Happy Sad Confused - Woody Harrelson (Vol. II), Rebecca Ferguson

Episode Date: March 22, 2017

Woody Harrelson has this celebrity thing figured out. Any man who counts Bill Murray and Willie Nelson as friends, calls Maui home, and bounces between Star Wars flicks and the quirky comedies, certainly seems to have cracked the code. That being said, all Woody wants to do is stop working. In this second visit to “Happy Sad Confused” the self-professed “slacker hippie” admits he’s desperate for a break. Don’t worry too much though, Woody knows great material when he gets it, which certainly applies to “Wilson” (opening Friday) and the forthcoming Han Solo film, a project he believes might be the greatest Star Wars film yet. In the course of this chat, Josh takes Woody back to his acting beginnings, how he was able to break into films with “White Men Can’t Jump,” why “Natural Born Killers” drove him a little crazy, and why after becoming known as a notorious stoner he gave up smoking nearly a year ago. Also joining Josh on the podcast this week is Rebecca Ferguson, who exploded onto the big screen in 2015 stealing scenes from no less than Tom Cruise in “Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation”. Now, as she prepares to reprise her role in the next “Mission”, she talks to Josh about fighting aliens in “Life” (opening Friday), why she bought a windmill and a circus wagon, and why she feels like Hermione on this latest press tour.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Register today at theovernight.org or call 8888-8-4-3-6-3837. This week on Happy, Sad, Confused, Woody Harrelson gives up pot and his new film, Wilson, and Rebecca Ferguson goes from Mission Impossible to Deep Space. I'm Josh Harwitz reporting from, not from space today. Not today. Not today, but one day, Sammy, would you do a space podcast with me one day? Would you go into space? Yeah, I want to say yes, but I feel like I would get so.

truthful. So nauseous in anti-gravity. Like, I feel like before I went into space, I would need a lot of anti-naugia medication. As you know, I like adventure. I crave adventure. I, I, I, I've never even discussed that. Oh, my God. I can't believe you're alive.

I know, neither can I. I'm going to say that on every show because I'm so proud of myself that I did something that necessitate me getting off the couch. And it was really adventurous. It was really scary, guys. I'm never going to do it again. And then I read an article. So I ziplined in California. out in California.

With a helmet and a harness. No, I just jumped onto a rope. It was like a, yeah. It was like what the 12-year-olds do at summer camp. Yeah, exactly. No, hey, it was kind of dangerous. I did seven Ziplines. Seven?

Yeah. And they were very high up. Where were you zipping to seven times? From tree to tree. I'm like Tarzan. I'm like Alexander Scarsga. Yes, you are. I did it shirtless.

They were really against that. Like, dude, put it back on. You're making the kids. uncomfortable. There were no children, okay? This is real-life adult shit. Did you have to be 18 to do it? Probably.

I don't know. I don't know. I don't know about that. Okay, I read an article after the fact that if I had read it before, I would never have ziplined because there are injuries, folks. Yeah. I'm not advocating ziplining. You can't mess with perfection with you.

It's only for physical specimens like myself that can handle it. Yeah. It's only for people who say, giving up pot. Giving up the gungia. Yeah. So yes, the first guest. Well, actually, let me first tease the second guest. The second guest coming up a little bit later is Rebecca Ferguson, who is a name that some people might not know yet, but she definitely emerged on the scene a couple years ago. I fell for her performance in Mission Impossible Rogue Nation as Ilsa Faust.

How's that for a spy name? That's a really good name. It's really popped off the screen. She's like, it was one of those performances where you were like, okay, I don't know. For frankly, I haven't seen this person before, but she's a movie star. But I remember her. I remember her. And I had a good time talking to her like on the junket circuit.

in the couple of months around Mission Impossible. So I wanted to invite her in when I knew she had life coming up. So life is this new sci-fi movie with her and Ryan Reynolds and Jake Gyllenhaal. And she's- Sounds terrible. This grody guys. Yeah, how did she have to hang out with them all day? So we'll get to Rebecca in a bit. But first up on the podcast is Woody Harrelson.

I know. Woody's great. We love Woody. We love Woody. Happy Second Fuse listeners might remember. Relatively recently, I spoke to Woody in an all-too-brief conversation at the Sundance Film Festival. And Woody, again, if you heard that conversation, it was a man of his word. He said he would do a longer conversation with me when he was in New York.

And sure enough, he made the time to do this conversation. And it was great. He's pure, unadulterated Woody Harrelson. I really love him. He's so chill. He's so talented. He like, so we take this at a hotel. He wasn't able to come by the studio.

So I want to mention that there are some audio, small audio issues. There was this incessant drilling going on nearby. What if there wasn't? and it was just in your head the whole time. I know, Woody assured me he heard it too. So that's a little annoying. Hopefully it's not too annoying for you guys and we'll do our best in the edit

to cut that stuff out. But the important part is that Woody came in like full on Woody Harrelson. No shoes, of course. Why would it be wearing shoes? I remember the first time I remember, like he came into our old office. Yeah.

And he was just like wearing clogs and like sweatpants. I was just like, you are everything I want you to be. Yeah, I mean, as we talk about it a little bit, my theory is, like, he and Bill Murray have figured out how to be celebrities. Yeah. Like, they play by their own rulebook. They do what they want. You know, Woody lives in Maui. He, like, hangs out, you know, with Willie Nelson and Owen Wilson and makes the weird movies he wants and then does the big studio films.

They all want him for, too. His new movie, I should mention, is Wilson. It opens this Friday. And it's a super funny movie. It's based on a Daniel Klaus graphic novel, The Agent. gentleman who brought us like Ghost World, a really acclaimed graphic novelist. And it's a very, very idiosyncratic, cool character that Woody gets to put on screen. I think it's one of his favorites in recent years. And it's one of my favorites of his in recent years. So definitely

check that out what it's out in theaters this Friday. And we cover, yeah, we cover a bunch in this. We talk about Wilson. We talk about his beginnings in film going from Cheers to White Men Can't Jump. We talk about natural-born killers, which is one of my kind of all-time favorites. It kind of blew my mind when I saw it when I was a teenager. And yes, we talk about, you know, he's so notorious, like him in, like, Seth Rogen or the biggest, like, the most famous, yeah, stoners, yeah. And I didn't even know at the time, but he, when I mentioned it, he mentioned he hasn't smoked in a year.

So apparently he's going for clarity. He's trying a new thing. He thought maybe he needed to take a step back. Who knows if this will be a lifelong decision or not? But good on him for, you know, making a change. Yeah. And I told him if he wants to teach me the ways. I'll go out to Maui and he can teach me the dark arts.

Please. Oh my God. Please. Bring the podcast out to Maui. Will you be in? I will pay my own way. That is a dream. Oh, my God.

Okay. So until we reconvene in Maui for another edition with Woody Harrelson. Next year in Maui. Next year in Maui. That's what we always say at the Passover table in my house. Here's this conversation with the great Woody Harrelson. On the other side, check out the conversation. with a back of Fergus, and we'll be back for that.

