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From YourSITE.com chunky monkey "I certainly didn't write the part of Donald in CHUNKY MONKEY for me to act", remarks Greg Cruttwell, "but I always wanted to direct it myself. It's such a character-driven, ensemble piece, which I knew would live or die by the quality of the performances, the interest created in them and their relationships to one another. I am an experienced actor and understand the process so I was ideally placed to bring out the best in each of the actors involved. It was vital the actors we employed gave very real, credible and truthful portrayals".
David Threlfall - Donald To ensure this Phil Hunt and Greg Cruttwell sent out the CHUNKY MONKEY script to their wish list of actors and were astonished and gratified by the overwhelming response they received. "Three pages into the script I knew I wanted to play Donald", remarks David Threlfall, the award winning former Royal Shakespeare Company actor who received enormous critical acclaim both on stage and screen as Smike in NICHOLAS NICKLEBY and who has recently starred in the hugely successful Channel Four series, SHAMELESS, for the BBC in CUTTING IT and on stage in SOMEONE WHO'LL WATCH OVER ME, SKELLIG, BLUE ORANGE and at the National Theatre in TARTUFFE. Threlfall's many leading screen appearances, which include, CONSPIRACY, SEX CHIPS & ROCK N' ROLL, PARADISE POSTPONED, NIGHTINGALES and blockbuster movies such as PATRIOT GAMES, THE RUSSIA HOUSE and Peter Weir's, MASTER AND COMMANDER, have made him a much sought after star name and Cruttwell was overjoyed when he signed on. Threlfall continues, "Who says the British can't write comedies? Greg is the proof that we can and I was only too happy to support him in this endeavour. I do find it difficult to talk about CHUNKY MONKEY because if you reveal too much you blow the startling twists, turns and surprises. People shouldn't know too much about Donald either apart from the fact that he has slightly misguided tendencies and that no normal rules apply to the story line. I became an actor solely so I could appear in material like this. It's one of the best scripts I've ever read".
Alison Steadman - Beryl In total agreement with Threlfall's assessment of CHUNKY MONKEY is Alison Steadman, the much-loved household name and one of this country's most highly regarded award winning actresses, currently starring on stage in Londons West End in LOSING LOUIS. Alison's role as Beverly in Mike Leigh's ABIGAIL'S PARTY remains a television comedy landmark, as do many of her other roles. The star of LIFE IS SWEET, SHIRLEY VALENTINE, PRIDE & PREJUDICE, TOPSY-TURVY, FAT FRIENDS, SECRETS & LIES, P'TANG YANG KIPPERBANG, A PRIVATE FUNCTION, LIFE AND DEATH OF PETER SELLERS, NUTS IN MAY and the soon to be released CONFETTI says, "My agent called me and said, We've got this really odd but funny script and I don't know how you'll take it, but you should read it. I told her to send it over immediately! I get offered so many bland roles for middle-aged women or mothers-of-two that I'm up for anything out of the ordinary. I read CHUNKY MONKEY and absolutely adored it. Here's Beryl, this lovely, beautifully written, warm, slightly irritating woman who arrives in the middle of all this mayhem in Donald's flat and she copes with every new event that happens. She's not phased by anything and I know people like that. Straight away I knew I wanted to have a go at it and after I met Greg, and got a really good feeling about him, I wanted to do it even more".
Nicola Stapleton - Mandy With David Threlfall and Alison Steadman aboard the project, the rest of the impressive cast quickly fell into place. Former EASTENDERS and YOUNG PERSON'S GUIDE TO BECOMING A ROCK STAR actress Nicola Stapleton, currently starring in BAD GIRLS and who has had leading roles in Brit flicks such as LAVA, SOUTH WEST NINE, GOODBYE CHARLIE BRIGHT and IT WAS AN ACCIDENT, couldn't wait to play Mandy because "She was a proper character for me to really get my teeth into and I loved the fact the script takes life and pokes it in the eye with two fingers. I stayed up all night reading it and the friends I had staying over couldn't sleep because I was screaming with laughter so much. The next day I met Greg and he said, How do you feel about having your head shaved? And I said, "Offer me the part and I'll tell you!"
David Schofield - Frank "All actors want is a fantastic script" points out highly respected star of stage and screen, David Schofield, whose screen credits include, SUPERSTITION, FROM HELL, THE MUSKETEER, THE INCREDIBLE MRS RITCHIE, BLUE MURDER, FIELDS OF GOLD, BAND OF GOLD, OUR FRIENDS IN THE NORTH, AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON and GLADIATOR, "And when I finished CHUNKY MONKEY I realised it was the best material for any actor to play in years. Frank isn't a likeable man, but I've made a living out of playing such characters. On one level he's a rude self-opinionated loudmouth, but underneath it all he's a rather sad and tragic human being. The depth and understanding in Greg's script is an absolute joy. How he's managed to bring such a diverse bunch of characters to life with so many multi-faceted aspects is a complete mystery to me".
