Podcrushed - Naomi Ackie

Episode Date: July 9, 2025

Naomi Ackie (I Wanna Dance With Somebody, Blink Twice, The End Of The F***ing World) swings by the pod to spit some heckin' righteous Bible raps from her days as an 11 year old auditioning for the school play, and gives the BTS scoop on her intriguing new project, A24's Sorry, Baby.And preorder our new book, Crushmore, here: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Crushmore/Penn-Badgley/9781668077993  Click this link https://bit.ly/3HDsVsc to start your free trial with Wix.Look for the blue box at retailers everywhere or shop jlab.com and use code PODCRUSHED for 15% off your order today.   Want more from Podcrushed? Follow our social channels here: Insta: https://bit.ly/PodcrushedInsta TikTok: https://bit.ly/PodcrushedTikTok X: https://bit.ly/PodcrushedTwitter   You can follow Penn, Sophie and Nava here: Insta:   / pennbadgley     / scribbledbysophie     / nnnava   Tik Tok:   / iampennbadgley     / scribbledbysophie     / nkavelin  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lemonada Do you remember any of the rap by any chance? Of course I do. Okay, it goes like this. We have civil angels, as you can tell. The nativity show may ring a little bell. If you look in the Bible, you will see your face of Jesus and Mary as happy as can be. But hey, he's an all-star.

I could continue. It's fucking good. Just imagine. Like, I'm fucking 11 years old. Yeah. Welcome to Pod Crushed. We're hosts. I'm Penn.

I'm Sophie and I'm Nava and I think we would have been your middle school besties. Seeing your favorite pop star literally ripping your heart out and actually throwing it at their literal face. Because you love them so much. Welcome to Pod Crushed. How are you doing today? I am joined by my dear co-hosts Navavon and Sophie. I'm sorry. That was a rhetorical question.

aimed at our listener slash viewer in case. Nava, for those who aren't watching, she just sort of laughed and shook her head. Like, who are you talking to and why didn't you let us answer? Yeah, yeah. It was like, who is the how are you doing for? Well, they can pause it and they can answer. Sometimes people tell me that they listen to our podcast,

and every time we ask the guest a question, they pause and answer it themselves. Is that your mom? Is that a Helen and Dale? She doesn't listen. So, listener, assuming that you have, have paused and answered the question we're doing great

we're doing great over here we're just living on cloud nine I have a question another question that people can pause and answer question for you guys too a moment in this episode with the lovely Naomi shares this like moment where she goes to her mom and she's like mom I want to be famous and I'm curious if you guys ever had a moment like that where you were

like mom dad I want something where you just had this like moment of seeing well I did say at about four years old, I want to be a singer on a dancer stage. A singer on a dancer stage? That's cute.

I loved dancing. I absolutely love dancing. And I did love singing. And I mean, you know, something about, I mean, that was the era of Michael Jackson, of course. And, and, well, you know, actually I write about this in the book. I do write about this in the book. But also, you could perform on,

you could sing on dancing with the stars. You'd be a singer on a dancer stage. Well, you were saying I could go on dancing with the stars and sing? Yeah. They have a musical. They have people sing live sometimes. They do allow that. Oh.

That happens sometimes. I did one. I said to my parents many times I want many things, but one that comes to mind is I want to play the violin. I was desperate to play the violin and they were like, absolutely not. I think they did not want to hear the learning stage. Yeah. Yeah. Wow. I really, I think I was 14. I told my dad, I want to be a broadcast journalist. And this dream was alive until I was 18 and then I read a book about it. And then it was like they made such little money. I think honestly. It was very materialistic. That deterred me. But I was so then you were like, I want to become a teacher. And then I was like, I'm going to go into that much.

Actually, that actually was it. I was like, they made about as much money as teachers. And I was like, well, if I'm going to make this much money, I don't know why I was like, I should just make more money. I was like, then I should become a teacher. It's like less work. I'll have summers off. Whatever.

Anyway, both sound really like lame reasons to pick jobs. But pod crushed, I feel like is the closest that I'll ever come to being a broadcast journalist. Yeah, that's true. I do the research and, you know, some of the elements. I'm living out my childhood dream. Yeah, sort of. sort of Oh, Tommy really wanted me to grab it

Yeah, he was so sad Yeah, it's your parents He was very sad when I gave up that dream And then you're like, fine, I'll draw I'll just draw here at home Let's get to Naomi Yeah, let's get to our lovely guest She really was lovely

He was lovely. He was lovely I shouldn't say in the past tense We have today Naomi Aki Incredibly talented Who you might know from Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker Blink twice more recently Possibly most iconically

She did play Whitney Houston And I Want to dance with somebody A remarkable performance She's been in shows like end of the effing world As well as Master of Nun Her newest project Is the 824 film Sorry Baby And I mean what more do I need to say

it's an 824 film, right? And it's got Naomi in it. We loved having her here today. You will too. Don't go anywhere. Does anyone else ever get that nagging feeling that their dog might be bored? And do you also feel like super guilty about it? Well, one way that I combat that feeling is I'm making meal time everything it can be for my little boy, Louis.

Nom Nom does this with food that actually engages your pup senses with a mix of tantalizing smells, textures, and ingredients. Nom Nom offers six recipes bursting with premium proteins, vibrant veggies and tempting textures designed to add excitement to your dog's day. Pork potluck, chicken cuisine, turkey fair, beef mash, lamb, pilaf, and turkey and chicken cookout. I mean, are you kidding me? I want to eat these recipes.

Each recipe is cooked gently in small batches. to seal in vital nutrients and maximize digestibility. And their recipes are crafted by vet nutritionists. So I feel good knowing it's design with Louis' health and happiness in mind. Serve nom nom as a complete and balanced meal or is a tasty and healthy addition to your dog's current diet. My dogs are like my children, literally, which is why I'm committed to giving them only the best. Hold on. Let me start again because I've only been talking about Louie. Louis is my beat.

Louie, you might have heard him growl just now. Louis is my little baby and I'm committed to only giving him the best. I love that Nom Nom's recipes contain wholesome nutrient rich food, meat that looks like meat and veggies that look like veggies because, shocker, they are. Louis has been going absolutely nuts for the lamb pilaf. I have to confess that he's never had anything like it and he cannot get enough. So he's a lamb pilaf guy. Keep mealtime exciting with NomNum, available at your local pet smart store or at Chewy.

Learn more at trynom.com slash podcrushed, spelled try n-o-m.com slash podcrushed. A 15-year-old girl who chewed through a rope to escape a serial killer. I used my front teeth to saw on the rope in my mouth. He's been convicted of murdering two young women, but suspected of many more. Maybe there's another one in that area. And now, new leads that could solve these cold cases. They could be a victim that we have no idea he killed. Stolen voices of Dull Valley breaks the silence on August 19th.

