Happy Sad Confused - Florence Pugh

Episode Date: March 23, 2023

Florence Pugh can do it all! She sings, she cooks, and oh yeah she acts pretty well too. Florence joins Josh on the podcast for the first time to discuss all her passions and her new film, A GOOD PERSON, plus a look ahead at DUNE: PART 2, OPPENHEIMER, and the return of Yelena in THUNDERBOLTS. SUPPORT THE SHOW BY SUPPORTING OUR SPONSORS! BETTERHELP -- This episode is sponsored by/brought to you by BetterHelp. Visit ⁠BetterHelp.com/HSC⁠ today to get 10% off your first month. HONEY--Get PayPal Honey for FREE at ⁠JoinHoney.com/HSC ⁠ BOLL & BRANCH -- Get 15% off your first order when you use promo code HSC at ⁠bollandbranch.com⁠ Join Josh for upcoming LIVE Happy Sad Confused events in New York! ⁠March 28 -- Matthew Rhys. ⁠Get your tickets here. ⁠ To watch episodes of Happy Sad Confused, subscribe to ⁠Josh's youtube channel here⁠! Check out the ⁠Happy Sad Confused patreon here⁠! We've got discount codes to live events, merch, early access, exclusive episodes of GAME NIGHT, video versions of the podcast, and more! For all of your media headlines remember to subscribe to ⁠The Wakeup newsletter here⁠! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ontario, the wait is over. The gold standard of online casinos has arrived. Golden Nugget Online Casino is live. Bringing Vegas-style excitement and a world-class gaming experience right to your fingertips. Whether you're a seasoned player or just starting. Signing up is fast and simple. And in just a few clicks, you can have access to our exclusive library of the best slots and top-tier table games. Make the most of your downtime with unbeatable promotions and jackpots that can turn any mundane moment into a golden

opportunity at Golden Nugget Online Casino. Take a spin on the slots, challenge yourself at the tables, or join a live dealer game to feel the thrill of real-time action, all from the comfort of your own devices. Why settle for less when you can go for the gold at Golden Nugget Online Casino. Gambling problem call connects Ontario 1866531-260. 19 and over, physically present in Ontario. Eligibility restrictions apply. See Golden Nuggett Casino.com for details. Please play responsibly. What are the new technologies that will change aviation? Well, hydrogen would be one for sure if we got there. I mean, hydrogen is not just a alternative fuel.

I mean, hydrogen would change it significantly if we ever managed to break the back of that. Today, I'm speaking with Kalin Rovinescu, the former president of Air Canada, and a trailblazer in global aviation. Join me, Chris Hadfield, on the On Energy Podcast. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. Prepare your ears, humans. Happy, Sad, Confused begins now. Today on Happy, Sad, Confused, Forrence Pew, on singing, on cooking, and yes, acting in her new film, A Good Person. Hey, guys, I'm Josh Horowitz.

Welcome to another edition of Happy, Sad, Confused. Wow, a hell of a first-time guest on the pod this week. she is Florence Pugh and it doesn't get any more exciting of a young career than Florence Pugh's. Let's be real guys. In the last five years she has

soared her big, I guess her big break for a lot of people was Lady Macbeth. I first met her on fighting with your family. Do you remember that one? It was produced by Joanne Johnson. She played at wrestlers based on her true story. A really cool film directed by Stephen Merchance. I met her back at Sundance for that one.

And now, just a few Short years later, Oscar nomination for Little Women, Black Widow, she's in no one's latest, Deneville News latest. She is just killing it in all respects. So thrilled to say, Florence Pugh, finally a guest on Happy Saganfused, and she did not disappoint. Okay, before we get to Florence, other things to mention in the Josh Horowitz universe. Well, it's been a busy time so busy that I forgot actually to kind of recap you guys a little bit on recent events on the last episode, for those that didn't catch the most recent one, it was Zachary Levi of Shazam fame.

Check it out if you haven't already, because that was a really honest and open conversation, as things always are with Zach, and I was really pleased with how it came out. But before that, I got a chance to visit Austin for the first time in many years. What a great town. What a great city. It was, of course, South by Southwest, which, I don't know, is it still going on? I've only been there for, like, the movies portion of it, but, like, it always opens with movies, and it kind of transitions into the comedy, and then by the end, it's music. So for all I know, it's still going on, but I was there, it was kind of a last-minute trip, to be honest, but I was there for a couple purposes.

Primarily, or my friends over at Amazon Prime asked me to moderate the Daisy Jones and the six panel there. And it was a blast. It was also fun because I hadn't met a lot of the cast members, I had just done Suki Waterhouse for the podcast. Check out that episode recently. But I hadn't met a lot of the younger cast members. I hadn't met the creators. Scott Neustatter and Warren Neustatter are co-EPs and they're fantastic and I've always admired Scott's work. He's a screenwriter behind such films as spectacular now in 500 days of summer. I got a chance to meet the author of Daisy Jones in the 6, and she is fantastic Taylor Jenkins Reed.

She was really sweet and very funny to be around. And, of course, I also got a chance to catch up with Sam Claflin, who way back when has been on the podcast. But, of course, I kind of went through the Hunger Games madness with him on that adventure. So it was really fun to reconnect with Sam, who was one of the nicest, just down-to-earth human beings on the planet. And I'm so happy for him that he is now. front and center, alongside Riley Keough, who I also adore for this show.

If you haven't checked it out, Daisy Jones and the Six. It's based on a best-selling novel, kind of a fictionalized rock group that goes through trials and tribulations, and it's doing really well for Amazon Prime. So check it out if you haven't already. Anyway, I got a chance to moderate that. I spent a lot of time with that cast. And I also got a chance to moderate the first post-screening Q&A for, for the world premiere of Jake Johnson's new film.

And I'm such a, Jake, Jake's a good guy. He, of course, know him from The New Girl and, uh, what, so many comedies, great comedies, let's be cops, TV and film work, uh, Spider-Man, Spider-Verse, uh, movies, of course. Um, and this is his directing debut. It's called self-reliance, uh, and it is a super funny, weird, earnest, it's kind of a real collision of a lot of different things that, somehow works. I was so pleased when I got a chance to see it. And really fun to connect with Jake at that first screening that went over really well at the Paramount Theater. It was a big sold-out

crowd that really ate it up. Anna Kendrick is in it. Got a chance to see Anna, who's always fantastic, of course, and it's produced by the Lonely Island guys. So I got a chance to see Kiva Schaefer and Yorna Coney. And that was a blast. What else did I do in Austin? I ate a lot of tacos. I ate seven tacos in about 48 hours. Is that a lot? It was over three different meals. It felt like it was enough. It felt like it was not tipping towards horrible gluttony, maybe just light gluttony. But no regrets. It was delicious. The only other, let's see, people I ran into there, I met Walton Goggins in an elevator. And I don't do this, but I introduced myself, just because I'm a fan, and he was so cool, and we had a nice little

moment. He seemed to be the coolest man on the planet, so I got a chance to meet Walton Goggins, geeked out on him for a second, and then I did, the only other person I saw was I went over to Anthony Mackie's premiere party for a movie. He has done, and I surprised him over there, and he gave me a super long, lingering, slightly uncomfortable hug. But it was a beautiful moment, and we had a sweet, earnest, moment between long-time colleagues? What are we? I don't know. acquaintances, friends were

something, but it was fun to see him in that context. Anyway, that was my trip to Austin. I wanted to catch you up on that. Let's see. Other things I do want to mention. A good person opens this week. We'll get to that in a second. That, of course, is Florence Pew. But I also want to mention John Wick, Chapter 4, which I saw, and is fantastic. Yes, it's like two hours and 50 minutes, and it's maybe a little long but I was not bored in the least the action is jaw-dropping it's really, really good

and on a sad note I do want to say rest in peace to Lance Reddick who played at Sharon of course the concierge in these films I didn't know Lance Redick well but I did spend a day with him a few years ago

for a shoot for a series we did called On Location where we kind of toured the New York locations where the John Wick films have shot. And he was just such a gentleman and fun to be around and really cool. And I really respected his work. I know a lot of people loved him on the wire and fringe and all sorts of different kinds of roles. And what a loss. What a really sudden, sad loss and really horrible that, like, I mean, the news broke like 36 hours after I'd been at the John Wick premiere in New York.

So that was crazy. crazy, crazy. All right. Well, on to happier things, which is this conversation. So, Florence Pugh and I caught up. This is a little shorter than my usual podcast. I'll warn you. It's about 30 minutes as opposed to the usual 45-50. But guys, Florence Pugh is in demand. What can I say? I took what I could get in this case. And hopefully this will be the first of many appearances on the podcast. Even though it's 30 minutes, we cover a lot. This movie is fantastic. It's written and directed by Zach Braff. Of course, you've probably seen Garden State, and it's definitely in that zone. I mentioned in the conversation.

