A contemporary bigscreen version of the much-loved ’60s TV series Get Smart has long been on the cards and now, complete with what look like surefire credits (including original creators Mel Brooks and Buck Henry listed as ‘Consultants’ and reportedly enthusiastic about the finished product), is here in all its still-satirical glory. Australian media bods swarmed to the Gold Coast and Warner Brothers’ Movie World for the film’s Australian premiere and the accompanying publicity and humourous interviews with director Peter Segal and stars Steve Carell (as CONTROL agent and hapless hero Maxwell Smart, formerly played by the since-late Don Adams) and Anne Hathaway (as the new and improved - she even says so onscreen - Agent 99, formerly played by Barbara Feldon, also a fan of the new film).
However, while there were initially opportunities to enjoy brief audiences with Segal and Hathaway (who certainly dressed for the occasion, shall we say), the eventual slot I was granted turned out to be a ‘round table’ chat (as in alongside four other journalists, one a fellow Adelaidean and the others a trio of Queensland critics) with Carell in his final interview of a long, long day. (And it was, I must add, conducted on the Emerald Lady yacht as we cruised around Southport Broadwater during a gorgeous twilight, resulting in a most memorable backdrop for an amusing chat with a major star.)
“Do it!”, says Steve, and then exclaims, “Can you believe that we’re sitting here drinking wine and doing an interview on a yacht?”
No, I can’t. And then the questions commence in earnest: firstly, Steve’s asked about how his Maxwell Smart seems, “so much more competent than the original”.
“I spoke about that with Leonard Stern, who worked on the original series, and we decided that he wasn’t going to be an idiot… And Leonard made a serious point out of this, and I think that’s what set him [Smart] aside from [Inspector] Clouseau.”
Steve, can you tell us whether you know how Mel and Buck reacted when they were told that you were to be the new and modern-day Maxwell Smart? Did they cheer or jeer?
“I have no idea [general laughter]… I wasn’t there when they were told. You know, Mel Brooks could not have been more gracious. I met him while we were making the movie and then, like, a week or so later, I met Buck Henry. They’re both incredibly important people in my upbringing, both of them, and I felt that to have them sign off on the movie was like having two wonderful godfathers giving their stamp of approval. A very, very big deal. But I don’t know how they felt when they first heard that I had been cast… I hope that they thought it was a good idea.”
I’m sure they did.
Then there are other questions from the accompanying quartet: how did Don Adams’ family feel when they visited the set?
“His daughters came to the set… And they, too, could not have been more gracious.”
What does Steve feel about the Gold Coast and would he buy property here?
“I don’t know much about the place, really, as I’ve only been here seven hours [actually over 24, but anyway]… It’s so beautiful… When we flew in I knew that this was a place where I would like to live. The people are so kind.”
Given the amount of action in the film can we expect Carell’s rebirth in Hollywood as a hero of the genre?
“If the film does well I’d like to do another one, and I’d also probably get into better shape!... And [director] Pete Segal at the beginning said, ‘Would you mind doing some of your own stunts?’, but he actually meant all of the stunts - except maybe the ones that might have killed me!”
As we’ve already heard, this weekend, that Steve has been voted The Funniest Guy In The World (or some such, according to Life magazine in America, apparently, but not Steve himself), I inquire how he feels about this and whether he’ll, in the long run, be able to deal with such an awesome responsibility.
“You know, this is all news to me [he looked genuinely surprised on the red carpet the night before when asked how he felt concerning the honour too].”
But everyone’s talking about it, Steve.
“I… er… you know, it’s probably Warner Brothers publicity, like slipping some erroneous ‘Funniest Guy’ phone tabulation or something. I don’t know about that… I mean, it’s not true, for one thing… Um… I don’t even remember what your question was…”
The ‘Funniest Guy’ rumour thing? How do you deal with it? How will you now cope with having to be funny all the time and on call?
“You know, I… But I’m clearly just not that guy, as is clearly evidenced by this interview [general laughter again]… I’m not a person who walks around and tries to be funny and silly.”
Would you therefore call yourself more of a ‘Straight Man’?
“You know, I don’t perform. When I’m not performing I don’t perform. I don’t feel compelled to be ‘on’ all of the time. It’s hard to know, again, what is funny and what isn’t as it’s such a subjective thing. And to claim that one person is the funniest is just not true. It’s entirely subjective.”
Fair enough. And, as a wise man once said, “Sorry about that, Chief.”
Get Smart is now showing.