Russell Brand: Taymor is a genius

The British comedian plays the comic role of Trinculo in the film, which is a big screen adaptation of William Shakespeare’s classic play.

The 35-year-old actor admits that when he was offered a role in the movie - which was also written by Julie - he admired her work so much that he agreed without even being informed of the details.

“It was an automatic yes because Julie Taymor I think is a genius,” Russell told Collider.com. “That word is really diluted down, like Coke Zero or something, but I think she literally is a genius.”

He went on to divulge how much he learned from the American when it came to having a vision for a huge project like The Tempest, which also stars British actress Dame Helen Mirren.

Russell is particularly grateful to the director for allowing him to fully embrace his own comic wit which shines through in the film.

“Julie Taymor - I just sort of watched the manner in which she directs. She sort of fulfils a vision, the grammar of her imagination is incredibly articulate and then to see her results – she has such a thorough understanding of the world that they want to create. So I learned it is very important to have a complete vision but also to give your performance flexibility. For me with the comedy stuff she really gave me a free reign,” he explained.