That Gaby Roslin Podcast: Reasons To Be Joyful - Nikesh Patel

Episode Date: October 29, 2024

Nikesh Patel is Gaby's guest this week to talk about all things joy. The actor shares some of his passions and hobbies, and gives us some behind the scenes goss from Starstruck. Speaking of Starstuck, Gaby and Nikesh send a voicenote to Rose Matefeo urging her to write another series. (we'll let you know how that goes down) Plus they chat about Celebrity Hunted, Richard Curtis and The Devil's Hour. Remember you can watch all our episodes now on our YouTube channel, should you so wish! We hope you enjoy the chat! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I have to say your whole name. I can't just say Nikesh. Well, yeah, I hope you can relax and eventually drop my surname just because it feels like I'm in trouble. It feels like Gary Roslin's telling me off. But I've made you many times, in fact, in really strange circumstances, which we will share. But, okay, Nikesh, but you'll Nikesh Pat. We'll work into it.

We'll work into it. So you're back on, Devil's Hour, Season 2. Season 2, we're back. Oh, congratulations. Thank you. I'm very excited. It's, because we were meant to, this season was meant to be out a year ago. And then the strikes happened in Hollywood.

So, you know, quite rightly, no one was putting anything out. But it does mean that this big sort of juicy mystery that was left kind of teased at the end of season. Cliffhanger. Yeah, a big cliff. Yeah, I know. But like, you know, it's quite a long cliff hang. It's a really high cliff. Yeah, it's a really high cliff.

And we were left, we've got no fingernails left. Yeah, very good. Holding on. Yeah, yeah. But it's okay because somebody's there to pull us up and to tell us what's happening.

I'm straining to think of more climbing-related jargon now. But yeah. Do we need crampons? Crampons. Is that what they're called? Do you use chalk outside? Yeah, crampons are the like,

they're sort of mini pickaxy things. And what are the things you put on the front of your feet on your shoes? Those are crampons. Those are crampons. Those are crampons. You see, Will knows about crampons.

Thanks, Will. Will, how do you know about crampons? Will has used a crampon once. Wow. Yeah. Have you used a crampon? I can't ever use the crampon. It's a great word, though, isn't it?

It's a really good word. So we're going to talk about Devils Aar, but we also have to, with so many things. You know I'm going to Starstruck. Yes, of course. Because we had a chance to encounter, didn't we? We did. But also, I was obsessed, as you know,

because the first time we chatted, but also, I didn't know. And you got out of a car and you were going to film in this house. And I was walking because I walk everywhere. And then suddenly you were there about to start filming. And I was like some... Oh, this will you do it? I was just...

And the security guard. How do you think I felt? You're Gabby Rosalind. No. And then the security guard. The two are not the same. Oh no. Why?

Was he nice? He was lovely. You're good. So the security guard, I walked past and the security guard very sweetly said, oh, you're Gabby Rosalin. I said, oh, hello. He said, this is where they film at the moment, Starstruck. And then you drew up and the door opened.

And you came out and I was just, and I was star, I couldn't. I felt like I was in an episode of Starstruck. I loved that show so much. What a gift. Please can you do, please can you do some more? Well, that's very kind of you to say. I think rightly the creators have decided it ends where it ends. No, but I love it.

Because otherwise you flog it, you know. Oh. But what I would, I've never said it to Rose, but I'm committing it to your podcast. What I would love is if there was like a, like in the future. A one off. A where are they now? Yeah. Just because I think there's something fun with that.

Leave her a voice note. Say again. Are you still friends? Oh, yeah. Get your phone. Leave her a voice note now. Oh, do it now. Yeah, come on.

Let's leave her a voice note on WhatsApp. Yeah. Okay. This is a first for the podcast. Reason to be joyful. Getting Rose to write some more starstruck. Okay. Oh yeah.

Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Hi Rose. I'm with Gabby Rosalind right now. Hello, Rose. Rose.