Follow us now so you don't miss an episode. Let's just start with a snapshot. Twelve years old, how were you, how is 12-year-old Naomi seeing the world, what was day-to-day life like, you know? 12-year-old Naomi was extremely shy. I had it, like, my mum would actually put me in, like, loads of different, like, little, you know, we called it Saturday School at Home, which is, like, little drama school on a weekend where you go and you learn how to sing, dance, act.

I remember around that age, like, my phone took me to a tap dancing class, that I only survived one lesson because she left me I had abandonment issues and she left me and I cried the entire time did not learn how to tap which is a shame so I was really shy but I was obsessed with

reading and I was really good at being alone so I would probably read I was really into fantasy it started with Harry Potter and suddenly I was like completely

immersed in like the fantasy world realm so like everything from like Lord of the Rings to Wheel of Time which is now a TV show which I'm just like quite excited about I would read like a book a week I was just absorbing so much and living very much in my head and I guess at that time then yeah yeah I I was in year 7 which is like 11 12 but I was always the youngest in my year was when I did my first performance which I played I played Angel Gabriel

in a Christmas in a Christmas play about the Lord Jesus Christ and I What is Angel Gabriel's role in all of that? So Angel Gabriel was the one who came down and told Mary that you're

pregnant were you so did you get to fly? So we didn't get to fly And instead, so this is, no, this was cool because this was such a flex in my school. There was two groups of people. There was the year 11s, which is like 15 to 16, and then there was the year sevens. And I had got my little like group of friends together and I was like, okay, we had to audition to play the angels. And I was like, I have such a clear idea of what the angels should be doing.

And I was like, guy, I can't believe in the time. I thought it was like so cool. I was like, guys, you know, the Bible is like so traditional. and like, oh, like, let's and sell some rap into this. But it's actually insane when I think about how instinctive the creative impulse is, because

that night, I went back home and I spent the whole evening writing a rap of Angel Gabriel telling. That's actually amazing. It's insane. It's insane. And it was fucking cool. Am I allowed to swear on this? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Is that okay? I don't know.

I mean, we might tell your mom, but... I won't go crazy. Do you remember any of the rap by any chance? Of course I do. Okay, I guess it is. We have civil angels, as you can tell. The nativity show may ring a little bell. If you look in the Bible, you will see your face of Jesus and Mary as happy as can be.

But hey, he's an all-star. I could continue. It's fucking good. Just imagine, like, I'm fucking 11 years old. Yeah. Anyway, we did this kind of like, like this kind of rival like audition and we get the part and I had like made them do this whole choreography and we did the performance and I I can't remember anything but the feeling of the

applause when we were done and walking through the school halls I was at a girl school and people stopping me and going that was so cool that was like stopping me and being like yo that's so cool And I think at that point, I was in a space where I was having to put on the costume of being a confident girl. Like, I think the whole acting thing was from being young. I'm naturally extremely shy. This was like a gateway for me to be that girl. And it was kind of immediate. I was like, oh, that's your identity.

You're the drama girl. You're the theatre kid. And that's where I got a lot of my. confidence from because it was always something that felt like it was in me. Okay, so actually this question started because I saw that you have your birthday's November 2nd. Is that right? No, it's August, it's August the 22nd and it's so funny. This has been going on for years. There's someone on Wikipedia who whenever I get someone to change it, changes it back. So I keep on getting happy birthdays on November 2nd and someone is insistent that I'm born on that

so I actually have something similar where on Wikipedia, for a while the internet thought my son's name was James and his name is not James and I would change it I mean I wouldn't change it but somebody would change it and then they would change it back and I would get people you know sending us Christmas cards and stuff being like to all the and they would name James and I'm like guys his kid's name

is not James and his name is so far from James as well it's just I'm trying to leave him nameless as long as he can be you know because he's four but like but like what I think it could be the same person I feel like there's someone who's just taking a lot of joy and spreading misinformation well I think

someone might be out to get you because my daughter was born November 2nd. And anytime I would tell people, when I was pregnant, people would ask, what's your due date? Literally in the line at the grocery store, I would say November. It was November 5th was her due date. I'd say November 5th. And they would like cower. They'd be like, oh, no. She's going to be a Scorpio.

I'm sorry. It was really bad. And yeah, so whoever's changing your birthday is like. Yeah, no, I'm a Leo, but I'm a Leo, but I'm a Leo on. the last day of Leo, which is hilarious. My dad is a Leo, if these things are true, like my dad is a Leo when the son in an astrological chart is at its highest point, so he's extremely like gregarious and like confident, like nothing sways him.

Whereas I take on a lot of my like Virgo side, like I'm actually super like insular with a big ego, which is a hard mix, a perfectionist with a big ego and I have a You're like, I'm quiet, but I can wrap. I can wrap these bars. Oh, that's amazing. Naomi, I clocked the Harry Potter reference, and I heard you in a talk show not so long ago talk about a reread, and I was thinking about Mickey 17,

and I'm just so curious if little Naomi knew that one day she would be starring alongside Cedric Diggery, how do you think she would react? Do you know how hard it was not to mention? about to him. Be cool, be cool, be cool, be cool. I feel like that's the maddest thing. It's like being, this is probably a bad analogy,

but it's like being a frog in a pot of like slowly boiling water. Like you don't realize the changes until you stop and look back. And it is fucking mental. But, you know, I'm actually like, and this is like where I'm at now, Now I'm in a space where I'm taking a big break. Like I have recognized that I'm in a kind of burnout cycle and I'm like, okay, I need to rectify it and I need to stop. In this time now, I'm like, wow, what an amazing privilege and luxury to be able to recognize you in burnout and choose nominate for yourself to stop for a while. Yeah, that's amazing.

And that's when I'm like, oh, I'm fucking lucky. and also acknowledging where I've come and how, what is taken to get to that point. Because, yeah, like, going back, I threw myself so deeply into the acting stuff. I got so obsessed, hyper-focused on it, that, you know, I could argue that I neglected a lot of other very important parts of being a person.

