Happy Sad Confused - Nicholas Hoult

Episode Date: September 14, 2017

Nicholas Hoult returns to "Happy Sad Confused" this week to probe deeper into his food preferences, his recent experimentation with a creepy mustache, and his love of podcasts! But of course Nic has a ton of movies to talk about too, including playing JD Salinger in the new film, "Rebel in the Rye", his fourth X-Men film, currently shooting in Montreal, his upcoming JR Tolkien biopic, and re-teaming with the great Michael Shannon for "The Current War". Plus, Nic reveals a bombshell from his past. Could you imagine a universe in which Nicholas Hoult played Harry Potter?!? It almost happened.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Get tickets now. Today on Happy, Sad Confused, Nicholas Holt, I'm playing J.D. Salinger, Tolkien, and the X-Men. Hey, guys, I'm Josh Horowitz. It's time for another Happy, Sad, Confused podcast. Welcome to the show, new and old, an old returning guest. You're not even a guest. You're a co-host. How many new, uh, how many new guests do you think we have? Right now, guest listeners? Are we calling them guest listeners? Yeah, like if you're not returning.

A solid baker's dozen. Yeah. How many newbies we got? No, let me hear from the newbies out there. No. Great review, subscribe. I'll tell you who's not a newbie, Nick Holt. Sure isn't.

Nick Holt is a returning guest to Happy Second Fused. He is a fun interview, and I think a lot of people don't realize how fun and dry and interesting Nick is because, you know, he projects kind of like. leading man like he's like super absurdly good looking and like you know has kind of played these parts that aren't necessarily super quirky they're often kind of like down the middle um but he in person and in my experience is somebody with a lot of intelligence and eccentricity and and he's just an interesting fun guy so um the last podcast with him was a blast and this one was as well um he came by to talk about his new film which everybody should check out it's called rebel in the rye

He plays J.D. Salinger. That's, that's a tall letter, Sammy. Yeah. And it's about, in part, the writing of Catcher in the Rye and gets at a little bit of the mystique of J.D. Salinger. And it's a really good film. I saw it first at Sundance. They've done a re-edit of it, and I think it's an even better film now. And Nick and I talk about that. He's also going to be playing another beloved writer in his next film. He's doing a J.R. Tolkien biopic, which should be cool. Wow. So everyone looks at him and they're like, he could play smart. exactly yes we joke about that like I'm just an elaborate

scheme just to portray yourself as super smart like being smart people and of course he's also in production right now in the new X-Men film so we talk about his experiences there

and how that's going they're shooting in Montreal and speaking of Canada Sammy and I are just back from Toronto where we saw Nick Holt we did see Nicole Nick in the wild we saw Nick in the wild

it was exciting He's so handsome That was fun I went to see the current war Which is a Nick's new film Which he has a small but pivotal role As Nicola Tesla And Michael Shannon

And Benedict Cumberbatch star in that one And yes Sammy I was gonna say Sammy and I went to the big party It was fun right Josh didn't tell me that we were going to party So I was wearing white sneakers And a denim shirt And everyone else is in dresses

So it's a little sensitive. Yeah. She's still a little wrong. Did anybody in the party flash you a dirty look? Yes, everyone did, and they snickered as I walked by. That's not true. Did Benedict? We talked to, I introduced you to Benedict.

Yeah, and he was like, what are you wearing? No, he did. He was not. He was like, you look ridiculous. He was not. Oh, no, it was perfect. He was actually delightful, and he ended up seeing a lot of films in Toronto. I ended up seeing the shape of water.

I was seated two seats away from Benedict. It was amazing. It was magical. Yeah. So, yeah, the current war is coming soon, and we talk a little bit about that as well. So obviously a lot on Nicholas's plate, and he's an actor very much in demand. And it was wonderful to have him back. He's always welcome here. And I think we'll go right to the podcast just because we have an embarrassment of riches.

We have another podcast that should be going up very soon. So enjoy this one in the meantime. He's a happy, sad, confused, regular, and make sure to check out, seek out. out Rebel and the Rye and enjoy this conversation with Nick Holt. The charming, Nick Holt. The dashing, Nick Holt. Okay, you're obsessed with him. What?

You egged me on. Okay. We thought we were recording, but we weren't. Now we are. Now it's all on the record. I can't believe you said that terrible thing about that person. No, no, no, no, no. It's good to have you back.

It's good to be back. I had a lot of fun last time. Thank you for allowing me after just. last time talking nonsense for a good half hour This is therapy for both of us It kind of is That's the goal I do feel like we had a special time

On the podcast last time And then when I was looking up what you've been up to I see that you're not One podcast kind of guy Which is cool, that's fine, whatever I mean, you know My dad wrote a porno is a very popular podcast And that's fine, that's whatever

If you just want to just pick that porno Have you listened to it? You know what, I've heard from... I like that porno, did I just say? I meant podcasts. Oh no, this is horrendous. Top five porn for you. I like that porn.

