Speaker 1: Welcome to Playback, a Variety podcast. I'm your host, Variety
Speaker 1: Awards Editor Chris Tapley. On today's show, the Oscar nominations
Speaker 1: are in. What were the surprises and what can we
Speaker 1: expect out of the eighty nine Annual Academy Awards. A
Speaker 1: little bit later, I'll be talking to one of this
Speaker 1: year's Oscar nominees, loving star Ruth Nigga. So stick around. Okay,
Speaker 1: here we are and we have Oscar nominations to talk about.
Speaker 1: Hello morning, and thank you for waiting for the day
Speaker 1: after Oscar nominations. Because I was up to three a m. Yesterday,
Speaker 1: I took a nap. Eventually, I hate you. I couldn't help.
Speaker 1: I mean a certain point. Look, if you do anything else,
Speaker 1: you will collapse right now. I had a very long
Speaker 1: day because after it was the day of the Oscar dominations,
Speaker 1: and then I had two Q and a S with
Speaker 1: with two amazing redheads um first Amy Adams and Emma Stone.
Speaker 1: So it ended up being being a pretty long day.
Speaker 1: Did you eat a TV right in the morning? I did, yes,
Speaker 1: uh no, And everybody patted me on the back for
Speaker 1: managing to make it through this segment without getting sick. Well,
Speaker 1: you know, not too many shockers. I guess beyond I
Speaker 1: guess you know you just mentioned Amy Adams, so just
Speaker 1: start there. That was the biggest surprise for everyone. Pretty surprising.
Speaker 1: I mean you always wondered. Yeah, you said all along
Speaker 1: you weren't sure she got in, and I wasn't sure either,
Speaker 1: just because I don't know if sci fi gets the
Speaker 1: respect it deserves. But then with the Golden Globe nomination
Speaker 1: and the SAG nomination and the Critics Choice nomination, like,
Speaker 1: she seemed very secure. And I hate to say that,
Speaker 1: like one person pushed another person out, but um, obviously
Speaker 1: you know there were some people who were considered on
Speaker 1: the bubble who made it in and and Amy did not. Yeah,
Speaker 1: it's a low key performance too, It's not like it's
Speaker 1: this big Academy quote unquote performance in that way. So presumably,
Speaker 1: I mean, you never know who's fourth, who's fifth. A
Speaker 1: lot of people think it's Meryl Streep, like she somehow
Speaker 1: on the afterburners. I mean, it could be Ruth, though
Speaker 1: Ruth Negga didn't have any support, and you'll make itself
Speaker 1: crazy thinking about it. I just I did not have
Speaker 1: Meryl on my list for the longest time until after
Speaker 1: her Golden Globe speech. I was like, Okay, she kind
Speaker 1: of sealed it with that. But then it's disappointing because
Speaker 1: the other omission that that was very sad for me
Speaker 1: was Hugh Grant was not nominated from the same movie.
Speaker 1: What do you think happened there? I think we take
Speaker 1: him for granted to some extent, or maybe you know,
Speaker 1: the movie didn't get I think only Meryl was nominated
Speaker 1: from the movie. Um. Act, yeah, yeah, costumes were nominateds
Speaker 1: were nominated. Okay. I mean it's possible the movie just
Speaker 1: didn't connect with Oscar voters and Meryl got in because
Speaker 1: she's Meryl. Um. I think it's also possible he might
Speaker 1: have split his votes a bit. Some people might have
Speaker 1: thought he was a lead. Yeah you know, um he
Speaker 1: was nominated for lead at the Golden Globes. Maybe maybe
Speaker 1: that wasn't a smart move on the studio's part to
Speaker 1: position him that way there. Who knows. Something that was
Speaker 1: interesting to me was, you know, ever since Nocturnal Animals
Speaker 1: premiered at the on the festival circuit, people were talking
Speaker 1: about Michael Shannon and then that sort of died down
Speaker 1: and it became Aaron Taylor Johnson with the Globe in
Speaker 1: bathtonom So seeing Michael Shannon's name was a huge He's
Speaker 1: always creedy, Yeah that guy. Yeah, No, me too. That's
Speaker 1: what's interesting, Actually this quote surprises were things that we
Speaker 1: all thought was gonna happen early on that we stopped
Speaker 1: thinking was gonna happen. Mike Shannon Twentieth Century Women for
Speaker 1: Screenplay is an example too. I um, you know, regarding
Speaker 1: Amy Adams, look, she's in good company and at Benning
Speaker 1: wasn't nominated TOI p Henson wasn't nominated, was so holding
Speaker 1: out hope that Taragi would get in. Uh, you know,
Speaker 1: it was just it's just a testament to what a
Speaker 1: great year was for actresses. But but it was pretty
Speaker 1: shocking that also, you know, everyone loves Amy Adams. I
Speaker 1: just she's had a lot of work. I mean, she
Speaker 1: carried the load. You know, Dennis was off working on
Speaker 1: Blay Runner. Uh, you know, I don't know, I didn't
Speaker 1: really see Jeremy Renner around on this movie. I don't
Speaker 1: know if she was working. They obviously loved really, i mean,
Speaker 1: eight nominations, so to not nominate the person who is
Speaker 1: sort of the face of the movie you know, holding
Speaker 1: it together. You made your case for that. I certainly
Speaker 1: did well. You said you did a Q and A
Speaker 1: with her. Yeah, she was hilarious. I mean she you know,
Speaker 1: I can't speak for her, but I got the impression that,
Speaker 1: like I think Dennis Miller, before he went crazy years ago,
Speaker 1: said something to the effect of, if the worst thing
Speaker 1: that happens in your life is your show gets canceled,
Speaker 1: you led a fucking charmed life. So I think she
Speaker 1: has like really good perspective about it. Um, all I
Speaker 1: can say is that she was in a great mood
Speaker 1: last night. She was really funny. She is so happy
Speaker 1: for Denny and for the movie, and um, you know,
Speaker 1: she was just she's just great with the audience and
Speaker 1: and seemed in really good spirits. Well here's the thing, Uh,
Speaker 1: next time she's in the running, she probably went well,
Speaker 1: you know, in a way, it might be the best
Speaker 1: thing that could have happened, because she probably wasn't gonna win,
Speaker 1: although for a while I was thinking she could. But um,
Speaker 1: so now you know, it sets her up to be like, yeah,
Speaker 1: she's she's building a great narrative, so you know, whatever's next. Yeah,
Speaker 1: what else? Uh, Captain Fantastic didn't pan out. I mean
Speaker 1: I think I had I had hopes that I knew
Speaker 1: were a little you know, on on the precipice, and
Speaker 1: none of them panned out. No Kevin Costner or no Taragi,
Speaker 1: no Captain Fantastic. Although Vigo got in, which I'm thrilled about.
