Three comics land serious film roles

Stand-up Dylan Fielding landed a role in a serious movie - only to find two other comics had been cast as well.

Character comic Mackenzie Crook and The Boosh's Julian Barratt also won parts in the £1million British film Principles of Lust, to be released late next year.

But it was only when the movie had been cast that director Penny Walcock realised she had employed so many comedians.

Fielding, who made his acting debut on Walcock's Tina Goes Shopping in 1999, said the script was about relationships "with a lot of drug-taking, sex and stripping" and described it as "Cold Feet with sleaze and violence".

In fact, he believes that the comedians added an extra streak of black comedy as Walcock allows actors to improvise around situations, which are shot documentary-style with a hand-held camera.

"The more experience actors found it a novel way of working, but I don't know any different," said Fielding

"My character was described as a chubby charmer. I was a horrible bastard in the film Tina Goes Shopping, but here I'm the voice of reason, so I'm playing against type. At least it proves I can act."

Fielding said he felt the need to expand his repertoire after two years as a stand-up. "You have to do acting or something else to help you develop," he said "I love stand-up, and it still means something quite special for me. But I can be lazy, but I wanted to test myself."

He got into comedy after working backstage at The Fast Show performances at the Hammersmith Apollo in 1998. He said: "I could be funny, but I didn't know how to write comedy logistically, but I learnt the art of creating a character from watching Simon Day every night.

"The Fast Show proved comedy doesn't have to be that complicated. I found my stand-up voice - a caricature of myself as I was in my late teens - then write as if I was writing for a character."

Principles of Lust, which stars Band Of Brothers actor Mark Warren, will be released by Film Four in December 2002.

Published: 6 Dec 2001