I hadn't listened to it, but I've heard from a lot of people that I respect that it's amazing. Did, it's really funny. And I listen to yours as a gateway, and I'm now going to go back and start listening. Get it. We're not going to talk about pornography here. We're going to be pretty classy. Fine. I mean, we can if you want.

Please. No. You can start, though, just so I know the level we're going on. Oh, no. How is it going? You're in the middle of shooting. Half of your brain and mind is in Montreal, I'm sure. X-Men in Montreal at the moment, Dark Phoenix.

It's going very well. Simon Kimberg, who wrote on the last few and produced many brilliant movies, is now directing this one. How's the vibe? How's he as a director? Dude, we're vibing on this one. It's good. No, it's really good. He's, you know, he's wanting to make it very grounded and emotional and dramatic and darker,

I think. And from what I've seen, and he cut together a little short, like, halfway point thing. and I didn't watch all of it because I don't like watching myself but the bits that I saw of other people's looked really great and it looked like it was tearing up the X-Men world a little bit

and then being like, is this? Have you spent some time with Chesting and I made some Jessica Chastin? I haven't really yet, unfortunately. No, she's just coming in just about to start. I saw her very briefly once

when I was dressed up in the full blue beast gear. That's the way you want to make people. And in passing she said, are you hot? And I said, yes. and that was kind of the whole interaction so pretty basic on that so far but we'll get there

that's a basis of a relationship I feel like exactly um is what was I gonna say oh so how many um what have you guys been up to offset because you guys I feel like always in Montreal when you're making the X-Men films I feel like on Instagram

last time you showed me some dub smash action yeah we've got we had good dub smash action um had there were concerts last time there was Taylor Swift I know there was there was the BB gun era where we were shooting each other until have you all matured yet have you all um you know what we've been pretty we've been pretty tame this time i think we've really

focused a lot maccoy hasn't broken any else he hasn't he hasn't broken anything yet um on the person um no but you know the only thing we've done is we went out and bought uh bikes to get around the city and we we we kicked those out so he's got like a bubble machine on the back of his bike

so when you ride along behind him he's got like a little bubble thing that sprays out bubbles and i've got a water pistol on the front of mine so I can water pistol gun people on the front. Is this an usual option you can get? Flags. And the brilliant thing is we went to this Han Zimmer concert and they were like oh the boys are going to turn. The boys are coming.

They're on their bikes and they thought we were going to turn out. Oh, cookie delivery. Thank you so much. Oh, you have a selection. Oh, and goldfish. Nicholas Holt means cookies every half an hour. This is a little known fact. Sorry, I haven't eaten since this morning and I'm just do you want some of this? No, I'm good. I'm going to have a shirt. No, I'm fine. Thank you though.

let's hear you eat a Milano cookie this is what podcasts are made of I'm gonna be very quiet can you talk for a second I'm sure so my favorite movie of yours Rebel and the Rye is wonderful you're eating so slowly too

just get it in there Have you seen it? Of course I've seen it twice I saw that Sundance and I know you guys did a little tweaking to it What do you think of the new cup To be honest

He's going off Mike to Shoe To be honest The haze of Sundance I honestly don't, I couldn't tell you specifically what the major changes are. You're obviously super close to it. And like Sundance, you're only devoting 30% of your brain to it. So I'm actually glad I tend to see it again. I don't know.

What's the biggest change, like structurally that Danny did? Well, it was quite a big change, actually. I mean, it was kind of one of those things that after that screening, Danny was like, you know what, I see the things that I would like to change and make clearer in the film now. Danny Stronger who wrote and directed it. So I've never been in this situation before whereby, I would finish the film, he'd cut the film, the film was bought to be released.

And then I got sent through a new draft of the script, and I was like, well, this is weird. So new narration? Yeah, so there's new narration, and there's new structure as well, whereby originally the film was starting in Central Park and then flashed back from there, but instead now, J.D. Sanger, after World War II,

was admitted into a, a psych ward sort of mental hospital so now we start in the hospital with him and his thoughts so now the first half of the movies

from that perspective and him writing a letter to Whit Burnett who was his professor at Columbia played by Kevin Spacey in the movie so you have that and then almost the movie's in two parts

now where you have that letter up until a certain point and then you have a letter narrated from the end of the movie in kind of the resolution of it all so that those with the major things. Yeah, new narration and new formats in terms of where the story's perspective

was being told from. So having said that you can't stand to watch yourself, have you watched both cuts of this? I did. That speaks well to it. Yeah, dude. Well, yeah, I watched it. Because obviously it was one of those things where it was interesting because they, you know, I actually got the book the film and then they were like, well, we're going to test this version of the film. They tested it and it scored well. And then they were like, all right, well, Danny was like, I really want to make these changes. I feel like it's about a movie. So they let him make the changes. but they said, like, you know, we're going to test it, and if it doesn't test as well,

then obviously we've then got a strange situation on our hands where, like, do we release the film that tested better, but the filmmaker isn't necessarily, I think, is the right cut. But they tested it, and it tested higher. Brilliant. Everything is great. And then everyone was like, all right, so this is obviously the version of the movie.