He traverses in the James L. Brooks, Cameron Crow kind of vibe, and if you go with it, if you give yourself over to that, I think you're really going to dig it. This is anchored by a fantastic performance by Florence, who plays a young woman who experiences a severe trauma early in the film and has to kind of figure out how to restart her life. It deals with addiction and loss. And it's a really moving piece of work, and she's fantastic in it. Morgan Freeman is in it. He, of course, is amazing, as if that needs to be said.

And, yeah, I think you're going to dig it. It comes out this Friday. Everybody should check out a good person. Beyond that, we talk Marvel, we talk Dune, we talk her cooking, we talk her singing. I don't know how we fit it all in 30 minutes, but we did it, guys. We're fast talkers, I suppose. All right, without any further. do. Remember, to review, rate, and subscribe to Happy Say I Confused. Check out the Patreon page.

Patreon.com slash Happy Say I Confused for early access and bonuses and discount codes and swag and all that fun stuff. But yeah, you're here for the main event. Here it is. This is me and Florence Pugh. Lawrence Pugh. Welcome officially to the Happy Say I Confused podcast. I feel like I've only talk to you with other people around. So finally I'm getting my unadulterated flow time. It's happening. It's lovely to be on with you. So congratulations on the film. A good person is fantastic. I tried to get some intel prior to our chat today. David Harbor, I asked for any kind of dirt. And sadly, all he would say is she's one of the greats, which does nothing for me.

which is so annoying right when you're like yeah but what's wrong well i will say about 30 seconds later he wrote a second text that said annoying in one so young so he he's at least pissed about it i sometimes put my finger up his nose as well so that's also probably quite annoying that's like a bad downside to me is that how you demonstrate your love to fellow actors and people in your orbit No, actually, just specifically, David, I don't know how that began or how it started, but when we were shooting Black Widow, I think someone was trying to take a picture once. Oh, we were on the way to Comic-Con and someone was taking a selfie and I just like naturally put my thumb up his nose and I think it made him so happy that that was my reaction, that then

it just became a thing. Well, he's tall, so it's an easy, it's an easy entry point. Exactly. Yeah. Okay, so here's my first, I was going to say serious question. It's not a serious question. The Vanity Fair talent that you demonstrated, contortionists, how many backups were there? Like, how long was the list of potential party tricks that you went through? You know what? I had already just done cocktail making and food making on the Vogue video. And when they asked me, you know, what's your party trick? What can you do, I was like, I can't, I don't want to do an, I don't want to copy or do like another, another cocktail. So what is it that I'm actually going to, like, what is it at parties? If I've had a few cocktails, I'd be willing to whip out. And it was that, I, that was only it. But the list that I did hand in was the list of costume items that I needed for it,

which, of course, they were slightly confused by, because I said, Jane Fonda-esque, I need leotards, ankle warmers, tights, and they were like, what is going to happen? At one point, I asked for a tutu, but the tutu didn't fit. Actually, I think it's good that I didn't with a tutu because otherwise I wouldn't have been able to scrunch myself in the hole. But I knew that I was going to do that and no one else was going to come close to that. So I can guarantee that random party trick. Yeah, Florence Pugh has a very particular rider. She needs leg warmers, which she needs. You referenced cooking, and I do feel like,

I trust and love anybody that has two loves in their life, which I feel like for you, I don't want to put words in your mouth, but I feel like it's acting movies and food. I feel like these are the two, does that define Florence Pugh in a nutshell? That is totally true. It's acting and performing and cooking and or eating good food. I think yeah I just grew up in such a big foody family where food was so important and good food was really important and also like educating us that these are the things that are going to make you feel good and make you feel happy and so from a young age we've always been around different culture of food like traveling going on holiday we were basically encouraged to try and eat everything like we couldn't get around not eating things. even if it looked weird or even if it sounded strange.

So I think it's been such a big part of my life for so long. And it's just been really cool that I've been able to do it and people have been able to appreciate it as well. If we combine the two, this is a tough one, best movie about food depicting food. I have two that come to mind. What comes to mind when you think of a great food movie? Okay, well, it could, I mean, actually the bear,

which recently was, I mean, just. That's a good one. Yeah. Yeah. That's a great one. That's pretty perfect. And then movie, movie, movie, movie, movie, movie. Ratatooey.

Of course. That's the correct answer. That is the correct answer. Yeah, but I actually, like, when I watched that when I was younger, I remember thinking, ooh, I'm going to practice. I'm going to have a go at making that ratatooie. And now it's like one of my favorite. I mean, I obviously change things wherever I want to change them.

