Happy Sad Confused - Tim Roth

Episode Date: September 26, 2017

You can tell a lot about an actor by the filmmakers they've worked with. And if that's the case, there is no one more respected than Tim Roth. From Quentin Tarantino to Francis Ford Coppola, from David Lynch to Ava DuVernay, Roth is always in high demand. On this episode of "Happy Sad Confused", Roth reflects on impressive credits, his humble beginnings, when he knew Tarantino was something special, whether he's interested in more comic book films or a Star Wars baddie, plus why he turned down playing Snape in the Harry Potter films. Roth is currently starring in the Amazon Prime series, "Tin Star".  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

During the Volvo Fall Experience event, discover exceptional offers and thoughtful design that leaves plenty of room for autumn adventures. And see for yourself how Volvo's legendary safety brings peace of mind to every crisp morning commute. This September, lease a 2026 X-E-90 plug-in hybrid from $599 bi-weekly at 3.99% during the Volvo Fall Experience event. Conditions apply, visit your local Volvo retailer

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

Opportunity at Golden Nugget Online Casino. Take a spin on the slots, challenge yourself at the tables, or join a live dealer game to feel the thrill of real-time action, all from the comfort of your own devices. Why settle for less when you can go for the gold at Golden Nugget Online Casino. Gambling Problem Call Connects Ontario 1866531-260. 19 and over. Physically present in Ontario. Eligibility restrictions apply.

See Golden Nuggett Casino.com for details. Please play responsibly. Today on Happy Sad Confused, Tim Roth, on Turning Down Snape, Television, and Tarantino. Hey, guys, I'm Josh Horowitz. It's time for another episode of Happy, Sad, Confused. I'm Josh. This is Sammy. That was like a melodic, beautiful, between the alliterations with the T's.

I'm just trying to be more soothing to the audience. I just feel like my... The ASMR podcast. My voice is so shrill and aggressive. I need to just, like, mellow out. We want our listeners to relax. I want you to slowly get off the treadmill and think about what you just done. You think people are listening to this while they're working out?

What do you think? But this is their pump up, their pump up podcast. I'm going to listen to Josh Horowitz and get my pump on. I hope they don't put it that way. I only work out to Tim Roth conversations. As one should. I think most of our listeners are probably in the car or walking. See, I can't relate to the car.

As we know, I don't drive. Yeah, you're not to move around much at all. Yeah. I did my podcast in at the gym. I don't listen to music. I'd never listen to music at the gym. Yeah, you're a psychopath. Like, I listen to the soothing sounds of NPR to work out.

I do. A little fresh air, a little Mark Marin. Also, just to clarify in the intro, Tim Roth didn't turn down a sexual opportunity. with Snape. He turned down the role of Snape, correct? He also turned, yes. Yes. Okay. So yes, to clarify, thank you. Because I was

confused. Well, yes. Luckily, most of the audience is more intelligent and quick than you are, Sammy. Well, you would think. No. Um, yes, Tim Roth is the guest this week, and there's a lot to cover with Tim Roth because he's had an amazing career. He's sitting at 100 credits on IMDB. Wow.

As we speak today. He can't do anything else. I told him that when he was leaving. He was like, you might as well retire. It's a nice number. It is. he's promoting a new TV show that I very much enjoyed. I watched the first three episodes. It's called Tin Star. It's on Amazon Prime.

It comes out September 29th. I looked at in my notes. September 29th. It's a 10-episode run, and it's kind of like in that vein of a little Fargo-y, a little Noah-Hawley kind of vibe. It's a little blend of like a violent drama, but a little bit of dark comedy to it, too. Tim plays a like a small-town cop, kind of fish. out of water who moves his family to, I think it's like Calgary or Alberta, beautiful landscape

in Canada, and the shit hits the fan, right? I mean, like, this is a show that grabs you from the start. If you watch it, the first scene is like a crazy moment, and then the last scene of the first episode is another crazy moment. So if it doesn't hook you by then, give up, because it's got a lot in the first episode, and I was very intrigued. He always plays real intense character. What's he like? I can't imagine. Interesting. He's very, he's actually in the conversation. I've never had a lengthy conversation with him before. He's very like, um, he just feels like comfortable in his own skin. Like, I mean, he's a bit of a neurotic in that like he talks about, you know, like many

actors, still even at his, this amazing stage in his career, worrying about when the next, where the next job is coming from. But at the same time, um, he seems like, you know, he just, he has a very, uh, a cool ease about him. Um, and he's a really, uh, actually a great conversationalist and tell some really good stories. It was a really fun chat about, I mean, the filmography of this guy, like, when I started to look at it, he's one of those guys that, like, yeah, you've seen him in dozens of things, but I looked at the films he's done. He's just done so much great work. He was Oscar nominated arguably for not like one of his most memorable performances, though Rob Roy is a pretty good film. But like, you know, obviously the Tarantino

work, you know, he's done kind of a little bit of everything. He's worked with like everyone from, like, Woody Allen to Vendors, and he's done, you know, the comic book movie and Incredible Hulk. He's done TV before. He's just always working, always working with interesting people, and is always great. He's cut from that same cloth. He's the same generation as Gary Oldman. And they've done a couple films, actually, early on in their career together.

I'm surprised you didn't just stalk him about Gary Oldman then. We talked a little bit about Gary Oldman. But even afterwards, like, so tell me, what did he eat? What did he? Yeah. Got to get Gary on the podcast. Gary. Everybody loves Gary. He's got, and Gary, hopefully, I'm definitely on that train because he's very much in the Oscar hunt for Darkest Hour. He plays Winston Churchill. So hopefully before Oscar season is set and done, we'll get Gary on the podcast. Yeah. Everybody secret it. Everybody put it into their, put it in the earth, put it in your hope chest.

