Interview : Eddie Izzard (The Riches)

By Kevin Prin| Filmsactu.com | (thanks Annette for the article AND translation)

Star of the series The Riches, Eddie Izzard is also a comic actor who performs live in England (his native land), but also in France and Germany in local languages! Most recently he can also be seen in the cinema, especially in Narnia and Stardust.

On the occasion of the release of season 1 of The Riches on DVD, we had a few minutes with Eddie Izzard on the phone who answered all our questions.

How did you get involved in this series as an actor and producer?
In a really great way! I was in Los Angeles in an open meeting with Maverick Films and we talked about projects, feature films. The television department officials were also present and all of a sudden we talked about a draft screenplay where a family of thieves would replace another and steal the "American dream". I said "I want to do it!", Which was surprising. The Riches was born and I therefore left. I did not even audition, I was just at the right place at the right time.

It's hard to believe that a series with such a dark side so well at Fox ...
I know! (laughs) At the base is the FX channel, which produces The Riches, who is also Nip / Tuck, Rescue Me and The Shield. They are accustomed to produce topics mostly for adults, but ultimately the parent studio Fox must validate them. And even if Fox conveys a certain state of mind, when they find a series that earns money, they go with it!

What is the status of the current series?
It is stopped. For the time being. We expect to hear whether a third season will come or not. From our side we have a good argument, as we have a small army of fans and excellent reviews. So I think it will come. In any case, I want to continue this series!

In the pilot your character seems to be a bon vivant and finds himself suddenly confronted with tragic events. How could you as an actor to take to his personality so easily?
I never wanted to play him as a bon vivant, I was just following the events he lived. For me, Wayne is a bit unstable: he is a thief of great talent, an improviser, he is experienced, talented, but he is tired. When he met this couple who dies in an accident and he decides to steal their life, he found his motivation.

How do you handle both your acting career on the TV series and shooting films?
I love to combine these two aspects. It's true a series demands a lot of time, but a year of filming 13 episodes does not take more than six months. It allows time to make other films, like Valkyrie with Tom Cruise, in which I played and which will be released early 2009. Nevertheless schedules of shooting are difficult to combine.

What are your favorite series?
I do not watch so much. I really like At the White House (translator's note: I think this is the French name for "The West Wing"), 24 and The Simpsons. These three series are really quality and it does not bother me to spend hours watching!

What are your plans?
I am about to film Spectacular Regret, directed by Joshua Leonard and I will adapt my last stand-up show into French in Paris. It will be in the coming months and I will follow with the German version. Apart from that I have some film projects that I would like to develop, but to which I am not attached as screenwriter.

Are you interested in directing?
Not for the moment, but I feel that this is a must. There will come a day that I direct a film, yes!

You are a fan of DVD?
Yes, I love it! But I also download.

Download? Illegally?
No, no! Legally, on Itunes!

Ah whew .. The legal downloading in France do is only in its infancy. When we say love "download", one thinks immediately downloading illegally!

(laughs). Indeed, it is still quite common in France. I love to use the Apple Store, to retrieve music and movies on my Iphone. I see something, I hear a song, right away I want and I immediately download. It is magical!

What today would be your favorite movie?

(He thinks). I'm torn between The Great Escape or The Seven Samurai ...