Happy Sad Confused - Olivia Cooke

Episode Date: June 22, 2026

Olivia Cooke is here! She joins Josh on the podcast at last to talk about HOUSE OF THE DRAGON, Steven Spielberg, her bad Star Wars audition, and her little production company that could SUPPORT THE SHOW BY SUPPORTING OUR SPONSORS! Rula -- Rula patients typically pay $15 per session when using insurance. Connect with quality therapists and mental health experts who specialize in you at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.rula.com/happy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ #rulapod Quince -- Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Quince.com/HAPPYSAD ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠for free shipping and 365-day returns. Limited Time Offer–Get Huel today with my exclusive offer of 15% OFF online with my code happy15 at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://huel.com/happy15.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ New Customers Only. Thank you to Huel for partnering and supporting our show! UPCOMING EVENTS! 6/24 -- Millie Bobby Brown -- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tickets here⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What's the worst noted director has ever given you? Be more magic. Straight off the top of the dome then, be more magic. Traumatized. I was like, what do you mean? It's like, be more magic. I was like. That's amazing.

Ta-da. Yeah. Yeah. That was hard. That was a hard one. Prepare your ears, humans. Happy, sad, confused begins. Hey, guys, it's Josh.

Welcome to another edition of Happy, Sad. Confused. Today on the show, Olivia Cook for the first time on the podcast. She's talking me, Earl and the dying girl ready player one, and of course the new season of House of the Dragon. Thanks guys, as always for checking out the pod. Remember to hit that subscribe button, whether it's on YouTube, Spotify, however you're doing it, you know what to do. Before we get to Olivia, some quick reminders, as always, patreon.com slash happy say it confused. That's where you can get the early access, the discount codes. You can ask questions. You get autographed. merch, all sorts of fun stuff. We've been doing some live events recently. We had Matt Smith on recently at 9 Second Street Y. And we have in just a couple days, if you're listening or watching this right as this comes out, we're doing

a live event, June 24th with Millie Bobby Brown and tickets are still available. Another first time guest on the pod. The information is in the show notes, but it's also on our Patreon. Patreon.com slash happy, say it confused. Okay, so the main event today, as I said, it is Olivia Cook, who surprisingly

has never done the podcast. She's been on my radar for a long time. The first time I chatted with her was for that festival hit, Me, Earl and the Dying Girl. She was so great in that one. But following her throughout her career, of course, Ready Player One was a big one, that huge Spielberg film Bates Motel back in the day, thoroughbreds, Sound of Metal. She always delivers. And as you'll be able to tell from this conversation, as I say to her, she's just kind of a real human being, which, yeah, most of the people I talk to you are, but she especially has always just read to me as someone with a good head on their shoulders, a self-deprecating wit, a good attitude. She takes the work seriously,

but not herself seriously. So, yeah, a lot of fun moments in this conversation to look back at some near misses, some auditions that went awry, some Star Wars talk, of course. Yeah, this is a fun one. I'm really thrilled that it finally happens. So without any further ado, and a quick reminder, as always, you know, you got to check out House of the Dragon. I'm not that you need to to know, but it's on HBO now. The first episode just dropped. I've seen the first two. It's fantastic. Yeah. In the meanwhile, enjoyed this conversation. No spoilers in this. Just enjoyed for its own conversation's sake. Me and Olivia cook. Olivia. Yeah. Live, I guess. Yeah, live. You can call me live. Does anybody call you Olivia? Like, is it your mom, like if you're in

trouble? When I'm getting told off, sometimes it's Olivia, but I like live. Liv's nice. We're going to go with the Lube. Yeah. Lips familiar. Lips colloquial. I would say our history, like we don't have like a lot of history, but I feel like... It's long. It's a long history. I have some very happy, like, you always have registered to me as like a real human being. Thank God. I mean that's nice.

That's nice. Okay, good. Because you know, some folks are not. Yeah, and we've met them. We've met them. We're going to name names at the end of the podcast. Oh, I will. I'll name a shame. We met, I think, on me at Earl and the Dying Girl.

Yes. And then I have this vivid memory that you will not remember. remember because it was like literally six seconds I remember walking by you at sundance and there was a film that had screened there and I said I saw your film and I mentioned the film and you without missing a beat set you apologized you said oh I'm so sorry what film was it I mean yeah go on it was limestone golem which was a film hey it was a film Bill Nyeh fantastic love him who doesn't love him love him Sam Reid also great

yeah Douglas Booth yeah Some come, some go. It happened. We all try our best. We do. We all give it 100%. Please, I spent 20 minutes talking to your buddy, Matt Smith, about Morbius. So you're fine.

You seen Morbius yet? You should check it out. I saw it. You saw it. I saw it. And I just haven't brought it up to him. What a good friend you are that you saw? He's fantastic.

Of course he is. He's always fantastic. I was asking you how the tour is going. Yeah. Good part of Bad House of the Dragon. A, it's House of the Dragon, it's Game of Thrones. It kind of sells itself by this point. Yeah.

Be there a lot of you. Can spread the wealth a bit. Yes. We can all just like do our bit. Right. Means there's less pressure on oneself. Yes. And then we can honks you.

Do you feel at this point, I don't know, because you've been in all manner of film and TV. Some register. Some are as big as they come. Ready Player 1. Gigantic. The world is paying attention. And then there are small films, Sundance films, that, like, you struggle to get any attention.

