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  • welcome into this conversation since his award winning breakthrough role in Four Weddings and a Funeral.

  • This is a performer who has continued to charm, entertain and surprise us in a wide range of roles from films as varied as Cloud Atlas, Sense and Sensibility.

  • Love Actually, and My Personal Favorite about a Boy.

  • Uh, and then this month he could be seen in theaters and the very charming, very sweet movie you just saw Florence Foster Jenkins.

  • She's not here.

  • So if you clap that hard for her, please welcome Hugh Grant.

  • Thank you for being here.

  • I have been warned that you don't really like people fawning over you.

  • I don't know.

  • That's a polite British thing are.

  • But you're okay with that?

  • Yes, probably be a lot of it tonight.

  • What do you want to start at the beginning?

  • Obviously you won't be.

  • Not obviously, but you were raised in England with some pretty impressive ancestry, like people from like the military and aristocratic descendants.

  • And how did you know?

  • It says that's what Wikipedia?

  • Yes, the military bits, right?

  • Yes, the aristocratic bits of rubbish.

  • But I I'm delighted it's there.

  • I think Americans think anyone with an accent has.

  • Yeah, prissy in their background.

  • But when did you develop an interest in performing?

  • Um, yeah, Isa.

  • Same old story.

  • I'm sure everyone in the room or assuming pretty much most people here acted.

  • It would've been a single thing.

  • Just showing off was a child doing silly voices making the limelight.

  • And at what point did you realize this could be a career?

  • Well, um, that happened in a strange way because I had some messing around acting, school, acting, university acting That wasn't my subject.

  • And then and then when I left University, because I have decided to go and do another degree at another university of sort of post graduate degree.

  • And during that summer, as I was revving up for that, um, I went to a screening of this strange student film that I had shot while I was at Oxford just for a laugh on Dhe.

  • These agents said you want to be an actor, and I said, Well, I know because I'm going off to do this this m Phil on, But suddenly I thought, actually, maybe just for a year, instead of writing essays, I'll act because I've always liked it, so I I said yes.

  • On DA on Dim.

  • Edie it Lee.

  • It was costing a film, actually, for the mutiny on the bounty with Mel Gibson.

  • You were in there?

  • Well, no, I wish I had that.

  • I was a nice part.

  • Very exciting.

  • You know that age Suddenly it was gonna be 20 weeks in Tahiti what seemed like a Ford shooting in terms of money.

  • And ah, And then in those days in England, if you weren't already a member of the Union Equity, you couldn't do a film.

  • You had to go and earn your equity card doing regional theater, and so they wouldn't let me do the film.

  • In the end, on dso, I thought, Well, okay, I'll go and get a bloody equity card.

  • So I went off to Nottingham Playhouse and played tree in wind shouting present.

  • Wait, weren't you furious?

  • Well, I'm not going to say that in a room full of Union SAG wouldn't have done that.

  • There isn't a thing that changed anyway.

  • The irony is, of course, Sinclair Bayfield guy played in this film.

  • One of things he did was to found de crecy nuts because he always played little bit parts on dhe.

  • He always felt a bit parts in particular were treated badly.

  • And so he founded.

  • And that was the beginning.

  • That's amazing.

  • That's a whole other movie you should talk to, Steven about a sequel, Sinclair.

  • Yeah.

  • Yeah.

  • You mentioned the movie you did in college.

  • Was that privileged?

  • And how did you come to get cast in that?

  • It was It was a guy called Mike Hoffman who's gone on to make weight be Michael.

  • Yes.

  • Yes.

  • You're so well read.

  • What is the word?

  • Well viewed.

  • Yeah, yeah.

  • Yeah.

  • I also made restoration with him later in life.

  • He's made all kinds of thoughts.

  • Yeah, he was there was a Rhodes scholar, and he would put together this film because he was interested in film, borrowed some cameras on dhe.

  • Then he said to me, Do you want to be in it?

  • If I lost my mic?

  • Don't let it.

  • Can you hear me on?

  • Duh.

  • And I said no.

  • And then he said, Victoria studs gonna be the girl.

  • So I said, OK, such a sexy name.

  • Yeah.

  • You didn't even know I did it.

  • And, uh, you know, I'm a great admirer of Mike's films, but I'm not sure we made a brilliant film.

  • I've been trying to find it, actually, or goto or any synopsis like Who did you play?

  • Well, I did something rather interesting for me, and I played a sort of upper class Englishmen who, uh, I think Victoria's studs was my girlfriend.

  • And then she went off with someone more interesting and kind of blue collar, and I challenge him to a duel, even though this is set in 1982 on, Uh, that's right March up to say I demand satisfaction.

  • It was a bit of yeah, it was a bit of a wait.

  • I'm sorry to belabor, but I'm fascinated by movies I can't find.

  • So did you win the duel?

  • I think we could have a spoiler alert it at like 40 years.

  • Do you think I get shot?

