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Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story: Who in the Hell is Steve Coogan and Why is he Funny?
By Chris Pryor
Untitled Document
If you’re not from the UK, the first time you probably heard of Steve Coogan
was when he appeared in Jim Jarmusch’s Coffee and Cigarettes or Michael Winterbottom’s
24 Hour Party People, the latter of which garnered him rave reviews for his portrayal
of Tony Wilson.
Coogan and Winterbottom have teamed up again for Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull
Story. The film, which is based on the popular 18th century series The Life and
Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentlemen, was well in the works before a proper
script was even penned. For Coogan, though, this wasn’t a first.
"[Michael] said, ‘Hey, do you want to play this character that’s
based on this novel?’ I wouldn’t normally do something like that –
it’s kind of crazy. But, I did it before [on 24 Hour Party People] with him
and it worked," recalls Coogan. "He makes interesting work and I trust
him. I probably wouldn’t have done that with another director – and
although it sounds bizarre, not having a script could be an advantage."
Published in nine volumes between 1759 and 1767, the ribald satirical series defied
the rules of what was considered an established writing style. Winterbottom’s
take on the latter pushes the envelope, as well, from a cinematic standpoint –
because, although there was an eventual script and storyline to follow, there
are also parts of the movie where everyone involved played fast and loose while
the cameras rolled.
"Well, obviously there’s no present day stuff in this novel because
it was written 200 years ago. But all of that stuff [in the film] is faithful
to the novel – the actual part in the movie that’s the period piece,"
states Coogan. "In the modern day stuff … for us to say lines as ourselves,
which was kind of weird, there was also a little bit of improvisation. I’d
say, like 30 percent [of the modern day stuff] was improvised, 70 percent was
scripted. There was quite a bit of stuff going on there that wasn’t on the
page."
In Tristram, there’s a lot of skipping around, from the present to the 18th
century and back again, wherein Coogan portrays his real self in addition to characters
in the novel’s storyline.
"I guess my favorite thing was playing – I hope it doesn’t sound
a bit self indulgent – but I liked playing myself," he says with a chuckle.
"Not because it’s easier. But because there’s more subtleties,
I think, [that are] in there. As soon as you put a period costume on, people find
it difficult to see the part that’s you sometimes. I kind of like doing the
modern day stuff."
Considering that he’s playing himself in the new feature, one might wonder
exactly how much of the real Coogan leaked out into the Tristram role. "Well,
there is a bit of that in me. I’m no Mother Theresa," he admits and
then goes on to expound. "But I kind of exaggerate the negative aspects of
myself ... I think at one point I was worried though, if it was being self-indulgent.
Like, who wants to go see a movie where an actor who most people have never heard
of is playing a version of himself in the film? That sounds bad but I knew that
if I could make it funny, then that wouldn’t matter."
There are many moments in Tristram that hearken back to the heydays of John Cleese
and Eric Idle, when the duo broke new ground with their "Monty Python"
act – and this is not lost on Coogan. The actor does, however, note a couple
of other influences. "There’s a lot of American influences in there
too. I was always a huge fan of This is Spinal Tap. But obviously I love the stuff
that I grew up with like "Monty Python," "The Young Ones"
and so on," he says matter-of-factly. "As an actor, you take from what
you like, dress it up and pretend it’s your own."
Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story is currently in theatres.
Article posted on 2/13/2006
This article has been viewed 332 times.
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