But yeah, I love things that. encourage people to give it a go. And I think that's what I've really liked about like when I do on my Instagram is I just want people to give it a go. How many offers for actual Cooking with Flow TV series did you get in the wake of that Instagram series? You know what? When I started that in the pandemic, there was like real conversations throughout. But just due to shooting schedules and it not quite being the right style of show, we had to just put it on a back burner. But it's definitely in the works. It's happening. We're trying to make. something happen. Amazing. Okay. So let's talk a little bit about this, this great movie because

look, it's weird just called us a pallet cleanser because this is a tough role. It's an intense role. But I do feel like it's been a minute since I've seen you like in a contemporary film without a cult or genre component. Did this feel like a little bit of like, okay, I can be messy in a very human, relatable way in this? Did this feel like something different for you at the time when it came around? I feel like a piece of all of the characters that I play is that they are messy. Maybe not so much with the wonder.

She was very calculated. But my favorite thing is to be raw and open. And, you know, I much prefer it when I've got very little makeup on my face because I feel like vanity just goes out the window and I can just truly be and express in all the ways that I need to. So I think in that sense,

Yeah, it was really refreshing to just be this character with nothing attached to it. No curling hair or, you know, bent eyelashes. She was just, she was just her and it was just up to me really getting into that headspace. But definitely, in terms of the way that she speaks and she's a modern woman, so there are elements of me in there. And that's always fun when you get to be a bit more freer. And obviously, with that, you can throw in a few of your own lines every now and then. But, yeah, I think I could definitely relax into this role a bit more, even though the subject matter is so dark.

It's weird that I even could say that. But, yeah, I definitely could be a bit more her, a bit easier. Well, it is dark, but, like, I mean, I think, look, I've always admired Zach's work as a writer-director because he's operating in a key that not many filmmakers do anymore. I certainly grew up with like the, you know, the James L. Brooks vibe, the Cameron Crow vibe. And, you know, I'm guessing that was a reference point. Those are reference points for him. Again, human, messy people like we all are.

What resonated with you? Are those reference points that you shared with him when you were talking about the movie? What did you connect with? So he wrote the script at the beginning of the pandemic when we were all, when everyone in the world was flailing as to what to do. And more personally, we were going through Nick Cordera's illness of COVID at the time. And I think this was definitely a big release for Zach of grief.

He'd lost his father and his sister, and we were losing Nick at the time. And I think this was just something that he needed to do, and it just kind of came out of him. I wasn't allowed to read the script until it was completed. I think he was very anxious. and wanted it to be perfect because he was writing it for me. And I love dialogue and I love being a part of creating it as well.

So I think he was just, he was making sure that it was completed before he handed me the script. But what we would do is at dinner, he would come and we'd discuss, you know, the character arcs that he had discovered. And we'd talk about, well, where would they go from there? And all that's exciting scene. Now, explain these lines to me. And so I kind of really was a part of the,

creation of the, of all of it, of all these characters from the very, very beginning. And in some ways, I got to learn about my character in a far deeper way than, then I would have done if I had just been handed the script. Right, you're on the inside. Yeah. Yeah. I didn't have to do as much. By the time I got the script, it wasn't like I needed to go away and go do some thinking. It's like, I knew who she was. And I knew what felt right and what didn't feel right. So that was like, great. We just cut a huge corner there of, um, you know, me just being a part of the blueprint of the whole project.

And in terms of who she was and our collaboration, you know, he wrote for me, so he wrote with me in mind and the way that I speak and the way that I can express, which is an amazing thing. And I presume only was made possible because he did know me so well. He had seen all of my work. You know, I've had it before where people have written with me in mind, but with me in mind to play a character, whereas he wrote it with me and mind to say these. things. And I think that made it so much more freeing. And that probably the thing that you're

also thinking about when you see me playing this modern woman is that that was a huge element was that it was with my voice in mind and my characteristics and my ability to know how far to push it and how to, I suppose, be Ali. You've, you can add another few moments in this film to probably what I would imagine is a lot of surreal moments. in a career, whether it's wrestling at, what was it, Staples Center, or acting with Merrill Streep. Singing next to Morgan Freeman probably was not in the cards growing up. I know. That was a bit silly, isn't it? How does that happen? Do you have that moment? Do you have that moment, like, that second sight? Like, how is this happening? Can you?

