Status Anxiety | 24 May 2008

I never thought I’d claim I was quoted ‘out of context’ — until I went to Cannes

‘Memo to writers and others,’ wrote Kingsley Amis. ‘Never make a joke against yourself that some little bastard can turn into a piece of shit and send your way.’

I should have borne this in mind when I was in Cannes last week to promote How To Lose Friends & Alienate People, the forthcoming film of my book. I was at a press conference on the Croisette when a journalist asked how I felt about being played by Simon Pegg. For those of you who don’t know, Simon is a gifted comic actor whose last two films — Hot Fuzz and Run Fat Boy Run — have done so well he is now considered the No. 1 box office star in the UK.

‘To tell the truth, I was a bit disappointed,’ I drawled. ‘I wanted Brad Pitt to play me, but for some reason the producer thought he wouldn’t be right.