Speaker 1: That lineup seemed locked in place year it was kind
Speaker 1: of interesting. Um oh, I was still, you know, pulling
Speaker 1: for Tom Hanks, but again, nobody feels sorry for Tom Hanks,
Speaker 1: let alone Tom Hanks. America's dead. Yeah, let's see, let's
Speaker 1: look at the Where are the freaking nominations? Do you uh?
Speaker 1: Do you have any um p G A We have
Speaker 1: p G A n SAG this weekend. Gosh, Well, the
Speaker 1: PGA nominees are the Best Picture nominees plus Deadpool. Yes,
Speaker 1: Deadpool did not make it, in which we both sort
Speaker 1: of expected. Yeah. I think some people got their hopes
Speaker 1: up on that, which is I think they did. Yeah,
Speaker 1: but I mean, look, they weren't getting their hopes up
Speaker 1: without you know, any evidence to support them. I mean,
Speaker 1: a pre a WT nomination is pretty great. The sneeze at. Yeah,
Speaker 1: here's the nominations. Mel Gibson got in yes End of
Speaker 1: the Day, which was a little surprising to me, just because,
Speaker 1: as I've said before, I thought he had a better
Speaker 1: shot with the more vast d g A, where Garth
Speaker 1: Davis was nominated for Lions. Like I would have thought
Speaker 1: me too, That's exactly what I thought, Like Mel would
Speaker 1: have been in for d g A and Garth would
Speaker 1: have slipped in for Oscars. Lobster got that screenplay nomination.
Speaker 1: About that U thirteen Hours got that sound nomination. Yeah,
Speaker 1: Suicide Squad can call itself an Oscar nominee, and Passengers,
Speaker 1: I mean, that's a look. I think Passengers is a
Speaker 1: much better film than Suicide Squad, but I don't know
Speaker 1: that's that's like giving a cannibal a knife and fork.
Speaker 1: Passengers got two nominations. Thomas Newman got in, which I
Speaker 1: was wondering what was going to happen there because that
Speaker 1: branch the composers are so insular and they always nominate
Speaker 1: their own, and this year there was like John Williams,
Speaker 1: James Newton Howard had the Fantastic Beasts score, Thomas Newman
Speaker 1: had Passengers, And you know, these are kind of lackluster
Speaker 1: compared to what those guys usually put out, and meanwhile
Speaker 1: there was all this new blood and some of it
Speaker 1: got in, like Michael Levy for Jackets got in and
Speaker 1: uh we all figured the lion uh composers would get
Speaker 1: in Nicholas Burttel for Moonlight. So all the it's it's
Speaker 1: it's uh, it's mostly new blood and then Thomas Newman
Speaker 1: so just reminds you that they do take care of
Speaker 1: their own. Still. I just rewatched Moonlight over the weekend
Speaker 1: for the first time in months and was really struck
Speaker 1: by how good the score is. Uh, that string stuff
Speaker 1: is amazing when he out there in the water with
Speaker 1: by the way, if I can plug, I did a
Speaker 1: sag after a career conversation with Mirschel that's now online,
Speaker 1: and it is like just listening to that man speak,
Speaker 1: he's a charm. Yeah, it's hard not to like tear
Speaker 1: up half the time. I was very proud of myself,
Speaker 1: I must say, not to be a douche. The visual
Speaker 1: effects a nailed and and and only because I went
Speaker 1: to that bake off. Really, that really homework pays off.
Speaker 1: It gives you a perspective that you wouldn't have otherwise, because,
Speaker 1: as I've said before, that deep water Horizon Real was amazing.
Speaker 1: The Kubo guys really made a passionate plea and they
Speaker 1: both got in. Yeah. Over Arrival, I was kind although there,
Speaker 1: but I guess Arrival wasn't as you know, flashy as
Speaker 1: when you get down to it, it it really is. It's
Speaker 1: very low key effects humanity. Yeah, but then so was
Speaker 1: ex mckinna and not One, which was not something that
Speaker 1: pleased that branch last year. Yeah, have we not talked
Speaker 1: about that? There's an they Yeah, I mean this year
Speaker 1: at the bake off, the guy made a little speech like,
Speaker 1: remember your voting for the best visual effects, not the
Speaker 1: best movie with visual effects, And some people took that
Speaker 1: as like anti Arrival, but it had something to do
Speaker 1: with the x macin of it all last year, beating
Speaker 1: Mad Max and Martian and Star Wars effect these big
Speaker 1: like but you know, it's a political branches, a political industry.
Speaker 1: So all these major effects houses working on these movies
Speaker 1: and then they lose TWEX Machina, which my answer is
Speaker 1: if you don't like it, don't nominate x macinn in
Speaker 1: the first place. Also, X main I had amazing great effects, Yeah,
Speaker 1: especially considering their budget. So okay, let's take. We asked
Speaker 1: for some questions this week, Yes, let's pull them up.
Speaker 1: You know, I just had a thought, what have the
Speaker 1: Amy Adams win SAG. I don't think it's gonna happen.
Speaker 1: But you think you think Emma begins her march at say,
Speaker 1: but it would not be surprised, Natalie Portman one, I
Speaker 1: would actors love that movie? I love it. I'd be surprised.
