Steve Coogan and Michael Winterbottom on Greed and why they keep coming back for another Trip

Greed is the latest in a long tradition of cinematic partnerships between writer/director Michael Winterbottom and actor Steve Coogan where the two bring to life some particularly unsavory characters. You could call Coogan the director’s muse, although it’s rare to find an artist so eager to cast their muse to the dogs the way Winterbottom does with his collaborator. Whether he’s playing hedonistic porn kingpin Paul Raymond, or a particularly prick-ish version of himself, Coogan always displays an exhilarating lack of vanity. Their newest creation in this mold is Greed’s fast-fashion mogul, Sir Richard McCreadie, a loathsome businessman with a dangerously flip attitude toward the countless people who have helped make his empire a reality. At Greed’s Los Angeles press day, the pair told us about the development of their latest monster, why they’ve taken multiple Trips together, and how their friendship helps—and hurts—their creative process.