I'm Rowan Atkinson, actor and star of JOHNNY ENGLISH STRIKES AGAIN, opening nationwide this Friday (10/26). In the new comedy, I reprise my role as the much loved accidental secret agent Johnny English who is called out of retirement to embark on a new adventure after a cyber-attack reveals the identity of all active undercover British agents. The third installment of the international action-parody series, directed by David Kerr, also stars Ben Miller, Olga Kurylenko, Jake Lacy, and Emma Thompson.

Ask me anything!

Check out the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__c_SVavGF4

Proof:

https://twitter.com/johnnyenglish/status/1054478003063779328

https://twitter.com/johnnyenglish/status/1055124425014620160

Thank you so much everybody for your contributions today! I wish you all a wonderful day and an excellent tomorrow.

Comments: 5527 • Responses: 30  • Date: 

JohnnyEnglish_Rowan11372 karma

Hello, let's get started! Is anyone remotely interested on what I have to say? ~Rowan

Butterfly_Queef5856 karma

What should i get my mum for Christmas?

JohnnyEnglish_Rowan9867 karma

A weekend off!

Scoped2105088 karma

What project do you feel has been most rewarding to you over the years?

JohnnyEnglish_Rowan15383 karma

Most rewarding... financially (if I'm being honest)... is Mr. Bean. And perhaps creatively rewarding as well. Because I find him a fascinating character being essentially a child trapped in a man's body. And it's always fun to be childish!

timesarewasting4635 karma

Are you anytime bored with making others laugh?

JohnnyEnglish_Rowan9913 karma

Bored is not the word ;) But, I do find the responsibility of acting funny... trying to make comedy on screen, etc. very taxing. Which is normally why I have long breaks in between projects.

meesahdayoh4390 karma

What is your favorite movie you've been in and why is it Rat Race?

JohnnyEnglish_Rowan10724 karma

With all the respect for Rat Race, it's not Rat Race. The one I've been most honored to have been in involved in is The Lion King because it's a great movie. I played Zazu the bird. It's a very good film.

UnprovableLucas3803 karma

What are you proud of, but never have an excuse to talk about?

JohnnyEnglish_Rowan7965 karma

Hmm proud? Maybe very pleased is better? I was very pleased with passing my truck driving class (or as we call it Class 1 driving test). Passed that test a few years back. That was actually very hard ;)

lizzie_xoxo3748 karma

Hi Rowan

How are you today?:)

-Love from Sweden 🇸🇪

JohnnyEnglish_Rowan4772 karma

I'm in New York and very much enjoying it!

Splicani_3109 karma

Does Johnny English speak any other languages ?

JohnnyEnglish_Rowan8598 karma

He thinks he speaks a number of languages. He is proficient in none of them.

JohnnyEnglish_Rowan9129 karma

Personally, I speak what you call "restaurant French."

kingshmiley2323 karma

What's your favorite behind the scenes memory from your time as an actor?

JohnnyEnglish_Rowan6321 karma

I did a comedy sketch at the 2012 Olympics Ceremony in London with the London Symphony Orchestra and discovered the orchestra was playing some cheap instrumental copies instead of the ones they normally play... only to realize we were all going to be miming to a back-track because we were outside and the orchestra can't afford to damage any instruments. Didn't realize we were all a part of the sham, ha!

pellucidus2259 karma

Hi Rowan! What kind of music are you listening to these days? Any recommendations?

JohnnyEnglish_Rowan4505 karma

I love music! I always love the expression that I heard someone say once "Music lubricates life!" Alabama Shakes! I like them.

kickslapfuck2250 karma

Can you rap, sir?

JohnnyEnglish_Rowan4232 karma

No. No, I can't. No way. But thank you for your interest.

Sniffleguy1803 karma

Going back a bit with this question: how did you manage to get the role of 'Mr Bean' in the first place? If not that, then how'd you get the role of Johnny English?

JohnnyEnglish_Rowan3065 karma

I co-created it for myself. And then we wrote a good enough script for the character for us to be allowed to make the first Johnny English film. He was a character we created originally for a series of TV commercials in the UK and then we developed the idea into a movie.

still_kickin1790 karma

How proud are you off me bean reaching across borders, age groups and financial strata? Great job sir.

JohnnyEnglish_Rowan2777 karma

Well, that's very kind of you to say :) I am extremely pleased that he has this weird, global outreach... interestingly, our biggest expanding market is the far east (India, China, etc.). It's from those territories a lot of our FB fans come from :)

_AirMike_1779 karma

What is your favorite role apart from Mr Bean and Johnny English?

