Happy Sad Confused - Daniel Radcliffe, Vol. II

Episode Date: February 1, 2019

Daniel Radcliffe returns to "Happy Sad Confused" to discuss his new comedy series "Miracle Workers", why he hasn't seen "Harry Potter & the Cursed Child", and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

D.C. high volume, Batman. The Dark Nights definitive DC comic stories adapted directly for audio for the very first time. Fear, I have to make them afraid. He's got a motorcycle. Get after him or have you shot. What do you mean blow up the building? From this moment on,

none of you are safe. New episodes every Wednesday, wherever you get your podcasts. Today on Happy Sad Confused, Daniel Radcliffe goes to heaven for his new comedy Miracle Workers. Hey guys, I'm Josh Harrow. It's welcome to another edition of Happy Sad Confused. I'm back and alive from the Sundance Film Festival, guys. If you follow me on social media, you probably know by now that I was obnoxiously tearing my way through Sundance,

seeing a ton of movies, interviewing a ton of people, and just trying to survive. Although I will say the weather here in New York is way more brutal than it was in Sundance. So there's that. But yes, had a blast at Sundance. My 13th Sundance in a row. I'm back every year. I love it. It was a trip.

It was great. I saw, like I said, I probably between, I want to say it was like 17 or 18 different films. Some of my favorites include. a film called The Farewell, starring Aquafina, who had two films at the festival, blinded by The Light, which is this delightful Bruce Springsteen-tinged story directed by the filmmaker behind Bennett-like Beckham.

It is heartwarming and sweet and filled with Springsteen songs. It's great. I saw a lot of films you're going to be hearing about later in the year. Late Night from Mindy Kaling and starring Emma Thompson and Mindy is going to get a lot of attention, big time adolescence with Pete Davidson

is going to get a lot of attention so I was able to catch up with a lot of quality things a really interesting film called Luce that's pretty provocative and it's going to inspire a lot of conversation later this year it was a blast and in terms of conversations we talked to so many great people

we've been putting out a lot of those conversations on MTV's social media on my social media I've been putting it out there and there's a ton more to come We're basically, I think, flooding the zone with extended interviews with all of the people I spoke to in the next week. So look out for, if you want to just follow the MTV News YouTube or MTV News is Twitter, my Twitter, you're going to see it all there. And it's conversations with, I mean, Army Hammers, Zossi Beats, Lupita Nyango, Josh Gad, Aquafina, Jeff Goldblum, Chris O'Dowd. I mean, the list goes on and on. It was an embarrassment of riches.

So I hope you enjoyed and will enjoy my Sundance coverage, live vicariously through me without all the exhaustion. And, yeah, I hope you check it out and enjoy. As for this week's podcast, Mr. Daniel Radcliffe came back. He was one of the earliest guests on the podcast. He's somebody I've had the pleasure with talking to, I mean, probably dozens of times. It's actually crazy to think about how many times I've been. I've done interviews with him here at film festivals, sketches for after hours. He's always game.

He's always down. He's the nicest guy in the room. Super talented, super industrious. I've seen, I think, all of his theater. He's just the most gracious, great guy. I can't say enough about him. And I'm so thrilled to say that his new series, Miracle Workers, that he came on to talk about, is a delight. It is from a writer by name of Simon Rich.

And it's this high concept story of guardian angels. Daniel plays one of them. And Steve Busemi playing God, who's this kind of like fed up deity that's just sort of like done with the earth. And it's high concept and weird, but it's totally, it's hilarious. My sense of humor, dance of humor. If you like my stuff, if you enjoy the comedy that I've done, I think you're going to enjoy Miracle Workers. It starts on February 12th on TV. Yes, highly recommended.

And this conversation was fantastic, as it always is with Dan. He's unguarded, he's honest, he's open. Yes, we talk, of course, Potter stuff and fantastic beasts and cursed child, but he's so much more than that. We talk about sort of where he came upon the manners that he shows and the way he carries himself on and offset, the choices he's made, the future projects he's looking to do, his newfound love of stuff, Wars, his feelings about comic book movies. There's a lot here. I think you'll enjoy this one

as much as I did. I hope so at least. As always, remember to rate, review, and subscribe to Happy, Say, Confused on iTunes or however you get your podcasts, spread the good word. And I'll just leave it at that and hope you enjoy this conversation with Mr. Daniel Radcliffe. pleased to catch up with my buddy, Mr. Daniel Radcliffe. It's good to see a man, as always. Thank you for having me, as always. I missed you in Sundance. Did you have the time?

I did. It was nice. It was the first time I'd been to Sundance without the pressure of having to sell a film, which was really, really nice. Not that that pressure, like, falls on me normally, but, you know, it's the first time I've gone into one of those weekends with, like, not having to expect anything to come out of it, which is nice. And we just sort of went down there and, you know, screened the show for a bunch of people eating eggs.

It was like a brunch screening, so everyone's just... It was actually, it was a good idea, actually. It meant it was a little, just a lot more chilled. Everyone was kind of having breakfast and watching the show. Nice. And then I hadn't actually seen the show at that point, and I didn't want to, and I certainly didn't want to see it in a room,

for the first time in a room full of other people who were watching it. And so I kind of, like, I did the intro, and then I went upstairs, and I was starting reading my book. And then I, it was also on the TV upstairs, and I gradually sort of gave up on my book and was just like, oh, no, okay, I'll watch it a bit. Let's see what this is.

And I was actually, yeah, it was, I was really pleased with it. It's, it's great. It's funny you say that. So we'll get into it in a little bit. It's miracle workers, but I will say this. I was at Tondance, and as you know, like, everybody there is so crazed. And we were doing the wall-to-wall interviews, and I was seeing tons of films. And I knew I was going to talk to you when I got back and I'd have time.

