Steve Coogan greeted penguins every day of filming for The Penguin Lessons
The film follows the true story of an Englishman who rescues a penguin from an oil-slicked beach in a divided Argentina.
Steve Coogan used to “greet” and “chat” to penguins every day of filming for The Penguin Lessons, describing them as “relaxing” on set.
Speaking at the movie’s premiere at the Curzon in Mayfair, the 59-year-old actor and comedian said the penguins transformed the energy of the set by making it a serene environment.
Set in 1976, the film follows the true story of Englishman Tom Michell, played by Coogan, whose life changes after he rescues a penguin from an oil-slicked beach in a divided Argentina.
Coogan told the PA news agency: “I actually found it quite relaxing. I thought it would be chaotic, but in actual fact, when you have a penguin on set you have to look after the penguin’s welfare.
“So I would greet the penguins every day with my coffee and have a chat with them and stroke them and talk to them and get them used to my voice. So in actual fact, it sort of took my mind off the acting.
“The penguin becomes this catalyst for people changing their behaviour. It actually happened on set because everyone calmed down a bit. And problems weren’t loud problems, they’re problems you could solve quietly. The opposite of what I expected, which was chaos, was that it was quite serene.
“And penguins are quite Zen. We project a lot on to them. When you’re talking about mental health and anxiety, well, penguins aren’t worried about what happened yesterday or not anxious about what’s going to happen tomorrow. They’re just living in the moment being a penguin. So something we can draw from that.”
Directed by The Full Monty’s Peter Cattaneo, the film also stars The Two Popes’ actor Sir Jonathan Pryce, who plays headmaster Buckle.
Coogan is best known for portraying Alan Partridge, a parody of British broadcasters, and starred in the 2013 feature film Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa.
He said he hoped audiences would leave The Penguin Lessons with a sense of “optimism” to help make the world a little better.
He added: “We live in these rather bleak times at the moment when people are anxious about populism sweeping the world, and I hope that people find some sort of positivity in it (the film), because it’s worth engaging in the conversation, even if you think that the idiots are in charge.
“I hope they (audiences) find something hopeful, not naive, not sort of saccharin-coated anything, just a genuine sort of optimism in terms of, the world isn’t perfect, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth trying to make it better, even in a small way.”
The film is an adaptation of the memoir of the same name by Cornish author Michell, about his trip to South America in the 1970s where he saved a penguin’s life and brought it back to Argentina through customs.
Speaking at the premiere, Michell said he could not believe something he did on “impulse” years ago has become so impactful.
He said: “It’s been a most extraordinary story. Fifty years ago, I picked up a penguin, and the ripples of that are still flushing around, and they’re here today.
“The whole thing is quite unreal.
“I’m delighted with the adaptation. I think in some ways they (the book and the film) are different, but I think in some ways the film might even be better.”
The Penguin Lessons will be released in cinemas across the UK and Ireland on April 18.