How is this happening? Yeah. The first time we sang it, I actually, like, I was, we were looking at into each other's eyes and I remember he joins in on a certain line. And I remember when he joined in, I completely forgot the lyrics. I was just staring at him, staring at me, singing to me. Unbelievable. Yeah. I think there are, you know, I've had, I've been lucky to have lots of special moments with older actors in my career at such a young age.

And I've been able to learn a lot from them. I've been able to watch them. I've been able to study how they work. I've been able to see, you know, how they process things. And it's only, it's just filled my brain with, with information. And so to work with Morgan to add to that, you know, amazing list was just extraordinary and something that I will be pinching myself for a very, very long time. And also just to see his friendship with Zach as well.

You know, they'd worked before. So same thing, same thing with Zach already knowing me. we'd already cut so many corners. So I think the very fact that we were able to really, really dive into a script this dark, as you said also with moments of levity, but this very hard storyline was purely because there was so much trust already there. And that's purely down to Zach, you know, like it's very interesting when you go on a set and the crew is inspired to want to be there and to want to make the best work that they can.

and that purely bleeds down from the leader. And so, yeah, we just, we had a lot of, a lot of respect and a lot of space and a lot of freedom to move in and out of our characters as and when we pleased. And Zach is very good at kind of starting the temperature of the shoot. This show is brought to you by BetterHelp. Let's talk about therapy, guys. And I'm so happy I can even say that in 2023 because back in the day, it felt like you weren't allowed to talk openly about therapy. I've had it in the past.

It's helped me in my personal and professional life. And it's helped so many friends and family members too. Let's be real, guys. If you're thinking of starting therapy, there's no better day than today. And that's where better help comes into play. It's entirely online, guys. It's designed to be convenient, to be flexible and suited to your self. schedule to your very busy schedule. All you have to do is fill out a brief questionnaire and get

matched with a licensed therapist and you can switch therapists at any time for no additional charge. You deserve help guys. It's okay to ask for help and that's where better help comes into play. Discover your potential with better help today. Visit betterhelp.com slash hsc today to get 10% off your first month. That's BetterHelp, H-E-L-P.com slash h-S-C. Well, guys, I don't know about you, but these cold winter nights make me appreciate all the more a product like bowl and branch. These sheets are keeping me warm and cozy all winter long with a set of their

buttery soft sheets. They're made with 100% organic cotton threads that get softer with ever. with every wash and they come in a variety of great colors my wife and i love this product the sheets feel great they look great they make great gifts it just checks all the boxes plus these sheets are designed to feel incredible for every kind of sleeper they're made without toxins they're free from pesticides formaldehyde and other harsh chemicals and these sheets fit the deepest of mattresses are labeled with top and bottom tags, so making your bed is easier than ever. They come in 10 versatile colors in all sizes, from Twin up to California King.

And best of all, Bowling Branch gives you a 30-night risk-free guarantee guys with free shipping and returns on all U.S. orders. What more do I have to say? How important is sleep to you and your loved ones? It's everything to me. That's what Bull and Branch can mean to you. So make the most of bedtime with Bow and Branch sheets. get 15% off your first order when you use promo code hSC at bolandbranch.com exclusions

apply C-Site for details. That's Bowlin Branch, B-O-L-L-L-A-N-D, B-R-A-N-C-H dot com, promo code H-S-C. This one, as I understand it, also inspired. you to write some music. Does that often happen? Like, is there, is there a, is there a Dune-inspired LP coming? No, no. I've, I've sang in movies before and in TV series before, which has been really lovely, because it's something that I've always wanted to do. And when I started up, I thought I was going to go into music first, and then I got into The Falling. And then Carol Morley wrote a scene of me singing in The Falling. So it's, it's been something I've been able to tick off, but I've never, um,

I've never written a song for a character. And even though, you know, Zach wanted this to be a feature in the script, it was also something that I really felt was necessary for me to get into the headspace of this character. Yeah. And also I've never performed quite like this as a character before. You know, there's always that, like, conscious decision that you need to make, especially when you are a performer, you want everything to sound perfect and to be perfect. And I think for us in the situation where Allison actually sings,

She's at such a low point and she's in rehab and she's raw and she's playing a creaky piano with a creaky voice. And I think for me it was so important that we matched that. You know, we didn't come in with something that was glossy and like a song from Glee. Like it needed to be the recording that I did on the day in the room with the piano, with the few mics that we had. And to me, I think it also just adds to where she is mentally. and yeah I was really really grateful that Zach wanted to put in both songs and then also as a performer outside of the movie I got to record them personally as Florence like how do I want them to sound and how do I want to sound as Florence as opposed

to Allison so it's really cool first of all I've done that I don't know if I'll be jumping to do it again because it was like I feel like particular circumstance yeah yeah totally I feel lucky enough that I was able to do it on this one but um so what What is the music plan, though? Because you've said that you are planning to release some music. Like, are we talking like a full album this year? Like, are you opening for Taylor Swift? What's happening?

