Simon Pegg 'relishes' the anonymity that comes with living in the countryside
Simon Pegg "relishes" the anonymity that comes with living in the countryside.
The 'Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning' star moved to Hertfordshire from London's Crouch End 13 years ago, and he admits it was the best decision he made, because he can lead a "normal life" and not feel "constantly looked at".
He told Rolling Stone UK magazine: "The thing I relish the most is being at home, and the familiarity of dog walks on a Saturday is nice.
"I really love living in the countryside.
"It's quiet, it's beautiful and it's normal."
Asked if he loves the anonymity it gives him, Pegg - who has daughter Matilda, 16, with his wife Maureen McCann - replied: "One hundred per cent.
"I used to live in Crouch End before we moved here, and I was basically living on the set of 'Shaun of the Dead'.
"Everybody was really nice, and I never suffered any hassle, but I felt visible, and I couldn't really go into any shop or a restaurant without the feeling I was being constantly looked at, and that is of course a residual effect of doing a job which puts you in the public eye, and you have to be prepared for that.
"But you can also mitigate that if it gets a bit overwhelming, and going out to live on a road where no one else lives was a pretty good way of doing that."
The 55-year-old actor has suffered bouts of depression since he was 18, and the actor previously opened up about how he initially struggled to cope when he made the switch to Hollywood in 2005.
He shared: "I was not in a good place, emotionally and physically.
"It was a weird thing as well, because the dreams I'd had as a kid were manifesting and I wasn't happy and I couldn't figure out why. And that was down to personal things, depression. I had to get happy in myself before I could start enjoying anything else. Which I did.
"But at that time it was very frustrating to be there and not be able to fully enjoy it, because I just felt all at sea."
Pegg has found a sense of peace and happiness in recent years.
However, the actor believes that his "demons" are always lurking in the background.
Pegg - whose film credits include 'Hot Fuzz' and 'Shaun of the Dead' - previously told GQ magazine: "What I have come to realise from back then is that depression is always there. No matter what I did.
"I don't think you ever really lose your demons. You just try to find a way to keep them in their place."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Advertiser
3 days ago
- The Advertiser
Tom Cruise, Dolly Parton to receive honorary Oscars
Tom Cruise and Dolly Parton are among the luminaries selected to receive honorary Oscars this year for lifetime achievements, Hollywood's film academy says. Actor and choreographer Debbie Allen and production designer Wynn Thomas also were selected for recognition by the board of governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. The honorees will receive their Oscar statuettes at the annual Governors Awards gala in November. Cruise, currently starring in Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, was selected for his decades of work in Risky Business, two Top Gun movies and several other films. The accolade comes 35 years after he received his first Oscar nomination for Born on the Fourth of July and then later for Jerry Maguire (1997), as well as best supporting actor for Magnolia (2000). "Tom Cruise's incredible commitment to our filmmaking community, to the theatrical experience, and to the stunts community has inspired us all," Academy President Janet Yang said in a statement. Parton, a country music singer and star of movies including Steel Magnolias and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, will receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for her charitable efforts. Parton's Imagination Library has provided more than 284 million free books to children over 30 years, according to the organisation's website. She received two Oscar nominations for best song, for the films 9 to 5 and Transamerica. Allen, an actor in movies such as Fame and Ragtime, choreographed the Academy Awards ceremony seven times and several films. Production designer Thomas worked on several Spike Lee Films including She's Gotta Have It and Do the Right Thing, as well as best picture winner A Beautiful Mind. Tom Cruise and Dolly Parton are among the luminaries selected to receive honorary Oscars this year for lifetime achievements, Hollywood's film academy says. Actor and choreographer Debbie Allen and production designer Wynn Thomas also were selected for recognition by the board of governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. The honorees will receive their Oscar statuettes at the annual Governors Awards gala in November. Cruise, currently