Recently, Ayoade has been building an impressive résumé behind the camera—as the director of several music videos and a concert film for the Arctic Monkeys. But it's his feature directorial debut, "Submarine," that is currently earning him widespread acclaim. Based on the book by Joe Dunthorne, "Submarine" is a unique coming-of-age story about a 15-year-old boy named Oliver Tate who spends his time fantasizing about his own death, worrying over his parents' marriage, and falling for a clever but mischievous classmate.
A few other facts about the funnyman:
1. He was a member of the esteemed Footlights Dramatic Club.
Ayoade attended Cambridge University, home of the Footlights comedy troupe, which boasts such alumni as John Cleese and Hugh Laurie. But Ayoade says the institution wasn't so highly regarded during his time. "It really wasn't very popular when I was there; there weren't loads of people trying to do it," he recalls. One performer who did was John Oliver, now a correspondent on "The Daily Show." Says Ayoade, "John and I did a lot of shows together. He was wonderful, but I would personally like to erase most of the stuff I did. I was pretty bad." Pressed for specifics—was he a bad writer or a bad performer?—Ayoade quickly replies, "Both! I was just rotten through and through. And not even the fun kind of rotten, just the kind of badness that is boring."
2. His big break came through bad acting.
Ayoade and Holness took their stage show "Garth Marenghi's Fright Knight" to the 2000 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The following year, they took its sequel, "Garth Marenghi's Netherhead," to the festival and won the Perrier Award. In 2004, Channel 4 gave Ayoade and Holness their own show, "Garth Marenghi's Darkplace." Ayoade stole scenes as Learner, portraying him as the worst possible actor on television; he gave horribly wooden line readings and made rookie mistakes like picking up a phone before it rang. Though it has developed a cult following in recent years, the show wasn't an immediate hit and ran only six episodes. "They didn't ask for more," Ayoade says. "It wasn't some high-minded decision on our part to stop. No one stops at six, even in Britain." Ayoade and Holness have never discussed the show out of character, so he demurs when pressed to describe how he perfected the art of acting badly. "The show is about a bunch of people talking pompously about a show they've done," he says. "So it feels strange to talk pompously about a show I did."
3. He claims to be terrible at just about everything.
In person, Ayoade is nothing like the blustery Dean Learner or the know-it-all Moss. He's soft-spoken and self-effacing, and quick to insult himself. Of his Footlights experience: "There are still people who haven't forgiven me for some of the horrible [sketches] I did." Of his time as a standup comedian: "I was pretty bad." Asked to describe his act or his onstage persona, he says, "I didn't have one; that was one of the problems." He also claims to be "horrible" at auditioning and says he rarely books work from auditions. One role he auditioned for was "The IT Crowd," though creator Graham Linehan claims to have written the role of Moss with Ayoade in mind. "But Graham told me, 'You still have to audition, because you might be able to perform better in my mind than in real life.'"
4. He starred on the American version of "The IT Crowd."
In January 2007, NBC filmed a pilot of "The IT Crowd" for American audiences, and Ayoade reprised his role of Moss, opposite Joel McHale. The series was ordered as part of the 2007–2008 TV season but was canceled before going into production after a regime change at the network. Ayoade was unfazed, saying he never expected the show to go to series anyway. "Everyone kept telling me how no pilots are ever picked up," he says. "So I thought it would be an interesting experience to do it—and then it was quite weird when we were picked up. I was just married and not sure I was ready to live in L.A. Obviously, it seems perverse to do a pilot and not want the show to come through, but I was just kind of going along with it. I think I felt if it worked, it was a good thing, and if it didn't, it was fine as well. I didn't really think it through." But Ayoade's collaboration with McHale didn't end there: Ayoade went on to direct an episode of "Community" upon McHale's recommendation.
5. He has mixed feelings about the "Rushmore" comparisons "Submarine" is earning.
Though Ayoade cites Wes Anderson as one of his favorite filmmakers, he admits to mixed feelings at hearing "Submarine" compared to Anderson's "Rushmore," also an offbeat coming-of-age story. " 'Rushmore' is a classic, really. You don't want it to seem like you're claiming to people who love 'Rushmore' they'll like this," he says. "But if you distance yourself from it, it sounds like you're protesting too much. If not for reading the book, I never would have written something about a precocious 15-year-old. But because I read the book and I liked it and didn't feel like it was 'Rushmore,' I felt it was okay." At the end of the day, he says, it's not a bad film to be compared to. "I think people who like 'Rushmore' have great taste. So it's a nice comparison. It's not like its being compared to the 'Godzilla' remake."
More Fun Facts About Ayoade:
- Currently working with writer Avi Korine on a film adaptation of Fyodor Dostoevsky's "The Double"
- Won the award for outstanding actor in a television comedy series at the Monte-Carlo Television Festival for "The IT Crowd" in 2008
- In addition to Wes Anderson, cites among his favorite filmmakers Paul Thomas Anderson and David Lynch
'The IT Crowd' Invasion
At the same time Ayoade's film is opening in America, his 'The IT Crowd' co-star Chris O'Dowd is earning raves for his turn as Kristen Wiig's love interest in "Bridesmaids." Asked why they chose the same time to invade the States, Ayoade demurs, "I don't think I'm taking over America. Chris is going to do very well—I don't know about me." Counters O'Dowd, "I absolutely love Richard and have no doubt he's going to be a Grade A pain in the ass. No, a Grade A director. He's so talented, and the nicest guy."