We spoke with British actor Himesh Patel on the release date of his thrilling new film, Greedy People, a hillbilly neo-noir that brings plenty of laughs and blood-soaked violence. Patel has been keeping busy on the small screen as well, with a highly anticipated new series called The Franchise, which also stars Billy Magnussen. The series comes from satirical legend Armando Iannucci (Veep, The Thick of It), and will parody the superhero industrial complex by following a film crew as they attempt to produce another Marvel-style blockbuster.
“I had a great time making it, one of the best times I’ve ever had, really, and I’m very excited that it’s coming out so soon,” Himesh told MovieWeb. “Billy’s great. I think he’s an incredibly talented actor, and so funny in the show. I can’t wait for people to see what he’s done.” Patel (known in the UK for his 566 episodes of EastEnders, and familiar for Black Mirror and Station Eleven), has actually worked with the great Iannucci before, on HBO’s short-lived but hilarious Avenue 5. Of their work on The Franchise, he added:
There’s elements of my experiences that were there. People who’ve worked in film and TV will recognize so much. But also, people who are coming in new will also enjoy the madness of it and will be probably fairly shocked when we tell them that it’s pretty accurate.
Magnussen leads The Franchise, and previously told Movieweb: “It’s basically like an office-based comedy, but it’s behind the scenes of making a superhero movie. So it’s actually all the bullsh*t that goes into making these stupid superhero movies. And the gift that project has given me was to let me laugh at myself again.” Magnussen added:
You’re just having fun. And the cast and crew, the directors, we just were able to laugh at ourselves again, because it’s just so silly sometimes, what we’re doing, especially in these big superhero movies [that] are so oversaturated.
Himesh Patel on Crashing a Plane for Christopher Nolan and Reuniting With Lily James
One big-budget production on which Patel worked — that may have informed his performance in The Franchise — was Christopher Nolan’s mind-bending action-thriller Tenet, which was released during the COVID-19 pandemic and received an IMAX re-release just this year. “I still pinch myself that I got to do it in the first place,” he told us. “[Nolan] really stands apart, I think, from other filmmakers working in that space, you know, that sort of budget level. So it was a thrill to be part of it.” He elaborated:
I’ve got so many memories, you know? I got to shoot in the Amalfi Coast. I got to crash a plane into a building… I got to do a cool 360-shot with Rob [Pattinson] and John David [Washington]. Like, it’s just living the dream, really.
And now, Patel leads the charge in a talented ensemble with Greedy People, which also includes the reliably charming Lily James as his wife — which is a fun little reunion for the two English performers. “We worked very closely together on Yesterday, and then we worked very closely together on this,” said Patel. “I’ve not quite had that yet with other actors. I’ve had actors who I’ve worked with before, but… this is, like, you know, two movies that we’ve done together [that] we work together quite a lot, quite intensely together. And we get on really well. She’s wonderful, there was no question about that.”
Himesh plays a rookie cop in Greedy People whose newly appointed partner is a corrupt yet occasionally charming officer played hilariously by none other than Joseph Gordon-Levitt. “The amazing thing about him as an actor is, you know, he’s just playing the truth of his character that he’s built,” said Patel. “There’s times where it’s terrifying, you know, there’s times where it’s just kind of sinister and scary and, like, just a bit brutal. But there are moments where he was just so funny.”
From Lionsgate, Greedy People is now playing in theaters. The Franchise does not have a release date at this time, but watch this space for updates. In the meantime, check out our full video interview with Billy Magnussen below: