Jemaine Clement admits fears over Alice and Steve age-gap romance: “Is it too awkward?”

by

Jemaine Clement remembers his first scene with Nicola Walker in their new show, Alice and Steve, very clearly. “We were doing karaoke – ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart,'” he says. “It was 10 a.m., and we hadn’t met before. It was a pretty unusual way to break the ice!”

The first scene of the new Disney+ series, a six-part story about a friendship gone wrong, was deliberately chaotic and a little uncomfortable: an early morning karaoke session. The series follows Clement and Walker, two lifelong friends whose bond is tested when Walker begins a relationship with Clement’s daughter, Izzy (played by Yali Topol Margalith).

Clement says the script, written by Sophie Goodhart, came from the same team behind the show Baby Reindeer. Having recently watched Baby Reindeer and admired its boldness and quality, she felt confident in their abilities.

Stories about significant age gaps in relationships always carry some risk – mainly the potential to alienate viewers if they seem inappropriate. Clement, who is 52, was worried about this when taking on the role.

Honestly, my main worry was whether the age gap in the relationship would just feel… uncomfortable for viewers. I mean, it’s a guy in his fifties with a much younger woman, and that’s a tricky thing to pull off. I’ve explained the story to a lot of people, and some still aren’t happy with it – I’ve even had friends call me some pretty harsh names for even doing the movie!

To get ready for the part, Clement watched the movie The Rewrite, a romantic comedy starring Hugh Grant as a college professor who becomes involved with a student. Clement initially envisioned the character, Steve, as unlikeable – insecure and arrogant. “I was picturing a kind of flawed Hugh Grant,” he explains, “but Steve turned out to be kinder and more sensitive than I expected.”

The show establishes that Steve, recently divorced, wasn’t seeking a relationship with someone younger; Izzy initiates the connection. This seems like a deliberate effort to address potential concerns about an unfair power dynamic, or at least to introduce ambiguity that could fuel conflict. It makes you wonder if portraying Steve affected actor Greg Clement’s personal perspective on age-gap relationships after filming.

He says he knows several couples with large age differences. While it can seem strange initially, he’s always understood their connection after getting to know them. He feels they simply have a natural compatibility.

Having previously written for shows like Flight of the Conchords, was it a welcome change to simply act in Alice and Steve without the pressure of writing the script? He says it was. “I did offer a few suggestions that made it into the show, but it was a huge relief not to be responsible for the writing,” he explains. “On this project, I just got to focus on playing one character, which was much more enjoyable than writing.”

Jemaine Clement is most famous for being one half of the musical comedy duo Flight of the Conchords, alongside Bret McKenzie. They gained recognition at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2003 and later achieved success with a popular BBC radio show. This show then became a beloved HBO TV series, attracting a dedicated worldwide following from 2007 to 2009. Clement and McKenzie first met while studying drama at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand, where Clement was raised, though a career in the arts wasn’t necessarily planned.

He describes growing up in a working-class family with limited means, but says his childhood was filled with creativity. His father always had a flute, his mother—who is Maori—was a talented artist and avid reader, and his uncles were musicians. Despite this artistic environment, there wasn’t any pressure to pursue a career in the arts because the family didn’t have the resources.

Clement and McKenzie started performing together in Wellington in the late 1990s. They honed their musical comedy through live performances, eventually earning a nomination for the Perrier award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and a subsequent radio commission from the BBC.

Clement explains that working with the BBC was a great experience because it was the first time they tackled a longer-form project. He’d previously written short sketches, including before ‘Flight of the Conchords,’ but creating a TV show required them to develop the ability to tell a story over a half-hour period. The radio show gave them the practice they needed, which then prepared them to write the TV series.

What started as a quirky performance at small comedy clubs in Wellington, New Zealand, unexpectedly became a worldwide success – culminating in a sold-out, three-night run at London’s O2 Arena in 2018.

People often ask us why the show has done so well in the UK and US, and I think it’s because we were heavily influenced by comedy from both of those countries. I remember being a kid and loving the show The Young Ones, and it really shaped my sense of humor. Honestly, I don’t think I’d be doing what I’m doing today without it – I might not even be having this conversation! We even directly referenced it in Flight of the Conchords – there’s a scene where Brett is feeling down, and my character tries to make him feel better by pretending the stove is talking. That whole idea came from thinking, ‘What would happen in The Young Ones?’

After an eight-year break from performing, Flight of the Conchords recently played two shows in Los Angeles. One of the members described it as challenging, but enjoyable, saying they were rediscovering their old routines. He explained that it felt like a memory test, as he’d been focused on film and writing instead of live performances.

Clement has been incredibly busy lately, appearing in major Hollywood films like The BFG, Men in Black 3, and the animated hit Moana. He’s had the opportunity to work with directing giants Steven Spielberg – who praised Clement and his comedy troupe for influencing American comedy – and James Cameron, contributing to Avatar: The Way of Water and its upcoming follow-up, Fire and Ash.

He admires both of those individuals because they’re flexible in their approach. While he doesn’t plan things out as carefully as they do, they’re great at adjusting to whatever happens, and that’s really motivating.

Want to see this content?

This page uses a security feature called Google reCAPTCHA. Before it loads, we need your permission because reCAPTCHA might use cookies. If you want to see the content, please select ‘Accept and continue’ to enable reCAPTCHA.

Beyond being a fantastic actor – especially after his time with Flight of the Conchords – Jemaine Clement really surprised me by directing (and co-writing and starring in!) What We Do in the Shadows. That film was hilarious, and it’s even cooler that it turned into a TV show! It got me thinking, though – he’s clearly someone who wears a lot of hats. And when asked about his approach, he basically admits there is no grand plan – he just jumps in and does things! I love that kind of creative freedom.

He confesses he’s still figuring out his path and doesn’t have a clear sense of his strengths, so he tries a little bit of everything. He’s drawn to challenges and finds it difficult to say no to things that scare him. He doesn’t want to get too comfortable, and thankfully, life keeps things interesting.

Clement can be confident that audiences will love Alice and Steve’s story. The show was a big success at the Canneseries TV Festival in April, winning the award for best series, and it’s both humorous and makes you think. Clement, along with his co-star Nicola Walker, is hoping the show will be renewed for another season, suggesting this complicated friendship might not be over yet.

“I had such a great time making this. I’d love to be back and working with those people again.”

Authors

Sarfraz Manzoor

Read More

2026-06-01 19:39