  • But I can't if he shoots me when I shoot myself, Who's there?

  • Two very different movies.

  • I remember lying in a pool of blood somewhere, but I think I'm probably set myself eso.

  • When you decided to go out and get your equity card, you did a lot of stage work like I believe you were in 12 nights.

  • Uh, well, that was back at Oxford, actually.

  • Oh, really?

  • Yes.

  • Playing the worst part.

  • Not only in 12th night, but in Shakespeare.

  • He's called Fabian.

  • Oh, baby in court often gets cut completely because he's such a dud.

  • You got terrible comedy lines like so?

  • So will cry out upon it, though, because rankers of folks dead Silence.

  • Nobody has understood that since 69 3 And is it true?

  • Did Coriolanus?

  • Yeah, that was it.

  • Not in him then.

  • I was third.

  • Shouting present, I think.

  • One of one of the mob union on various other small parts.

  • Uh, yeah, yeah, I did.

  • And I was frankly, slightly bored doing the small parts.

  • It was another young active, just come out of Roger.

  • We were bored together and also not professional love.

  • We were late for rehearsals, and the head of the theater in those days was a man called Richard.

  • Dig.

  • Today was very terrifying.

  • Hey, said, you're very good looking, but very badly behaved.

  • I've taken your parcel and given it to Carl.

  • Carl was his very special favor.

  • I just saw a little bit of an awfully big adventure.

  • Their eyes Exactly.

  • Why?

  • Based, really Oh, my God should have the monocle and everything.

  • You know, he was a different shape, but it was the same.

  • So what sort of career were you envisioning for yourself?

  • Did you think you just keep doing theater?

  • Did you want to do always do film and TV?

  • Um, I didn't know I was wandering everywhere, really?

  • But when I was doing that, that those plays at Nottingham, this other actor and I was slightly bored and we wrote a comedy show on Dhe.

  • Started performing it sort of in the lobby in the small studio theater there, and it was did quite well.

  • And then well, after that season, we went to London, started doing it in pubs and small theaters.

  • There, the king's head, et cetera.

  • On duh.

  • That was a very happy time.

  • Yeah, it was very good for a couple of years, and it was quite a popular show on Dhe weren't only doing that, but we're also writing stuff for other TV shows that writing radio commercials and I thought that might be in my life.

  • And then yeah, and then, um, Morris happened out of the blue this much and ivory film that sort of put me on into a film world.

  • And how did that come along?

  • Well, literally.

  • I my agent sent me of, you know, said they want to meet you for this, And that time is that says we're interested doing other things.

  • And I remember saying to my brother, who's a banker but was home that day sick, Like I can't face anyone these auditions.

  • I'm so bored.

  • I'm happier doing this.

  • My show.

  • And he said, No, you must go.

  • You must go.

  • And I went and they very kindly game in the part and, yeah, it was nice.

  • It was nice.

  • I squandered the opportunity off to it by doing a lot of rubbish.

  • I know about that.

  • I mean, there's some good movies in their lair of the white worm.

  • Concord, It good.

  • Come with you.

  • No, wait.

  • It's been a while since I've seen it, but I love it growing up.

  • Yeah, if you're very high on drugs.

  • Might have just now.

  • Yeah, I'm curious.

  • What was that one was last time you were on stage 1990 in a play about skiing that was supposed Thio tour and then come into the West End.

  • But it got stuck in Bromley after about two weeks died.

  • I thought I was pretty good, but, uh um, play died.

  • It might be my mustache.

  • I grew a moustache for it.

  • I don't know why I came out a kind of green yellow way.

  • I don't know that we've ever seen you on film with facial hair.

  • No cloud cover, welcher, everything.

  • Yeah, but you may be right.

  • So I'm curious.

  • How did?

  • Actually, it's an audience question from Christian wanted to know.

  • How did you first get your representation?

  • Well, it was actually it was that screening, that laughter in London privileged.

  • And it was a magical Steve.

  • Tennis from William Morris Agency.

  • Uh, yes.

  • And, uh, I remember thinking he was really cool.

  • I finally said yes.

  • I'll be a be an actor.

  • You represent.

  • I works, You say?

  • Yeah, You know what?

  • I didn't know.

  • I didn't realize what a privilege it waas, you know, in a rare kind of piece of luck.

  • Andi remember going to see him in his office?

  • He was on the phone doing a deal for, um, Sophia Loren.

  • That's pretty cool.

  • Random question.

  • Did you receive mutiny on the bounty?

  • What?

  • It came out?

  • Yeah, buddy.

  • Good.

  • Yeah.

  • Okay.

  • So you weren't bitter.

  • You could actually go and enjoy the movie.

  • Yes.

  • Yeah.

  • Tony Hopkins is so good in that.

  • Okay, Yeah, that was the guy who took your part.

  • I mean, coming out with a lead role in Morris for Merchant Ivory is like a pretty good start was it's intimidating.