And I was like, I'm going to check it out. I totally got sucked it. I literally watched the first six episodes in a row in like the busiest time frame for me. So that should speak volumes. No, it does. No, really, it's a really, I mean, I, I was unsure, you know, whenever I watched something for the first time, I'm always kind of like, oh, God, is this okay? Is it good? And I watched it and I really liked it. But then I immediately, like, didn't trust my reaction. I was like, well, maybe, you know, I watched with, and then I watched with Erin, my girlfriend, and she was like, crying, laughing in some of the second or third episode. So I was like, okay, no, I think we've, we've done all right. Yeah, no, you're speaking my language with this one. And I got a chance to meet Geraldine out there, which had for her song. For Halla. Yeah.

Yeah, she's awesome. She seems to have a good head on her shoulder. She is like one of those people that when, you know, obviously around the time we were filming, you could tell like everything is going very well for her and it was about, like she was about to kind of break out. And it's just one of those things where you couldn't wish it on a more deserving person. Like she's so, she's so good, first of all. She's so funny.

She's so good. She's so lovely as a person and to work with on set. She's also, which is the quality I really appreciate, she's. really tough as nails like she um you know she she very badly hurt her ankle and was doing the last week of filming on our job on crutches and just like never you know complained and like you know she's she's great meanwhile you walked in here yours moaning about everything she's like i've been up since you know six this is i can't oh bar back not no it's barbaric i should say i feel like there should be a disclaimer in this podcast where like the the only person that talks faster than me perhaps

is you. So if you want to slow down your podcast speed by like 40%, you can do the one half speed or whatever it is that I sometimes put on accidentally and go, why is Chris Hayes talking so slowly? But yeah, no, it's, I have been told that I speak like I'm at a cattle auction before. So apologies to your listeners. No, no, they're used to it, as I said. Have you ever seen the Jeff Goldblum old Mac commercial slowed down? No. It's one of those like great. Like now that one happens all the time, but this was like one of those early. viral videos where someone discovered if you like half speed old Jeff Goldblum Apple commercials it's just the most entertaining thing on the planet how we recommend it okay great I will I don't know what I'm

doing with my evening I saw the um have you seen the um will feral beer adverts oh I don't know the local ones he did right yes yes yes somebody made me aware of them the other day I'm just like that is the best idea and why more companies don't just like let yeah people just go to town with their product. I mean, it's just the first one where he's just, like, lying in a farm. He's like, I have no idea how I got here. It's just the start. Oh, it's so good.

He, I admire him for so many reasons, but, like, he's somebody who just revels in these, like, it's like this almost like avant-garde experimental comedy, even where he's at today. Like, you know, he did that Lifetime movie a couple years ago. Which everyone, like, thought was going to be a joke, but actually was like, he played straight, totally straight. He really wanted just to do a big lifetime movie. Like, yeah, why not? But I do feel like he's at one of the, he's like, he's like,

at the stage in his career, which, like, a few people get to, which is awesome, where you can just do what it. Like, Ian McKellen in England just went on Coronation Street. Like, he did an Ark in Coronation Street, which is like one of our soaps. Like, you know, why not? Like, and then he played, I think he did, he's done like a dame, it's been a dame in a panamine

at the Royal, the Old Vic for like a few years. Like, yeah, it's just, I love, I love stuff like that. And, yeah, and Will Ferrell and Adam Kaye. Yeah, I just like, please do more ads. I, you know, will be a lot more fun. Have you seen vice yet? Yes. I loved it.

Me too. I know it's divisive. Why is it divisive? Can you explain? I haven't really bothered reading any of the articles about it. It was on my top ten

and Adam came in. I think it was the form. Was it like sympathizing Cheney? Was that their thing? Because I didn't find that was the case. I don't think that's the case. I think it was more I think people thought it was too

on the nose actually that it was not nuanced enough. I'm doing devil's advocate because I'm in the bag for it. And I think also the form, I think people mustook, you know how like look mackay in big short and this he's like he's fucking with the form right he's he's totally like not going the straight biopic route which i love but i think to some people

feels messy and like he doesn't know what he's doing no i was just like no this is like no i think you can only make those kind of jokes if you know exactly what you're doing like you know the credits rolling halfway through the film i lost my mind it was my favorite moment in film this year i didn't stop laughing for the entire and it goes on and oh What's great, that is the commitment to it. It's not just like 20 seconds. It's like goes on for a full minute. No, it's like you get a full cast list.

Like, it's so good. I was just, yeah, I was, I was blown. And also, I read Jane Mayer's book, The Dark Side, kind of not long ago. And if it's a, it's a, that book works as a, like the film, kind of an amazing companion piece to that book. And just, you know, and seeing how, you know, they did stuff like the, the, the,

the, you know, the Alpermalina scene where you suddenly breeze through all the... One brilliant, concise scene where you get a real sense of, like, all the shit that these guys were doing. Yes. I mean, but in a really fun, crazy way. Like, no, I think that's probably my favorite film of this year.

Have you been going through the screeners? Have you been caught up on some stuff? I've done a few. I've not done as many as I should have. I'm... I've done well, as always, I always do better on documentaries than I do on any of the features.

Yeah. What did you like on the dock side? I mean, this year, I love Three Identical Strangers. I'm so bummed that didn't get a nomination. I was more bummed that Mr. Rogers didn't. That seemed bizarre. Because I, to me, like, Three Identical Strangers,

it's an amazing story. Like, it's really well made as well. But if it hadn't been well made, I still probably would have really been into it because the story is just insane. Right. Mr. Rogers, as somebody growing up in England, I have no relation to him.

Like, the film started, and I was like, it's just going to go really dark. Like, because all the British TV comedians of that era, Who's the guy that turned into a horrible petal file? Like, you know, all those, like, older guys that had their thing in Kids TV. Like, in England, that would be a dark movie. And then I just watched it.

And it made me care about this person I have no concept of, really. And it was just like, it's what an amazing human being. And now Tom Hacks is playing him, because he's the only human being that I think probably could. Because he's as beloved as Mr. Rogers. But yeah, no, so it was, it was, it's been, I do feel like it's been a really cool.

And I'm glad that Black Panther is being recognized in a, it's in a proper way. Yeah. It's very good as well. Did you watch, on the docks side, have you watched either of the fire docks? Yeah, absolutely. I am fascinated by that. I mean, it is such a testament to how, like, you know, being a white dude who's a fairly good talker will get you so far, but not all the way.

