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Phoo Action
01/02/2008 . Source: Jessica Martin 
Car chases, superhero kung-fu and crime-fighting comedy collide in the warped world of Phoo Action – a new 60-minute drama special for BBC Three. Based on characters created by Jamie Hewlett (aka creator of the Gorillaz and Tank Girl) for comic strip Get The Freebies, Phoo Action is set in 2012, when London is in the grip of mutant criminals, The Freebies. Only Terry Phoo, a hapless Buddhist kung-fu cop, and unruly teenage heroine Whitey Action, the daughter of Police Chief Benjamin Benson, can save the UK. Phoo Action is directed by Euros Lyn whose credits include the episode of Doctor Who: The Girl In The Fireplace. Creator Jamie Hewlett and the cast talk to SFcrowsnest.com about what it takes to beat Britain's evil mutant villains. Buy Phoo Action in the USA - or Buy Phoo Action in the UK  Together they form an unlikely crime-fighting team who bring together chaos and comedy, mischief and mayhem, to become heroes for a future generation in the face of Britain’s super-vile, super-famous mutated criminals.
Jaime Winstone (Kidulthood) stars as teenage anarchist Whitey Action, Eddie Shin (ER) as martial arts sweetheart Terry Phoo and Rocky legend Carl Weathers as Benjamin Benson, Chief of Police and long-suffering father to the rebellious Whitey.
Jaime Winstone loved playing the role of Phoo’s resident teenage anarchist Whitey Action, told SFcrowsnest.com "It’s not every day that you wake up and become a super hero…I was happy to be sucked into the comic strip madness!"
Producer Matthew Read said, "Jamie Hewlett is one of the most visionary talents of his generation and so it was always going to be a major challenge adapting his work for the screen. Throughout production we were incredibly careful to be true to the tone and visual flair of his original comic strip. The project managed to attract a really wide variety of talent, both in front and behind the camera. Their professionalism has resulted in a film that is very off-the-wall, but also mixes genres to create a visually dynamic, definitely silly and surprisingly British piece of television which has a real sense of cohesion to it and is ultimately very charming."
Phoo Action also stars Danny Webb (Still Crazy, Life Begins) as the sinister and power-hungry Lord Rothwell, Talulah Riley (St Trinians, Pride and Prejudice) as Lady Eleanor Rigsby, Whitey’s party-loving posh pal; and Sanjeev Kohli (Still Game) as Alan Arthanayake, a celebrity-obsessed news anchorman.
Phoo Action is one of six new dramas for BBC Three, being shown as part of the channel’s relaunch. The others are: Being Human, Mrs Inbetweeney, The Things I Haven’t Told You, W10 LDN and Dis/Connected.
The dramas combine new talent and established names, covering tales set both in the present day and the future. It is produced by Matthew Read (Miss Marple) and the Executive Producers are Anne Mensah for BBC Scotland and Tom Astor for Deadline Productions.
Jamie Hewlett and Phoo Action writer Mat Wakeham interviewed
Phoo Action originally started off life as a Jamie Hewlett (Gorillaz, Tank Girl) comic strip in the 1990s cult magazine The Face but it makes its TV debut in February as a new drama on BBC Three. Together with long-term collaborator Mat Wakeham (who wrote the TV script for Phoo and worked with Hewlett on Gorillaz) Hewlett has seen his and Wakeham’s long-held ambition for Phoo come to life. They originally came up with the idea to turn something on paper into a live TV drama 10 years ago, but other work commitments have meant the pair have finally been able to see their idea come to fruition in 2008.
"It’s fantastic this has been made into a TV drama," says Wakeham. "It’s been 10 years on and off. It’s been in my head for so long, and then to go on the set and see how great a job the production team had done was amazing. Phoo looks exactly how I imagined it to be. It’s wonderful and a dream come true for me. Though it can be a bit embarrassing seeing your dreams on display, like having your dirty washing hanging out…in a good way!"
Creative director Jamie Hewlett told the Nest, "It’s exciting, it really does look great and it is so good to see the comic strip turned into a TV drama. The costumes, the sets, the creatures are all really faithful to my original stuff. Annie Symons, the costume designer, has done a great job."
Yet, as writer Wakeham readily admits, it’s proved quite a challenge to bring a comic strip to life for the TV screen. "I had to try and keep true to the spirit of the characters," he explains. "It’s been hard. There are differences between the comic strip and the drama. We wanted to make sure there was more emotion in the TV drama. It’s one thing having a satire in a style magazine running once a month, but you want viewers to come back again, and so there have to be human elements that you can connect with."