Speaker 1: You know, do you think Casey is a lock for
Speaker 1: actor because if she doesn't win SAG, Ryan's not winning
Speaker 1: SAG and it's not nominated for ensemble, so it's lain
Speaker 1: walking out of SAG without an an award. You don't
Speaker 1: think Ryan's winning? Say, I don't know. I really am
Speaker 1: pretty sure that's going to cast. I mean, I'm very
Speaker 1: excited for this weekend because we will have some answers.
Speaker 1: You know, let's give these people some answers. Didn't okay,
Speaker 1: Dennis kN Okay, Sorry dude. Uh. I think La La
Speaker 1: Land is winning nine Oscars, but I'm not so sure
Speaker 1: about screenplay and sound editing thoughts. I think Land is
Speaker 1: probably winning screenplay. I don't understand why people are feel
Speaker 1: like that's an issue. But against that winning screenplay, I
Speaker 1: thought that was gonna win screenplay back when I thought
Speaker 1: that was the only award it was gonna win. Like
Speaker 1: it's it's a great screenplay. It's kind of the thrust
Speaker 1: of the movie is what he's put on the page
Speaker 1: in many ways that musicals don't have screenplays or something,
Speaker 1: which is ridiculous. There's more dialogue than music in that movie. Absolutely,
Speaker 1: it's a very witty screenplay and just exchanges and everything.
Speaker 1: So I think he's good. Maybe it loses to Manchester,
Speaker 1: but I don't think, yeah, that's the only thing it
Speaker 1: can lose to. I think, yeah, I think you're right.
Speaker 1: I don't think sound editing is going to happen. But
Speaker 1: I didn't think the nomination was gonna happen. I was
Speaker 1: a little dumbfounded by that. Who do you think it
Speaker 1: could lose to Hacksaw? Okay, so it's like either Bullets
Speaker 1: or Broadway basically, I mean I think that Oh wait,
Speaker 1: I got a headline, hold on down. It's like an
Speaker 1: old school variety headline coming in over the transom. I
Speaker 1: think I think law law is gonna win. Sound mixing
Speaker 1: musicals win sound mixing, Yeah, but sound editing if it
Speaker 1: win's sound editing watch out. Yeah, I know, watch out
Speaker 1: because I already think it's going to tie the record
Speaker 1: for wins been Her and Titanic, and uh so you
Speaker 1: have it winning everything everything except iund editing one of
Speaker 1: the songs Ryan Gosling and one of the songs, and
Speaker 1: Gosling is not Yeah, you know, he's definitely a creeper there.
Speaker 1: Uh this says can anything stop La La Land? Clearly not. Um,
Speaker 1: you know, fourteen nominations. We we kind of buried that.
Speaker 1: But that's the lead of the day, was tying a
Speaker 1: record that all about even Titanic had, and it probably
Speaker 1: would have broken the record if they hadn't changed the
Speaker 1: rooms about the songs. Yeah, it could have got three
Speaker 1: songs back in the day, absolutely, and uh if it
Speaker 1: you know, if there were some like makeup wizardry that
Speaker 1: they had put into the movie or some a visual
Speaker 1: effect situation, like yeah, it was. It's amazing how much
Speaker 1: this movie took this town by storm. And uh no,
Speaker 1: nothing's gonna stop it unless there's some closet and damien
Speaker 1: skeleton and Damien's closet somebody wants to dig out. But
Speaker 1: I think that like that. Yeah, but the way I
Speaker 1: did a Q and A with the producers of La
Speaker 1: La Land on Sunday, and I don't know why, I
Speaker 1: just loved the story. But Mark Platt was talking about, um,
Speaker 1: you know in the opening scene it's all one take,
Speaker 1: or it's got to look like one take. Um, you know.
Speaker 1: It just shows you how hands on the producers are,
Speaker 1: like Mark Platt, producer of Wicked, producer of movies like
Speaker 1: Bridge of Spies. Apparently they were having trouble getting the
Speaker 1: door in the back of the truck tot up to reveal,
Speaker 1: you know, the drummers. So Mark Platt was back there
Speaker 1: pulling you forget that door to open. I love that.
Speaker 1: That was one of the three cuts I think in
Speaker 1: that sequence was when the door opens. Um that that
Speaker 1: question was from no offense from Tom That's funny. I
Speaker 1: just got that. Does Arrival have a realistic shot to
Speaker 1: win any Oscars? I'm a big fan, but afraid it
Speaker 1: will go. I think I think it might, really I
Speaker 1: think it'll get something below the line. But you know
Speaker 1: where I think it's best shot might be. And this
Speaker 1: might be crazy, is adapted screenplay. It would have to be,
Speaker 1: you might, it would have to be happening. But yeah,
Speaker 1: I mean I could see that, or I could I
Speaker 1: could see film editing or sound editing happening the way
Speaker 1: I just realized Manchester wasn't nominated for film editing. Yeah,
Speaker 1: I called that. I've heard editors kind of bemoan the
Speaker 1: way they play with time in that movie. A lot
Speaker 1: of them think they discovered it after the fact, like
Speaker 1: it was a manifested thing, but it was in the
Speaker 1: shooting script, the way he wrote the flashbacks in so
Speaker 1: solid editing, I thought, but it was left on the sidelines.
Speaker 1: But yeah, I think Arrival could win editing because of
Speaker 1: its structure. I think it could win, which is funny.
Speaker 1: It's kind of a similar structure to Manchester. So why
Speaker 1: are they bitching about Manchester? Yeah, I don't know. I
Speaker 1: think it adapted is you know, the darkest of forces,
Speaker 1: but you know, worth mentioning because of what kind of
Speaker 1: a story it is. And again sound editing, like if
Speaker 1: they obviously they like a Rival more than they like Hacksaw.
Speaker 1: I'm picking hacks all right now, just because it's a
Speaker 1: war movie. But you know, I could see them thrown
Speaker 1: at a bone there. But at the moment, yeah, I
Speaker 1: think it walks away empty handed. Kyle says, is there
Speaker 1: anyone who could surprise with a win. I'm keeping an
Speaker 1: eye on Shannon and the Lobster. Well, I wouldn't keep
Speaker 1: my eye on the Lobster. I mean, I love the Lobster,
Speaker 1: but that's not something that I actually in original screenplay.