Like, we'll get you to the point where you can really fuck up publicly. Right. But, like, that's the thing. Although I'm thinking about our American political system and I'm not sure. True. But in the same way. happening happen. But in the same way, like, he's got in there, and now it's a shit show. Like, it's the same, like, he can't actually do it.

Right. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely. But I think that was the thing for me of a watch. I mean, and there was so many moments that I was just like, it's also like, it is, it is hard to, there was a couple of those people where, you know, when one girl's on the plane, like, complaining that's not first class, I'm like, yeah, I don't feel sorry for years. I'm sorry. I'm kind of glad, like, a kind of shitty things about so happening. There's something Darwinian about it. Also, I was watching it going like, they are lucky no one died. they are that no one had a medical emergency that no one got drunk and fell in the water

like they are spectacularly lucky that no one died that is a the driver the driver when they're all getting into the city and the driver of the bus is just like clearly reveling in the fact that he's telling all these like young hipsters that he's just like

you guys are fucked and they're all happening like yeah right they pull over and to see the FEMA tents and you go yeah oh god you're amazing oh no yeah so I enjoyed those enjoyed those documents as well by the time I was

through the second dock I was like which one I did both so I did um Hulu first I was fully only intending on doing one of them and I even asked on Twitter which one should I see and I had heard Hulu was better and indeed I liked Hulu more yeah but after like one of them and after both

them I was like I could watch us making a murderer style I could watch 10 hours of this yeah I could be there for all the I want to see every meeting that Billy was in because you just go how did you get this money What a character. How did people keep giving money? I mean, and it's also going to be a great, like,

I'm sure someone's making a narrative fiction. Probably, yeah. Absolutely. The guessing game on who's going to play Billy at this point. I mean, that's the thing. Seth MacFarlane's too old. But he has a kind of look, doesn't he? Yeah.

But not. He's too old. So as we take this, and we're going to push this out immediately, the biggest football event of the year is this weekend. You made some news on your, and I'm totally with you on the Tom Brady thing. I dislike him only because he doesn't also eat tomatoes.

I don't understand a person that just decides arbitrarily, not to eat tomatoes. What, like a blanket? What, does he have tomato sauce? He had ketchup? No, it's like part of his weird diet. Him and Giselle. Oh, he's like, him and that guy. I mean, this is the thing. As soon as I made that comment, for those who don't know, I made some comment about Tom Brady having a maga hat in his locker.

And as soon as I made it, I was like, you're, you're in an interview, you've said something. And it's like, oh, fuck. I'm just like, oh, that's going to get picked up. And it was that thing of, like, and I, it was like, you know, it was Sundance. We done a bunch of videos that day. and I was like hopped up on coffee and just getting flippant through my third one.

I was like, yeah, get out of my hat away. And I was like, oh, what have you done? Not because I, in any way, because the thing, I should have made the point more nuanced. I used to be literally obsessed with Tom Brady. Right. The Brady 6th, for anyone who hasn't watched it, is an amazing sports documentary

about how rough it is being an athlete and frankly how amazing Tom Brady's story is. And so, you know, I watched him in doubt. I met him once and was able to tell him, like, I've just, like, find your story, so inspirational. And all of that's true, is why I was very disappointed when, like, you know, he picked team death star.

And, and, and, and, and, and, and so, you know, it's, it's, yeah, it is, it was one of, and also, but aside from that, like, it's more that, the Patriots are just, the Patriots are just, the Patriots United in the 1990s, they're just too good and have been for too long. Right. And for this year to have been, like, so many cool teams and so many exciting, like, young teams for it just all to end in another fucking Patriots victory is just very anticlimactic. I'm sorry Boston sports fans

you've had plenty of championships. I don't feel sorry for you. It's the same I'm used to hearing that because I grew up and still I'm a huge Yankees fan and I would always say like I of course grew up in the one era when the Yankees didn't win like they won 15 years without like winning a world series like the only hole in their thing was like my childhood so I'm like

I'm not I'm not the home you're not fair weather I actually went through the dark times too but yeah so I'm curious so like right now, um, what, like, what's going to occupy your brain with fantasy football over? The 15% of your brain that's been obsessed with fantasy football. What do you fill it with in the off scene? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

I mean, I read again. I start reading more. You need to relearn that skill. Yeah. You know, I read. I'll, you know, I'll start talking to my girlfriend again and friends. For good or bad. Yeah. Oh, God, I'm here I'm back.

Oh, shit. Fantasy is over. Dan's going to come and talk to me again. Um, but no, so I've, I've, I've always, uh, yeah, I mean, fantasy this year was a disaster. I was very, very bad. But it was so bad that it became funny in one league. Like, I ended up one and ten in one, one and however many games. I won one game. And my girlfriend almost won that league. So we had like completely symmetrical seasons in the, she ended up with one loss and I ended up with one win. And then the other league that I'm in, I had like the second highest points total in the league, but ended up finishing eighth because I played the person, like the highest score in the week. I think something like six weeks.

out of the 13 or whatever it was. There's no justice. So, you know, but I... Is it a keeper league or do you start from scratch? No, you're allowed to... You can't keep your first round pick, but you can, yeah, you can keep anyone else. And you can't keep last year's keeper, that's the rule.

Do you have other actor friends? It's like Dane in your league? Dane is no longer in the league. Dane has a young child now, and so I think, I think was... Yeah, yeah. Was the kid or football? Yeah, I think so a little bit. Who else have we got in there?

They're awesome. Who are... I thought, do you have any other, other, like, actors? I stumbled on to this amazing All-Star League of, like, apparently every big Marvel actor are in the same league together. And I found out that Chris Evans has won, like, the last two years, and it's, like, Evans and Pratt and Anthony Mackie and Sheedle. I did point out that...

I know that, because Bobby Canavalli and I just did a play together, he's in a league with, like, John Hamm and Paul Rudd, and, like, and they have, like, a big fantasy draft every year. I was like, yeah, they're in, like, a real cool guy. Yeah, cool comedy drama guy. Yeah, absolutely. Okay, so going back, I want to, like, since we have some time, let's talk a little bit about, I'm curious, okay, so like, I'm always struck by, and we've known each other for a while. From the start, you've been, like, the most gracious person to, like, me and everybody, like, on a shoot.