Yeah. But no, the man of the hour today is Tim Roth. And it's a conversation that touches on a lot of different things. And one of the things that, as I mentioned in the intro, is he, maybe infamously maybe people know this maybe people don't he was offered the role of snape in harry potter it's crazy he's like you know what i don't think i'm going to do it well you know he did he did he kind of took the planet of the apes role instead oh which no i mean they're pros and cons for all of us well i mean look rickman did an amazing job i'm sure tim would have done a different kind of thing he talks about like how he had a much different take um interesting i know so um Yeah, this was a fun conversation with really one of our, I wouldn't say underrated actors, but maybe it's just taken for granted.

Underappreciated. He's just always great. So, you know, hopefully decades more of fantastic performances coming. And certainly, this show is a fine performance, and there's already second season greenlit. Oh, that's a good sign. Yes, always a good sign. What else to say, Sammy? You just got back from Iceland.

Oh, yeah. I got back from Iceland. You're so adventurous. It's amazing. You know how I roll. Did you do any spilunking? Sponking. What a great word.

Splonking? There's no sponking. There was no extreme sports. But I did see a lot of wonderful nature. I was on a glacier for the first time. Wow. I went into a big cave. And you're still there.

It was touching go at times. It looked like the inside of my brain. I went to Cafe Loki. At which, come on. So just for the record, I did not, it was actually. For the record, everybody. Because I was accused, not nefariously, but on Twitter I posted or Instagram I posted a photo of me at Cafe Loki, which I thought was fun considering, you know, our long association with Mr. Hilliston.

It was not my choice. It was actually my wife had selected this. It's a notable cafe restaurant in Reykavik, very good food. I would recommend it. And I took this photo, and then a lot of people on social media sent me back a photo of Tom Hiddleston, sure enough, in the exact same pose outside Cafe Loki. Because normally you do all of his vacations right after he does them and take all the same pictures, but this one was an accident. What did he order? What did he order? How did he stand? Was he smiling or was it a serious one?

He was smiling. He's always smiling. So yes, I would recommend Rakevic and Iceland. From New York, it's a very quick flight. It's a cheap flight. It's a lot of, it's a huge, I was telling you before, Sam, a huge tourism industry that. And there's like a lot of, maybe it's not your kind of vacation, Sammy. I was going to say it sounds a little naturey for me, but. But I'm not super naturey. Yeah, I think if you could do it, I could do it. Okay, let's not. Come on. It's true. It's true.

It's fair enough. It's fair enough. So, yes, if nothing else from this podcast intro, take away. Iceland does a good recommendation, especially if you're on the East Coast. It's a quick flight. It is expensive once you get there, though, guys. Okay, good. Noted.

And you have to, if you're squeamish about it. eating whale or puffin as i would never eat a puffin because they're adorable but you need a whale i did have a couple bites of whale how was it that's fine you're a monster okay you're a monster oh and i won't say who yeah this is but there's something crazy happening we like to tease things we shot what i think is certainly in the top 10 after hours for me over the years and um it's kind of i hate kind of teasing it because we're probably going to hold this for at least a month because the project the person is promoting

doesn't come out for a while. Hint. Yes. So here are the hints that I will offer. It is somebody that though I've done a bunch with, has never done a full on scripted after our sketch with. Correct. And this

person, I would say, is generally regarded as one of the finest actors on the planet. Correct. That's all I'm going to get right now. Because you guys have over a month to guess um and and maybe make a meal of it so i still can't believe you got baroque obama to do it after hours oh my god someone on twitter did already i saw yes and i wanted to fuck with you and like their answer and i knew that that would just ruin your life you know in this time of despair and potential nuclear war and the decline of the health care system there are good things still

happening we here after hours are still delivering we're taking care of you we're taking care of you care of you guys. So, yes, if we also have another four to six weeks, you'll have an amazing after our sketch. I think the internet will really enjoy. We should have it like if anything happens to us to still release it. It's in a capsule. Yeah. As they go through the detritus of the post-nuclear warfare, they find a canister. And it's up in the sky. Yes. So look forward to that. But in the meantime, if you can't hold out for four or six weeks, here's a a very entertaining chat with truly one of the best actors out there.

Tim Roth, remember to check out Tin Star coming soon on Amazon Prime, and that's all I have to say, Sam. I thought you kept saying Tim Star, and I was like, Tim Roth is in a show called Tim Star. I'm Star.

Tim Star. I kind of wanted to see that show, though. Yeah, I'm a little disappointed now. I guess I'll still tune in. Enjoy this chat. Tim Roth is taking it. in my office what are looking at all your stuff what do you judge me as what do this is basically

an adolescence office this is my 14 year old now here's the thing yeah you have a good mate in mine looking right over your shoulder wait which one of course I mean come on one of my best friend Kurt and Quentin were in for did they come in yeah oh that was back to back it was like an amazing

two hours of my life aren't they funny oh my god they're funny and Kurt I mean as you know Quentin knows more about film than anything and Kurt just loves to tell stories and... It's just, yeah. And the thing, I mean, we had... Are we doing the...

Yeah, we're doing it. So we had a thing on, hateful late, we had a coffee group, coffee circle. Once we got to LA, when we'd done that, we'd done that up in the cold.

But we had like a coffee clutch, basically. Amazing. And it was the lads. And whoever wasn't in there, freezing their nuts off, was outside in the sun, having a cup of

coffee or having a smoke if that's what they were doing and chatting well there's no phones or anything allowed so you have what else are you going to do you might as well talk so they're sitting and they're swapping stories and it's one of the best things you've ever seen you'd love it on your show and they they um so they're just telling i can only imagine it was soft fun and then we started to do when we couldn't find each other we started to text each other and we're still doing it i hear the text through continues it's still going I was texting this morning What's what is the top

What's the general topic of conversation It's just it's catching catching up Okay Where in the world are you? You know? Because there's a bit of that goes on And then sending pictures to each other Like we're talking like gifts or just photos of things

Like are they inappropriate material hopefully Probably And it's just And it's all of us It's the mob There's not one of the hateful aid that is not a participant I don't think so everyone's just on it and then you fade out because you're busy doing something and it's still

going and you fade back in you know that's amazing yeah i was excited to see you and jennifer got a little mini reunion i just finished up watching all of twin peaks which was oh how was that oh my god i haven't seen it it's amazing yeah i mean the fact that like 18 hours of new david lynch directed material exists in the universe was just like as soon as i know that will do that'll do right yeah come on i talk about people to do their own thing He's amazing. Well, Eraserhead was one of mine

when I was a kid. I went to see it over and over again. When I was, you know, because it was in a cinema in London that had been squatted by these film nuts. Really?

