SmartLess

Edgar Wright

October 20, 2025

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  • Director Edgar Wright's early passion for filmmaking was fueled by parental support and making amateur films, leading to his first feature, *A Fistful of Fingers*, which he had to pad out with two minutes of black screen during editing. 
  • The Cornetto Trilogy (*Shaun of the Dead*, *Hot Fuzz*, *The World's End*) was named because the team received free Cornetto ice cream at the premiere of *Shaun of the Dead* and decided to include the ice cream in the subsequent films for the same reward. 
  • Nick Frost had never acted before *Spaced*, and the team pretended he was a different actor with the same name to satisfy union requirements for casting him in the show. 
  • Edgar Wright is directing a new, more faithful adaptation of Stephen King's *The Running Man*, which he was drawn to because the 1987 film was a very loose adaptation and he wanted to maintain the book's intense focus on the protagonist's subjective point of view. 
  • Wright views comedy as cyclical and hopes to return to making pure, big-screen comedies, citing the joke density of shows like *Arrested Development* and classic films like *Airplane!* and *Duck Soup* as major influences. 
  • The best advice Wright has received is the dual-edged counsel to "be patient," and his guiding principle as a director is to make the movie he, as an audience member, would most want to see. 

Segments

Podcast Introduction and Ads
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(00:00:00)
  • Key Takeaway: The episode of SmartLess features Edgar Wright and includes advertisements for AppleCard, AutoTrader, and State Farm.
  • Summary: The initial segment of the SmartLess episode features several sponsor messages. AppleCard is promoted for tap-to-pay functionality and daily cash back. AutoTrader is highlighted for its hyper-personalized car buying experience powered by Auto Intelligence. State Farm encourages listeners to connect with local agents for insurance coverage.
TV Show Updates and Friend Support
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(00:01:43)
  • Key Takeaway: The hosts briefly discuss watching intense television shows like Black Rabbit and Ozark before bed, contrasting it with supporting friends’ projects.
  • Summary: The hosts engage in casual conversation about recent television viewing, specifically mentioning Black Rabbit and Ozark. One host notes they avoid watching intense content before sleeping. The discussion touches upon the supportive nature of friendship, referencing seeing a friend’s movie multiple times.
Sean’s Travel and Weight Gain
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(00:05:02)
  • Key Takeaway: Sean is adjusting to being back in Southern California after traveling, experiencing jet lag recovery and noticing rapid weight gain upon returning to his regular diet.
  • Summary: Sean reports finally overcoming jet lag after being away for over a week. He humorously notes gaining four pounds quickly after returning to his normal eating habits. This leads to a brief mention of eating pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting, sourced from Trader Joe’s.
Introducing Edgar Wright
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(00:07:06)
  • Key Takeaway: Guest Edgar Wright’s lifelong obsession with cinema began with his parents leaving him at the cinema as a cheap babysitter, and he later charged classmates for his homemade action films.
  • Summary: The host introduces Edgar Wright by detailing his deep, early immersion in film culture. Wright’s parents utilized the cinema as an inexpensive childcare option, exposing him to movies from a young age. By age 14, he was monetizing his own action films made on a small budget.
UK Film Ratings and Sneaking In
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(00:09:20)
  • Key Takeaway: UK film ratings are strictly enforced (15 or 18), unlike the US system where parents can accompany minors, leading to childhood attempts to deceive cinema managers.
  • Summary: The difference between UK and US film rating systems is highlighted, noting the UK’s strict 15 and 18 classifications that prohibit parental accompaniment for younger viewers. Wright recounts successfully sneaking into the 15-rated Gremlins at age 10 by claiming he had read the novelization.
Halloween Costumes and Tonal Shifts
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(00:11:20)
  • Key Takeaway: Edgar Wright’s favorite Halloween costume was David Naughton’s character from An American Werewolf in London, a deep-cut reference that contrasts with Jason Bateman’s pun-based costume.
  • Summary: The conversation pivots to discussing Halloween costumes, with Wright noting that Halloween seems to last for months in Los Angeles. Jason describes his elaborate, yet embarrassing, ‘Jason Bateman’ costume combining elements of Friday the 13th’s Jason and actor Jason Bateman. Wright’s choice reflects his affinity for cult horror cinema.
