Gonzo PR, by Kyle Anderson
Twice as many press people showed up to board a party bus/limo to take a tour of LA with the four stars of Britain’s The Inbetweeners Movie, a spinoff from a popular television show, than were anticipated. There were so many members of the press that we all couldn’t fit in the bus in one go and about half (myself included) had to wait for the second sweep to be taken to Hollywood’s famous Pink’s Hot Dogs. A limo of this type is most likely used by prom kids and bachelorette parties and is full of beverages ranging from water and soda to beer and hard liquor. We’re all given glow stick bracelets to wear; it’s the middle of the afternoon.
Based on the state of the ride over, one would expect a rip-snorting party to be happening at our destination, but the reality was a lot more subdued. I’m sure the sight of the motley crew of writers from various publications all sporting rave paraphernalia descending on the exterior of Pinks would be a bit unnerving, but the four lads who star in the film (Simon Bird, James Buckley, Blake Harrison, and Joe Thomas) take it in stride. They’re no newcomers to this game. Though they’re mostly still unknown in the United States, in the United Kingdom they’ve been near-household names since 2008 when their television program premiered. Over the course of three series (or “seasons” as we Yanks call them), The Inbetweeners garnered a great deal of success with both audiences and critics and their film was in fact made and released in 2011 overseas.
Back in the limo after a quick hot dog and photo op, our group gets to chat with the stars. By this point, our transport is full of empty cans and half-eaten bags of potato chips. It’s equipped with strobe lights and a sound system which, mercifully, never get turned on. Unphased, the actors answer our questions. What an American release of the film will mean for them is anyone’s guess, but the stars are coming at it realistically. Harrison, who plays the dimwitted free spirit Neil in Inbetweeners, mentioned he’s pleased and thrilled to get to come over to promote the film, but expecting an overnight sensation they aren’t; not with such a limited (though steadily growing) release schedule. He’s mainly just hoping the film finds an audience over here, which is quite likely. While they were met with only a few fans at the heavily-tweeted destinations, I imagine the next time they come over, they’ll be met with a lot more. UK fandom is different, according to Buckley who plays the vulgar, sex-obsessed Jay. He spins stories of people walking up to them and swearing at them, but positively.
After bypassing a proposed Chinese Theatre excursion altogether, we make our way to the Saddle Ranch, a place with an actual mechanical bull. One reporter with an English accent marveled that this place left pigeons walk around freely. It’s reminiscent of the barn in which mothers ask if their children were born. Here we met up with the rest of the press group and another round of interviewing took place. The question arose of what was thought of the MTV remake of The Inbetweeners series. Thomas (whose character is the earnest and habitually lovelorn Simon) suggests that the American actors not try to copy what they did in the original, because at the time they didn’t know what they were doing. That can’t be said for them now.
I was struck by the professionalism of the actors who, despite being in a weird situation with a bevy of American press people all vying for a quote or two, recognize it as being part of the job description. I absolutely could not imagine having to do a press junket, being asked the same questions repeatedly for hours on end. I, of course, represented those asking the repetitive questions and the irony was not lost on me, though I for my part spent most of the outing being talked at by a particularly socially-awkward blogger, so I don’t feel too bad.
The ambiance and rigmarole was for our benefit and for the benefit of promoting the film and, as the sheer number of media outlets represented on the tour shows, it looks to have worked. As for the actors, who had to endure questions about their love lives and how their characters would react to various hypothetical situations, they took everything in stride and played along. Whether the film is a hit in the States is somewhat immaterial; the fact that there’s an American version of the show means that people will inevitably find the original and deem it better (which it very much is) and the boys will find a brand new group of fans that way. The amount of press here today scrambling to speak to Simon, Joe, James, and Blake is testament to they’re already newsworthy. Given how calmly they speak to us, I have no doubt they’re ready for whatever comes their way. It’s a part of their job; the weird, unnatural part, but from where I sat, they came off looking very well indeed.