You come in, you introduce yourself to everybody. It's a very, and it's organic. It doesn't feel forced at all. I'm curious, like, where that came from. Like, was that something you saw from, like, the adult actors on the, on the Potter set or anyone picked? I mean, I remember hearing a story on the first film from an AD called Michael Stevenson, who's kind of a legend in the British film industry. Literally, you could have 300 extras walk into the Great Hall.

He will know every name on the way out that day. He remembered my, he had worked on a film that my mum had cast 10, like five, six years before I got cast in Potter. She had visited set for one day, and when we came in for my audition, he remembered her and remembered her name. Like, he's just an amazing guy. but he told me a story about Michael Kane very early on that was he was like when Michael comes on to set by the end of that first day he'll know everyone's name

when he introduces himself and I always thought like you know that sounds like a good way to be and I think it's also honestly like if I'm being kind you know to be frank like it comes partially from a a knowledge that like the reputation that child stars have or the assumption that people make about child stars

is that we're going to be dicks, so that, like, every time, like, a lot of my energy is just, like, goes into communicating with every second that I meet a person that I am not a dick, or that I'm not what they expect me to be. I'm not a dead, but... And also the knowledge that the smallest dick move,

the smallest moment will be a story that can grow and become a reputation. Yeah, and I do... And it does come from a very genuine place. Like, I don't know how actors who are horrible do their job or have fun or why they do it like walking onto a film that are people you know hate you must really suck like I don't I don't know why anyone chooses to sort of live like that um so yeah and and I just I think that as as an actor when particularly when you're young and you can you get a sense of actually like how profoundly your mood and

your behavior can affect the day and affect everyone's day right um it always just seemed like a really important thing to, yeah, to try and create, and, you know, as an actor, as a lead actor and say, you can be a part of making, of helping everyone to have a nice time and it to be a good place to work, and that's, you know, that's really important. Yeah, that is a fascinating thing that I hadn't even thought of, like, because I talked to a lot of people over the years about sort of that nature of setting the tone, you're number one on the call sheet and setting the tone, but when you're 10, 11, 12, what you were, and you were number one on the call sheet, that's, that's a lot to put on a young person be like, okay, I'm going to set the tone

and I'm, like, going through puberty and being, like, good, all this shit, like. Yeah, I mean, I didn't. I never felt, like, at the time, like, oh, you're, like, it was never put to me in those terms, so I didn't, like, feel that pressure. I think, well, that was one of the things that Chris Columbus was amazing at on those first two films was, was getting us all infused and, and excited to be there every day, and, but also focused and, you know,

concentrating on the work. And, yeah, and I think it was a, honestly, I think it was probably a conversation my parents had with me fairly early on, was just, like, you know, you do set the tone and, and, you know, it's okay to, if you're having a bad day, you can have a bad day, but, you know, don't let that spill over onto other people and are onto their work. So, yeah, I think it's a real, it's actually a real privilege if you get to set the tone on a set, because you get to make the set, the kind of set you want to work on.

Right. And I want to work on a set where everyone's having fun, but we're also, like, getting stuff done and are focused. Right. And when I'm in that position to do that, it's a real, yeah, it's pleasure. So did you ever go through an obnoxious phase? Like, was there... Not on set. Like, not in, not as an actor.

I don't think so. I mean, look, there may very well be people that disagree with me on that. But I think generally speaking, I was not, like, I'm sure I was an irritating and stupid teenage boy at some point, but more to do with just being a teenage boy than to do with being an actor. I'm curious, like, was ignorance kind of bliss when you were a kid, working with those, like, great esteemed actors with those long resumes. Like, you probably didn't know who Richard Harris was or anything.

I knew everyone else was reacting like I really should, but I didn't know myself. I went up to, I always maintained the reason Maggie Smith enjoys me was that when I first met her when I was nine, I'd heard she was a dame. No idea who she was. So I just walked up to her, and the first thing I said was,

do you want me to call you dame? And she was like, no. Absolutely not. And I think that sort of indeed. And I think, yeah, you're right, ignorance was bliss, because I was just going up to... The first person I remember being, like, oh, whoa, was Gary Oldman. Right.

Because that was, like, I was old enough to have watched some of his films, and, like, I knew he was. And that was one of the first times that I was really, like, you know, freaked out to meet somebody. But, yeah, Maggie Smith, Richard Harris, you know, all those amazing, like, Bob Hoskins on David Copperfield, all these amazing actors. I was like, yeah, fine, who are you? Was Rickman intimidating? Because, like, I did one of the, I had the privilege of one of the last conversations with him, and he was, you know I've talked to everybody and like he was yeah he was an too man guy oh yeah so smart so so smart and also like Alan had that voice and so there's a lot of times people thought like

and he had that voice and a very dry sense of humor yes so sometimes people would think like oh he hates me but like actually like he really didn't like Alan I remember I Alan took me and Richard Griffiths out for dinner once after Equus and it was the first time that I'd sort of been with him as an adult and not on the potter set and just like seeing this man who has been you know quite intimidating for a lot of my life suddenly become be vulnerable and funny and self-deprecating and all these things and I mean he the I cannot emphasise enough how I went to his

his memorial service in London and the amazing theme that developed there was just what a supporter of younger actors he was there was so many young actors there who you know he had taken time out to go and see their shows and I mean he saw every piece of theatre I ever did he cut short his holiday in Canada

to come and see me in Equus and then took me out for dinner afterwards and gave me like not notes but like you know talk to me about the show and was helping it was we're a fair way into the run at that point I was struggling some things and he was very helpful and you know he didn't need to do that

and he didn't I don't frankly know how he had the time to be as supportive of so many young actors as he did and direct and write and be an amazing actor but yeah he was definitely intimate for the first sort of two particularly the first sort of three films and I think that was also the time when

to be fair to all the older actors like they didn't know if we were going to be around for the whole series right like they didn't even know if we're you know they And I think it was on the third film where me and Alan had some like proper one-on-one scenes together for the first time that he really started treating me differently

and a bit more like a grown-up. Well, I can't say from personal experience, he always spoke exceedingly prideful and happy with you guys. And I remember like that at the conversation, he, you know, and it probably wasn't his cup of tea, but he, I don't know if you remember for that sketch we did for you, me and Dane.

