» Chris Addison interview – In The Loop
Victoria Nangle talks to Chris Addison about the much anticipated satirical film In the Loop
What is the film In The Loop about?
It’s a black and white ‘noir’ thriller! (giggles) Well, it’s a screwball comedy really. It’s blackly satirical and all that, but it’s a screwball comedy about what happens when governments decide they want to go to war and people try to stop them. It bears more than a passing resemblance to the hit television show The Thick Of It, but it isn’t The Thick Of It really. It’s really very funny. It’s got some of the most laughably inventive swearing you’ll ever hear and some outstanding acting from the likes of Tom Hollander, James Gandolfini, Steve Coogan, Gina McKee and of course Peter Capaldi.
I have heard that this is an opportunity for James Gandolfini to get back on swearing track after an absence from The Sopranos?
Yes thats right! He can swear, although there is slightly less swearing from the Americans but he did swear pretty well actually.
Is your character in In the Loop similar to your character in The Thick Of It?
He is, yeah. He’s like Ollie with a promotion to start with. Where Ollie is a bit ‘Junior’, Toby is the right hand man, and where Ollie is a bit ‘rabbit in headlights’ and ineffectual, Toby is that, but less ‘rabbit in headlights’ and more arrogant. He’s a nastier character than Ollie. There are a couple of really, really bad things in the film.
“It’s got some of the most laughably inventive swearing you’ll ever hear”
So he’s what would happen to Ollie if he kept hanging around with Peter Capaldi’s character?
Yeah, kind of. Yeah. I think in a way he’s what Ollie wants to be but I’m not sure if Ollie could ever actually bring himself to be like that.
How accurate a picture of politics do you think the film shows?
Amazingly, very. We have had so many people from politics being begrudging, and one or two kind of ‘power people’ saying – “Huh! Well, how do you know?” You know? About a couple of storylines and the way that we behave, and the swearing funnily enough.
Do you feel a lot or pressure on the film because of the popularity of The Thick Of It?
Well no, because it hasn’t been made to be a follow up or anything like that. We’ve managed to see it as a separate thing. I mean it‘s in the same world as The Thick Of It but not the same because of the American cast and because people take different paths, and the scope of the story. It’s a film you know, you go and see it in the cinema. There are pressures but it’s a different kind of pressure and as this film is coming out, we ourselves are returning to The Thick Of It.
Will there be another series?
Yeah, we start rehearsing in about four weeks time (end of April).
Finally, can I ask you as a writer (Chris wrote TV sitcom Lab Rats and is a stand-up comedian) what would be your tag line for In The Loop?
Wow. Um, what would it be? Um? People spend days in rooms thinking of stuff like this! I guess mine would be – “In The Loop – the single greatest film noir thriller of all time“.
In The Loop is showing at the Duke of York’s, Odeon and Cineworld.
Win a luxury night at the Duke of York’s
Win a luxury cinema night for two with a free glass of wine or a soft drink watching a film of your choice at Duke of York’s cinema. Come and enjoy the luxury sensation of their balcony. Slink into sumptuous comfort in the two or three-seater sofas, large armchairs or plush cinema seats, all with tables for drinks and snacks, extra leg room and fantastic sight lines. Subject to availability. Proof of age may be required to access film.
To win this week’s tickets, simply answer this question: Name Peter Capaldi’s character in In The Loop. Send your answer with your name, address and phone number to competitions@thelatest.co.uk, putting In The Loop in the subject line. Closing date: Tuesday 5 May.
