Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly transform into Laurel and Hardy for new movie
In what appears to be a rather brilliant transformation, John C. Reilly and Steve Coogan have been snapped on the set of their new movie, ‘Stan and Ollie’.
Playing the screen comedy legends Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, the famous pair are shooting the movie in Birmingham and nearby Dudley.
In fact, Coogan missed picking up a BAFTA for ‘Alan Patridge’s Scissored Isle’ at the weekend due to his shooting commitments.
Coogan has thinned out some for his transformation, and unless Reilly’s been piling on the pounds, it looks like he’s sporting some rather hefty prosthetic jowls.
Penned by the prolific Jeff Pope, who wrote ‘Philomena’, which also starred Coogan, as well as recent ITV mini-series ‘Little Boy Blue’, about the murder of 11-year-old Rhys Jones, it focuses on a fascinating period in the life of the comedy double act.
As their stardom dwindled, the pair came to England – returned to England in the case of Laurel, who was born in Ulverston, Lancashire – to embark on a gruelling tour of music halls in 1953 in the hope of reviving their careers.
Initially sparsely attended, the tour takes its toll on both the pair’s friendship and Hardy’s failing health, and rather than reigniting their stardom, becomes their swansong.
“When I watch their movies, in my head it is forever a Saturday morning and I am six years old watching the TV at home utterly spellbound,” said Pope.
“I am aware of the huge responsibility of bringing their characters to life, but I have not treated the boys with kid gloves or looked at them through rose coloured specs. They are living and breathing characters, with flaws and shortcomings.
“The research into this story threw up so many details and facts that I had no idea about. But everything I have done has come from a place of love and more than anything else I hope this shines through.”
It’ll be due out next year.
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