Alan Tudyk

PERCHED naked atop a family home while a funeral is being carried out below isn’t the best way to impress your future in-laws. Then throw into the mix the unknown consumption of a hallucinogenic substance and you have one hell of a dysfunctional wake.

Texan actor Alan Tudyk was the lucky guy chosen to strip for the role of Simon in British comedy feature Death At A Funeral.

Also featuring Rupert Graves as Robert and Matthew Macfadyen as his brother Daniel, the film revolves around the boys’ father’s highly dysfunctional funeral.

Everything that can go wrong does (including the wrong corpse being delivered before the service) and leads to some unexpected and shocking family secrets being divulged through the tears of sorrow.

One of the funniest scenes is watching a whacked-out Simon climb out the window of the home, naked for the world to see, as mourns at the funeral congregate on the lawn.

Tudyk admits it was laughing out loud to the script while reading it that attracted him to the film, before he turns his attention to discrimination on film sets when it comes to men and woman revealing all of a role.

“When a woman is naked on set it’s almost always a closed set, there is the utmost respect for the artist and their nudity and if you look that second longer it’s like ‘Shame, shame on you’, but when it’s a guy everyone shows up to have a good old look,” the 36-year-old said from his home in California.

“It’s like ‘You’re from accounting, what the hell are you doing here? … all to just watch the crack of my arse come out the window!”

While Tudyk has appeared in many films, ranging from Knocked Up to Patch Adams and I, Robot, his a name isn’t one instantly recognised by the general public.

However, he prefers it that way (even more so now, given his bottom has been exposed to the world!)

Tudyk enjoys the notion of exploring characters and says Simon certainly challenged him as an actor.

“The one thing I underestimated was the amount of energy it was going to take to play that role,” he admits.

“I went in there going ‘Let’s be high for a few months, yippee’, but didn’t calculate the idea of being on speed for 12 hours of the day. I would come on the set and start and (director) Frank (Oz) would go ‘You’ve got to get higher, higher, more intense’. It was full on.”

Watching himself back on screen is always a tense experience for Tudyk.

“It is always a nerve-racking experience for me to watch it for the first time, I am always worried because you can’t change it at that point,” he said.

“But I was really impressed with Frank’s editing of the movie. He did a great job of cutting my character. We shot so much stuff, but Simon is a very potent spice in that brew and Frank kept it to where it would be the right moment when people are going ‘where the hell is that high guy’.

It wasn’t hitting you over the head with it because ultimately you are doing the same joke over and over again. You have to be careful how many times you can ring that bell.”

Tudyk will be seen next opposite Russell Crowe in western flick, 3:10 to Yuma and begins shooting a cameo role in Jennifer Aniston’s new dark comedy, Management, this month.

“I am a porn shop owner and said I would do it as long as I get to her a perm!” he laughs.

“I have always wanted a perm in a film. I think it’s the most disgusting thing, especially with my colouring. I don’t even have to open my mouth and people will be like ‘Oh my god look at that!’ I can’t wait!”