Colin McFarlane - Trevor Colin McFarlane sums it up for the entire ensemble. Currently to be seen in BATMAN BEGINS and FRAGILE, with Clarissa Flockhart and seen regularly on television in THE FAST SHOW, TED & RALPH, SORTED, JUDGE JOHN DEED, THE WHISTLE-BLOWER and THE CRIMINAL, McFarlane declares, "As well as being disgracefully funny, CHUNKY MONKEY makes some interesting points about contemporary mores. Society is full of crap, but there's good stuff and bad stuff in it, and you must celebrate life in all its glory without making any moral judgement on any part of it. Everything is on the edge in the story and the key to my role as holy Trevor was I'd rather be alive now than 2000 years ago despite all the turmoil in the world today".
Danny Nussbaum - Nugget Although each cast member found the rehearsal time a major asset in honing their performance, the person who found it most invaluable was Danny Nussbaum. The young actor who entered the public eye in TWENTY-FOUR SEVEN and has since starred in CLUB LE MONDE, ONE MORE KISS, BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE, BURIED and the forthcoming, THINGS TO DO BEFORE YOU'RE 30, plays Nugget, so called because of his one gold tooth. "I may only have one line in CHUNKY MONKEY but Nugget is the most difficult character I've ever had to play", remarks Nussbaum. "He's a hard bastard who's looking after the Messiah along with Mandy and he represents the silent flipside to her outgoing personality. Nugget is an ever-present threat in the background and I soon realised in rehearsals that he couldn't just stand there and do nothing. It's all in the eyes with Nugget and the audience needs to read his thoughts whenever the camera settles on him. Therefore I had to concentrate on everyone else's dialogue and never zone out which is incredibly exhausting. The eyes are the windows to the soul and it's through his Zen silence and piercing looks how Nugget maintains absolute order. Rehearsals taught me how I needed to watch and pay attention to every single move everyone else made".
Stephen Mangan - Pierre "Greg saw me in HAY FEVER in the West End and sent me the script to read", says Stephen Mangan, who starred in the hugely successful West End production of NOISES OFF, on television as Adrian Mole in THE CAPPUCCINO YEARS and also in LUCKY JIM, SWORD OF HONOUR and as Alan Partridge's best friend in I'M ALAN PARTRIDGE. He is currently starring in the hit Channel Four series, GREEN WING. He has also appeared in films such as, READY WHEN YOU ARE MR MCGILL, SUPERTEX, MARTHA, MEET FRANK, DANIEL AND LAURENCE, BILLY ELLIOT and BIRTHDAY GIRL and is soon to be seen starring in FESTIVAL and CONFETTI. "I can't think why because I certainly wasn't playing anything on stage that resembled Pierre. Perhaps Greg realised Pierre is the sex symbol I've always wanted to be! He was such a rich part to play - full of self-importance, completely lacking in irony about himself or the way he looks like a faded John Travolta clone, and who thinks he's God's gift to women. All that, a French accent, a fake tan and a song to sing too! I couldn't wait to get started". Before entering the intense two-week shooting period, director Greg Cruttwell insisted on eight days rehearsal time for the cast. "I thought it was essential especially when the actors would often be dealing with eight minute long scenes", he maintains. "They needed to be bedded down on top of material that had been tried and tested. I wanted five days in a rehearsal room and then three days on the dressed set itself to block the framework loosely and get them used to the language in the script and to each other. Some characters have huge chunks of dialogue and I wanted to ensure they were completely comfortable and could cope with the non-traditional way we were going to film it".
Elizabeth Woodcock - Gaynor Elizabeth Woodcock feels the rehearsals helped her relax into her part more. Seen previously in CAPONE'S BOYS, BLOW DRY, MAYBE BABY and sit-com THE WILSONS, the young actress plays Gaynor, the star of such classic porno movies as 'Susie Snatch and the Eager Beaver'. "I'd never had a rehearsal period before so I didn't realise how important it would be", she says. "Greg's dialogue is intricate and tricky and often spoken extremely fast. Getting used to that rhythm and being able to relax with the rest of the cast so we could get well connected was just brilliant. I had to keep pinching myself because I was in the same room at Alison Steadman. Working with actors of her calibre can only help my performance because you consciously strive to reach their level of talent and professionalism". © Copyright 2003 by YourSITE.com |
