The infamous animated character that was based on Matty Healy: “It is genuinely based on me”
Matty Healy might be known for many things, but a cinematic presence is not one of them.
While some might know him for his bizarre on-stage bits or heavy hand in inspiring Taylor Swift’s most recent album, the singer is most well-known for being the frontman of The 1975, perhaps one of the biggest bands today. Healy’s presence in the band has sparked one of the most obsessive and fanatic fan followings, with countless people who fawn over his every move and signature look.
However, there have also been a few to notice the strange physical similarities between him and one infamous animated character, with recent discoveries revealing that the uncanniness might not be a coincidence and was actually based on a young Healy.
Many people have accused Healy of having a fairly rat-like appearance, with many other celebrities also falling into this category as the description has become more common. The likes of Josh O’Connor and Jeremy Allen White have also been coined by the internet as rat-like men, and to some, this is the highest compliment and form of flattery.
Healy was perhaps the first to be awarded this title, even if no one was able to pick up on it at the time, with the singer apparently being the inspiration behind Roddy in Flushed Away. The animated 2006 film, starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Winslet as the lead voice actors, follows a posh pet rat living in Kensington who suddenly finds himself being flushed down the toilet, meeting a host of other sewage rats and helping them in their attempts to thwart an evil plan being carried out by a criminal frog. Hard to believe, but yes, it is a real film.
But rather miraculously, the appearance of Roddy was based on Healy due to his mother’s relationship with one of the film’s writers. His mother, Denise Welch, is the goddaughter of Ian La Frenais, who was one of the screenwriters and producers for Flushed Away and based the appearance of Roddy on Matty Healy.
Naturally, this revelation spread like wildfire given that it is one of the most successful rodent movies of that decade, with Healy discussing his strange part in the film by saying, “I mean, listen, the reason I’m successful is because of this f–king brilliant band right here. But as you know my parents are actors. My mother is an actress. She’s a legend! Give it up for mum! Her godfather is a producer, and he produces movies. And I wasn’t actually close with him until I was around about probably about 14 years old or something like that. But anyway, he was looking for inspiration for a movie he was producing called Flushed Away“.
It might seem hard to believe, but Healy confirmed his influence on the film, saying, “So, it is genuinely based on me. I know that seems ridiculous, but if you do enough internet research, you’ll be able to be find out that that’s true. They did a good job, so maybe I am officially a f–king rat now.” Who knew that the singer also held such a strong presence in cinema, and on the second greatest animated rodent movie of all time (obviously compared to Ratatouille).
