Brand has passport to a laugh

Comic promises no hitches this time

THERE’S no way Russell Brand is being denied entry to South Africa this time. The UK actor and comic has made sure he has plenty of blank pages in his passport to make sure his first trip to South Africa in October goes without a hitch.

Brand was denied permission to board a flight to Joburg from London in November 2013 because he did not have two free pages in his passport – the minimum needed to enter South Africa.

In an exclusive interview with the Saturday Star, the flamboyant comedian chats about his excitement ahead of his visit to South Africa and explains what his fans can expect from his stand-up show, Trew World Order.

The 40-year-old will be in South Africa for four shows: three taking in Joburg and a fourth in Cape Town.

How much are you looking forward to visiting South Africa?

Very much actually. I can’t wait to get to South Africa. I’m very interested in it. I can’t wait to see how white and black communities integrate and how wealth is being shared. I’m fascinated. I just hope I have enough pages in my passport. Apparently you have to have 500 blank pages in your passport to get into South Africa because the last time I was bounced out of your country for

it.

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be in South Africa for your tour. What can fans here expect from your shows?

What they’re going to get is comedy and new ways that we can look at a world and think of our personal stories and our cultural stories that are positive and beneficial. Also, we going to have a a laugh, and I don’t plan on being too sincere and earnest. I’ll probably go on about sex a lot and be quite provocative.

Aside from performing live, what else do you plan to get up to in South Africa?

I just want to go and see where everyone’s living. I want to interfere with people’s normal business. I want to go to normal folk’s houses. If you are a person that is coming to my show in South Africa, please can I come around to your house? Can I touch your stuff, can I go in your parents’ drawers, where they keep stuff that you are not allowed to touch. It might be some pot, some porn, contraband stuff. I want to touch that drawer.

What have you heard about South Africa and its people and the culture here?

Britain has an interesting relationship with South Africa. Didn’t we colonise it once? Didn’t we have wars with the Dutch once? Didn’t we have apartheid because South Africa carried on being how we left it? I can’t wait to see what’s in store.

You’ve been described as the most talented stand-up comic to emerge in the UK. To what do you attribute your success in the stand-up comedy world?

Yes, that’s a really fair description of me. My success is down to my being honest and truthful. I’m willing to expose my flaws and frailties for comedic purposes.

You’ve enjoyed a successful career on TV and have starred in several big hit comedy movies like

and If you had to single out a favourite movie that you have starred in which would it be and why?

I suppose Sarah Marshall now I think about it. I became friends with Jason Segel. I really love him. Though I found it very difficult to spend all that time in Hawaii shooting the movie.

worked closely with Jonah Hill and Jason Segel in the past. What was it like working with them?

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They are both very talented people. Jason is a very good friend. I’ve stayed friends with him, though I haven’t spoken to Jonah in ages. They’re both brilliant spontaneous actors. Acting is just like playing, especially when you do films with them. So they are both funny people and talented people. And they are both lunatics.

We have all seen the funny, crazy and witty side of Russell Brand on screen. What are you like off the stage?

Complex, demanding and extremely sexually attractive.

What can we look forward to from Russell Brand in the future?

I’ve done a movie with Larry Charles and Nicholas Cage that you can look forward to.

I’m probably going to write a children’s book

too.