Simon Pegg is ripped. I know, I’m as surprised as you are. The British comedian, best known for his humble charm and sharp comedic timing, has lost four percent of his body fat and 19 pounds for a meaty role in the upcoming thriller Inheritance.
Now, with abs that stick out like clouds in an empty sky, audiences will get to see a new turn in the actor’s career. With a transformation similar to the likes of Christian Bale, Jake Gyllenhaal and Robert De Niro, it’s justified to wonder if the 49-year-old performer’s after something more serious. An Oscar maybe?
Then again, his trademark roles have been anything but serious. We loved his could-care-less attitude in Edgar Wright’s Cornetto Trilogy, and his comic relief in the recent Mission Impossible and Star Trek movies. All of which have garnered Pegg a loyal fanbase. Still, comedians taking on dramatic roles late in their careers seems to be the norm these days.
Take Steve Carell for example. Who’s gone from playing with sex dolls in The Office as Michael Scott to playing with dolls as Freudian therapy in Welcome to Marwen. And it’s paid off, too. Carell was nominated for an Oscar in 2015 for his role in Foxcather. Whether Pegg will find similar success, only time will tell, but if nothing else, at least he looks great.
Vaughn Stein, the director of the failed neo-noir B-movie Terminal last year, directs Pegg again in Inheritance and he’ll co-star with Connie Nelson, Lily Collins and Chace Crawford. The thriller will follow what happens when the patriarch of an affluent family dies, leaving behind a mysterious inheritance. It doesn’t exactly sound like Oscar bait, but we still wish the movie the best of luck upon its release presumably sometime next year.