Oh, look, it's Woody Harrison. Hey, Woody. Hey, how's it going? That's the full introduction. That's as, that's as sophisticated as I get for podcast introductions. That'll do. That'll do, right? What more do they need to know? It's Josh, it's Woody. We're here to chat. Let's get after it. I saw you in Sundance. It was all too brief a conversation. I needed more. I needed more of a way. Haroldson fix. Yeah, let's do it then. That's why I'm here.

Let's, uh, let's dig in. Really? Are you ready to cry to, uh, are you trying to work my questions? Yeah, I was kind of looking. Trying to get prepared. Don't you look at these? Leave something, don't you want it to be spontaneous and real? Absolutely.

Shouldn't you be in London training Han Solo right now? What's going on? I just came here for this. You might lose your gig. They might like say Han Solo doesn't need anybody to train him. God, I didn't think about that. I thought he would have stayed. No, don't leave.

Wait, no, he's going for the door. No. Congratulations, again, on the movie, man. You know I'm a fan of this one. Wilson's movie. How often are you this satisfied with the end product of a film? Because clearly, you were passionate from the start,

but clearly you're also happy with the final product of this one. Yeah, I really do love this movie. I think it's a beautiful story. I love the character. I love the relationship. between my character, Laura Dern's character, Judy Greer and Isabella, who plays our daughter, you know, like, it's just, it's so original, you know.

And someone was saying, you know, talking about the various graphic novels they're making in the movies. Well, I mean, I'm not a big graphic novel guy. I haven't done, I've read much of graphic novels. and yet I think there's great material out there in the world that isn't like

necessarily going to be repetitive that's not necessarily a superhero running around there's actual other things like this and so I'm just glad that Daniel made this and wrote this screenplay

and that Craig directed it and it just to me it turned out great can we go back for a bit in terms of like your early film stuff. I'm just curious because like you had this amazing gig on Cheers for a number of years that I would imagine at the time was both a blessing and maybe a curse. Maybe that's a strong word.

But like you had this great day job, but you, it took up a lot of time. And it probably also, it feels like it typecasted you for a little bit. It took people a little imagination to imagine you and something outside of that character because it struck such a chord and it was so indelible. Is that all fair to say, you think? Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it was six years before I could get another job.

And then I did a little part in this Michael J. Fox movie, Doc Hollywood. And then what really shifted it was white men can't jump. Right. You know, so I was pretty lucky to get that part. And hook up with it was Ron Shelton, wasn't it? It was Ron Shelton and Wesley, of course. Such a great director and such a great guy. And, you know, I wouldn't have, I don't know.

What, I'd just, I maybe would have just been Woody Boyd, like that might have been my whole career. You could have gotten the spin-off, a la Frasier. You could have gotten Woody with an exclamation point for 15 more years. Yeah, that's something we could hope for, but we don't know if that would happen. So, wait, word on the street is white men can't jump is going to be remade. How do you, does that sit well with you? Yeah, fantastic. I hope it's great.

More power to them? I hope it's better than the first one. You set a high bar? You're happy with that one? Oh, yeah. I'm real happy with it. But, you know, like, it'd be great if it was, if it turned out great. Yeah.

I don't know why. I think some people, you know, have talked to me about this and they expect that I would want it to not succeed. Right. Revengeful. It's just the opposite. Screw you, remake. I'm going to go see it, and I hope it's great. It felt like, I mean, in watching your career, and I was a fan from the start, Cheers is my all-time favorite sitcom.

I mean, it's genius. But, like, as you kind of traversed your way into film, um, It feels like the turning point, at least from my band to 20, it was natural born killers in a big way. I mean, Indies and Proposal was a big film and there were other big films. But natural born killers, like the extremity of that part of that film of what Oliver was going for, did that feel like a big kind of turning point for you in terms of like really getting a chance to kind of stretch yourself as an actor and be a different kind of a movie? well i did feel that uh i was you know i remember just hoping that people would buy me as the character you know uh but in fact that wasn't the issue at all i which was cool they i was accepted as the character but there was a big issue with the violence in the movie which you know

the whole point of the movie is it's it's kind of satirical and it's about how the media kind of fans the flames of violence so ironic that we got caught in our own you're too smart for your own good right you know uh so it was it wasn't a successful movie it actually it did premiere at number one but then you know it got it just the controversy wasn't good for it

well that was also at the time as I recall when Oliver kind of was at the height of his powers in terms of like he was a lightning rod I mean JFK had come out and everything he did and then there's the product itself natural born killers in addition to just sort of like thematically being bold and audacious as you say

like stylistically kind of reinvented the wheel for filmmaking like it was so many different kinds of film stock it was just like I remember as a kid I was probably like 18 or something when I saw it it like blew the back of my head off

just to see what you guys were going for and anytime you do that I guess you're gonna usually it's gonna be a controversial film what's usually going to be interpreted in different ways. That, yeah, I suppose that's true. And I do, I agree with you.

Oliver was, man, was he hitting on all cylinders? And he really did make something totally original. Did you guys get along? He's, because he likes to push buttons, even of his. Oh, I got along with him great. You know, I saw him for what he was, which is a guy who loves to stir stuff up. Yeah, not just politically and so forth, which is obvious. but he likes to stir stuff up if he's just hanging out with you he'll say things to you

to get you riled up so once i understood that by the way i remember i hadn't seen him for a while and then i saw him and he said something within like you know a minute of being with and and i got all pissed off and then i remembered oh witty it's just that's who he is you know which no i I love him. I think he's an amazing guy. Yeah, I've told the story on the podcast before, but my favorite flight I've ever taken, I happen to be sitting next to Oliver Stone on a flight to L.A., and we watched a Gary Marshall movie together and would just chat for five hours. And it was just, it was full on Oliver, like, good, bad, ugly. Like, it was just like he's so present. And like you said, I think he likes to poke and likes to exchange ideas.

And the last thing he wants is you just, like, heaping compliments on him. I think he wants them to have a discussion, right? Yeah, yeah. So give me a sense, like, do you feel like, has your criteria for taking roles changed significantly? And, like, 20 years ago, we're talking about natural-born killers, and then people versus Larry Flint, all these great movies. Did you have kind of a different mindset in terms of the kind of stuff you were going for back then versus now, or have you always kind of had the same instinct for film? I think now, like, really just now in my life, I'm. it really has to be something, I think, is quite special.

Yeah. Because I really have, I feel guilty of being away from the kids so much, you know. And, you know, I guess I understand this thing called school, but on the other hand, that's keeping me away from my kids. I'm having a hard time with it. So I've been on a real work jag, you know, and I just need to get some time at home. And I think that probably be very hard for, huh? After this Han Solo thing, going to just take a little breather.

Yeah, I'm going to take a break, yeah. Well, it is funny because, like, you have this reputation of just like this, like, chill guy, right? This guy just sort of like seems like totally zen in this place in the universe. And yet, like, if you look at the filmography, it also feels like you're working all the time. And I guess that's just an embarrassment of riches where, like, I remember you were telling me, like, the Han Solo thing, you were planning on taking a break. And they just convinced you because it's just sounded so cool and so fun. Well, I think it's an embarrassment for a slacker such as myself to be continuously working. I'm not that guy.