Yeah. And they would get prints and they would show movies and you'd go along and, you know, sort of watching an all-nighter of Polish, sort of obscure Polish films and stuff.

And then that showed up. And we fell in love with the woman in the radiator, raining placentas or whatever it was. For me, it was, of all things, I was eight years old when Dune came out

and that blew the back of my brain out what am I even watching what is it's crazy I was gonna say so there's a lot I want to talk to you about we should mention just up front that 10 stars the show

we're going to get to that I really enjoyed it I watched the first three episodes so congratulations on it I hear you already have a second season that's been greenwood I was just trying to figure out where you're at in three

well what happened nothing nothing that's what happens let's work around because, yes, they pack in some major twists. I haven't seen it. I know what I was in it, so I know what's up. Yeah. But, oh, no, three.

Just getting started? Oh, you're just getting started. Please, the first episode, like, you think it's one thing. That's insane. That's why I did it. It's okay, okay. Let's start talking that. Because, yeah, I watched the first episode and talk about- That's a bold move, right? Talk about grabbing an audience with the first scene, and then by the end, kind of turning it on its head again,

How important is like the first scene in a script, the first couple of pages in the script? From what I can tell, because I haven't seen it, but it's cut differently to the way it was written. So I didn't know that it was coming. So I'm sitting there, and I'm not looking for a TV show to do. I'm not, I'm actually don't know what I'm looking for ever. So it's just, I'm just reading something, you know.

And I'm starting to, I start cackling. Because it's good, and I can see where it's, you could play around in it and change back of the other time. and then that happened I was like oh where's this going and I wanted to know so I thought well that's all right then

if I do then the audience might so with a bit of luck over to you guys you know and then we started to play when we started to shoot it we started to because Rowan who created it he directed

the first one and he watched us improvising me and the kids both of the kids and then and with the mum and trying to we had to because we had a short amount of time to get this family across. Sure. Before Devonstation is.

Yeah, I mean, we should say without ruining it, it opens with a burst of unexpected violence. We'll see that. Yes, I think we can say that. So I thought I'll have a go, you know. Rowan is the son of Rowland, John. Who I've also worked with. That's the first, I would think.

I think it is. Yeah, I think it is, actually. Yeah, we did really ridiculous costumes. with Roland I had a I had a a wig that made me look like

I had a cock on the head and it's worth checking out just for that which one was that Remind me Batel of course

yeah yeah yeah so in this in this one I mean were you looking for TV or were you not

were you constantly not looking for TV or what was I don't I don't I truly I don't have a plan at all

all that which I think is kind of a plan in itself really but I don't um so I don't know what's around the corner ever yeah and and then this just came and in a way I had done television but I'd only I'd done television in Britain and I'd done television like mini-series type thing right I'd but I'd not done a long like 10 episodes of a story that hung together so I was quite interested in that and they just bought the lot out right. I mean, this kind of format, as you will know, like is kind of like the format du jour of television these days,

these kind of like 10 episode kind of runs, which must for an actor be great, because even when you did lie to me, that probably was like a 22 episode kind of run. We did, I think, 58 in all or something. That's a grueling. It is. I mean, it's not grueling like.

I mean, you're not digging ditches, but you're doing all right. But it's, you've got to keep your wits about you and you have to be, you have to have to have. have some sort of backbone. I wouldn't like to do the kind of television where you just show up, say your words, hit you mark, and bugger off. I would, I think, get very bored very quickly.

And this role in particular, I would think, because you go to some extremes, there's a Jekyll and Hyde nature to the character. It's, you know, not only are, is there presumably an arc of for this one character over 10 episodes, but you're kind of playing, in a way, two different characters in a sense, or two sides of a character.

They blur by, yeah, you'll see. Gotcha. You're never sure. It's shown up. But it's surprising to me because I don't tend to think of a 10 episode, like a long, I mean, you know, decent size run

of TV as collaborative. Like usually I feel like it's more of the show up, okay, what they write last night, deliver the lines, kind of a thing. Maybe, yeah. I mean, it just wasn't the way

that we did it. Certainly, and it may have been just, I'll tell you how really, kind of how it started was when I I arrived in on the location Calgary which we based ourselves and there was one of those awful read-throughs that you have to go through for the execs right so I hadn't met my who's playing the guy who's playing my boy I hadn't met the daughter and I hadn't met my wife that's crazy and we were starting to shoot in about four days and now I had I went right, and they were sitting on the size of the room,

different size of the room. I went and stole all their things, put them right next to me, got the script out, I think we were reading two episodes of those guys, and I just started reworking. I started just sort of cut that, cut that, move that around there, that's good, bang, bang, bang. And started to play, and Rowland was looking at me. And then I started to wind up my daughter and the boy.

I threatened to shave his head, and he actually took me seriously. and the misses and we started to have the back and forth started there because we didn't have any time. There's no time, yeah. We had no time.

And it kind of, when we were filming, bled into the episode, the first one, a bit. There's a lot of that back and forth and he said, do that, play it, you know, and we were mucking about. And he was getting it. And it kind of is how we went after that.

It was, they would write it, We were playing with it. You know, we have to get them on the phone and half the time because he was busy doing whatever they do, right? And then finally, I think by the time we did, we did one episode, which is episode nine, was improvised.

