Xavier Samuel

The prolific star of local and overseas movies returns for the balls-out comedy sequel A Few Less Men.

“We had so much fun, it was a nobrainer coming back”

EARLY ON IN A Few Less Men, three British geezers (Xavier Samuel, Kris Marshall and Kevin Bishop), noticing that their dead friend lying on a slab has an enormous erection, try to deflate the embarrassing protuberance by hitting it with a hardback book. When Australian actor Samuel recalls filming this scene to Time Out, he starts cracking up and reveals that the tome used to assault the engorged member was in fact a copy of the first novel by the film’s director, Mark Lamprell. “So not only were we whacking a corpse’s erection with a book,” Samuel says, “it happened to be the director’s work.” You could say there’s a kind of symbolism in that.

“I’m laughing now just talking about it, because the art department had built this rig – I think they made various trips to adult stores – and we were wondering whether it would withstand the beating that Kris was giving it... I think the scene’s a great piece of writing, because it reveals the lengths these guys will go to for their friend.”

This raunchy, scatalogical romp has the three friends trying to get the fourth’s body back to England in time for the funeral. When their plane crash lands, they find themselves hauling the coffin through the outback and having unlikely encounters with a cast of Australian grotesques (played by Shane Jacobsen, Lynette Curran, Darren Gilshenan, Deborah Mailman and many more). It’s the sequel to 2011’s A Few Best Men, a modestly successful wedding comedy directed by Stephan ‘Priscilla’ Elliott and written by Briton Dean Craig ( Death at a

Funeral). “We just had so much fun on the first film, and Kris Marshall and Kevin Bishop are two of the funniest guys I’ve ever met, it was a no-brainer coming back together,” says Samuel, the film’s straight man. “My character is there to bear witness to the lunacy for the most part. The biggest challenge is trying to keep a straight face and not fuck up too many takes, because those guys are seriously funny.” àa Few Less Men opens Thu Mar 9.