Please, please. Can we have some more starstruck? She wants some more starstruck. Because I love you and I love Nikesh Patel because you have to call him Nikesh Patel. Full name. And please, can you do some more starstruck? So, yeah, the ball's in your court, buddy. Look, I'm thinking like a special in 20 years when we're...

Oh, no, no. I can't weigh that. No, five years. Five years. Five years. All right. Okay. Sending. There we go. Yes!

But look, the thing is, because I was a huge Rose fan. She's brilliant. She's very clever and funny. I've been to see a couple of her shows and just thought this person's great. And then whenever it was, summer of 2020, where, you know, lockdown, full COVID, most actors thought, okay, we're not allowed outside. think it's going to be a little well before I'm allowed to do any acting. That doesn't seem high on the list of priorities.

Weirdly it was, because people needed stuff. We really needed it. Yeah, got sent this script. We should explain who Rose is. For people who haven't seen Star Trek. Oh, of course, yeah, okay. Rose Matafayo. It's very funny.

Multi-hyphen-up, I think it's fair to say. She is a comedian, of course. She is an actress. She is a writer. And by the final season, and she was director of this show. She directed it as well. She co-directed season three.

But also, like, just shy of, like, wrote the theme tune. She, the font, the Starstruck font, that's Rose. She handmade these, like, zines during production because, you know, obviously she didn't have enough going on. You're not joking? No. I thought you were joking. The Starstruck font is Rose.

Well, it's now a font called Rose font. They should be. I should find out. She should license it and, you know. That's extraordinary. That could be a handy little learner. How did she have so much time? I don't know.

While she's writing, directing, starring. I think it's, I'm in awe of it. But she, every Friday without fail while we were filming, you know, you get on a, well, maybe for those who don't know, when you're working on a production, you get a call sheet every day, which has got all the information for, you know, who's got to go where and stuff. Friday, there would always be a little starstruck newsletter.

And it would just be like trivia and. She did that. as well. Yeah. So about early in the week, it would be like, guys, don't forget to send Rose

your submissions for this week's newsletter. So I love her even more. Oh yeah. She's the best. And one thing that I'm really excited about is that she is going to be in the sequel to Moana,

which is a near perfect film already, in my opinion. So the fact that they're making a sequel that my friend's going to be in it, that's very cool. It's pretty cool that you can call it your friend as well. That's Rose. Yeah, I know.

Oh, my word. I mean, your whole list, your address book must be quite something. I mean, yeah, but where I'm not, I don't want, no, this is about you. No, no, no. Can we just talk about the last celebrity, so you've had a baby? I've had a baby. You also were hunted. I was hunted.

Some time ago now, but yeah. When did you do celebrity hunted? Last year? No, I did it. Oh, God, my memory's fudge now, but I think, uh... Well, we saw it last year, didn't we? Yes, okay, but we shot it the year before. Oh!

Yeah. So you knew, this is really stupid of me to say this. No, not at all. You knew what was happening while we were watching it. You knew because it was all over. Can I be very honest? Because we knew how it went. Yes.

We were like, because you're at the mercy of the edit. Yes. That's TV. Yeah, all right. Spoilers. Spoiler alert for anyone who's going to go and watch the season of Celebrity Hunter that my wife and I are in. We don't do great.

which was a source of some disappointment, particularly when you had James A. Castro and Ed Gamble being idiots and basically trying to get caught the whole time. But I do love them. And they couldn't get caught before us. But essentially, I'm going to blame the pandemic because I got COVID just before we set off. Just blame that.

Yeah. We slowed us down, which meant I had to start celebrity hunted from my flat. No one else had to start from, you know, London. It's a lot easier to get tracked. What's really weird, If you were to do celebrity hunted now, you don't look like you. When you walked in... Oh, it's because I've got to have my beard.

You don't have your beard and your hair's shorter and you're different. Yeah, there's a... Well, it was for work. I did something... This is something you can't mention? Something I can't mention. But I think it will become clear what I'm talking about when it comes out. I had to have a very silly beard.