  • Uh, yeah.

  • I mean, it was frightening, I think, to do the acting to begin with, um, film acting.

  • I mean, I don't have people in America get trained to do film acting, but certainly we don't In England, we didn't in those days, I I said, go to drama school.

  • So the first time you're on a film set, I literally had no idea what what was happening.

  • And it was, ah, TV thing set in the North Pole.

  • We filmed it in the Northwest Territories of Canada, and that's that's the first time I ever won in front of the cameras minus 70 or something.

  • Andi, I had to come out of a tent and struggle towards the camera to look for my lost comrades.

  • with fake snow blowing in my face on Dhe Looks sad and go back to the tent.

  • And I did that.

  • I thought I did pretty well.

  • So I got on a ski doo and went all the way back to the base two miles with.

  • I didn't even know you had to do several takes different angles.

  • So there's a full crew freezing our bollocks off.

  • You know, I had to be brought back.

  • I do want to talk about some of those earlier movies, though, because even if you don't like them, I love Bitter Moon with a Roman Polanski.

  • Yeah, What was that experience like?

  • Well, um, it's such a wonderfully messed up movie.

  • Yeah, exactly.

  • On.

  • Only Roman really could make a film like that.

  • It was apart from anything else.

  • It's very, very, very nice doing Roman Polanski film in Paris.

  • Because the hours are so amazing.

  • You start work.

  • You go from make up about 11.

  • 30 afternoon.

  • Are you break for lunch, which last innaro to is a bottle of wine?

  • Yeah, and then you feel maybe four or five hours and then you will go home cause he's always out at night.

  • having dinner and then going to nightclubs with his girlfriend on Dhe.

  • So it was very easy.

  • Very easy for me in Kristin Scott Thomas.

  • And they were Then are we had to contend with Roman would cast his girlfriend Emanuel senior in the lead role.

  • Them fighting like cats all the time.

  • Yeah, she wanted to provoke him all the time.

  • So when she and I had to do kissing scenes, she breakaway sorrow.

  • Manny's putting his tongue in my mouth.

  • I feel like I should point out 24 years later, they're still together, aren't they?

  • Yeah.

  • Yeah.

  • Uh, s o obviously.

  • In 1994 you hit this huge international stardom with four weddings and a funeral.

  • Theo, I have heard, but I don't always trust everything.

  • I hear that right before you made that movie, you were actually thinking of leaving the business.

  • It's a familiar pattern.

  • Yeah, Yeah, that's right.

  • Because after Morris, as I told you before, which was a good film and won prizes and well regarded, I then accepted every piece of crap that came my way.

  • I was so excited to be often you know, anything on I did these really dodgy miniseries on.

  • They got worse and worse and quality lens.

  • Finally, they dried up completely on that stage.

  • I wasn't really getting any work.

  • A tool on due to my great surprise, this script came through the letter box with my agent.

  • I was really good, and I rang on.

  • I said, it must be a mistake.

  • You sent me a good script on, um and I And then I went to audition for it, and they didn't want me at all.

  • Especially the man Richard Curtis, who wrote it.

  • You're kidding.

  • Not at all.

  • He was completely the opposite of what he saw as the character which was really him on Duh.

  • Anyway, he was persuaded by Mike Newlin on the producers to take me.

  • I think it's all right now, but, I mean, you guys have made up by presumably.

  • Yeah.

  • Do you remember?

  • I mean much about making that movie.

  • Did you have any idea it was gonna resonate with audiences the way it did?

  • No, on the contrary.

  • I mean, I knew it was a funny script, but I thought we'd screwed it up.

  • And when we went to What's your offer, Kat?

  • All of us me, Richard Curses.

  • Mike Newell.

  • The producers all thought this is the worst form that ever been perpetration.

  • We're gonna go and emigrate to Peru when it comes out.

  • And then they have a few cuts later.

  • They took it to Santa Monica test screening, and everyone loved it.

  • And it was a great surprise.

  • I would actually really like to see that script causes the 1st 10 pages.

  • Just the F word.

  • Yes, this on at exactly how do you approach that?

  • Do you, like practice?

  • Different way, Really way?

  • Because it was Yeah, it was.

  • I realized it was quite a big break for me, so I practiced everything crazily.

  • I remember taking my confidence, taking a dent at the read through when there was executive from working title sitting next to me, taking notes about my performance as I was reading of the script, Huh?

  • Remember her writing?

  • Hugh Dash.

  • More ironic question.

  • Look, funny question.

  • It's terrible off the 10 pages to see that.

  • And did you actually have to audition for that role, or was it an offer?

  • No, no, no.

  • You did.

  • Okay.

  • How were you at auditioning?

  • Because it is such a strange skill.

  • Yeah.

  • Um, well, it's It's horrible, isn't it?

  • It's really horrible in the occasion since then when I've actually been on the other side, Uh, I can't bear it especially, Yeah, it za horrible thing.