No, never. No. Not never that I wouldn't. I love Taylor, but like, come on, that's ridiculous. I, yeah, I think it's been something that I've been wanting to do for a long time. And I've been saying I want to do for a long time over the years, obviously because I haven't. you know, I think you have to build back your confidence in something that you used to be

quite easily doing all the time and now I just haven't for years. But yeah, I've been recording in the last year and just, I mean, A, recording the songs for the movie and also some others that have being put down. And I'm really excited that I get to kind of tap into this singer from before, before I was an actor. So that's, that's been really exciting. Is there, Is there a through line through the stuff you've been doing? Is there a particular kind of thematic? Deeply depressing. Like the best songs are?

Yeah. Deeply depressing. And you'll probably listen to it once. You'll be like, that's enough. A bit like the movie, actually. That's enough. Time for a drink. Yeah.

Yeah. I'll have a drink. All right. So I'm at least, let's go back for a second. Describe childhood version of Florence for me. Were you, I'm guessing you might have been an extrovert. I don't want to, like, make an assumption, but how would Friends family describe young Florence? Always an extrovert.

Always wearing mad clothes or just a tutu. A bit of a tomboy as well, actually. I was always trying to hang off my brother and his friends, and they found that deeply annoying. But I thought I was super cool with them. Yeah, I just, I think my whole childhood was encouraged by my parents to kind of be as messy and as loud and as full and as full of character and personality as possible. And I think for me and all of my siblings, like my dad very much believed in you're only a child once. And if we have to go and do something fun with our day, then let's go and do something fun with our day, which obviously my mum does. despised because she was very much like, no, you need to go to school and get your good grades.

Well, this is important. You need the dynamic. You need one of each. Because if you have two of one or two of the other, then things go bad. Exactly. No, my dad, my dad didn't, I mean, my dad went to school, but I don't think it was like his favorite place. Right. And I think he also probably saw that we all struggled in the same areas that he struggled with. And so, yeah, I think they just taught us to just be as big and as characterful as possible and as polite as possible. We were encouraged to talk to adults. We were encouraged to have conversations. We were encouraged to look at people in the eyes.

And I think that obviously just bled out as, you know, four really loud, annoying kids. But now you can say, see, there was method to the madness. It all worked out. Oh, there was so much. madness, so much madness, but full of love and food and culture and I think just experience things. Yeah. Show me around the bedroom, the childhood bedroom. What are the posters on the wall? What's where? I actually would collect tickets. I'd collect train tickets and I'd collect all of

my plane tickets. And then I went through a phase where I'd collect leaflets and I'd just put them up on the wall. Just random leaflets. I have a poster that my, my best friend Theo, gave me of just our faces and it's huge. And it's just about like 16 year old faces. That's on the back of the bathroom door. Yeah, but my room was just covered in like knickknacks. I clearly was a bit of a hoarder, but pictures and tickets and knickknacks. I've heard DiCaprio's name mentioned and Titanic mention for anybody of a certain age that makes sense. I mean, I saw Titanic like 10 times in the theater. I get it.

So you must have crossed paths with Leo by now, yes? I have, actually, yeah. I have cross paths with him. I didn't do the... You didn't do the whole... No, that's not a good icebreaker, you think? I think maybe I think maybe I'll save that for another time. But, no, I actually met him at the Don't Look Up premiere last year.

And, yeah, he was very... He just wanted to talk about Midsummer and Ari and he was very complimentary and it was really weird to be at his premiere and he wanted to talk about Midsummer. It was, it was like amazing. But yeah, he's clearly was the love of everyone's lives for a very, very long time. But I don't have a poster. I don't have a poster on my wall of them, sadly. Well, now I know what to get you for your next birthday. You bring up Midsummer, which I'm obsessed with too.

I like a good fucked up movie and that is a chef's kiss of a fucked up movie that Ari Aster created Are you so I mean look you made it Thinking and hoping it would be great Like it looked great on paper

I'm sure And you respected Ari based on hereditary But like you must be Kind of surprised In the best possible way Of like the staying power Of this weird Relatively small fucked up movie

Wow it's become a cult movie It's like culty It actually is culty And yeah I didn't think That it was gonna become Well And also, it's different because hereditary was like instantly successful the moment it came. It was an easy one, not an easy one to peck, but it was a thriller.

