Happy Sad Confused - Ralph Fiennes

Episode Date: April 25, 2016

The amazing Oscar nominated brilliant actor Ralph Fiennes joins Josh to talk about A Bigger Splash, Strange Days, Schindler's List, playing Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter films, and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

none of you are safe. New episodes every Wednesday, wherever you get your podcasts. Hey guys, and welcome to another edition of Happy, Sad, Confused. I'm Josh Horowitz. Welcome to my podcast. Hell of a show for you guys. This week, we've got not only the amazing Oscar-nominated, brilliant actor that is Ray Fine,

starring a new movie called A Bigger Splash. But just as importantly, we've got our good omen, our good luck charm. Now I don't want to say your name. Sammy's back. Sammy's back on the intro. Hey, Sammy. Hi, I'm so happy to be back. What you say, that makes me think you're not happy.

No, I'm not. I really am. My heart is full right now. That's wonderful. If I had a heart, it would be full too. Yeah. Yeah, sadly, we haven't had you on the intro just because of circumstance. It's nothing personal, Sammy. I feel like you make it all personal.

I don't know, because I feel like you could have, like, I don't know, brought me with you to Las Vegas. I don't have this kind of discretionary income in my feet, right? right now. Well, if you cared, if we let's start a Kickstarter. Okay, Kickstarter and have Sammy accompany me on my trips. Circumstances got on the way. Yes, we were both in L.A. for MTV Movie Awards. We had, we were backstage together.

That was really exciting. We can talk about that for a second. Yeah. What's it like for you to be backstage at a big event, like the MTV Movie Awards? Was it fun? So, yeah. So let me just set the scene. So movie awards were outside this year.

So we're literally, like, in a parking lot, pretty much, interviewing the biggest stars in the world. So Josh would go into, like, the green room and sort of feel out who was around, who was feeling chatty. And then all of a sudden, he would come out and he'd be like, we got Will Smith. Are you ready to go? Let's go. That's exactly how I would say it. Wolf Smith in 10 seconds, go. It was, like, kind of, by the way.

And so that it was really excited. I mean, Wolf Smith, I, everyone was really excited. You were excited about Big Willie. I, like, I am so shocked. I've never felt so starstruck in my life. He's definitely, look, I mean, not surprisingly, but he's, he's got that certain somebody, the tall guy, he's, like, got a great presence. He's got that kind of presidential thing where he, like, I actually haven't interviewed

him a lot over the years, but in that conversation, like, he's, like, very much in your face, locking eyes with you, like, engaged and, like, oh, that laugh, that classic Will Smith laugh. What's your, what's your? Ha! Okay, that's not it. Like, if you listen to the beginning of every Will Smith, this song, you always go, ha ha, ha. Not to be confused with our buddy, The Rocks left.

He's like a, ha, ha. It's a small difference, but it's there. You can hear it. You could feel it. Yeah, it was fun. That was actually one of my favorite backstage kind of gigs at movie awards. It was a cool vibe. It was very exciting.

We got a chance to talk to a bunch of cool people. And then, yeah, I mentioned last week on the podcast. I was in Vegas for CinemaCon, which was fun. All those interviews we've been rolling out. So you should definitely check them out there. A lot of them are on MTV News' YouTube page. I love my little time I had with Jeff Goldblum was very special. You have to release the full thing.

I kind of want to. It's kind of epic. You have to. Tweet at Josh and ask him. He'll do it if you guys ask him, not if I do. Right. To release the full. The 14 minutes of bliss with Jeff Goldblum.

It's incredible. But even the four or five minutes we put online, It's pretty special. I would recommend that by the time you listen to this, there'll be a great interview with Chris Pratt, an exclusive interview, the only one he did in CinemaCon. That was really fun.

And we've got another really fun bit with Chris Pratt going up in a couple days that you guys should keep an eye out for that hopefully will explode the internet. It'll change the world. It'll change people's lives. It's changing my life. You were very, Sammy, to full disclosure, was a big part of the creative creation

of this little venture that we did with Chris. But I'm a fever dream It was a fever dreams go It was a good one So that's coming soon And yeah We should get to this week's episode As I said

Ray Fines is the guest On this week's show Before you go Before you start Yes Where were you when you found out It was Raif and not Ralph I think I knew

Raif from the beginning There's no way That you read his name The first time you heard of him And you were like That's Raif Well the first time I had heard of him Like many other people

Was when Shindler's List came out He had done your favorite movie My best laugh ride of 1993 But that was virtually One of his very first performances He'd done almost nothing on camera before