  • It's a horrible I don't know how anyone could be comfortable in that situation, but you must have been pretty good.

  • I mean, you were booking roles.

  • Yeah, enough.

  • I got enough.

  • But, um, the auditions horrible.

  • I hope they never come back.

  • When was the last time?

  • You whatever that is for weddings.

  • And that was the last time you auditioned.

  • Yeah, I suppose it was easy.

  • But there's a whole other world of insecurity that starts when you don't audition.

  • But because you think they they've never heard me do this.

  • So that's gonna be on day one of the shoot.

  • They may be thinking shit.

  • Way made a terrible mistake on.

  • So there's a whole new world of pressure there, but I think every actor has been fired at some points like it's part of the game.

  • Yeah, well, Richard Digby Day fired me for being laid.

  • Oh, I remember, But I agree.

  • It's it's, um it does happen.

  • So obviously four weddings and a funeral changed your life and career in a major way.

  • You won a BAFTA award, A Golden Globe Award.

  • How did you deal with having all these offers?

  • Suddenly come your way.

  • What?

  • It was just really nice.

  • You know, there's no beating about the Bush after years of struggling around, Really?

  • And it was a huge trip.

  • I was making another.

  • I was making an awfully big adventure at the time that for weddings came out with Mike Newell again.

  • Same director, even tinier budget in Dublin.

  • And we'd get back from brutal days on the set very long.

  • No money and, uh, the fax machines of those days with that son of a new paper.

  • We're coming out saying, and now your film Four Weddings is number five in America.

  • Now it's number three, and that's number one.

  • Here's an offer, Hugh for Captain Blood, and I'll pay you $1 million because it was just so completely surreal on dhe on Really nice.

  • What was the first movie you chose to dio after four weddings came out?

  • Well, it's I don't talk about that.

  • It's probably one I love to know, isn't General.

  • I might have been on a lot of drugs during that one to you would have had to be.

  • Oh, they were really nice people, terrific filmmakers.

  • And they've made lovely films.

  • I ruined it.

  • Oh, I wrote You really believe that?

  • Yeah, actually, I mean, they do.

  • They've made brilliantly successful films.

  • Christopher Columbus.

  • He made, you know, home alone, mrs dot final on DDE.

  • And he wanted to make this remake of a French from good nine months.

  • And I said yes.

  • And then I really ruined it.

  • And it was entirely my fault.

  • I panicked.

  • It was it was such a big jump up from what I had been paid before to what they were offering me on the scale was inhuman to my standards.

  • You scared of the production?

  • 20th Century Fox.

  • The whole thing on dhe.

  • I just tried much too hard on DDE.

  • You know, I forgot to do the basic acting things like mean it.

  • I pulled faces.

  • Overactive was a shocker.

  • Move on, Theo.

  • You're gonna think I'm, like, making it up and actually do love that movie.

  • And I had so much so that I could quote it to you specifically Tom Arnold scenes.

  • He was.

  • His first line is Oh, shit, Honey, I killed a guy.

  • That's why I genuinely love that.

  • I'm not getting your unbelievable around this time again.

  • I'm gonna ask you about a room where because I would really love this to be true, But I know not to trust everything I read on the Internet.

  • You were also being talked about for the role of James Bond.

  • Did that?

  • Everything.

  • That is pleasant.

  • Okay, I can't think why.

  • I always thought I bought a natural menace to the screen way.

  • You kind of got to do it last year in man from Uncle.

  • Yeah, I did.

  • And I know you've talked about this before, but did you worry about being typecast after four weddings and a funeral?

  • Not only did I worry, I encouraged it really shameful way, I think.

  • I think that was some part of me that thought.

  • People love this stuff, so I'll do a bit more of that.

  • That was a very bad mistake.

  • If I was advising me now, I would say, Don't do that.

  • Having said that, we see there were two films that came along in the wake of four weddings written by the same guy, Notting Hill.

  • And love actually on just, you know, he's a really good writer.

  • Andi.

  • They were funny.

  • And I realize the parts were a little bit similar because again, he was really writing himself.

  • Um, he saw himself as the prime Minister of England.

  • Well, I think yes, a little bit.

  • Hey, was head boy of his public school on Hey, Liv.

  • Marvelous problem.

  • There was actually a question a CZ Long as we're on the topic, this is the man who didn't want you in for what?

  • Is it a funeral?

  • Yeah.

  • Richard Curtis.

  • Uh, I'm sorry.

  • Can't find the person who wrote it's but, um, wanted to know what it was like working with Richard Curtis.

  • And what that relationship.

  • Well, um, very nice, really.

  • I have to say Richard is very good at keeping an eye on the comedy that he's brilliant.

  • But he now admits that people like Mike Newell, who he worried about who directed four ways he worried about at the time he used to.

  • He used to call him Strindberg's.

  • He was heavy, but he I actually knew what knew what he was doing.

  • His theory was that the script was funny enough to take the jokes would take care of themselves.