Wakeham describes Phoo Action as "a brooding comic book adaptation meets the Farrelly brothers in a back alley for a fight".
"It’s a comedy drama and it’s entertaining," he explains. "I used to love comic books and I love American comedy and neither are afraid to tackle big themes. What I hope we have done is to try to tackle big themes with an added British irreverence."
Getting the right actors and actresses to play the parts was crucial, say Wakeham and Hewlett. Jaime Winstone was their number one choice to play the role of Whitey Action.
"Mat and I always wanted to get Jaime Winstone," he continues. "We had seen her in a few things. She had the right attitude. She is Whitey in real life. Stick a red wig on her and you are off. We were determined to get her. Eddie Shin [who plays kung-fu cop Terry Phoo] was great too. There is great chemistry between his character, Terry, and Whitey, and you really pick up on that straight away. There is a ‘will-they-won’t-they get together’ element to it."
Wakeham echoes Hewlett’s sentiments. "Jaime is just Whitey. And Eddie was fantastic as Terry too. He actually spoke like Terry on set. Because he is American and he was speaking with a Chinese accent as Terry, he didn‘t want to mix the two. It was amazing. I loved it. I have walked around with Terry and Whitey in my head for 10 years and so to have them by my side was wonderful."
Wakeham threw himself so much into the making of project that he even ended up being one of the extras, making several appearances as a criminal hench man.
"It was fantastic," he says, laughing. "There is a long tradition of people making cameos in their own comics, shows and films, from Stan Lee to Alfred Hitchcock! I got to fight Terry Phoo and pop up all over the place. It was brilliant, it really blurred the lines of my imagination and the real world even further!"
Hewlett was not, however, quite as keen to see himself on the TV. "Mat is all over it", he says. "They asked me to be in it too, but I didn’t want to be. I would rather not look at myself on TV! I‘d rather stay behind the camera."
One of the most memorable moments on set was, say Hewlett and Wakeham, when Jaime accidentally punched one of the world’s leading martial arts experts.
"One of the supporting artists was a leading martial artist," recalls Wakeham. "He was having to face down Jaime Winstone, and she threw herself into a punch and smacked the guy in the jaw and knocked him down hard. He told me he thought she had broken his jaw! She actually broke her thumb, she hit him so hard! Knocking out a top martial artist - that is how much she got into being Whitey!"
Hewlett also vividly remembers the incident too. "He is a pretty tough guy and she missed her mark and clocked him one," adds Hewlett. "He was a little bit dizzy!"
Both Hewlett and Wakeham stress that a lot of hard work went into the project. They believe it would never been as good as it is, if it hadn’t been for the time and energy that the BBC Scotland production team put into it. The production team worked around the clock to make the drama, which was filmed in just three weeks.
"There was a great buzz on set, there was a spark when I shook people by the hand," says Wakeham. "Nothing was too much of a problem for the people working on the shoot. They worked so hard and if people hadn’t pulled their weight, it wouldn’t have happened. When you watch the drama, you really can see how much work has been put into it."
The pair are incredibly proud of Phoo Action and delighted with the finished piece. Hewlett says: "Phoo Action really works. I laughed all the way through,and it really is good. We have had a lot of fun and it’s been great working with Mat again."
"I am really pleased with it," adds Wakeham. "And I really hope viewers will be inspired when they watch Phoo Action. There was lots of TV that gave me a sense of wonder when I was growing up and I don’t want to get above my station but if we introduced a little bit of that to a new generation, I would be really happy."
Hewlett commented, "Phoo Action is a little bit more crazy than Doctor Who but I know my sons, who are 11 and 7, will love it. I really hope it will inspire people. I hope it will grow and become a much bigger idea. We have already had discussions about future stories and it gets very interesting."
Actress Jaime Winstone interviewed for her role of Whitey Action
The daughter of Chief of Police Ben Benson, Whitey Action is the living personification of a generation of clubbing teenage mentalists - deathly pale, bored to tears, with a badass booty to boot.
"She’s a rebel without a cause," says Jaime Winstone, who plays the feisty character. "Either that or she’s an extremely bored young lady who is constantly finding herself in conflict with modern society."
Surrounded by a world of meaningless celebrity, bored and cynical Whitey spends most of her time partying with best mate Lady Elenor Rigsby (played by Talulah Riley) and rebelling against the rules and regulations of her authoritative, adoptive father Benson (played by Carl Weathers).
