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Carl Weathers plays Benjamin Benson
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Police Chief Benjamin Benson may have the nation under his thumb but the one thing he can't control is his unruly and wilful daughter, Whitey Action.
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Iconic American actor Carl Weathers, whose many credits include Rocky, Happy Gilmore and Arrested Development, plays Phoo's beleaguered top cop, a man whose picture of law and order has been inconveniently ruined by marauding mutants.
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"Ben Benson is as perplexed by the madness and mayhem of 2012 as anyone would be," laughs Carl. "He's no more prepared to deal with the circus-like events of the crime than he is prepared to deal with the fact that Whitey's growing into a young woman.
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"His biggest problem is his inability to get out of his own way. Benson's vision of the world and his vision of how Whitey should behave clearly cause him great consternation. His attempt to fit the world of 2012 and Whitey into manageable compartments complicates his life and impedes his success."
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Behind Benson's brash Brooklyn bravado is a good cop trying to do the very best for all concerned, and when mutant-busting Jeet Kune Do (JKD) specialist Terry Phoo arrives, Benson is relieved.
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But, as Carl explains, even that emotion is short-lived for the troubled Chief of Police.
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"Terry's unorthodox methods add more grief than Benson bargained for. Initially, Benson is reluctant to warm to his young charge. He is not only protective of his professional turf but also protective of his daughter, Whitey. Phoo, as a result, is observed with caution and suspicion."
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Carl's acting CV spans three decades but he admits that he's never come across anything quite like Phoo Action.
"This doesn't resemble any drama I've ever seen or read. This is so outrageously whacky, I can't think of it as anything other than comedy from a wickedly funny and subversive mind. Jamie's [Hewlett] creative efforts are brilliant.
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"Unlike many American comedies it runs head-on into taboos. Nothing and no one is sacred鈥 viewers will either find it very outrageously funny or be outraged by the take-no-prisoners lampoon of so many sacred cows."
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Now aged 60, Carl was born in New Orleans and was a college football star at San Diego State. He had a successful career playing with the NFL's Oakland Raiders but retired from the sport in 1974 to fulfil his goal of becoming an actor.
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Carl's big break came in 1975 when he was chosen to play the role of Apollo Creed in Rocky, alongside Sylvester Stallone.
Such was the popularity of Creed, Carl went on to play the role in a further three Rocky movies, elevating his character to iconic status for legions of fans the world over.
Carl also appeared in the action film Predator alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger.
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During the filming of Phoo Action, fans frequently turned up to meet their idol. Carl says: "I feel very fortunate to have been the talent to bring Apollo Creed to life on the big screen - I'm very pleased that fans consider the character as a cinematic icon."
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And, when it came to casting the role of Benjamin Benson in Phoo Action, the creators confess they always had Carl in mind - to which the actor modestly responds: "Of course, being desired is flattering. However, an actor's goal is to deliver a superb performance. What was most appreciated was the willingness to hear my thoughts about the character and screenplay and the further willingness to include those ideas."
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More recently Carl has carved a niche for himself as a comedy actor, starring in the likes of Action Jackson, Happy Gilmore, acclaimed US hit series Arrested Development and in The Comebacks.
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"鈥淔or me, comedy and satire has been a challenge and I've found the challenge an exciting departure. It's given me entry into a different fan base and created much more fun in acting," says Carl.
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But he confesses that filming Phoo Action posed its own unique comedic challenges, requiring the cast to bring Hewlett's comic strip humour to life in TV action drama form.
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"Comedy is always a challenge,鈥 explains the actor. "But Phoo Action was very challenging because of the nature of the story, which involved very different cartoon-like characters like The Freebies where one had to react as if they were very normal in everyday life.
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"For the bulk of my career, I've performed in dramatic and action genre films and television shows. The comedy roles I've done have been well received but Phoo Action is by far the broadest, most over-the-top comedy drama I've ever been involved with.
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"Both Eddie [Shin] and Jaime [Winstone] were such fun to work with. They made the experience of filming Phoo Action so much joy. Both were energetic and came prepared to play each day.
The characters of Whitey Action and Terry Phoo were delivered with such comic book hilarity that I often found it very difficult to keep a straight face!"
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In Phoo Action, celebrity mutants The Freebies become the object of Benson's crime-fighting obsession. And working alongside a seven-foot purple ape, a baddie with a basketball for a head and a sinister striped puff-eyed mutant proved somewhat strange for Carl, to say the least.
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"Surreal doesn't quite capture the description of the mutants," he says. "The actors in those crazy costumes were put under really challenging constraints and valiantly performed in all the madness of the fights and running around."
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Aside from kung-fu crime-fighting, Phoo Action makes a comedic comment about celebrity culture in its own
satirical style. An interest in all-things-celebrity is, as far as Carl is concerned, part of our lives in 2008, let alone the weird and wonderful Phoo Action world of 2012.
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"I don't see celebrity obsession as any different from any other kind of obsession," he says. "Obsession seems to be the way many cope with their lives as a mechanism to deal with a lack of contentment or perhaps the need for escapism."
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And if it's escapism you're after, Carl is sure Phoo Action more than hits the mark, describing it as: "Madcap, whacky, subversive and funny!"
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While Carl's Phoo Action character faces a power struggle with mutants and his wayward daughter Whitey, the actor is in no doubt which super-power he'd opt for if he could have his pick. "For some reason, super vision appeals to me," he laughs. "Barring that ability, I suppose being able to print large amounts of cash for my own personal use wouldn't be so bad either!"
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