Yeah. Like, I guess there's, like, a yin and the yang. There's, like, a great, like, oh, people are paying attention to this. House of the Dragon. To House of the Dragon. Yeah. But there's also, like, probably a, like, a nice, like, oh, it doesn't matter what I say for the small film. You know what I mean?

Like. Yeah. It's like, it's like, yeah, the train has left the station with House of the Dragon. You know, I don't need to do anything, really. This is all just like, you know, vain, vain self-promotion, you know. The brand. Yeah. Not the actor.

The brand. Yeah, the brand. Yeah, stocks are up. I'm investing all my money. Yeah. Yeah. I don't know about that. But, but yeah, with, with like, independent film, you, you want to do everything you can for those.

Yeah. Yeah. Especially the ones you believe. Yeah. Yeah. And, you know, you, you want to like literally stand on your soap. box and, you know, hold the poster high above your head and being like, please come one, come all. Yeah. But this doesn't need that. Don't do that. We're fine. This is all gravy now.

I think so. I hope so. I do feel like there's goodwill. I think like you've been kind of already even just in two plus seasons now. You've kind of like gone through the arc of like first season trepidation, but people got excited and I think it had a good reception. Season two maybe like a little divisive. There's a little bit. And now I feel like I've seen the first two episodes. The word out, there are good vibes out there for season three. Yeah, yeah. I think so. I've heard good stuff. You can sort of tell when you're being interviewed. You know, you can sort of, you can sense a lukewarm reception and you can sense the, you know, the genuinely excited reception.

And I think that it has been the latter this time round. So that is nice. I don't have to sort of like, you know, petition. So for you at this point, let's rank the most stressful parts of the job. Is it receiving the job and knowing the mountain you have to climb? Is it stepping onto set first day? Is it talking about it and then feeling, I've heard you talk about the self-loathing that comes with doing press sometimes? Yeah. So are these all hardships?

They're all completely different. And I wouldn't say the hard chips. No, we're not coal miners here. Yeah. It's okay. Poor me. But I, yeah, the trepidation and the dread that comes with getting the call that you've got the job, the sort of split second revelation, which then quickly moves into something a little bit more insidious and like white knuckle. That's its own thing because then you sort of start to second, well, I do anyway.

I start sort of second guess myself and second guess their decision. It's like, oh, God, I'm going to get to set and they're just going to see that I can't do this and then I'm terrible and they're going to want to recast. or we'll do the read-through and everyone's terrible and a read-through. Right. Then you start to do the math once you start shooting, you're like, how long can I shoot before I know they can't recast? Yes. Because I've been on films before where like two weeks in,

someone's gone and another person's in their place. And it's like, no one is safe. No one is safe. Even when, you know, contracts are signed and it's, yeah, it's a, you're on sort of like unsafe footing. So that's its own thing. I'd say like the sort of coming back season after season, the sort of emotional and mental stamina that you have to have.

And, you know, you've got to imbue the season with as much energy as you gave the first. And sort of trying to mentally follow your arc, even though it's been at this point since we've been filming like five years. It's also like quite tricky. They're very long shoots. How long are you shooting each season? Seven months. Seven months.

Yeah. As I understand it, you're not necessarily shooting like episode one followed by episode two. No, no, no. A bit of that shooting, right? Yeah. All over the place. And so that's a mind. That's minefield.

Yeah, you're, you'll, we have a wonderful script supervisor, Tess, and I sort of do go to her and I am just like, test like emotionally where I'm at, where I'm at out? Give me a number. What? Where am I? Yeah, exactly. Seven. Great.

Got it. I got it. Yeah. So she's, she's really, she's really good. I do rely on her quite. a lot just because it's you know it is so wide ranging and it is a bit discombobulating at times and then when you add the multiple seasons and the years on top of that and and then as a person like I started this job but I got the

job when I was 26 I'm 32 now so that's like a lot of life that's been lived I'm not the same person as I was then but then trying to like lock in to that is also like its own challenge and can we talk about like to get a little met of the media side of it this kind of a thing as you've talked before about your relationship with Instagram with Twitter back in the day like with press how do you what are the coping mechanisms how are you you allow grace to yourself to kind of like deal with it has to be dealt with and not nitpick everything you say and it's hard I think I've gotten better yeah I have had a sort of

not even a love hate of it. I think I've hated it all the way but like I've had some sort of relationship with Instagram where I didn't have it then I got it and now I I've gotten rid of it again just because I'm like I don't think I'm

resilient enough as a person to have access to like all these people and their opinions and I don't think anyone is actually I think it's the long term repercussions of this I mean the short term

repercussions we're seeing. But like the long term, we're all fucked. Yeah. We're fucked. And just from being off of it, I'm like, oh my God, I've got my like my mind back and also like my, I feel like so much more pure of thought. I'm like, oh, I'm not regurgitating something that I've seen in like a clip. This is this is actually what I think. You know, before. This is the guy that's still in there and this is the after. Yeah. No, no, no, no, no. No. And so it's so hard to get out. It's, it's, it's tough. It's tough in there. It's hard also when, when you've got a podcast and this is your main area of promotion as well.

Whereas I feel like, you know, I'm just like looking at my publicist. I think I'm okay at the mo to not have this extra bit that I have to sort of feed as well. Because I think personally it's too much of a tax. Has like any external, whether it's a review, a comment, has it ever affected a performance? Has it ever gotten your head enough that's so I need to change even like a facial expression and approach to a character or? No. I'm aware of like there's been commentary about like my like Alison like facial expression where she looks like worried. But that's just me. Like that's just what my face sort of does when I'm like what you get in distress.

