Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are one of those film teams who I think will eventually be studied because of the body of work they leave behind.
“Spaced,” “Shaun Of The Dead,” and “Hot Fuzz” alone would be worth a discussion, but I have a feeling we’re going to see them onscreen together over and over as their careers progress. This coming Christmas, we’re going to see them play Thomson and Thompson, the beloved characters from the TinTin series, and they’re still planning to make another film with Edgar Wright. But this weekend, they’re both writers and stars of the new science-fiction road comedy “Paul,” and to celebrate the film’s release, I took a trip last week out to Rachel, Nevada.
Where the hell is Rachel, Nevada?
Well, we actually had to fly in to Vegas. There were 25 of us total, and they loaded us into various RVs, then drove us about three hours out of the city to where the Little Ale’Inn is located. It’s a setting for a major sequence in “Paul,” and it’s a major spot for UFO enthusiasts because of how close it is to Area 51, the fabled location of the base where all of the alien bodies and spacecrafts are kept.
It’s always a treat to talk to Nick and Simon, and this conversation with them was nearly ten minutes, with a few interruptions. This sort of longer-form conversation on video works well at feeling like something natural instead of a mad scramble for a sound bite. And when you factor in the fact that we’re sitting in the middle of the desert for real, hundreds of miles from anything, it’s a really crazy way to conduct press for something.
While some of the other people were doing their interviews, I joined some reporters and we were driven to the “Extraterrestrial Highway” sign, where we did this stand-up:
I’ll have my interview with the director for you in just a moment, and in the meantime, here’s my review of the film.
“Paul” will be released everywhere this Friday.