![]() ![]() They can have their own opinion that’s not necessarily the opinion of the person they belong to.” We went with the presumption that there is a large group of imaginary friends that get assignments. By the same token, he had an independence. So he couldn’t do something she wouldn’t be able to do, like lift a fire truck. “A simple thing we decided was that whatever Fred did was perceived by others as Lizzie doing it. ![]() “We talked about what the character could and couldn’t do and how emotional he’d be,” remembers de Jong. Once on set, however, he and de Jong worked together to flesh out Fred’s world. Having worked closely with writers Carlos Davis and Anthony Fingleton, Mayall had already made Fred his own before production began. “Rik said ‘Mega Bitch’ a few times but we were only allowed to say it twice, so the rest became ‘Mega Beast’.” There was no hesitation or shame – and I think he liked that.” I suppose he saw my Dutch movies which were very open and provocative. He just trusted me and I have no idea why. While we were shooting, Thatcher stepped down, and he said it was a disaster because now he couldn’t make jokes about her anymore. “I was certainly not as expressive as he was but on a political level, I was very much in the same vein. “We were a good match in character,” suggests de Jong, recalling his first meeting with Mayall. With the loose European storytelling of de Jong and the rebellious anarchy of Mayall, Drop Dead Fred was accidentally enriched with a unique brand of chaos and charm. Although in hindsight, getting a pass from two creatives with such broad and identifiable characteristics was perhaps the best thing to happen to the film. Originally pitched to director Tim Burton and star Robin Williams, de Jong and Mayall were hardly the duo Polygram and New Line had in mind for the project. Cue Drop Dead Fred, who returns during Lizzie’s time of need to help her heal some deep wounds that link back to her troubled childhood. After Lizzie’s mum (or the Mega Beast, as Fred calls her) puts an end to her make-believe pal, we fast-forward to a grown-up Lizzie struggling to bin off her toxic ex. The story follows Lizzie (Phoebe Cates), a child so traumatised by her overbearing mother that she invents her own nose-picking, dog-poo-loving imaginary friend, Drop Dead Fred (Mayall). ![]() The Hollywood debut of Dutch filmmaker Ate de Jong and counter-culture king Rik Mayall, it’s a film with an unusual flavour. Then again, coming-of-age comedy Drop Dead Fred is kind of a rare movie. It’s rare for a movie that left a mark on you growing up to age with you, let alone find a powerful new significance later in life. Our fondness for old movies and TV shows surely stems partly from the fact that, while we’re forced to experience life’s unexpected twists and turns, the material we love stays safely intact. Pop culture and nostalgia are often intrinsically linked. Poo jokes and a visit from Prince – The making of Drop Dead Fredĭirector Ate de Jong tells the inside story of one of the craziest and most unique studio films of the 1990s. ![]()
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