And you know, Alison's in distress a lot of the time. And unless I go. got, you know, sort of irrevocable plastic surgery. I can't do anything about it. So no. And also I don't watch the monitor. I do want to just be as free and as like, you know, unburdened by my appearance as possible on set.

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Join the Glass Cannon podcast as we plunge into the Shadow Dark every Thursday night at 8 p.m. Eastern on YouTube.com slash the Glass Cannon, with the podcast version dropping the next day. See what everybody's talking about and join us in the dark. What is the level of professionalism on season three of Hustle the Dragon versus season one? Did it start professional? How quickly did it devolve? You know what? We had it devolved pretty quickly.

We had Reese Evans, who is the naughtiest mischief maker on the planet. I wish this man did press. Because the legends of Reese. I know. He seems like, everybody says he is like anarchy. He is like the Joker and... They don't make them like him anymore. And I like, it's just, you know, the little glint in his eye would set me, Matt, Fabian, all.

And I'm such a corpse. And I do, I do attach myself to like the naughty boys on set as well. Right. I do love them. I do love them so much. And so like... So you give them, you're enabling. them. You're laughing and they feed on that.

Enabler. Yeah. I really am just like, do it. Do it again. Go on. I dare you. You know? Totally. So yeah, it devolved very quickly. But you know, I think for the most part, we're a very professional bunch. But those long shooting days and when you're shooting a sequence for a week, two weeks, lunacy does sort of penetrate. So you have to do anything to sort of like reconnect with reality and if that means, you know, having a laughing fit to sort of break the tension, I think that's healthy. I think so. Why be miserable?

Seven months? Seven months of your life, you want to be miserable? I can't. I can't. I can't. And also, like, you know, Allison's track record is a very depressive one. Yeah, you can't live in that headspace too much. I can't do it.

I need the light. Yeah. Don't D.D.L. this. Don't Daniel A. Lewis this. You can't. No. No. Have you worked with that type of, I mean, we all have D.DL.

I mean, oh, now I need to go back into the filmography. I'm sure I could figure it out. I'm not going to name, no, I'll tell you after. Okay. It's just... It's a lot. Like, I get it. Okay.

But it's like, you know, Kristen Stewart did this fabulous, I think it was the New York Times interview, where she was saying, you know, the craft of acting is a very, like, unmasculine place to live in. And so, you know, mainly men have to affect strife and, you know, anger and violence to sort of justify that making art and making films is a very vulnerable place. Well, it's also a selfish act. It's like it's for yourself, not for your co-stars. Yeah. It can bring others down and make it an uncomfortable experience. Exactly.

point is to have everybody in a relaxed state where they can be free. Yeah, like, let's just connect. Like, let's go on this journey. Like, it's going to take us on, like, so many different wild turns if we just trust in what we're making here. Yeah. Because I know that you've gone home, looked in the mirror, and you've already decided everything that you want to do.

Right. Yeah. I find it very exhausting and not fun, you know. It's also interesting because I've heard you talk about, like, you know, there's all sorts of levels of actors in this show where they've like, you know, I'm sure they're Rod a train. They're people that have gone the whole schooling, tons of theater experience and whatever. And like, was there any like early on, whether it's even House of the Dragon or other gigs, like where you felt an insecurity that you didn't have the training.

You didn't have that kind of training on set. For sure. I think I still have it now where I feel sort of like vocally unprepared and not quite tuned and my sort of knowledge of the classics and theatre is very limited compared to people that have been to drama school and I'm actively giving myself sort of a theatre education. Yeah. But yeah, I still brush up against that. That's my own like chip on my shoulder.

Ooh, what owl? I had to mention we have an owl one here. We have an owl in here. It's not a mascot of Happy Sank. confused them, that's okay. And yeah, I think I'd come in to auditions or to, onto sets, and there would be a shorthand because they, it's like, you know, people that went to Eton or Harrow, you know,

their way of talking or undercutting, like, social awkwardness is to ask what school you went to. And it's sort of the same with drama school as well. And then there's that immediate point of reference. Right. which I just didn't have at all. You, you, you, did you have any chip on your shoulder when you didn't get in?

Because you wanted to go to, you wanted to go to Rada? Is that where you? Yeah, yeah, I got to the, the fight. I did the final round and then didn't get in. But then I got the leading movie. Yeah. Guys, so. Who's the winner here?

Yeah, but I did have this thing of like, oh no, this is not the way it's supposed to be. I'm supposed to go to drama school. I'm supposed to learn my craft. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then do it, but I, you know, I, I couldn't turn down a career that was being offered. So which which gig was that?

Was that? It was the quiet ones, which is with, it was a horror with Sam Claflin and Jared Harris. Yes. Strange film. We've all got a few on the resume. It's okay. Yeah, but fun. And I feel like I learned so much so quickly.

And I was this, you know, time cast, this 14, I think I was 14. 14 year old girl who is possessed. Right of passage for everybody. Exactly. Exactly. So, you know, didn't, couldn't, didn't and couldn't sniff at that. Yeah. Did you, were you still working on jobs at that point?

Like, did you have side, no. You had doubled down. You were, this was. Yeah. Well, I'd worked from 14 at a hair salon and then a beauty salon. And then I worked in a cafe called Peace Love and Cake. and I was making the cappuccinos and busing tables. And then I got my first job on a BBC show called Blackout

where I played Christopher Hickles' daughter. Right. And I think I... Surrounded by Dr. Hughes all your life. Yes, I know. When is it my time? I mean, they're looking for a new doctor. Are they? And then I was, for some reason, I was in a cemetery.

