Page 11 - 17_Bafta ACADEMY_Sam Mendes_ok

R: Is there any specific pro- gramme you’re referring to?
JS: No one programme neces- sarily embodies exactly what I’m talking about. I’m just talking about a general style - flat screen, very bright colours, a soaking-type of studio lighting. In the US some- how, there’s a slickness that works. You don’t feel slightly deceived. Whereas when I watch British pro- grammes that have that kind of gloss, I feel slightly uncomfortable. It’s not accurate.
The sitcoms that are most suc- cessful are the ones that are incredibly British. The comedy comes from the failure, basically, of the central characters. You know Britons, we love the under- dog. We love failures. We love people who aren’t getting it right all the time, who never get it right. You know, Only Fools and Horses is always about how Del-
boy never makes it. It’s just bril- liantly written, really funny, accu- rately observed. The central char- acter is ultimately a failure but tries, you know. It’s the idea of these misfits. And Fawlty Towers, Dad’s Army, even The Royle Family - exactly the same [laughs]. They were so hopeless! And the jokes were great, the comedy is brilliant. Tony Hancock, I love Tony Hancock. You know, that terribly desperate trying but failing is a British comedy staple. I think that if you can try and write it well, people will be entertained. That’s the goal.
Q. There’s an assumption built in, which The Simpsons also ascribes to, that you don’t have to talk down to the audience. They’re literate enough to catch the references.
JS: Absolutely, they are. There’s no point in trying to spell it out. If
you look at something like The West Wing, most honest people will tell you they really don’t under- stand half of it. But they love it.
Q: I was thinking about Cheryl from The Royle Family and Daisy from Spaced and Holly, your character in Bob and Rose. They’re all girl-next-door charac- ters but they’re quite dysfunction- al girls-next-door.
JS: That could be the title of your article [laughs].
Q: You cover real range in terms of the roles you’ve played.
JS: So far. I did go through a period where I was always going up for Mrs Fanny Tiddlewinkle parts, the fat maid or the fat friend. I think Spaced changed that. I became much more proactive.
Q: In Series 2 of Spaced, you became much more ‘sexy Daisy with the suntan’.
JS: I know! God, that’s so conniving isn’t it? She’s been on holiday so she’s got a tan! Very vain of me...
Q: It’s not surprising you’d want to break the mould.
JS: I suppose writing Spaced was pivotal to that change. When you write, people do think about you in a different way. The best actors are the people who are able to create characters. I really enjoyed the difference of Cheryl and Daisy, and having the chance to do them. It was a real high point for me in my career because I felt I’d really achieved some- thing – having diversity in my work. I quickly realised that, if you want longevity, you have to be diverse.
Q: I know it must be rather sensitive at the moment but Tomorrow La Scala!, your feature
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