And there was so much I mean I was old enough That there was like Talk about that performance So I think I was very early on clued into It's Rafe, not Ralph And I did not even mention The Ralph Rafe conversation with him

Because I'm sure he's sick to death of it But we did talk about Schindler's List Which is an amazing film And an amazing performance I was always wowed by his one-two punch of doing similar's list and the next year

just a few months later I feel like or maybe next year he did quiz show with Robert Redford directing and him and he's a very versatile actor he's an amazing actor did you get into Maiden Manhattan

you know and I didn't you're such an asshole I know I know that was going to come off damn it you're such an asshole it was on the list look here's what I'll say he was great

he's definitely an intimidating presence. I don't easily get intimidated in my interviews but there's something about him that's very, you know, he's not effusive, he's very reserved. And I haven't done, frankly, a ton of interviews with him.

So, you know, I didn't want to push and make it too silly in spaces. This is like a serious dramatic actor. So this conversation isn't a laugh riot, but it is a very, he's a very thoughtful, interesting guy talking in a very, I think, a profound way.

about acting, about his process, and about some of the unique films that he's done, whether it's Sindor's List or Quiz Show. We talk about Strange Days, which is a personal favorite of mine. We talk about the Harry Potter movies, all the way up to this new movie, which I should mention is called A Bigger Splash, and it opens in a few weeks. I don't see it. I think it opens, oh, no, where is it? I think it opens, oh, man.

In a few weeks. Let's go look out for it. But it's really good. It stars Hibandilda Swinton, Dakota Johnson's in it. It's from Fox Searchlight, which, you know, they always do great work. And it's kind of, and also there's, like, a fourth actor, Matthias Shonarts. One more time? Matthias Shonarts.

What's just the last name? He was, he was in Rustin Bone. He's been in a bunch of things. He's one to look out for, and it's basically a four-character piece. And Rave plays, like, a record producer who, back in the heyday, like, he was, like, a big with, like, the Rolling Stones, etc. And Tilda Swinton's like in like full like rock star mode. She's like a basically like a David Bowie type that's on vocal rest. And it all takes place like in Italy and it's beautiful.

But it's kind of like has some suspense elements to it. It's a character study. It's one of those movies yet. You don't need to know a lot going in but know that it's full of great performances. And that's no surprise given. Great performances and great first names from the actors. Tilda and Raph and Dakota and Matthias. Yeah.

That's quite a for some. Yeah. You could tell what they were looking for when they were. casting this. Exactly. Exactly. So yes. Sorry I don't have the release date handy, but it's out in a couple weeks. Gosh, it's okay. I'm sorry. Oh, no, I got it. I got it. Yes. May 4th. May 4th. Okay. May 4th, okay. May the fourth be with you. Yes, it's a perfect account into Star Wars film. Um, but I think that's about all the preamble that you need to know for Ray Fines. Like I said, this was a real treat because he's not the best. Any talk of his brother? We didn't talk about Joseph Fines, although, you know, I'm a Shakespeare in love

enthusiast. I know it gets a bad rap from some people. Are you serious? Well, because the whole thing about it is it beat Saving Private Ryan for Best Picture that year. And that's a prop? I look, I love them both. I think they're both exceptional films, but I think it very immediately became kind of a thing that it was not as weighty of films. This is such a hot topic these days. I don't even think we should really weigh in from the 1998 Oscars. Yeah, real thing.

Sorry to get tense there, guys. Yeah, it's like we don't, we're neutral. We'll continue that conversation on the next controversial. episode. Happy Sack Confused. But in the meantime, it's so good. The gang's all back together. We're back in New York. Everything is as it should be. The world is right. The world is right. Some really cool folks coming up soon that I won't mention because I'll jinx them. But we're back in business, guys. And I hope you enjoy this conversation with, not Ralph. Don't you call him Ralph? Rafe.

Rayfe finds. Enjoy her. Thank you for doing this. I realize it's a bit of a time commitment, but hopefully we'll have something more substantive than the usual kind of junket, horribleness. Actually, I get to the Asian, the soul searching, ones are the ones I hate. Oh, no.

The short, brief ones are painless. Suddenly you like the three or four minutes. Yeah, yeah, I do. I didn't know that was possible. Well, we'll start with high compliments on the film. That's always a good place to start. It's a great piece of work, a bigger splash. I really enjoyed it.