I think I was overdosing. I can't remember. They were sick next to me. And I remember texting my boss being like, hey, this night shoot is going late. So never said those words before in my life. This night shoots going late. So I don't know if I'll be able to make it into work tomorrow, but I've got an M to cover my shift.

And she messaged back, don't bother coming in tomorrow or ever again. I'll give last week's wages to M. And that was the last time I had like a normal job. Your decision was made for you. There you go. All right, we didn't come back to that path. But that's a little bit more in House of the Dragon before I forget. So I'm just curious, like when you, when this came around, I mean, a big opportunity, a very exciting opportunity.

It's got a built-in audience. You know the eyeballs are going to be there. That being said, like being the kind of optimist slash pessimist, like, did you, what were the concerns? Like, did you have major questions given anything that was attached to Game of Thrones? Yeah, I think up until that point, I felt like I had a really lovely career where I was able to, you know, stretch myself creatively and also avoid, you know, fame. I think I'd have a nice, sweet kind of sweet spot. Yeah. You're doing some indies, you're doing the ready player ones.

your yeah like you know you in the industry but you're not necessarily like you don't have that level no like impact you exactly like industry like i was well liked but i i had this anonymity which i you know loved and cherished and and yeah that was a big um concern that that my life would would change but then i realized i'd actually don't like to go out and i don't like apart from like when i have to do press like i'm i don't like to be something like to be scene or go to like parties or do anything that I don't absolutely have to. So safe place. Yeah.

You're speaking my language. Yeah. So like actually my life hasn't really changed that much. Maybe there's a bit of like- They can't recognize you if you're hiding in your living room. Exactly. Exactly. Unless they're peeping through the window.

Which yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Apart from when the the show comes out or a show is coming out and There's just a bit more awareness.

You're in the zeitgeist, I guess, a little bit more. There's maybe more people recognizing you on the street or on the tube. But apart from that, it's fine. Did you know going in the age discrepancy that there would be between you and your sons on the show? No. Not a, when I found out that Tom Glincarney was like auditioning for my son, I was like, what? I was like, are they going to like recast Allison again? and like do another age jump.

Like how is this going to work? Yeah. Where are you at with it now? They're wonderful actors. I don't know how. No, I love that God. I love them with all my heart. I think spiritually me and Tom are related.

It's odd, isn't it? I feel many things about it. I feel like, God, is this just like the industry? Is this just Hollywood? They don't want to see women age. you know, I think it's a big leap for the audience to make. Or maybe I'm just a fantastic actor. Let's go with that.

Let's go with that. Do you ever, you famously, I think you first auditioned for Rainira, right? Yes. Yeah. So when you're looking at Emma in a scene, are you ever like, you're doing great that I could have really nailed this scene? I think my wanting Renera initially was I was, I was, desperate to be blonde.

I was just desperate. Like, it was so vain. I was like, I want to wear that wig. Seriously? That was a consideration? Yes. I was just like, I've never been blonde. It was... It was such a shallow thought.

But then when I started auditioning for Allison, I was like, oh, like... When you auditioned, did you have the platinum blonde? Like, did they give you a wig? No. No, no, no. No, it was locked down. So it was just, me and my sort of like crude lighting setup. But yeah, no, when I got the audition for Alison and started auditioning for her, I was like, oh, this is, yeah, this is who I'm sort of meant to play.

And what are Emma's done the podcast before? Yes. We all adore Emma. Yeah. Obviously everybody loves you two together. We've talked about this before. But like vibes again, like has that relationship off camera evolved and helped the on camera relationship, you think, by season three? Yeah, I think it has. I think we've just got a shorthand and the relationship is already embedded, which, you know, chemistry is like such a mystical thing that you can't sort of bottle or recreate.

And you can try and act it, but it's hard when you're, when you don't actually have that in real life. Yeah. Like I can try and have chemistry with this like crystal here and like do an okay job, but it makes my life easier way. and we actually have real, like a real bond, and we really get on. And I am so excited about their performance and what they're going to do. And it's so exciting. And it makes me react in a different way. And we really can play in those moments.

And it's safe and we trust each other. It must be, yeah, given all that exciting when you come to a script and you see, because when these scenes happen, they're always the writers deliver. There's always something really true. Yeah, we're very lucky. When they do write Rainier and Alice in scenes, it's like all the focus is just turned onto that scene and the tension is built and there's so much that is unsaid and it's all in the sort of like subtlety and the subliminal messages. And also with the direction, like it's it's us to, you know, trying to. speak desperately to the kid we once knew. Right.

You know. Yeah. But there's just so much artifice in the way now. Yeah. The world of Sonic the Hedgehog has been thrust into a not so dark, not so stormy, hard-boiled detective story that probably nobody saw coming. Follow Sonic and the Intrepid Chaotic's detective agency as they take on their biggest case yet. This high-flying action-packed adventure will take them across the world, fighting for every clue they can fight.