And, yeah, I watched it, because it was very difficult for me to take my head. We're being very serious in this podcast, by the way, so far. We'll go off the rest in a second. It was very difficult to go back after that. having made a movie, done the whole shoot and seen the cut. And then to go back and reread it and then see it again in a different edit, it was very difficult because it's difficult at that point to have a go of the perspective.

And that's kudos to Danny on that that he could figure it out. Because I couldn't see the word through the trees at that point. So is it odd doing, so you already give a little context that this is the story of one of the most infamous, talented writers in history. JD Salinger. Also, like, noted, recluse, press averse to say the least. I mean, knowing you're doing something like this, knowing that, like, if he were around, he would hate this movie that existed probably.

Nothing against the movie. No, no, no. But he would not want it to exist. Is there something like that? Right to make this movie at the right time when he was alive. But I think in hindsight, his story is so incredible. Yeah. And so inspirational for me, like,

making it and trying to inhabit him and his work ethic, but also his dedication, all these things. I was, like, really inspired. And also in terms of that PTSD element and all these things that I think there's a lot that can be taken from historic from people watching the film. So that's the real positive of it.

But yeah, there was certainly a moment when I called up Danny, and I was like, Danny did, I don't know. Like, the more I researched, the more I was like, whoa, this is, you know, because I loved the script and loved the character and really wanted to play the part. But then I was like, wow, this is a lot more

I'm taking on than I ever. realized at first. It's interesting. It's hard to kind of capture the creative process on screen. I feel like, and this film has a lot of narration and scenes of like him

literally writing and sitting. And like unless you have a really strong writer like Danny interpreting or even or using his actual words, it can kind of feel a little road, it feel a little pedantic it could just not work But, I mean, I think it's a testament to your performance

and to Danny's work that it is kind of, feels dynamic, and it doesn't really put you in his brain. Like, and it's quite a brain. Like, he was a neurotic to say the least. Yeah, he was a fascinating character in person and evolved so much throughout his lifetime. But also this strange thing where we're creating a character based off of all the facts we can find out of them,

but having not, you know, there's not videos of them or recordings of him. So then you're in a kind of weird situation where people have obviously preconceived notions of him and who he was. But even like the reclusive nature of him, that was when he first moved out of New York, that was, you know, to find peace and to carry on writing. But he was very much a part of society and would have youth groups around and would go to church and be very much an active member in the society.

Yeah, he wasn't Howard. He was hiding in a basement. He just wasn't participating in press. Yeah, he just didn't want his face on the book covers. He didn't want, you know, blub about him because he thought, you know, the story should speak for themselves. Yeah. Do you, because there's a sequence in this word he's burned by a, what he thinks is kind of, because I think it's like a school kind of thing.

Yeah, that was, yeah, that was, yeah, that was, yeah, seen from, essentially, yeah, there was this young girl called Shirley Blaney who came in and wrote an article in him saying it was for the school paper and then it was printed in the local newspaper. And that was kind of the last straw for him. because you know Salinger he wrote a lot about children and saw them as being very pure and you know the world hadn't destroyed them or tainted them right and you know a lot of their stories revolve around them so I think when that happened that was kind of a

big turning point in terms of him kind of shutting himself off and and not wanting to speak to people and communicate about work and things because he felt like he'd been taken advantage of and that was something that he always reacted very strongly to I remember reading a story from someone about he'd written a short story story and they'd printed it in, I think it might have been Cosmopolitan magazine, but then or something, but they'd change the title, unbeknownst to him, and he was furious, and he ever spoke to this person again? He met up, but, um, scolded them for it, couldn't believe that they'd done this to him, and then their relationship was done. Well, now I know not to

misquote you in a podcast, you could go hard for Salamira on me. Do you mean, but is that a hard lesson for you even in your own career? I mean, obviously every public figure kind of warns that, like, you know, a lot of your, you seem, in my experience with you, you're, you're an open person, and yet you have to, like, keep some things for yourself. And you only learn that, I think, by going through it, right? By saying too much and seeing sort of things taken out of context. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Was there kind of a turning point for you where you kind of learned, like, okay, like, as much as I want to be an open book and, like, be friendly, like, I have to, like, somehow preserve something to myself or else I'm going to be burned. Yeah, and I think that's

partly just taking time to yourself and doing things outside of, you know, vision that you know you care about and and and find therapeutic in a way but also yeah there's there's a certain thing of sharing too much but i think now you know nowadays everyone wants expects and wants more and more and it should be applauded in lots of ways you know there's lots of people talking about things that are very important and and do help you know um other people struggling with the same thing when they're discussed openly by people who are in the public eye right um but yeah there are obviously also at the same time elements to your own personality and self and life that you want to keep.

