keen to have a laugh and threw herself into onset joking with a vengeance. One evening I got back to my trailer to discover she had taken the time to stitch up the neck and sleeves of my sweater. I pretended to be really upset, claiming the sweater was a present from my Mother and she had ruined it. She immediately felt awful and started crying. She learnt a valuable lesson that day. Don't fuck with a fucker. I love her.

Collider: You did a voice for Diary of the Dead. Are you pretty much at the point that whatever Romero asks you to do you’d be cool with. And what’s it like working for him. Is it the kind of thing that you pinch yourself when you’re doing it?

Simon Pegg: Well it's George isn't it. I owe him a lot. Also, it's obviously an honor to be asked. I did the voice over the phone from my house in London. We spent 20 minutes catching up, then 5 minutes doing the voice. Easiest job I ever did.

Collider: Another movie on the horizon is How to Lose Friends and Alienate People. How did you first get involved with the project? What was it like working with “The Dude” / Flynn? Did you ever talk Starman on the set?

Simon Pegg: Working with Jeff Bridges was amazing. You really have to bring your 'A' game. If you don't, you will evaporate into the scenery. He is a truly remarkable actor and that is reflected in his ease and charm as a human being. We had real fun on set and off and I feel I learnt a lot from him. I was very lucky on How To Lose Friends, in terms of the actors I got to work with, it was a truly eclectic cast. I found Kirsten Dunst to be similarly inspiring. She's only 25 years old but has 22 years experience. She has an incredible  professionalism and natural ability as an actress, effortlessly inhabiting her role and drawing you into the scene with her. With both Kirsten and Jeff, I often had to concentrate on not just sitting back and watching them work

I got involved in the film after the director, Bob Wiede watched virtually everything I've ever done after my name came up in a meeting. Bob (who is the other main creative force behind Curb Your Enthusiasm) and I then had a meeting and London and that was that. It wasn't until later when the other characters got cast that I realized exactly what I had signed up for.

Also, you worked with Gillian Anderson and I think you’re an X-Files fan. What was it like working with her and have you tried to get a cameo in the new movie.

Simon Pegg: My character Tim, in Spaced (available on region 1 DVD from July 23rd, accept no substitutes) was, like me a huge X-Files fan and, again like me, had a huge crush on Gillian. Bob was kind enough to bring up the scene in which Tim is apparently masturbating over magazine images of her, when she first walked into the rehearsal room. I'll never forgive him for that. He broke the code and I blushed so much my eyes bled.

Gillian's fantastic though, we talked a lot about the X-Files and inevitably I knew more about it than she did. We did talk about the possibility of doing a cameo in the new movie but decided against it because it would pop people out of the movie if my big geeky mug popped up.

Collider: For the part, did you talk with Toby Young? And have you seen a rough cut of the movie yet and what do you think?

Simon Pegg: I went out for dinner with Toby a few times and chatted to him. I found him to be great company and was slightly confused by the depth of loathing he inspires in some people. I didn't want to impersonate him in the movie though. I play Sydney Young in the film, not Toby. The screenplay is very much inspired by events in the book rather than being a direct representation of them. I have seen a cut and I loved it. My film fan head appreciated the sharp dialogue, excellent performances and accomplished direction, my geek head was screaming, "look it's me with Mary Jane Watson, Special Agent Dana Scully, The Dude and Mikaela from Transformers!"

Collider: Finally, what was it like filming in New York and London. Do you enjoy the location filming or does it ever get old.

Simon Pegg: It's great to film at home. It means I can take my dog to work with me and get a home cooked meal in the evening. New York was an adventure. The first day of shooting was at a club on Times Square. My trailer was parked up curbside at the corner, of 46th and Broadway. I was sat in this nice , quiet, air conditioned space with a TV and hot and cold running smoothies whilst outside bustled perhaps the most chaotic, colorful, metropolitan nexus in the world. It was surreal. During the week we'd shoot by night in such auspicious locations as under Brooklyn Bridge, at The Soho Grand, or in the heart of a very drunk Alphabet City and at the weekend Kirsten would take me shopping to all these cool clothes shops she  knew about. I came back with a trilby and skinny jeans. I'm 38.

Collider: How did you first get connected with J.J. Abrams and were you a fan of any of his shows. What’s it like working with him? Did you see Cloverfield and what did you think?

Simon Pegg: JJ saw Shaun of the Dead and decided he wanted me to do M:I:3. He called me at my office and asked me and I said yes please. That was that. I don't have praise high enough for that man. As we say here in the UK he's the dog's bollocks.

I thought Cloverfield was great. A brilliant concept and really smartly marketed. So simple and yet so effective. SPOILER ALERT!!!! - I was so pleased to noticed that great little detail at the very end. The genius being that the footage that was taped over was actually more important than the footage taken on the day. Love that shit.

Collider: While working on Star Trek, have you had any interaction with Damon Lindelof and are you a fan of Lost. Or the show I like to call the best thing that God ever invented on TV.

Simon Pegg: I didn't meet Damon, although I am a huge fan of Lost. Man, is that a show that got it's mojo back or what?! I think some felt it faltered slightly as it transpired that the survivors were sitting on top of a giant science experiment but it's definitely found it's focus again. The current episodes are just brilliant. I kept trying to catch JJ out on the set of Star Trek by walking up behind him and asking, "who are the Oceanic 6?'

more Simon on page 2 ------->

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