Get the latest gossip

John Cleese on ‘Holy Grail’ at 50 and Comedy Being Dictated by People Declaring “You Can’t Say That”

The star and co-writer of 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail' reflects on the chaotic process that brought the classic film to life and the evolution of comedy projects today: "American culture has gotten more trivial."

During a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, co-writer and star Cleese weighs in on how he would change the ending, the group’s members having gone their separate ways over the years, the fact that comedy no longer seems to be prioritized by Hollywood (“It amazes me that people would want to watch it,” he says of Netflix’s Adolescence), the impact on the industry of people who “suffer from literal-mindedness” and his Harry Potter memories as the voice of Nearly Headless Nick in light of the forthcoming streaming series. When we started Python, the general feeling was, “What on earth are these people doing?” [A BBC department head] bumped into our director in an elevator and said, “Is this show supposed to be funny? I was terribly impressed when the elder George Bush [was president] and a cartoon appeared with him in it in a pet shop, and it was to do with a parrot [referencing a classic Monty Python sketch].

Get the Android app