Simon Pegg's 10 Best Roles

8. Gary King - The World’s End

The World's End Simon Pegg
Universal Pictures

By far the worst character he ever played (morally speaking), Gary King is a train wreck of a human being.

As a stand-in for the darker elements of the human experience however, he's unmatched. From drug addiction to self-destruction, a complete loss of direction in life and something as simple as the desire to stay young, Gary King is the essence of a mid life crisis in human form.

Pegg's delivery of King is as compelling as it is enjoyable. With a rare balance between ultraviolent fun and gut-punching truth about the consequences of irresponsibility, The World's End is a lesson in personal growth wrapped up in the guise of a pub crawl crossed with an alien invasion - as fitting an end for The Cornetto trilogy as one could ask for.

Ultimately, Gary King is equal parts cautionary tale and indulgent fantasy. Pegg's performance helps us understand that, Blanks or otherwise, life always comes down to growing up and moving beyond your past.

In this post: 
Simon-Pegg
 
First Posted On: 
Contributor

My passion for all things Sci Fi goes back to my earliest days, when old VHS copies of Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet gripped my tiny mind with their big, noisy vehicles and terrifying puppets. I'd like to say my taste got more refined over the years, but between the Warhammer, Space Dandy and niche Star Wars EU books, perhaps it just got broader. I've enjoyed games of all calibre since I figured out that dice weren't just for eating, and have written prose ever since I was left unsupervised with some crayons next to a white wall. I got away with it by calling it "schoolwork" for as long as I could, and university helped me keep the charade going a while longer. Since my work began to get published, it's made all those long hours repainting the walls seem worth it.