Completely improvised. Story was absolutely bangles of the same. Yeah, you knew the beats you had to get to. And they, and he gave us. You were back to like Mike Lee territory. A little bit. Not really. No?

No, no, no. But Rome was kind of up for it. And it's a specific episode, and that's why. And then it keys into what happens in episode 10. I'm intrigued. Okay, excellent. Do you ever pick a project based on location? You're certainly in a very interesting locale in this.

You shot this where you said, Calgary. I've felt like that before. Bloody freezing. Yeah. How high does that factor in when you're taking a job location? First office script, you know. to be honest with you quite often you'd just rather be home

but that never happens you've got to go work for a living you know so it's okay if I have to be in you know in Thailand or something let's hope I can get the kids over and let's hope I can bring the misses and let's you know and I hope it's a decent project

you know yeah are the kids grown now where they're all grown now so you have a little bit more they're up about yeah A bit, yeah. So when I was prepping to talk to you, and I've always been a great admirer of your work, that being said, when I looked at sort of like just the filmography, the thing that really struck me was the directors that you've worked with. I want to just run through some of the list, because it's an insane list of not just, like, great filmmakers,

but like interesting filmmakers and disparate and, like, and this is just, this is a tip of the icebergs. Mike Lee, Stephen Frears, Robert Holman, Stoppard, who's never directed again, Tarantino, James Gray, Woody Allen, them vendors, nor Ephron, Timberton, Werner Herzog, John Sales, Coppola, Michael Hanake, Ava Duvernay.

So that's like, you know. Oh, Ava's on there. I love Ava. That's 20% maybe. That's 10% of the directors he worked with. But I don't,

that to me speaks volumes of your taste, of their taste in you, sure, of certainly luck factors in there. But like, I don't know. What strikes you about, I don't know.

I've worked with Crispin Glover. Is that right? Just so does you know. my back to the future poster. Yeah, sorry about that. He's a unique one. He's amazing. It's so funny.

Okay, go ahead. But tell me, is there a common denominator in the directors that you're attached to? Is there, or can you kind of work with anybody? No, I mean, like I say, there's no structure. You hope to be inspired by whoever it is. You're like, welcome to David Lynch. You know, you hope to be,

you hope that you can live up to them and that they're worth living up to. right that's kind of where you're at did any of those that list or others kind of surprise you in terms of like the preconceived notion of what they were going to be versus they always do yeah you can't there is no preconception just you scrap it first day see what happens just get in there and start working yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah i mean have you and you you you last directed and you only years many years ago now and i was a great fan of that work the gray zone which is a tough a tough film to say the least um Did that change you as an actor, you think, in terms of your relationship to directors, having gone through that? No, I think, yes. Well, actually, yes, yes, yes, it did. I mean, I did it because enough directors, I've been annoying enough directors, I think, with my opinions and mouth about shit that I feel like, just go do your own film, right? You know?

So, there's that, you know. So, so we, but when there was on came, it was, it was in book form. It had, they had tried to do it before Danny Boyle was attached at one point. Barbara Broccoli had it as well, yeah. And it just couldn't get it off the ground. So we started from scratch. Was that a story that you felt? I mean, you've talked, you know, openly about the abuse that you suffered and your dad suffered.

And this is a film for those that haven't seen. that's about sexual abuse within a family. It's a tough thing to watch, but it's a great piece of work. It really, and Ray Winston, obviously, one of our finest, I mean, amazing. I know. Did that feel like a story,

even though it wasn't your story per se, a story you had to tell at the time? I felt it was in safe hands because the thing is that Alexander, Stuart, who wrote the book, didn't write it because his son got very ill and died, and he wanted to write something about how precious life is and those relationships and that's how it came about the book

I think he used that as a device to do with it and there were elements in the book that having been on the inside of it just felt wrong and so we talked he worked very very very closely with me on scripting it and I said I got you on this one. You know, got your back. Was your dad around at the time?

Was he... No, he was gone. I wish he'd seen it. Probably, he probably wouldn't have. He probably wouldn't have seen it. He was very funny. He, uh, he couldn't,

he wouldn't come to the theatre when I was doing plays on that because it can't be in crowds. He was a tail gunner in bombers. Wow. In a Second World War. He was a, he had a tough old life that felt like. He was from here.

It was from New York. did he let to see your film work at all? He saw, made in Britain, and he called me up, and he was crying, and he said, I didn't know you could do that. I said, I didn't know, he'd join the club, me and the rest of the world. Yeah, right. And he was happy for me. So he was born in Brooklyn, right?

He was Sheetshead Bay. Amazing. So was he, did he have, like, dual citizenship? Was he, was he, did he spend time here at all? Or is he? They were, they were, my family is such an enigma. They're bonkers. but no he was here

until he was about I think it was 11 and then they got on the ship and they went to Liverpool first and he was put to work in the factories there and then and then I think a brief stint in the paper mill down in Kent

but the factories were so rough that they threatened to run away and so the fans moved down to the hot fields, which is in Kent in the south of England, and they were put to work in the fields there. So when the war happened, he was 17, so he was that six years after being in the States. He joined the Air Force. He ran away underage, and he ran it was better to go to war. He was living. So he, yeah, he went off and he was in the back end of bombers for four years or so. It's amazing to think just in the span of like,

you know, three generations, your father, the childhood he had, childhood you had, and your kid's childhood, in terms of... Yeah. My boy in London is a man. In London, is an actor now as well. And I've got a musician and probably a director as well, tucked away in there. So, yeah, they're all... It's better than...

They're definitely having a better time at it, I think. Was a... What was your relationship with, like, American culture growing up? Did you have much... Was it mostly, like, British film or British actors you were interested in? No. We wanted to, it was proper movies, you know, you wanted to, you just, the Americans, it was always that. The idea of it is quite phenomenal.