Speaker 1: I think, yeah, it's too tough. But somebody said yesterday,
Speaker 1: I think it was Kyle by Channon. Uh said, um that, like,
Speaker 1: as much as he loves Merschel, Ali kind of wants
Speaker 1: Michael Shannon to win just to hear the speech. Ye oh,
Speaker 1: yeah he would. I'm sure you'd have something to say
Speaker 1: about exactly h surprises. Let's see. I am, like I said,
Speaker 1: I am not. I think there's gonna be some surprise
Speaker 1: in one of the acting categories. I just don't know
Speaker 1: what it is. I think I could see Casey fallen off.
Speaker 1: That's my concern, like shocking, like, but I don't know
Speaker 1: that it is shocking because um Denzel is so powerful
Speaker 1: in the movie and so highly regarded, and I mean
Speaker 1: he's got some stiff competition. It's a testament to how
Speaker 1: good gays he is. That he's you know, he's been
Speaker 1: so dominant. Yeah, yeah, so, and I we we talk
Speaker 1: a lot about like, don't underestimate Ryan Gosling, don't I
Speaker 1: start underwardsmate, bil Morton's in Viola is good to go.
Speaker 1: I mean, if Viola doesn't win, it would be the
Speaker 1: biggest shock. Some people think it's about who paris in
Speaker 1: the running here. I just don't know a lot of
Speaker 1: people do. I don't think so either. But again, a
Speaker 1: lot of people to hate that movie. I was actually
Speaker 1: surprised you got in. Ultimately, I was surprised she got
Speaker 1: into Grainy Adams let's see, and you know other stuff
Speaker 1: that I would say as surprises are the tech categories
Speaker 1: that you know Jane would be bored. I was just
Speaker 1: gonna say, wake me up, what you're done. I love
Speaker 1: that we've established this narrative, but I just I don't
Speaker 1: care about anything but the star Matthis wants to know.
Speaker 1: Is there any chance Audition in City of Stars can
Speaker 1: split in song? Our industry voters, industry talking about a
Speaker 1: like allegations, So two firm Yeah, those are two different
Speaker 1: questions regarding the songs. Yeah. Actually, I mean personally, I
Speaker 1: think Audition is the better song because of how it's
Speaker 1: used too, But I think the anthem it's the it's
Speaker 1: the best song in the movie is Another Day of Sun,
Speaker 1: which was it shortlisted or not? Yeah? That that and
Speaker 1: it just goes on and on. That's why I love
Speaker 1: that song. It just keeps going for like ten minutes
Speaker 1: or something. But I could see it happening. Um, you know,
Speaker 1: Moanna is sitting there with Lynn Manuel looking forward as
Speaker 1: he got you know, yeah, actually and well yeah, you
Speaker 1: know it was it? What was that year? Um, everybody
Speaker 1: thought it was gonna be was it Lady Gaga and
Speaker 1: Sam Smith? One? Last year? Was it last year? What
Speaker 1: was that year? Like a decade? What was the child
Speaker 1: of nineteen? Yeah, I'm still shocked by that. Unbelievable Yeah,
Speaker 1: because I mean like you just went in the face
Speaker 1: of everything, Like Lady Gaga was a bigger star. The
Speaker 1: song was the front runner. It was a better song.
Speaker 1: I don't know what happened there, unless people were just
Speaker 1: put off by Diane Warren or something. She she does
Speaker 1: get out there fierce, fiercely with her campaigns. She's been nominated,
Speaker 1: like I believe it's a zility. Let's see alternative our
Speaker 1: voters industry talking about affle like allegations. I mean, certainly
Speaker 1: Constance wu Is you know, I haven't seen much else.
Speaker 1: The funny thing is, I feel like people are talking
Speaker 1: about it and that they're all asking why people aren't
Speaker 1: talking about it, you know, And I'm like, if you
Speaker 1: have something to say, like say it, but I you know,
Speaker 1: I don't have anything to say that. I don't think
Speaker 1: it's been said all right basically, So you know, could
Speaker 1: that ding him at the end of the day, maybe
Speaker 1: if there's some undercurrent, but I don't. I don't think
Speaker 1: there is, so, you know, I think he's also um uh,
Speaker 1: you know, by not speaking about it. I don't know, like, um,
Speaker 1: yeah that's what I heard. Yeah, like that it has
Speaker 1: I don't know. Maybe you know, if you can't talk
Speaker 1: about it, then you can't talk you can talk about
Speaker 1: I mean, he's it's been settled and there's legalities. It's like,
Speaker 1: I don't know. Um, that's a much longer conversation, I think,
Speaker 1: very clearly establishing here, Keith wants to know when does
Speaker 1: backlash reach beyond the bubble and actually become detrimental to
Speaker 1: a film's chances. Great question. It also depends on the backlash.
Speaker 1: I mean, uh, I don't really know that it ever happens. Yeah,
Speaker 1: you I mean in our circle like we get worried
Speaker 1: about it, but then, like I remember the Argo backlash,
Speaker 1: It's always question something that King's speech where there were people,
Speaker 1: you know, who were piste off that it was winning
Speaker 1: the guilds. But that was after Social Network spent like
Speaker 1: entire entirety of December winning critics awards, So you know,
Speaker 1: I don't know, Um, did you see, by the way,
Speaker 1: every year they do those honest movie posters. Oh my god,
Speaker 1: the one for La La Land was hilarious. And I
Speaker 1: also don't know if you saw the US see if
Speaker 1: I can find it, if you saw the Saturnight Live
Speaker 1: sketch this weekend where Zizzaria, because that's as far past
Speaker 1: the bubble as it goes. But that could have been
Speaker 1: a funnier sketch. I thought, like, I thought it was
Speaker 1: actually a very affectionate sketchy. I didn't think that they
Speaker 1: were attacking La La Land. I thought it was done
Speaker 1: with Like, I kind of thought it was going to
Speaker 1: go in a different direction because I saw people tweeting
Speaker 1: about it before it aired on the West Coast, and
Speaker 1: I thought it was going to go in the direction
Speaker 1: of uh shit. Sorry, I tuned up for trying to
Speaker 1: put my words together, like use your words, use your words, Chris.