You're not living up to the slacker reputation. I did. I don't know if we'd talk about it, but I did this. movie lost in london which i directed and and wrote and uh and i decided to do this weird thing where i would shoot it in real time which you know i'd been done with like victoria and russian ark and so which i thought was kind of cool you know in this case 99 minutes but then i was like because the whole point was to merge theater and film and i'm like well it's not really theater if there's not a live audience and then ding

Just having that thought. And, you know, it's the first time anybody ever did that, where they live streamed a movie into theaters as they shot it. So it was kind of cool, but I've got to say, you talk about stress, and, you know, I'm a hippie. I'm a slacker hippie. And suddenly I'm just maximal stressed. So you won't be doing that again?

That was a one-off? That was a one-off. It was fun. It was fun. It was interesting. And I'm going to, and I've been doing part. post on it. The visual is what it is.

It's because we shot it single camera in one take. So the visual is what it is, although some grading, but there was some sound things that we cleaned up in 80 yard. And now it's, now I think it's really strong. Nice. Do you think you'll direct again at all? Like just a quote-unquote conventional film, does that appeal to you? Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

Yeah. Yeah. And I could even do another live thing. if it was all contained and this thing was 14 different locations, locations, uh, 30 actors.

It was, we were 26 sound people on it. I remember because you, it was a big undertaking. You pretty much came right to Sundance after that and you had this glazed look in your eye like you were still there. You were having nightmares. You couldn't sleep.

Couldn't sleep. Yeah. But you're settled now. Every night, I just kept waking up the way I had been for so many nights. prior thinking of all the stuff I had to do which it was already done did any acting roles can you think of an acting role along the way in your career that's screwed with your head in that way that's really kept you up at night during production that's been anything but relaxed I think natural born killers was a little bit problematic with for me I I really saw it as a kind

of opening myself to what was my shadow right you know and i was studying the shadow and that in fact all that study of the shadow uh oliver let me put that thing about the shadow in the movie i remember yeah and uh yeah so there was um and i did some things during that with you know other with people that i you know regret to this day i just i i wasn't that it really in terms of treaty people not least some of the darkness that should have been kept contained so method acting when you're playing

a serial killer maybe is not the we're not a serial killer but a rampant when it took like Mickey Knox is not maybe the best idea he was a serial killer yes in fact technically he was and uh you know and so I'm studying serial killers all the time you know I read

Manson's uh autobiography I mean I was just immersed in all these horrible yeah characters and I didn't, I, God, that was horrible. I never want to get into that kind of mindset. Again, in fact, I really just want to do comedy now. Well, Wilson qualifies, certainly.

It's very funny. Was this, was this a, it seems like this is a very enjoyable character just to put yourself in the shoes in for, however many. Such a fun character, really loved doing it. Just, you know, that's one of the things. I got into this through the theater, you know. I was in the theater. in high school college and I was like I want to go and do plays and then kind of got sidetracked

into TV and sidetracked into movies but ultimately this is like a play you know it's very very theatrical it's my kind of it's my kind of movie I love it and I and I love you know you don't always get this opportunity but now I've gotten to see this movie twice with an audience and the response is like wow so cool yeah you're listening to happy sad confused we'll be right back after this with one of the best savings rates in America banking with Capital One is the easiest decision in the history of decisions even easier than choosing slash to be in your band next up for lead guitar you're in

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Am I missing something? Should I dabble? What would you recommend to me as like a teetot? Oh, no, no. In fact, philosophically, I'm straight edge, but just never could find a way to make that work. Because in reality, I'm a party animal. but ironically i haven't smoked in nearly a year is that right it's a i'm about a month shy of a year so was that a conscious decision like i'm like i should take a break yeah it was a conscious

decision um and well it just actually yeah i won't how we got how i got started that's another story but the point is after a while it was just like well let's just keep it going i'm feeling so this thing called clarity is so foreign to me and i and i'm definitely one of those guys who uh because of you know i i i don't i never would smoke when i work but i would smoke immediately after working and that's a wrap they say rap i'm rolling and um so it was uh you know i'd always have a level of either i don't know if it's going to be a san francisco fog or a London fog, but I got a level of fog going. So it's nice to feel the fog lift. It's not as terrifying probably as I had assumed it would be. Do you think you'll, this is not a life or

this is not a life decision. You're going to go back or no. Now you know, now you don't need it. You don't need it. If I've been able to hang out with Willie and some of my other great friends and not puffed, then, uh, are you and Willie just staring at each other now? I've got a strong, uh, constitution on this thing um no we we can still hang out still play chess you can still he still talks to me that's cool that's good okay but every time he always offers and i'm just like you know so there you go so um i i am curious i know the hanssel thing is something we can't really talk much about but like i'm curious because you were talking to me in sundance about how you were planning on taking a break um what did they say to convince you like did they did they like

Did Phil and Chris, like, compare this new film to another kind of a film? Did they give you, like, a stylistic goal that kind of hooked you? I think the script is very good. Larry Kazden and his son, Jonathan, wrote it, and I think it's really good. You know, some of these huge blockbuster movies, the scripts are a little questionable. A work in progress. And I'm not talking about anything I've done, but I certainly have seen. some that I feel a little questionable but script fantastic um always the appealing to be a part of

that universe uh for I think almost anybody but uh meeting those guys filling Chris I think that those guys they they just really really impressed me and I also having seen their work I know they're going to make something great just that's the big question usually will they make it great or you know what and so you know the measure of any great film just has to do with how great the director is so you know there's other variables and a lot of people working on it but mostly it's in the hands of the director so we got two guys who are pretty accomplished and pretty amazing do you have a beat and i'm really having a great time with them yeah i just i love the way they do their thing and

I think they're really, they're going to make the, they're going to make the best one yet. So you have a beat on this character? Is he comedic? Is he, you know? Well, I like to throw in a little humor. I've seen that. Yeah, some time of time. Yeah, I'm going to try to keep it.

Yeah, I look at that as my responsibility. I got to come up with some funny shit. Right. Because you're kind of like the proto-Haan. You're like his mentor. So you've got to have a little bit of edge to you, but you also, you know, have to have a little swagger, I would think. Yeah. A little both.

Okay, okay. So, okay, so going back to Wilson for a second. I know Laura was a big, was she an incentive to being a part of this, that you got to kind of work with Laura Dern at Long Last? Or was that something that happened after? Laura wasn't involved until after I became involved, but I definitely, when I heard that they were meeting her, I was like, that's the one right there. I read something that you guys were going to do, were you guys going to do Benny and June at some point? together? Yeah. Is that true? Yeah. That's crazy. Yeah, that is wild. So this is just one of those actors that you've kept, did you keep in touch with her? Did you, or she was just always on your

radar because you respected her? Oh, yeah, we kept in touch off and on. Yeah. Yeah, but, you know, it's weird. This, you know, how wild this profession is. Like, you work with people and they become like your family and suddenly you don't, you don't see him for a while and you realize when you do see him, I haven't seen you for a year. Yeah. You know what I mean? Like, it's, I haven't seen you for two years sometime. And it's just wild because you couldn't imagine them not in your life until, you know, suddenly they weren't. But I do, I do feel like, because I've talked to a lot of actors about that, it's because it's bizarre. You're right. I do feel like you've, you've retained friendships maybe more than most. Like you value your friendships clearly, as anyone should,

but somehow you've made, I know my theory, I was talking to somebody else about this. My theory is like you and Bill Murray have cracked celebrity. Like you figured out how to make it work for you. Do you know what I mean? I know that Bill certainly has, but I, yeah. Well, maybe you're a close runner-up. I'm learning. Yeah, how to crack it. I mean, do you acknowledge that? Do you remember early on, like, when celebrity came not liking certain aspects of it and kind of a quest to kind of figure out how you can make it work for you and not drive you insane? Well, the problem with the celebrity or, you know, becoming famous generally, I think is, you're going to get a lot of people to tell you you're great, which is fine.