starring in Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, was selected for his decades of work in Risky Business, two Top Gun movies and several other films. The accolade comes 35 years after he received his first Oscar nomination for Born on the Fourth of July and then later for Jerry Maguire (1997), as well as best supporting actor for Magnolia (2000). "Tom Cruise's incredible commitment to our filmmaking community, to the theatrical experience, and to the stunts community has inspired us all," Academy President Janet Yang said in a statement. Parton, a country music singer and star of movies including Steel Magnolias and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, will receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for her charitable efforts. Parton's Imagination Library has provided more than 284 million free books to children over 30 years, according to the organisation's website. She received two Oscar nominations for best song, for the films 9 to 5 and Transamerica. Allen, an actor in movies such as Fame and Ragtime, choreographed the Academy Awards ceremony seven times and several films. Production designer Thomas worked on several Spike Lee Films including She's Gotta Have It and Do the Right Thing, as well as best picture winner A Beautiful Mind. Tom Cruise and Dolly Parton are among the luminaries selected to receive honorary Oscars this year for lifetime achievements, Hollywood's film academy says. Actor and choreographer Debbie Allen and production designer Wynn Thomas also were selected for recognition by the board of governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. The honorees will receive their Oscar statuettes at the annual Governors Awards gala in November. Cruise, currently starring in Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, was selected for his decades of work in Risky Business, two Top Gun movies and several other films. The accolade comes 35 years after he received his first Oscar nomination for Born on the Fourth of July and then later for Jerry Maguire (1997), as well as best supporting actor for Magnolia (2000). "Tom Cruise's incredible commitment to our filmmaking community, to the theatrical experience, and to the stunts community has inspired us all," Academy President Janet Yang said in a statement. Parton, a country music singer and star of movies including Steel Magnolias and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, will receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for her charitable efforts. Parton's Imagination Library has provided more than 284 million free books to children over 30 years, according to the organisation's website. She received two Oscar nominations for best song, for the films 9 to 5 and Transamerica. Allen, an actor in movies such as Fame and Ragtime, choreographed the Academy Awards ceremony seven times and several films. Production designer Thomas worked on several Spike Lee Films including She's Gotta Have It and Do the Right Thing, as well as best picture winner A Beautiful Mind. Tom Cruise and Dolly Parton are among the luminaries selected to receive honorary Oscars this year for lifetime achievements, Hollywood's film academy says. Actor and choreographer Debbie Allen and production designer Wynn Thomas also were selected for recognition by the board of governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. The honorees will receive their Oscar statuettes at the annual Governors Awards gala in November. Cruise, currently starring in Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, was selected for his decades of work in Risky Business, two Top Gun movies and several other films. The accolade comes 35 years after he received his first Oscar nomination for Born on the Fourth of July and then later for Jerry Maguire (1997), as well as best supporting actor for Magnolia (2000). "Tom Cruise's incredible commitment to our filmmaking community, to the theatrical experience, and to the stunts community has inspired us all," Academy President Janet Yang said in a statement. Parton, a country music singer and star of movies including Steel Magnolias and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, will receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for her charitable efforts. Parton's Imagination Library has provided more than 284 million free books to children over 30 years, according to the organisation's website. She received two Oscar nominations for best song, for the films 9 to 5 and Transamerica. Allen, an actor in movies such as Fame and Ragtime, choreographed the Academy Awards ceremony seven times and several films. Production designer Thomas worked on several Spike Lee Films including She's Gotta Have It and Do the Right Thing, as well as best picture winner A Beautiful Mind.
