Simon Pegg: 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked

1. Shaun Riley €“ Shaun of the Dead

Shaun-of-the-Dead-2004-17 Well, it had to be on here, the film where Pegg puts on a masterclass in in-over-your-head earnestness. It helps that he looks like an average bloke, but that€™s totally the point and it just adds to the char of normality. Of course, there€™s also a little off-kilter sentiment to proceedings €“ how could there not be €“ but everything Shaun does is rooted in what you imagine you, or at least a late 20-something with an arrested development complex, would do. It€™s touching, sad, realistic and downright hilarious, whether he€™s bashing in zombie brains or quoting Bertrand Russell off the back of a beer mat. The killer detail is his facial expressions and mannerisms throughout €“ witness when he sits down after beating a zombie in his garden and look at his face, and you€™ll see perfectly normal what-the-hell-is-all-this bewilderment. Couple that with the almighty shock he gets awhen confronted with a one-armed zombie in his living room and we see Pegg just nails the everyman charm. There€™s also a little weirdness apparent too (who goes to a pub to survive flesh-eating hordes?) but that just makes the whole thing even more endearing. After all, there€™s an odd charm to a man who sees a romantic hotspot and an impenetrable fortress as one in the same thing, but he€™s always kept in the realms of believably by the human cost of his quest. Really, I defy you to watch the scene where Shaun€™s mother dies and not be slightly affected by Pegg€™s performance. Click "next" below to see the performances that sucked...
Contributor
Contributor

Durham University graduate and qualified sports journalist. Very good at sitting down and watching things. Can multi-task this with playing computer games. Football Manager addict who has taken Shrewsbury Town to the summit of the Premier League. You can follow me at @Ed_OwenUK, if you like ramblings about Newcastle United and A Place in the Sun. If you don't, I don't know what I can do for you.