Which even happens practically because the shooting hours are just so long. You know? It's like from the moment you wake up to the moment you go to sleep you're like you're kind of you're just doing this and so it's it's it's almost like it almost is a fundamentally logistical kind of conundrum you find yourself in 100% especially in America I must say like oh that's right that's right you guys have the yeah so the one time I've worked in England we were like you know what we're gonna fucking do American hours and we just pushed it

it was just it was just constantly being pushed you know so I didn't quite did you not get the so the first half of the season we were doing proper British showers and then we went to French showers with no lunch which actually I kind of prefer the no lunch you just swing right through yeah and but then by the time we got to the episode I was of course

directing it was like we were weeks behind pushing it pushing it and then I was directing it and I was just like okay I have no there's nothing yet there's no space or time for for anything else I totally get that but I like that is when I've worked in the States

I'm like I am bold over by like how people working in America on film sets manage their entire life I'm like it's it is insane and I think you know

you have to you have to love it and I you know I was prepared for that at the beginning I was so I was preparing myself for that you know I feel like

I look back on my younger self and I'm like damn you were like real serious lady so let's actually let's go back to your younger self still Because we have, we want to spend some time there, we always do.

Yeah, I love that. We will get to the rest of your career. But basically, like, give us a sense of, you know, when, so it sounds like that play actually was your, this moment where something crystallized. But, and then I'm sure it became something of a, of a, not just a hobby, but it was like, of course, the next logical step isn't, I'm going to do this professionally, but it is, oh, I want. want to dig in, you know? So like give us a sense of that arc. Yeah. So interestingly, at that time, I, at the same time I was like, I love acting was the same time, I'm going to mention again, Harry Potter came out. And I was the same age as the actors growing up. Like, every year it came out, I was exactly the same age. So I had just

watched the first film and didn't realize that kids could do it too. Like, that there were like kids like doing this really fun thing that I had just discovered. So I equated being an actor with being famous. And I remember going to my mom and being like, Mom, and I didn't say I want to be an actor. I said, I want to be famous. Yeah. And she was like, what?

Like, for context, a London, live in East London, working class, black girl, no connection at all to Hollywood or anything like that. So there was, you know, my parents worked in the public sector. completely normal, normal lives. And my mum, who has passed, she passed when I was 22, she was extremely wise. And she was actually a seamstress.

It wasn't her main job. It was her hobby and her passion. So she really believed in craft. And immediately it was like, she didn't say this, but like, what the hell do you? you're talking about what the fuck are you talking about like and i remember having this really long lecture from my mom being like fame doesn't mean anything like fame is something

that um it's an illusion um fame doesn't equal quality and it doesn't equal um means that it doesn't mean that you're better than anyone else she and she was like if you want to be an actor you can be an actor in uh a local theater you can act anywhere aiming for fame is a completely different thing. So at the age of about 12, she was like, if you want to do this, it's about the craft. You have to get to the nitty degree of it. You have to understand every angle of it,

especially because, you know, it's going to be harder to get in there. And so I, you know, I didn't take that well. I remember being like, what the hell is she talking about? I'm seeing these cool kids in Harry Potter walk down a red carpet and be cheered on. I want that too.

And that was kind of like, attitude around acting at the time now I realize was like it was the acceptance that I got it was the love that I received even though it was temporary and in a controlled environment it was like even then it felt addictive um to me and was something I was really craving and hungry for um and so my route in was like I'm going to learn the craft so I can get that love because like I know I'm time It kind of takes away the romance of like wanting to be an actor, but like I'm just a really honest person. And I understand these things about how my brain work then. Like I was like, I need that love.

And I need more importantly that acceptance. I felt so out of place in my body and in the world that I was desperate for that. So just a little flash forward when you started to experience fame, did it feel good at some points? Like how did it feel? It felt awful. It's not what I wanted. it was and look I have a really normal life more or less like especially living in London I dip in and I dip out for a reason I felt uncomfortable I felt looked at I felt like I was having to perform myself which is this weird brain thing where you're like the thing of having to have to the pressure imagined or otherwise of having to

live up to what people think you should look like and what they want to aspire to and living in that illusion bubble is weird to me like how do you like how am I as an actor who's telling a story also meant to be someone who's an aspirational figure like I don't want anyone to look up to me I'm just telling the story I really just want you to focus on the story I should be invisible and I that's me personally it's just not something

No, I definitely, I've been thinking about this more and more. Like, I, when I watch things now, I'm sorry, call it what it is. I feel like I'm just, all I can think of is like, oh, there's that famous person doing it, delivering a performance. Yeah. Celebrity culture is actually like robbing us of stories. Because there's, because, you know, in some ways, the craft of cinema is becoming more and more elevated.

It's, you know, people are getting more and more specialized. We're capable of more and more, but the stories are full of the same celebrities. And I'm sorry, it's just like, let's be real. That's what we all think. We're like, wow, Timmy Chalemay is killing this right now. That is that person. And I also love their style of the thing.

And like the whole idea of branding is just like corrupt to me. And I think living, having to play that game, like also understanding that this job is a business. My body is a business. I started to have a real problem with the fact that I felt like a walking billboard that I wasn't only supplying a story

but I was supplying a want and a need to get people to want to buy more things So if you could just hold a moment this episode of Podcrush is brought to you by I know that's the funny thing right is the space in between like how do you create art

how do you work your craft how do you make money how do you get people to see it like at the same time as all of those things juggling Yeah, it's crazy And look, the thing is I love fashion I love things

You know And I enjoy the craft of them But I'm a craftsperson So like even when I go to fashion shows I'm just obsessed with how The Atelier's made the thing I'm not really thinking about Who's sat there

I'm like, that's a really fucking cool dress And like the pleading and the thing And oh wow, how many hours did it take And what fabric did you use And where did this reference come from? Like that's just kind of how my brain works I'm just hearing you talk, thinking about that conversation that your mom had with you, the lecture that she had with you. And what you tying it back to what you said in the beginning, which is that you realize, you recognize you recognized you're in this burnout cycle and that you've actually decided to take a little bit of a break.

And I was thinking you acknowledge that that's like a privilege in itself to be able to recognize that and then to be able to take a step back. But I also think it says a lot about your frame of mind too because I think specifically Hollywood, it seems like there's this, there's like a, or any job where you're freelancing or somebody else is giving you the job, there's this scarcity mindset or there can be. And then there's also like, I need to stay relevant. Like I need to be at top of people's minds. So I feel like, I'm so, I think it's admirable that you can be like, it shows like some security that you have, but also just like some detachment. Like, yeah, I can take a step back up so that I can focus on other things in my life. And I'm curious if that comes back to this lecture from your

mom and maybe what else you feel like what other gifts your mom has given. Yeah. Yeah. I totally, totally agree. Like it's something, I say this to some of my friends and stuff, like if they're going through anything. I'm like, I'm not talking to you right now. I'm talking to like the future you. Like there are some things that like seed within us that we can only understand later. like I think it feels quite circular that I am in this space but I definitely had to go through the jungle as it were to get back there I think like a big thing and a totally like scarcity mindset thing and feeling like the what are you going to do next

and how are you going to impress people and it fuels this level of insecurity within people but creativity is an endless source and it's not necessarily always going to be creativity just through acting I can be a creative person by like I don't know cooking a meal for someone I love or I can be a creative person by just like daydreaming for a bit like it's not something that needs to be commodified for me no I think that's for all people

Yeah, right? I think let's not even make a clarification. Yeah. Yeah. It's a human truth, I'm sorry. But yeah, like, I think my mom, the other really amazing thing my mum said was life-informed art. And she said it at a time where I was so obsessed with acting. It was the only thing I talked about, it was the only thing I did.

