Simon Pegg tries to find the secret to happiness in his latest film.

It was not helped by us holding a packet of Love Hearts at the time.

Its probably best you dont ask.

Anyway, we kept our professional composure, and this is what happened…

Given what a globetrotting movie this one is, how are your passport stamps looking?

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Its ridiculously stamped now!

Did you film any of it in Liam Neesons fake plane fromNon-Stop?

That would have made it easier.

It was a plane year!

I like the rickety plane sequence in particular.

And it brings me onto non-ironically my favourite moment from theSpice Girlsmovie.

It made me think that Peter Chelsom, your director here, should have made that movie.

But also nods.]

The lateralism of his approach is all overHector.

How did you and he come together then?

Well, its interesting you mentionSpice World,because he did theHannah Montanamovie.

And I think Disney allowed him to be a bit Chelsom-y.

I love the feel of those movies.

Whimsy isnt a great word, but that kind of thing.

I read it, I realised hed also co-written it.

Hed made this little short film, that was like a mission statement for Hector.

I thought I love this amount of commitment and preparation.

I think he was overjoyed to be returning to where he felt most comfortable.

It was Peter, and the script.

But its a tough film to find.

Where do you pitch the character of Hector, then?

Theres a real steel to Hector that comes through.

This isnt an easy role at all.

You go through lots of very distinct chapters.

But how do you come to something like that?

Well, funnily enough Being There was always one of our key films, a reference point for us.

That thing of is this real science or is this giving people what they want.

That was really the amount of prep I did.

I really took it a day at a time.

The shoot was all over the place.

Im of the Laurence Olivier just act, dear boy school.

But I like that.

The challenge of it.

There seems an ongoing commitment to double-check British movies happen.

Youve gotAbsolutely Anythingfor a start coming up after this one.

Its slightly more selfish and less altruistic than it sounds!

Obviously the British film industry is important to me, and its where Im from.

I dont want to desert it.

But as an actor, you have to go where the work is.

I like to be near my family, I dont like to be away for too long.

Not only didMan UpandAbsolutely Anythingshoot here, Mission: Impossible 5will as well.

Also, we have Avengers shooting here,Star Warsis shooting here.

The British Isles is an attractive place for filmmakers.

Im kind of lucky.

Sometimes theyll come to me!

But theres always time.

You have to keep a good eye on your calendar.

The next five months are going to be out, but I have this time here.

You only need six or eight weeks to shoot a small budget film.

You realise once youre in the film industry what a minefield and puzzle casting is sometimes.

So does that actor, and that one.

And yet we always get in interviews about how everyone was the first and only choice!

[Laughs] Its not always true!

So presumably youre on borrowed time there?

I know, yeah.

Speaking to a friend whos directed a British film or two.

To make an issue of those facts.

It depends where that definition is taking place.

By the very nature of our industry, we can only really make smaller films.

Sometimes I find that the film media and press are very enamoured with American cinema.

And theyre arguably a little too cosy with the big corporations.

You would be hard pushed to find a small British film on the cover of any movie magazine.

Its usuallyCaptainAmerica or whatever.

But thats a survival mode.

The fact is that Empire need to sell their magazine to get to stay alive.

Its kind of like actors do!

I do those films because I love doing those films.

Theyre fun films to do.

Its great to work with those kinds of people, and those kinds of resources.

But I also like to do small films as well.

But its not like Im funding my small film career with the big films!

For me its just an important thing.

Im so proud of our film industry.

Ive worked here all year.

Our crews are so good.

Theres such solid professionalism here, in every facet of production.

On the ground crew, post-production facilities.

Theyre all here, you know?

Its not an accident that were hosting so many huge movies.

That can only be a good thing for British film.

You go back 16, 17 years and we were salutingHowards End.And that was it.

I quite likedHowards End,but it was barely choice.

While were got you, can you quickly tell us aboutThe Boxtrolls?

Were huge Laika fans.

I havent seen it.

Ive seen bits of it.

I love the Laika people, I really think theyre great.

Their animation technique is joyous.

It feels old school but its still modern.

I loveParaNorman, I loveCoraline, and I think its going to be really, really good.

And are you writing again?

Simon Pegg, thank you very much.

Hector And The Search For Happinessis out in UK cinemas on the 15th August.