I mean, the idea of, the, I've got, I've had, I worked in a supermarket, I worked in a pharmacy, we call them a chemist. I've delivered newspapers and I delivered milk. Those are the other jobs I've had, and I've acted and directed and that's it. So I was very, oh, I did sell advertising over the phone to people who couldn't afford to. didn't want it. How were you with that? Crap. That's crap.

Not persuasive. Your heart wasn't in it? My heart was not in it. But they used a lot about work actors to do that kind of job. I'm sure. Yeah. Improv skills. Yeah.

They give you a script. So when did, when did, was it made in Britain that that ended that other life in terms of like side jobs? No, not really. What happened was I, I, there was a teacher at my school who spotted me. I auditioned as a joke, but she. I asked her later what she saw, and she said, I thought you were in danger, and she said, I grabbed you. And she's one of those people. She's an amazing woman, Jill Walker's her name, and ended up moving up into the north and looking after her kids.

She's one of those fantastic people. So she snagged me and put me in this bloody play at school. And then started to get me, this is how you audition, this is how you audition, this is how you. you get to do this, go, okay, I know that they're looking over at this community theater, there's this group, there's this, you know, and she started to help me find my feet, and then once that happened, you start to think for yourself a bit, you know, and then I just got belligerent, I got very, meanwhile I went to art college. Right, sculpture, right, yeah. And they, they told me to, I was taking piss, because I was off acting. So they said,

go find out if you want to be in that tomorrow. Was she right? Were you, like, getting into trouble? Did that focus you and kind of challenge? Yeah, we were running away from school, basically. And we were hiding out in the West End and they would have been in very bad trouble, I think. Who were, I mean, who were your contemporaries at the time? I mean, you know, I think of like, you know, people bunch you in with like old men and David was. They were a couple years older than you, but like. Gary was coming up. I saw Gary on stage and he was incredible. He's a great theater actor. That is what you guys haven't seen. Yeah, I was going to say. to see him do that again. Yeah, he's got that. He's got the chubs.

Anyway, but really, the reason I wanted to be in film, the reason I got to is Ray Winstone. And I went to see Scum in the West End, in London. I saw it three times in a row, and I just was mesmerized by him.

And Phil Daniels, too, who's in that too. Phil, because of quadrophina, obviously. I'm sure he's sick of hearing that, but it's true. And then I got to work with him. But really, but Ray, watching Ray in that film was just one of the most amazing experience. And I said, I want to be that. I want to be that. And my first job, which is made and written, was director by the same guy.

And then my first time as a director was with Ray. So was, did you have to fight for Ray for, for, for, uh, for your film? Yeah. I'll tell you, that guy is as bold as they come. I was kind of, I put him on the,

on the back of my, because Gary had just used him in Nill by mouth, you know? Right, right. And I was like, oh man, they're gonna,

I'm gonna get shit for it. Okay, I meet an actors. I was quite, it was quite astounding. People really wanted to come and do it. And I'll get him in,

for fuck sake, get him in. So I've got this thing. It's about five flights up. It's a tiny, little office I can hear the sound of

these footsteps and he walks into the office and he's cut out of breath and he's dressed head to toe

in Russian military camouflage outfit head to toe like that and he's like hang on here so he catches

his breath and I'm just watching and I said when we sat down he said well I'd be good to play a good guy

for a change and that was his first line that's amazing And I went, that's the guy. That's because if you take that out, take that out of the film, just take that piece in the bunker out. Prove it.

Right. There it is. And he's so, so, so accurate. And I couldn't, I could, you couldn't deny the force that came into that room. Incredible that actor. It's interesting, because I confess, and I'm like a, obviously, a film, a huge film gig. It took me a while, I mean, I had seen him in your,

film but like it was relatively later in his career that in the states here i feel like that we came to appreciate yeah you guys got him late we did we didn't see definitely did um Scorsese got all of him you know right for departed yeah of course yeah but but he'd been about he he was a working successful actor he just had oh god yeah yeah yeah he's he's quite a quite a thing I mean considering you know where where he was dragged up did you have were there like did you have like rivalries or feel like competitive with your fellow your peers at the time. I mean,

you and Gary appeared in a couple films together, I think. We did too. We did Mike Lee thing meantime and then Rosemary and Stinson

was just a laugh. No, I was kind of inspired. I mean, I would get nervous meeting them because they were a lot of them

were already out and running. Right. They were serious contenders. He had a bit of a head start on you. Whoa, man, yeah. And he was bloody good. No, you just steal.

My, I, if you're in, oh man, look at that guy go. Whoa. And the idea of coming to America came from Gary because Gary came over to do State of Grace. And he was telling me about it. And I was like, what a great idea. I mean, fuck it, there's no English one over there at a moment, right?

And there's plenty of room for pasty-faced London. As we now know, yes. Well, no, well, that's it. I know, but we were the first ones. he built out he built the bridge and I climbed on it and what was was it was it was it was a reservoir dogs that really was the the awakened for the American audience oh yeah yeah I mean and I think that I mean I quentin correct me I'm sure but I think the reason that the that he was interested in me it quentin's interest me in uh was because of rose

and cramps and gullen soon I did oddly strangely Tom stopper's only film he's ever directed you know why he said I well he because a lot of people wanted to direct that I think Scorsesey wanted to direct it I don't doubt it that script's amazing which he wrote that when he was 27 insane yeah but he he said I'm the only one

that will treat the material with any kind of disrespect and it's healthy you need that and he's also cheaper so we have to address the influence on each other of you and Quentin

When did you know that this guy had the stuff to back up his bluster? 20 pages in. I already knew. You just knew. You reach for the fun. You cannot believe what you're looking at. If you go back and look at that script, you can see there's a great filmmaker at work. I didn't know that he'd already had to sell true romance.