I'm curious if like the the algorithm of taking on a job changes over the course of a career. Like if like your instincts or whatever change have changed and if I took you 10 or 15 years ago asking about why you took such and such job, is it a different kind of a rationale? No, I don't think so. I think it's just a gut feeling on what's been offered to you and who the director is and is it different. Is it something just it's a, I like the writing of the screenplay. I like the part of Harry was fantastic I've never been asked to play

that sort of character before I don't think and I like Luca I sat down with Luca I like the way he talked I like his individual intelligence and

so I just it was a hunch you know feeling that this I mean I like David Kaganish's screenplay I thought it was really yeah

and that's mainly the thing that I think helps you decide is the how original is it and what's different It's a combination of things. Director, screenplay, part.

Do you feel that can a screenplay override, and this wasn't the case here, clearly you had an excellent screenplay and an excellent director at the helm? But if you have maybe a director that you're not clicking with and a screenplay that's working, can that even out? Can it kind of come out okay in the wash? Oh, there's no way of knowing. Yeah.

I think there's any way of knowing. you, I can have a, I can't say who, but I have a sense that anxiety, the script is good and suddenly are we doing it? Well, you know, is it, I mean, is it on the page it felt great now we're here doing it? Is it, are we, just that sense of, have we got it? Yeah. But, yeah, but there's no way of knowing how it's going to come out. And what are you looking for you talk about talking to Luca and then connecting on some level like what are you looking for in those initial conversations is it just a personality thing is it an enthusiasm is it a is a focus is it a vision what are you hoping to get out of those first meetings that

makes it makes you feel comfortable oh just some connection that you don't I think it's good to go in open-minded yeah you must be open-minded surely and you just want whatever this spirit person is that's you want to be open to there ideas and their pitch and see where the conversation that you like them at a human level that you like spending time with them and then the way they talk about it and the project is seems smart and unusual and it's just it's a human contact yeah i mean you're gonna spend filmmaking is hard and you might as well not started on different planes you want to be you want to be you want as a human level that you want to figure

you're happy in the company or connected as creatively connected at least yeah feel you're making the movie that that you believe in the yeah i mean luca's quite no he's he's he's um he's very unusual he's you know he has he goes off piece a bit sometimes on the set and has net's ideas come to him and is uh i like his filmic intelligence his filmic imagination and he's referencing other films that he like you know he's um you know i he's he's not part of a system right um he's definitely not part of the sort of studio system i mean he's he's more in the mold of the sort of slightly uh oh you know people who are going to take a risk with a film and yeah risk risk he takes risks i

would say. And he's someone that's collaborated, obviously a few times with Tilda, who I would, I would imagine is something that is a huge part of the equation. From her work, she always takes stuff. It's a little unusual, different, you know, she's never, she never takes anything that's run of the mill, ever. And that's another attraction was working with Tilda, who I've been admired for a long time. Initially, when I accepted the part, she hadn't yet come on board. But I, was pushing for her as one would why not I didn't

yeah I mean it was odd to me anyway she was anyway it all came together yeah and it's an amazing performance for her as well in that she really doesn't speak much much of the film she's on kind of vocal rest are you talking to her

I'm not talking to her sadly I've talked to her in the past she's quite a quite a unique individual itself yeah go ahead I'll get you some food um I'll get a circle whatever you'd like thank you

she's yeah well initially on the page the part was not the character of Marianne spoke she spoke it was Tilda's idea of course it was that's amazing to make her largely silent and what actor would voluntarily say you know what cut my lines cut 75% of my lines

yeah I didn't know that she was impressed at the courage I wasn't sure I was worried that she was denuding herself of some sort of linguistic leverage. Yet, she could, I feel like she is one that could have existed as a great silent film actress herself. There's so much that's conveyed in her very presence. I agree. Is there a way for you to describe sort of what makes an actor great or a great screen partner for you?

Is it unique to each actor or is there a commonality in the actors that you admire? I think it's not really it's not really what well there's a difference you can look at an actor and admire them and adore their work from a distance and you don't know that if you were to ever work with that actor

whether that would be right that would be a connection I get very probably a bit overly obsessed but the connection is everything with the other actor. Right. Just the how you listen, how you play.