There was like a little cameo that Alan like taped that we put into the sketch that I'm sure he wouldn't have done for many people what he did for. Oh, cool. well, thank you, Alan. Let's talk a little bit about miracle workers because, like, I mean, we talked before

about this, the post-Potter career and how you've charted this amazing path that's been very unique to you and reflected your aesthetic and sense of humor. And this one feels, like I said, it's right up my alley, it's clearly right up your alley. Talk to me a little bit about,

it's where it starts with, is with the writer on this one, right? Absolutely. So this is, Miracle Workers is based on a book called What in God's Name, which you should all read. It's fantastic and funny and very, very short. And I read this book, Erin, my girlfriend turned me onto this book, and I read it, I was like, this is amazing.

And I was able to get a meeting with Simon. And I just said to him, look, if you ever do anything with this, I really don't care in what capacity that I could work on this, but I just want to be involved. And, you know, he could have turned around and said, yeah, we're doing it on the radio, and I would have been like, yeah, great, I am in. And, yeah, so I had that conversation with him, and then about a year later, he phoned me up talking about how he would like to do it as a TV series, and how he would, if we are lucky enough

to get a second series, it would be an anthology series. Now, the thing that was amazing about that for me was that I've wanted to do American TV for some time, but standard contracts of seven years. years. And so I, there was no way I was going to sign on to something for that long again and get locked into something for that long again. And so when this came along and not only was the writing amazing and this series itself amazing, but TBS had given Simon, you know, carte blanche to then change the story next year. You have a new setting, new story, new characters, complete, like American horror story, but kind of for comedy. And that, you know, so basically

I wound up in a situation where I just, get to do a new Simon Rich project every year. Which to me is, you know, Simon's one of the most talented writers I've ever worked with. I think probably one of the most talented around. And he, yeah, I mean, he's, he manages, in this series and in lots of his work, he just creates this amazing tone that is both incredibly dark and sort of, you know, has a real edge to it in terms of the comedy, you know, there is a hell of a body count

in this series. It basically starts with the premise that the earth is not worth keeping around and... Right. So God decides to blow up the earth in the first episode, very early on in the first episode. The rest of the series is us either trying to convince him not to or trying to, in fact, just save the earth.

So as a consequence of that, you know, we're in heaven. So we're dealing with the running of the earth. So when something goes wrong, people die. Like, massively. It matters. A huge large, amounts of them sometimes and um so that was so he manages to have this world where that exists and can happen but also it just be so incredibly sweet and heartfelt and earnest and full of like a real kindness and a real love for human beings in all our chaotic messy forms and um yeah i just think there was there was such a unique tone and style and it's something that i like because i

love comedy, but I don't particularly like mean comedy. Right. And so, yeah, that was just something that I was like, yeah, I don't know when I'm going to get a chance to work on someone like this again. And so I dived in and then, yeah, probably about a year after that conversation, we started filming. And just to say a little bit more of the premise, you basically, you and Geraldine are guardian angels, as it were, kind of you specialize in these kind of mundane tasks.

You're not into the big stuff. Yeah, I work in the department of answered prayers, which is a lot, sort of less of a an important or glamorous department than we would like to think it is. And Craig is somebody who is so terrified of failure that he has scaled back his ambitions to only achieve, to only consist of the things he knows he can achieve,

such as finding somebody's lost keys or finding somebody's lost gloves. Really finding small, lost things is sort of the bulk of my activity. And then Geraldine's character, Eliza comes in and has, you know, real actual ambition and wants to change the world. And I'm kind of there going, whoa, slow down.

you're going to mess things up. We can't be getting crazy with how many people we're helping. And so her journey is one of getting me to grow up hair, basically. And my journey is one of sort of reining her in slightly from her more reckless tendencies. I was kind of taken back

that I was hearing your actual voice in this one. I feel like generally speaking, maybe I'm wrong. I would have to go through the resume. But post-Potter, I feel like most of your work, you're doing a lot of American accents. Yeah, that has been. Yeah, I suppose you just see me

stage as well, which I was doing American accent and that. Yeah, no, I do. I seem to work in accents all time. I'm learning a new one at the moment, learning South African, which is fun. And yeah, I did Israeli for a film. If I never had to do that again, that would be great. I just felt like I was, shall I say this? Yeah, it's fine.

Because I don't want to put it into people's heads in case they see it. Because I stay in the accent all day. When I'm on set, I'm in the accent all the time. And American, that's very easy to do. Like, it doesn't feel like a big thing. when I was doing Israeli, I felt like I was doing a bad Borat thing the whole day. And it wasn't. And I've had many Israelis be very complimentary about my accent, which I'm very grateful for.

But it's so far from how I talk that it could never like sound natural to me. And that must be helpful for an actor because you're so self-conscious. Yeah, exactly. And the whole thing is like, as you say, like self-consciousness is the enemy of acting. So as much as you can stop yourself from thinking about yourself, the better. So eventually I sort of, I was able to just go like, I'm going to sound like what I'm going to sound like. I'm playing an Israeli.

I've got to have a shot at it. And so, yeah, there's, but yeah, it is, it's kind of, and actually, like, this character in this show is, I mean, he's not, like, I am not, thankfully, as pathetically scared of everything as Craig is. But I, you know, there's a nervous energy in there, which is very much emanating from my own, my own self. So it was a, this character is probably more me

in a lot of the way he speaks and the way he is than other characters out of him. We haven't even mentioned also the third part, or there's a great ensemble, but Steve Bouschemy. I've always said Busemi. Both are fine. I asked him, is it Bichemi or Bucemi? He said it's both. In my head, I was like, it can't be.