You know, like I'm, you know, at 13 to like 17, I'm reading more. I'm reading monologues and recording myself doing famous monologues to check whether it was believable. I'm reading through Shakespeare and learning stuff just by myself. I'm Googling American agencies and figuring out how one day I'm going to get an 01 visa. Wow. You really were on it. I was, yeah, for a really long stretch of my life, I was so on it. I actually think back now

and I'm like wow like thank you past Naomi like you really you really did a thing there like I wouldn't just you know now being older and a little bit more tired like I just I just don't have that energy

anymore but yeah I think like there was something in my mum that saw in me that I had the ability to lose myself in something and so she was always encouraging me that there was other things

like that she I remember her being like there is beauty in the ordinary there is like beauty in everyday things there is beauty in boredom that the thing that you think is so sparkly isn't as sparkly as you think May like there was a bit

she knew me in a way that was like oh nay has the ability to lose herself in this so actually when things did start to get more when I did start to get a bit more well known. I always had that in the back of my head, which did allow me over time to keep myself grounded and instinctively know when to step back and go, I really don't need to be at this party. I'm not having a good time. I don't need to do this role that I don't believe in,

but would put me in a good light in the industry. If I don't want to do it, I don't have to because even if I haven't found all the qualities of life that are special yet, I need to give myself space to do that. I do not want to die thinking, ah, fuck me. I worked, you know, every fucking day over the week for this thing.

But I missed out on, like, walking down a street and life and children and burning toast and being late for a bus, I don't know, like the real shit. That's fucking life. Yeah, so I feel pretty passionate about that and also about de-glamourising when I speak on acting in my career, like de-glamourising it and grounding it and it's not as fun. I don't think it's definitely not as like entertaining for a lot of people,

but, like, I just think there should be more people talking about that. This is a job, but it's not my life. And we'll be right back. Meet J-Lab. Headphones and speakers as vibrant as your summer, beach days, workout sessions, or chill moments. You can find the perfect sound with J-Lab. J-Lab's colorful collection has something for every single. summer adventure in every moment. Think headphones and speakers in fresh summer colors with

features you actually want. For beach workouts, poolside chilling, sunset jamming sessions, whatever it is. I recently got a pair. I actually got three pairs of the J. Buds Mini. They come in a bunch of different colors. They have like some wild colors, like mint green or sage or ocean aqua, bright pink, sleek black. They also have like a like flesh toned colors, all kinds of colors. And they do have what I think is called J-Lab's smallest fit ever. They fit on your keychain, which I have on my keychain, actually. And they're smaller than a coin.

They're perfect for any size ear, but particularly small ears. My ear canal actually is very, very wide and then gets very, very narrow very quickly. It's an uncommon shape. These are great. They're great for my ears. They're probably great for your ears. And they're perfect for summer pockets, you know? Linen shorts, maybe.

they slip right in you can't even see them and don't miss out on j lab's newest line their summer speaker series from pocket size to party size the j lab party speaker series brings powerful sound to any summer gathering in vibrant colors like lime green cyan oh i don't get to say cyan out loud a lot

that's very exciting cyan and hot pink as well as of course classic black start with the ultra portable pop party speaker for beach picnics step up to go party for backyard barbecues you could level up with j buds party for all-day beach sessions and go epic with the epic party speaker

in classic black, delivering 100 watts of massive 360-degree sound for unforgettable summer nights. Look for the blue box at retailers everywhere or shop jlab.com and use code podcrushed for 15% off your order today.

I had this business idea the other day and I thought, I wonder if AI can help me build that website. Well, it turns out it can. At wicks.com, you can answer a few questions and get a beautiful business-ready site in minutes. And this is not skim-the-surface-type AI. This tech goes deep, all the way from generating unique visuals to an AI agent setting up a marketing campaign for you.

Wix puts incredible website creation at your fingertips. Prefer to start from a template. Wix offers 2,000 and more designer-made templates that are fully customizable and come with out-of-the-box business functionality. The Wix.com interface is super easy, and fun. It's all drag and drop, and there's an amazing AI image studio and tons of amazing design effects. If you're looking to sell products and services, schedule appointments, etc., wicks.com also has you covered with built-in solutions, no add-ons required. Wix has been

pioneering in website for almost 20 years now. These guys seriously understand web design and what it takes to run your own business. With their AI site builder, you answer a few questions and get a personalized business-ready site fast. Ready to create your own web design. website, go to wicks.com. That's wicks.com to start building your own website today. Thanks to Wix for sponsoring our show. All right. So let's just, let's just real talk as they say for a second. That's a little bit of an aged thing to say now. That dates me, doesn't it? But no, real talk. How important is your health to you? You know, on like a one to ten? And I don't mean the in the sense of vanity. I mean in the sense of like you want your day to go well, right?

You want to be less stressed. You don't want it as sick. When you have responsibilities, I know myself, I'm a householder. I have two children and two more on the way, a spouse, a pet, you know, a job that sometimes has its demands. So I really want to feel like when I'm not getting the sleep and I'm not getting nutrition when my eating's down, I want to know that I'm being held down some other way physically. You know, my family holds me down emotionally, spiritually, but I need something to hold me down physically, right?

And so honestly, I turn to symbiotica, these vitamins. and these beautiful little packets that they taste delicious and i'm telling you um even before i started doing ads for these guys it was a product that i uh i really really liked and enjoyed and could see the differences with um the three that i use i use uh the what is it called liposomal vitamin c and it tastes delicious like really really good um comes out in the packet you put it right in your mouth some people don't do that i do it i think it tastes great i use the liposomal glutathione as well in the morning, really good for gut health. And although I don't need it, you know, anti-aging. And then I also use the magnesium L3 and 8, which is really good for,

for, I think, mood and stress. I sometimes use it in the morning, sometimes use it at night. All three of these things taste incredible. Honestly, you don't even need to mix it with water. And yeah, I just couldn't recommend them highly enough. If you want to try them out, go to symbiotica.com slash podcrush for 20% off plus free shipping. That's symbiotica.com slash podcrushed for 20% off plus free shipping. Naomi, let's talk about your life. We will get into your career, but some life things that we do like to talk about on this show. First love, first heartbreak, and any kind of like embarrassing memories from childhood.