  • His job is to stop it or disappearing into a sort of souffle of nothingness.

  • And so everything had to be meant.

  • You really mean it, Andi Also, he was very good at insisting that actors keep it fresh.

  • Freshen it up, darling.

  • Never, never done it before.

  • So, you know, even you would take 16 on DDE.

  • You know, now the benefit of 2030 years of experience, that, looking back, that that is the only thing to do when your former Because the one thing that camera loads is repetition on the on.

  • The one thing it really loves is fresh.

  • Richard Curtis is also kind of like you and that he keeps threatening to quit.

  • Say he's retired.

  • I mean, have you guys talked about working together again in the future?

  • No, I think you might keep might have retired.

  • I think so.

  • He's busy saving the world, you know?

  • Yeah, he's always been a saint.

  • When he wasn't making big hit films or TV series, he was doing comic relief in Britain, raising this egg zillions for kids around the world.

  • And then he's brought it over here to America.

  • And I was doing it here on you Can't stop him.

  • Yeah, uh, there are some movies that were kind of against type during this time.

  • One that I actually really love his extreme measures, which you also produced.

  • This what attracted you to that story?

  • Well, um, did I bring up another movie?

  • You don't know?

  • I think I'm just trying to remember be for people.

  • Haven't seen it.

  • I mean, it's it's very chilling.

  • Yeah, it was, um, one of the things that came as a sort of benefit with the success of four weddings.

  • One of these you get offered.

  • You did in those days.

  • I don't If it still happens, is you get offered an overhead deal production deal.

  • I only have one of those.

  • And I loved the people of Castle Rock films because they had made such fantastic films.

  • You know, when Harry met Harry, met Sally misery and all these things on Duh spinal tap.

  • Andi, I made a deal with them, and then what happens is a cz Time goes on in their painful these overheads in a secretary in an office.

  • You think way.

  • Gotta make something Gotta make something on.

  • Extreme measures came along and I didn't think it was really quite ready.

  • But pressure was such.

  • You said Yes, let's make that on Dhe So we didn't Gene Hackman agreed to be in it, and it's it's It's pretty good.

  • Michael Apted directed it on.

  • It was meant to be this big debate movie or to a parking lot movie.

  • Where you supposed to talk about the dilemma as you walk into the parking lot?

  • I never heard that expression.

  • I think I got that right.

  • You know, it's about, um, a very famous surgeon, Gene Hackman, who it's so determined to find a cure for spinal injury and paralysis that he starts taking home this men off the streets on using them as human guinea pigs.

  • His argument big.

  • You know, it's worth the life of a few homeless bums in to find a cure for paralysis.

  • And I'm Lee Intrepid young doctor who says, No, it isn't human life sacred.

  • You took an oath until you get paralyzed.

  • Yeah, Yeah, well, yes, I think that is actually seen.

  • That haunts me where your character weeks.

  • I hope I'm not spoiling things for people, but it has been 20 years.

  • No, you you wake up and you believe that you've been paralyzed and you say you'll do anything and, uh, I'm making you uncomfortable, but it is chilling.

  • I mean, that is a scene that is haunting me, and it's as far as you can get from romantic comedies.

  • Really?

  • Yes.

  • Well, I suppose that was part of the ideas.

  • Well, I thought so, People.

  • I'm not just a one trick pony.

  • As it turned out, I waas.

  • That's not quite fair.

  • I was more of a one genre pony in that I mean, no one went to see the film.

  • Um, well, but you were doing never things like Sense and Sensibility.

  • Yeah.

  • They want to see that?

  • Yes.

  • And it was that a matter.

  • I know you have, like, a long friendship with Emma Thompson.

  • Did she just basically offer you the role?

  • I can't remember.

  • It wasn't.

  • It wasn't in her gift that only because the film was directed by Ang Lee Andi think I can remember?

  • I suppose he wanted me.

  • Um, yeah, I suppose it was a strange experience because He's a brilliant director, but at that time he spoke no English.

  • It'll really be, you know, not a word.

  • I mean, well, a few words enough to depress you because he comes from, uh, Taiwanese Chinese filmmaking tradition.

  • Where their directors are absolute gods on dhe.

  • They don't bother to be nice to the actors.

  • They just, you know, tell them what to do it on.

  • A man follows Chinese directors around with a chair for when they're ready to sit down.

  • Yeah, on anyway.

  • So on a day to I did my first scene with Emma walking across some lawn chit chat, both of us that we were rather good way went upto Ang sitting at the monitor.

  • So what, you think he paused for a very long time and he said, Very boring.

  • I can't believe the man who made less caution had the audacity to say that I love, really, But it's like four hours long.

  • Oh, yeah, but it's yeah.

  • Oh, yeah, yeah.

  • I'm not denying that I actually talk about some of the romantic comedy genre because I've talked to a lot of actors who say it is actually one of the toughest genres to Dio because people know the outcome and to do what well, is actually very unusual.