I must have one name. Like the first, like 30 years of my life I said Buchemi, and then I heard, I thought I heard him or someone say Busemi. I think he does say Busemi. Okay. But he also says that it's fine to say Buccemi. I think he may be just being too nice. Yeah. No, he was.

I mean, Steve is just, to be honest, it's always been my experience that the people who are really good and have been really good for a really long time are great. It's very rare that those are the troublesome ones. It's normally the people

are kind of in and out of the saddle of either work or fame that are tricky. And Steve is just lovely. At one point Steve was wondering a car and Sony is in the show and his parents were on set and Steve apparently saw them

wandering around looking lost and we have a big set that were on and so he just like walked over to them and sort of guided them back to set and then like took them to craft services and was like chatting with him and then later they turned to Karen and was like, oh yeah, that guy, he showed us around

and he's like, yeah, he's the lead of the show. He's playing God, that's Steve Bouchemy. But yeah, he's just a lovely, lovely man and yeah, and we were, I mean, just crazily lucky to get him. Yeah, when you get, when you get Natla and someone like that, you're like, okay, this is going to work. Yeah, it really was.

Were you an Obowski guy? Are you a little bit? Yeah, absolutely. Abowski outfog. I mean, I'm most of the Cohen-runs movies guy. I do. I love them. What's your Top Kohn Brothers movie or two? That's a big question I know. Big Lebowski has got to be up there.

I love O'Brother where art there, but I haven't watched it since I first watched it, but that was probably the first one I saw. Got it. So that got very ingrained. What else? I mean, you know, Fargo. Yeah, sorry to name all the hits, but they are.

You know what's grown in my estimation since it came out a few years ago is Inside Lou and, Davis. That one gets better and better, I feel like. Oh, I haven't seen that one. Oh, really? A lot of them do that, though. I feel like a lot of them, I mean, it's the mark of a great film. It's obviously standing the test of time, but like, their films just are so dense.

I also love the man who wasn't there when that came out. I really enjoyed that. I don't know if that holds up a get-tography on that. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Amazing. Okay, so we also want to mention, congrats, I got a chance to see you in Lifespan of a fact. You and Cherry Jones, and Bobby Kana Valli.

when you end a run in a in a play are you like ready or do you like do you like look towards the finish line do you like kind of know when you're kind of like I'm ready for the next thing yeah it varies from play to play the end depends how long the run is like I did a show called privacy which we we did four weeks of previews and four weeks of performances and like we got to the end and it was like oh Jesus that's over that's I missed that um this one like I've got to be honest I was ready I was ready for it it was great um We had a fantastic time. But I think by the end, all of us were like, cool, we've done it. Like, we've done it. It has been really good. And now it was the perfect length of run for us. And there is, you always, it always goes through, there's always the same kind of cycle, no matter what, generally, no matter what length run it is, which is like, you know,

just get through rehearsal and then terror and adrenaline and fear just rule you through preview and in a kind of good, exciting way. And then it's like that for sort of the first half to two, third. thirds of the run and then there's like a little couple of weeks where you're just like will it ever end? Because once you have said the same line and not for any other reason that you start to, even though it is the experience is the same for an audience, whether they're hopefully coming in week one or week nine.

By the time you get to week nine, you have said those lines so many times that there will just be moments that you no longer believe yourself in, even if it comes across as real to an audience. I would think that's also exacerbated on something like a run like, how to succeed. That was a long run, right? Yeah, we had to succeed was, we did, I did for 11 months and that, that was, it's interesting, it's so much harder doing, like, a musical like that than it is doing like a show like Crippel of Inich Marn or Equus. Because if you're having a great day, you know, I can make myself sad. I can think about some stuff and get into a dark place and make myself sad.

If you're having a shit day and you're doing a bright and breezy musical, getting up to that place of like, okay, guys, I'm going to sing some songs, is, is, that was, that was, I mean, I do, I maintain that doing a, doing a musical is like the hardest work you can do as an actor, basically. Well, just the physicality, too. You're like, you're like a marathon runner. Yes, it was, it was really good. And I loved it.

And I have actually, there is something incredibly bonding about being, doing a musical with people. I think I probably got more or as many friends off that job than of any. job you're in the trenches with them you really are and you screw up with each other and you know you have each other's back and I mean that was that was actually the real joy of of lifespan as well was becoming a kind of like some weird superorganism with cherry and bobby where we're all just very connected and like when the show was good and when it was like a good performance at night you really felt like wow we are one we are moving as one thing which is a really exciting

thing to feel do you and do you consume a lot of like theater obviously you can't while you're kind of in a production but I just do you see do the rest of the time. I don't, if I have a play coming up, or if I'm, or if obviously I'm in one, Bobby sometimes would go and see like two plays on his day off, and I'm like, I don't know how you are doing this.

He's like, I've got to support a friend. He was like, I don't care about my friends that much. Self-reservation. But I, yeah, no, I, uh, what was the thing? I just saw your buddy Paul Dano in True West. Oh, how's that? As you can imagine. Yeah.

That's, that is a tough play. Yeah. yeah yeah yeah they're not switching roles no they're not I saw that prediction way back way back well with John C Riley and Philson Hoffman that was epic too yeah god

but yeah no so I don't watching a play when I'm about to be in one or in rehearsal just I'm sitting there being like I should be home learning my lines I shouldn't be doing this I just get so nervous and but yeah what have I seen recently I saw the ferry man the other day I've got a friend in it and it was fantastic

I mean it's a really there's some really amazing And also, I mean, the fact that they've been, I think a new cast is going to come in in like a few weeks, but like those guys have been doing that show for two years since London. And it is particularly, I mean, what they're all doing is amazing, but like, this is really bad at me. I don't know the lead actress's name. Right.

But the girl who plays the main actress, I honestly don't know how she is finding those levels of emotion and intensity after two years of doing that show. It's really, really, like, impressive all around. She's amazing in it. Very cool. That's definitely on my way. I mean, yeah, they announced the replacement casts, and they're, like, also, it's like, I think Brian Darcy James, like some really, like some really good people, too, although Patty Constantine is pretty talented himself.