Oh, in the thing you're doing? In the thing I'm doing. which meant the beard that I went into the makeup truck with and I was like, well this is what I've got and they went, yeah, but can we take this bit off? So the upper lip? The upper lip. So I had a very thick chin strap beard.

Yeah. And luckily I was only filming for a few days, but it was... Oh, you father Christmas? It was a little bit, I looked a little bit sort of... No, I'm trying to work out who needs a beard. Oh! I know, I know. As soon as I'm allowed, I'll tell you.

Does Rose know? Rose doesn't know. Although, my God. So there's this weird thing about beards that's sort of relevant if I can. If I can. Go to Beard Lound. I had a bearded for Starstruck. Yeah.

And then going from Starstruck to filming The Devil's Hour. Yeah. Where in season one, my character is clean shaven. Yes. In season two, spoilers. for the next five, ten seconds for anyone who hasn't watched The Devil's Hour yet. It's out. It's out. It's out. Catch up. What are you doing?

Yeah. It's really good. Do you have a beard in it? There's a timeline where I've got no beard and a timeline where you have one. So I had to have a prosthetic beard made up. Oh, it was not your beard? Because there'd be days of filming. Because filming, unfortunately, I'd love it to be,

well, we'll shoot all the scenes where he's got no beard and then he can shave. No, it's all dependent on like budgets and locations and we've got to shoot everything in this location said that there'd be a morning where I'd be

I'd have to have the beard on and then in the afternoon they go right take the beard off How weird are somebody who is a bearded somebody who can beards?

It's quite nuts because I can grow my own but they weren't interested in that okay but you look like you did in the season one now because you're clean shaven

but you don't look like you did in Starstruck but also all the other stuff So you were four weddings and a funeral. I was, yeah. Clean shaven. Clean shaven. Each job now, each credit comes with a beard rating.

Yeah, yeah. That's quite something to do that. I remember when it came out, and it was like, everyone was saying, oh, four weddings and the funeral. It's on TV. Oh, it was one of those things. I think it's such a extraordinary film.

Yeah. That everybody knows. And then the show happened, and everyone was talking about it. It was, yeah, it was, you definitely felt the weight of the film in some ways that was really helpful, obviously. Okay, in a good way. Yeah, because you've got an amazing, sorry to get corporate,

a bit of branding there, you know. But the film is, so I had never watched the film until I got, I know, big gap. Big gap in my knowledge. What are you talking about? That wasn't conscious. It was just, it passed me by. How's your wife?

Did she? Had she ever? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, she did. My wife also is a huge love actually fan. Yeah, and one thing I would say about, The Four Wedding series is, despite the name, it's full of like, Easter eggs for anyone who's a Richard Curtis. It really, it is.

I've watched it. I love it. And it's great. Like, I feel like it's sort of perfect for this time of year. Yeah, it is. In a different way to the devil's out. If you don't like the spooky stuff, it's like, um, it's like a glass of wine in a blanket show. It's duvet telling.

Yeah. Yeah, yeah, exactly. So that was a, that was a wonderful experience to be part of. And, you know, Mindy Kaling was the, was the show runner on it. There was, um, there's a very, very surreal day when we all got, when they got all the cast together for the big cast read through, which when it's for a show that's,

you know, it's an American show, it's for Hulu. It's this huge room of people and loads of execs on like Zoom watching. Who? Yeah, yeah, quite. And then, and then I just, yeah.

Well, I looked up and, and there was Mindy Kaling and Richard Curtis, who was an exact producer on it. Who's lovely? Isn't he lovely? You're like, oh, okay. But I know, it was wonderful. And what I really like is that,

It's clearly made with a lot of love for the film, but is... It stands up on its own. Yeah. If you haven't seen... So have you seen the film since? So you said you haven't seen the film? I got the job and I was like, I need to watch the film. Not because I wanted to sort of like nick anything,

but I was like, it's kind of silly now. And one day Gabby Rosalind is going to ask me if I'm... If you watch the film and you have. And when I watched it, I had a memory of childhood of being in the living room while my mum was watching it because there's that famous beginning where Hugh Grant's effing and Jeffing. And I suddenly just remembered,

oh, my mum watched that, but I didn't know what it was, but I was like... She wouldn't want you to hear that. No. Nikesh? Does she call you just Nikesh, not Nikesh Patel? No, my mum's never... You know what? That's some serious trouble, I mean, if my mum ever called me Nikes Patel,

I'd have to text her and be like, are you being held hostages? So she watched it and then you went and watched it before you made it and it was joyous, it's still there, you can still watch it. That's not a fun. Yeah. That's the big difference now.

