Simon Pegg has shared stories about Tom Cruise’s birthday cakes, meeting Carrie Fisher and learning to DJ on the latest episode of the Dish from Waitrose podcast.
Joining hosts Nick Grimshaw and Angela Hartnett OBE, the actor reflected on his career, friendships and love of food, while also discussing the second series of The Undeclared War, his new film Only What We Carry, and his time working on the Mission: Impossible, Star Trek and Star Wars franchises.
Among the lighter moments, Simon recalled the comfort food his long-time friend Nick Frost used to make, describing a mashed-up Fray Bentos pie with Smash potato, white pepper and sauces as “the savoury gloriousness of pies in a bowl”.
He also admitted his family call him “the food shark” because he is always eyeing up leftovers from his wife and daughter’s plates.
Simon also revealed he has taught himself to DJ after being invited to perform at Alex James’ Big Feastival.
After posting one of his mixes online, he received an unexpected message from Norman Cook, better known as Fatboy Slim, which has led to him opening for the DJ at this year’s Big Beach Boutique event in Brighton.
The actor looked back on filming Mission: Impossible, describing the five-year production of the final two films as “an adventure” despite delays caused by the pandemic and industry strikes.
He also joked that Tom is “Hollywood’s Martin Kemp” thanks to his fitness, adding that the Hollywood star sends him birthday cakes and elaborate gingerbread houses at Christmas.
Speaking about Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Simon said simply being around the original cast was one of the highlights of his career.
He described wandering around the set, earning the nickname “the Star Wars squatter”, and remembered an unforgettable conversation with Carrie Fisher, who jokingly responded with an expletive after he admitted she had been his childhood crush.
Simon also spoke about artificial intelligence, saying it lacks the emotional spark of human creativity despite becoming increasingly convincing.
He warned that AI scams are becoming more sophisticated and said people need to be careful about what they see and hear online.
Elsewhere, he praised Steven Spielberg’s new film Disclosure Day, recommended trying maguey worm tacos in Mexico, explained why he insists hotel rooms need bedside plug sockets and proper coat hangers, and revealed he would rewrite the ending of Lost, saying the original finale left him feeling disappointed after years of watching the series.
The latest episode of Dish from Waitrose is available now on podcast platforms.
