It's a fine line to make racism funny. People can see 'That dude's got problems'
Intelligence, written by and starring Nick Mohammed, sees David Schwimmer play a bigoted American agent working at GCHQ. GEORGIA HUMPHREYS asks them about finding humour in difficult subjects and why the role is a cathartic one for David
There are a couple of jokes in there that are right on the edge, like, ‘Can we make this joke?” David Schwimmer
FEW TV shows have been as successful as Friends. The US sitcom made its stars household names the world over. So, getting recognised by the British public is something that David Schwimmer – who played Ross Geller in the series – has come to expect.
“I have learned how to be invisible at times, and then there are times that are more challenging,” admits the 59-year-old actor and director, who was born in New York.
“But everyone’s super nice; luckily the show was a real success here, for the most part, it’s just a lot of love.”
He never actually says the word ‘Friends’, but it’s pretty obvious that’s the show he’s referring to.
We’re chatting on the set of his latest project, Sky One comedy, Intelligence.
The backdrop is the Government Communications Headquarters – an intelligence and security organisation commonly known as GCHQ.
And David – also known for his role in drama, The People v OJ Simpson: American Crime Story – plays brash maverick American NSA agent Jerry Bernstein, who moves from the US to join the team.
Starring alongside him, as inept and awkward computer analyst Joseph Harries, is Nick Mohammed, 39, who also created and wrote the show.
“The premise is that it’s quite a British institution, and the shake-up that happens when
David’s character comes from the NSA – the culture clash,” explains the Leeds-born comedian, who voiced Piglet in the film Christopher Robin.
This is not a parody show, he points out. GCHQ is a real institution, that deals with serious issues. He explains he wanted to handle the subject matter “properly and tastefully”.
“We felt it would be strange if we weren’t referencing occasionally real-life atrocities – but never to poke fun. I think we just wanted to make it feel as real as possible, and that we might have to deal with the after-effects of very horrible things.”
He elaborates: “Because their chief thing is fighting cyber crime and combating computer viruses and database breaches, I guess there’s a slight detachment from an event like the Manchester bombing. It’s not to say that there are places that we wouldn’t go... you know, we reference 9/11.”
“Yeah, there are a couple of jokes in there that are right on the edge, like, ‘Can we make this joke?”’ David chimes in.
“Our feeling is, ‘Let’s shoot it and we’ll decide in the edit’.”
Jerry is patriotic, and hugely critical of any country outside the US. David notes he’s finding him “a cathartic character to play at the moment”.
“All the things I might be upset about that are happening in my country and in some quarters, I can play – and try to embody the type of person that is racist and sexist and misogynist and homophobic, but play it in a way that I think we’ve found is quite funny and naive. He’s ignorant and insecure.”
“It’s a fine line to make racism funny, or misogyny funny,” he adds. “I think we’re doing it, because it’s coming from a certain character, who people can see like, ‘Wow, that dude’s got problems’.”
You can expect some broad physical comedy in the series (something David says really appealed to him in the script).
One example of this is a scene in episode two where all employees have to redo their aptitude test.
“It involves physical exercises and mental thinking,” explains Nick. “We effectively did it for real, and we were all improvising, and everyone was laughing.”
“We always make sure we have what’s on script first, because occasionally improvisation, by its nature, can wander a little bit. But you can just occasionally get some very fresh moments.”
The pair, who became friends after working together on an American pilot that never got made, would often discuss
ideas for the characters on set. Asked if there were disagreements when it came to certain scenes, David says: “I would never use the word disagreement. It’s just a healthy creative challenge of each other.” Nick adds: “It’s been effortlessly collaborative, this show. Obviously I don’t have nearly as much experience as Schwimmer, but I hope this is the case for lots of shows...” “It’s not...” David drolly interjects.
This isn’t the first time the American star has worked on British soil either. He spent five months here directing the 2007 film Run Fat Boy Run, plus he did a stint in the West End back in 2005. “The only difference now is that I have an eight-year-old daughter who’s here.
“Nick’s got two boys, so we had a Sunday at Kew Gardens with the kids. That was fun.”
“I like London a lot,” he adds, smiling. “Everything just feels really comfortable; the crews are great, the vibe on set is really friendly. “There’s no ego on set – it really is ‘the best idea wins’, and that’s really the dream way to work.”
Intelligence starts on Sky One on Friday at 9.30pm.