Oh my God, so many. Oh, God. Like, every time I tried to be cool, I just wasn't. I went through a phase in London where I was trying to be an emo girl. I was having this whole, like, identity crisis thing. And I just imagine me with, like, plump her skin and, like, a big afro trying to be an emo girl. It's just, like, it doesn't work. And we would...

I had crushes on guys with very deep fringes. you know and they did that the skater boys oh I love me a skater boy and at the same time I was like customising a lot of clothes like I went through this phase of like trying to take after my mum and like sewing a lot

and so like the awkward thing was like being in these spaces that I really didn't like bit into but like really trying like going to Camden Lock which is like in Candlech and there's a canal and like drinking loads of strong bow

which is like a cider that you can get from a corner shop for like at the time like two quid like and just really trying on these different costumes and like really being insistent

on being alternative and different like just trying to be like so different to what people expected of me my first crush wasn't a like

I went to a girl school so like I didn't have like boys my age in my life my first crush was Daniel Radcliffe like

classic yeah and that was pretty powerful I feel like that's why I can understand like I guess the girls who love

the K-pop boys I don't know their names unfortunately but like I get that like when you're like what is it like 13 to like

15 and it hurts yeah You love them so much. If it hurts, you could just, like, rip out your own fucking heart and, like, chuck it out their faces. Like, you're just like, I know you're like... So, hold, do you think, and I guess I'm posing this to maybe everybody on the call right now, I feel like maybe boys don't get that as much

because we're not marketed to in the same way. I'm just wondering if, like, the fire of that is turning. turned up and goaded by, you know, because they're packaged very specifically to be like, I'm going to talk about everything but the sex and then act like it's just prepubescent love. And I'm going to dance. And I'm, by the way, 10 years older than you. Yeah. You know what I mean?

And it's like you have these men children singing to girls, to actual girls. Like they're baby, baby, baby, all this in the rain. You know what I mean? And I mean, so I think it makes sense that you're like, I can't take it because they're not even being transparent. And well, I love them. And they don't, you know, I mean, to me, it's like, it's not just being a girl. I want to give you guys credit. Like, I think it, right?

I mean, isn't there something to that? Yeah, I would agree. What do you guys think? I, you know, we actually were interviewing the Jonas Brothers the other day, and I was watching a documentary. And they, there was like a point in their career where they were like, you can win a date with the Jonas Brothers. And there's all these girls in line who are like, I can't wait. I don't know, I was, I was, I knew that that's a thing, obviously, but I was like, wow, it's so late.

Like, it's so in your face. And I think it's true. It's crazy. I totally agree. I feel like, actually, we were talking about this today. It even made a really great point that that time of your life, you live in fantasy a lot. Yeah.

And the thing that is amazing about having crushes that are very far away, is that it's far enough to not feel threatening, but allows you the space to start stretching those muscles of what you're attracted to and your first, like, feelings of desire. Yeah. But it's safe. And if the line is ever crossed,

like I'm pretty certain, like, one of those girls who was like, I need a date with the jargoner's crackers! It was also, like, if she sat down across the day to tell them, would have nothing to say. Do you know what I mean? She's 11. We live in that. Because she's 11.

And also, but I do think you're right. Like, the marketing of that fantasy is the beginning of what ends up being when we're older, you know, everything from like, God, I need that bag. Because if I have that bag, then this lifestyle will unfold itself. Or, Lord, I need that, you know, I need that body because then suddenly I'm going to be really happy. Like, it is the beginning of those things. If I have this thing. Everything will be complete. And it is, I think, is that kind of winner date with the Jonas Brothers thing

is taking that fantasy and then turning it into something marketable. But I think the fantasy thing is a real thing within itself. What was the other question? So my first love... And then first heartbreak. First heartbreak. My first love was actually really complicated. It was when I was in my early 20s.

Is that allowed? Whatever you're comfortable sharing. It's boring. It's too old. We want something tried. It's actually way more interesting. If you're open, we're open. Yeah, yeah, we're totally open to it.

My first love, I would think I was about 20. No, 21. I was a really late bloomer. I was actually quite scared of boys. Is that partly because of the, because you went to all-girls school for all-girls school for a long time. Is that right? Yeah, yeah, until I was

16. Like from the early days too? Yeah, no, so primary school, it was a mixed school and that was fine. And then from the ages of 11 to 16 I was at girls' school. And totally lost my confidence, had no idea how to talk to boys. And then

I went to drama school, which was like, I don't know what you guys call it here, conservatory? Yeah. And then I was amongst like so many boys who were amazing they're still my friends to this day but was like trying to get used to it and I met my first boyfriend at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and it was it was kind of a whirlwind situation that lasted far too long um you know that thing like I don't know why you keep going

back there's no point um and that he was also my first heartbreak and it was around you know it was slightly more complicated because it was around the time that my mum passed. So there was a, it was bittersweet and I think I was also holding onto that first love in a way that I think

like a young person without any of that trauma wouldn't have potentially and it took me, you know I, it took me a very long time to work my way through that heartbreak. it was actually very complicated because it was mixed up with grief.

So that was just like a, it was a whole, you know, my 20s was a whole time of divorcing myself from that pain. But like the big, you know, afterwards actually it was, I kind of went the opposite way. It became quite detached from the idea of relationships and love and the fantasy of being with someone safe and kind and all of that. And I was like, you know what, I can do it all myself. And actually, that's when the workaholic part really ramped in. And I was like, I don't need to go home. I need to do a job after job after job. I'm going to do this for the rest of my life.

And, you know, now 33 years old, happily, I have a wonderful partner. And that has totally calmed down. And that's actually probably been the thing that's helped me to pause and be like, ah, there's so much beauty in the world. Like, you don't have to run on the treadmill.

But yeah, it's just the concept, I think it was so interesting when you're young is the, how your attitude to love changes. Like, I think when I was young and at first love,

it was a deep need. It was kind of like maybe the crush thing of like, oh God, need you. Yeah. Like that thing of like a fantasy, but like maybe toned down just a little bit. But that the need, I've never felt a need so strong in my life.

And I don't think, you know, I think like when it comes to like love and stuff, I think it should be a want. Definitely. Not a need. Like need, I need water. I need air. I need a home to live in and I need clothes on my back. But I, the need thing. puts it into this ownership, possession,

grabby feeling that I think can feel, make someone else potentially feel quite claustrophobic. Whereas I'm happy to say now I'm in a space of one, I want to spend time with you, I want to share things with you, and hey, that gives us the choice. It's more romantic to me to want to be together and choose to be together than to need to. That feels eventually destructive.