  • And you and you have a lot.

  • I mean, two weeks notice, music and lyrics.

  • Um, love, actually.

  • And, of course, Bridget Jones diary.

  • Oh, I mean, do you feel the genre gets the respect it deserves?

  • You know, everyone despises it.

  • I snort it, and I'm not really in the business of defending it.

  • I mean, I never meant to be in any romantic comedies in my life.

  • I just That's what I ended up doing.

  • I didn't I never said that I wanted to remain calm, but you're right.

  • They are.

  • They are tricky, tricky in a post 19 sixties sexual revolution way because it was easier when when you couldn't have sex scenes.

  • Bed scene.

  • Yeah, everything crackled very nicely.

  • But the problem, I think, with romantic films now is as soon as you got, you know, But you got the moment for the bed scene.

  • You have the bed scene and then slightly the air comes out of the film.

  • There's no crackle left, so they're not easy on dhe.

  • I think the reason why I say Richard's films work well is because he's uniquely able to do both hearts of the equation.

  • He is genuinely funny, but he's also one of the most romantic people I've ever met.

  • He's if there was a disease where you fall in love too often and too heavily he has it.

  • You also always have amazing chemistry with your co stars, which is something that you know, some people will tell you it can be faked.

  • Other people will say it can't.

  • Is there a secret to that?

  • Um, no.

  • I, uh you're nice to say I think it very much takes you by surprise.

  • And sometimes, um, the Times when you perhaps had a more tense relationship with your co star looks great on film on the times when you've got on like a house on fire looks a bit flat.

  • It's very strange.

  • Hate translates very nicely into love, Theo.

  • A couple.

  • The audience questions again.

  • Forgive me if I mispronounced anyone's name.

  • Mary Newsome wanted to know.

  • Um, of course, it's a music and lyrics questions.

  • I have to ask for your role in music and lyrics.

  • Did you have any performers that you sort of used as an inspiration for Alex?

  • Well, yes.

  • I mean, I clearly wham comes into the O, But I know that something is what I used to say.

  • That doing the publicity for the film I got I certainly enraged Simon Le Bon Really have Duran Duran?

  • Yeah.

  • Maybe it was around our allies to talk about.

  • Yeah, he got across, but yeah, it was that sort of swam around you.

  • Have you ever met George Michael?

  • Yes, I have.

  • I've met him with my friend Elton.

  • Yeah, he's noise.

  • Was he a fan of the movie?

  • Has he seen it?

  • I think it was before I made.

  • Oh, and then I'm Loretta has a question back there.

  • Wants to know how you prepared for the role of the British Prime Minister and love, Actually, who was prime minister of the time That movie came out phony.

  • Tony, It was Yeah.

  • Yeah, I think so.

  • Yeah.

  • I think that sounds right.

  • Yeah.

  • Ah, well, they're the challenge.

  • There really was just to make him not be the guy from Four Weddings or Notting Hill.

  • I tried give him a little more gravitas, but it's difficult when you are saying to a picture of Margaret Thatcher.

  • You know, Course you with your sources.

  • I can't.

  • I can't remember what I did most of my prep time was dreading doing that.

  • Bloody dancing, just like dancing.

  • Or is it?

  • I like a dance as much as the next man when I had a few drinks or just getting ready to go out in the evening.

  • And I don't want my panties to cheer myself up.

  • But in the cold light of day in front of a large crew toe have to freak out without an alcoholic drink.

  • Is Brad's brutal?

  • Could you do it again in Florence Foster Jenkins And it's very nice dance.

  • What?

  • It's easier that is choreographed.

  • They didn't do it.

  • It wasn't choreographed for no, that's the hell of it.

  • I know they kept saying she was.

  • We rehearsed the dancing.

  • It's do that tomorrow.

  • Then we never did.

  • He never asked it all until it was OK.

  • Action and I just start wiggling my ass way for music and lyrics, which, by the way, was a, uh, an album.

  • We say that anymore that actually charted on the billboard.

  • Uh, had you sang before, Did you have any kind of training No, no, But it now does.

  • It turns out, doesn't matter because you could make any noise.

  • You, like.

  • You can bark like a dog on the computer.

  • Makes you sound fantastic.

  • It is extraordinary, because we we used a proper studio in New York who do all the top recording artists.

  • And once they've had a few drinks, that was like, 1% of them can actually sing these.

  • Really?

  • Yeah.

  • The rest are all off key.

  • Way off key on.

  • Then you chew them up.

  • Imagine a Florence Foster Jenkins.

  • I know, I know.

  • It would be perfect Wednesday as a question.

  • Um, love Notting Hill.

  • Um, any chance you'll do another movie with Julia Roberts or Sandra Bullock?

  • Well, you're nice to like it on Dhe.

  • I would.

  • Oh, yeah, happily do it for me.

  • Neither of them.