Speaker 1: I just thought it was going to go in a
Speaker 1: like in a backlash direction, like commenting on backlash basically
Speaker 1: what I mean. And I didn't really do that. It
Speaker 1: was just like, uh, you know, how dare you not
Speaker 1: like this movie? But I really see that happening by
Speaker 1: the way, I guess I kind of took it personally
Speaker 1: like no one is saying, how dare you hate? Like
Speaker 1: not like this movie? I think people are saying, like
Speaker 1: why would you hate on it? I can't imagine why?
Speaker 1: Why is this movie that like lions Gate completely took
Speaker 1: a huge risk on. That's what cracks me up. As
Speaker 1: people are like, oh, it's like Taylor to win Oscars,
Speaker 1: And I'm like, did Damien Chaselle pitched to this to
Speaker 1: these guys? And Sunday so a few years ago, this
Speaker 1: this dream project he had for years with original music,
Speaker 1: not by anyone music, and they put they put money
Speaker 1: into this thing and it's paying off for them, Like
Speaker 1: this is not like, this is not engineered. It's hilarious
Speaker 1: to me. Okay, So then dot CEO dot K does
Speaker 1: I'm sorry, what does these um honest movie posts? You
Speaker 1: should check them out. So the Lala lamposter is funk.
Speaker 1: The backlash we all need this right now? Well that's
Speaker 1: that's in reality. Uh, this film is better than your life. Um,
Speaker 1: Manchester by the Sea, is you thought Ben was miserable?
Speaker 1: Sad flick round two? Ksey Affleck has entered the game. Um,
Speaker 1: people themselves, Oh this you'll like this one. Um. Look
Speaker 1: at the silence poster Godfellows, Godfellows starring Old Spider Man,
Speaker 1: Kylo Wren and Oslan and it says from the director
Speaker 1: of Koon Dunn and Hugo, and then underneath that it says, wait,
Speaker 1: come back. He also made the Wolf of Wall Street
Speaker 1: that the part of Gangs of New as Ship They're gone. Wow,
Speaker 1: that's pretty honest. And Um, of course the Arrival one
Speaker 1: is Amy Adams has more chance of actually discovering alien
Speaker 1: life than winning a goddamn oscar at this point for
Speaker 1: her the words I think the Arrival one should be
Speaker 1: not the Charlie Sheen movie. Oh my gosh, that's hilarious.
Speaker 1: There's some I just have to tell you the tagline
Speaker 1: for loving their loving poster. Thank god they weren't called
Speaker 1: Richard and Mildred Boning. Oh god, well, speaking of loving. Uh,
Speaker 1: that's the interview this week, Ruth Nagar, Surprise and Trent
Speaker 1: and the in the sweepstakes if you will talk to
Speaker 1: her a while back actually, so this is hopefully not
Speaker 1: too dated. And she had a cold at the time,
Speaker 1: probably from working her as. Yeah, it was right before
Speaker 1: she went off to do some some work and then
Speaker 1: she came back. She came back at the right time
Speaker 1: clearly because she she was gone for a bit and
Speaker 1: then she came back just before ballots went out and
Speaker 1: did some work and uh, and it paid off. I
Speaker 1: mean she's one of what was it six actors, six
Speaker 1: black actors or six actors of colors, seven actors of coloring. Yeah,
Speaker 1: and I'm happy to say many of them did play back.
Speaker 1: So thanks everybody. That's probably annomination, let's be honest. I mean, yeah,
Speaker 1: Amy did play back to the power. So stick around
Speaker 1: for Ruth Nagger right after this. Do you have a
Speaker 1: PTA prediction or is it obvious? Oh? P g A yeah,
Speaker 1: la la okay, oh sag entsemble. I'm staying fences. I
Speaker 1: would not. I'm telling you I don't know. You know,
Speaker 1: I think Manchester, A lot of people think Manchester. I
Speaker 1: think my guesses Fences or Hidden Figures. Umid figures would
Speaker 1: surprise me. But I'm blinking. I feel like I'm blanking
Speaker 1: because there's also Captain Fantastic and Manchester. What's the fifth?
Speaker 1: I know, right, how can we not know this? Captain
Speaker 1: Fantastic Manchester by the Moonlight that could be the one
Speaker 1: that wins. Actually, of course I could see moon Light winning,
Speaker 1: but I think Fences is gonna win. I'm gonna stick
Speaker 1: with Moonlight for now. But yeah, hidden Figures and Fences
Speaker 1: would not be surprises. Um, I guess man just has
Speaker 1: to win. Be surprised because three great actors from the
Speaker 1: movie are nominated, but I feel like that will get dispersed.
Speaker 1: Um yeah, I'll stick with Moonlight. Fences has run a
Speaker 1: very smart ensemble campaign though, so I would not be surprised.
Speaker 1: And I mean, look, it's like, oh my god, it's
Speaker 1: a flawless ensemble. It's a flaws ensemble, and it's just
Speaker 1: like every actor in that room wants to play those parts.
Speaker 1: You know. I think that's what's gonna happen. We'll see anyway,
Speaker 1: stay tuned for Ruth read after this. In me no,
Speaker 1: the district of Columbia. I'm now'll pronounce you husband and wife. Ye,
Speaker 1: rich went in bed with that woman his wife. That's
Speaker 1: no good here, Richard Perry Lovey, being a white person,
Speaker 1: and Mildred Jeter, being a colored person, did unlawfully cohabitates
Speaker 1: man and wife. Richard. I believe this is about all
Speaker 1: that could go all the way to the Supreme Court.