I think Starstruck you can get on iPlayer. Starstruck's all on ice there. It's still there. If you haven't seen it, just watch. I love, you know. And also I will say it's very bingeable because each season is shorter than a Marvel movie. Because they're like six.

More maybe, shorter than like a really long Marvel movie. Six, 22 minute episodes. Only 22 minutes? Yeah. And then also, Artemis Fowl? Artemis Fowl, yeah.

So that we did, yeah, I played a centaur in that. That was very fun. Another sort of interesting casting experience because, you know, you go in and you put yourself on tape with the casting director. And then the follow-up call

from that is like, well this is a big film Ken Brander's directing it Disney's making it so there will probably be lots of stages and they went right they want you back again but

Ken wants to shoot the centaur practically and there was a pause and then I went what does that mean well he wants the actor playing Foley

which is a character I played to be on stilts so right so can you have an hours stilts workshop with the stunt team Had you ever been on stilts before? No, of course not.

But I mean of course not, you might have. Yeah, actually in drama school. I went to drama school. It's kind of mad. Be a tree, walk on stilts. Yeah. Yeah, so I spent an hour walking on stilts. And then...

Without holding on? No, no, no, without holding on. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. So they bound your feet in it. Yeah. And then... How do you learn to... I saw it, we have now going to this.

How do you learn to stilt... walk. Look, I did it for an hour. Okay. And you didn't hold on to anything? I didn't hold on to anything. And two things you can't do when you're on stilts. So two things, let me be clear, I couldn't do when I'm on stilts.

It stand completely still because this will be lost on audio. But basically you've got a... No, it's on YouTube as well now. There we go. So you're constantly having to do that, which feels quite horsey. Yes. To keep your balance. And then...

Don't you have two other legs as well at the back? Yeah, that was VFA. Oh, you literally had just the seals. Yeah. Oh. And then the other thing you can't do is feel what's under your feet. So on a film set where you're like, can you just stand and hit that mark? It was quite interesting.

But hey, I got through the selection process because I did my job on stilts. Okay, so you had to go and do an hour of stilt walking. And then go and do a screen test on the set of Artemis Fowl, which is when I met Ken for the first time. Look at you, Ken. Yeah, but I know. Sir Kenneth Brenner. Mindy.

Sir Kenneth Brenner. Oh no. Look at you. My being, yeah, I'm being great. That's what I said at the very beginning. Your phone book is quite something. So yes, and then he just said, Be the centaur.

Be the centaur. Because he basically, he wanted that, from a practical point of view, he wanted to make sure that I had the height over all these, you know, various little sort of elfie people in the world of the film. It did mean that the first time,

moment Dame Judy Dench. Yeah, I am going to drop that one. Yeah. Anyone would. Oh, you have to. The DJ. I was, yeah, I was looming over DJ. And she just came as well, I hope you don't fall over on me. And I was like, oh. But what a, sorry, you know, you are, please do name drop. I mean, they're just extraordinary people to work with Kenneth Branagh and Judy Dench. Really? Richard Curtis. I mean, what a list of things. And this is what, I mean, you didn't, you, you grew up London, didn't you? I did, yeah. London boy. And then you went off, you were at Guildhall.

