Simon Pegg wants to break free from comedy: "I don’t feel like I’m that geeky guy anymore"

Simon Pegg "didn’t plan to be a comedic actor".

Which is a weird thing to say considering Pegg, 53, made his name on the TV sitcom Spaced and later in such comedies as Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. 

He told The Observer: "I say no to a lot of things.

"I made a name for myself as a comedic actor, but I’d quite like to flex different muscles. And I didn’t plan to be a comedic actor. Comedy was just something I enjoyed and seemed to be able to do."

Pegg believes he's actually outgrown the public's perception of him.

He explained: "I’ve aged out of a lot of what people assume I’m about.

"I don’t feel like I’m that geeky guy anymore, particularly. I don’t have the same interests I had when I was 35 or 40 even. I’d much rather watch Succession than some sci-fi."

Pegg has enjoyed huge success in Hollywood during the course of his career, starring alongside the likes of Tom Cruise and Harrison Ford.

But Pegg insists he's still remained grounded.

Pegg, who was born in Gloucester, south-west England, said: "There was this attitude that anyone who went off to Hollywood was betraying their roots in some sense or selling out. It’s not like you cross some misty bridge at night and never come home again. So many people assume that I live over there. But, you know, I live in Hertfordshire."

Pegg doesn't enjoy the trappings of fame and success, and he's actually at his happiest when he's at home.

He shared: "I never want to leave the house, really. I don’t go to parties. I don’t like going out. I’ll avoid having to go anywhere if I possibly can."

He continued: "Fame doesn’t necessarily turn you into an a*******, but it brings out the a******* you’ve always been.

"I think you have to be smart to be famous. Because you have to constantly understand that it doesn’t really mean anything."

Asked if he's managed to achieve that, Pegg replied: "Well, I hope so. You tell me!"

Pegg's latest, Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One, opens in cinemas on July 13, with sneaks on July 8. 

Photo: TPG News/Click Photos

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