Scott Pilgrim Vs The World

Considering the success he found directing the cult late-night sitcom Spaced over a decade ago, it’s difficult to believe that Edgar Wright’s comic book adaptation Scott Pilgrim Vs The World is only his third film to date. The young filmmaker has experienced a meteoric rise to international stardom, but one cannot help but think his success is merely a by-product of wanting to make films about his favourite things. Engaging with comic books, video games and the pop-culture that surrounds us, both he and Michael Cera, playing the title role, seem to relish the opportunity to reach out to the loyal and wholeheartedly geeky fans that hold Scott Pilgrim dear, and if the rest of the world tags along for the ride, then so be it. 

Dazed Digital: How was your working relationship on set?
Michael Cera: Do you remember?
Edgar Wright: (Laughs) I think we both worked really hard but it was actually a very ambitious film to make and it was all planned out to the tee. It was a lot of fun, but sometimes it felt a bit like a marathon. It wasn’t a set where there was a lot of improvisation. We had it all plotted out and we’d rehearsed it a lot. It sometimes felt like we were making seven films.
Michael Cera: I remember there would be certain days where you would totally collapse and be like, ‘Oh... I can’t do anymore.' Then you would get a resurgence of energy. The fight sequences were particularly exhausting because of the amount of exertion involved. But it was just a joy all the time.

DD: Edgar, the entirety of your past projects have been low-budget, was it challenging adjusting to the change in culture?
Edgar Wright: Not really. It’s the same thing. Even Shaun of The Dead, which had a much lower budget than Scott Pilgrim, had exactly the same challenges and pressure. Just because you’re making a film for four million (which is low-budget) doesn’t mean you’re not under the same scrutiny and pressure to get the shots done. If anything, you might wrongly assume that if you’re doing a low-budget film, people might give you the benefit of the doubt, but no. I remember being a lot more stressed out on Shaun of The Dead.
Michael Cera: Really? Why was that?
Edgar Wright: I think because this film was extremely ambitious and exhausting, and what we had on the screen was what we meant to do, whereas on Shaun, you have ambitions that are twice as big as the time in the version you have.

DD: How did it feel moving from a predominantly British cinematic background to a Canadian one?
Edgar Wright: Well, I realised I had to leave the jokes about Jaffa Cakes and Cornettos behind.
Michael Cera: ... and Marmite.
Edgar Wright: We had jokes about them defining me. I find the older I get the less I can define the humour of my home country. I think with the rise of DVDs and the Internet in the last fifteen years, that comedy is international. My funny is funny in any country. Maybe in Germany they like people falling over a bit more. Generally, people laugh at the same things.
Michael Cera: I think your style might be an exception, more so than other comedies because it’s so visual. I feel like this is a film you could watch without even understanding the dialogue and still enjoy.
Edgar Wright: With a lot of English language comedies, they don’t travel beyond the English language markets, the feeling is because this is a comic book adaptation, it should be really visual.

DD: Michael, your roles have evolved from the awkward teen in titles such as Arrested Development and Juno to the title role action hero in a massive blockbuster. Is this a sign of things to come?
Michael Cera: The only hope I have for the future is to get to keep working with directors that I love. If I can keep doing that I’ll be happy. It feels amazing, I’m so happy to have been a part of this. I was such a big fan of Edgar’s – I wanted to do something with him. It was really good fortune and timing. I was the right age, in the right place and at the right time.

DD: Were you nervous about the Scott Pilgrim comics being so coveted by the fans?
Edgar Wright: We were fortunate in the way that Bryan Lee O’ Malley (Scott Pilgrim’s original creator] was very approachable and collaborated in lots of different ways. Rather than answering millions of fans, I had a hotline to Bryan. I used him as a soundboard and I thought, if it was good enough for him, then it would be okay.

DD: This is a film with its roots firmly within a very cult subject matter. Did you expect it to become so critically acclaimed?
Edgar Wright: Well, it’s only been out in the States for 72 hours...

DD: The responses on Twitter are looking very good at the moment...
Edgar Wright: I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t very moved by the response to the film from those seeing it over the weekend. The reason I was attracted to the books is the same reason I wanted to make the film. It’s something different. And people complain about films being generic. I was given the opportunity to do something wildly different. I’d like to think I took the opportunity with both hands and made something of it. The critical response has been great and there’s been some amazing reviews. We’ve put a lot of work into it and we’re really proud of it.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World  is released in UK cinemas this Friday, 27th of  August

Text by Natalie Vesty