At least of your own identity. When you need it so much, then you can overlook, at least in my case, you overlook so many things that if it was just a want, you'd be able to be like, I don't want that. The red flags were flagging. There were so many, look, I can't even go too deep into it because this is about to be broadcasted everywhere, but the red flags were fucking flagging.

Like, are you insane? I just sometimes wish, like, if everyone had the power to, like, have a time machine, like they would just go back and just like hold yourself by the scruff of the neck and be like, what are you thinking? You know? But it is mad that thing where you just have

that rose-tinted glasses is a real thing. Yeah, it is. And you know it but you choose not to know it and that's mental to me. Question I have about your sort of upbringing. We didn't touch on. You know, I don't know how much, you definitely don't need you to go into like

intense detail with your family. and stuff want things to remain private, however much you want that. But are you the baby of three children? Is that right? The youngest of three children? So as an only child, I mean, I do have a shout out to my half-sister, Jenny,

but we are 17 years apart. We are both only children. These two have siblings. They're very much. I'm the baby of three as well. You have the baby? Yeah. So I'm just curious how that, like,

you know, you were saying before, and this can maybe launch us into their career bit um you know you were you were saying something um uh how did you phrase it you said you know you wanted that love you wanted the acceptance and love that you felt kind of that that first turn at 11 years old as angel gabriel shout out to angel gabriel by the way also delivering the Quran to Muhammad telling Mary you're the same guy right rapping bars this man has bars he's like he's just delivering constantly um I just want to I just want to say that.

So that love, though, that love that you, and I mean, obviously, your mother, it obviously sounds like there's so much love in your family. Of course, that always looks and feels so many different ways. I'm curious just like what you think being the baby of the family contributed to that, if at all. Oh, man. Yeah, like so my brother is 10 years older than me. Okay.

We didn't live together He's my half-brother And then my sister lived with us But seven years older than me Okay She's also my half-sister But like, you know I just call him brothers and sisters

The I think The interesting thing about being the youngest Is like You know Your parents have done it before So they're like dab-hand at it They get it

And I think they're older So maybe more tired But also I guess within my family dynamic I came from a home where people were actively healing and I was seeing it happen

and that's not always a pretty thing to witness you know there was as any family arguing and conflict and I think as the youngest you and I think every family member holds a role

I out of a survival technique decided that my role was going to be the sweet one there is safety in being the one who goes, oh, she's fine because she's always well behaved and, you know, I

was told at a very young age, oh my God, you're so cute, you're just so sweet and then, you know, being the baby, that's something that usually happens and so that kind of pattern of survival you know, that every kind of families are so strange in that

way. Everyone knows what their role needs to be to keep uphold the, I don't know, the family dynamic. And that to me was the thing about being the youngest. It was like, I need to be well behaved. I need to be quiet. I need to not cause a ruckus because everyone was dealing with something and I can't add to that thing. So, if anything, the love I was trying to receive, even though I had huge amounts of love from my family was a very specific type of love because it was something that I was controlling myself. There was a power in being able to dictate how people were loving me

and why. There was something really attractive about how contained it was to a performance, not to who I was. I think I had this. Does that make sense? It does. I don't know if that means. No, it does.

Sounds like you've actually reflected on this quite a lot. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah. No, I mean, because it's well, you're you're kind of naming it in this way very, very well. Thank you. Yeah, I think I'm trying to, at this point in my life, really trying to understand it. And I think understanding it means that now I have compassion for myself then and then who I am now.

Yeah, there was something about control for me. me. If you're the youngest, you're very much not dictating the relationships in the house. You don't have much power. You're the cute one, yes, but you don't have much power about creating the dynamic. The dynamic has already been set up, so you're just slotting into place. So acting and all of that was a way for me to control the dynamic and express things in a contained space that meant that when I walked away from it, everything I felt stayed in that space and I could go back into being the good girl, the quiet girl, and everything like that. But as soon as I was in that drama studio, everyone listened to me. I know what to do.

You know, I think that was the thing. I felt powerful doing it. Stick around. We'll be right back. The first few weeks of school are in the books and now's the time to keep that momentum going. I-XL helps kids stay confident and ahead of the curve. I-XL is an award-winning online learning platform that helps kids truly understand what they're learning. Whether they're brushing up on math or diving into social studies, it covers math, language arts, science, and social studies from pre-k through 12th grade with content that's engaging, personalized, and yes, actually fun. It's the perfect tool to keep learning going without making it feel like school. I actually

used I Excel quite a bit when I was teaching fifth grade. I used it for my students to give like extra problems for practice, or sometimes I also used it to just check on what the standards were in my state for any given topic in math or reading or writing. It's just a helpful tool all around for teachers, for parents, for students. I honestly do love it. Studies have shown that kids who use I-XL score higher on tests. This has been proven in almost every state in the U.S. so if your child is struggling this is a smart investment that you can make in their learning a single hour of tutoring costs more than a month of ixl don't miss out one in four students in the u.s are learning with ixl and ixl is used in 96 of the top 100 school districts in the u.s

make an impact on your child's learning get ixel now and podcrush listeners can get an exclusive 20% off ixel memberships when they sign up today at ixl.com slash podcrushed visit ire ixcel.com slash podcrush to get the most effective learning program out there at the best price. As the seasons change, it's the perfect time to learn something new. Whether you're getting back into a routine after summer or looking for a new challenge before the year ends, Rosetta Stone makes it easy to turn a few minutes a day into real language progress. Rosetta Stone is the trusted leader in language learning for over 30 years. Their immersive, intuitive method helps you naturally absorb

and retain your new language on desktop or mobile whenever and wherever it fits your schedule. Rosetta Stone immerses you in your new language naturally, helping you think and communicate with confidence. There are no English translation so you truly learn to speak, listen, and think in your chosen language. The other day I was actually at the grocery store and I asked one of the people working there if they could help me find a specific item and she was like, sorry, I actually don't speak English. She only spoke Spanish. And I was like, if only I, my Spanish was good enough to be able to have this conversation in Spanish, we would be sorted. And that's where Rosetta Stone comes in. I really need to get back on my Rosetta Stone grind. With 30 years of

experience, millions of users, and 25 languages to choose from, including Spanish, French, German, Japanese, and more. Rosetta Stone is the go-to tool for real language growth. A lifetime membership gives you access to all 25 languages so you can learn as many as you want whenever you want. Don't wait. Unlock your language learning potential now. Podcrush listeners can grab Rosetta Stone's lifetime membership for 50% off. That's unlimited access to 25 language courses for life. Visit rosettastone.com slash podcrush to get started and claim your 50% off today.

