Coogan ready for indie gig

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Updated: February 20, 2009, 6:39 am /
Published: February 20, 2009, 12:30 am

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LOS ANGELES—Steve Coogan figures if any crowd in America knows who he is, it’s probably the gang that will assemble for the Spirit Awards honoring independent film.

The British actor and comedian is host of Saturday’s ceremony, a loose, often potty-mouthed affair that stands as a racy prelude to Hollywood’s main event, the Academy Awards on Sunday.

“If I’m going to do anything over here, this is the best thing to do, because the indie movie-makers are probably more familiar with me and my work than anyone else,” Coogan, 43, said in an interview. “It’ll be a good crowd for me. I’ll feel as comfortable as I possibly could feel in front of a crowd of industry people doing comedy, which is kind of a poison chalice in some ways.”

The Spirit Awards air live and uncut on IFC and later Saturday night in an edited version on AMC. Contenders include Oscar-nominated films such as “Milk,” “The Wrestler,” “Rachel Getting Married” and “Frozen River.”

Coogan’s leading-man credits generally have come in independent films such as Michael Winterbottom’s “24 Hour Party People” and “Tristram Shandy: A Cock&Bull Story,” along with last year’s “Hamlet 2.”

He’s gotten far-wider exposure in choice small roles in Hollywood flicks. Coogan appeared as the tiny Roman leader Octavius in Ben Stiller’s “Night at the Museum,” a role he reprises in this summer’s sequel.

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