Perth Now
3 days ago
- Perth Now
Tom Cruise and Dolly Parton to receive honorary Oscars
Tom Cruise is to receive an honorary Oscar. The 'Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning' actor - who has never won an Academy Award but was nominated for his performances in Born on the Fourth of July, Magnolia and Rain Man, and for producing Top Gun: Maverick -is one of four people who will be honoured at the Governors Awards in November. Singer Dolly Parton, choreographer, actor and director Debbie Allen and production designer Wynn Thomas, will also receive the special Oscars, which are given 'to honour extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences in any discipline, or for outstanding service to the Academy'. Academy president Janet Yang hailed the quartet as "legendary individuals" who have made a "lasting impact". She said in a statement: 'This year's Governors Awards will celebrate four legendary individuals whose extraordinary careers and commitment to our filmmaking community continue to leave a lasting impact. 'The Academy's Board of Governors is honoured to recognise these brilliant artists. "Debbie Allen is a trailblazing choreographer and actor, whose work has captivated generations and crossed genres. Tom Cruise's incredible commitment to our filmmaking community, to the theatrical experience, and to the stunts community has inspired us all. Beloved performer Dolly Parton exemplifies the spirit of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award through her unwavering dedication to charitable efforts. And production designer Wynn Thomas has brought some of the most enduring films to life through a visionary eye and mastery of his craft.' Dolly - who was previously nominated for the Best Original Song Oscar for both 9 to 5 and Transamerica - will following in the footsteps of the likes of Angelina Jolie, Tyler Perry and Michael J. Fox in receiving the Jean Hersholt humanitarian award to recognise how she has brought 'credit to the industry by promoting human welfare and contributing to rectifying inequities'. Last year, Governors Awards were given to casting director Juliet Taylor and posthumously to Quincy Jones, with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award given to writer-and-director Richard Curtis. In addition, the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award was given to James Bond producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli. Both the Jean Hersholt and Irving G. Thalberg awards are not always given out and are dependent on the vote of the Board of Governors.
Perth Now
4 days ago
- Perth Now
Brad Pitt gives terms for reuniting with Tom Cruise on-screen
Brad Pitt is open to working with Tom Cruise again - as long as he doesn't have to do any big stunts. The 61-year-old actor hasn't appeared on-screen with the Mission: Impossible star, 62, since 1994's Interview with the Vampire, and Pitt has now revealed he would collaborate with Cruise again, on the condition that his feet stay firmly on the ground. Speaking with E! News, Pitt said: 'Well, I'm not gonna hang my a** off airplanes and s*** like that. 'So when he does something again that's on the ground [then yes].' Pitt will next be seen in F1 - the high-octane racing movie from Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski. In F1, Pitt plays Sonny Hayes, a retired racer who returns to the track with new blood Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris) in a bid to become the best Formula One driver in the world. While Pitt wants to avoid doing any major stunts in a Tom Cruise movie, the Once Upon A Time In Hollywood actor had driven at 180-miles-per-hour in real Formula One cars for F1. Speaking at a Q+A event in March, Kosinski said: '[Pitt] just had that natural feel for grip in the car, and what we're doing on this film is dangerous. So yeah, you have to be fearless, and when you see Brad driving, that's not acting. 'He's really concentrating on keeping that car on the track and out of the wall during all those scenes. So that's something that you just can't fake, I think. I hope the audience feels that when they watch the movie.' The filmmaker added Pitt had undergone 'months of training' to prepare for the racing scenes, which also involved learning the art of the sport under the tutelage of seven-time Formula One world champion Sir Lewis Hamilton. Kosinski explained: 'Brad and Damson are both driving in this film and in order to get them into these race cars, it required months, literally months of training. But the first day was really fun. 'It was me, Brad and Lewis Hamilton at the track together, all of us jumping in cars and driving each other around in sports cars, which was one of those things, I'll never forget having Lewis Hamilton as your driving instructor. 'But what we learned and what Lewis was really interested was seeing did Brad knew how to drive right? Because if Brad can't drive, this whole film wasn't going to work.' The director said Hamilton found Pitt to be a 'very talented, naturally gifted driver' when they first sped around the track together. Kosinski said: 'And what Lewis was very happy to discover was that Brad had a lot of just natural ability right from the start. 'And I don't know where he got that or if he was born with it, and he rides motorcycles, which I think has something to do with it, but he's just a very talented, naturally gifted driver, which for Lewis after that first meeting gave him a lot of confidence that we might have a shot at pulling this off.'