  • I'm not sure they do a film with me, but I will, Of course.

  • Yeah.

  • I'm still in touch with Bullock a bit.

  • I was watching.

  • Is it minions?

  • She's in?

  • Yes.

  • Yeah.

  • So my little boy woke me up.

  • It puts three the other night demands to watch minions.

  • I couldn't I couldn't shut him up, so I thought I put millions.

  • I've never seen it on Dhe.

  • He could watch it and I'll go back to sleep.

  • But it was so good on Sandy comes on or her voice comes.

  • Yeah, And so I took a picture of us both watching it at three.

  • In the morning.

  • Sent it to Sandy.

  • She was She was pleased.

  • All your Children are pretty young, right?

  • Yes.

  • Yes.

  • So But I think like they're all under four.

  • Is that correct or yeah, somewhere.

  • Um, So, have they seen any of your movies, or do they understand?

  • I've tried toe.

  • Show them to them that they couldn't be less interested stepping down for extreme measures.

  • Well, I tried the pirates.

  • Something on them really so bored.

  • They wanted to go straight back to poor patrol.

  • Everyone's a critic, but do they sort of understand like that you play for a living?

  • They know that Daddy's on the side of buses sometimes, but I think they think everyone's dead is s 01 movie that I could talk about for hours is about a boy.

  • Um and I think this is a project you've been wanting to do for a long time.

  • um, they had heard that you had tried to acquire the rights early on.

  • Uh, that's right.

  • That's right.

  • I didn't get them on a man called Robert DeNiro got them, and then I can't remove the whole genesis of it.

  • Uh, what?

  • It was set up with a different director, and then that all fell apart.

  • He didn't think I was right for the part.

  • Remember, I won't mention his name.

  • On a year or two later, his project version of it fell apart and the whites brothers came on.

  • And I loved the whites brothers I still do to this day.

  • Um, that was a very happy collaboration.

  • What was it about that role that spoke to you so much?

  • Well, I mean, it was a little bit my life a little bit.

  • Um, I suppose I was about 40 then and, um, single on a bit spoiled on.

  • Um, yeah, but a bit exactly underemployed.

  • But, you know, I've had long periods of my life when I've been under employed by a ll The things in will's life.

  • Like dividing your day and 1/2 hour seconds Little rang a bell and talk about chemistry with co stars you and Nicholas holds.

  • Um, first of all, you believe how hunky he turned out.

  • No, I can't.

  • I don't think it's him.

  • You can see in the eyebrows.

  • That's him.

  • Yeah, that's amazing.

  • Um oh, well, they say you know, not to work with animals or Children, but it's what you're best movies.

  • And you're working with a kid.

  • Yeah, well, he was great.

  • And he's a really nice bloke.

  • It couldn't be less irritating or absolute zero obnoxiousness and what he also had, which I thought was nice.

  • He wasn't taught interested in show business.

  • Really?

  • His mother was a little bit interested, but not him at that time.

  • Yeah, and look how that turned out.

  • What do you think has been your hardest role?

  • For whatever reason?

  • Uh, well, I overstretched myself with the cannibal in Cloud Atlas.

  • That was gonna be my guest, actually.

  • Yeah.

  • When the house keys came and offered me six villainous cameos in the strange project, I thought that's exactly the sort of thing I should be doing.

  • I love the witch Oscars, but it'll show everyone I you know, I've got some range.

  • I was okay in five of them.

  • but the 6th 1 post apocalyptic cannibal.

  • It took about a day to put my makeup on war paint and everything.

  • And then I'm stuck on a rock somewhere in Germany.

  • And I have to look hungrily at some guy who's fallen off a horse and then I think, stab him and eat him.

  • Andi, I suddenly realized I have no idea.

  • I just, uh I was a poorly, I think.

  • Yeah.

  • How do you prepare for that role?

  • Yeah, yeah.

  • Um, yeah.

  • Just cut away from me.

  • I have a question from I think it's Lori.

  • Lori, Um, is there anything you wouldn't wish you had known at the beginning of your career?

  • Or things you would have done differently?

  • In hindsight?

  • Yeah, almost everything.

  • I mean, is it really true?

  • Really true?

  • I wish I'd known.

  • Uh, well, the big thing is, I wish I had known that you have to trust yourself to invent it in the moment.

  • I think American actors are much better at that than British actors.

  • Maybe it's our long theatrical tradition, but we sort of feel Okay.

  • We'll rehearse, rehearse, rehearse, rehearse.

  • We don't know what we're doing.

  • We know our lines.

  • on.

  • We also tend to act and think we know how we're going to say our lines.

  • And then when the cameras running, we give that performance.

  • Whether it's you know, whatever the circumstances, where's I've noticed with American actors?

  • If there's any rehearsal, it all in the film, which the seldom is.

  • But when there is the absolutely refused to rehearse, they mumble Mumble on a ll the English love is thinking about how pretentious.

  • Come on, speak up, love we got here.

