TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 07: Actor Simon Pegg attends the "Hector and the Search for Happiness" premiere during the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival at Winter Garden Theatre on September 7, 2014 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images); Credit: Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images

British actor Simon Pegg has had the chance to take on some pretty fun roles. He’s battled zombies in Shaun of the Dead. He’s taken on the role of Scotty in the J.J. Abrams reboot of "Star Trek." And he plays an Impossible Missions Force technician alongside Tom Cruise in the Mission Impossible film series.

In his latest film release, Pegg plays Hector, a psychiatrist who decides his life is just too “beige,” so he sets out into the world to find out what makes people truly happy.

Pegg joins Take Two to talk about what Hector’s journey brings him in “Hector and the Search for Happiness.”

“Hector and the Search for Happiness” opens in the U.S. September 19th.

Interview Highlights:

On prepping to play the psychiatrist, Hector:

“Rosamund Pike and I…had dinner with a psychiatrist prior to starting shooting just to see, sort of, how he felt about dealing with people who have problems which aren’t necessarily, real problems, you know; which are what people call first world problems on Twitter.”

Why Hector sets out on his journey:

"I think Hector, at the beginning of the film, has a life that is very satisfactory; and to that degree, he’s unhappy…And, you know, what he learns is, you need more than that emotionally in your life to truly be happy. You know, if everything’s kind of just beige, you’re never going to be happy. You need to know misery, you need to know fear, and you need to know abandonment."

A little perspective:

"It was a very interesting thing to be shooting in Johannesburg, and to get out into…the townships…and see societies which contend with just abject poverty, and hardship everyday; but seeing so many smiles, and so many people genuinely joyful. And then get into the interior of Johannesburg, where there’s a lot of white people living in, sort of, gated communities, terrified...And see less smiles. It’s a very odd thing. And very, in keeping with the message of the film, which is, avoiding unhappiness is not the root to happiness.”

On his favorite emotion to convey as an actor – happiness, sadness, or anger:

“It’s a weird thing, I think, acting, sometimes. I sometimes almost resent it because you go through this sort of Pavlovian trauma sometimes because you have to recreate certain things that are sometimes a bit stressful.”

“Happiness is always a nice one because it’s fun to laugh on screen or to recreate moments of joy or euphoria, cause you do get a buzz from it, you know, you get this…vicarious, sort of, happiness in yourself. But that works as well for having to replicate sadness, or fear, or anger, or love even. “

“Your body thinks, ‘Oh, are we doing this now? Are we in love with someone here? Are we scared of something [laughs]?’ And you have to constantly intellectualize and remind your hormones that you’re actually – ‘No. This is fake, okay. You’re actually not about to die.’”

The first-ever Eggo waffles that don't require a toaster hits shelves in April 2022.

Beech-Nut Nutrition Co.'s Mini Waffles with Hidden Veggies are made with real fruits and vegetables, with only 3g of sugar per serving.

Eggo's Hawkins Homestyle flavor can now be found in a limited-edition Stranger Things-inspired carton at Walmart in the freezer aisle nationwide.

A first for the restaurant, the Eggo Taco features Moe’s adobo chicken topped with bacon, shredded cheese, and chipotle ranch served on a fried Eggo waffle as the taco shell.

New Eggo Fully Loaded Waffles inspired Eggo's collab with The Surgeon to drop the first-ever Eggo Fully Loaded Kicks in two colorways: Chocolate Chip Brownie and Strawberry Delight.

Geefree's gluten-free puff pastry wraps around a combination of sausage, scrambled eggs, and cheddar cheese - all of the flavor, and none of the gluten. 

NYC’s mini stuffed bagels are now stuffed with soft scrambled egg and cheese! Featured Shark Tank entrepreneurs Nick & Elyse Oleksak, continue to revolutionize frozen breakfast with the newest innovation from Bantam Bagels: Bantam Egg Bites!

Dunkin' recently released its Dunkfetti Donut and Stuffed Bagel Minis, in December 2020, and its Southwest Veggie Power Breakfast Sandwich, in January 2021.

The bread is baked with the equivalent of one cup of veggies per loaf and fortified with vitamins A, D, and E.

The Hain Celestial brand snacks promise stepped-up flavor in a BFY chip.

The pizza combines Eggo waffles and crispy chicken on a crust, with a drizzle of maple syrup.

An expert from the ingredients supplier discusses the call for healthy indulgence.

The two entities are working together to commercialize egg-free ovalbumin for baking and other applications.

Available from leading ingredient suppliers, egg replacers offer bakers readily available, cost-effective egg alternatives.

Starting in March 2022, Egglife Foods is bringing its everything bagel egglife egg white wraps to Costco stores exclusively in the Pacific Northwest, for the first time ever.

The puffs, available in four flavors, are made with cauliflower or broccoli.

Each module is $140 for RPA and IAPMO members, and $170 for non-members.