Yeah. It seems to become more and more the thing that really matters. That they're, that you're listening to each other and that's, and I can't tell whether that means you end up giving great performances. The odds are I think the work will be if you're present with someone and they send you stuff in the way they act that challenges you, charges you,

charges you and gives you a charge gives you an incentive then one would think that raises

you are yeah you think it would just if you're open then you you will

probably find stuff that's not planned sure and I think that the more that the acting

is not planned I mean you have a plan you learn your lines you have an idea

but the more you can go into areas that surprise yourself yeah that's better

I think And then you need a, I think that one of the points of a great director is that they guide. Right. They guide that emerging stuff that. The stuff that's not on the page. Yeah, that's not on the page. Yeah. I mean, I like it when directors take you off pieced a bit.

And if you trust them and you feel that can be good, you know. What do you never want to hear a director say or do on a set? What is anathema to your process? What is what's what's what's what's the sign that oh God I've gotten myself into a situation? Maybe that isn't ideal for me without naming names. No, it's probably just what you don't want is you just don't want banal encouragement. I'm a big boy. I know I'm okay.

I don't need. Yeah, that's great. Should we go again? or what do you think what you know you just want it's great when someone can give you a specific thing that that I like this or when you they offer up an idea yep it's when they just if they're just going yeah yeah good good good hmm no I think we're happy you want to get you know there's more I can give and if you are alert to me you would be helping me right find other stuff I mean sometimes you go

and actors say can I have another take because you feel but often the actor doesn't really know they just have a hunch there's more to give but I think the most inspired working relationships are when

the director feels there's more the actor can find Anthony Minghella was great at that he was very great at supporting and coaxing and then giving little indicators of where you might like to try stuff

but um yeah you just that's the worst thing i would say yeah a banal acceptance of right now um yeah i mean every actor at every level needs um guidance encouragement but in the right way not just and and criticism i mean sometimes criticism is good

like you know that's a bit too fast or a bit too loud or seems a bit generalized or um is it is the more specific a note is the generally the better in terms of if it's specific it's really good yeah if it's specific and also if they can find a smart but unpretentious way of talking about what's underneath that you can find it's great with the director and you can find a sort of code and then then it can become a shorthand yeah because you know you've established this is the thing that makes the performance work and we don't want to go too much there sure um yeah

Is there a collaborator? I'm trying to think through your filmography now that you've worked with as much as Saiteld has worked with Luke or that you find a kindred spirit that you feel whether you already have a return to them a couple times and someone you can imagine hoping to and the rest of the course of your career that feels like you're on the same page and someone you can learn together with. Well, I haven't worked with many people twice. Is that right? no I don't know what that says you're trying new things out there must be some that you're itching to to work again with probably many I would think or as part of it the freshness of working with someone

no no I think as people who I've like Isht van Sabao Hungarian director we always talked about doing something together again but it hasn't easier said than done yeah Anthony sadly no longer with us but he was always someone And I'd hoped one day I would find, definitely wanted to work with him again.

More in the theatre that I have worked with the same director more than once. But not in... Oh, no, Catherine Bigelow I've worked with... Sure, Hurt Walker and Strange Days, of course. Yeah, and that was great. I have affection for Strange Days, by the way, which I know is kind of a... I don't know if devices, maybe it's too harsh a word, but it has its fierce lovers like myself. Do you hold it in high regard?

Do you have fond memories of that experience? Or was it a difficult one? Well, yeah, no, I have, I love filming it. And then I sort of thought, how could, I mean, I was a bit naive. I just thought, it seems really modern and provocative, and it's out there. And, I mean, I guess I worried that I'm could convince as an ex-LAPD policeman, but I thought the filmmaking, It was terrific. Yeah.

Kinetic, just... And it's so punchy and it's slightly ahead of its time, I think, because people are making that sort of stuff now. But I don't think... I think back, I do sometimes think, well, why didn't it quite work? I mean, I... I knew meet people who go, this is a great, great movie. And it's one of those things that maybe...

Maybe I'm flattering myself, but anyway, or the film, but... I think it'll stand the test of time, strange days. Yeah. Well, I think all of her films, frankly, she's incapable of making... Yeah, I think it really is strong. If you'll forgive me, and I know Shindler's List comes up all the time, but I mean, I feel like anybody that saw it has such vivid memories of the first time they saw it.

And it was the first time, I think many people saw you on film. It was one of your first projects on film. What stands out to me, among many things, I remember your first screen moment in that film. And you're, I think you're in a cheaper, in a car and someone's describing the ghetto on this side the ghetto on this side and your first line is so just sets sets that character up in such a brilliant way put the fucking roof down or something yeah it's it's fucking freezing it here it's fucking freezing was that was that

always the introduction to amon gov i think it was i think the the the the f word might have snuck in with stephen suggesting that um but i think there was the first line it was it's If it was, it's freezing or it's fucking freezing, I'm not sure. Yeah. Is, um, in some ways did that, that, that experience spoil you in any way in that? It's such a special film. It's such a- But that's someone I'd love to work with again, Stephen.

