10 Questions for Simon Pegg

Do you feel you've "infiltrated" Hollywood? Keith Broni, DUBLIN

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TIME's Gilbert Cruz talks with British actor Simon Pegg, star of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, about his new role in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek

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It's not like defecting. It's not like you have to cross a bridge in a trench coat at midnight. This dichotomy between Hollywood and everywhere else seems to be something created by people who are watching, not by people who are doing.

Is there any resentment from your British fans for your jumping across the pond? Andrea Jackley, TAMPA, FLA.

Sometimes you're accused of being a sellout, like they expect you to languish in obscurity forever just for them. That's unreasonable. The people who do get angry at you for going off and doing a Hollywood film, it's like you've betrayed them. I don't even know who "they" are.

Why do good British comedy shows like Spaced or The Office last for only two seasons? Ian Cook, BALTIMORE

It's like a curse. The "Fawlty Towers curse," we call it. Personally, I don't think Ricky Gervais and Steve Merchant should have quit The Office after two. I loved that show and wanted to see more.

Are you planning on teaming up again with your Hot Fuzz team, Edgar Wright and Nick Frost? Heather Brion CARLSBAD, CALIF.

Absolutely. They're my homies, as you say here. Nick and I have written a screenplay together. It's a road movie that follows two comic-book geeks, starting out at Comic-Con and then moving to the Midwest, where they get into a craaazy adventure.

What American movie genre would you like to parody next? Nick Jones, FITCHBURG, MASS.

We're falsely perceived as doing that. We didn't set out to parody zombie movies with Shaun of the Dead. If anything, that film was a parody of romantic comedies. The zombie element in that film is entirely serious. With Hot Fuzz, we didn't say, "Let's spoof action movies." We just wanted to make an action film. Because we're from a comedy background, it's a comedy.

What's the difference between American and British humor? Katie Ver Steeg CARLISLE, IOWA

Socially, we use comedy differently. British people tend to employ irony a little more. Often, I find, my American friends when they are being ironic will say, "Just kidding," afterward. We'll say, "You come do this, or I'll smack you in the face," and expect that person to realize that we're not being serious.

How did it feel to be chosen for geek glory to play Scotty in the new Star Trek movie? Brian Robertson SUMMERVILLE, S.C.

I thought you were going to ask, "Who the hell do you think you are?" I was thrilled, and I wasn't surprised at the reaction. I understand that it's a precious thing. You don't want it in the hands of someone who a) doesn't appreciate it or b) might seek to undermine it. Star Trek is a beloved story and is being treated as such. It's being done very seriously. There's no attempt to wink at the camera.

If you had a chance to star in a remake of an '80s comedy, which one would it be? Steven Carrio, HOUSTON

You could set M*A*S*H in the Persian Gulf, which would be interesting. That show was always a very sharp commentary on American foreign policy. But it was often undermined by that terrible laugh track they used to have on it, which would fool you into thinking the show wasn't as incisive or clever as it actually was.

Did you have to endure a lot of teasing about your name when you were growing up? Dee Thompson, ATLANTA

A little bit. With a name that is the same as an item that hangs clothes on a washing line, you're going to get it. The worst was when it went into the realm of pig. But I chose to be called Pegg. I wasn't born with the name. I took it on when my mother remarried. So it's my own fault.

If you were a zombie, who is the first person you would eat? Mark Hoehner LAFAYETTE, CALIF.

Whom would I eat? That's a very interesting, silly question. Well, it would be the nearest person to me, so it would probably be my wife.

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