Otherwise, there's, yeah. There's nothing left. There's nothing. There's nothing there. So, but there's also talking about you're going to be another quite notable author sometime soon, this Tolkien. I'm going to play Tolkien, yeah. That's pretty searching that at the moment.

That's amazing. So for the record, just to, I want to be clear about this, not every well-known great writer was as attractive as Nicholas Holt. Like, okay, just most, I mean, you're, you're not. You're not going to play George R. Martin any time soon. Let's not go crazy. Dude, who knows? I might just try and tick off all the authors.

I play J.K. Rallying and George Martin. You know, all of them. You say you'd watch that? Absolutely. The school years of J.K. Rallowing with me. Now, did Tolkien, I don't know anything about Tolkien's story. Did he have, like, a friend that looked a lot like Gallum? Is there like...

Well, no, it's not the friend story there. Well, it is. There's a group of boys that he grew up with at King Everwood School, and then it through Oxford a fair bit called the TCBS which is the tea club and Barovian society and they were they were basically guys who were interested in writing and music and poetry and all these things and kind of inspired each other and pushed each other and Tolkien's worlds all developed from his love of language he was a philologist and kind of just loved creating languages from when he was a kid

and studying them so he kind of started creating these languages but then but then from that realized that you need a mythology and a world around these stories and a history to these languages to make them feel really lived in. So his old thing started to develop from that. But yeah, he had this group of friends and then was involved during World War I fought in the Battle of the Somme. And pretty much all of that group of guys got killed through that. So, yeah, that's kind of his story before we know him.

And then he came out of that. And it took him, I know, seven years to the right of the Hobbit. And then another 15 for the Lord of the Rings. And they were all things that this world that he'd created along with the Silmarillion and everything, but not put into paper and onto stories. Were you, growing up, were you big? I freaked out a lot of the rings.

Did he really? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Books and films, just everything? Yeah, I was all over. That was, I think the first one came out maybe when I was 10 or 11, and that was like, they came out just before Christmas, and that was like the Christmas cinema trip to see Lord of the Rings. For three years, I just loved them.

I was like, this is real. This is what the movies need to bit. Did you ever get an audition for even the, for even The Hobbit in recent years did you get a meeting? Nothing. What?

Nothing. Not a peak. In hindsight, I'm pretty mad about it. Sorry. What the hell? Did you... Hobbit, though,

I mean, well, Peter Jackson, but it didn't need to be three films. Let's be honest. To be nice with you, I love that book. I was given that book by Chris and Paul Veit, directors of About a Boy. When we finished that,

they gave me that book and that was the first time I read it. But I haven't seen all the Hobbit films. Okay, okay. So the first one. Fair enough. so I was going to say

Oh yeah So you didn't get your audition For The Rings I'm sorry to bring that up What about Harry Potter? I did You're the right age For Harry Potter did

I was in there With Columbus Who was directing the first one Was it for Harry? With some fake glasses on Pretended to be Harry Yeah yeah Yeah did

Yeah Can you recreate your audition What did you say I don't know Probably some wizardy stuff This is why you didn't get it By the way It's pretty clear

Isn't it You're going off book You're like, some wizardy stuff. All right. Do I have the part now? So I walk in. Am I, you're all right?

Some wizardy stuff. Is this a wand? Yeah, that'll do it. You got it the wrong way around. Shout out. Where's Ronnie? There he is. All right.

Off to Gingott's. Where's the contract? Now, I'm not going to do a three-picture deal. It's going to do one at a time. I need points on the back end. I'm 11 years old. I know what I need. So was that a blow when you didn't get that one?

It's a big blow. I'm still, I mean, I don't know if I want to talk about it yet. Wait, did you get the callbacks? Like, were you, like, in the running? Oh, yeah, yeah. Like, at one point, I think I was fairly, I think I went in and auditioned for it, like, maybe four, five times. I had no, what, do people know this?

Have I stumbled onto something? I was, I don't know how far or how close or in the running I was, but, you know, went quite a few times. Could you imagine your life that, that you would have had a totally different life? Do you, imagine if I was Harry Potter right now. How much bear with this interview bit? No. I love Dan.

I love you equally in your own wonderful ways. I love Dan, too. I love Dan, too. He's the best. Your choice is tall as you. I would have a much taller. Dude, I would still have a cape on. I'd have a little wizarding hat.

You'd be, uh, I'd put spells on people. I, the reason I asked you if you auditioned is you came dressed fully on as Harry Potter into this podcast and I thought it was the elephant in the room. Someone had to address it. I'm still still so in it. Do you, once the last time you cried over losing out on a roll? Ooh, good question. I was due.

Oh, I don't think I've, not since I was a kid. You know what? I wouldn't cry a lot when I didn't get a role. I would cry at the end of a job. Oh, that's sweet. Because it would be like, I would throw myself into it wholeheartedly and I'd be, these are my best friends, this is my life. And then like, six weeks later, I'll have a long later.