"Whitey doesn’t seem to take the same interest in the media celebrity culture that rules the general public in 2012, which kind of fuels her anger," says Jaime. "Not to mention her over-strict and over-sized dad [Benson] who happens to be police chief of London and also lacks a huge amount of confidence in his daughter’s ability to stay out of trouble. Whitey is constantly protesting or fighting for some right, but when faced with Terry Phoo, even Whitey can’t begin to comprehend the responsibility that comes with such power."
In a futuristic world riddled with criminal mutants, Whitey Action and Terry Phoo turn out to be the unlikely saviours of society, much to Jaime’s amusement.
"They are a superhero match made in heaven. While Terry is complete with spiritual powers and highly trained martial arts, Whitey's the kickass chosen one with powers that even Terry can’t understand - not to mention the hot pants! What more could you want? You have a Jackie Chan-obsessed spiritual fighter mixed with a confused and angry teenage anarchist running around in powerful hot pants – that to me is the perfect crime fighting duo!"
The actress adds: "If, in 2012, there are little men running around with basketball heads and huge purple gorillas pulling serious dance moves, then I feel completely confident that this twisted twosome would save the day and make a difference."
And, according to 22-year-old Jaime, in the celebrity obsessed world of 2012, Whitey is the voice of a disconnected youth.
"She’s frustrated with the attention that celebrities and people in the limelight get and they seem to get away with murder just because they are a celebrity. Some would say that’s happening in the world today to some extent. I think the way Phoo Action portrays celebrities is very honest - they are good voices but their status has changed too much – they’ve become too powerful."
And Whitey’s rebellious outlook on life wasn’t the only thing that Jaime admired – her sense of sexy-yet-badass style proved popular too.
"Whitey’s wicked. Every morning I’d get up, put a red wig on, pull some cool hot pants on and became a superhero. I love her style, it’s really quirky, it’s really fun. Knee-high socks, mixed with colourful hot pants – it’s all colours, colours, colours."
Being part of the unique Phoo Action experience was a dream come true for Jaime: "When I was younger I dreamed of being an action hero so landing the role of Whitey Action is all I could ask for from a role. It’s not every day that you wake up and become a superhero…I was happy to be sucked into a comic strip madness!"
The drama also offered the young actress the opportunity to work alongside Jamie Hewlett, the creative mind behind Gorillaz, Tank Girl and Monkey: Journey to the East.
"I’m a huge fan," says Jaime. "He [Hewlett] creates a world with his art and I was just so happy to work with him. He’s an amazing man - like an excitable child. Working on Phoo was really trippy actually. You’re going to work and there’s a man running around with a basketball for a head and another that’s a seven-foot purple gorilla swinging punches at you. Strangely enough, you kind of get used to it! It’s crazy but you kind of have to allow yourself to be silly and you can’t think about it too much. You’ve just got to accept Phoo and take it with a pinch of salt."
The weird and wonderful world of Phoo Action wasn’t the only thing Jaime - who is the daughter of hardman actor Ray Winstone - had to get to grips with. Like her co-star Eddie Shin, her role involved some masterful kung-fu moves. And, as Jaime reveals, her Phoo fighting packed a powerful punch during one memorable scene.
"I misjudged my swing on a stunt with a Jeet Kune Do (JKD) specialist on Phoo and I knocked him out, breaking my thumb in the process! It was one of the big scenes at the end where there’s loads of fighting as we try to save the world and I stepped in too close and floored him. For a seven-and-a-half stone girl that’s pretty impressive. Forget about my dad, I must have my mum’s punch!"
Having made her name in the likes of Kidulthood, Goldplated and Daddy’s Girl, 2008 looks set to be another busy year for this blossoming talent. As well as Phoo Action, Jaime’s future releases include the movie Donkey Punch, which premiered at Sundance last month, and Boogie Woogie, starring alongside Heather Graham and Gemma Atkinson as a promiscuous lesbian.
But, for now, Jaime’s attentions are firmly on Phoo and, for her, the uniqueness makes it utterly unmissable: "There’s nothing on TV like it. It’s a comic strip crazy drama and I think it’s really brave for the BBC to have made it.
"They’ve really pushed the boat out with it which I think should be praised. If you want to watch a bit of mad TV where you shut off from the world and get sucked into this crazy comic strip adaptation then this is the show for you!"
Jaime’s comic idols include Flash Gordon and Wonder Woman. She says: "Comics take you to a different world, a different part of your imagination. I think you have to have a streak in you to like comics in a way - it’s another crazy world. If I had superpowers, I’d like to fly. I’d like to have cute, glittery wings. Or maybe have rocket feet or something. And something with a cape. I mean if you’re going to be a superhero you need to have a cape don’t you? Or hot pants. Either way you’re winning!"
