Steve Pratt catches up with actors big and small – Jack Black, Emily Blunt, Billy Connolly and James Corden – for the release of Gilliver’s Travels.

GATHER together in a room a bunch of actors known for comedy and the result is a lot of laughing, much mutual verbal backslapping and not an awful lot of information about the film they’re supposed to be discussing. American comic actor Jack Black, star of School Of Rock, is holding court as the star of the latest screen version of Jonathan Swift’s classic story Gulliver’s Travels. His co-stars in this press chat are leading lady Emily Blunt, Scottish funny man Billy Connolly and Gavin And Stacey’s James Corden. On screen they’re joined by another top British comedy name, Catherine Tate.

Corden chips in that the appeal for him had very little to do with the book as he’d never read it. (“What?” exclaims Black in mock horror) It was the chance to work with Black and an amazing cast that made him sign up. Connolly, on the other hand, had read the book and used it as a crossreference on set. He now has a new copy of the novel presented to him by Tate at the end of filming.

British actress Emily Blunt, who was seen as The Young Victoria – as in Queen Victoria – and The Werewolf earlier this year, was keen on hearing Black was involved.

“I really liked the script. It was very witty and charming and that’s quite hard to find with comedies. They often appear to me quite crass, and I’ve never been in a family movie,” she explains.

The fantasy adventure elements appealed to Black. “It’s my favourite genre and the comedy had lots of rich potential,”

he says. “I just liked the challenge of updating a classic. There’s a lot of pressure there but also a lot of fun opportunities to be part of the great history of a 300-yearold enduring piece of literature. Me and Jonathan Swift will go down in history together now.” Director Rodney Letterman welcomed the chance to impose Black’s comedy style with the UK comedy style of the other performers. The technology developed for the movie enabled them not only to achieve the visual effects but capture the cast’s ad-libbing and improvisation.

Two cameras operated at the same time – one filming the tiny Lilliputians and another filming Black on neighbouring miniature sets.

Connolly plays the ruler of Lilliput, the country of small people in which the larger- than-life Gulliver finds himself after entering the Bermuda Triangle. “It’s terrific to be the king,” he says. “It’s an absolute joy to get the sparkliest uniform and sword and just swan around. I tried to be a Prince Charles kind of king. I think if he was king he’d be a jolly casual sort of king. I rather like him.”

He’s always wanted a film career but admits that “I’m a wee bit limited so I’m not surprised it went the way it has.” Then he adds tantalisingly, “I try not to tell people I was turned down as a penguin and stuff like that.”

That was to voice a dancing penguin in Happy Feet. “They wanted me as a Presbyterian penguin but I wouldn’t go to Australia to talk about it so I didn’t get it.”

The conversation turns to Chris O’- Dowd, from TV’s The IT Crowd, who is the villain of the piece as General Edward.

The guy’s a genius, suggests Blunt, who plays Princess Mary in the film. “He’s so funny it’s weird. I found it impossible to get through a scene with him without laughing. He pushes you to see if he can make you laugh and I’m easy prey.”

Black adds to the praise for O’Dowd.

“He’s usually a lovable slacker. You don’t think of him as a villainous guy but he’s tremendous and was able to tap into some evil, but it’s always funny evil. While he’s being horribly chauvinistic and downright nasty, you’re laughing at him the whole time.”

He goes further saying, “He’s going to get an Oscar some day and he better give me a shout out because I feel that I was there, for the discovery of the man. He’s such a tremendous actor.”

Corden, who plays Jinks the court jester, is the next to get a pat on the back from fellow actors. Connolly found him very funny. “Every time he leaves (a scene), he touches you somewhere that he didn’t touch you last time. It was a joy for me. I was in hysterics laughing.”

Corden was equally star-struck, even if he describes his role as “the chap stood behind Billy Connolly” in the film. “To be able to spend ten, 12, 14 hour days sitting with a hero was an amazing thing. Every question leads into Billy telling a great story. I’m being paid just to sit and listen to it, they were great days urine or no urine.”

Sorry, did he say urine? He did, a reference to the scene where Gulliver puts out a fire at the Lilliputian palace by peeing on the flames – and most of the royals and courtiers in the bargain.

“It was orange juice,” reveals Connolly of the liquid used to spray the cast. “And we were singing the national anthem as we were being peed on and so our mouths were open...”

This causes the entire group to sing the Lilliputian national anthem. “Wow, I’m impressed,” says Black.

■ Gulliver’s Travels (PG ) opens in cinemas on Boxing Day.