It would be over. And I'd be like, what we were mess friends? My mom said I cried for like two days at the end of one job. I mean, I'm sure not straight. That would be ridiculous. What an emotional wreck? And you called Hugh Grant and it was a 5-55 number. Wait, there are only three digits in the phone number.

I'm sorry to hear that. So, okay, so we're, I also wanted to ask about when you came in, I was mentioning Toronto. I'll be there and we're not sure if you're going to be able to sneak off in between X-Men shenanigans, but the current war, also knows the film that you grew a crazy facial hair for, silly facial hair. Did, I got a nice mustache for that. Is this your first on-screen mustache? Yeah.

Congrats, but. Thank you. It's a big moment. It is. It's huge. That's why you took the role. role, right? Yeah.

Were you relieved that you could grow? I was bringing around town being like, anyone, anyone got used for a mustache? It's a strange request to put in. It wasn't grown for the role. It was grown, and then I was like, this now needs to be placed into a movie. Who can use this magic, this wonder? Can't deny this. People act differently when you've got a mustache.

Yeah, what's the big, how do they treat you? Like a weird porn star? Yeah, I'd got that a lot. I had got like, oh, the 70s? What are the porn star? I'd be like, yeah. Yeah, what? Why so judging?

What about it? Dude, I think, like, this is really sad, but I've realized that I've got my, like, Tesla socks on. That's amazing. Check out. Is that a tradition? Do you do that for every character you play? No, this was bought by a friend of me.

He was like, dude, I saw these socks and thought of you, and I was like, nice. Was that a fun one to dig into playing a real-life luminary like Tesla? Oh, yeah. I mean, it was, yeah, incredible. Alfonzo, the director's brilliant, But then also, you know, back with your boy, Mike Shannon. That was kind of one of the big parts of it for me.

I wanted to do more scenes with him. And obviously, Ben Cumberbatch as well. So I was like, sweet, I can go in and have fun and play around with those guys for a little bit. And learn about Tesla. Fantastic. And have a creepy mustache. And have a mustache. Everybody wins.

Maybe get some cool socks out of it. Did. Nailed it. Peaked. The last person I remember that played Tesla was David Bowie. Yeah. I would listen to Bowie when I was, like, researching. Really?

Yeah, yeah. I'd sit there reading, but listen to Bowie. Because in a weird way, it felt connected. Huh, that's great. Is, um, this is tangent, uh, rock star you would want to play on screen? Is there a rock star? I don't want to play a screen. No.

No? Nah. You want to be a rock star in real life. I've read a few rock star scripts. Yeah. Um, and I think they're tricky, but also they're, they're very much, you're very much of the era. Dude, he looks great. I haven't seen the photo yet.

That just came out, right? Yeah, yeah, just came out. Yeah, he looks great. is Freddy Mercury. He's a great choice. I'm looking forward to seeing that film. But, and by the way, I grew up listening to Queens. That's exciting. Yeah. But I don't, I don't know, like, though, yeah, it's difficult, I think, the rock star. Yeah. Well, Bhopics, as you know, I mean, like, they're tough to crack and you've yeah, you've jumped into a few of them and the good ones are few and far between.

Yeah. I think a big problem, I don't know what you feel about this is like, especially the cradle to grave stuff is tough, like the full life thing. It's, it's, it's, it's, It's almost, and I think it's a smart thing that, like, Danny again did to bring it back to the Rebel and the Rye, is it's, it is a finite part of his life. Like, you know, there's a post script that kind of alludes to, like, the later years or whatever, but it's hard to encapsulate a life in two hours. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, completely. So I want to bring back, because we jumped around X-Men for a second, but are you surprised that Simon was able to get the band back together? because I feel like in the last couple films we've been talking like

this might be it like you know because it's like it gets harder and harder everybody like gets more and more opportunities are you surprised at this point you're doing your fourth now right at least

this is my fourth yeah that's crazy no you know what I think I think it came down to a thing whereby he wrote the script and sent and I read it

and I was like oh this is some cool stuff character wise for me and different to the last movie so I was like well I want to be a part of that And then, yeah, I think, you know, we all have a really good time making them, Fassie and James and Jen and everybody. So it's kind of like, it's a nice thing for us to go back.

Can you tease a little bit about what Hank gets to do this time around? That was interesting? I don't know if I can tease too much of it. But it's cool. It's just like a different, get to these new, different stuff. How many inventive ways have they discovered to figure out how not to have Jen have to put on blue makeup this time? So we know, this is public now that she does not necessarily enjoy. No one would.

right the blueness the blueness yeah yeah so there are a lot of inventive oh yeah I can't turn into mystique for the next two hours because there's something happened when I fell over I held my ankle and now I'm back exactly no no it all makes sense when you see it

I think they've done a smart job with all those things as well yeah so yeah okay it's good I'm excited for it yeah me too so what comes up after you're wrapped with X-Men do you know that's when Tolkien starts so go off and do a little bit of that who's your leading lady in that they just cast Lily Collins

recent guest of Happy Segment confused. She's lovely. She's great. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I look forward to work on with her. So what's and in terms, are you happy right now with the kind of stuff that's coming along the pike in terms of diversity of roles and characters? I don't know, Josh. I'm not too happy to be I was really honest. I know. You're eating your feelings.