  • But actually, the Americans have absolutely right there saving themselves on, even when you're doing rehearsals with camera mumble, mumble mumble.

  • When it's finally film in the camera, they come to life and it's fresh as a daisy.

  • Where is what?

  • We're all fading by them.

  • The Brits again.

  • It's about keeping it fresh.

  • Uh, question.

  • This is such nice handwriting from E D.

  • Um, once know what's your process?

  • Is an actor.

  • When you get a script, do you bring it down or just dive in?

  • Or is it part of your instinct now?

  • Well, uh, yeah, I break II break it right down.

  • I mean, the honest truth is, if you sight me the script If someone came along and gave you the script and had the cameras there right at that moment said, Okay, read it.

  • Now we've got one minute to read it, and then we're gonna start shooting.

  • Actually, I think one will be pretty good.

  • But after that, you go downhill on you.

  • And that's what I think.

  • You have to take the holding two pieces on Dhe put it back together again.

  • That's what I do.

  • Every last word I got through.

  • And true and true.

  • Especially with this Florence from you know why?

  • Why am I saying that?

  • Why am I doing that?

  • What is it?

  • You know, how does that relate to the rest of my life?

  • Where does it come from?

  • On Dhe writing long, long, ever expanding biographies of the character.

  • And I don't know if that helps.

  • It relaxes me a bit.

  • Andi, Uh, maybe maybe it brings some kind of substance to it, but, uh, I don't know.

  • I don't know.

  • You mentioned that you never had any formal training, But have you ever worked with, like, a coach on a specific movie or a specific role?

  • No, no, not not an acting coach.

  • I mean, I've worked on accents and things don't.

  • And I just love this question from Carly wants to know the worst piece of advice you've received in your life or career.

  • Oh, God, no.

  • Uh, there's a barrage of bad advice after four weddings from agents who just wanted me to do anything.

  • Cashier.

  • Ah, so I don't know.

  • I don't know what right I was I would come back to that one.

  • Well, that brings us actually to Florence Foster Jenkins, which is such a such a crazy story.

  • Kind of had to be true.

  • Did you know about Florence?

  • Or was the first year first affiliation with her reading the script I heard of?

  • Yeah.

  • Someone once sent me a cassette tape.

  • No.

  • Is it as bad as have you not heard the rules?

  • Well, only in the film.

  • Go on YouTube and you can hear the real floor.

  • Oh, my pretty great on what was your reaction?

  • I mean, when you I thought I thought was a brilliant idea for Phil.

  • Yeah.

  • And then, um, much, to my astonishment, and I suppose, excitement while they're also dread, I realize it was a bloody good script.

  • that was funny and sad at the same time.

  • That's always strong place to be in.

  • And Stephen Frears, who's directed some of my favorite movies of all time.

  • I mean, that's going to be amazing to get the call from him that yes, yes, yes, I knew him a little bit through the political stuff of doing in London.

  • And whenever we come to our rallies and things and he used to so called politics, let's make a film And I always thought I don't really mean it.

  • And then, to my great surprise, he suddenly presented me with this.

  • I mean that the story of the the guy who wrote this is actually quite Oh, really?

  • When it's charming going Nick Martin and he is a TV writer writes things like Midsummer Murders.

  • Do you have them here?

  • No, it's sort of just varies English fair People like it way have black mirror.

  • That's the one we're obsessed with.

  • Black wart, black mirror.

  • You have much black.

  • Okay, the only other worst, like if you want to see another Prime Minister on scurrying watch the first episode of Black Mirror and what this guy goes through is nothing compared to Yeah, trust me.

  • It's amazing, actually.

  • Think you'd really like it because it's black mirror refers thio screens, technology screens.

  • They're like twisted sort of Twilight Zone episodes about the dangers of technology.

  • Oh, sorry.

  • Just turned into a commercial for Charlie Brooker.

  • Yes.

  • Fantastic.

  • I know what I was doing.

  • Sorry, E.

  • Yeah.

  • Get excited about about Lechner.

  • The story of the writer.

  • Oh, yeah.

  • Just say he was a TV writer and actually not doing terribly well at that at this time.

  • Uh, worker dried up completely and he had two kids to feed.

  • And you thought what?

  • I'll write a script on spec on.

  • He wrote this film about Florence Foster Jenkins and, you know, wasn't expecting march and sent it off to his agent.

  • And literally three days later, his agent said, Well, Stephen Frears is gonna directed Meryl Streep's gonna be Oh, So Merrill was attached when you signed on.

  • Um, have you ever met her before?

  • I don't know what?

  • Actors hang out and, you know, club somewhere thio aware of, you know, with their Golden Globe winners all gather.

  • No, I mean, obviously that's gonna be intimidating.

  • Yes.

  • Turn boys.

  • When did you first meet her? 00:48:38.01

welcome into this conversation since his award winning breakthrough role in Four Weddings and a Funeral.

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