Hot Fuzz - Acting

All of the main actors in Hot Fuzz are professionals and to paraphrase Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright, the cast reads like a “who’s who” of British cinema. There are many awards that have been won the by the cast in their works outside of Hot Fuzz. Most of the actors were cast because of a previous working relationship or because they wanted parts in the film.

Simon Pegg (Nicholas Angel) and Nick Frost (Danny Butterman) have become popular stars in large part to their collaboration in Shaun of the Dead.

Martin Freeman (Met Sergeant) is probably best known for his role as Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit trilogy, and most recently his role in Sherlock. He got his first big break in 2003’s Love Actually. He has won numerous awards, most recently a 2014 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for his role as Dr. Watson in Sherlock.

Bill Nighy (Met Chief Inspector) has had a long and successful career beginning in the National Theatre in London. He became recognized internationally due to his role in Love Actually. Other notable works are of Davy Jones in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End and as Viktor in the Underworld movies. He has won numerous awards, most recently an Annie Award for lending his voice to 2011’s Arthur Christmas.

Jim Broadbent (Inspector Frank Butterman) is known as one of England’s most versatile character actors and has 140 acting credits to his name. His most famous roles are 1999’s Topsy-Turvy, 2001’s Iris which he won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, 2001’s Moulin Rouge! which he won a BAFTA for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, The Iron Lady, and for his role as Horace Slughorn in the Harry Potter movies. He also won a British Academy Television Award for Best Actor and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film for his role in 2006’s Longford.

Olivia Coleman (PC Doris Thatcher) first big role was in British TV show Peep Show. Recently she has been collecting awards at a frenetic pace. She won a 2011 Sundance Film Festival World Cinema Special Jury Prize for Breakout Performances for her role in Tyrannosaur. She won a Kermode Award for Best Actress for the same role. She won two separate BAFTA awards in 2013, Best Supporting Actress in The Accused and Best Female Comedy Performance in Twenty Twelve. Her role in Broadchurch lead to BAFTA, Broadcasting Press Guild, Crime Thriller Award, and Royal Television Society awards for Best Leading Actress.

Timothy Dalton (Simon Skinner) is almost certainly remembered as being one of the actors to portray James Bond. Edward Woodward (Tom Weaver) starred in 1973’s The Wicker Man and won a 1986 Golden Globe Award for Best Television Drama Actor for his role in The Equalizer. Bille Whitelaw’s (Joyce Cooper) last role was in Hot Fuzz. For 25 years she worked closely with playwright Samuel Beckett. Her most notable role might be the demonic nanny in The Omen. Paul Freeman (Rev. Phillip Shooter) is also known as one of Britain’s most versatile actors. He has often portrayed villains. His most famous works are as villians René Belloq in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark and Gustav Reibmann in Falcon Crest. He played leading roles at the National Theatre, Royal Court, and the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Several well-known Hollywood celebrities had uncredited cameos in the film. Actor/writer/comedian/producer Steve Coogan shares the screen with Martin Freeman and Bill Nighy as a Met Inspector, director Peter Jackson has a very brief cameo as a thief dressed as Santa, director Garth Jennings has a brief cameo as a crack addict, and Cate Blanchett shares a scene as Sgt. Nicholas Angel’s former girlfriend.

The actors are treated as artistic collaborators. Edgar Wright is known for allowing the actors to make suggestions to the script. In Hot Fuzz, Bill Nighy said he’d take the role of Met Chief Inspector only if he “had one more joke written” for him - Wright obliged. Many of the actors had been cast because they had worked together in previous movies, including Shaun of the Dead. Pegg, Nick Frost, Julia Deakin, Martin Freeman, Bill Nighy, Rafe Spall, and Patricia Franklin all appeared in Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz and all seven would go on to have parts in The World’s End, the third and final film in Pegg and Wright’s Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy. After seeing Shaun of the Dead, Jim Broadbent approached the Wright and Pegg about being in a future film.

Simon Pegg is known for his comedic performances, though in recent years, he has branched into more “serious” roles. That being said, most people will assume that he is going to play a comedic role no matter what his true role is. If all one has seen him in has been Shaun of the Dead or Hot Fuzz it might be difficult to take him seriously in Star Trek. As far as Hot Fuzz goes, he lives up to the comedic reputation that has preceded him.

Much of the acting in the film is realistic, though some of the officers in the Sandford police force might come across as a little too oblivious as to what is truly going on in the sleepy village of Sandford. Though, that is also the fault of Sgt. Nicholas Angel who is a much better police officer than everyone else. No one seems to be over-acting their roles that negatively affect the film. The Andy’s seem to be “playing” detectives, more interested in dressing the part, or being at the pub instead of actually doing their jobs. Sgt. Fisher, as evidence in an early scene where Angel is introduced, is completely clueless and is apparent with the board placed behind him with all the things that make a bad police officer.