I loved being directed by him. Yeah. I loved, he's totally spontaneous, always looking, looking for another level, another thing. I have very, very vivid memories of the sort of the energy coming off of him. Yeah. Sorry. No, that's okay. That's actually interesting because, as I recall, like, that was new ground for him at the time.

He had been, like, storyboarding everything up until that film. And as I recall, he's talked about that was not a film that he necessarily... I remember he told that to me actually on set. He said, normally I, he just finished the first Jurassic Park. And he said, no, this is a film I storyboarded every moment. And he said, here, I feel I'm just, you know, improvising it. It's crazy. Yeah.

Yeah. But he, I wouldn't have, for us, for the actors, it felt that he was completely so connected to that. But also he had then, I mean, you know, I mean, it was awe inspiring the knowledge, technical knowledge of everything, lenses, cameras, just new, new, new, what, every movement. Right. It's just able to be purely, have such technical knowledge to be so really expressive by knowing what other. lens was going to do and of course there's directors like that but you do you do meet well I've been I've been there myself as a first time director you know you you learn about when someone says well if we shoot it on this lens it's going to do this right then you and then I did think when I was you know putting my toe in the water behind the camera wow you know it's good how I thought

how great it would be to have even a little bit more knowledge than I had well to be fair When you're comparing yourself to the likes of Spielberg or like a, I think of a Tarantino, these people that feel like they were genetically created to create films and it's in their bones. That's right. Every tool in their toolkit is finally tuned. Are you able to look at that performance? Are you self-critical? Like when you look back, for instance, at Schindler's List, do you see, are you proud of it?

Do you see flaws? Do you see a different actor? I haven't seen it for ages. I haven't seen it. No, I feel un-hearted. comfort. I never looks back at stuff. Is that right? I don't, I mean, I guess I've seen it. I don't know when I

last saw it. Is that generally for most of your work? That it's, it's just tough. Yeah. I like to see it when it's fresh. I like to see what it is. I don't have any shyness about seeing it first time round. I'm curious, but then I've had quickly, I might see it once.

You know, you're given a screening by the producers, the director, you see it privately. You go, ah, oh, oh, good. Oh, horrible. And then you see it again with a bit more cooler perspective. And then you get a better sense of what it's like. And then after that, I'm happy to move on. Well, did that make directing yourself a difficult prospect in the editing room?

Yeah, it did. It was, to be confronted with the rushes of yourself was very weird. You go from, you know, I was blessed with a very strong, good editor who, was able to identify I couldn't tell you know what I thought was good in my work he would say I'm not sure I think it's this one and I

it was tough to it made me never want to go when I'm now acting on a set I never want to look at the monitor oh you don't get any of that at this point no no no I think it's never one I mean I don't know it's self-conscious you go back on set and now you're thinking

I used to I know I have been on films where I have wanted to look at the monitor and thought that I was able to observe, and possibly was observing things I could do better. Yeah. But the after effects of directing myself is I just never want to. I don't want to know. I want to trust that the director is, right.

I mean, if I'm asked to see a shot, so I understand why I can't move here because I'm out of frame or something, but I never wanted to see any of Grand Budapest Hotel. Was, did West try to? No, no. I don't think you'd have liked it anyway, so it was fine. The, um, quickly after, uh, Schindler, I do want to mention, um, quiz show, because I, I, I absolutely adore that film. I, I, I, I, I have a distant relation to Herb Stemple.

Certainly not Charles Van Doren is not in my bloodline. You related to Herbert Stemple? Oh, wow. Yeah. Is he alive still? I do not believe so, no. He died, did he? Yeah, yeah.

Van Doren's still alive, I think. Is he? I think so. I don't know. I love so much about that film. I mean, when I'm thinking about your performance, I think about a few things. I think of the Paul Schofield scenes

and some heartbreaking moments towards the end of that film. What do you recall of working with him? Is Redfield or Paul Schofield? Well, both, but I'm curious. Oh, well, I was in awe of Schofield because he was one of the actors that inspired me to be an actor.

I went to go and see him on the National Theatre stage. And so when they told me it was going to be him, I was sort of a thrill. I mean, kind of almost emotional with anticipation that this God, the stage, in my eyes, was going to be playing my dad.

