What We Learned from Edgar Wright's AMA

Here at No Film School, we're massive Edgar Wright fans. He'll be on our podcast again Tuesday, but if you love him, you can listen to the other times he's sat down with us to chat about his love for cinema and music and everything else. 

Wright recently did a Reddit AMA, where he answered a range of questions, from pitching Bond, to sharing the surprising movies he likes, and even exploring the role of music in his newest releases. We pulled some of his best answers to questions. Here's what we came up with. 

Let's dig in!

Q: What is a movie that you love that people might not expect you to?

EW: "GREASE!"

I think it's amazing that with a one-word answer Wright could totally shake up his perception. I actually think his love of Grease is evident in the way he moves the camera in Baby Driver and his sense of music and melodrama in Last Night in Soho, but I will await his characters singing "Summer Nights" in a future film. 

Q: Do you ever rewatch your own movies? If so, how's your experience with that?

EW: "I find it hard watching them and don't seek out the experience unless I really have to. But sometimes if you're switching channels, you end up getting caught up in your own film."

Can you imagine what it's like scrolling around and stumbling upon your own film? That's pretty much #CareerGoals.

But I definitely understand what it's like to make something and work in the edit and just want other people to watch it. It's art, it's out there for the people. You already imagined it. 

Q: Edgar, if you were hired to direct the next Bond film, what would your pitch be?

EW: "I have a serious answer to this but I can't tell you, so let's say Muppet Bond."

I definitely would love to see Muppet Bond. but him not giving us the serious answer here probably means he thinks he'll have a chance to state it in front of the producers, which would be really special. I would love to have a fun Bond movie again. Daniel Craig was awesome, but one with a little levity could be great. 

Q: How much influence does a song choice have over how you decide to shoot a particular scene?

EW: "Sometimes the song is wholly dictating the scene. The movement, the editing rhythm, the length of shots, the length of the scene."

Music is such a huge part of Wright's world and his films. I like hearing how one song can change his perception of the flow of that scene and how he builds from them and takes inspiration. 

Q: Thank you for the Cornetto trilogy. When did that thematic idea come to fruition? Even before Shaun of the Dead?

EW: "At the premiere of Shaun, they gave us free Cornettos so we figured that if we wrote them into the second film as well we might get more free ice cream. That was it!" 

Sometimes genius comes from the funniest things. Turns out giving away free food can inspire an Easter Egg that then begets a fun trilogy. 

Q: What made you want to become a policeman-officer movie director?

EW: "I was always interested in films and being [a part] of that world but the lightbulb moment was seeing a TV documentary when I was 14 called The Incredibly Strange Film Show which had an episode about Sam Raimi and the fact that he directed Evil Dead at the age of 18 after having made Super 8 shorts with his school friends. I pretty much leapt up and said 'that's what I'm going to do'."

Inspiration can strike anywhere. I think following your dreams is an admirable way into directing, and just trying things out, as well.

We all have our heroes when we start out. It's up to us to learn what we can from them and then see where that takes us. 

Q: What is the funniest story with Simon and Nick that happened on set?

EW: "On the set of Spaced, Nick Frost took home a prop rifle to practice a scene where Mike Watt, his character, stripped the rifle while blindfolded. The plastic bag that he was carrying it in was partially open and a neighbor saw it, called the police, and a 15 man anti-terror unit was called. They burst into the room, guns trained on him, whilst Nick was smoking a bong. I know it wasn't funny for Nick at the time, but it is pretty hilarious."

I think this is the perfect time to leave you to read the rest of the Reddit AMA on your own time and let us know what you learned in the comments.

As always, Wright is a fountain of knowledge, stories, and just inspiration. What did you learn? Tell us in the comments.