One half of Flight of the Conchords, Jemaine Clement, has a new film coming out in the US and has spoken about the lack of comedy on New Zealand TV.
While promoting his new romantic comedy ‘People Places Things’, made in U.S.A, Jemaine Clement has stated its virtually impossible to make television comedy in his homeland of New Zealand. Talking to the Seattle Times he said he and friend Brett got tired of trying to make it as television writers.
“Television in New Zealand is, well, you think television in America can be bad, New Zealand has all the bad stuff without the good stuff. They really have no interest in making television comedy in New Zealand at all … So we thought, let’s make a band.”
That band, Flight of the Conchords, happened to morph into a TV comedy series lasting two seasons thanks to HBO taking an interest in their gigs. Also featuring prominently were Rhys Darby and comedian Arj Barker. Despite approaching local companies, they were told by producers that it wouldn’t work. According to Jemaine:
“They’d say, ‘Middle New Zealand won’t get it.’ Idiots! I’d go, ‘What are you talking about? I’m from middle New Zealand, and you’re not.’ I always have a working-class chip on my shoulder about those people.”
All’s well that ends well though and the show enjoyed success from 2007-2009.
Since then all the members of the show have starred in films. Rhys Darby acted alongside Jim Carrey in ‘Yes Man’. Brett worked with Aussie comedian Hamish Blake on ‘Two Little Boys’, and Jemaine and Rhys teamed up with vampire spoof ‘What We Do In The Shadows’. Jemaine is now going it alone with his new film.
The film follows Jemaines character Henry, a graphic novelist trying to get over his partner cheating on him, while he juggles love with caring for two daughters. The film is based loosely on writer James C. Strouse’s real life. The pair have remained friends and Jemaine spoke about the director.
“I don’t know to what degree he thinks of it as his life,” “But sometimes, we’d turn up [on the set] and I’d be wearing the exact same outfit as him. I’d be costumed in what they’d chosen for me and he would be wearing exactly the same.”
In the same Seattle Times interview he confirmed things were being put into motion for sequel to ‘What We Do In The Shadows’ and that he’d bagged a role in an adaptation of Roald Dahl’s The BFG.
‘People Places Things’ had its initial release on 14 August and has been warmly received. Are you a fan of Flight of the Conchords and do you plan on seeing this?
