Wasted Brand new comedy. Starts Tuesday 19th July on E4.
https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/wasted/Interview with Sean Bean for Wasted
You’ll be on our screens shortly in Wasted. Explain a little bit about who you play?
I think I’m a cross between the characters I play in Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones. I guess I’m a dream of Morpheus [the lead character], his hero, his spiritual guide, and I’m just trying to help him navigate through life and relationships. I keep appearing to him in the woods and in different places, and giving him advice.
How was this pitched to you, and what did you make of the idea?
I didn’t know what to think. My agent told me about it, and she said “You’d better read it, because I can’t really explain it! It’s bizarre!” And I was interested, and bemused. The idea of playing myself, a character called Sean Bean – although I’m not playing myself, I’m playing a character I’ve played before – it’s really odd. But then I read it, and I just thought “Oh wow, I want to do this, it’s right up my street.” It’s wonderful writing. Surreal and stupid and ludicrous. It’s absolutely hilarious, I really think it’s a cracker. We had such a good time on it, it was so much fun. It was only for a couple of days, but it was magical, to be working with Danny, and the director, Tom Marshall, and the writers James and Jon. And what I’ve seen is just hilarious; everyone is so good in it. I didn’t get a chance to meet the others, but it’s so well cast. I’m very excited by it.
Was it as much fun to film as it looks, and was it difficult to keep a straight face at times?
Yes, it was every bit as much fun as it looks. Especially working with Danny. We improvised and put things in there, there was quite a lot of ad-libbing as we went along. You always know you’re doing a good comedy when you’re filming and you get a feeling that you can’t help but laugh. You know you’re on the right track then. And that happened quite a lot.
You’re much more known for your dramatic work. Was it quite refreshing to be doing a comedy? Did it feel very different?
Yeah, it did feel different. It’s a lot more fun than killing people or getting killed. That can get a bit grim sometimes. It was good to get to do a bit of comedy. I had to play it straight, though. If you go looking for laughs, it’s not going to work. So the scenes with Danny I just played very straight. That’s why we started giggling now and again, because we were taking ourselves very seriously.
You’re so well known for those roles, and for Sharpe, when you’re dressed as a warrior. Then, finally, you get a call to appear in a contemporary comedy, and they put you in the exact same gear!
Laughs] I do do stuff where I dress in contemporary clothes as well! But I enjoy all of that. Immediately when you start to wear a costume, you start to create something, you put forward an image of yourself. I feel quite comfortable in that garb.
I didn’t know what was going to happen. I’d never played a role like this where I really didn’t know what to expect. Fortunately, it went well and it was very relaxed and easy-going. But everyone else was dressed normally, and I’m just this man in a wood with a big cape on.
The story is about four young adults getting wasted and not doing very much. Did you ever have a time in your life like that, or were you too busy actually working?
I think I probably did go through a period like that – I think that’s partly why I was laughing my head off at it last night. I can identify with it. I think everybody can identify with times where they don’t know where they’re going, or where their life’s heading. It’s all part of the process of growing up and finding out who you are and what you want to do in life. They’re quite shaky times, but very funny ones. The characters in this are all good people, but they’re almost playing a part. I think we all do that when we’re young, until we find out what we really are. In my case, I’m still playing parts! I’ve not grown up in that sense.
http://www.channel4.com/info/press/news/interview-with-sean-bean-for-wastedInterview with Jon Foster and James Lamont for Wasted
And there’s another aspect to the script, which is that Morpheus frequently turns to his spirit guide for advice. The spirit guide is Sean Bean. Why him?
James: We chose him from the very beginning, right from the first ideas for the script. It was always Sean Bean. We never wrote it with anyone else in mind. Whenever we thought about who we would use if we couldn’t get him, we could never find anyone else we wanted. It always had to be him.
Jon: We just thought “Who’s the most authoritative voice that Morpheus would listen to?” He would only listen to Sean Bean, in his Game of Thrones guise.
James: It’s a take on the idea of the alien who appears to you in the form you recognise the most. Who would Morpheus’ subconscious generate as a figure of absolute wisdom? Medieval Sean Bean!
Jon: Also it ties in with the whole rural, bucolic thing. You’d expect to find Sean Bean in a forest. It feels like the right place for him.
Were you confident of getting him?
James: We hoped. We never knew how it would go.
Jon: When he read the scripts, he really loved them. He then came along and filmed it, and really enjoyed it. He had a great time!
James: And was brilliant. And really, really funny. We knew we would be getting Sean Bean, but we didn’t realise how funny he’d be. Not just sending himself up, but ad-libbing and being a really strong comedy performer.
Jon: There was a wonderful moment, we were out filming, and a taxi drew up on set, and the door of the taxi opened, and out stepped Sean Bean for his first day of filming, complete with outfit and hair, smiling and holding a sword.
http://www.channel4.com/info/press/news/interview-with-jon-foster-and-james-lamont-for-wastedInterview with Dylan Edwards for Wasted
You recently appeared in an episode of Game of Thrones - would you have liked to have worked with Sean Bean on Wasted?
I was so jealous of Danny and I keep pitching ideas to the writers Jon and James about Kent doing a scene with Sean Bean. I keep coming up with new ways that I could be in the scenes with him, there's so many different ideas so I'm hopeful! Either that or I get my own spirit guide. I think we decided that Kent's would be Bruce Grobbelaar, an old goalkeeper from the eighties and Kent wouldn’t even know who he is! So he's like ‘ah great I don't even know this guy and you get Sean Bean!.
http://www.channel4.com/info/press/news/interview-with-dylan-edwards-for-wastedInterview with Rose Reynolds for Wasted
What attracted you to the role?
I watched Chewing Gum so I was a fan of the directors (Tom Marshall) work and I liked the style of that. When it was pitched it was described to be a bit like Spaced and I’m a big fan of Spaced and then Sean Bean came into the mix and I thought “wow! This is mad!”
http://www.channel4.com/info/press/news/interview-with-rose-reynolds-for-wastedWasted Synopsis
Episode 1: Nineties Pills
Kent returns to Neston Berry after failing at being a DJ. Sarah and Alison hear a legend about a mythical stash of nineties pills buried in a field. Morpheus meets his spirit guide.
http://www.channel4.com/info/press/programme-information/wasted-synopsis'You'd expect to find Sean Bean in a forest'
The writers of E4's Wasted on their new comedy
http://www.chortle.co.uk/features/2016/07/05/25225/youd_expect_to_find_sean_bean_in_a_forestSean Bean to channel Game of Thrones' Ned Stark in new TV series Wasted
http://www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv-radio/686557/Sean-Bean-Game-of-Thrones-Ned-Stark-Wasted