But to the degree that you start believing that is to the degree that you just ain't getting it. You're not figuring it out. Yeah. So Bill Murray, for example, he doesn't buy into all that bullshit. He knows exactly who he is, and he's always exactly who he is, which is to me an extraordinary, funny, but deep thinking, you know, amazing. amazing human being. So I think I've had periods in my life, certainly early on, where I didn't get it.

And I was, you know, I was letting myself get sucked into the whole, gee, ain't I great vibe. And, you know, now I just, I feel like I don't really experience it that much. You know, I mean, I walk down the street, I meet people, I go to the airport, I mean, you know 25 people you know right that's fine but it's usually i kind of keep to myself you know what i mean yeah i know where i know i'm not going to that place because there's a zillion people at that place or i'm not doing this yeah i don't know it is something you do have to learn to navigate otherwise it could get you know pretty confusing you don't do that uh i remember a film i love Soap Dish where Sally Field famously in that film goes to the mall when she needs validation.

She wants to be noticed. She wants to be recognized. You don't never have that feeling. You don't ever have that of the moment. You know, I should, no hat, no disguise, love me for a few minutes, love Woody Harrelson. You don't need that? No, I don't need it. I get enough validation just for my family, you know?

Yeah, plenty. That's all the validation I want is those guys. And so you're going to take a break after, after, Han Solo and no plans after that. You're not sure. We'll see what comes. Well, there's a few projects that are kind of, you know, percolating. Percolating. The percolating is the perfect word. But yeah, I'm definitely no matter what, taking at least three months off and just trying to live the life I've created and spend time with my family. By the time I'm done with this, I'll have been reunited with a good portion

of the family anyway, because after school's out, they'll come out and see me in London, but otherwise, London's a long freaking way from Maui, I'll tell you that. I was going to say, well, you know, for convenience sake, and the next podcast, I'll come to you in Maui, and we'll just hang for a little bit. That would be much better. Right? Everybody would have a better time. Absolutely.

You can't be there. If you can just keep me, you know, some room and bored for a couple nights, that's all I ask. It's simple, man. work. Maybe I'll try some product for a change for the first time in my life. Get it going. Why not? I'm going to learn from the master. We've got to fill in the gap that I left.

Exactly. I'll take up the reins. It's always good to catch up with you, man. I really appreciate that when we caught up in Sundance, like I said, it was a quickie, and you said that you'd do a longer thing with me now, and you've lived up to your word. So congratulations on the movie, man. Thanks, Josh. You are always a great interviewer, and I really enjoy it, dude.

Thanks, buddy. And thank you. That was the great Woody Harrelson, the one and only Woody Harrelson. Again, Wilson is out in theaters this Friday. Go check it out. Moving on, our next guest on Happy Second Feuds, a newcomer to the show, Rebecca Ferguson. Rebecca Ferguson is everywhere, is going to be everywhere. where she's been filming nonstop, it seems, since she finished Mission Impossible a couple of years ago,

where she really burst on the scene as Ilsa Faust. You love saying the name so much. I could have changed my name to Ilsa Faust. Please do. And her new movie is Life. It's a really, a creepy, tense thriller with her and Ryan Reynolds and Jake Gyllenhaal, basically, kind of the classic kind of alien premise. You write an alien gets on board in the International Space Station. All hell breaks loose.

Who dies first? Who dies next? Who dies last? It's not a friendly alien, I'm going to guess. It's not a friendly alien. It's not E.T. And I had a good feeling about Rebecca when I first met her a couple years ago, and she definitely proved my instincts were correct this time because she was a delight to talk to. She's like a very kind of idiosyncratic, cool person.

She's half British, half Swedish. Good mix. Yeah, good mix. I'll take it. Apparently Jewish. We stumbled onto that gem. We love. I didn't know that.

What were you? Did you have your talis on? When she came in. She was like, a fellow Jew. She suddenly her accent changed. She kissed you on the forehead. So, yeah, exactly. But she's, and yeah, she's like a little bit corky.

You know, she, like, owned a windmill for a time. She, like, there are some quirks to the Rebecca Ferguson. She may look the part of, like, the standard leading lady, beautiful leading lady. But there's, there's such interesting. And she's a real weirdo. No, she, I mean, I know it's like, don't believe how, you know, just because she's beautiful doesn't mean she can't be weird. But no, she's very talented, and I'm excited to see what comes up next for her. She's also, by the way, you'll be interested in this, Sammy.

She's the greatest showman on Earth. Yeah, she's singing alongside Hugh. She's a singer. She's a singer as well. Of course, with Hugh Jackman, that's a big musical coming out next December. Art is racing. So, yeah, there was a lot to talk to Rebecca about, and I'm so happy that she made the time to visit us. She came right over from South by Southwest.

West, still stinking of barbecue and tacos. I'm going to say, did she have barbecue sauce all over her face? We talk about it a little bit. So anyway, without any further ado, here's this conversation with Rebecca Ferguson. And remember to check out life if you want a real scare this Friday. You up for it, Sammy? No. Okay, the rest of you, you can handle it.

She's a wimp. I'm scared. Here's Rebecca. Oh, boy, look who just popped in. Hi, Rebecca. I just do that. I pop in. You pop in?

We have this coffee commercial in Sweden that says when you get uninvited guests and then it says you have coffee prepared. Have you, are you trying to get that campaign? Are you trying to get a side gig? I'm happy with my tea, really. I mean, come on. It's good to have you here. We were just talking. You just came in, I assume, probably yesterday from South by Southwest.

We did. And that was you were saying you got a bit of the experience, but not the full on Austin experience. No, we arrived. No. And I'm going again. And that is not me just being kind to Austin. It was incredible. And it was, well, people were just, you know, in jeans and T-shirts and it was relaxed.

People were there because they love music and they love film. And also, can I tell you that they're tacos? Oh, no, I know. No, it is, I haven't stopped eating. Basically, I ate so much that I couldn't have any breakfast today. They do tacos right there. They know what they're doing. They're professionals.

It's a dangerous place to stay too long. I'm questioning the fish tacos. I didn't really try it. Are you, you're questioning just the nature of? Just the idea of having a fish in a taco. I didn't try it. Oh, no, you should try it. Have you done, have you been to Comic Con in San Diego?

