STACK NZ Dec #58

DVD&BD FEATURE

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BETWEEN APINT AND AHOTPLACE In 2008 whenWill McKenzie (Simon Bird) first walked up to the gate of his new high school and was met with greetings of “briefcase wanker”, we instantly developed a special affection for him and his adorably pathetic mates. The stars of The Inbetweeners 2 spoke to Zoë Radas. W ill, Simon (Joe Thomas), Neil (Blake Harrison), and Jay (James Buckley) are the heroes of The Inbetweeners 2

most animalistic experience of the group within the film: The opening sequence features an almost single-take, fantasy montage of Jay’s boastful email to the rest of the boys – he is already in Australia, and convinces the others to join him for the Easter holidays – in which he beds numerous women, punches a vicious koala, wrestles a crocodile on the beach, and DJs to a heaving crowd of enamoured partygoers. “We did it in about four takes, I think,” says Buckley of the intensive scene. “It was the hardest I’ve had to work, which is a shame, because I would have got a proper job if I wanted to work for a living. And I had to learn my lines, which I hate doing. It was quite stressful. Hopefully people can dig it and think it’s funny.” “Dig it, baby, dig it,” Harrison mocks. “What’s wrong with that? That’s a phrase they use all the time,” counters Buckley. “In the ‘70s, yeah,” Harrison chortles. “These cats aren’t on the same level as me,” Buckley leans forward to inform me. One of the other standout scenes comes towards the end of the film, in which the guys find themselves stranded right in the heart of the Outback. “It was quite exhilarating,” says Bird. Thomas agrees: “The heat makes you think, like – in between takes, or if they were setting up for another shot – I could just shut my eyes now and if I was here on my own I’d probably never open them again,” he explains intently. “It was near a town called Marree, which is in South Australia. It has a population of 57.” The isolation also had a strangely calming effect as well, Thomas believes. “I think because of that amazing community, we loved being there; we loved staying in the pub and we kind of liked the fact that our phones didn’t work and there was no Internet, so we had to talk to each other and socialise. It was a really warm, hospitable place, and I think we would never have gone there if it wasn’t for the film. We were so glad we got to go.” My final question regards an early scene in the film in which Neil bends over a pool table to take a shot, and inadvertently exposes his plums. Did the props man come out with an array of different choices, all laying in a velvet case? “I wish it was like that!” Harrison laughs heartily. “Unfortunately the writers seem to have an incredibly specific idea of what each character’s genitals look like. A bit odd, but they do. So I wasn’t privy to any of that. It was just a case of, ‘Here are your testicles, wear them with pride,’ and that’s it. I would have picked a more impressive piece if I got a choice.”

[Australia’s] really up there, because there’s no language barrier,” says Bird. “There are obviously a lot of kids that go off to South East Asia, South America... but I think Australia is the right place for the Inbetweeners to go, who are just normal boys.” The guys have been enjoying their time here thoroughly, and are eager to share their favourite bits. “I met a fruit bat!” exclaims Buckley. “He was a lovely chap.” Buckley probably has the The writers seem to have an incredibly specific idea of what each character’s genitals look like. A bit odd, but they do.

(which follows The Inbetweeners Movie from 2011, and the award-winning television series of 2008-2010), and their new film has some cultural relevance to us in Ozland: the four hapless lads decide to take a trip Down Under and spend time primarily in Byron Bay, which serves as a wonderful send-up of all the white dreads, leather necklaces, fireside guitar jams and competitive exploring that you’ll see amongst the young travelling population who congregate there. As the boys sit together in the interview room in Melbourne, pondering on whether a gap year in Australia is as much a rite of passage to British kids as a year in London is to Aussie kids, their naturally matey rapport with one another shines through. “For the average [British] kid I think

• The Inbetweeners 2 is out Dec 17.

DECEMBER 2014 JB Hi-Fi www.jbhifi.co.nz

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