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Okay, so we did jump ahead a little bit into kind of like when you started to kind of the career started to take off. But let's go back even further as a kid. I know you started to act around like eight. It's mostly just like school stuff, musicals, that kind of a thing. Yeah, yeah. Afterschool club called Oldham, where I'm from, Oldham Theatre Workshop, where like so many amazing actors have.

have been like Joe Gilgan, Suran Jones, yeah, I think Anna Friel went there as well. Yeah, just like a lot of really good like northern British actors. Was so no acting, no serious arts in the family from what I gather. No, my dad loves karaoke. That's so. Yeah. So I think he's like, she got it from me. So what did they make of it when you started to like go from recreational to kind of like

showing signs that this was going to be serious. Were they? They were really supportive. They would drive me to auditions in Manchester with like local casting aid, like directors and my aid, like my local agency that I was with up there. They were really supportive.

Although my mum, when I was out of work between my first proper job and my second, there were two, I did two, BBC dramas back to back and there was maybe a gap for like three weeks in the middle. A short amount of time in this business. I know, please.

But my mum was like, so what are you going to do there? Are you just going to sit on your bum all day long? What is this? 99% of actors are out of work, 99% of the time, Olivia, what are you going to do? And I was like, I will, I think for her, like, I dropped out of school. There was no backup. I had a GCSE education, which is like the exams that you do at 16, which don't really amount to anything. And so she was coming from a very concerned place of like, yeah, you did one job.

But we're not there yet. You wouldn't, we're not. And I was 18 and thought, well, this is it. You had, in your head, you had no backup plan. Nothing. No, and I had no transferable skills at all. necessity. You had no back.

Yeah. I could maybe do tap dance. That was about it. That's all you need. Paryoki in the blood. Yeah. Yeah. So you get, you get, you get.

get the quiet ones, you get the seminal classic Ouija. Yeah, I got Bates Motel before Ouija. Oh, okay. Okay. So Bates Motel, that's an interesting, like, that's an interesting show because I feel like it's somewhere in between. Like you could have gotten, I'm most fascinated like the first kind of break that happens because it's obviously not a choice. It's sort of like luck of the draw. Yeah. Yeah.

Whatever the first like steady gig is. Yeah, you'll do whatever. You could have been on a CW show. You could have been. Oh, I audition for them. I was going to say like what were you going up for in that time? I think everything and and yeah, I was, yeah, it was just all, it was sort of like back in the day of pilot season. I was, yeah, so I was still like auditioning for like far and wide.

Yeah. And Bates Motel came along and it was for him to play an American and I was like, there's no way. Yeah. And I just got it off of the tape and they never even met me and then I flew to Vancouver. Hoover and started shooting for five months. And at 18, and it was, you know, terrifying, but like the most exciting adventure ever could not believe it. How many years did you do on base?

Five seasons. Yeah, did all of them. Yeah. Yeah. And you are like it throughout, we mentioned Ouija, the Signal, quiet ones, and then meet Earl and the Dying Group. Yeah. Which like a huge like festival.

like moment like I remember being there that was like when that film hits it was kind of a little mini you know you're in that festival atmosphere you know what it's like yeah it was so exciting yeah what take me into like that I just remember you know because we'd we watched it in god what's that theater calls that oh yeah Sundance yeah the echoes the echoes yeah you watch it the echoes yeah huge audience I think that was the first time I'd seen it maybe I'd seen like an earlier cut and just the palpable emotion and reaction at the end and then this eruption of applause that lasted like it was like a cans applaud a can oh god that's embarrassing can um a can a can applause um that lasted for forever and i just remember walking out of the theater sort of high and nick offerman was

was stood there eyes bright red face swollen he he'd been crying so much and he'd just sort of like put a hand on my shoulder and then just like looked away because he couldn't look at me. I was like, oh God, this, we've really made something. Alfonso's really made something special here. And then it got bought by Fox Searchlight and they put all their eggs in Brooklyn's basket. And they did not promote it and barely anyone saw it. And it was really fucked because they, yeah, fuck you, Foxo.

I was like it was it was fucked because they put us up like counter programming against like Jurassic world. Yeah, that's not going to know. In the summer and we just weren't we had didn't have the heft to to stand up against that. And I just like my heart really broke for Alfonso and like all the work that he put into it. And like he was doing his own campaigning. And then we were like flying from state to state to try and like boots on the ground raise awareness. And it was just a really. exhausting campaign to get people to see this beautiful film.

I remember you guys came into MTV. We talked to you. That's the very famous. Yeah. Yeah. Did it at least, okay, so yes, it gets this amazing critical reception. The good part about something like that is that people that need to see it, see it in the industry.

Yeah. You're probably already on their radar, but did you find that it did something for you. It got you into more rooms? I think it, well, yeah. Steven Spielberg saw that film and he. That's a direct correlation directly or one. Yeah. And, and.

And I, yeah, that year. So me and the dying girl came out in the June of 2015. And in September, I got ready to play a one. Oh, wow. Yeah. So, yeah, it was a bit of a direct route to Steven Spielberg. So there's a good outcome there. Yeah, there was amazing outcome.

I just wanted more people to see the film. I thought it was so beautiful. And I still think it's so beautiful. Anyway, Steve's still. We'll get there. But before we get to that, okay. I always love the roads that we almost traveled down. There's one that I'm fascinated by.

Is it true that you auditioned for Star Wars, that you were up for The Last Jedi? It was reported that you were one of them. That's the one. I believe it would have been like Kelly Marie Tran role, maybe, the Ryan Johnson film. I don't think I was. I think that was a weird rumor.

I do think that was a rumor. I don't think I actually auditioned for it. That might have been like. You're on a list and they just put it out there? Yeah, or like, you know, an agent leaked it to try and get more like cachet. I actually don't think I auditioned for it to die. It was so, that was so, it was like 12 years ago. I did audition a few times for the other one where Daisy Ridley got, yeah, the first one.