He was very, he's a sweet, lovely, gentle gentleman. Very unassuming. I mean, he did get, he got understandably frustrated because this thing on film was that new people go away and change the dialogue the night before, constantly rewriting that didn't suit him understandably I remember him getting saying I'm not I've learned I've prepared this it's not working for me to get new dialogue right the night before right um but apart from that one moment he said it firmly not ang just very firmly

put his foot down but to work with for me charming lovely just um totally sweet present I mean I would think at that stage in your career, I mean, just a mind-boggling experience to... Yes, it was, but also it was just someone acting brilliantly with you, responding. So it didn't quite quickly, when I wasn't thinking, my God, I'm with Paul Schofield, I was quite quickly with another actor playing a scene. Is it odd for you where I would think for young actors today that work with you in a scene, they probably have a little bit of that hero worship for you now, or a little bit of putting you on a pedestal. Do you ever experience that? Do you notice that? Is it incumbent

on you to get to the work and to assuage their nerves? I don't know. Well, I don't think they feel that. But I mean, sometimes you feel generally there can be, I just think with every actor, of course with younger actors you can feel their bit adrenaline and a bit of anxiety. Like you feel it with older actors too. I think it's really great. The actors help each other can relax

each, you know, support each other. But I definitely, yeah, I can think of well mind a lot of young actors incredibly confident. Ignorance is blessed sometimes, too. I think it's often they're not nervous. all though. It's not the problem.

Maybe you should be nervous around me, too. No, no, I don't. I just think. A little humility. Speaking of humility, I guess the first bump in the road was Avengers. Oh, yeah. Which everybody, whatever, has these moments in their career that looks good on paper or whatever.

Did it look good on paper? When did you realize that was not going to maybe turn into what you had imagined it would be? I think I was heading the sand on the filming. I think probably at some level I knew it wasn't quite connecting but at the time I loved

Jerry Weintrape who produced it who exuded confidence in it The Russians are great, it's great He was a salesman I loved him To bits and working with him Made it a fun experience Because

But yeah no it was a It was a blow. I mean, I thought we didn't, didn't it, it failed, completely failed. It failed to capture the wit and the, I think we, I think, umma and I were, we got on fine, but I think that we were not, we're not a successful match. Was Connery, who's a, you know, notoriously can be a, you know, can be curmudgeonly if he's not happy with a, with a project? Was he happy to be there?

Was it? Yeah, he was sweet. I loved the scenes I had. He was occasional commodgingly thing. I didn't, the shooting process felt fine. And, you know, obviously, it was a studio film and the, you know, it was, you know, it was a luxury filmmaking. But, yeah, what to say. It was a failure.

Generally speaking, do you feel, do you trust your own instincts when you take on a project? Or do you lean on? on friends management whatever for advice at this point but the choice to actually engage in a project to on the project or the choice to do it to do it the initial choice is that a gut thing or is that a measured no it's probably probably a gut thing i guess i have i have two great agents one in l.a and one well two two in l.a actually the c a brian lord joel lubin And then I have Simon Beresford in London, and they are people whose opinion I respect.

And they will, and I like it when they give me, you know, sometimes I have a, you know, sort of instinctive, that's good, be great, could be cool. And they go, are you sure, it's going to be this? And they sort of point out, they give me a context for it. And I go, oh, yeah, yeah, you're right. But sometimes, you know, you're in situations where you go. the writing, and that director, and

you know, an agent might say, well, yeah, but rape, you know, the more interesting part is that one, and if you do that, you know, and then, you know, you um, so they would be the people. I can't think of other people. I would, they would be my them. I mean, if an actor says the word agent, it sort of

conjures up guys soon. But agents can have creative vision. No, they are very, they're more friends. They are friends. You know, they're just a team. We're a team. they happen to wear suits and call themselves agents but they're good people they're good people for me there and after a while of course it does become it becomes a certainly friendship or at least a working friendship sure as you go through stuff and

they watch the ups and downs and you that were all in it together to some extent what was what was taking on um the part in the in the harry potter series and an easy decision at the time did it because it's a commitment i mean it's you know you're going to be spending a few months every year or so the next few years I was reluctant to it was actually Mary Selway who sadly no longer here but she was a great

formidable casting director in the UK and she was casting the Harry Potter's and she she metaphorically twisted my arm and I think a combination of her sort of tough insistence that I shouldn't