Speaker 1: Were her name right, the thind of Virginia will argue
Speaker 1: that it is unfair to bring the children of mixed
Speaker 1: race into the world. Tell that woman coming aloys my
Speaker 1: family here, I don't care. I can take care of you,
Speaker 1: he contain. Welcome back, everyone, I'm here with one of
Speaker 1: the stars of Loving Ruth Nega. Thanks so much for
Speaker 1: doing my show. I appreciate it. Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1: We talked to Jeff Nichols on the show a few
Speaker 1: weeks back. Um, you know, his vision for this movie,
Speaker 1: the story of the Lovings, was a very quiet vision,
Speaker 1: which is why it's so bold. You know, you might
Speaker 1: expect something with such uh dramatic and emotional under and
Speaker 1: overtones to maybe be a bit bigger quote unquote, and
Speaker 1: I thought it was interesting that he took that approach
Speaker 1: and just out of curiosity, Uh, you know when it
Speaker 1: comes to something like that, when this this is a
Speaker 1: story with emotions that are charged underneath the surface, really,
Speaker 1: do you feel like you wanted a release of like
Speaker 1: a big moment as an actor or where you right
Speaker 1: in the wheelhouse with what he was. I think that
Speaker 1: thing about Jeff is um his priority is at verse
Speaker 1: a very similarity, because he wants everything to be truthful,
Speaker 1: you know, and authentic, and in order to honor the
Speaker 1: loving story that involved in its an entirety, that meant
Speaker 1: writing the screenplay that he did write and directing the
Speaker 1: film that he did direct that you see in your screens.
Speaker 1: And the thing about Jeff is that, you know, the
Speaker 1: priority is maintaining the truthfulness of what happened and the
Speaker 1: integrity of this couple. And I don't think that he
Speaker 1: wanted to debase that um for sort of to meet
Speaker 1: sort of sort of cliche standard of filmmaking, you know, um.
Speaker 1: And I think it's Jeff Jeff, there's Jeff and his
Speaker 1: work are devoid of cliche. He is not a director
Speaker 1: that you know, is it. I think he's that terms
Speaker 1: a gun for higher who just like you know, comes in,
Speaker 1: does the job and heads off. He's an artist, and
Speaker 1: you know, I mean, you think that's quite obvious. You know,
Speaker 1: his back catalog and so, um, I think he circumvented
Speaker 1: any sort of for pothole that might um suggest a
Speaker 1: real standard paint by numbers kind of firm and too,
Speaker 1: I think very much to his credit and to the
Speaker 1: film's credit. You know, I think Jeff doesn't patronize his audience.
Speaker 1: He doesn't patronize anybody. And I think that he gives
Speaker 1: his audiences the respect they deserve in terms of resisting
Speaker 1: that kind of spoon feeding emotion or you know three
Speaker 1: quarters in having the big sort of reveal, or the
Speaker 1: kind of the big dramatic kiss and or the kind
Speaker 1: of you know, you know in this filments is this.
Speaker 1: I think he has created this brilliant tension because you
Speaker 1: are expecting, you know, you're expecting sort of something to
Speaker 1: sort of explode almost and that tension becomes almost uncomfortable
Speaker 1: in many ways. But what it does is that that's
Speaker 1: reflective of the tension that it must have must have
Speaker 1: existed then for this couple and many like them. Um,
Speaker 1: you know, to live your life under a thresh of exposure,
Speaker 1: you know, to have to live this sort of duality,
Speaker 1: dual existence, you know, in secret and hiding, that takes
Speaker 1: its toll, you know, and any anyone could be exposing you,
Speaker 1: and any violence could be around the corner, because it
Speaker 1: was for many people, you know, to speak up and
Speaker 1: speak out. I mean, this is no surprise to anybody.
Speaker 1: At certain points in history was to risk, um, risk
Speaker 1: your life even you know, and and and and and
Speaker 1: it could cost you. And I think that that that
Speaker 1: is very much that that kind of energy is very
Speaker 1: much present in this film. And I think that's more
Speaker 1: interesting than that's sort of the run of the mill,
Speaker 1: you know, because expected thing. And I don't think Jeff
Speaker 1: does anything expected. And I think that that that it
Speaker 1: It is for me. It's maybe a quiet film. But
Speaker 1: you know, um, you know that word is. People have
Speaker 1: attached many things to that word, and is do they
Speaker 1: mean boring? Do they mean nothing happens? Because I don't
Speaker 1: think that's reflective of our film, um, And I think
Speaker 1: in a way it mirrors Mildred and Richard because they
Speaker 1: are unexpected themselves. You know, I certainly don't think it
Speaker 1: means boring for all the reasons we've lined out. I mean,
Speaker 1: I think that'll probably give you a lot to play
Speaker 1: with as an actress too, most definitely, And I think
Speaker 1: you know that the Mildred A. Richard were in there.
Speaker 1: We're a complex characters, you know, complex individuals as well,
Speaker 1: and I think that we were careful not to diminish
Speaker 1: that diminish their story. You know, Mildred, she's quite shy, unreserved,
Speaker 1: but that doesn't mean she is weak or subservient or
Speaker 1: um any of those things. In fact, the opposite. She
Speaker 1: has an incredible sort of sense of herself and her
Speaker 1: self esteem. She has a self esteem, self confidence, and
Speaker 1: she has a belief in her beliefs. You may actually
Speaker 1: just yeah, absolutely, and you may have just actually answered
Speaker 1: my next question which I often ask actors who are
Speaker 1: playing real life people like it, was there a quality
Speaker 1: you know in your research? I'm sure you saw the
Speaker 1: documentary and stuff like that. Was there a quality about
Speaker 1: Mildred that was so captivating you wanted to make sure
Speaker 1: that you carried it across in your performance? Oh for sure,
Speaker 1: for sure, you know, and that the documentary and the footage,
Speaker 1: the archival footage in the documentary that Nancy Birsky made
Speaker 1: the Loving Story, which I urged anybody and everybody to see. Um.
