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Simon Pegg Gets Punk'd

On the set of David Schwimmer’s Run, Fatboy, Run

Writer: Josh Jackson
Features, Issue 41, Published online on 26 Mar 2008

With David Schwimmer behind the camera, a script by Michael Ian Black and a cast that includes Simon Pegg and Hank Azaria, you might not guess that the prankster in the bunch is actually Pegg’s co-star Thandie Newton.

“Simon was just a perfect, perfect victim, because he was just so gullible,” says the Zambian-born actress. “I was in his trailer a lot when he wasn’t there, preparing things. I made a man-sized turd out of a king-sized Mars bar and left it in his toilet bowl. I had a pair of [my dad’s] old briefs at my house, so I rubbed [the Mars bar] into the ass crack and left it on the floor next to the toilet and left his trailer door open. I actually think it was particularly mean because it was a prank and a snack at the same time.”

Newton’s favorite stunt, though, was at a press junket months after filming. “I replaced all the mineral water next to his table with vodka—three bottles—so you would see him on camera. He would take a big swig, [spewing it] everywhere, immediately yelling, ‘Thandie!’ He got another bottle of water, because he’d just had a mouthful of vodka, poured a glassful took another glug and it’s more vodka—fantastic.’”

Schwimmer appreciated all the mischief on the set of his directorial debut, a comedy about an out-of-shape slacker who abandons his bride at the altar and tries to win her back years later. “I think it’s hugely important to have a great time,” he says. “We were serious about the work, everyone was there to work hard, but the atmosphere was one where I wanted everyone to feel the freedom to really play and have fun. I think that brings out the best in comedic performance. A lot of it is feeling that there’s something funny happening that the camera just happens to be documenting.”

Click here to read Paste's review of Run, Fatboy, Run.

Simon Pegg Gets Punk'd

On the set of David Schwimmer’s Run, Fatboy, Run

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