Hello, let's get started! Is anyone remotely interested on what I have to say? ~Rowan
Hi Rowan, how do you manage to be so funny?
By hard work... JK ;) Luckily, I was born with some funny genes. And that's a very good starting point!
HI ROWAN! What are you going to be for Halloween? What is they key to a Johnny English costume?
Halloween is not as big in Britain as it is here (US). We don't take it as seriously as Americans do. I always see Johnny English in a suit and tie...so any variation of that :)
What project do you feel has been most rewarding to you over the years?
Most rewarding... financially (if I'm being honest)... is Mr. Bean. And perhaps creatively rewarding as well. Because I find him a fascinating character being essentially a child trapped in a man's body. And it's always fun to be childish!
Hi Rowan! What kind of music are you listening to these days? Any recommendations?
I love music! I always love the expression that I heard someone say once "Music lubricates life!" Alabama Shakes! I like them.
Huge fan! I understand that you’re a huge sports car fan. What are your top 3 favorite cars?
Ah! One of the easier questions! :) McClaren F1, 1970's Aston Martin Vantage and either a 1960's Ford Falcon or Ford Mustang.
Hi Rowan! Big fan of yours. Any plans of doing any live stand up comedy in the future?
I don't really do stand up in front of people, as you may know. I tend to do more sketches. I haven't done any live comedy work in about 20-25 years. Richard Curtis and I are thinking of a new show in London, some time in the next year or so. But at the moment, it's only an ambition...but you never know.
What is your favorite meal?
Roast lamb. Cold lamb and salad the next day...with mayonnaise...is very nice.
Hi Rowan
How are you today?:)
-Love from Sweden
I'm in New York and very much enjoying it!
Which car do you drive?
Very into electric cars at the moment. I have BMW i3 like the one in the new Johnny English film. And a Tesla model X.
Hi Mr Atkinson, BIG FAN! Been watching you since I was 5!
My question is, if you were an animal what animal would choose you be?
It depends on situation, if I was living in a nice house and being properly fed, I'd be a nice cocker spaniel. But if I was living in the wild, I'd be a cat.
What is your favorite role apart from Mr Bean and Johnny English?
It would probably be Blackadder which not really known in the US. We made it in the 1980's. I enjoyed playing that part largely because I was a part of an ensemble cast. It was a nice shared responsibility. With Mr. Bean and/or Johnny English it falls more on me.
Does Johnny English speak any other languages ?
He thinks he speaks a number of languages. He is proficient in none of them.
He thinks he speaks a number of languages. He is proficient in none of them.
Personally, I speak what you call "restaurant French."
If you could play any superhero, who would it be?
I don't know superheroes well enough to select one ;) But, James Bond?
Going back a bit with this question: how did you manage to get the role of 'Mr Bean' in the first place? If not that, then how'd you get the role of Johnny English?
I co-created it for myself. And then we wrote a good enough script for the character for us to be allowed to make the first Johnny English film. He was a character we created originally for a series of TV commercials in the UK and then we developed the idea into a movie.
How proud are you off me bean reaching across borders, age groups and financial strata? Great job sir.
Well, that's very kind of you to say :) I am extremely pleased that he has this weird, global outreach... interestingly, our biggest expanding market is the far east (India, China, etc.). It's from those territories a lot of our FB fans come from :)
What should i get my mum for Christmas?
A weekend off!
Hi huge fan ... Hello sir, Johnny English was so funny will there be others after this one ?
I doubt it but thank you very much for implying you'd like to see another one. But at the same time...never say never ;)
Can you rap, sir?
No. No, I can't. No way. But thank you for your interest.
Are you anytime bored with making others laugh?
Bored is not the word ;) But, I do find the responsibility of acting funny... trying to make comedy on screen, etc. very taxing. Which is normally why I have long breaks in between projects.
What is your favorite movie you've been in and why is it Rat Race?
With all the respect for Rat Race, it's not Rat Race. The one I've been most honored to have been in involved in is The Lion King because it's a great movie. I played Zazu the bird. It's a very good film.
What are you proud of, but never have an excuse to talk about?
Hmm proud? Maybe very pleased is better? I was very pleased with passing my truck driving class (or as we call it Class 1 driving test). Passed that test a few years back. That was actually very hard ;)
Are you a musician? I see you do a lot of comedy bits about music and they are hilarious!
I would never claim to be a musician. I can play three tunes on the piano. I used to be a drummer when I was at University. I played percussion in a jazz band when I was at Oxford but I was never really good. But part of comedy is rhymic so there's some used in that from music.
Hey there, big fan blahblahblah.
Not a real original question, but how did you get into acting/comedy?
It was just a hobby that I liked doing in school. I was hopeless at sports. And in school, you're always looking for that *thing* you could do well. And acting/comedy turned out to be that *thing*. Which gave me the confidence to keep it going. And then when I got into university, that hobby turned into a job!
Hi Rowan,What other profession you have chosen of not being comedian or actor ?
I was trained as an electrical engineer so I was alway interested in the technical side of showbiz. I wanted to be a lighting and sound designer...creative but also technical.
Hey! Love your work! Just wanted to ask what it's like to watch yourself perform? I'm sure at one stage or another you've been watching TV and one of your characters has come up on the TV. What's it like to explain to kids/grandkids that it's you?
Generally, I don't like watching myself. If unexpectedly I come up on TV, I change the channel or leave the room (if I presume there's anyone in the room who wants to watch it/me ha).
It just feels rather indulgent to watch yourself on TV with other people in the room. Even if they're enjoying it ;)
What's the proudest moment of your life? And how proud are you of your daughter??
Probably the proudest moment would be something in my private life and as I never talk about that, it's a difficult question to answer.
Hello Mr. Atkinson, what is your favourite color? Greetings from Serbia! Have a nice day :)
I like color...a lot. One of the most dismaying modern cars is that they all seem to be black, white, grey or silver. Basically not colors at all. But if I have to nominate a favorite color, it probably be blue.
What's your favorite behind the scenes memory from your time as an actor?
I did a comedy sketch at the 2012 Olympics Ceremony in London with the London Symphony Orchestra and discovered the orchestra was playing some cheap instrumental copies instead of the ones they normally play... only to realize we were all going to be miming to a back-track because we were outside and the orchestra can't afford to damage any instruments. Didn't realize we were all a part of the sham, ha!