Yeah, Paddy Considine is pretty amazing. I mean, yeah, Dead Man's Shoes, or Dead Man's Shoes, for anyone who hasn't watched it, is like... I haven't seen that. It's amazing. Oh, yeah. It's a him and Toby Kevall in a Shane Meadows film from a while ago that is like, it's a really, yeah. I mean, it's one of those films again that I haven't watched since I was a teenager, but when I watched it, when I was younger, I was like this is, this film is unreal.

Yeah, it's very good. He's amazing. He's one of those guys, too, that I've always, like, I always am piqued by what he's doing. and, like, I feel like I'm surprised it hasn't. I mean, he's obviously a note, but, like, I feel like the next level is eluding him. I know you've talked about this. You haven't seen Curst Child for obvious reasons.

It's a weird dynamic for you to go there and do that. Yeah, I would just be sitting there thinking that everyone would be watching me for my reactions to the show, and maybe they wouldn't be, but I just, I'm too weirded out by that. Yeah, I think so. I'm a bit, yeah, I'm a bit, I'm a bit weirded out by that. But I have actually met the director in the last few months, so I was able to, like, apologize to him, Personally, he does not care.

He was like, I don't know what fuck. But I was, but I was, but I just say, it was still nice to be able to set to him. Do you, do you know, like, what happens in it? Like, are you curious just as, like, someone that's been, obviously, the guy in that franchise of, like, what happens to your character? That's a good question. I've heard bits and pieces of, of what happens to him, but I guess, no, maybe it's bad. Maybe I should have been more curious. I, I, I haven't been particularly.

I'm just, you know, I, I think it's probably, because, like, in a part of my mind, I'm like, I know I'm going to find out one. right like it's gonna get through to me like at some point i just haven't been seeking it out were you surprised to find out that um young dumbledore was actually the super hot jude law all this time i mean um not not particularly i mean you know michael gammon's pretty hot um i i uh i i uh no i think jude i actually was like i was very very happy with that casting because judeau also feels like one of those actors was like you should have been in the series we should have had you in right now how has that not happened so it's yeah it's nice it's nice that he is.

And actually, I do think there's something lovely about him playing that character and sort of, you know, the talk being passed from Michael to him is a very... He's great, I don't know if you've had a chance to see it, but he's exceptional as well. I've also not seen that one.

That one was the first one that I was like... Because when Fantastic Beast came out, I was like, not weirded out by this at all. This is great. This trailer, the trailer for the new one where I was like, oh shit, Hogwarts. I was like, I'm not gonna be there. That is weird.

That was the first time when I had a moment of being like, oh, that is kind of weird. Do you think... So, again, we've talked so many times about sort of, like, how you've capitalized in a very smart way in terms of, like, the cachet that you had in your Harry Potter years on these kind of unique projects post Potter. Do you think, like, it's ever cost you a role? Do you feel like sometimes it's in people care too much? Honestly, like, I'm sure. I don't know which ones or what, but I'm, I'm sure it has.

And I think I maybe have been told once by somebody that they just, that they, they, they, they wanted an, uh, an unknowing. for this part. I think the way they put it was actually slightly more... And I honestly, I get it. They were saying, like, we want somebody that doesn't have kind of baggage with or that the audience isn't coming into...

You know, if you're... For instance, if you're playing a character who, like... The point of him is that he is very anonymous and no one cares who he is, then I can see why a director... Like, I personally think I'm... That would still work and I can play that. But I can also totally see a director's point of view of being,

like, don't want a super famous person playing this part. Like, I get that. but no I don't so to my knowledge it hasn't and I also think there's an interesting thing where I think there's you know if half the directors in the world saw me as Harry Potter and were like well

that's all he's ever going to be and I don't want him I don't want that baggage touching my film there was another the other half of directors there's another attitude towards it which is that I want to be the one to reinvent him yes I'm going to fuck that were those preconceptions

exactly and I think a lot of directors find that really exciting So I was kind of like, as soon as I keyed into that, and actually doing Equus was a big part of that because that made everybody go like, oh, he's going to do, he's up that far, he'll go that. Yeah, he's going to push himself. Like, I think that I've been told by a few directors since that was, even if they didn't see it, that was something that kind of made them sit up and take notice,

which is nice. But, yeah, I, so I feel like, um, uh, yeah, I mean, definitely like, John Quikidas and Kill your Darling's was very excited to, like, get his hands on me and, like, do the first thing since, since Potter and, and, uh, yeah. And I think, you know, probably there's something to that in, you know, the Swiss Army Man guys and a few of those as well. So where are you at right now in terms of like, you talked about the notion of not wanting to do like a long-term series, like the appeal of this is an anthology kind of thing. Where are you at in terms of like films?

Like are you more or less open to kind of ongoing franchises, which is like the bread and butter of the film industry right now? Yeah, yeah, you're right. Yeah, I'm totally open to it. but it just has to be like a really good script and I'm I you know I don't like to talk disparagingly about the studio system and it's not it's just a reality of the world we're in that people feel more comfortable taking risks

when there's less money involved so the indie world while it is much harder to get things made when you are successful in getting them made you know you will have more of a chance to be kind of slightly more adventurous but no I would do a franchise again in a second if I loved it Like, would have no problems of doing that. Supporting role, if possible, so I have time to do other things. But, yeah, absolutely.

Are any of, I mean, I guess you mentioned one already. I was going to say any of the Marvel or DC things doing it for you. Black Panther did it for you. Black Panther, I thought was great. I mean, honestly, Deadpool is, like, one of my favorites. I think the guys you write it are amazing. I met with them a couple of times about something ages ago. Oh, they're super smart, yeah.

They're so smart. They're so funny. The credit sequence in that movie, the first one does, you know, the real heroes here. Right. Um, oh, that stuff was so good. Um, what was the, what did they call? Ryan Reynolds, God's perfect idiot was where he was very apropos. Oh, man, it's funny.

It's like, we were talking, like, even back to Adam McKay. It's like, it's screwing with the form. It's just not being lazy. Like, you know, why, why, you know, why, you know, it's a movie. You can do what you like. It does not have to be naturalistic. Right. Um, and so, yeah, I, um, I love those.