San Diego is well known for their fish tacos. Well, I'm apparently going then. There you. If they have it. Team Rebecca Ferguson has just booked her a flight to. We're going to San Diego, guys. This is the taco tour. No, but what was lovely is it kind of, I bought a circus wagon a long time ago thinking,

what can I do with a circus wagon? Wait, what? Yes, I own a circus. I own a circus wagon. I owned a circus wagon. I sold it off. Oh, sure. Yeah.

But it would set a circus harlequin on it. And we thought, what can we do with it? Make it into a little book shop with cafe or coffee. I should have a fish taco. So where did the circus wagon have residency? Where did it exist? Next to the windmill. Oh, wait.

I remember this. I actually do remember this because I don't know if you recall. I interviewed you a few times in the course of Mission Impossible. And I remember asking you, I was doing some stupid thing where I was asking you like two truths and a lie and you were making up a few things. and you were making up a few things. Was it good? Did we enjoy it? I enjoyed it.

I think I did. Clearly it didn't work for you. But I remember now the windmill. Okay, so you're clearly a mad human being. I am pretty mad. I mean, no, but the windmill is so majestic and beautiful in itself. Needs renovation. So you still own the windmill?

No. Sold it off. Okay. But it had an apple orchard, and I thought, I've always wanted a circus wagon. I can place it in the middle of the apple orchard. And what I also wanted was, you know, these English, I mean, I can't, I'm referring to Harry Potter, but our generation here now would know Harry Potter phone boot, the little phone boxes. Yes. And make it into the outdoor shower attached to the circus wagon.

Right. But they cost a fortune. Yeah. Yeah. I need to make a few more Mission Impossible movies. And then maybe we can make this work. I know. First on the agenda is the phone box.

So you took life in order to buy what useless piece of varnish or? first side of it and gradually just I'll add to it So okay So catch me up a little bit On life That wasn't even intended

As a plug for the movie But everything is apparently Since Mission Impossible That was probably a year and a half Two years since I've seen you Yes And you've been working a lot It seems

And especially like It's now all starting to come out It feels like if I'm doing the math right It seems like you worked a lot It's weird that isn't it? We shoot film Jump from production and then all of a sudden it all comes out at the same time.

Maybe. We'll see what happens. And it seems like you spent some time here in New York, too, doing some stuff, right? I was here because we shot, I think it was directly after mission. There was a role in Florence Foster Jenkins, which was in London. And then it was Girl on the Train, which was shot here. So I lived in, I think, Greenwich Village. I lived in.

Nice. Really nice. Lucky me. And then you've been back here recently, I assume, for the musical with Hugh. And then we did The Greater Showman and shot here. Very nice. I lived in the same area. Because apparently we just go back to the same area.

Sure. I'm a bit nervous of going to other places. Yeah, I know. I find my cafe. Unless there's a cafe and a windmill and a strange phone box. There's one called the elk. Okay. A cafe, not doing any commercial.

There are lots of other really good cafes out there. But it's just, it's very, very Scandinavian. What's Scandinavian about it? What's Scandinavian? Oh, I see. Just the name is Scandinavian. Just the name. And it's quite raw inside, white, white,

Do you keep a home still in Sweden? I do. Is that what you would call home? I split my time. So I live in London and I live in Sweden. But I would say that my little house in the fishing village is home. How many Scarsguards do you know? How many are in your Rolodex?

No, no. I'll just call them and give them a chat. Sure. Probably one. Okay. Gustav. Gustav. There's a Gustav.

Yes. I didn't know that. He plays flokey and Vikings. Have you seen the Vikings? Oh, I haven't seen Vikings. I'm behind. He is incredible. Is he, like, nine feet tall also?

Yeah, yeah, of course he is. Yeah. Yeah. No one's under six, too. And I met their father and Alex a couple of times. Don't know him. Right. Alex has been on the podcast, Stellan. I mean, he's amazing.

Stellan is phenomenal. I visited Stockholm a couple years ago for a vacation, actually. And I remember just, like, walking through the airport, and they had just giant posters of Stellan Scarsgaard. What was he doing? Was it for an infomeric? No, it wasn't. It wasn't a movie poster. It was just like, welcome to Sweden.

Yes, we have them. The home of Stellan Scarsguard. That's when you know that you've made it. Clearly. When you're on, I'm not on it. Well, soon. I mean, my goal is the phone booth and then my face on the arrival at Orlando. Right.

Everyone needs goals. Yeah, I know. What are yours? I just keep feeding me and let me do my podcast. I have simple goals. Go to Austin. Yeah, yes. Back to Austin next year.

I've only been to South Bay a couple times, but it is a special film festival. Was it, okay, so talk to me a little bit about unveiling life there. obviously big film fans there this is a fun I mean we just call it fun because it is like it's tension like for two hours but it's kind of a fun ride

It's an adrenaline shock Right I actually saw it once They had a private screening for me I called them and said I'm not seeing this with the audience for the first time because that would just

I can't do it I have to see it and then make my decision if I want to see it again or not Seeing it the second time Yeah kind of first of all it's a bit neutralized

to what it was going to be Because what we shot and what the final draft was are completely different in a sense of energy and the music and the score and et cetera, et cetera. There was no alien. It didn't take place in space when you shot it. Like, they've added all this stuff. It's crazy. I can't tell you all the secrets. I cannot.

I'm quite a bit discombobulated. Sorry. Yeah, yeah. But seeing it with the audience and knowing that it's great when all the journalists see it, but these are people who actually are, you know, normal people going to the cinema, loving film. Totally. And sitting there with them and hearing their reactions can be petrifyingly horrible, but it was really great. And they laughed at areas where I wouldn't think they would laugh. And everyone felt like boiling pots and they were trying to control it.

And all of a sudden you'd hear a snort or a laugh. To break the tension and then everybody explodes. And then everyone explodes. And you have a little bit of, you know, Jake is incredible. Ryan is very funny in it and great at the subtle changes in his character as well. It was just, oh, so good. It's so much fun to do. So this one, there were a couple interesting things about this one.

It obviously kind of like you can't help but make the comparisons, like Alien kind of set the bar for these kinds of films, right? The kind of stuff that takes place. Space audits, I mean, anything really in space, but will sort of relate us to it automatically because of its geographical position. Yeah. But I think what's lovely about this one is here we go out

and we take something from its habitat. We put it behind firewall after firewall, which, by the way, is an awesome word to yell. Firewall. Ever. Firewall. Just be in the underground and just yell firewalls. I don't know if that's a good idea.

No, I know. Maybe not in America. I would not do that. No, maybe not. Ignore that and move on. So we put this thing behind glass. Right. And we gradually, in the name of science, want to sort of find out more.

And it's beautiful. Right. At the same time, it's the idea that what gives humans right to provoke and to create what later becomes our disaster and then blame it for it for what happens. And I would think a great plus for taking on a film like this is less wardrobe to worry about. There's just like one simple outfit the entire time. Honey, I was in a onesie. That's what I'm saying.

I mean, Jenny Beveridge must love actors and actresses. It was one onesie, one little zip. I had a watch that's been to space. I mean, if you were interested in gadgets and stuff, I was high. So what makes what's special about a space watch? It's just that it has lots of digits on it. Do you know it actually is a space watch? Or do they just say this and then they all laugh?