It was a horror thriller. You knew what it was. Yeah. Yeah. Whereas with midsummer, I think if people were going to expect hereditary again, then they were instantly disappointed. Right. But then there was this like deep bubbling growth of people that were getting more and more obsessed with it and watched the director's cut and would watch it again and again. And it's funny how many people tell me

that that's their favorite movie and they watch it all the time. Like one of the bonding moments that I had with Ariana Grande was because she said she watched it all the time. And she reached out to me and told me that that was her favorite movie and I was like, oh my God.

And then her birthday was designed off it. Yeah, so it clearly, I think also the beauty of it is just so wonderful to watch. Yeah, the juxtaposition of beauty and horror. Yeah, right? Yeah, totally. But no, it was a hard shoot. It was very, very hard because it was very, very hot.

And we were in Budapest, midsummer, ha, ha. And, God, I'm so angry. Mid-summer. And we shot for like four months, I think. And we were shooting in, you know, with three different languages. So just all the problems and difficulties that that also faces. And a lot of people in a hot field needing to be cooled down and find shade that there isn't. Just, you know, a mad, mad shoot.

And the things that were shooting, they weren't short little scenes. They took a long time to rehearse. They took a long time to shoot. Right. And the reason why Ari's movies are so aesthetically pleasing is because he's a perfectionist and he will not stop until he sees it. And so what that means is then you are doing those scenes

until they are perfect, which is deeply satisfying when you've got it and even more satisfying when you watch it. But it's a long process of like, you know, you're in it and you don't finish until it's done. The perfectionists. Yeah, I'm very excited about the next one with Joaquin. Who knows what he's got in store? Oh, my God.

Bo's afraid. Oh, it looks amazing. Today's episode of Happy, Sad, Confused, is sponsored by Honey, the easy way to save when shopping on your iPhone or computer. Are you guys like me? Do you feel kind of a buzz when you find a deal? Do you feel smart? Do you feel lucky? What about when you're surprised by a deal?

Does it feel like you're getting a treat for free? Well, thanks to Honey, manually searching for coupon codes, it's a thing of the past. Honey is the free shopping tool that scours the Internet for promo codes and applies the best one it finds to your cart. Okay, how does it work? Imagine you're shopping on one of your favorite sites. When you check out the Honey button appears and all you have to do is click Apply Coupons. You wait a few seconds, Honey searches for coupons it can find for that site. If Honey finds a working coupon, you'll find the prices drop.

I know from experience, guys, I've just gone through this Valentine's Day, my niece's birthday, I had to get gadgets and clothing and gifts, and Honey was there for me. And Honey doesn't just work on desktops. It works on your iPhone, too. You just activate it on Safari, on your phone, and save on the go. if you don't already have honey you could be straight up missing out guys and by getting it you'll be doing yourself a solid and supporting happy sad confused so get paypal honey for free at joinhoney com slash hsc that's joinhoney dot com slash hsc so okay you you spent a lot of the last

couple years besides this film and The Wonder, but, like, you've been on some very large-scale productions. Let's be honest. Like, the last couple, I think the last two were Deney and Christopher Nolan projects. Yep. Yep. Just say that casually. I know.

Mike drop. Amazing. I mean, and look, that's coming off of Black Widow, and I know there's more to come there. I guess I'm curious, like, was there trepidation when you started to dip your toe into these, like, gigantic big budget spectacles? Because sometimes they get a bad rap, and sometimes, like, actors can be frustrated with, like, working in that largest sandbox. Um, well, I'd say my first, probably, like, big, big one that I was like, whoa, I'm a part of this, was outlawking.

That felt like a big step up. Sure. Yeah. Yeah. Um, and, you know, I was working so closely with Chris. And, yeah, that just felt like a really big step for me. and it was such an amazing experience and that was like in terms of the scale of the movie and the scale of the budget and the stunts and the horses

and it was just like truly insane and we were traveling around Scotland to this place and that place and that old castle and you know it was just mad and I had an amazing time with Chris and an amazing time with the rest of the cast it truly was one of those perfect examples

of a big movie and it felt great. And then I'd say my next big one was little women. And that was like, I remember even just going up for the auditions for that and meeting Greta and meeting Amy Pascal, that felt very grown up and serious. And that felt like every ounce of me trying to get that role or handing things in felt like if I did any wrong move,

oh crap, I could lose it. it and that was that was like one of those big golden egg opportunities so the fact that it you know not only did i get it and also it did like huge things for my career um was uh i mean unbelievable um but yeah i think when when you're when you're when you're i mean not young but when you were at the stage that i was at when i was saying yes these things it's kind of like a no brainer these are the movies that you've been working your whole career for, you know, to be in a scene with Meryl Streep or to be directed by Greta Gerwig or to have a wrestling match with Sersha Ronan. Like, these are the scenes, these are the films that you have been waiting for.