Natural one killer. I didn't know that. He told me all of that later. But no, 20 pages in. You already know. I probably at some point I read some of his scripts years ago

but like everyone always says like you read his scripts and they read like great to read it's like brilliant the stage directions are as entertaining as the dialogue

oh yeah when we did the reading of we did a stage reading of hate of the script that got leaked and he read the stage directions and it was the most fun and he would talk to the audience

as well I'm sure he's a hand and he loves it he would slap us about a bit as well but if we were taking too long with something. Oh, he's a workshopping at

and he was figuring it out. He's amazing. I read something somewhere this might be not true at all. Was there ever talk that you and Gary were in line

for Pulp Fiction for the for Vincent and Jules? Have you ever heard that? No, I've never heard that. Okay. No, I've never heard that one. So we already addressed

that the text group continues. So you and Quentin are friends outside of these collaborations. We are, we chat. Yeah. I saw him the other night

because it's a quarter of a century since we made that one. So we had a bit of a get-together in L.A. and one up here, we did. But yeah, we see, you know, the thing about Quenton is he's always on the move and he loves to go see movies. So he will just go to a festival.

Right. And he will, you know, and then while he's doing that, he's writing. I know, and I'm so curious when he was in here he talked about, I'm curious about the stuff we've never seen. Like, have you read some of his scripts that, or, or,

film criticism that he's written and he said he's been like running film criticism for years he's going to publish a book at some point like have you read some of the stuff that we've never seen no and and he's told us about it too yeah we're all like yeah let's have a look that's that mother really up he's just I mean my God he's he's an encyclopedia

truly they had a thing they had a game going on set Bruce Dern and and Quentin yeah that we would just roll in her eyes. The two of them, oh man, crazy. It was Bruce would name an actor, I think, and you'd have to name three things that that person

had been in. I don't want to be a good at him, I can't. They were really trying to outdo each other, like really trying to I don't think he ever got Quentin, he might have got Quentin once, stumped him. Right. But the two of them going at it. They'd be across the room. I'm sure. And we're all sitting there like this. Come on with it, would you?

I was telling you, when you walked in the building, like how I've kind of given up the junket thing as we all hope to one day and I think one of the last ones I did was for that film and I remember talking to Bruce and he is so not a junkie guy I asked them like they were rapping me they were like you have one minute I asked Bruce

a question and he gave a 10 minute anecdote about working with hitch and everything was just amazing oh yeah no he's the thing you know that's what you know you want to be with a fast speaker when you're doing when we're doing it you know I did turn it honestly but he's just intriguing

he talks to me about football English football clubs he's crazy about that right he's a bit of a gamble well he he was a runner that's right in our time run yeah yeah yeah yeah it's a real deal

um have you read the Manson project that Tarantino's got no he told us about it but um you know we we stay away you're like when you're ready yeah after the debacle

in the last one you don't want to be the one to leak anything so that was so infuriating did we ever get to the bottom of this do you know who no where that went I can't say nothing

I think you have your theories I want to hit some random things I'm a big fan of everyone says I love you the Woody Allen home I really am I've seen that one I recommend it I have seen it you know why I wanted to be in a musical

and my wife loves musicals but I wanted to find out what the moment was like where you stop speaking and start singing song. That's a big moment. And then the afterburn of that. And I saw I got to experience it just for a second.

Did it feel like you're jumping off the ledge or was it? Yeah, a little bit. Yeah. And you've got you've got the click track going and you're having your conversation and then it comes and then you've got to go for it. And it was, the thing about what he, Alan, when his deal with that was that you could choose if you wanted to sing or not. Oh, interesting. And it wasn't about being. being a great singer is about the actors doing that. And some of the voices,

it's bloody awful. Mine was too, but I just wanted to experience it. But there's an unexpected, it sounds like you haven't seen it, but there's an unexpected kind of poignancy for me to see kind of like these non-professional singers kind of just open themselves up. But I, you know, I know I did watch that one.

The reason I can say, I did watch that because I kind of sat with my wife and watched it. And she just started crying. I was like, result. You know, Planet of the Apes has its fans and detractors. I will say, like, even in a film that's flawed, there are a couple of truly great performances in there. One of them is yours.

I would put Gi-O-Madi is doing some really cool stuff in there. He's hilarious. Great. Do you have fond, I mean, the makeup must have been insane. Is it... I would fall asleep while they were doing it. And then they just pucked me up when they need me to sit up, they wake me up. I was down with it. I was fine.

You enjoyed it? My best makeup crew ever, it started up as a, five-hour makeup and ended up as a two and a half-ish they were incredible and i just kind of i i've always liked the physicality of things so i just the guy who who was my stunt double was also is a terry notary yeah he's done stuff on the new apes films film too right yeah and so we would just get into it yeah we were we had the best time have you have you done or are you interested in like the performance capture stuff is that kind of thing I've only done it with the Hulk.

I've not done it with any... And we brought Terry on on the Hulk from... I said, you've got to get this guy. He's incredible. And he did the Hulk. Interesting. Yeah, and then I think he did Avatar,

and he's done... He's not a ton of these, yeah. He's such a cool guy. Does that, does the experience again on Hulk, which may have been a mixed bag for you, I don't know how you look back on it? Does that cover your, like, willingness or interest in doing another comic book film?

Have they come calling you? I love it. Of course, yeah. It's all they make now. It's just fun. You know, but you want to do, I do, I mean, that was, you know, my dad's a monster. You know, you got, you got, you've got, you've got, you've got, your frog, my dad's a monkey, my dad's a monster. You're pretty much covered, yeah?