They're like, Rebecca bought the Space Watch thing. It's a dive watch actually, but don't tell her. No, but it had been to space. We knew that a couple had been, and I decided that the one I was wearing had been to space. It just looks like it's there for a purpose. So, okay, so that's a plus. You have the Space Watch. I don't know how many times I looked at it actually in the film, but it's there.

So the pluses are the Space Watch, the one Z. A negative, I would think, though, is like, because you're always, in zero G like you have to like I don't even know the technique that you used to employ this but you're never like just static still you're always always moving or in someone or over someone or hopefully not right on the camera we were on wires we were pivoting on Pilates balls this is radio otherwise of course I would show you she's doing it right now I'm doing it right now it's quite good isn't it well it's painful I know well you just have to think up and knot down.

Got it. I don't really have it. Okay, I said I got it. And then you pivot on your toes. Sure. And we all kind of found our own way of moving. And then we had Alexander Reynolds. These are why I love doing films.

So you meet someone like Alexander Reynolds as a movement coach. Got it. And she will find the characteristic trait moves for your character with you. So am I an external or introvert person? Right. When I let go of a prop, we work with prop masters. you have to learn to let go of something but automatically your body responds

to catch it because it would fall. Sure. Are you aware, spatial awareness? Jordan, Jake Gyllenhaar's character had been on the ISS for so long that his character kind of molded into this ISS ship whilst my character was last on board

so we would move differently. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But it was great and then you got to a point where you were hovering or flying and you felt so cool and you knew that you were looking so good and then you completely forgot your lines I figured out the Pilates move

I know what I'm doing I know oh shit damn it wine I know and someone's looking at you going come on it's your line the thing is coming be scared and you're like no no no I'm doing it I'm cool just default oh no no help

Firewall Firewall exactly that's your new signature line in every movie from here and out Rebecca's going to be screaming firewall Macquarie's going to be like please I didn't write this. We don't want it. Away with FW.

This is Happy SAC Confused. We'll be right back after this. Coming off of Mission, which, I mean, you've heard this to death, but I'll say it again. I mean, I've rarely seen a performance where, like, I frankly hadn't seen your work before that. And, like... Thanks. No, it's fine. There's a compliment coming here.

Just wait. Okay. I hadn't seen. seen it. And then I was like, oh my god, this is a movie star. This is an amazing performance. And I just wanted to like see you in everything. And you're fulfilling that now by being in everything. Well done. Yeah. I'm giving you the thank you. That was a nice compliment. She's not leaving again. She's still on the Pilates ball. No, I'm coming back. I'll get back. But give me a sense like just that experience. Because I did talk to you during it.

And it must have been overwhelming just that press store that's as big as you get when you're with Tom Cruise and something like that. Were you able to kind of like enjoy the uniqueness of that experience, what was in your head in terms of how to kind of enjoy what had to be a unique moment and a turning point, clearly, for your career. No, it definitely was. And I think I was so lucky. I was one of my first castings was the white queen. And I guess I was just in the right place at the right time, try to do a good job.

And I got my first job that sort of created a relation to a broadness as well, not only Sweden and the things I'd done. And then when they took a sort of a blind shot and grabbed me for mission, It was just ongoing. It just, we didn't stop. We shot and we prepped and you're in it, and it's episodical, and it's stressful and fun. And you don't really have time to stop and think,

I'm in a Mission Impossible film. Right. I've followed these films. I know these films, like the back of my hand or the front of my hand. But it comes after, and after that enormous sort of press tour, where you're sort of in your head thinking,

how do I want to promote this film and what do I want to say? And I am actually loving promoting something that I love doing, like this film. I absolutely love making it. It's not fun promoting something that you're not proud of or you don't feel related to. But it came after, a long time after, I mean, months after we done the press tour, when I sat down and thought, what the bleeding heck has just happened?

And then at the same time, I was lucky enough to be in something else. And you have to shift your mind and do new research and you're in it. And when you got cast, as I recall, it did happen rather quickly. The whole casting process was kind of insane on that. Do you know what? Can I tell you something, a little secret, you and the millions of. of listeners. I seem to be one of those people who are just cast.

It's like they've had an idea for someone else. Right. But that person hadn't worked out. And then they go, well, we can go with Rebecca Ferguson. Like the white queen, I was cast literally three days before shooting. Mission Impossible. Quite close to shooting. Yeah.

I mean, Chris has said, I think they even had another actor in mind. Well, that's what I'm saying. I'm sort of always the substitute choice. Whatever gets you to the finish line, okay? That's what I say. I got in. I mean, when you got that, though, did you also realize how great a role? Like, was that role fully written?

Was the script done? Like, did you realize how great a role it was at the time? No, I didn't. And I was in Morocco on a camel called Barbie when I got this. And we talked about it, you and me. So let's not do it again because that would just be boring. It's worth talking about any camel named Barbie twice. I think so.

I mean, come on. This is not her home. I know you might think that this is a camel she just owns based on the windmill and other things, but this was a job. Oh, I wish. Yeah, so I have a windmill, a shark's wagon, and a camel. Named Barbie.

No, that was for the red tent. Right. And I was on that camel, and they called and said that Tom Cruise wants to meet you for Mission Impossible. And there was no script. I arrived, and then they kind of gradually walked me through the script. But to be honest, I loved all the mission films. And I actually loved all the female roles that they have

because they have a tendency of creating a very individual, strong female characters that don't only stand. out as feminine, strong women, they're a part of the plot somehow, which kind of creates that gender equality which I'm after. I think when you raise something too much, it becomes a reversed kind of gender idealism. And I had utter faith. I mean, this is a guy who did the usual suspect and so much more. And I just thought, I want to be around these guys. I'm having fun. I'm sitting here. We were talking and laughing and drinking coffee and literally realized that I was late to the plane and we hadn't even started doing the scene that we were supposed to

read cast. And then I got the script, but I had already decided. I had decided. They hadn't. I've already decided to your little mission impossible thing. I can do this, Tom. Congratulations to you, Tom. Congratulations, Chris. I'll do it. I'll scrape some time out

of my schedule. I'll leave Barbie alone in the desert. And yeah, and we were back in the desert two months later on that same place, on BMWs. And there are other really good brands out there. Amazing. That I welcome. That I welcome sending to me.

So what was, did you know, okay, immediately after. It feels like this is Becca promotes. We have done a lot of promotion. At least promote the brands that we have to do for the podcast. What are our sponsors this week? No. Okay, so, okay, immediately after Mission, you had to get,

clearly you have gotten some great opportunities. What was the first thing that you kind of signed on to you right after Mission in the wake of that? Florence Foster Jenkins. And that. I hope. I might be completely wrong, but I think I am completely right. That makes sense, though. Stephen Frears Merrill.

This is a no brain. No, no, no. But I mean, I think that came directly after. And what I loved was Ilsa was such a big character mission. And I loved the idea that I had a small walk on part with these incredible actors. And I know that my character never mixed with Merrill's character. There's one sequence where Hugh kindly shoves me into a closet because Merrill's character enters. That was about it.