ignore this and then the combination of artwork I was showing with the look of Voldemort and I thought that was really cool and also my family my sister the mother of my nieces and nephews said you don't realize what it is your Voldemort rake if you know anything about Harry Potter this is the biggie this will make you the uncle of all time don't waste this opportunity and it didn't make me the uncle of all time oh no it was it got me to say yes to the part I mean I spoke I had the pleasure actually of having of Alan Rickman on the podcast actually just a few months before his passing

and he you know he talked about how he was amused actually how he actually wasn't recognized by kids very often he was he was usually shocked when they when they were I mean you even more justifiable you I mean you know the man sitting weirdly I do I do get recognized

somehow they must I think I'm safe and I'm not so they ask you to do anything untoward anything maniac no no kids no they don't not no sometimes sometimes they look as if they're scared that's um as the as the as the harry potter generation gets older then those the scared reactions go away right it's now people who are close to 18 or 19 who were saying i can remember you as Voldemort right you scarred them as a child like four years ago it would be like oh you are

hold him all right i was like oh yeah when i was a kid i mean you've you know in retrospect made some very wise decisions in those those kinds of kinds of films which are these like a spectacle films whether it's the bond series in recent years or the potter series which are one would argue i would argue these are great films in their own right and they also happen to be ginormous billion dollar grossing things that give you you know that that help your career in other ways in terms of helping you probably the amount the films you want to direct etc. Do you feel that that has been the case

in terms of helping other areas? Yeah. Of course. It helps. Get paid very well. That helps. No, seriously. I mean, it's,

no, I think it's, you know, the things I want to do often in my heart and soul don't often. They are money losers. And so those,

you know, those well-crafted big films, which are very popular. I do think Sam Mendes has done the last two bonds very effectively. And I thought David Yates, I feel very lucky to have been on two franchises where very, very skilled, intelligent directors

have been leading it. And so there's no reason why, you know, that's why you hope the studios will, there's no reason why there can't be hugely exclusive. Yeah, exactly. The commercial films that are really good films. There should be. And sometimes it,

But you do... I mean, are you... It's not, it's not, I mean, it's... It's not, it's not, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, that I think the coordinates of what, the product that is wanted by the studio is very, very few directors, Chris Nolan would be one who managed to sort of keep their art, their art, their craft has life in it, in amongst all the requirements of... Is it frustrating for you?

I mean, in terms of you're obviously a film lover like myself and like, you know, this film is being put out by Fox Searchlight, which is one of the kind of the few kind of specialty studios that are able to still put out product like this, frankly, that's intelligent and adult and it doesn't have somebody in a cape or, or do you, are you someone that spends time worrying about sort of where cinema is and the, the amount of multiplex space there is for films of this type of a bigger splash? Um, or do you think it's all cyclical? Are we okay? It's film in safe. Well, but people have been saying as to death of drama and film. I mean, you know, when was some, one, like four or five years ago, there were no dramas or very few at the Oscars or something. Anyway, there was a sort of word of, you know, the drama is dead, but it's not true, you know. And then people are saying film is dead. But I heard that someone told me, Kodak are going to release, um, do a new super eight.

Someone said to me. That was all right. Is that right? I don't know. I don't know. I mean, I think, I think the, I think, I think, I think younger people, people coming in to make into the film business are smart. They don't, you know, they want to push boundaries. So it's the new, the new blood, the new ideas, the new women and men coming in will want to not, they don't want to be making the same stuff their parents making or their older sibling. They want to, I think, I don't feel, I think the cinema maybe is in danger because of home entertainment. Maybe that's challenged a bit. Right.

But I think people still love to see go. I don't feel it's desperate. Yeah. I don't feel. I think, you know, there's enough of a balancing act with the film festivals, wanting intelligent adult films that are inventive, provocative. And it's hardening to see, I mean, just in the last year or so, what you've worked with, you know, three, if you count two of the Cohn brothers.