JohnnyEnglish_Rowan5522 karma

It would probably be Blackadder which not really known in the US. We made it in the 1980's. I enjoyed playing that part largely because I was a part of an ensemble cast. It was a nice shared responsibility. With Mr. Bean and/or Johnny English it falls more on me.

bcsteene1434 karma

Are you a musician? I see you do a lot of comedy bits about music and they are hilarious!

JohnnyEnglish_Rowan2767 karma

I would never claim to be a musician. I can play three tunes on the piano. I used to be a drummer when I was at University. I played percussion in a jazz band when I was at Oxford but I was never really good. But part of comedy is rhymic so there's some used in that from music.

thebuddywithglasses1369 karma

Huge fan! I understand that you’re a huge sports car fan. What are your top 3 favorite cars?

JohnnyEnglish_Rowan2966 karma

Ah! One of the easier questions! :) McClaren F1, 1970's Aston Martin Vantage and either a 1960's Ford Falcon or Ford Mustang.

ALeza_721076 karma

Hi Rowan,What other profession you have chosen of not being comedian or actor ?

JohnnyEnglish_Rowan2756 karma

I was trained as an electrical engineer so I was alway interested in the technical side of showbiz. I wanted to be a lighting and sound designer...creative but also technical.

elekid123966 karma

Which car do you drive?

JohnnyEnglish_Rowan2360 karma

Very into electric cars at the moment. I have BMW i3 like the one in the new Johnny English film. And a Tesla model X.

XyPheonix962 karma

What is your favorite meal?

JohnnyEnglish_Rowan2211 karma

Roast lamb. Cold lamb and salad the next day...with mayonnaise...is very nice.

maxguard939 karma

Hello Mr. Atkinson, what is your favourite color? Greetings from 🇷🇸 Serbia! Have a nice day :)

JohnnyEnglish_Rowan1874 karma

I like color...a lot. One of the most dismaying modern cars is that they all seem to be black, white, grey or silver. Basically not colors at all. But if I have to nominate a favorite color, it probably be blue.

Jekawi786 karma

Hey! Love your work! Just wanted to ask what it's like to watch yourself perform? I'm sure at one stage or another you've been watching TV and one of your characters has come up on the TV. What's it like to explain to kids/grandkids that it's you?

JohnnyEnglish_Rowan1931 karma

Generally, I don't like watching myself. If unexpectedly I come up on TV, I change the channel or leave the room (if I presume there's anyone in the room who wants to watch it/me ha).

It just feels rather indulgent to watch yourself on TV with other people in the room. Even if they're enjoying it ;)

Skyknight32759 karma

Hi Mr Atkinson, BIG FAN! Been watching you since I was 5!

My question is, if you were an animal what animal would choose you be?

JohnnyEnglish_Rowan1532 karma

It depends on situation, if I was living in a nice house and being properly fed, I'd be a nice cocker spaniel. But if I was living in the wild, I'd be a cat.

mmirandap675 karma

Hi Rowan, how do you manage to be so funny?

JohnnyEnglish_Rowan1352 karma

By hard work... JK ;) Luckily, I was born with some funny genes. And that's a very good starting point!

brittersbear581 karma

What's the proudest moment of your life? And how proud are you of your daughter??

JohnnyEnglish_Rowan1575 karma

Probably the proudest moment would be something in my private life and as I never talk about that, it's a difficult question to answer.

cyrlryn549 karma

Hi Rowan! Big fan of yours. Any plans of doing any live stand up comedy in the future?

JohnnyEnglish_Rowan1424 karma

I don't really do stand up in front of people, as you may know. I tend to do more sketches. I haven't done any live comedy work in about 20-25 years. Richard Curtis and I are thinking of a new show in London, some time in the next year or so. But at the moment, it's only an ambition...but you never know.

suzyc1444_517 karma

HI ROWAN! What are you going to be for Halloween? What is they key to a Johnny English costume?

JohnnyEnglish_Rowan989 karma

Halloween is not as big in Britain as it is here (US). We don't take it as seriously as Americans do. I always see Johnny English in a suit and tie...so any variation of that :)

Skxtchi502 karma

If you could play any superhero, who would it be?

JohnnyEnglish_Rowan1496 karma

I don't know superheroes well enough to select one ;) But, James Bond?

chatieMcChatface479 karma

Hi huge fan ... Hello sir, Johnny English was so funny will there be others after this one ?

JohnnyEnglish_Rowan955 karma

I doubt it but thank you very much for implying you'd like to see another one. But at the same time...never say never ;)

GhiztMoonie297 karma

Hey there, big fan blahblahblah.

Not a real original question, but how did you get into acting/comedy?

JohnnyEnglish_Rowan615 karma

It was just a hobby that I liked doing in school. I was hopeless at sports. And in school, you're always looking for that *thing* you could do well. And acting/comedy turned out to be that *thing*. Which gave me the confidence to keep it going. And then when I got into university, that hobby turned into a job!