But like, you know, everyone in their dog auditioned for that. Every brunette, British girl was in. Yes, with big eyes. Yeah, just, you know, insert here. Was that a memorable experience? Like was that, I assume it's dummy sides. It's just you don't know what you're actually. Yeah, I think I auditioned once in LA and then once with JJ and I was shit.

I was really bad. I was just bad. You know when you're going to audition and you're just not bringing it and you've let yourself down, you've let everyone down in the room. It just was it. You know, Daisy did such an amazing job. I just wasn't that kind of actor at that time. You know, it wasn't a fit.

Have you had that flip side where it's like you feel like you've aced something and you start to like go down that path in your brain? You're like you're planning the rest of your life. 100%. Yeah. Yeah. And then the disappointment that follows. The devastation. I'm not had a devastating one for a few years.

but there was like endless love with Alex Petter. It was a remake. I remember Alex Petter for, yeah, who... Yeah. Who did I hear him? I remember blanking on her name. But I like a screen test for that and I wanted it so badly. And I was 19.

It was my first ever screen test and I was just like, I've got to get this. And then my agent rung me up like in the middle of the night in the UK because they were in America and I wept into my childhood. pillow in my childhood home. I was like my career is not going to amount to anything because I didn't get endless love. It worked out. Yeah. Are we talking about anybody else talking about endless love today with all due respect? Maybe.

Maybe. Maybe. I mean, maybe it's great. I never saw it. I didn't see it. I can watch it. Yeah. Well, it's too close to it.

It's too close. Yeah. You did do thoroughbreds, which also, that's a great one. That's one again, I don't know if it got the audience that deserved, but like there's probably an audience out there for that one. I think it's grown an audience over time, which is quite. Nice and Corey Finley who was like Wunderkind 27 at the time who directed that had adapted his own play and made it into a Film

What's it? Wait a screenplay. I saw the robot shut down I was like I'm wearing this energy patch that my It's not working publicist. It's not working. I'm just like trying to tap it That's how it works I'm like, why just press on? Yes, I love that film.

Not springing down, but like, I want to mention Anton because that, I mean, I knew him a little bit. You obviously worked with him more. I mean, I was just, we were all devastated. Yeah. Just the nature of it, the whole thing was just beyond comprehension losing Anton. I know, I know. Yeah. And as I recall, it happened like very soon after you guys shot it.

Yeah. Well, the movie shot for four weeks. And so I spent about four weeks with him. And then, yeah, it happened two weeks. after. So when you think back to that film, it must be so intrinsicly linked to him. Yeah, yeah. Yeah.

And he's so wonderful. And I just remember him being the most interesting, funny, charismatic, kind person. Yeah. It was such a shock and so devastating and so cruel. Did you ever see the doc they did? I don't know if you were... Yeah, I did. Yeah.

Yeah. It's beautiful. Yeah. Okay, on a brighter note, we mentioned Spielberg. I mean, that's a moment to get that phone call. I'm sure that's an audition process. That was a process, yeah. Right.

Yeah. We were talking, privileged enough to talk to him recently. He is exactly what you want him to be. Are you good at kind of like soaking up an experience like that? You know when you're shooting that, like, this is like what everybody kills for. this only happens every so often. I did. I was 22 when we shot the film and we shot it in Leaves and Studios where we shoot House the Dragon, actually.

And I do remember like just pinching myself and trying to be like just really just try and take this all in because, you know, this might never come around again. And I think I did. I have got loads of memories from that set way more than I've got on any other set ever. even in recent times. But it was just, for me, such a adrenalized experience because I'm acting opposite Stevens Bilberg every day.

And then, you know, Mark Rylens, and I'm in this motion capture suit and it's like very skin tight. And I've got dots over my face and I've also got a head cam with like, you know, four cameras and two lights on it. And I'm trying to navigate that. And it's like,

it was a really disorientating time too, but like he is just a genius and watching the way his mind works and how he's able to sew sequences together that he's just making up on the spot. Yeah. And especially with that film where he's also editing the motion capture, the oasis, virtual reality world in between the real life reactions, in the real life reactions, in the real world, which was like a dystopian Columbus, Ohio. And then making just motion capture sequences on the spot where there's a bit in it where my,

like the alien juts out of someone's stomach. Right. And then it devolves into, or dissolves, sorry, dissolves into a puppet on my hand and me just going like that. And he just came up with that on the spot and I'm just like, oh, Yeah, let's do it. And then the way it cuts into the film, it's so funny. And so, I mean, just silly and playful.

So we all grew up with Spielberg. That's one of those. That's just across all genres. But like, what were you, what was your genre of choice growing up? Well, like the films, the actors, I had a really disturbingly long conversation about erotic thrillers yet again with Matt Smith. As a child. Well, I wouldn't say child. But like that's like teenage formative.

Oh, sure, sure, sure, sure. Yeah, right passage for him. So what was your your genre of choice? Hopefully not erotic throwers like. Oh my God, like I mean, hook. Hook was my and I'm and Stephen, when I've heard him speak about hook, he can be quite disparaging. I know. I loved it.

It was like what I wanted life to be like. You wanted to live in Neverland? You want to completely. I wanted to be a lost boy. I wanted to live in a tree house. So I wanted to like have these like imaginary food fights that turn into this amazing creamy pie. And I want to be with Robin Williams just having a laugh. I thought it was the most fantastical or inspiring film that I'd ever seen.

