People assume there’s something flattering about having a film made of your life, but it’s not a very distinguished list: Claus von Bülow, Nick Leeson and Ronnie Biggs. I got incredibly lucky, though. Simon Pegg’s personality means it’s impossible for him to make someone seem unattractive.

We spent time together while he was preparing for the role, and we must have gone dancing - although I don’t remember - because there’s a scene in the film where he’s dancing around his flat with a strange American woman he’s picked up, and he dances exactly like me.

People have claimed the similarities end there. I organised a screening in London - at the American embassy - and when most of my friends saw Simon being so utterly likeable and winsome, they called it an absolute whitewash.

Having said that, I don’t think they’ve entirely spared me. There are moments when I think I was never quite that obnoxious. My other general observation is that the film isn’t nearly crude enough. I would have put in a lot more female nudity.

My official title is co-producer. I was originally hired to write the screenplay, but was then fired in short order, although I still tried to shoehorn in as many sophomoric gags as possible. They basically needed to pull together a single plot line from a book that is a series of vignettes. The film clearly departs from the book but retains its essence.

I feel vindicated by the book’s success. If you total up the few words I actually managed to get onto the pages of Vanity Fair while I was there and compare it with my salary, I must have been the highest-paid writer in its entire history. I wanted to show Graydon Carter that I could tell an amusing story, and the book and film do prove that. He’s not been too bad about it - although, when he opened his restaurant in New York and was asked if I’d be allowed in, he said no, because there was a height requirement.

I’m currently in the process of taking the stage version to an off-Broadway venue, where I’m going to play myself for the first four weeks. If it’s a hit, I’m going to get Simon to take over, and invite Graydon to see it for himself.

Explore Film

• Film Reviews

• Trailers

• DVD

• London Film Festival

Editor's choice

• The 100 Best Films of the Decade
• 70 facts you didn't know about Marvel
• The 50 Biggest Movies Of 2010