In 2009 under President Barack Obama, the economic stimulus package of 2009 was signed into law. Egg Geo was a regional engineering and contracting company in the southeastern United States with robust business in our central Florida offices.

Both attractive and sturdy, this eco-designed packaging offers robust protection while opening impactful visual possibilities. Its sleeve openings and high-quality printing area break the mold of the traditional format.

When HVAC work needs to be completed for agriculture applications in Ontario, Canada, Gleeson Plumbing & Heating has a reputation of delivering impressive results time and time again. 

The waffle experts at Eggo and the coffee connoisseurs at Two Rivers Coffee Co. have united to transform your favorite waffle flavors into brewed blends of Eggo Coffee. 

This year, electric technology dominates the 2024 new truck releases. There’s also quite a bit of innovation happening in hydrogen fuel cells.

Ms. Lee Ann Randall Sheggeby, RN, has been endorsed by Marquis Who's Who as a leader in nursing

Lee Ann Randall Sheggeby earns prominent placement in Millennium Magazine's Sixteenth Edition

Gregg Custom Painting became a contender for 'Best Business in America by the coveted 'Worldwide Certified Business Review Board (WCBRB) Inc. This recognition is a testament to the commitment with which Gregg Custom Painting has served its clients.

Chino Valley Ranchers, a pioneer in providing high-quality eggs, is thrilled to announce the expansion of its product offerings with the introduction of Organic Soy Free Corn Free eggs.

Reginald "Reggie" B. Beaty, MA, is lauded for his work helping educators positively impact educational and life outcomes for youth

It's the time of year to wear floppy ears at this popular venue in Haltom City, Texas

Ro Gregg lends tears of expertise to her work with Designs from the Heart

A Resilient Story of Nature from a Private Ranch in East Sarasota County

"Turkoise" showcases the vocal prowess of singer/songwriter Alyxandra while expressing her deep admiration for Turks and Caicos, where she calls home.

Alyxandra's new song "Float" takes listeners on a fun trip with plenty of euphoric feelings and good times.

Now available on Spotify and Apple Music, Alyxandra's new album, Turkoise, highlights more of her remarkable vocal talent and distinctive pop/reggae style.

Experience the Soulful Rhythms of Sun Shade's Reggae Rendition of Phil Collins' Classic Hit, "Against All Odds"

<p>Bluegg.co.uk is a relaunched site for UK based digital and branding agency Bluegg. It's fully responsive, based on a custom grid system and a framework developed in-house. We've used SVGs, double sized PNGs to keep the icons, logos and graphics super sharp. Slideshows of work all use swipe on mobile devices and, rather than being based on specific break points it's fully fluid to adapt all screen and device sizes. For the backend we've used a heavily customised WordPress installation.</p>

The downsides of emergency trade measures.

Fiction can serve as a window into multiple realities—to imagine different futures or understand our own past. This hour, author and TED speaker Dave Eggers talks technology, education, and the healing power of writing.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy

Senior performance architect and author of *Systems Performance* Brendan Gregg talks with Robert Blumen about systems performance: how the hardware and OS layers affect application behavior. The discussion covers the scope of systems performance, systems performance in the software life cycle, the role of performance analysis in architecture, methodologies for solving performance problems, dynamic tracing and tracing tools such as DTrace, the disk and file subsystems, the CPU and memory subsystems, and the challenges virtualization poses for performance analysts.

Consider Pastures has a mission to use a new sustainable egg model, but its packaging is a blast from the past.

Gregg Wallick of Best Roofing, the 2018 Commercial Contractor of the Year, gives a sneak peek of his upcoming BOS presentation.

Sale Muti. Y entra Belén Esteban, aunque por un ratillo. Por aquello de animar algo el funeral. Soberano aburrimiento el de esta edición de 'Gran Hermano'. ¡Que vuelvan a 'colar' a la autobusera pamplonica, por favor!

Instead of celebrating a closing, some US home buyers lost everything.

Phytochemicals in fruits and veggies can improve your health. Learn how eating a rainbow of colors can boost your immunity and fight diseases.

Animal embryos can adapt to their surroundings in remarkable ways like sensing predators and food sources to improve their survival. But can it help them face climate change?

Stayup thigh high stockings from Sarah Borghi. 40 deniers, velvet microfibre and Lycra 3D stocking. Stayups with lace. Meryl labelled. Colors Marrone,Fume`. Sizes 1,2,3. See Sizechart. Price: USD11.24

Four new collections of pantyhose by Leggs.
Leggs Day Sheer nylon pantyhose, Leggs Reliance durable sheer pantyhose, Leggs Sheer Energy revitalizing sheer and Leggs Sheer Energy Active Support full support.

Three new collections of pantyhose by L'eggs.

Two new collections of hosiery by Leggs. Day Sheer nylon knee highs with sheer toe in 6-pair pack. Sheer Comfort Enhanced Toes offers an exclusive blend of soft, smooth yarns moves with you, leaving you feeling free and comfortable throughout the day.