Brotherly Relationship and Filmmaking Origins
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(00:14:43)
  • Key Takeaway: Edgar Wright and his older brother Oscar initially hated each other during their teenage years but later reconciled, and Oscar has worked on all of Edgar’s films.
  • Summary: Wright confirms that his brother Oscar shared his love for movies, though they experienced a typical teenage period of mutual dislike that later resolved. Wright attributes his visual filmmaking style to his artist parents encouraging him to make films with a Super 8 camera from a young age. He cites Raising Arizona and Evil Dead 2 as mind-blowing influences from the 1980s.
Blue Apron and Duluth Trading Ads
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(00:19:34)
  • Key Takeaway: Blue Apron is now offering meals a la carte without a subscription, while Duluth Trading Company promotes its Buck Naked underwear featuring a ‘crotch-cradling bullpen pouch’.
  • Summary: Blue Apron has introduced a new model allowing customers to shop a la carte without a required subscription, expanding their weekly menu options. Duluth Trading Company advertises its underwear, emphasizing its no-pinch, no-stink construction designed for comfort during strenuous activities. The ads also feature Sonic promoting a free large drink with a Sonic Smasher purchase via their app.
Early Career and Spaced Creation
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(00:22:32)
  • Key Takeaway: Wright won a video camera in a competition at age 16 for a claymation film about wheelchair access, and he directed the influential UK sitcom Spaced at age 24.
  • Summary: Wright recounts winning a video camera for a public service animation about wheelchair ramps for Comic Relief, where he had to feign surprise on live TV. He credits Spaced as a special project, noting that Nick Frost had no prior acting experience and they used the name of another union actor to get him cast. Will recalls plastering the Spaced DVD cover all over his trailer on the set of Arrested Development.
Fistful of Fingers Editing Trick
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(00:30:32)
  • Key Takeaway: To pad the runtime of his low-budget film A Fistful of Fingers, Edgar Wright inserted a two-minute scene where characters simply talked in the dark after the campfire was extinguished.
  • Summary: Wright’s first feature film, A Fistful of Fingers, had an assembly edit that was only 75 minutes long, forcing him to find ways to extend the runtime. He achieved this by inserting a scene where cowboys talk in complete darkness after blowing out their campfire. James Lance, known from Ted Lasso, is the only professional actor in the film, cast after his mother saw a local newspaper notice.
Cornetto Trilogy Naming and Collaboration
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(00:33:03)
  • Key Takeaway: The Cornetto Trilogy was an unplanned grouping based on the recurring mention of the ice cream cone, which secured the team free treats at premieres.
  • Summary: The trilogy name arose organically after Shaun of the Dead mentioned the ice cream, leading to free Cornettos at the premiere, which Wright then intentionally wrote into Hot Fuzz. Wright met Simon Pegg backstage at a comedy gig, bonding over their shared West Country origins. Wright first worked with Pegg and Jessica Hynes on the TV show Asylum, realizing immediately that Pegg was a great comedy leading man.
The Running Man Adaptation
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(00:51:42)
  • Key Takeaway: Edgar Wright adapted The Running Man because he read Stephen King’s original novel (written under the pseudonym Richard Backman) as a teenager and felt the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger film was a very loose adaptation.
  • Summary: Wright was drawn to adapting The Running Man because he preferred the original Stephen King novel, which he read before seeing the 1987 film adaptation. King wrote the book under the pseudonym Richard Backman, often using it for non-horror material. Sean Hayes confirms his role in the film is in a scene that star Glenn Powell is not in.
British Comedy Influences
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(00:47:43)
  • Key Takeaway: The British sitcom The Young Ones was a major, punk-rock influence on Wright, notable for its short run and the random inclusion of musical acts like Motörhead in every episode.
  • Summary: Wright cites Monty Python and Fawlty Towers as foundational, but The Young Ones was the first show that made a significant impact on him as a teenager. The Young Ones was unique because every episode concluded with the main characters dying. The show frequently featured bands like Motörhead to boost its budget under the guise of being a variety program.