Don't miss out. Go to rosettastone.com slash podcrush and start learning today. Fall is in full swing and it's the perfect time to refer to. fresher wardrobe with pieces that feel as good as they look. Luckily, Quince makes it easy to look polished, stay warm, and save big, without compromising on quality. Quince has all the elevated essentials for fall. Think 100% mongoling cashmere from $50. That's right, $50, washable silk tops and skirts, and perfectly tailored denim, all at prices that feel too good to be true. I am currently eyeing their silk miniskirt. I have been dying.

for a silk miniskirt. I've been looking everywhere at thrift stores just like all over town. But I just saw that Quince has one on their website. It's exactly what I've been looking for, so I'm just going to click, put that in my cart. By partnering directly with ethical top-tier

factories, Quince cuts out the middle men to deliver luxury quality pieces at half the price of similar brands. It's the kind of wardrobe upgrade that feels smart, stylish, and effortless. Keep it classic and cozy this fall with long-lasting staples from Quince.

Go to quince.com slash podcrushed for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. That's Q-U-I-N-C-E.com slash podcrushed to get free shipping and 365-day returns. Quince.com slash podcrushed. So Naomi, you are in a new project called Sorry Baby. Can you tell us, you're at a point in your career where it sounds like you're being really thoughtful and really selective about the projects you choose. So why sorry baby? Yeah, my gosh. You know what?

It was such a gift. It was during the strike. I was so stressed and bored. And I had just done the year before, I had just done Blink Twice and Mickey 17, which was quite elevated. It was quite heightened performances. So much fun.

And I was really hungry for something that was pared down. I did a project of good few years back called Masters of Nunn with Aziz Ansari and that was such a special experience of not feeling like I was acting but being really present and I was really hungry for that again and this story came along and I hadn't read anything that was so honest in its tragedy and humour and there was something so attractive to me about following this friendship

and having that as a study for myself in this time it was like a it felt like something new to do and the writing oh God, Ava's writing I've said this and I don't know if this is going to make sense but it kind of reads like butter like it's like smooth and easy

and spreadable like it's just it's just it's just like the kind of like the story was just telling itself to me and can you give or lucid or some context just you know a brief arc of this story not you know not the arc yeah of course so the something bad has happened to Agnes and this story is about

the slowness of healing it's also the story about friendship and that is a huge impetus for someone to heal, not just because of how people interact with each other when they're best friends, but also watching your best friend begin to live their life and going into a new stage of their life.

It's just, I got really, like, I watched it for the first time at Sundance and with a really huge audience, and I've never quite had an experience like it, because what I had read on the script felt good, and obviously like what we did on set felt really good and honest but the energy of this piece

is about like love and healing and support and humor in the tragedy like the humanness of how awkward we are and how non-linear healing is but how everything is kind of always going to be okay yeah I think that's what is. Naomi, I was curious, and you definitely don't have to go there if you don't want to,

but my mom passed away when I turned 30, and it was really sudden, and I was reading sort of a little bit about your journey, and you talked about your 20s kind of being a fog, and I was thinking about the film and how part of Agnes's healing, what's crucial to it is that friendship. And I was thinking, when my mom died, I had just moved to a new city, and I really didn't have any deep friendships. So that didn't help me.

Like, I think that I just didn't have that to rely on. And I was curious, like, for you, how friendships played a part in your healing journey if they did. Oh, man, hugely. I mean, so when mom passed, I actually, I went so deeply into my shell that I don't think I talked to anyone for about nine months and, like, barely left the house. It was a very deep depression that I fell into. I think what was so beautiful to me in that time and looked, like, death is. is something that I think really shines a light on who people are and how they live in your life.

The friends that I have now who saw me through that time are the ones who allowed me the space to retreat and come back without judgment and say my arms are always open. But also I know you, Naomi, and like I'm quite an insular. I think if you can tell by the way I talk, I'm quite like, I live in my head quite a bit. and I have to take a lot of time away

just to jumble through all the things that's going on. The kindness of my friends to give me that space was really important because I think when I kind of went into myself there was also a lot of shame and guilt about the need to do that. And it's funny actually, I think about that time of deep depression

and I used to be so terrified of it. I used to be terrified of going back to it. But I also think that was so fucking necessary. I, like, and you know this, like, when someone passes that it's such a pillar in your life, you are torn a fucking part. Yeah. You are ripped to fucking shreds. And it's like, I think of like a lion or something like, you know, like if they're injured, they go away off by themselves. There's something, I think, quite sacred about giving that that time and allowing it to, like, I think I really got comfortable with the ugly part of being alive in that time.

in that time and the friends I had in that time who allowed me to live out that ugly space and ugly not in like a ew ugly but like the kind of robust ugliness that is grief that is kind of fucking beautiful to

it's like an evidence of how much you love it was I'm still hugely appreciative of those who could hold that space for me and allow me to change my form in the way that I needed to to survive that time

of the things I can remember I'm in EMDR right now trying to work through a lot of stuff actually and it's really helpful to reframe that and it's really working to help me kind of go oh wait like this is a human process

this is actually fucking normal well done for being like a human yeah that's so true you know what I mean I would imagine people ask you a lot about it So forgive me if it feels like a bit of a broken record. But the unique challenge it is to take on a role of playing somebody who's a real person, especially somebody who's died.

In this case, Whitney Houston, and I want to dance with somebody. Somebody who means so much to so many people. Yeah, I'm just curious about how you approach. and I want to maybe give one frame that you can take or leave. So among the many things you've said about the film and your performance is incredible. Thank you. I did read about your literal hunger while you were playing with her.

I was so fucking hungry. I had to lose a lot of way for that. Well, because she was so thin. And then, of course, she was so thin. By the point, she was deep into addiction. She was even thinner. So, I mean, you know, yeah, so that's just a necessary facet of planning her. Yeah.

But I was wondering if the altered state that fasting and like low calorie mind can bring, I was wondering, you know, if that brought any unexpected insights into Whitney's state or anybody's state when like a drug is overtaking you or even just, you know, fame, the lack of autonomy she had in life in general. I'm just curious if you. Yeah, you know, I think, and it wasn't intentional for those things to intertwine, but I think it actually helped me in that time. Losing the weight, I lost about 30 pounds in about five months.

Wow. So, like, it was a very intense time, and it was something that I wasn't necessarily like. Did you have a nutritionist while you did that or anything? Like, no, mate, I went, I went, I just went cold turkey. I don't know what I was thinking. Cold turkey on food. Cold turkey, no more for me. I think it's insane.