Actor Eddie Shin plays Terry Phoo
A new-wave cop fresh from Hong Kong’s quasi-mystical, mutant-busting task force, Terry Phoo is the kung-fu crime-fighting answer to London's mutant-infested streets. Terry may be a Buddhist martial arts sweetheart but when it comes to crime-fighting he doesn’t always pack a punch.
American actor Eddie Shin relished the role of the hapless kung-fu cop: "He strikes me as part Bruce Lee, part Jackie Chan, part Inspector Clouseau and part Edward Scissorhands. His best intentions often end up in botched results but Terry constantly strives to do good and his intentions are pure. His heart is always in the right place and his capacity to care, I think, makes him endearing."
And as Eddie - who has appeared in international shows such as That 70s Show, ER and NYPD Blue - explains, the fight to rid the nation of criminal mutants sees Terry form a dynamic duo with teenage rebel Whitey Action.
"They may not seem like a likely crime-fighting duo but, it turns out, they complement and need each other in more ways than one might think - a true yin to the other’s yang."
But while Phoo Action proves to be spiritually enlightening for Terry, the drama was, at times, physically testing for Eddie with intensive kung-fu training and stunts to master. "I had no idea what to expect with the kung-fu and fighting," admits Eddie. "I had visions of being asked to do back flips off a roof and me blinking through tears, shaking uncontrollably all the while. Thankfully, in the end, it all worked out fine!"
A crack team of kung-fu experts gave Eddie guidance including iconic Jeet Kune Do (JKD) specialist Tommy Carruthers and fight co-ordinator Dave Forman, famed for creating fight scenes in films such as Batman Begins and The Last Samurai.
"For a guy who could probably destroy me in three seconds, Tommy was incredibly gentle and kind," Eddie recalls. "He helped me work out in general, introduced me to basic JKD concepts and helped me find a rhythm and style to my movement."
For the more complex kung-fu moves, Eddie turned to stunt double Liang Yang but, as Eddie explains, seeing his doppelganger on set sometimes proved to be an odd experience for the young actor.
"It was bizarre having Liang double me. Every once in a while, I’d see Liang on set, done up like me, and I’d do a double take thinking, whoa, that was...me!," he says. "Whenever we hung out on set together, people would constantly go up to one of us, mistaking one for the other. It got ridiculous after a while. Liang can do jaw-dropping things with his body and weapons, yet he’s as humble and Zen as they come."
Leaving behind the sunny climes of his home in Los Angeles to shoot Phoo Action in Glasgow was a welcome journey for Eddie, not least because it gave him the opportunity to sample some Scottish delicacies.
"I did my first haggis which was delicious and had an ambitious sampling of the local single malts, also delicious. I can’t say enough about Scotland. I even adored the grey skies for which all the locals seemed to apologise!" laughs Eddie.
While Eddie’s alter ego Terry Phoo is somewhat lacking in the superhero department, the actor admits he’d have high hopes if he was to live the superhero life himself. "I’ve always thought it’d be funny if I had a superpower that was essentially useless, like having flight but only being able to fly six inches above the ground and really, painfully, slow," he jokes.
Surreal superhero powers aside, Eddie is certain audiences will be wowed by the wonder of Phoo Action. "I think they’ll be thrilled. It’s unique – he [Hewlett] gave us a world that allowed us to be very visually, musically, thematically and stylistically rich and different from most anything else on the TV. And hopefully audiences will join us in the Phoo Action world for a surreal ride."
Carl Weathers plays Benjamin Benson
Police Chief Benjamin Benson may have the nation under his thumb but the one thing he can’t control is his unruly and wilful daughter, Whitey Action. Iconic American actor Carl Weathers, whose many credits include Rocky, Happy Gilmore and Arrested Development, plays Phoo’s beleaguered top cop, a man whose picture of law and order has been inconveniently ruined by marauding mutants.
"Ben Benson is as perplexed by the madness and mayhem of 2012 as anyone would be," laughs Carl. "He’s no more prepared to deal with the circus-like events of the crime than he is prepared to deal with the fact that Whitey’s growing into a young woman. His biggest problem is his inability to get out of his own way. Benson’s vision of the world and his vision of how Whitey should behave clearly cause him great consternation. His attempt to fit the world of 2012 and Whitey into manageable compartments complicates his life and impedes his success."