I just want to eat. Did you finish your Milano's? No, because I felt bad because, you know, it's really annoying and listening to people eat. Did one Milano do the trick? No, I'm going to eat all of these. I get out of this room once we stop recording, but until then, I'm going to be professional for once and not eat in front of the microphone.

We did the professional stuff for 20 minutes. Let's go non-sequiters now. Okay. So is Milano your preferred cookie? What is your preferred cookie, generally speaking? I would go for just a standard chop chip cookie or like a white chopper chip cookie. No, I want like the soft freshly baked ones.

You know what I mean? We're soft on the inside, warm preferably on the inside and crunching the outside. I don't want to get too specific. But you know what I mean? This goes back to food with us. Just right. Right. We handled sandwiches last time.

Now we're moving into dessert treats. I hope that sandwiches life for people has changed since that movie and improved a cake or pie ooh you know what we didn't grow up in England with too much pumpkin pie

and I like being in America when pumpkin pie starts coming out We're in the season I was just in Starbucks They just changed the menu Oh boy It's a bit too much I guess too much isn't it

You pumpkin everything over here Yeah I don't need a pumpkin latte No Pumpkin pie though A little nutmeg in there That's nice bit of whipped cream Thanks for the Yeah

Just in case people don't know That's the sound of whipped cream going on hard. That is actually the sound. Is a secret dream to be a foliarist? Do you want to be like the guy that? What's your best sound effect? Yeah, what is?

I don't know. I do a good Jar J'R. Binks. That's not a sound effect. Me's a jar Jaxor. Me'sa, you humble servant. Oh, damn. Yeah. It's a horrible talent to have.

I mean, literally the world's most reviled character I can do. That's a good one. Do you do, are you good with accents? Do you do voices, impressions? No. See, that's not for you. You just threw me under a bus. I don't do any.

You know who's great impressions? Kevin Spacey? Yes. That guy is a darn on impressions. He's a good guy to have as your mentor on screen. Yeah. Because you could probably learn something from him off screen as well. He's phenomenal to watch.

Yeah. I went and met him in a restaurant up on the upper, that side. West East East Side. I went out there and I walked in and he was sitting there and he had all these cue cards out. And he was learning all his lines off these cue cards. And I was like, oh, what's the deal with that then? and he likes to learn his lines in a loud, noisy, boisterous sort of place

because that then means that when he's on set, he can focus in, and whatever's going on around, it doesn't matter because he's going in the worst possible scenario so that, like... Yeah, yeah, as opposed to, like, sitting at home learning them and then turning up on set and it's whatever it might be, and you're like, oh boy, I knew my lines when it was quiet and I was chilling, but now I don't know him.

I was... I think I saw him in... I think it was Iceman Cammoth, which is one of those plays that has like a 45-minute monologue in the middle of it that he had to deliver. Right, right, right. I just don't even understand how the mind can work that way. Are you able to, are you good with, like, conversation? I can learn any 45-minute monologue.

Seriously? Yeah. Really? No, I don't know. But it's just, it's just training your brain, isn't it? It's repetition and just, like, trying to find out logical parts of what makes sense. What is, like, do you have, like, a specific, like, when you're memorizing, like, a role that has, like, a ton of dialogue. Like, what does it look like in Casa Holt?

What do you, are you, like, walking around talking to yourself? Or you? Yeah, but, yeah, I'll try. and do it um i'll do it like in in the car i'll be driving and like repeating like things that i know that are going to be tricky to remember or yeah i'll just i find that a long time before film i'll read the script pretty much every day and try and do it at nighttime before i go asleep right and do that and that's always good and then and then gradually start putting it in yeah it must be it must be good to kind of um that way you can get away with talking to yourself in public and people don't know if

you're just crazy you know what that's quite a good one i've done that before where i put headphones in pretending to be on the phone, but been walking around, like, I don't know, New York or London or whatever, but actually just repeating dialogue. Right. And it's actually an interesting little kind of thing to do, because then you find that if you think people are thinking you're on the phone, then you actually behave more naturally than if you think you're practicing lines in a way. Does that make sense?

Yeah, it does. Because you have to make them work for someone watching you pretending to have a phone conversation. I would imagine it gets weird, though, when you're memorizing something like for, like, X-Men and you're like screaming like, Mystique, get over there. Get to the jet. You must take down these. I'm changing, help me.

