Shaun of the Deadstar Jessica Hynes recalls catching a costly Edgar Wright mistake during filming. Released in 2004,Shaun of the Deadserves as Wright’s breakout film and the first installment in hispopular Cornetto Trilogy. The movie stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost as two lazy best friends traversing a zombie apocalypse in London, with Hynes appearing as Yvonne, one of Shaun’s friends who ends up coming to Shaun and Liz’s (Kate Ashfield) rescue at the Winchester pub at the end of the film.
In a recent interview ahead of the release of her new Max seriesThe Franchise,Screen Rantasked Hynes “What impact do you think [Shaun of the Dead] had on your career overall?” The actor then recalled making a suggestion to Wright during the filming ofShaun of the Dead’s ending scenes at the Winchester. Though Wright didn’t take the suggestion at first, he eventually came to see that she was right months later, and it meant rebuilding the set to shoot new material. Check out Hynes' comment (and note her teasing, good-natured tone) below:
“What I remember about that film is that I was on set outside the pub, and I remember thinking… I even said to Edgar [Wright], ‘I think you’re missing a shot. I think you’re missing a shot.’ And he was like, ‘What? Whatever. No, no, no.’ And then six months later, we were coming back, and we had to completely rebuild the pub because he had missed the shot. [Laughs] It was the shot of me with the golf club, and it was an iconic shot that was needed to sort of piece the whole last sequence together.
“Maybe that’s kind of a bit of a precursor to me as a script supervisor,” Hynes joked, “because what preceded Shaun of the Dead was Spaced, which was the series that I wrote with Simon [Pegg]. In a way, I don’t think Shaun of the Dead would’ve happened without Spaced, and I created Spaced.”
What Purpose The Yvonne Moment Serves
Shaun of the Deadreviewswere glowing from critics and the film was a commercial success, paving the way for Wright to work with Pegg and Frost again on movies likeHot Fuzz(2007) andThe World’s End(2013). Wright’s zombie film currently sports a 92% onRotten Tomatoes, with the audience score coming in even higher at 93%. While there are a number of elements that helped the film succeed, including the performances, tone, and Wright’s energetic filmmaking style, the movie’s ending is certainly one of them.
After most of Shaun’s group is killed at the pub, with even Ed (Frost) having been bitten, Shaun and Liz exit the pub and head onto the street. Though it seems like they’re about to be eaten by zombies, Yvonne arrives with a well-armed squad of British soldiers.
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Hynes' character gets a hero moment as she’s silhouetted in front of truck headlights, and she gets to take out a few zombies with her golf club before sharing a quiet beat with Shaun. The moment is in keeping with the film’s tone and features someWright filmmaking trademarks, but it also turns somber and sincere. By including Yvonne in the scene,Shaun of the Deadpays off her departure from the story earlier on, in addition to solidifying the bond between Shaun and Liz and acknowledging all the major character deaths.
The New Scenes Were Worth The Extra Expense
Shaun of the Dead’s ending still would’ve worked without the Yvonne moment, but it’s stronger with the reshot material. The original cut, for example, seemingly still would’ve featured the British soldiers arriving and saving the day, but Hynes' character wouldn’t have been among them, andthis may have felt like more of a deus ex machina without Yvonne serving as connective narrative tissue. Though adding the scene to theShaun of the Deadending may have been costly, it does, as Hynes says, tie that whole ending together.
A deus ex machina in storytelling usually has a negative connotation as it involves a central conflict being resolved by chance or a surprise outside force.
Shaun of the Dead
Cast
From director Edgar Wright, Shaun of the Dead stars Simon Pegg as Shaun, an ambitionless slacker who one day finds his world overrun by zombies. From a script by Wright and Pegg, Shaun of the Dead injects comedy into a typically horror-focused subgenre as Shaun and his lazy friend Ed (Nick Frost) attempt to rescue Shaun’s estranged girlfriend and make it through the apocalypse unscathed.