And sort of it was almost akin to, you know, old fashioned musicals that I'd, you know, been obsessed with as well. Like Oliver. Right. The Wizard of Oz, Sound of Music, you know, I loved... Big, bright, movie, movie, movies. Because it was play. It was play. And I think what was wonderful as well, I think in my life, there was a real lack of adults playing with children and everyone being on a level.

Whereas in these films, everyone just came together and it didn't matter what age you were. You were just all, like, it was just joy. It was just joyous to be like in the middle of a song and down. dance number and I think that's what I wanted. Where's your movie musical? Are you interested? Have you gone up for them? Are you?

Have I gone up for them? I don't think. Oh no, I did. They were, they were. Oh, God, I hope this never resurfaces. So actually, weirdly, Alfonso Gomez-Rihon, who shot Me on the Dying Girl, he was going to shoot the film version of Spring Awakening. And I think I auditioned for that when I was 20.

and just like just screaming this audition in my mom's conservatory just spring and summer so I never heard back and also it hasn't happened so he's probably it's probably somewhere in the transom it's coming it's coming but I've aged out

unfortunately I've aged out I can't play like a like a Germanic school girl don't let it yourself you can mocap it thank you hey pen 15 That's true Can I give you one more What If Set the record straight

Did you do the Marvel thing The Hawkeye series It sounds like you were in the mix for Again another Another rumor Okay Yeah no I think they'd like

You know Gaged my Interest And I was like Oh I don't know if that's for me Right now But I never

I never met with anyone No nor auditioned. So where are you at now? This is, we have one more season, Pass of the Dragon. So we know seven months of your life is going to be taken up.

Yeah. In the next year, I would imagine. Yeah. If I don't die. What? If I don't die. Where did that come from? I don't know.

I don't know. I don't know. That's true. Oh, no. I mean in the show. Also, like, yeah, if I don't die. I took it to the dark place. Yeah, you did.

It's a me problem. Oh, no. Maybe that's going to happen. Maybe that's what you've foreseen in my future. No. Okay. Cut the tape. Get a therapist in.

Alison is going to live. You're going to live. Everyone's living. fingers crossed. I remember Emma out of season two advocated to get, I think she, they wanted a knife, something, a little action. Or do you advocate for Allison for anything going into this last season? Is there anything you need and want? I think I did advocate for something.

And I actually think Sarah. Hesse has got it in. I was like, I'm not going to say, but I was like, there needs to be some release. There's a tease. Yeah, which could mean anything. It's good you're not on Instagram. Who knows what people are going to come up with about that. Oh, God, I know.

I know. But where are you at, given that you do have that commitment coming up? Like, do you feel at a place in your career when you can kind of steer your own ship? or are you still kind of a receptor to what's coming at you? You know what I mean? I think a bit of both. I think I'm able to steer my own ship and choose my own projects and produce. I've got my own production company.

I mean, every actor's got their own fucking production company at this point. Like, what does that even mean? You know, I've got a title. What's the name of it? There's not an office or another person working with me. It's just me. Don't pull the curtain back. Don't know.

You've got 12 people. They're just nonstop typing. Yeah, yeah. They're all writing things. For me. Can I be an intern for the company? Of course. You can come around to my house and sit at the kitchen table.

Any ideas today? Yeah. Nothing? No. It's called chippy tea. Okay. Which means nothing to Americans. No, it doesn't.

Chippy tea is like chip shop tea. Tees are northern, northern slang for dinner. Okay. So it's just a chip shop dinner. Chippy tea productions. It's great. Don't sell it short. I assume you're already...

Having to explain. it takes the fun out of it it's again a me prompt an American problem yeah no no no a big a big no like a small little titter of recognition in the UK that's it anyway look forward to chippy team productions okay the one woman band what do you want to produce what are you looking to produce what kind of material you're looking for I yeah I am producing a TV show called daddies I'm producing two TV shows we'll see I mean, they always take about 17 years to get made, so we'll see. I've got a rom-com that I'm trying to get off the ground.

Rom-coms are hard, because I don't want it to be like a bit. I don't want it to be Netflix-ified. Yeah, yeah. The mic's pick up a lot just so you know. I can hear you. Yeah, yeah. Maybe like bleep that because I do want them to hire me. No, but we understand.

Publicist about to leap across. There is a kind of rom-com that doesn't feel elevated. It feels a little samey now. I want it. to be really beautiful and like, and also just like a bit primal as well, like what we feel in the first flushes of love and the, like, the obsession of that. And it all goes a bit like, you know, anxious and a bit dark sometimes as well. Like, it's not a nice feeling. Right. You know, the first flushes of love and this like romantic, you know, embarkment. It's, it's messy.

Yeah, it's messy. Yeah, it is. Anyway, that's maybe why no wants to make it. So it's unrated. It's really nasty. It's awful. What's your rom-com all-timer? What's like the two or three that you go to? Oh, God.

I mean, worst person in the world, I did think it was. I'm obsessed. We're not amazing. Like savant. Beautiful, beautiful performer. I do love that film. I love when Harry met Sally. Obviously, there are some others that I'm, I mean,

blue is the warmest color is not a rom-com. It's very telling. Portrait of a lady on fire, not a rom-com. So fun. Yeah. Any Lars von Truder movies you want to throw in there? Sure. Melancholia.

Coalia. Yeah. Good luck with the production company. Yeah. This is why I can't get. Money. All right. I'm going to end with this.