But I would stay on set and see her perform. That's an opportunity. you don't want to, yeah, let go. I didn't go to acting school, honey. This is acting school, watching her and not only act, but the way that she treats the people around her. I think that is the epiphany of a great actor. Well, and you've had that experience,

and we talked a lot again on the mission thing about just the way Tom carries himself from press store, from production, every aspect is insane. There's so much love and devotion towards the fans, and not only fans, people just love his movies. Yeah, and it's a shame now to work with someone like Jillen Hall and Ryan, who everybody hates. Yeah, but you can't have a good time all the time, really, can you?

Yeah, 50%. I was watching some of their interviews at South By. They are taking crazy pills. No, they are like butterflies on ecstasy. Yeah, I mean, I have... Someone with a big tranquility thing and a hose looking for them. Clearly. Okay, so, and then...

I felt like Hermione Granger in my room. Boys? I'm not joking. I literally felt that was Harry and Ron and Hermione. Clearly, how Potter keeps coming up. Are you a big Harry Potter fan? Yes. Are you not waiting for your invitation to Hogwarts?

I've been to the theme park, close enough. Yes, well, me too. Not the same. I still think I can get things to levitate. What about, wait, fantastic beasts. We've got four more of these movies. Have you put the word out? Oh, Eddie Red Main. Come on.

Well, you weren't going to get that clear. I mean, I'm sorry. He can't be nude. He is scrumptuously brilliant. Nearly, look at that. It's hard for my... I make words up. I'm Swedish.

Scrumciously. But have you put the word out? Do you ever do put the word out to team Rebecca Ferguson saying? No, but I'm doing a good job here. I mean, Rebecca Ferguson loves magic. I would like my own wand. I have actually already designed it. You design your own wand.

Half of the job is already done. What does that mean? How do you design? It's a stick. How do you design it really at home with my son? How hard is that? It's a stick. It's just you just...

It's not just a stick. It has quality. Have you not seen all the different sticks that everyone has? Yeah, but I mean, it's not oversell this. Like, you like, you like design the Sistine Chapel here. Come on. It did, actually. Really?

Yeah. Well, these fun facts. It's a whole story. No, I didn't. But who doesn't want a wand? Yeah, I guess. No, that's fair enough. Okay, so also in the wake of all these opportunities.

Like I said, girl on the train, another. Can I just tell you this is fun? Oh, good. I'm really enjoying this. It's one of us, at least. It's drudgery for me. Just, what is this over? I'm so sorry.

Yeah, could just put your phone away? That's a nice picture, actually, on your phone. Is that your daughter? My niece. My niece. Oh, very sweet. It's all, my wife, too, not just some stranger holding the niece. Actually, I'm happy that she was sweet.

The worst thing is people show you pictures of their kids and they're quite ugly. And you have to go, oh, look at all that hair. That's what acting comes in those eyes, the two of them. It looks like you. There's a nose in the middle like a normal human being. So do you do that a lot? Do you have to use your acting ability for other nefarious purposes? Do you feel like comes in handy?

I try. Well, I mean, come on, baby pictures, you have to act. Right. But I try and be brutally honest. And I think sometimes I'm a little bit too blunt and straightforward. In what occasion do you think you're too... Clearly not around babies. No, but I do give an opinion, and I try not to faff around.

I think my friends will know not to ask me anything that they want a kind response to. Right. If they know my answer will be, no, I don't like it. Or no, I think that is a stupid idea, but I try and... And does that apply to your own work? You were saying before you wanted to see life first time on your own, that's clearly because you're a crazy actor like every other actor that needs to get the demons out

and scream at the screen and say That was horrendous, what just happened there? Why did they not recast, Ryan? No! Firewall! Destroy the film! Oh, the firewalls. But are you somewhat objective? Can you be objective about your own work or no?

Back in the days. Let me tell you, honey. Let me tell you a story. No, I've always found it very hard to look at myself. I'm not the person who Googles or YouTube's myself. I do not. I find it absolutely ridiculously stupid. And actually, someone said something very smart to me once.

It said one of the reasons to why they don't look at their playbacks or they look at their films is because they see something they actually like. And they then will try and redo it. It isn't what they don't like because we are all quite negative criticism of ourselves. Criticismly? Critical? Critical? Critical? You've been in South by it's, yeah, it's okay.

You're full of barbecue right now. I'm Swedish as well. That's not an excuse. No, firewall. Blame the firewall or the windmill or the camel. But I love that and it was so reversed. I had never thought about it. If you look at a movement or something and you think, oh, that looks really normal.

Yeah. And you start on repeating and repeating it. Suddenly in your next movie, like you're only showing the right side of your face. Always. For me, it's the back side of my head. It's not true. It's really good. There's a really nice plat here that bend it.

So was, well, yeah, I want to hit some of these other exciting projects. I just spoke to Hugh about his crazy Logan movie, but I'm just as excited about greatest showman. Did the Jew just meet Hugh? No, I didn't say. I'm a Jewish railway, by the way. Are you really? So both of us.

Were you about Mitzfut? I was not bar mitzvah. No, because no, I'm just born into it because apparently we don't have a choice. Because believe me, I wouldn't choose it. Apparently, we don't have a choice. No, but, no, I am. My mother, my mother literally kept the entire nose of all Jews. I've got none.

I have a little bump, and I'm quite proud of it. I've got some of it right here. Don't worry, if you ever need any. It's nice. Thank you. I like an established nose. So, working with Hugh on Grey's Showman. Yes.

Was this a dream come true to do the musical, a big musical thing? I don't think that I could have wanted to work in a musical with anyone else than Hugh. I mean, this is his sort of autobiography. This is his, this is him. You saw him dressed up as Pity Barnum thinking, well, this is just Hugh on a, you know, Saturday evening or Friday lunchtime. lives to entertain that man. No, he's phenomenal. And so, it sounds so taboo when we actors say they're so kind and generous.

But he is. And I was nervous. And there's so outside box of comfortness. I was terrified standing on that stage in front of all the audience and try to sing this phenomenal song written by Justin and Paul, who won the Oscars, of course, as well. Less terrifying, I think not. and he just the way he applauded me

and gave me such compliments and boost it was so much fun and I'm actually very rarely left a set when I've done a small role in something I've thought ah that was fun I enjoyed that moving on I left this thinking I don't want to go

well that's also a rare experience like that kind of scale of movie making a modern an original movie musical and a series and Michael the director who's just the most humble, normal bloke

with a beanie on his head. I remember the day he came to London he flew over to describe the script because it's very hard to read a musical. There's a lot of

I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, Firewall, etc. I was waiting for it. Yeah, I was going to do it with you Dan.

It was coming. And it's a knock on the door and I opened the door and there he is with a beanie on his head and a TV under his arm because he was going to do his presentation.

I was there thinking, no, no, no, oh my God, I'm going to sit through 70 minutes of someone's singing musicals. I don't know how I'm going to do this. Right. That's an awkward situation. Awkward. Really awkward. And I don't know the man. And I thought, okay, come on in. And he goes, no, just relax. I'll go upstairs and just set this up in your living room. And I thought, well, clearly you are. Welcome. Two minutes into this. I'm not kidding. I was at the edge of my seat.