Yeah, you've got to be really careful from what you're shouting. Do you ever, is that the most mortifying thing for an actor to, like, forget a line on set? Is that still like a thing? On set, no. Really? No.

Because everybody does. Like, on stage it would be much worse, obviously. But on set, it's kind of like, all right, back we go, start again. I mean, it's bad if it keeps on that. then it's like oh boy but then that's just like

people haven't put in work right right so that wouldn't happen to a professional IQ it no way who who doesn't remember the lines is that what you in a while yeah who doesn't remember

you know what out of the X-Men group Jen's least likely to know our lines you can say that she'll cop to it she's probably sure no she completely knows it she's least likely to know our lines

turn up but then she'll like learn them quick and be on it but like yeah yeah least likely to know have you gotten a sneak peek at mother We were talking about Toronto films. I haven't got a sneak peek yet. That looks like maddest in the best possible.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's going to be intense. Have you seen anything lately that you're into? What have I seen lately that I'm into? I saw Wolf and the Planet of the Apes. That was good, right? I like that. Yeah.

Saw Logan Lucky. I like that. What else are we saying? That's kind of it, actually. Have you done any mocapping yet? Am I missing any mocap in your career? Is there any mocap involved for a piece? No, no mocap.

No mocap. It's all practical. Yeah, that's all practical. So, no. Do you want to put a lot of balls on your body and run around? Well, when you say it like that. Hey, Nick, would you be interested in me putting a lot of balls all over you by? I started myself with a lot of balls right now and put them on my body.

Maybe you could put it on camera. Back to the porn, huh? It all comes back around. The worst 50 shades of gray. But does that intrigue at all? Like, is like to do that kind of weirdness? Yeah, the performances, those guys and then. and the apes and that were incredible.

This is amazing. Yeah. What he can do. I think it's really cool. Yeah. Theater, wait. Did we talk about theater? Have you done theater in the last?

I haven't done it. I was meant to do a play this year, but then schedule got changed around. I couldn't do it. So I don't know when next might be on the cards. I want to get back into it. You do? Yeah, yeah. I want to get back into it.

To regain your credibility to make it like a true espion. Try and hang on to some sort of dignity out here, you know? Would you do it here or in a one? I'd do it in London. Okay. So I can be home. Right. Yeah.

Makes sense. Yeah, a good lifestyle, too. It's like the closest thing to, like, regular day job for an actor. It is. The last time I did it, it was kind of nice. You, like, have the day to do your, you know, errands and walk around and do whatever, and then you, like, go to work. But then you do get this weird thing where you're, like, suddenly really awake. Right.

And it had, like, this buzz after working at, like, 11, 12 p.m. That is the thing where I've talked to actors about this, like, coming off of, like, a big play. Like, what do you do with all that energy? Like, how do you get it out of your system? Yeah. It's drinking yourself into oblivion, which isn't going to scale at a certain point. No, you can't do that for months on end. So, yeah, it's a non-thing, but, yeah.

What was I going to ask? Oh, the, okay, so we talked to film, what has TV show you binged? Dude, I'm watching, what's it called? This documentary at the moment called, like, Cosmos, Cosmos, something or other. It's a documentary all about the universe, and it's blowing up. Wait, is it the Neil deGrasse Tyson stuff? Yeah, yeah, that's pretty true. Dude, I'm freaking out.

it's really well done I love it but the first episode I put on I was sitting there in the apartment and I was like whoa

the universe is so big guys did you do you know how big the universe I was slowing people up on the XX I was like you have no idea

how big it is I am now aware of how big it is guess how big the universe is but then there's loads of universes inside of those and it just goes on and we're at all part

of the Big Bang still let's speak for yourself again back to the porn What's happening? This is wild. What? And then the second episode, all about how dogs, you know, how that was selective breeding from wolves, essentially, and how, you know, how we developed those and how we all grew up from individual cells. By the end of this, you're going to be, like, the smartest man on the planet. Dude, I hope so. I'm hoping. I was going to say, like, if you look at a lot of your roles, whether it's Hank McCoy or Tesla or Salinger, you're playing, is this, like, all an elaborate, like, attempt to make people think you're super smart?

Completely. I'm like, right. Can you play a dumb guy? When I was like, Nick, you're pretty dumb. You don't want to be funny? Go play all these smart guys. Give me big words to say. Yeah, I don't, I'm not sure why that is.

I guess you read as smart. Who would have thunk it? I know. Because I'm really not that smart. I am not. I left school when I was 17 and I am, you know, struggling to get my eyes. You're street smart. I'm street smart.

