Pamela Anderson, Simon Cowell and, possibly, even Michael Jackson make appearances in Scary Movie 3. Steve Pratt talks to the spoof movie makers.

SOME people ask Airplane and Naked Gun director David Zucker how he managed to persuade Michael Jackson to appear in his latest movie Scary Movie 3. Wacko Jacko - or rather, someone who's the spitting image of him - appears in a scene that's definitely tasteless, with its references to his private life, but not apparently actionable.

Zucker says there were no legal problems "as long as we don't mention his name" in the film. "If you think it's Michael Jackson, fine," he says. "We heard rumours there was going to be a law suit, but nothing the studio confirmed. It was just more rumours on the internet".

Jackson is not alone in being spoofed, ridiculed or just plain insulted as Zucker took over the director's chores on the third Scary Movie. Some of those who are the butt of jokes appear on screen. Pop Idol judge Simon Cowell is seen being gunned down after making nasty comments about contestants. He was game for a laugh although put his foot down about certain things the film-makers requested. "The studio kept encouraging us to push it and give him his comeuppance," explains Zucker.

"There were things cut out. A very large lady was going to sit on him, but he felt uncomfortable doing that. He didn't want to act. So when he gets killed, a stunt man did that."

There's been no direct feedback from Eminem, who's mercilessly sent up in Scary Movie 3. But Simon Rex, who plays a white rapper, has a friend who works with the musical star. "I asked if he'd seen it and my friend said Eminem thought it was really funny, but was still going to make fun of me in a song," he says.

Basically, there's nothing that Zucker wouldn't spoof. Although he was reluctant to totally diss the American President, played in Scary Movie 3 by spoof veteran Leslie Nielsen.

President Bush's father was lampooned in Hot Shots but the director says it's difficult to satirise a sitting president. "We couldn't make him look like a complete idiot because there's a certain respect for the office," he says.

He had no such respect for our own dear Queen, whose appearance in Naked Gun Two-and-a-Half wasn't very regal. "She was someone put in a bad position by our idiot police detective," he says in his defence.

Zucker was recruited after the Wayans brothers, who created the Scary Movie franchise, opted out of another sequel. He had no worries about taking over. "It's a completely different style, made as a successor to Airplane and Naked Gun," he explains. "That's why taking over is different to doing the 17th Police Academy. I enjoyed the first Scary Movie and didn't think Scary Movie 2 was so successful. It's a smart franchise because they'll always be making horror movies."

He encouraged his cast to play it straight. Anna Faris, who starred in the other two Scary Movies, says: "David forced us to play the movie like a drama. That was the choice to make instead of trying to be funny."

Rex adds: "I would try to be funny and David would remind me we needed to take it very seriously. I just watched Leslie Nielsen - he's never trying to be funny."

Both Farris and Rex look for comedy in everything, which can be a drawback at auditions. "I can't help but try to be funny. I just want to make people laugh, although it would be good to do serious movies too," says Rex.

Farris recalls she'd be doing what she thought was a serious scene in previous Scary Movies only to see Keenan Wayans laughing behind the camera. "I thought I was really messing up," he says.

She feels she missed out on a role in hit US drama Six Feet Under as people couldn't stop seeing her as funny. "I was auditioning doing a very serious scene and Alan Ball, the writer, was just laughing and said, 'you're funny'. I thought, 'this is terrible'. I don't know if I'm going to be any good in a dramatic role," says Farris, also to be seen in current hit Lost In Translation.

She does owe Zucker for the chance to revert to her normal hair colour in Scary Movie 3 after dying black for the previous two. "I was the one who said it's okay to be blonde," he says. "I find her very funny, but she gets laughs not in a Lucille Ball or Jim Carrey sort of way. Her earnestness makes it funny."

Many producers tend to consider comedies like Scary Movies as inferior to dramas, something reflected in the lack of comedies winning Oscars. Farris experienced the bias when Scary Movie 1 came out. "I was nave and thought it would make it easier in terms of succeeding in this industry. A lot of industry people don't see it like that although the films are successful," she says.

"Definitely Lost In Translation is considered more legitimate because it's been critically acclaimed. That's unfair."

* Scary Movie 3 (15) opens in cinemas tomorrow

Published: 22/01/2004