Well, you've built some psychiatric bills too, perhaps. No, no, no, no, no, it's fun. It's fun. Now, is it apocry or true that you, speaking of Plano the Apes, that you turned down Snape to do that. It isn't, it, it sounds kind of arrogant, but what had happened was, I'd said yes. and they were they were being really really cool about it I got Planet the Apes as well

and I they were going to fly me back and forth and it was going to be like that where I would be doing one and then and then I was going it started to make my head spin and then I mean I really wanted to do

the Harry Potter things because I was reading them to my boys and and I was kind of down with that but it just I didn't know if I was ready to stop and I felt that if I did if it did do what I thought it was going to do

and did do it would be a hard a hard one for me to break out of and try and get back to work for me I wasn't ready yet well even even I mean you know the late great Alan Rickman I mean I spoke to him he was amazing and but I spoke to him actually just a few months before he passed and

and he had just directed a film final he had returned directing and it took him a while partially because of his DP Is that right? Yeah, I called him up he's one of the first people I called up to ask him for advice

Amazing He's one of the only actors He directed, did Winter's Guest? Yes, Winter's Guest and then he did one right before his passing actually So I called him up and I said if you got any

anything to tell me any kind of recommendation he said sleep Just get lots of sleep when you eventually saw his interpretation of Snape was there any bitter sweetness like oh I would have done it a different way

it would have been very different and that's okay too no no no no no I was actually thinking about it today you were talking it came up and I wonder if they would have let me play it the way I wanted to play it

well that's intriguing what was your take on it it would have been a very different kind it was just what came to my mind when I was reading it Well, what came up to elaborate? You can't just leave me hanging like this. He would have been...

No, it doesn't matter. But it... No, no, no, I can't. But very different, as he would have been different from any actor. I mean, you just, you bring what you got, right? I just would have brought a different bag of tools along, basically. I want to mention one film that I've only seen once, partially because it's a great film,

but it's also talking about films that are tough, to watch funny games is maybe the toughest film to watch for an audience. I was horrible to be in. Michael Hanakey. I love him. I'm amazing. It's not about that. It was, I found it personally very, very difficult.

I found, it's hard to do because you're, he shot the whole thing in sequence. So you start. You're going on that journey. You're going on it. And you start your day that way, where you've left off the day before. And it was incredibly distressing. and the boy who I loved

looked just like my son and I just couldn't get my head around it I think it was heartbreaking being in that well it's almost like and then Naomi was like Boulder's brought there she goes

you know you got love Naomi right but it just feels so like at least I remember at the time it felt like the reality of it was almost too great to handle like it's oh this is what it would be like to go through a horrific home invasion

And that's a virtual reality I don't need to experience And you know Brady and Michael They were brilliant They were brilliant Yeah They were just as sweet as they come And they were

It was very I mean you're working with proper goods So you're right It was all in my head That you know It was one of those ones I just couldn't shake it I could not deal with it

It was tough And I didn't have The toughest part weirdly I'm surprised it took this many years for you to work with David Lynch actually that feels like that that's a match that could have worked on many different films

had you ever discussed anything before two weeks no not with him with his daughter Jennifer yeah she was going to direct me in a film and he was going to play my dad and maybe one day we'll get to do it but that's about it

but but he's heroic you know his film making is and his television astounding

so I just was like yep what do you want me to do and unbeknownst to me cast Jennifer

and it was like and he didn't cast us because we're in Hayful 8 just thought we'd be good together no actually that's very true

very right good instincts I love him for it are there are there certain directors that you're surprised or disappointed you haven't worked with yet

I mean like you know I think a lot to something like 10 Star and it has a little a little Cohen Brothers thing to it I would say maybe They don't have me What?

They've got Steve You're supposed to Semi and Tim Rock They've got Steve They won't have me Do you find that you go up for the same roles You probably You're interchangeable

I don't know I'd Well he's just Oh God he's adorable man But no not really He's busy I'm busy Right

But we saw each other recently for the first time in long time. I remember sitting with Steve. Steve was having a tough time and he was it was you know trying to get a job when I was actually doing funny games we met over in Brooklyn in the studio there

and next thing you know I wonder was it was it boardwalk that kind of revived it before that happened yeah boardwalk empire and there he went huh you got to love that I love that stuff a little prestigious HBO show can do a lot for somebody a little yeah god man it's incredible was there a fact period for you where you felt like, okay, I had my run and it's just, it's drying up. It feels

like you've worked pretty continuous. I always feel that. I do. I have a very, very healthy fear of unemployment. And that's, that's a very British thing. Is that where it comes from? I think so. And seriously fierce work ethic. Like, yeah. Is it, is it annoyingly so, I think. But it's not, it's not self-doubt in your ability. You know you've got the chops and you, in your, you know, without tooting your own horn you know you can do the job yeah but you want to keep everyone going i mean that's the other thing you know you look after the family and you got to keep that cracking along right and i like that and um and so so you yeah i you know this was this was six months away from the mob and with going back to do another six months on it and and i would fly out as much

as I could to home, which is in California. But even so, it's a long time to be away. Yeah. And it's hard. Yeah, no, I'm driven by unemployment. It's healthy, maybe. I think it probably is. Keeps you going.

Yeah. Yeah, I mean, what's the longest you go without working? Are you always, is it just like a month or two and then on to the next? No, I find the best situation to be in is if you know when the next one is and you've got a gap. That was, that was good. I had that when we did lie to me. I was like, give me, I'm on a gun on holiday. Yeah, it's the closest to a day job

an actor has, or a theater, I guess, but that doesn't pay. Network. Network is. Right. Yeah. Right. So, because I think you said at some point that, like, you thought by 50, it might, it might, it might. I thought maybe mid-40s, I'd be, that would be happening. And then it just started to get even more weird. Well, I was going to say, I think for an act, for a male actor in particular,

actually, the roles kind of get more interesting. Well, it did get, it got really weird. It got really like, oh, oh, all right, yeah, I'll do that. I'll have a bit of that. And, you know, and you started to go, and then it really got quite wild. I, I was talking to my wife about it, you know, that they gave me a TV show to do. I think that's all right. I'll have a go with that, sure.