Yeah, that's it. Could you handle yourself in a fight? No. I can run pretty faster. That's an important element in fighting. Yeah, yeah, as long as you're faster than the other person. Are you, did playing Salinger Spark any interest in writing? I would write in prep for that. Really?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. How are they? They're absolute gold. No, absolutely. Absolute rubbish. No, they're not good. But it was interesting trying to get into that. that different level of perception that writers have when, you know, just being out and about and watching people and seeing how you describe things and opens up a different vocabulary inside your brain. It was interesting. Yeah. I enjoyed it. Um, quite therapeutic. I would think. Well, that's, that's a big part of the film too. It's sort of like how the process, uh, was, you know, as it is for many writers and actors is catharsis for something like Salinger. Is acting cathartic for you, you think? Is it a lot of the shit out of your body? You think? Dude, I do find it very cathartic. Yeah. I enjoy it a lot. And, I enjoy it a lot in that.

sense yeah um yeah I find it's a great way to I wouldn't say that I'm one of those actors that's like oh I'm gonna use this moment of my past in this scene and that's what's gonna trigger the emotion I'm not I'm not doing that but it's very like when you know when you go home at the end of a day and you're wiped out from doing whatever scene it might be you know you do feel kind of a sense of you poured something out yeah yeah or maybe you're just very tired and you're just like I got asleep but it is it is a nice there is kind of you know I find that interesting particularly when they use today drama for therapy and stuff in life as well.

Podcasting, do you feel like you've poured something of your soul out today? Do you feel more at peace with yourself? I love podcasts. I've been listening to so many podcasts. What's the way is what? You turn me out to my dad, wrote a porn now. Anything else? I love that porn.

I watch, I listen to a lot of Malcolm Gladwell. Mm-hmm. Gladwell podcast. Revision is history. Did. Go back and listen to all of those. They're incredible. Really?

And also, hardcore history by Dan Carlin. Okay. I just listened to, what, five or six podcasts, all about four or five hours long about World War I. Nice. So I'm pretty down on World War I. I was learning it for the Tolkien thing because I was like, I couldn't know of what was going on.

And I never really, I mean, I should have learned it from school, but I didn't probably. So I went to back to this, and he's good for it. Kids out there, you don't need to go to school. Just listen to podcasts. Podcasts, and watch you've learned from this. And watch biopics. Although I don't know how much we've learned from this one. We learned that you eat Milano cookies in a silent, respectful way.

No, that could be played differently Depending on how it comes through the headphones That you want balls all over your body Yeah, we'll learn him And I don't know if those are things that people can take forward in life You never know, buddy Say something inspiring, dude

Me? Yeah I'm like, I've run out like years back And when you turn people onto other podcasts, great Oh yeah, sorry The least you can do is on other podcasts plug mine We're doing other people This is like a light alternative when you've had five hours of listening to...

To learning about the universe or whatever? World War I and you're like, this is dark and then you go, all right, listen to Josh. One fun fact about World War I as we sign off here that people don't know. I don't know the guy who assassinated Ferdinand was called Gabriel Pinship. How do you pronounce his name?

I didn't know that. You're the expert. He was the guy who assassinated him. And strangely, I think it was one of those moments whereby they had a failed attempt assassination on him and his car the driver didn't or didn't know the right escape route

whatever so it just so happened that he turned down the street where Gabriel Prinship was and he like I don't know if I'm completely pronouncing his name right

but I think it's pretty close this has been 75% accurate facts with Nichol no but he pulled up just alongside him by accident and the guy was like oh damn this is my chance to kill him and boom really yeah

so it wasn't the first attempt it was like as they were trying to escape gave the driver took the wrong route or whatever and boom fate if you take nothing else from this crazy that and then think of all the things that spiraled from that moment world war one communism in russia everything and uh take that away and take away the fact are we finished i don't feel like i've talked enough also guys the universe is super fucking big i'm being pretty fired up i think it's because i'm having a sugar low or sugar high i'm spiking something's up or he was next or colt goldfish did do i have to say

about any of these movies more? I don't think so. Rebel in the Rye. Go check it out. I see it, guys. Thanks. It's legit, really good. It's a great performance. You guys all kill it. A nice ensemble.

Mr. Kevin Spacey, of course. It was amazing. Zoe Deutsch. I was love Zoe. No, man, honestly, it's a good piece of work. All right, nice one. On to the next stupid podcast. Good to see you, buddy.

I'll be back before you actually want me back. Could you leave the office, please? And so ends a nice. 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 pressured to do this by Josh.

Goodbye, Summer Movies, Hello, Fall. I'm Anthony Devaney. And I'm his twin brother, James. We host Raiders of the Lost Podcast, the Ultimate Movie Podcast, and we are ecstatic to break down late summer and early fall releases. We have Leonardo DiCaprio leading a revolution in one battle after another, Timothy Salome playing power ping pong in Marty Supreme. Let's not forget Emma Stone and Jorgos Lanthamos' Bougonia.

Dwayne Johnson, he's coming for that Oscar in The Smashing Machine, Spike Lee and Denzel teaming up again, plus Daniel DeLuis's return from retirement. There will be plenty of blockbusters to chat about two. Tron Ares looks exceptional, plus Mortal Kombat 2, and Edgar writes the running man starring Glenn Powell. Search for Raiders of the Lost podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.