Exclusive Interview - Jim Cummings on British comedy and Thunder Road

Jim Cummings’ Thunder Road has taken the cinema world by storm. Twice. The first time was in 2016 when it won the Sundance Grand Jury prize for a short film. And now, with a head of steam behind it, the movie arrives UK cinemas, but as a full length feature.

Its director, writer and star is more than happy to be in town to promote it, describing himself as an Anglophile, especially when it comes to comedy. Alan Partridge and David Brent are particular favourites, and the character at the centre of Thunder Road bears more than a passing resemblance to Basil Fawlty, as he teeters on the edge of an emotional meltdown.

Expanding the original short – just 13 minutes of one man’s agonisingly comic eulogy at his mother’s funeral – into over 90 minutes was full of challenges, as he explains to Flickering Myth’s Freda Cooper. Not that making the original short was without its own moments as well, the most memorable being when he had to approach Bruce Springsteen himself for permission to use his song. And he’s never forgotten all the obstacles he faced during his early days in the movie business, so now he inspires fledgling film makers through social media in an effort to counteract all the discouragement he believes is holding them back.