Russell Brand talks Rock and Lonnie

Essex born Russell Brand has made a name for himself as a stand up comedian with his first significant show in 2000, since then he has gone on to star in the likes of Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Bedtime Stories, Get Him to the Greek and the remake of Arthur.

With the adaptation of the best loved musical Rock of Ages coming to Blu-ray and DVD on October 8, The Fan Carpet are pleased to bring you this interview with the loveable rogue who plays Lonnie in the star studded film…

So tell us, what interested you the most, about playing this role, in the film?

Being with these people.  Alec Baldwin, Tom Cruise, I’ve worked with Adam Shankman before.  Its been really brilliant to be with all those people.  Now that I’ve done it, the film is really, really excellent.  I saw it in a cinema.  It’s an exciting film.

Tell us a little about what kind of guy Lonnie is.

Lonnie is a man, who just wants to have fun.  You know that song, “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun?”  Well, imagine a boy doing that.  I know it was a bit dirty, but he is.  There’s a bit where I have to be near a monkey.  You watch my acting in the scene where I’m near this baboon.  You can see that all I’m thinkin’ is, f—-n’ hell.  It’s a baboon.  That’s all I’m thinking.  You can see it.  I watched the film the other day.

I don’t do no improvising, or come up with no funny jokes.  All I’m doing is looking at a baboon.  It’s like, oh look–he’s gonna jump; because one time, that baboon jumped down.

Lonnie’s fearless?

No.  He’s fearful of baboons.  Like, primates, in civilized situations unsettle him.  They’re meant to be over there.

What was so unique about the decade of the ’80s?

I suppose it was a pinnacle of excess.  It was a breakdown of social infrastructure as greed spilled into the economic mindset of people in power.  Reagan and Thatcher rose to positions of prominence and broke down our socialistic conscience.  But there was good music.  It was a distraction, probably for that reason, to enjoy.

You’ve sung in two previous films.  Was this one a little more challenging being a musical?  Can you compare the them?

Well, I felt the same, really.  Because you just said—empirically, it’s the same.  You’re just in a booth singing.  Then you have to lip-synch to it.  I suppose it has to be better in this one, because everyone is doing some singing.  That Julianne–she’s crackin’.  Diego’s really good.  Tom Cruise, anything he puts his hands to he’ll be good at.  Baldwin is an actor-singer.  So, he’s good.  That Catherine Zeta-Jones, she’s already got an Oscar for doing singing.Didn’t she?  And acting it and singing at the same time.  Mary J. Blige, proper singer.  Paul Giamatti, actor-singing.  So, I was, like, the middle one, between, I reckon, the proper people that can actually sing, and then, actor-singers.  I reckon I’m the best of the actor-singers.  But, I’m not as good as the proper-singer people.

Nice.  How was it, sharing scenes with Alec Baldwin?

Brilliant – really brilliant.  He’s amazing.  Like, if I wasn’t so protective of my own status as a male that needs to be respected, I would’ve sat on his lap. I would’ve sat on his lap and twirled.  Like, tell me stories.

So, the one thing we’re missing is you sitting on Alec Baldwin’s lap, right?

Yeah, that’s a shame, isn’t it?  But maybe, if we do another movie together—which we might.  I hope we will.

What do you think about how they recreated the Sunset Strip?

They’ve done a good job, don’t you think?  I thought it looked wicked.  That was one of things I loved.  You could tell that even before you see it on camera.  When you were actually there, because they built it in Miami.  It’s amazing. 

How did Adam Shankman, really help you develop the character, Lonnie?

Just tells you like this.  He leaves you alone, Adam Shankman.  He gets what he’s done there.  He’s got casts of people who know what they’re doing.  He tells you what to do with the singing, and the dancing.  But with the improv, “Just say what you like.  Just say what you want.”  You know what I mean?  He just lets you do what you want.

Rock of Ages Film Page | Rock of Ages Review

ROCK OF AGES ARRIVES ON BLU-RAY AND DVD ON OCTOBER 8