But Wes, Wes Anderson. And the Coen Brothers, the filmmakers that you had never worked with that are still have autonomy, still can basically make what they want within reason. And they give me a reason to keep going to the movies. The Coen Brothers, that for my money are basically the best filmmakers of my generation. Do you, are you one of those actors that has sort of that running list that those filmmakers that you still want to work with, that you, I mean, do you put yourself out there or do you just sort of let it come to you in terms of filmmakers that you admire? I mean, you mentioned something like Chris Nolan, like... Yeah, no, I mean, I guess I have had, right,

I haven't actually thought about doing a film for a while because I've got, I put my focus in, back in the theater for a bit, but, no, I think I, yeah, I mean, something like In Aretu, I'd love to work with. I'm very envious of the actors who get invited to his films, benignly envious, I don't know. But, no, I think he would be at top of my list. Yeah.

when you see when you see do you still get what's the last like performance that you saw on screen that excited you just as a whether as a performer yourself or as a fan of film can you cite any um the last performance i saw on film um um I'm thinking of the last crop of Academy contenders The last There was like the Revenant and Spotlight Yeah no I liked

I thought Michael Fassbender was excellent In that Jobs film Oh so did I yeah I thought that was an excellent film Yeah I thought he was stunning To have so much to say And I thought it was very very impressive And you're

And you mentioned theater being a Obviously it's been a focus throughout your career But that's where you're heads at now because you're going to be doing what Richard. I saw, sorry, I caught Gary Cooper in Mr. Deeds close to town. That's the most reason for great performance that resonated with you.

Yeah. I don't know if that's a good sign or a bad sign for our current crop of actors. Well, it's the last thing I saw. And it made it such an impression on me. We don't have many Gary Cooper's. No, I know. We don't.

Gary Cooper's, Jimmy Stewart, where are they? Exactly. Richard III is the next thing that you're diving into. Is that right? Is part of your brain right now, occupied with that? I mean, how does it? Massively, yeah. So what does that mean in terms of like wrestling with literally dialogue or themes or what, I mean, what, like what, what is occupied by your brain in terms of approaching that months out? How do you break into such a well

known part, well-trodden path, you know, how do you, how do we, the director, the cast, we unlock it so it's it can be fresh right and immediate that's the biggest that you know shakes the challenge of Shakespeare is how can audiences receive that

that language and that text and it be have a freshness um becomes continually a challenge I think yeah that's the first thing and also you know but I mean yeah I'm just it's like all kinds of options

at the moment. We start rehearsals next week, so I'm just looking at all the ways one can go in it. I have I feel I have a starting idea or a starting approach, but you know, until you get up and do it,

it's all just theory. Well, back to your earlier point of like getting in the moment with other actors and the director, leaving yourself open to a little magic there, hopefully. Exactly. Not to know. do you consume much theater too whether while you're in new york do you make a point of seeing i try to yeah yeah i saw the crucible which i saw the other day which i liked a lot me too i was a i have never felt so involved in that play than i did the other night yeah

i like i like evo van hover's work i seen a lot seen quite a bit of it actually you know i had on um mark strong recently for view from the bridge which was another remarkably as you say fresh it felt alive it felt like it was just written um and that's hard to do as you say it was something that we've seen so many times it is but that's the challenge i suppose yeah um so that's a bigger splash is the film obviously that's about to open is there anything else in the on the docket that we should look out for coming to theaters or is uh well you i know this is something i want to mention i'm very excited that you're playing alfred in the lego bad man film the scene seems like perfection.

Well, I enjoyed recording it. You get my voice in two animated films. That and Cubeau and the two strings. Right, right. Which I thought was a beautiful screenplay, beautiful artwork that I saw. I like that a lot. Otherwise, I'm not, you got not, that's it now. That's it.

You got some work to do for Richard the 3rd. It's all good. Was it was recording even Alfred, again, this is in that kind of a film enjoyable? Was that sort of a lark? Yeah, I thought it was fun. I thought it was very funny, funny dialogue. Yeah. I thought it was fun.

Yeah. No, it was good. It was, I thought it was witty, funny. It made me laugh. And now you can check off superhero film without doing one of the lesser ones. This is this because, judging by the Lego movie, I think you're in safe fans. I really appreciate your time today. I know, you know, as you said, opening yourself up to a longer conversation is challenging.

And I appreciate you doing it for this today. And as I said, I'm a great fan. of your work, and this film is an exceptional one. Thank you. From the right, I'm Mark Hard. And from the left, I'm Pete Hard. And we're the hosts of Hard Nation. We're covering all the biggest stories this election season on Earwolf,

while talking to your very favorite politicians like, Ted Cruz. Who would I cast? A dream cast of the People v. O.J. Simpson. Obviously playing O.J. Simpson. Jesus Christ. Hillary Clinton. I'm a chop by yo dick.

Ah! Chum! Chubb, chomp, chubb, chubb, chum. Donald Trump! If I became president, I would bronze every immigrant child and I would attach them to naval ships. Listen to Hard Nation Today, America, on Earwolf, Howl, iTunes, are your favorite podcast app.

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