We end every happy second view with the profoundly random question. Yes. You ready for this? Yes, yes, yes. Here we go. Dogs or cats? Cat.

Okay. I like having to work hard for affection, I think. Oh, so you're taking it as which you are. That's which is great. I mean more of you like, are you a dog or cat person meaning an owner? What do you enjoy being right? I mean, I want to work hard for their affection. Oh, I see.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, got it. Yeah, because it's the payoff. is fantastic. What do you collect, if anything? What do I collect? Tea bags. Just move right along.

Genuinely, they're different teas. Sure. You use tea bags? No, come on. I'm not a psychon. Come on. No, just like, not tea. God, you're so bored.

Tis from around the world and like different flavors and stuff. It's fantastic. I've got a huge tea drawer. Yeah. God, I'm boring. This is, this is, this is your 30s. I had to collect tea bags. Do you have a favorite video game of all time?

No. The first. Nope. Someone's just been like, nope, I reject the question. No. Wow. Not a video game. Never played a single video game in life.

No, can't stand it. It doesn't, my brain can't do it. I just get so, um, just impatient with it all. Yeah. And I can't do it. And my, my thumbs can't. Sure. act quick enough.

And I don't know what the triangle means, what the square means, what the circle means. Okay. Sorry. Would you, this is the De Quetta Johnson Memorial question. She asked me this. I ask everybody, would you rather have a mouthful of bees or one B in your butt? A mouthful of Bs or one B in my butt? You heard me.

I think one B in my butt. I don't think that would be that bad. Yeah. Quite nice. Yeah. It could be nice depending on the B. You're really sorry about. You're really going through it.

Yeah. I'm just like, it's probably. more painful, not that I've ever been on this show, but to be on hot ones in the aftermath than having one B in your butt. I would think so. The hot ones does not look like enjoyable. No. My stomach lining would be ruined and Matt resolved immediately.

Yeah. Bathroom. There's not a pretty sight, I'm sure. What's the wallpaper on your phone? It's my boyfriend jumping on the bed in motion looking like a torpedo. And it's just him in the air, just like, and he's got a bald head. So it looks even funnier in motion because there's just no face. It's just head.

Amazing. You captured this wonderful moment. Yes. Well done. Last actor you were mistaken for? I do get mistaken for. For Jenna Coleman. Oh, quite a lot.

Okay. Again, this Doctor Who thing is just following you around. Yes. And why am I blanking on her name? Editing is for it's okay. Why are blanking on her? Oh, El Penel, yes. I'm mistaken for her.

Elapernel. El Penel. And there's Amy, Amy. Amy Lou Wood. Got it. Yeah, I don't know why I blanked on her name. It's okay. But yeah.

Yeah, Amy Lee Wood. Okay. What's the worst noted director has ever given you? Be more magic. straight off the top of the dome then being more magic traumatised I was like what do you mean

just like be more magic I was like that's amazing to da yeah yeah that was hard that's a hard one that was yeah that was when I

auditioned for Cinderella when I was 19 in the Disney offices when it was a different director than who than Karenna Yeah, yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. And he was just like looming over me with a with a handheld camera, be like, be more magic. How's that? That's awesome. And finally, in the spirit of happy second fuse, an actor who always makes you happy. You see them on screen, you're in a better mood. Oh, Anna Maxwell Martin. Okay.

Um, Motherland. Okay. Love her. I think she's a fucking amazing actor. Great. Movie that makes you sad. Uh, oh. Oh.

There's the famous face that they talk about. It's going to do all the emotions. Titanic. Sure. I cried. Because. We all did. Yeah.

It's a tough. It's a toughie. It's a toughie. Yeah. That's what they say about it. It's a toughie. Try hard as not to. Yeah.

I don't know. I've not thought about that. Yeah. That one's sad. That is sad. It is sad. Poor Jack. Poor Jack.

And just like the actual event that actually happens. That's for making it real. Yeah. We went there. And finally, a food that makes you confused. A food that makes me confused. Oh. Oh.

Oh. Ouni. This is coming up so often. It's like happened like five times in the last two months. Really? Everybody's off the uni. So confused by it. And it's we went, me and my boyfriend went to Japan.

early last year and he tried uni for the first time and then every time he burped for six months he was like Oonnie still in there yeah the the Oonie lobby needs to really like invest because right now they are taking a hit on happy

second views it's tough I mean I'll have it I don't ever want to like disrespect the chef I'll power through power through but he was not having his hand he was just like heading hands like that's awful down the mic sorry no that was wonderful it's beautiful the podcast listeners appreciate it and i appreciate you we did it finally on the podcast thank you um good luck with the season it's gonna go

great i've seen the first two don't screw up the next six try not to you got this thank you i mean it's happened already you did you did yeah i feel excited and fine about it nothing i can do um it's good to see thank you for stopping love to see you thank you thanks josh 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 sure to do this by Josh. For eight years, we've been asking the same question over and over again.

How did this happen? My name's Mandy. And I'm Melissa and we're the host of Moms and Mysteries, the True Crime Podcasts with over a 55 million downloads. We're two Florida moms who are obsessed with mysteries. Each week we do deep dives into fascinating true crime stories. We cover everything from infamous cases like Casey Anthony to the bizarre and complex crimes right here in our home state, like the shocking murder of FSU professor Dan Markell. We bring you the facts, but with warmth and width you'd only get from two friends who have been hooked on mysteries since childhood. Join us for new episodes of Moms and Mysteries every Tuesday and

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