I'll take a bit of that, you know, and then they want to do it again. Yeah. And I, it was good. It's been just this incredible. ride but if but taking really ignoring structure is the most important thing for me in that although it's it's scary you don't know what the next job is going to be right and and doing light to me was interesting because I didn't it was just an experiment for me I just thought oh I'll see if I can do that and and I didn't care about the the barrier between TV and films

they can screw themselves I don't come from that anyway so I just just had a go. And it was like, oh, this is kind of interesting. I hated it at first and then really liked it by the end. Do you consume much in the way of TV and film? Are you? No, I'm old movies. Except my kids, we have a couple of things that we do. Um, I should, maybe I should, well, I'll tell you, uh, one of the things that we have in my house with, when the boys are around is crap movie night. And you got, you get to pick him for crap movie, right? And you get to, it, and you have a beer and you watch it, and you just enjoy it because it's such fun. I'm not saying which ones I would never say.

But that's a thing that we do in our house. I've been in some of them. So, you know, and then, believe me. Are you giving live commentary on your own films? They do. The boys, I get, I get grief. I think you can make big money on a podcast just commenting on your own films. Just that.

Just a little camera in the kitchen. and then the other thing that they've done that binge watching thing which I they started me on I never done I've never done before which I so now this is how people watch their telly right so

we binge watch Rick and Morty right which was excellent and I want to do a voice from that so badly oh I really really really want to do it and then then Walt's television show came out oh our principal's I haven't seen the new season yet, but yeah.

Oh, God. So we sat, we watched the whole lot. And of course they know him a bit, so they were crack. It's so funny. And then my middle boy made me watch, which wasn't hard, wet hot American summer. We started with the movie and then both of the TV seasons. Amazing. And we watched a lot, and it was such a laugh.

We had a great time doing it together. Have you done, like, any comedy on that extreme and that absurdity level, I'm sure? Four rooms, maybe would go, but not a little bit. Yeah. Yeah, that was more cartoon. Yeah. No, and I... Is that out of your comfort zone?

No, I'd have a go. Yeah, I'd have a go. I was trying to do one with a wonderful funny or die mob. Yeah. But my schedule just got bugged up, so I can't do it. But they're doing something really, really good. But I did do one of their little sketches. that they were funny or I think.

I did one called Brostitute. Okay. Which is worth a look. I'll look it up, yeah. And I fell in love with all of those guys. I think it's one of the hardest things to do. Absolutely. And you are really placing yourself in the hands of the director and the editors and all of that to get your timing.

You just have to give it up to them. No, I've just never been invited to the party. Well, you were hereby invited to my party. I was telling you before I do a lot of schedules. If you look to your right, you'll see Michael Shannon on the wall doing something very stupid. He was, I was in, I saw a movie that he did, I'm going to lose it, I was, I was judging it, it was one of the films that we saw, maybe it was in Venice, 99. 99 homes, great. Oh my God.

Rami and Barani, director. Heartbreaking. Just. Underrated movie. Yeah. They've just collaborated again on Fahrenheit 451. Oh, did they? Wow.

That's going to be intriguing. I think he's incredible that guy. and what I think what I liked about that was it was multifaceted what he was doing is a clever actor I think there's a drinking game

associated with this podcast every time Michael Shannon's name comes up because he comes up every He must do because he's got to be a favorite he's the best so this is good I mean talking about like knowing your schedule

you probably know your schedule a bit for 10 star season two I do that's good is that the next gig is that where you no I'm doing

which I can't I can't talk about because I haven't done the announcement nonsense yet but I'm I've got two movies I'm doing before, and they're both with very new directors. So I'm kind of jamming them in,

got it before I have to go up in the mountain again. Why has the Star Wars baddie thing not happened yet? This feels like inevitable that this is... Jeez. James Bond? Where's the James Bond action? Yeah, there was again on the IMDB that said that you were in the running for Obi-1 Canobi way back when.

Was there any conversation? Oh, man. I have no idea about that one. Okay. Maybe lost in your email pile. Maybe. I just, no, it's a friend of mine, the woman who plays my missus in Tin Star,

Genevieve Overriding. She, oh, right. Oh, is she the young Monmouthma, I think, in Rogue One? Was she in, yes. Yeah, so she's part of the family. She got to put a good word for you. Oh, God, she's so funny.

Come to come. So we'll have you in a Star Wars movie in Rick and Morty, and we'll get you, And I'm going to convince you to do a sketch here next time you're in town. Yeah, and then something with Will Farrell will do that. Okay. And I want to work with Kate Blanchett, so that's definitely on the list.

Have you never, yeah, you and Kate? We almost got, there was a moment where I almost directed her very, very early on just when I was thinking about going back and doing another one. But I couldn't get the money together for it. You got a few decades left to hit all these things. You'll be fine. You'll get there. but she's astounding. Yeah.

Genius. Well, congratulations on 10 Star. As I said, I'm always a fan of your work and I was very impressed by this one. I'm looking forward to seeing the rest, including episode 9, which is completely improvised, which sounds amazing.

I say that. The thing is, I say that, and it came from him. Yeah. That's what's interesting. It's just, it's whether the producers have got the balls to let us have a go. It's good to have ballsy producers.

They really do. We'll check it out. It's on Amazon Prime, I think September 29th, 28th. 29th. So check it out, everybody. Tim, thanks so much for stopping by it today. Pleasure. 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 pressured to do this by Josh. Hello Fall. I'm Anthony Devaney. And I'm his twin brother, James. We host Raiders of the Lost Podcast, the ultimate movie podcast, and we are ecstatic to break down late summer and early

fall releases. We have Leonardo DiCaprio leading a revolution in one battle after another, Timothy Salome playing power ping pong in Marty Supreme. Let's not forget Emma Stone and Yorgos Lanthamos' Bougonia. Dwayne Johnson's coming for that Oscar in The Smashing Machine, Spike Lee and Denzel teaming up again. Plus, Daniel Day Lewis's return from retirement. There will be plenty of blockbusters to chat about two. Tron Aries looks exceptional, plus Mortal Kombat too. And Edgar writes, The Running Man starring Glenn Powell.

Search for Raiders of the Lost podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.