Actor Simon Pegg's Shaun of the Dead character is the unofficial mood of humanity still coping with the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and he loves it.
In an interview with Conan O'Brien, Conan told Pegg that he's "been thinking of [him] a lot during this quarantine during COVID because memes like this have been popping up constantly," holding up an image of Shaun telling people to "go to the Winchester, have a pint and wait for this whole thing to blow over." Asked how he feels about being the face of "global pandemic and madness breaking out," Pegg responded that he "couldn’t be more proud, to be honest."
Pegg also noted that, in the past, this particular meme had popped up across various earth-shattering historical and political events like Brexit and the Tory party's re-election. "Then as the coronavirus began to sort of spread, it popped up again but then we passed the point when going to the pub was actually allowed, so the meme itself became outdated quite quickly when going to the Winchester was no longer advisable," he admitted.
However, the coronavirus' global spread also gave Pegg the inspiration to re-create that iconic Shaun of the Dead scene with his co-star Nick Frost as a PSA during its early days in March. "I called him one morning, I was on the school run, and I said 'Nick, I'm going to send you some lines. We'll do the thing again but we'll make it about staying at home.'" The video saw "Shaun" and "Ed" go over what safety precautions to follow while referencing other characters from the movie, with Pegg asserting that "We're all in this together. Don't be selfish, look after each other, give someone a call if you think they might be lonely."
Released in 2004 as the first entry in Edgar Wright's Cornetto trilogy, Shaun of the Dead received critical acclaim as both an original zombie film and satirical homage to the works of George A. Romero, its title specifically invoking 1978's Dawn of the Dead. The film followed Shaun (Pegg), a lackluster blue-collar electronics salesman unable to commit to a successful relationship with his girlfriend Liz due to an unhealthy attachment with his friend and flatmate Ed. Shaun's social malaise just so happens to coincide with a zombie apocalypse in London and, after a slow start realizing what's transpired, he decides to finally assert himself by plotting a rescue mission to save Liz and his mom.
Directed by Edgar Wright, Shaun of the Dead stars Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Kate Ashfield, Lucy Davis, Penelope Wilton and Bill Nye.
Source: YouTube