Yeah. So you knew this is what you wanted to do. Quite late, I think. I think when I was at uni, I did an English literature degree. Can't even say it. Which was a sort of looking back, a classic, I don't know what I want to do yet, but I'm going to do this thing that I'm really passionate about and buy myself some time. and then while I was at uni I was just I was like you know what one thing that sort of passed me by

a little bit at school was being in a play that looks fun so you never had done that at school I dabbled a bit but I don't think I kind of wanted to get my teeth into it you know it's that thing of go to uni and try out so I auditioned for a couple of plays found it quite intimidating

and cleaky and then eventually got into one and then just got the bug and then by the end of uni I was spending more time learning lines than I was revising for my finals. And it was my, it was friends of mine that I made at uni that were going,

have you thought about applying to drama school? And it was just, you know, I wasn't sort of, I wasn't closed off to opportunities or anything growing up, but that world, the world of the industry, I didn't really know.

It wasn't part of my day to day. So I was like, oh, okay, what's drama school? And then, yeah, I did that for another three years. My poor parents, six years. Yeah, six years in education.

And they were like, is there, it's a very good question. Is there much, is there much work as an actor? And I was like, oh, that's not an important question. I just want to do it because I'm really passionate about it. And then, yeah, thankfully. They must be so hugely proud. I think, yeah, I think so. There, yeah.

Plus, it's always, it's just nice when you're, when you're in something. And you can just be like, this is on if you're not. watch it. Oh, that's just so lovely. I love that you've blushed when you said that. It's so sweet. So you've just had a baby. Well, wife's just had a baby.

How's that all going? It's great. Eight months? Nine months? Nine months. Nine months. Yeah. She's the best.

I, it's such a cliche, but like everything changes, doesn't it? And like how you see the world are much more emotional, which is great. Yeah. And also, I think suddenly now you're like, okay, all the decisions I'm making for myself, they're also in some ways about her, which I don't think necessarily has to be... Sometimes it's like that feels quite weighty

and sometimes it's like, oh, that's... That gives me a bit of clarity, actually. That's lovely. Do you feel differently about the industry now? I mean, going off and filming, because you're all over the place. Yeah, yeah, maybe. There's an element of that.

I think there's just an extra level of criteria now when you're kind of deciding what you want do next. It's like if it's away, okay, how long, you know, the days of doing Indian summers for, certainly could do it now, six months in. When was that? How long ago? That was four. That was over 10 years ago now. No, no, no, no, yeah. Yeah, when we shot it at least 10 years ago. I can't say that. I would have just thought that were four or five years ago. Yeah, no, 10 years ago. That's massive. Yeah. I mean, you've really have done the most wonderful things and you will carry on obviously. I've been very lucky, you know, I've got to work. Yeah. Don't say that. It's because you're really good

at what you do. But also, here's a weird thing to say. Yeah. Please will you do more comedy? Obviously, because I love Starz. It's not weird at all. I love it. Because you're just, it's like, that's what you should be doing. Oh, that, yeah, well, you know what? You and your wife should write stuff together. Yeah. I'd be, yeah, she's very talented. So that's not, that's not a bad idea.

I love it. And I think as well in the last few years, it sort of, it was gradual, actually. It started with four weddings where kind of, you know, I was sort of the straight man in that world, really. Yeah, I mainly had to take care of the ROM part and occasionally I had a bit of con. But then you're working with all these amazing comedians and you're like, oh, that looks really fun. And you're just learning.

And then so I think by the time Starstruck came along, again, on paper, similar sort of thing. But what was great over the three seasons where they're like, I think we think Tom's going to unravel a bit actually. And under the exterior, he's not as going to put together and cool as, which is I'm sure the case in real life when you see someone who, you know, is on billboards or. Yes, yeah. And that actually, maybe I'm just projecting because I feel like it's what I do in that situation.

It's like they're like a swan, you know, under the water. But it's really fun. I love doing it. You're made for comedy. Oh, that's really kind. No, but all, you know, you are brilliant at what you do, but I just want to see you doing more comedy. You're not going to say whatever it is you're doing next.

I can say it's comedy. Oh, it is. It is comedy. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Is this the beard? The beard thing is comedy. The beard thing is comedy. Yes.

