Career Highlights

• Began directing his own films at age 14
• Started career directing TV comedies for the BBC
• Met Simon Pegg on the show Spaced
• Success of Spaced allowed him to take on Shaun of the Dead
• Directed fake trailer insert for Grindhouse

Edgar Wright began directing his own films at the age of 14. He created a Super 8 short entitled Rolf Harris Saves the World and at 20 made A Fistful of Fingers, a low budget feature film staring local teens. This film paved the way for Wright into television where he would direct several comedies for the BBC, one being Spaced where he worked with Simon Pegg. He later worked with Pegg on the films Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, co-writing and directing both.

In his new project he is working with Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg to co-write The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn, which is in production. He is also working on a third film with Pegg entitled The World’s End.

Career Highlights

• Gigged on the stand-up comedy circuit before breaking into television
• Created and co-wrote TV series Spaced
• Nominated for a British Comedy Award for his work in the TV show Spaced
• Godfather of Apple Martin (Gwyneth Paltrow’s daughter)
• Began working with best friend Nick Frost on Spaced

Simon Pegg – English actor, comedian, writer, producer and director – attended Stratford-upon-Avon College to study English Literature and Performance Studies and studied drama at the University of Bristol. He began his career doing stand-up before breaking into television; appearing in and helping to produce sitcoms for BBC. His big break came in 1999 when he created and co-wrote the TV series Spaced with Jessica Stevenson. Pegg and his best friend Nick Frost appeared in the show and Pegg was nominated for a British Comedy Award as Best Male Comedy Newcomer.

After Spaced, Pegg starred in and helped create different sitcoms and movies including 2004’s Shaun of the Dead, Band of Brothers, and Run Fatboy Run. In 2006 Pegg, and Spaced director Edgar Wright, completed their second film together, Hot Fuzz. Released in 2007, the film is a police-action movie homage and also stars Pegg’s best friend Nick Frost. Pegg continues to write and act in coming movies, including 2009’s Star Trek. He is also doing voices for different films and co-writing a new film with Frost.

Career Highlights

• Worked as a waiter before becoming an actor
• Created a character to amuse flat-mate Simon Pegg, who then wrote him into the TV show Spaced
• Narrates UK Channel 4 TV series Supernanny
• Was often confused for a real police officer while on the set of Hot Fuzz

Born in London, Nick Frost is an English actor, screenwriter and comedian. He began his career doing promotional videos before gaining fame in the British sitcom Spaced. He created his character on Spaced to amuse his roommate at the time, Simon Pegg, and Pegg liked it so much he wrote it into the show. Frost wrote and appeared in many sitcoms and films and worked with friend and co-worker Pegg again and Edgar Wright in the films Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. He is currently co-writing a new film with Simon Pegg.

Our Interview

The producers of Hot Fuzz chatted with our host, Zack Sherwood, about their inspirations to create the film, given its satirical tendency and what training the cast had to complete to prepare for filming.