David Hasselhoff

The Hoff was in town for three days to talk up his forthcoming feature film Killing Hasselhoff, in which he will star and serve as one of the producers. (See full news story on the project here).

He said he wasn’t quite sure what to expect from the film crowds here — he has long attended the MIP markets for TV in Cannes but had never attended the film festival before.

He enjoyed attending the opening-night soiree for The Great Gatsby, and got a lot of stares and requests for photos and autographs. “It’s an international market and people seem to know me internationally, I’m the biggest TV star in France right now,” he said with a laugh. “It’s a world of movies. Why is everyone looking at me?” He got a lot of shouts of Alerte à Malibu and K200 (the French titles for Baywatch and Knight Rider, respectively.)

But he’s also been here on business talking up the new comedy. Michele Berk, one of the co-creators and producers of Baywatch, got the script for Killing Hasselhoff and immediately knew the actor would love it.

“She gave it to me on my birthday,” Hasselhoff remembers. “She said, ‘I have a birthday present for you, it’s called Killing Hasselhoff. I said, ‘I’m in, I don’t care what the script is, I know I can live with that title’…The only person who can bring David Hasselhoff down is David Hasselhoff.”

The ensemble comedy will be about a man who hopes to claim the jackpot from a celebrity death pool by hiring a hitman to kill The Hoff.

Hasselhoff is willing to poke fun at his image in the project. “They come to my house to kill me, and I’m lifting weights and talking about doing Batman the Musical,” he says. “It’s very funny.”

This kind of comedy appeals to him. “I want to be entertained at the movies, or moved. We’ve forgotten to entertain. Reality [TV] has taken over and they’re paying people thousands of dollars to go around sitting in hot tubs and talk about a bunch of crap about each other and they’re getting famous. They are stupid people and stupid situations. It’s great to get back to something that’s well written.”

The Hoff is that rare breed of celebrity that seems to actually enjoy being famous. “Why shouldn’t you?,” he asks. “I think the people that don’t have fun with fame and celebrity are the ones that were insecure before they were actors. Then they become more insecure.”

He continues: “It’s an amazing life that’s allowed me to go around the world, have lunch in Cannes, sell a movie about myself.”

The Hoff has a short stay in Cannes because he’s now off to drive in the famous Gumball 3000 road rally.

But he’s not taking his eye off his business for long. “I’ve got a lot of stuff coming up, I kind of go with the flow. I’m at a really good time in my life. I have a phrase that is ‘see it, believe it, live it.’ It works.”

Hasselhoff’s other projects include a German TV Series, Tales from The Hoff; a comic book The Hoff: Heroes of Fearless Freedom; a videogame calledHoff at Zombie Beach, and touring with live events such as David Hasselhoffpresents The ’80s and ’90s.

He is encouraged by his meetings in Cannes so far. “This is aninternational market, we’re here with an international project and the response has just been terrific.