Behind Benson’s brash Brooklyn bravado is a good cop trying to do the very best for all concerned, and when mutant-busting Jeet Kune Do (JKD) specialist Terry Phoo arrives, Benson is relieved. But, as Carl explains, even that emotion is short-lived for the troubled Chief of Police.
"Terry’s unorthodox methods add more grief than Benson bargained for. Initially, Benson is reluctant to warm to his young charge. He is not only protective of his professional turf but also protective of his daughter, Whitey. Phoo, as a result, is observed with caution and suspicion."
Carl’s acting CV spans three decades but he admits that he’s never come across anything quite like Phoo Action. "This doesn’t resemble any drama I’ve ever seen or read. This is so outrageously whacky, I can’t think of it as anything other than comedy from a wickedly funny and subversive mind. Jamie’s [Hewlett] creative efforts are brilliant. Unlike many American comedies it runs head-on into taboos. Nothing and no one is sacred…viewers will either find it very outrageously funny or be outraged by the take-no-prisoners lampoon of so many sacred cows."
Now aged 60, Carl was born in New Orleans and was a college football star at San Diego State. He had a successful career playing with the NFL’s Oakland Raiders but retired from the sport in 1974 to fulfil his goal of becoming an actor. Carl’s big break came in 1975 when he was chosen to play the role of Apollo Creed in Rocky, alongside Sylvester Stallone. Such was the popularity of Creed, Carl went on to play the role in a further three Rocky movies, elevating his character to iconic status for legions of fans the world over. Carl also appeared in the action film Predator alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger.
During the filming of Phoo Action, fans frequently turned up to meet their idol. Carl says: "I feel very fortunate to have been the talent to bring Apollo Creed to life on the big screen - I’m very pleased that fans consider the character as a cinematic icon."
And, when it came to casting the role of Benjamin Benson in Phoo Action, the creators confess they always had Carl in mind - to which the actor modestly responds: "Of course, being desired is flattering. However, an actor’s goal is to deliver a superb performance. What was most appreciated was the willingness to hear my thoughts about the character and screenplay and the further willingness to include those ideas."
More recently Carl has carved a niche for himself as a comedy actor, starring in the likes of Action Jackson, Happy Gilmore, acclaimed US hit series Arrested Development and in The Comebacks. “For me, comedy and satire has been a challenge and I’ve found the challenge an exciting departure. It’s given me entry into a different fan base and created much more fun in acting," says Carl.
But he confesses that filming Phoo Action posed its own very unique comedic challenges, requiring the cast to bring Hewlett’s comic strip humour to life in TV action drama form.
"Comedy is always a challenge,” explains the actor. "But Phoo Action was very challenging because of the nature of the story, which involved very different cartoon-like characters like The Freebies where one had to react as if they were very normal in everyday life. For the bulk of my career, I’ve performed in dramatic and action genre films and television shows. The comedy roles I’ve done have been well received but Phoo Action is by far the broadest, most over-the-top comedy drama I’ve ever been involved with. Both Eddie [Shin] and Jaime [Winstone] were such fun to work with. They made the experience of filming Phoo Action so much joy. Both were energetic and came prepared to play each day. The characters of Whitey Action and Terry Phoo were delivered with such comic book hilarity that I often found it very difficult to keep a straight face!"
In Phoo Action, celebrity mutants The Freebies become the object of Benson’s crime-fighting obsession. And working alongside a seven-foot purple ape, a baddie with a basketball for a head and a sinister striped puff-eyed mutant proved somewhat strange for Carl, to say the least.
"Surreal doesn’t quite capture the description of the mutants," he says. "The actors in those crazy costumes were put under really challenging constraints and valiantly performed in all the madness of the fights and running around."
Aside from kung-fu crime-fighting, Phoo Action makes a comedic comment about celebrity culture in its own satirical style. An interest in all-things-celebrity is, as far as Carl is concerned, part of our lives in 2008, let alone the weird and wonderful Phoo Action world of 2012.
"I don’t see celebrity obsession as any different from any other kind of obsession," he says. "Obsession seems to be the way many cope with their lives as a mechanism to deal with a lack of contentment or perhaps the need for escapism."
And if it’s escapism you’re after, Carl is sure Phoo Action more than hits the mark, describing it as: "Madcap, whacky, subversive and funny!"
While Carl’s Phoo Action character faces a power struggle with mutants and his wayward daughter Whitey, the actor is in no doubt which super-power he’d opt for if he could have his pick. "For some reason, super vision appeals to me," he laughs. "Barring that ability, I suppose being able to print large amounts of cash for my own personal use wouldn’t be so bad either!"
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