But also, like, there was this thing of, like, I have to, you know, I don't look like Whitney. I knew I could act like Whitney, but, like, I needed to, it felt like I needed to convince people as closely as possible. Like, I could do this. What I realized in that time was that, like, food as a sustenance, like, fills a space. And it is not just about, like, nutrition, but it's about comfort and grounding. And in that time, I didn't realize that. I was so deeply ungrounded in that time, but that, you know, and you can equate that to the ungroundedness you may feel with fame or if you're an

addict. Like, there was something about feeling like I was floating, and the lighter I got was the more I was floating. It was like I couldn't quite ground myself, and there was no comfort source available to me. And look, I'm a comfort eater, like, at the best of day. Like, it really, I had two cookies this morning. I, like, six in the morning. They were just on the bed.

I just had to. But, like, I think it tapped into a part of me that I wasn't aware of. The biggest part of me was I was so irritable at that time. And I was so sensitive. I'm a sensitive person, but I was so sensitive. I look back at some of the things that I was freaking out about, and I'm like, oh, babe, that is not a bit. big deal. But for Whitney, the stakes were so high. Yeah. From a very early age, the stakes were

extremely high. She was extremely famous, had huge amounts of money, huge amounts of influence and adoration, and a family that she needed to look after, let alone, you know, her future, her future partner and all the things she was juggling. The stakes were always very high. And so while doing it, The stakes felt high for me, and there was no outside comfort. You know, I had to maintain that. I had to keep thinking about my weight. And look, like, I wouldn't recommend it. I actually, like, I think it was extremely reckless of me to do,

and there was work to be done afterwards to heal myself from the body dysmorphia that I had putting back on the weight because you cannot sustain. things that aren't natural to your body and you know that was something that I kind of had foresight of but was like ah future Naomi can handle that I need to get this job done I would never pay that price ever again

I would never do it ever again I'm proud of what that performance was but when I look at the film now a part of me is a bit sad that I put myself through so much you know to tell a story that I was extremely passionate about doing right and I do think it fed it

but also at the same time I'm like there are other ways to fabricate those feelings outside of putting your body in danger and like speaking on that you know there are I guess we see it often I think we mainly see with men male actors like when they lose weight or put on weight and there's a reward system around that the idea of like an actor transforming

but I think that's pretty dangerous, if I'm being really honest. If not to anyone, then just to the actor themselves, just in terms of how your metabolism works and how your mental health state is when you're doing those things, I'm

a middle ground kind of girl now. You know, if I ever do an action film, yeah, put me in a gym, I'll try and bulk up. But I believe in, I believe that doing the extreme for something

that is temporary, even though it lives forever in cinema, my life is more important than whatever I make. Yeah, it sounds like you've come to a healthy... A healthy understanding. I want to ask really quickly about Blink twice. There was this incredible moment in the beginning where Frida and Jess are talking and kind of being like, isn't it, Jess is like, isn't it weird that they laid out clothes for us?

And Frida, your character says, I don't think it's weird, I think it's just rich. And I thought that was a brilliant line. It captured how it can feel to, like, kind of be dropped into these, like, high-powered spaces and the kind of things that you just, like, let slide. You just let half of. Maybe this is how it works. It's what they do. Yeah.

And I was curious if you've experienced anything similar to that in your own career, like having come from, like you said, a working-class family, being dropped into Hollywood spaces. And have you ever experienced something? like that where you're like, I guess it's just how it's done? Oh yeah. I'm not even sure if I can... Just nod and blink thrice. I think like

I think the biggest thing I've noticed is like freedom of options that I didn't know was a thing you know I've seen

without giving too much like I've seen people who I would not think would do certain things doing crazy things and that was definitely when I was younger

like I actually now I don't see anything because I don't I'm not in those spaces and there's a joy around it like I just what I really have observed is that

it's all kind of like a game a little bit I feel like it's like past like a cool kids club or like thing like there is something of a performance of it in itself and that makes me feel a little bit icky and that's not all spaces I like there are so many people who are very successful

who I absolutely adore but the institution kind of vibe of it I think like I'm like oh what is this where are we? Yeah it is weird where are we and why are attaching value to these things and like who are you again and a freedom of movement and options that for some is liberating and for others I go what are you running from sometimes not my business but I see it I see it and I go I wonder I can't help but wonder because you know there's that saying like

you can earn a certain amount of money and you're happy and then like there's a tipping point where like, you know, there's almost such a surplus of opportunities and options that everything kind of becomes a bit boring and dull and you feel kind of empty inside. Yeah, you end up creating an island or buying your island and bringing people there. Yeah, exactly. And like, I think the thing that I've really noticed within the industry and only some spaces that I've been in that I now avoid is either the one where it's like I can do anything and I'm invincible

or that I'm hungry to be invincible and both of those energies make me feel always uncomfortable and that's when I know when to leave if I feel

myself slipping into that feeling for me it's the hunger thing whenever I'm in a space where I'm like I really want to impress you I really want to be in that fucking film I really need that photograph

then I'm like this is probably not the space for you now because I'm just I'm just absorbing other people people's energy and I'm like that's not actually me I just need to go home and go to bed and have a cookie that actually in some ways is a natural segue to our to our classic final question because what I heard just there was it was something of older Naomi or future Naomi going back and talking to 12 year old Naomi so so our question is to everybody at the close if you could

go back to 12 year old Naomi what would you say or do if anything I would give her the biggest hug. I would just give her a really, really fucking big hug and be like, all right, buckle in. Stay aware. Keep your eyes open and know how to rest. That's lovely. Yeah, yeah.

Thank you so much for making the time of coming on. today. Thank you. Thank you. That was really fun. That was awesome. You can see Sorry Baby in theaters now and you can follow Naomi Acky online at Naomi Acky. Pod Crush is hosted by Penn Badgley, Navacavalin and Sophie Ansari. Our senior producer is David Ansari and our editing is done by Cliffs Agency. If you haven't subscribed to Lemonada Premium yet, Now's the perfect time, because guess what? You can listen completely ad-free. Plus, you'll unlock exclusive bonus content.

Like the time we talked to Luca Bravo about the profound effect that the film Into the Wild had on him, the conversation was so moving and you are not going to hear it anywhere else. Just tap the subscribe button on Apple Podcasts or head to LemonadaPremium.com to subscribe on any other app. That's Lemonada Premium.com. Don't miss out. And as always, you can listen to Pod Crush ad-Free on Amazon Music. with your prime membership.

Okay, that's all. Bye.