Yeah, Black Panther and Deadpool were probably my two, like, favorite ones. I'm honestly like, and, and, and, you know, you will probably notice that those are the ones which require the least amount of information about the rest of the franchise, because I haven't, like, I've got so far behind that it now seemed like overwhelming. I just don't know, you know, I know Captain America and Thor are people, but I don't know how they get into anything yet.

And I do need to see the last Thor movie because apparently the last Thor film was incredible. You love it. I mean, again, knowing your sets of humor, you'll, what we do in the shadows is one of my favorite comedies in recent years. So good. I don't know, I can't.

I'll tell you that. Okay. Sorry. The, um, but you, look, it'll take some time to catch up on the MCU, but we know it's possible because, again, I've known you long enough to know you pre-Star Wars love and post-Star Wars loves. Yeah. You carve up there.

How far on the pendulum have you swung in the other direction now? Have you seen all the Star Wars films? I've seen all the originals. I've, I have not seen the re-boot, the, uh, the prequels, thank you. I mean, I've seen Phantom Menace, because Phantom Menace was the first one I saw. And when I was 10, and I thought, like, this is amazing, you guys. Charger Pigs is not fucking best. Like, this is what a cool character with no problematic issues whatsoever.

And, yeah, so I was very into that. And then, you know, got into the first three. The first three are amazing. Like, they really are, it was so interesting to watch something that you've literally heard hyped your entire life. Right. And they live up to it. And especially in terms of, like, what's the first?

fascinating about those films, like, how they shoot action, like, they are, it's all about the characters. Like, it's not about Master SEP. It's like close-ups on actors doing it, and you're following those stories within those action sequences. Yeah, I mean, it's the emotion in those

lightsaber fights. It's like, by the end of Return the Jedi, it's like a fully, like, immersive, you're like so invested. I mean, yeah, so I was, I was really blown away by them, and I loved Force Awakens, and I haven't seen Last Jedi yet, which I heard was amazing. I know loads of people had problems

with it. I loved it. I loved it so much. Yeah, don't, yeah. Well, you're not on Twitter, but like, don't say anything about Last Jedi or Batman. These are the two most divisive topics, apparently, outside of Donald Trump on the internet. Which Batman? All Batman. The DCU fans are very, very extreme. So are they saying that, like,

Ben Affleck, no good, or Kristen Bailgood? No, the DC fans defend, like, the Zach Snyder films, so, like, the Batman versus Superman and Justice League, they're insistent that there's a thing called the Snyder cut, the version of Justice League that was directed by him before he had to leave.

It's a whole thing you don't want any part of. Okay, the Snyder cut. Trust me. This is a world you don't need to get into. Wow, no, it really seemed like not. But yeah, and I was less into Rogue One, but just, I didn't,

I don't think maybe I knew enough of the mythology going into it to get as much out of it as other people. Got it, I don't know. Got it. I know you have to run, But what's a, so you've got, what, guns akimbo? Guns a Kimbo, yeah, that sounds crazy.

It's, it is crazy. That's by a young New Zealand filmmaker called Jason Lee Howden, who literally I read this script, which is like some kind of crazy action comedy fable about a guy who, after a series of horrible encounters, wakes up one morning with guns surgically attached to his hands. Dan, always going the safe room To always. Farting corpses.

Guardian Angel movies. God, shake it up. No, so I, so yeah, so, you know, I, and honestly the scene that sold it to me was like 10 pages in where he has to go to the toilet. And there is a, there is, I think the line was something like, bomb squads are not as careful as this. And I just, I read that and I was like, yeah, I'm in. I hope you're fully utilising your premise of gun hands.

I am in. You're living up to the promise of this concept. And I do think I actually, I'm, I'm, I'm, really, it's me and Samara Weaving. It's, I think it could just be really one of those films that, like, hopefully, like, catches people's imagination in the way that Swiss Army Man found its audience. Like, that's what I'm hoping for Guns of Kimbo as well. You're collecting a great, a filmography, a bizarre, wonderful, idiosyncratic films, man. You know, I'm there for all of them, and I love that I'm even a small part of making. weird shit with you over the years.

Certainly when I was watching Miracle Workers, I was like, oh yeah, like I'm seeing the same kind of like irreverence that we've done in our stupid pub quizzes and all that stuff. And also it's like those were the other times that you've seen me like being very much me on camera so that it probably does feel like quite similar to all that actually. I love it.

It's very nice to be. I, yeah, it's going to be a struggle to stop working in comedy. It's really, I, it's doing comedy is just somewhat fucking fun. Yeah, it's the best. Well, you know, I'm there for you. Anytime you want to make weird shit, you've got a lot of fans in the weird shit world. Congratulations and miracle workers.

Everybody should check it out on TBS, and we'll talk soon, buddy. Sweet. Thank you so much, man. As always, a pleasure. Thanks, ma'am. And so ends another edition of Happy, Sad, Confused. Remember to review, rate, and subscribe to this show on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts.

I'm a big podcast person. I'm Davey Ridley, and I definitely wasn't pressured to do this by Josh. I'm Amy Nicholson, the film critic for the LA Times. And I'm Paul Shear, an actor, writer, and director. You might know me from The League, Veep, or my non-eligible for Academy Award role in Twisters. We love movies, and we come at them from different perspectives. Yeah, like Amy thinks that, you know, Joe Pesci was miscast in Goodfellas, and I don't. He's too old.

Let's not forget that Paul thinks that dude too is overrated. It is. Anyway, despite this, we come together to host Unspooled, a podcast where we talk about good movies, critical hits. Fan favorites, must-season, and case you miss them. We're talking Parasite the Home Alone. From Greece to the Dark Night. We've done deep dives on popcorn flicks. We've talked about why Independence Day deserves a second look.

And we've talked about horror movies, some that you've never even heard of like Ganges and Hess. So if you love movies like we do, come along on our cinematic adventure. Listen to Unspooled wherever you get your podcasts. And don't forget to hit the follow button.