The widely anticipated motion capture movie The Adventures of Tintin will see the reunion of one of the best loved partnerships in recent British comedy, when Nick Frost takes his place on screen alongside his long-time friend Simon Pegg.
Nick Frost and Simon Pegg on Film
Having worked together on television, Frost and Pegg were first seen in the same movie in Shaun of the Dead (2004). Co-written by Pegg and director Edgar Wright, the ‘zom-rom-com’ featured Frost as Ed, the comic foil to Pegg’s eponymous Shaun. The pair then built on the relationship in Hot Fuzz (2007) in which Frost played the bumbling village copper Danny Butterman, with Pegg taking the role of the dynamic big-city crime fighter Nicholas Angel. Once again the script was penned by Pegg and Wright, and while the genre shifted to parody the cop buddy movie, there were definite parallels to their previous work. More importantly, the jokes were just as good.
Between Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz Pegg and Frost had in fact been cast together in another film, cashing in on their cache in the horror industry to land roles in Grindhouse (2007) - the double feature presentation by Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez. Frost appeared as ‘Baby Eater’ in a fake trailer segment directed by Wright.
However, the next major Frost/Pegg collaboration was not until 2011, when the duo co-wrote and starred in Paul. This time with Greg Mottola at the helm, and featuring Seth Rogen (or at least his voice) as the extra terrestrial Paul, the film was a definite move into the mainstream. By now Frost was taking equal dramatic weight with Pegg rather than simply being used as a comic turn, and despite the clear step away from their cult comedy roots, it was the central relationship which carried the film.
Kinky Boots and Penelope
Frost has enjoyed a separate career too in his own right. In 2005 he played factory worker Don in the British comedy Kinky Boots. In the same tradition as the likes of Brassed Off and The Full Monty, the film was based on the true story of a footwear factory beginning to cater to transvestites in order to avoid closure. Kinky Boots may have lacked big names and a big budget, but it managed to be touching, clever and funny.
In 2006 Frost appeared in Penelope, a whimsical, heartwarming modern day fairy tale starring Christina Ricci and James McAvoy. His role was not a particularly large one, but Frost again demonstrated his knack of attaching himself to interesting films - and again showed his own talent. Playing a compulsive gambler, he was not out of place in a supporting cast that included the likes of Reese Witherspoon, Richard E. Grant and Peter Dinklage.
Nick Frost and the Movie A List
After an appearance in Wild Child (2008) - a teen comedy vehicle for Emma Roberts, and arguably his least impressive movie - Frost landed a part in the high profile Richard Curtis comedy The Boat That Rocked (2009) With a cast that included Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy, Kenneth Branagh, Rhys Ifans, Emma Thompson and many other famous names, the film was not short on star quality. However, it was a true ensemble piece, and Frost played a full part in the proceedings.
Frost was then seen in Attack the Block (2011). Directed by Joe Cornish, and produced by the team behind Shaun of the Dead, the film was in some ways a return to Frost’s movie roots, combining horror and comedy. Although it perhaps failed to reach the heights of Frost’s debut movie, that need hardly be taken as criticism given the cult status already attributed to Shaun of the Dead.
Despite the charm of films like Kinky Boots, Penelope and The Boat that Rocked however, Frost’s many fans will be happy to see him teaming up once again with Pegg for the Tintin adventure, especially since Wright is also on board with a writing credit. In addition, whatever the merits of Tintin and Captain Haddock, it will be to the characters of Thompson and Thomson (Pegg and Frost) who audiences look for comic relief.
Jonathan Squirrell - Jon Squirrell is a freelance writer and 3-dimensional cartoonist currently living on Humberside. As well as writing for Suite 101, Jon ...
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