How to kill a fly… according to TV and film
Forget fly swatters. Chris O’Dowd, President Obama, Karate Kid, Steve Carell and Breaking Bad’s Walt have their own tried and tested methods...
Technique number 1: The trick clap
Steve Carell may have conquered Hollywood, starring in huge films and TV shows alike, he’s even got a reputation for being the nicest man in the business. But his biggest achievement to date? Learning how to kill a fly. It’s simple really – you trick it with wind and catch it as you clap. But why are we wasting our time explaining it? Here’s Steve acting it out on The Graham Norton Show…
Technique number 2: Chew it
Not content with learning Steve’s lesson, Chris O’Dowd finds chewing a fly the best possible form of attack. Chris may not have meant to do it (the fly unexpectedly wanders into his drink), boy he sure doesn’t enjoy it, but the thwack of the fly on the desk sure signaled one thing – the fly was no more.
Technique number 3: The pause and smack
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President Barack Obama is a pretty cool character. He’s the President of the USA after all. He’s dealt with some tricky situations. But when a fly interrupts his interview – that’s only going to end one way. The President tells the fly to “get out of here”. It doesn’t. Foolish. The President calmly waits for it to land on his hand, before smacking it with resonating force. Obama later picks it up off the floor with a tissue, respectful like.
Technique number 4: Everything is a weapon
Breaking Bad’s Walt is your traditional fly swatter – anything and everything is a weapon. From a clipboard to a shoe, to almost knocking himself out falling off of a ladder, Walt’s on a fly swatting mission. Well, he must rid his lab of such a serious contamination. Walt even lets Jesse smash him in the face with a homemade fly catching net (or fly saber…).
Technique number 5: Beginner’s luck counts
The most memorable fly catching moment of all time (unless you’ve done something really spectacular at home - send us your videos). The Karate Kid's Mr Miyagi and his protégé Daniel Larusso prove that sometimes, a bit of luck is needed when it comes to the art of catching a fly. Particularly when your only weapon is a set of chopsticks. Regular takeaway eating may help.