Adapting Stephen King’s The Running Man
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(00:54:48)
  • Key Takeaway: Edgar Wright’s adaptation of The Running Man prioritizes the book’s subjective point of view, unlike the 1987 film.
  • Summary: The Running Man book was written by Stephen King under the pseudonym Richard Backman and published in 1982. Wright was attracted to adapting it because the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger film was a very loose adaptation. The new version stays with the protagonist Ben Richards’ subjective, intense experience throughout, a choice uncommon in similar films.
The Running Man Cast Details
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(00:55:55)
  • Key Takeaway: Glenn Howerton is in nearly every scene of Wright’s The Running Man adaptation.
  • Summary: Glenn Howerton appears in every scene except one, where Sean Hayes is featured hosting a different game show at the movie’s start. The cast also includes Josh Brolin, Colman Domingo, Michael Cera (reuniting with Wright since Scott Pilgrim), Amelia Jones, Jamie Lawson, Sean Hayes, and Julia Cumming.
Film Release Timeline and Nerves
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(00:57:25)
  • Key Takeaway: The new film is scheduled for release on November 14th and is being finalized extremely close to that date.
  • Summary: The film is set to release on November 14th, which Wright notes is the closest to release he has ever finished a movie. He finds this simultaneous excitement and nervousness wild, as the film will likely be completely finished only a week prior to its debut.
Espresso, Sleep, and Pure Comedy
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(00:57:55)
  • Key Takeaway: Post-production stress from directing involves heavy espresso consumption leading to significant sleep trouble.
  • Summary: Wright admits to drinking too much espresso during post-production, resulting in trouble sleeping that requires melatonin and edibles to counteract. He expressed a strong desire to return to making pure comedy films, noting that comedy seems less frequently made for the cinema currently, though he believes this trend is cyclical.
Comedy Influences and Joke Density
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(00:59:03)
  • Key Takeaway: Wright admires the joke-delivery speed of Arrested Development and the dense joke packing of films like Airplane! and Duck Soup.
  • Summary: Wright praised Arrested Development for having the speed of a Marx Brothers film, delivering around 500 jokes in a 22-minute network slot. His major comedy influences include the Zucker Brothers films (Airplane!, Top Secret!) and the Marx Brothers, noting he watches Duck Soup every New Year’s Eve.
Xavier Renegade Angel Recommendation
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(01:01:04)
  • Key Takeaway: Xavier Renegade Angel is an extremely densely packed, disturbing animated show that elicits strong emotional reactions from viewers.
  • Summary: The animated show Xavier Renegade Angel is highlighted as being wall-to-wall jokes and highly disturbing, a show Bill Hader also frequently mentions. Wright warns that viewers might respond with tears due to how jarring the experience is, though he notes it was not widely available in the UK.
Best and Worst Career Advice
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(01:01:54)
  • Key Takeaway: The best and worst piece of advice Wright received was simply to “be patient.”
  • Summary: The worst advice was not explicitly stated, but the best and worst advice came from a former studio head who advised patience. Wright’s core directorial philosophy is to be the audience member, making the film he genuinely wants to see rather than guessing what others want.
Moments of On-Set Triumph
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(01:03:35)
  • Key Takeaway: The most satisfying moments on set occur when a complex scene is successfully captured in a single take, drawing the crew together.
  • Summary: While directors rarely have time to celebrate immediately after yelling ‘cut’ due to scheduling, the true moment of triumph comes in the editing room or when a difficult scene is nailed in one take. For The Running Man, there were several such moments, similar to the three-minute choreographed opening sequence of Baby Driver.
Closing Remarks and Future Plans
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(01:05:09)
  • Key Takeaway: Wright is coming to London in ten days and the hosts plan to see his new film, The Running Man, upon release.
  • Summary: The hosts praised Wright as one of the most exciting filmmakers working today and noted his consistent support for the podcast since its inception. Wright confirmed he will be in London soon, and the hosts secured tickets to see his new movie, which they believe will be a success based on the trailer alone.