John Simm, are you ever not grumpy? And why is it adorable? Also, bonus Persian poetry.

[margo_kim]

I'll be honest, I wish John Simm wouldn't do plays. I want him readily available to me while he does exciting new things. I'm an ocean away from England and no one made bootleg Youtube clips of Elling. But him starting Hamlet does have one direct benefit to me: press. I love his interviews. He's such a miserable bastard. (In this interview with the

Comments

[mamishka]

He IS very grumpy! I wish he was less grumpy - not only as a fan but just because clearly the fame side of his career makes him actively unhappy and that sucks for everybody. Ahh well.

The poem is quite Sam though. And lovely.

[lozenger8]

It's not entirely him. That interviewer went in thinking he'd be 'chippy', so John complied. It all depends on the journalist, really.

[mamishka]

No offense, but I've read and seen many interviews with him and he often is, well kinda chippy. ;) More often than not comes across as cranky and kinda bitter in all the interviews that I've read with him. He's an actor who just wants to act and doesn't want the rest of the stuff that comes with that. I can understand that and even empathize with it. Problem is, there's kinda no getting around that if you're going to be a famous and successful actor. But rather than avoiding it as gracefully as he can or simply not talking about it he tends to be cranky and snippy about it. I can't say that I blame him, but I don't think it's doing his reputation any good.

[lozenger8]

Oh, I hear you. I have also read the many, many interviews of John needing to CRY MOAR. But I can also tell when an interviewer has deliberately geared the interview that way, and this guy did.

The thing is, John can be charming in interviews. He has a decent sense of humour about himself, his work, life in general. He's not just a miserable bastard. For a good long while there we had at least five interviews straight when he was full of good-humour and bonhomie.

I'd like to think the stress of Hamlet is making him go back to his snippy, annoyed ways. That, coupled with a journalist who went in with a particular take he wanted, and we get this kind of interview. It fucks me off, but there we go.

[edzel2]

LOL @ this - interviewers do seem to have the unfortunate habit of picking up on this aspect, don't they?! I reckon that he isn't nearly as grumpy as they infer and if he is it's probably cause he isn't keen on interviews, which is possibly because they make him out to sometimes be a reluctant interview subject - hence viscious circle??

I've read plenty of interviews where he doesn't seem at all grumpy so I think maybe it's the interviewer highlighting it. I thinks it's refreshing, actually, and quite endearing... more interesting than, say, some gushy interview ... I agre; love!

[margo_kim]

I remember reading another article which was just the reporter being scared of John Simm for 1000. The writer's angle definitely colors the article. Picking the underappreciated quote as the headline tells you write off the bat which way the reporter went (Side-note: I bet John was thrilled when he saw the headline; that's the kind of quote your friends give you such shit about).

[sunnyringo]

Grumpiness is in the eye of the beholder, I suppose. John's own words didn't strike me as particularly grumpy or harsh. Direct, yes, but I would expect nothing less from him.

"But for all Simm's grumpiness, it is enthusiasm that wins out in the end - for work, music, friends, family. He was content as a kid, loved his clubbing years, but now he's happier than ever."

And yet, let's focus on the negative. Again. Because there might be somebody on Earth that doesn't know that John Simm hates the red carpet. Ho hum.

[thesmallhobbit]

Well, how is he supposed to answer a question that says "You're a grumpy s*d, aren't you?"

[woothiswildcat]

I actually thought he was quite charming in that interview. I tend to be a bit um...crusty myself, but I thought he was smart, funny, dry, and charming.