Speaker 1: It was really a gift for all of us, Jeff,
Speaker 1: Joel and I and I I it really was my
Speaker 1: sort of my Mildred handbook, as it were, Mum. And
Speaker 1: in that in that footage, you know, there's a luminosity
Speaker 1: to this woman. She she she radiates m charisma and
Speaker 1: goodness and truthfulness and a lack of cynicism and ah,
Speaker 1: you know, an innocence without naivety. And and and I
Speaker 1: really I really worked hard. I think we ordered to
Speaker 1: capture that the glow around this purple, both of them.
Speaker 1: And I think that, you know, and I think I
Speaker 1: think Joel did an extraordinary job of portraying Richard Um
Speaker 1: and I think together we felt it was very much Um.
Speaker 1: There was two of us in it, you know, and
Speaker 1: I think we felt I certainly felt very supportive by
Speaker 1: him Um and both as Ruth but also in my
Speaker 1: performances Mildred. And I'm also I'm often curious about locations,
Speaker 1: because like how they helped to inform what you're doing.
Speaker 1: I asked the same question of Jeff, you're out there
Speaker 1: shooting in and around Richmond, in the areas that this happened,
Speaker 1: How does that help you as an actor to really
Speaker 1: get in that heads very much. So, um, you know,
Speaker 1: that was that was non negotiable. I think he insisted
Speaker 1: on shooting in and in and around Richmond and body greed.
Speaker 1: Uh not far from when where any of this happened.
Speaker 1: You know that the court house, that's the actual courts
Speaker 1: that they got sentenced to, the outside of the prison,
Speaker 1: that's the prison that they stayed in. We couldn't, um,
Speaker 1: we couldn't actually film in her cell that Mildred was
Speaker 1: locked up, and because it was too flipping tiny, it
Speaker 1: was really tiny, and I think that really brought it
Speaker 1: all closer to home. It really made it really immediate,
Speaker 1: you know, um, because you know, I know this sounds
Speaker 1: really obvious, but histories have something that happened, happened back then.
Speaker 1: But I think filming walking in their footsteps and you know,
Speaker 1: being in that quarter with the four walls where this happened,
Speaker 1: this actually happened, really resonated with us. It's sort of
Speaker 1: I think it galvanized both Joel and I'm in fact
Speaker 1: everybody into really I mean, we wanted to do his
Speaker 1: best possible job as possible, you know, in the first place,
Speaker 1: but it just gave an extra dimension you know, and
Speaker 1: I do believe that places have energies. You know, they
Speaker 1: retain traces of events. You know, there's a residue in buildings,
Speaker 1: and you definitely felt an energy you know, around this
Speaker 1: film filming in these places in addition to the fact
Speaker 1: that it's very beautiful and so you sort of see
Speaker 1: why you know, Mildred was connected to this place. You know,
Speaker 1: I just spoke about her connection to nature, very key
Speaker 1: element for him, and that that environment, so I spoke
Speaker 1: to that as well home for for Mildred. From Mildred,
Speaker 1: it feels like, you know, like when when you when
Speaker 1: you starve a plant of sunlight and water, they wilt.
Speaker 1: And you could very much see Mildred wilting and when
Speaker 1: she had to live in when she was exiled at Washington,
Speaker 1: d C. And also I think they exposed this sort
Speaker 1: of the folly of these laws that that prevented someone
Speaker 1: from raising their family where they wanted to raise them. Yeah,
Speaker 1: it's really quite extraordinary. Um this year alone, quite the
Speaker 1: whiplash of material I guess. You know, you have the
Speaker 1: i'll use the word again, the quiet nature of of loving,
Speaker 1: and then you have something like the grand massive scale
Speaker 1: of warcraft and then the mania of something like TVs Preacher.
Speaker 1: Is that variety like very important to you? Um, because
Speaker 1: it's because it's it's very fulfilling, that's the bottom line,
Speaker 1: and you get to explore different parts of oneself and others.
Speaker 1: You know, it's very exciting to be allowed to do that,
Speaker 1: you know, get paid for it. With regards to Tulip,
Speaker 1: what's the most fun you had playing Tulips so far?
Speaker 1: You think, Oh, we just laugh a lot on set.
Speaker 1: You know, I love I like jovial sets, you know,
Speaker 1: with the warmth and kindness and support, and you can't
Speaker 1: help but laugh when them Joseph Gilgan and Dominic Cooper
Speaker 1: are here, your playmates. It's such wild subject matter obviously.
Speaker 1: And uh, Seth Seth Rogan was actually the first guest
Speaker 1: on my podcast that pilot. The great word, the energy
Speaker 1: of that pilot was just sensational. It's very reflective of
Speaker 1: both Seth and Evan Silberg. Yeah, it's really you know,
Speaker 1: I'm working with him as extraordinary because you felt that
Speaker 1: that that that energy they have, you know, that kid,
Speaker 1: the County Store energy very much um um um came
Speaker 1: through it our in our pilot. It was very much
Speaker 1: dictated a lot of sequences. Yeah, and did you get
Speaker 1: a chance to see Sausage Party yet? By the way,
Speaker 1: I count wait to see Sausage Party. It's funny he
Speaker 1: and and Evan are like the pre eminent artists regarding
Speaker 1: theology between you know, Preacher and Sausage Party has elements
Speaker 1: and this is me and yeah, exactly, It's It's fascinating.
Speaker 1: I can't wait to see Nick Reil paid a douche excited.
Speaker 1: I love their voice, their their voices sensational. Um, I'm
Speaker 1: just looking back at some things. An early movie break
Speaker 1: for you was Breakfast on Pluto Jordan. What does that
Speaker 1: mean for you? Oh? Well, that was? That was I mean,
Speaker 1: I remember, I remember where I was when I heard
Speaker 1: that news, and I just I was just wild with joy.