I had goosebumps all over thinking, God, I don't know what to say. I'm so excited. Shall I cry or laugh? I want to just be a tree in the background of this. You're not, though, a tree in the background. No, no, no. I play Jenny Lind. A human being. The world's most famous opera singing.

But, you know, I could have been a tree. She's available in your next Fantastic Beast movie to be a tree in the background. But it's no life. Thank you for bringing it back. You're a pro. You're a pro. You're a pro. You know, it just comes.

It comes along. So, speaking of mission, there's going to be another one, of course. We know officially your back. Yes. I'm allowed to say yes. Okay, good. Now, do you know much about what's planned? Nothing. That's nice. That must be plausible deniability. You can say nothing. It is lovely. I am not lying. And you know I'm bluntly of it. By the way, apparently Henry Cavill's in the cast.

I heard. That's as exciting. I just heard from someone else journalist who said he's in it and I thought, great for him and us. That is, that is, no, do you know what? Mission works in a way that I've never worked before. the script will come when it's finished but we are focused on movement and training and all the action sequences Ilsa is already established I know Ilsa I love Ilsa I'm so happy she's coming back

because she is phenomenal and I love playing her so what do you think Ilsa's been doing the last few years she's been scouting she's been out travelling checking out different scenarios to throw herself into she likes tight tight situations Right. Yeah.

So did you make any requests of Chris, Chris McQuarr? Did you say... All the time. I'm not joking. Yeah. On the phone all the time saying, I'm thinking this, this, this. And he goes, yeah, great. Can you give one example without ruining anything of something that you're hoping for?

I have asked for my killer thigh move to come back. Because I believe it is her statement. It is her way of fighting. Right. I think I will have it in. If I say three times, they just better put it in. three times. I think they said three times.

Wow. No, but just small tweaks here and there and things I would like to maintain. But to be honest, I trust these lads. Yeah, they know what they're doing. They're pretty good. Is that the next gig? Do you know what you're doing next? That is it. We start shooting in April. Oh, wow.

This is, whoa, around the corner. Literally around the corner. Do you know where? Paris, New Zealand. Have you been? I have been to Paris, not New Zealand. He neither. On the list. Let me know. We're going to South Island.

Come on. You're a jerk. I know. I'm sorry. They call me bitch for nothing. It's horrendous. I can report there. We can do podcasts from there.

We can do a weekly podcast. I'll bring it on. I'm on it. I mean, they've got the money. Well, I don't know what to say. Just off the rise in it and then we'll figure out after the fact. Okay, so I'll see you on South Island, in South Island. one that's practically a resident there.

No, what would it be? I'm wondering, would it be on the island or in the island? The glasses make me look smart. I don't know what I'm talking about. Well, it's New Zealand, and I am redonclously excited. Paris, beautiful. We just came from Paris. I love how you can say redonculus with that beautiful accent and make it sound classy. I say it. It's not a word. We make it up. We, we, we myself nowadays, after playing the White Queen, apparently. Also, another really good word, which I made up, which doesn't exist, is effervescentially thrilling. Is that, huh?

Effavisentially. So I like the word effervescent. Who doesn't? I try and learn weird words every day. Right, effervescent. I'm with you so far. So it's bubbly sparkling. Yeah, no.

Yeah. But effervescentially thrilling. Is that a good way of describing a film? Sure. And that was the moment she lost me. Firewall. Firewall. There, she's back again.

Yes, there we go. Full circle. Rebecca, it's been good to catch up with you. I'm looking forward to. seeing life exploded. Did we even talk about life? I think we did. There's an alien. She runs around. It's scary. Okay, good. What else do they need to know? No, it's about it. We take it. We train it. We fix it. And

then we call it our threat. And the great actors. She screams firewall a few times. One of the things I do like about this movie, I'm not going to reveal anything. But I'm a sophisticated movie goer. I'll get the credits in a movie. I'm wondering, okay, especially on this kind of movie, who's the hero? Who's the lead? Who's going to die first? Who's going to die second? There's some surprises, folks. I know. And it shocks you, doesn't it? It does.

By the way, the lead for me is the extraterrestrial. Calvin. Yeah. What a sweet name for a horrible creature. I know. It's funny how we humanize things, isn't it? Yeah. To be able to relate to it.

Yeah. And it is sweet up to the point when we realize we can't control it. Little beautiful mirroring to how we treat things on the earth. Look at that. I know. We went profound at the end. I should wear your glasses. They're fake.

Don't worry. I remember when people did that back in the days. Bring it back. People did that to get into clubs. Yes. It's not working for me in the clubs. They would have fake IDs and the glasses with no strength in them. Right, right.

I'm going to try that out. See if anyone will let me into anything. Yeah, it's not going to work. We're too old now. No, I want to kick back with Scrabble, you know, read a book. You're going to see her in ten different movies in the next year, and they're all going to be great. I can't wait for a great as showman. That's coming up in December, I think, right?

Yes. Is that the next one we're going to see from you? Next film? Yes. Life. Maybe Snowman. Maybe Snowman. Michael.

Fast Bender. I know, Joe Nesbo, Thomas Alfredson. Let the right one in director, right? Amazing. I can't wait for that. Very cool. I look forward to that. You haven't seen anything yet? No.

Has the Fast Bender? Has Fassie? He's okay. I think he's doing well. He's happy. Yeah, I call him Fassie. Really? Or the bender, really, depending on his mood.

I just go with it. Have you seen him dance? He's got moves. I never saw him dance. Really? No. I've had my ups and downs. I saw other things.

But I didn't see him dance. What does that even mean? Well, I can't tell you. What? No, you have to wait and see the film. Is this the return of the Fastbender penis on screen? Oh! He is a gentleman at that.

Yeah, I shouldn't. But he is also a little boy we had fun. I can't wait. I don't know how to end this at this point. Firewall? Firewall. 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 fresh to do this by Josh This episode of Happy Sad Confuse was produced by Michael Catano, James T. Green, Mukda Mohan and Kashamahilovich for the MTV Podcast Network with additional engineering by Little Everywhere.

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I'm Amy Nicholson, the film critic for the LA Times. And I'm Paul Shear, an actor, writer, and director. You might know me from the League, Veep, or my non-eligible for Academy Award role in Twisters. We love movies, and we come at them from different perspectives. Yeah, like Amy thinks that, you know, Joe Pesci was miscast in Goodfellas, and I don't. He's too old. Let's not forget that Paul thinks that Dude, too, is overrated.

It is. Anyway, despite this, we come together to host Unspooled, a podcast where we talk about good movies, critical hits. Fan favorites, must-season, and case you miss them. We're talking Parasite the Home Alone. From Greece to the Dark Night. We've done deep dives on popcorn flicks. We've talked about why Independence Day deserves a second look. And we've talked about horror movies, some that you've done.

We've never even heard of like Conja and Hess. So if you love movies like we do, come along on our cinematic adventure. Listen to Unspooled wherever you get your podcast. And don't forget to hit the follow button.