Tom Green speaks ahead of Birmingham show - and chats Donald Trump, new Iron Sky movie and more

Tom has two things in common with Trump: his controversial manner greatly divides the public - and they both appeared on US TV show The Celebrity Apprentice.

“I know the president of the USA, personally,” laughed Tom.

“He fired me because I went out drinking with NBA player Dennis Rodman on the night when I was the project manager.

“I have several funny stories I like to tell in my show about my experiences with Trump.”

Aside from having been fired by the President, Tom has many other claims to fame - the most famous being his cult 2001 film Freddy Got Fingered.

The movie won five Golden Raspberry Awards, including Worst Actor, Worst Picture and Worst Screenplay - and was nominated for eight. Much to fans’ delight - rather than shunning the ceremony, Tom turned up to the awards in person to collect the ‘accolades’; even bringing with him a red carpet, which he rolled out for himself ahead as he walked into the event.

See the video here:

Despite having starred in numerous films, such as Charlie’s Angels, Road Trip and Euro Trip - and being briefly married to Hollywood actress Drew Barrymore - Tom remains remarkably humble and endearing.

He is currently returning to his stand-up roots with a European Comedy Road Trip - which is coming to Birmingham’s O2 Institute on June 14. Tom’s Midland show will be the first time the comedian has ever visited the Midlands.

He has, however, been to London before - to dine with Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles at St James’ Palace.

“It was pretty bizarre,” said Tom, now aged 45.

“I was sat beside Camilla Parker Bowles the whole dinner and Prince Charles was sat opposite. He was very nice. We just talked about comedy and had a nice long meal.

“It was brilliant.”

Though Tom has starred in films - and even had a short stint as a rapper in group Organized Rhyme (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZV7aOnX7XeE) - he insists stand-up comedy remains his true love.

“The main reason I do comedy is because I love it. I get a great adrenaline rush from performing and I love the challenge of it as well,” he added.

“When I was a teenager, I was always a very outrageous kid. I was always getting into trouble at school for being the class clown.

“Subconsciously, I guess I always knew I wanted to do stand-up so I discovered a comedy club in my town and when I heard they had an amateur night, I gave it a go and that was it.

“I did it for a year after that. I then got into a rap group and I stopped the stand-up while we went on tour.

“Sometimes I incorporate music into my shows, in short bits. This is a full stand-up show and sometimes my comedy is delivered a little like rap, because I speak so quickly and with a rhythmic speed.”

Tom is also keen to point out that comedy fans intending to see his upcoming show need not know anything of his previous works - as this will be made up of entirely new material.

“You don’t need to have seen my shows before. And I’m not going to just stand there talking about my films. If you’ve never seen anything I’ve done before, this would be a great show for you. It’s not a revival meeting of Tom Green Show fans,” he added.

“In the show, I’ll be talking about things that affect all of us. I’ll also be making jokes about myself and life in general.”

As a comedian from across the Atlantic, we were keen to find out why it is so many American comics ban phones from their shows. Last time Kevin Hart came to Birmingham, for example, 45 fans were kicked out of the Barclaycard Arena before the show had even began - all for using their mobiles.

“When it comes to banning phones, if you’re not used to going to comedy shows it may seem a bit harsh. But there’s a difference between seeing a band and a comedian,” explained Tom.

“Bands play songs - they may do them differently, but it’s essentially the same material.

“With comedians, they want to have the freedom to improvise. When you point a camera at a stand-up comedian, it’s basically putting restrictions on the performance. It changes the show.

“If you see a camera pointed at you, and you know the way the world works today… You can take a clip of something outrageous and if taken out of context, it can appear far more rude.

“Filming comedians makes the show far less fun. You just end up doing safe performances.

“Improvisation at shows is already risky - it’s moving too fast to be careful.”

As well as touring and constantly coming up with new material, Tom is also expanding his horizons in the film industry - taking on an entirely different role as a ‘serious’ actor in a horror film due to be released next year, as well as starring in Iron Sky: The Coming Race - also due for release in 2018.

“I’m in a new horror movie which is coming out next year called Bethany, in which I play a psychiatrist. It’s a very different role for me, which is kind of cool,” added Tom.

“Iron Sky is coming out next year too - the sequel to the original film. In that, I play a Steve Jobs-worshipping cult leader. It’s a pretty quirky movie.”

Tom’s new work may or may not be due to a new-found mortality, following the star’s battle with cancer. But either way, Tom relayed a message of hope to his fans.

“Life is precious and fragile,” said Tom.

“You should get up every day and do what you want to, because you won’t live forever.”

Tickets to see Tom Green’s show at the Birmingham O2 Institute are now on sale, priced at £23.

To book, visit academymusicgroup.com/o2institutebirmingham.