Speaker 1: I was because I was living in and I wasn't
Speaker 1: living at Dublin the time, and I wasn't really expecting
Speaker 1: to get the call. To be honest, Well, if I read,
Speaker 1: if I'm correct, I feel like I read that he
Speaker 1: rewrote or wrote apart for you. I don't know if
Speaker 1: that's a procophon, if I've made that up, or if
Speaker 1: he actually said it, or I've just decided that he said,
Speaker 1: let's stick with Neil said it. I'm assuming you were
Speaker 1: a fan already gone. Oh yeah, huge fan, huge fan
Speaker 1: and of Pat mcabe who wrote and he also wrote
Speaker 1: Butcher Boy. Um oh, huge fans of them both Um
Speaker 1: and Kelly and Murphy who played Kitten. It was. It's
Speaker 1: just such a thrilling story, a really beautiful you know, Pat,
Speaker 1: Pat McCabe is such an original writer, and Nila is
Speaker 1: such an original filmmaker, you know. And and they remind
Speaker 1: me of of of Jeff in that way, you know,
Speaker 1: they you know, that's they They've carved their own path
Speaker 1: really unique in original. They don't um you know, and
Speaker 1: I think you can say that with many many people,
Speaker 1: you know, um, you know, they have a style that's
Speaker 1: all over their own. So just work and mean working
Speaker 1: with Neil and Patton, like Declin Coe is a cinematographer.
Speaker 1: I mean it was extraordinary and what Lawrence Kindlin Fellow
Speaker 1: Irish got, you know, and Kinney was extraordinary as Kitten.
Speaker 1: Brandon and Liam Neeson, I mean, Ruth McCabe, Mary Cockton,
Speaker 1: I mean, like we're talking like just starting, I could
Speaker 1: go on, so I mean, you know, and this is
Speaker 1: this is ten years ago now, so, um, you know
Speaker 1: it is such an honor. Do you ever see The
Speaker 1: Good Thief's films? A Good Thief randomly throwing it in there?
Speaker 1: I love that movie to remake. Melty is fantastic in it.
Speaker 1: People haven't seen The Good Thief, they should check it out.
Speaker 1: Check out Neil Jordan's filmography. In general, I think, um,
Speaker 1: what do you want to do? A weird question, but
Speaker 1: like going forward? Do you have any interest in getting
Speaker 1: behind the camera? Do you have any interest in I
Speaker 1: think I'm too lazy. Really, I don't know. I don't know.
Speaker 1: You know. Actually, um, let's see, I don't know. I
Speaker 1: really like I don't need to be a prolific worker.
Speaker 1: That's another word for being lazy, right, I'm that use
Speaker 1: that at work to see if I can get away
Speaker 1: with it. Um, I have to say that this, you know,
Speaker 1: doing Preacher, which I had door and then working with
Speaker 1: Jeff on Loving I mean that you can't go really
Speaker 1: wrong there. You know, I wouldn't mind doing if I
Speaker 1: could do like Creature of Year Undo a film with
Speaker 1: Jef Nichols. Here, I'd be happy at but not compelled to,
Speaker 1: you know, produce and make projects happen anything like that.
Speaker 1: I ask also because we find ourselves amidst this diversity
Speaker 1: debate and as it pertains to the industry, and so
Speaker 1: I'm just curious if if you know what people are
Speaker 1: interested in doing, if they're interested in combating that people definitely,
Speaker 1: I think, I think you know, and I think that
Speaker 1: what you know, I wouldn't be an interest in combating it.
Speaker 1: That you know, creating work for myself would be a
Speaker 1: great idea. Leave it with me, Yeah, I mean, you know,
Speaker 1: the thing is is that I think that we are
Speaker 1: I mean, you know, there is a push which is great.
Speaker 1: There is an agitation um to see diversity reflected under
Speaker 1: the screens, and nuts can only be a good thing,
Speaker 1: you know, I mean, and in many ways and many
Speaker 1: with very different narratives, because there isn't just one narrashin
Speaker 1: you know, there'sn't the black narratives. There's just the mixed
Speaker 1: race narratives, many st and stories to be told. And
Speaker 1: I think that's really exciting, you know, and I'm excited
Speaker 1: to um hopefully maybe be a partial. Yeah, speaking earlier, Preacher,
Speaker 1: you're co starring that Dominic Cooper. You guys have been
Speaker 1: together for a few years, do you find it increasingly
Speaker 1: difficult to keep your private life just to keep that
Speaker 1: away from public scrutiny. Yeah, I mean I don't really
Speaker 1: know how to answer that question really because I don't
Speaker 1: really look myself up too often. Key is, do not
Speaker 1: under any circumstances google and self. Oh yeah, in general,
Speaker 1: look some of it beyond you can under control, you know. Yeah,
Speaker 1: you can't really lose too much sleep about it because
Speaker 1: of that, you know, you drive yourself crazy. So I
Speaker 1: just leave that. I knew that one aloud. And then
Speaker 1: what's next for you? I didn't, I didn't notice. If anything,
Speaker 1: just sticking with the show for now. Maybe I'll just
Speaker 1: stick with the show and if Jeff will have me back,
Speaker 1: stick with him. Otherwise you're lazy, and you're like, I'm
Speaker 1: I just I have this, um, I quite like just
Speaker 1: staring at windows really to be on a stage dreaming,
Speaker 1: and you know what, I actually think that's an integral
Speaker 1: part of a little an actor actually and being an artist.
Speaker 1: I'm being alive, you know. I don't think we do
Speaker 1: it often enough. I think that it'll probably all have
Speaker 1: better blood blood blood pressure levels if we did, you know, yeah,
Speaker 1: take it easier. But should I should get off these screens. Well,
Speaker 1: on that note, I think I'm the last one you've
Speaker 1: been talking to today, so thank you for talking to
Speaker 1: me at the end of a very long Pleasure. Ruth
Speaker 1: has a bit of a head cold, so we wish
Speaker 1: her well. So sorry I sound really bummed up and
Speaker 1: stuffy with my apologies put out for the sniffles. Good
Speaker 1: luck with the premier and good luck with the movie
Speaker 1: as it opens. Thanks, thank you, Pleasure. Thanks for listening everyone.
Speaker 1: Remember to subscribe and check back next week when I'll
Speaker 1: be talking to Moonlight writer and director Barry Jenkins. You've
Speaker 1: been listening to playback at the Boa