Russell Brand Interview For ‘Arthur’

‘Arthur’ is the upcoming re-imagining of the classic Dudley Moore romantic comedy of the same name. The film stars Russell Brand as the irresponsible charmer Arthur Bach, who’s always relied on two things to get by: his limitless fortune and the good sense of lifelong nanny Hobson (Helen Mirren) to keep him out of trouble. Now he faces his biggest challenge–choosing between an arranged marriage that will ensure his lavish lifestyle or an uncertain future with the one thing money can’t buy, Naomi (Greta Gerwig), the only woman he has ever loved. With Naomi’s inspiration and some unconventional help from Hobson, Arthur will take the most expensive risk of his life and finally learn what it means to become a man. The film co-stars Jennifer Garner, Nick Nolte, and Luis Guzman. ‘Arthur’ is set for release April 8th in the US, and April 22nd in the UK.

How daunting was it filling into Dudley Moore’s shoes?

Russell Brand: I thought it was an honour to play a part by Dudley Moore, I’m a huge fan of his. I’m from ten minutes away from where he’s from so for me it was like a wishful fulfilment just to be offered the role. Now that it’s made I’m so proud of it, I think it’s so funny, but it also has incredible heart.

How did your past history with addiction help inform your portrayal of Arthur?

Russell Brand: I am such a thorough actor that I did two decades of research into alcoholism, just to make sure it was 100% right. The difference, of course, is that Arthur is a fictional alcoholic and has much more latitude for clowning and fun, and often his adventures don’t lead to broken glass and howling women – although he is arrested at the beginning of the film. It was very important that we established a context where the alcoholism was humorous and good fun, but was not irresponsibly portrayed. This is 2011, and it’s important to see a resolution to the problem of Arthur’s alcoholism. As a recovering alcoholic myself, I was particularly happy with how that was rendered.

What did you do as executive producer on this film?

Russell Brand: Nothing! Executive producers don’t have to do anything, nor do any kind of producers. They just sit around on deck chairs, watching stuff, and if it gets cold, they leave. There’s no kind of contribution. No, as a producer, you’ve got to be involved in helping out with solving problems.

Warner Bros. brought me this idea, very, very early on. They said, ‘Would you be interested in remaking Arthur?’ I said, ‘Yeah,’ because I really, really love Dudley Moore. But then I thought, ‘Is this ever really going to happen?’ I didn’t really imagine it would. They asked, ‘Who would you like to write it?’ I said, ‘Peter Baynham because he’s a great hero of mine.’ Then we talked about directors and I was already a fan of Jason’s show, ‘Modern Family,’ I thought, ‘My god, because of his visual style and his understanding of comedy, he will be able to make this relevant and pertinent whilst maintaining the traditional aesthetic of the storyline,’ that was exciting. Then when Peter had the idea of making Hobson female we immediately thought of Helen Mirren, for me, that was the idea that made the film feasible. That was the idea that meant, ‘Oh, this will actually happen.’ And I’m so grateful that it did because I had a wonderful opportunity to work with such incredible people.

Greta Gerwig was great, what was her audition process like?

Russell Brand: We saw loads and loads of different actresses, which was all right, but I was already on the way to getting married then so I couldn’t enjoy it like in the good old days, where auditions had a more primal quality. We did the audition with Greta and afterwards I was sitting quietly, it was the last casting of the day and I was quiet and Jason said, ‘What’s the matter?’ I said, ‘I feel sad, now that she’s gone.’ It was because I had enjoyed playing with her so much. She has such a brilliant imagination, she’s a great improviser, she has a wonderful understanding of comedy, she has a wide range of ideas and peculiar choices, and she’s a very, very beautiful person. It’s a good peculiar, in a magical way that’s a strange mutation, like only nature can produce. Also it was important that it was someone that existed outside of the paradigm of Arthur’s normal world of privilege and luxury, and someone for whom it was conceivable that you would give up a billion dollars for. Greta had this naivete and innocence, and a sense of fun and wonder that made that notion feasible.

I know you previously worked with Helen Mirren on ‘The Tempest,’ how is your relationship with her?

Russell Brand: We got on very well while making ‘The Tempest,’ but it was only while making this film that I realised what a beautiful person she is. The relationship we have in the film is similar to our actual relationship, she’s like “oh Russell what are you doing, why don’t you just carry along,” she treats me like that in actual life. She’s a little more sexy in real life if I gotta say. She does have that sense of being able to boss you around but its nice, she’s lovely.

Sexy Nanny’s don’t always work.

Russell Brand: If you googled it, it would work. But I don’t think it would work as a baby sitting system.