They are the reason why you work back to back to back to back to back for so many years because you're trying to get to that stage where you can be in a room with these legends. And so then for it to continue, it feels like you're being rewarded for the work that you've done. And it's a wonderful feeling. Of course, it's intimidating to be working with these people. But I mean, for me, it's so obvious that that's the trajectory you've got to keep on going. And for me, it was like, well, of course I'm going to be wanting to work with these amazing people and these legends and these stellar casts. I never miss a chance to pester.

I'm privileged to know Austin and Timmy a little bit, so I always pester them about Dune, and they've given me more souls. I can't say what I've seen, but I've seen some stuff. I know. But give me a sense. Okay, first, who does the best Christopher Walken impression in that group? Because you can't work with Christopher Walken

and not do a Walken impression. Hang on. I think Austin did a really good one. He gave me a taste when he was on the pod, yeah. Yeah, he did a really good one. I think it was Austin. I think it was often we were eating sushi, and he did his impression. I was like, are you going to do it for him?

And he was like, no. I was like, don't. Do you have one that you want to throw out there? No, I'm not going to touch it because then it's going to go everywhere. Have you seen Oppenheimer? I've heard some of the actors have seen it. No. Okay.

okay okay I don't know anyone's seen it I've heard some people have seen it but who know I don't know

are you excited to push A very secret operation that A very very secret operation Oh I know I interviewed Hoyt The DP

And I asked him Just like the most The now general question And he I've never seen a man Clam up Like an adult man Just be like

Nope I Christopher will kill me Yeah The only thing I've been able To talk about It's like Just how amazing

Chris is And just how amazing it is to work on a set like that. Like, that's the only thing I've been able to hone in on. Other than I, it's like, I didn't do it. Here's one more topic that I know you can speak a lot about is Marvel.

Are you excited to push around David Harbor, potentially leading the Thunderbirds, quite a cast. Do you know anything? Like, have they even shown you anything? What are you excited about? Did you say Thunderbirds? No, Thunderbolts. Thunderbolts, sorry.

Thunderbolts. I just lost my geek grid. That's okay, don't worry. Am I excited, hugely excited? It's been obviously a few years, and I feel like I'm really grateful that there's been some time between them all because it gives me more time to figure out

where she is and where she's going, And I think I'm just so grateful to be a part of that family. And I said that when Black Widow came out, I was so grateful to be a part of that family. And the reception was just insane. But more so now, just that I'm continuing the story is like a huge, huge privilege. It's a huge privilege. And I get to be back with my daddy.

And it's exciting to see what that character is going to be without, you know, unmoored from Scarlet's character, from Widow. I mean, so much of it was about that. I know. I'm already feeling sad about it. Just trying to make you cry at the very end. I know. It's so weird because I did a movie with her and her character obviously had already passed

and so like, it's like false hope, really. Just dangling it in front of you. Yeah, I just got pulled in and then it was like, nope, you're never going to do that again. Must have felt nice. It's not going to happen again. Congratulations on this one. I look forward to our future chats.

forward to the cooking show, the tour, the album. So much so much to look forward to. Thank you very much. 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 Daisy Ridley, and I definitely wasn't pleasure to do this by Josh. The Old West is an iconic period of American history and full of legendary figures whose names still resonate today.

Like Jesse James, Billy the Kid, and Butch and Sundance, Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, and Geronimo, Wyatt Earp, Batmasterson, and Bass Reeves, Buffalo Bill Cody, Wild Bill Hickok, the Texas Rangers, and many more. Hear all their stories on The Legends of the Old West podcast. We'll take you to Tombstone, Deadwood, and Dodge City, to the plains, mountains, and deserts for battles between the U.S. Army and Native American warriors, to dark corners for the disaster of the Donner Party, and shining summits for achievements like the Transcontinental Railroad. We'll go back to the earliest days of explorers and mountain men and head up through notorious Pinkerton agents and gunmen like Tom Horn. Every episode features narrative writing and cinematic music, and there are hundreds of episodes available to binge. I'm Chris Wimmer. Find Legends of the Old

West, wherever you're listening now.