Rafe Spall Credits Edgar Wright for His Career After Making ‘Comedy Film History’ with Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy (Exclusive)

Rafe Spall owes his career to a special filmmaker.

The British actor, 42, exclusively spoke with PEOPLE about starring in Edgar Wright’s iconic Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy in the early years of his career while on the red carpet at the Tribeca Festival premiere of his new Apple TV+ show Smoke.

“Every time I see Edgar [Wright’s] directing a film, I’m so bummed that I’m not in it. He’s amazing,” Spall says. 

The actor’s first flick with Wright was the 2002 zombie comedy Shaun of the Dead, which references the late George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead movies. He went on to star in the writer-director’s 2007 buddy comedy, Hot Fuzz, and his 2013 science fiction comedy, The World’s End. 

All three movies were co-written by and starred Simon Pegg. 

“Those guys are very responsible for my career,” Spall continues. “We made Shaun of the Dead when I was 19 years old and I’m 42 now. And then I was 21 when I made Hot Fuzz, and I have very, very fond memories.”

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He shared how the movies have followed him through the years, saying, “I still get recognized for those things now, and I’m so grateful to be a part of real comedy film history.”

With a laugh, Spall sends out a message to Wright, saying, “Put me in a film, Edgar, cause I was good in your other ones!”

The Big Short actor spoke with Total Film in 2013 about his role in the celebrated film trilogy, saying that he made an appearance in The World’s End “only for the sake of being in it.”

“I pop up just because there’s a few of us that have been in all of them, and those guys wanted to get my big stupid head in it somewhere,” he explained. 

Other actors who star in the three movies are Nick Frost, Martin Freeman and Bill Nighy.

Wright has gone on to direct and write 2021’s The Spark Brothers and Last Night in Soho. He is also known for the 2010 movie adaptation of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and will release his all-star remake of The Running Man later this year.

Now, Spall is starring in the crime drama Smoke, created by Dennis Lehane. The series follows Detective Michelle Calderon and arson investigator Dave Gudsen, played respectively by Jurnee Smollett and Taron Egerton, as they work together to stop two serial arsonists. 

In the show, Spall plays Steven Burk, a cop who has a complicated relationship with the detective. 

Speaking about his character, he says, “I get to play a badass American cop, and so, for an English guy to do that, it’s pretty fun. He’s multifaceted, flawed, many things, you never know whether he’s good or bad. That goes for the whole cast of characters.”

“He’s pretty poorly behaved, but then redeems himself,” Spall teases.

New episodes of Smoke premiere Fridays on Apple TV through August 15.