And also I have, I have shot a rom-com. I think that they're sometimes funny about the titles. When last I checked, it was called To Picture This. But it's a very exciting. exciting cast. Simone Ashley from Bridgeton's the lead. Lots of lovely people. Cindy V. Phil Dunster. Oh, Phil's, isn't he lovely? He's a good friend. Yeah, and that's coming out next year at some point. That's not the bearded one. That's not the bearded one. Where am I? Yeah, I'm not. No beard. No beard. Okay, but no, no, the comedy beard. Yeah, no comedy. This is no, okay, but so there's

also the other comedy. Yeah. With the beard. Yeah. Oh my word. We've got a couple of things that, yeah. Yeah. So there's some, there's some more comedy, Nick Espertel coming soon. I see you used your, you used your whole name. I know, I just, I'm trying it out now. It feels quite, it's always quite interesting when people refer to themselves in the third person,

but I think it's extra insane if you add your son-in. Yes. Are you, so are you and your wife going to do any more together? Because after Celebrity Hunted, are you going to do more stuff together? Oh, I don't know. Certainly not anything as stressful as Celebrity Hunted. Was it very strong? Yeah. Did you enjoy it?

Yeah, I did. But also in the making of it, because this is another thing. We took it so seriously. And then you realize afterwards that there were people, well, it's because we wanted to win. And then there are people that just go on it as a

laugh. James. James and Ed. Yeah. Yeah. It was... It's a big decision to say yes to something like that. Yeah. But then also, I think stepping back from like getting consumed by it. Also, it's basically like playing a giant game of cat and mouse, but with people that have access to like security cameras, blacked out land rovers and stuff. Do you watch,

do you afterwards, did you watch everywhere you were going to see if you've been? There was a, you're, you definitely have a little, you need a bit of decompression time after doing it. Yeah. Yeah. Which they're quite, they're quite good at providing some support if you just need to talk to someone and go, you know, it was a game. Oh, I love, I love that you're smiling about it all, because I've spoken to other people. people who've been a part of it and it really stressed them out. Don't get me wrong. Like, I wouldn't do it.

I'm really glad. I think there's a few things in life, actually. You can say, like, I'm really glad I've done it. Or sometimes you'll see something. I'm really glad I've seen that. I don't know, a very stressful, horrible movie. I'm really glad I've seen that. Don't need to see it again.

Okay. You've done it. You've done it. Okay. And now you've got the baby. Yeah. And you're back there, season two, as we said, on Amazon Prime. Yeah. You're just lovely and a joy.

Oh, that's very funny. just, you're always smiling. Every time I've seen you, I've interviewed you, you smile. You clearly bring it out of me. But you smiled. Celebrity hunted. You smiled a lot. During it?

Yes. Yeah, I guess I did. You do. You're a smiler. I am a smiler. And also one thing that we really, Nick and I really took away from that, as much as it was stressful going like, keep your head down. Is how lovely people were.

Because I imagine it's an experience, well, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, It's an experience that maybe you get if you're doing like, I don't know, a travel show around Britain. But we were doing this quite mad thing where you were spending like very short, intense periods of time. And like, I remember walking under, I was walking along the canal in Wolverhampton. And I'd chosen the canal because there were no security cameras there. And I bumped into someone who was like, she was with her grandkids going like, what are you doing then? And I said, oh, I'm doing this thing. It's for charity.

and she was like, do you need any money? I was like, oh, I can't ask you for money. And before I, before I finish speaking, she was like, here's 20 quid. And obviously, like, me ordinarily would not have taken that money, but Nick Esh Patel playing hunted, who had no money in his pockets, and might have needed to, you know, yeah.

Well, I hope you wouldn't usually, if you were just walking down the street, just take as strangers money. Thank you. Yeah. But come up. Can I have your autograph? Yeah. give me some money.

I feel like that, yeah, people would talk about that. Just a bit. And you're not like that at all. No, you're not. You'll give an autograph for free. Oh, my God, yeah. Yeah, and a selfie. People want it, sure.

You're so lovely. Thank you so much. Thank you, family. Thank you.