WEBVTT - JIM STURGESS - TERSEA PALMER - BEN LAWSON - MIXTAPE - BINGE

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<v Speaker 1>It's in the news today, but it was actually on

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<v Speaker 1>TV Reload the podcast to beat the line. Hey guys,

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<v Speaker 1>welcome back to TV Reload. My name is Benjamin Norris,

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<v Speaker 1>and on today's episode, I'm joined by three incredibly talented actors,

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<v Speaker 1>Ben Lawson, Teresa Palmer and Jim Sturgis, the stars of

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<v Speaker 1>the new Binge series Mixtape. Now, if you're anything like me,

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<v Speaker 1>you've probably been aware of these actors for quite some time.

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<v Speaker 1>Jim Sturgis, of course stolar hearts in One Day, the

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<v Speaker 1>film with Anne Hathaway. Not sure if Europe's as obsessed

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<v Speaker 1>with that movie as I am. He's gone on to

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<v Speaker 1>make a huge name for himself all around the world.

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<v Speaker 1>Theresa Palmer, of course, is one of Australia's brightest exports.

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<v Speaker 1>Has starred in Warm Bodies, A Discovery of Witches and

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<v Speaker 1>I only just found this out. Not only has she

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<v Speaker 1>had this amazing career in film and television, but she's

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<v Speaker 1>also about to be a mother of six, like where

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<v Speaker 1>do you find the time? And also Ben Lawson, who

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<v Speaker 1>we first met in Australia's very own soap opera Neighbors.

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<v Speaker 1>He's managed to carve out a solid Hollywood career. I

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<v Speaker 1>know that most of my female friends are obsessed with

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<v Speaker 1>Firefly Lane, thirteen reasons why, and I could go on.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, the list for these guys is quite unreal.

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<v Speaker 1>Today we're talking about the deeply emotional series Mixtape, from

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<v Speaker 1>the lost art of making mixtapes to the emotional depth

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<v Speaker 1>of playing flawed, complex characters. These three don't hold back

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<v Speaker 1>in this chat, and if you could see that they

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<v Speaker 1>have some amazing chemistry between the three of them, you'll

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<v Speaker 1>get to hear what it was like bringing younger and

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<v Speaker 1>older versions of these characters to life, how music became

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<v Speaker 1>a central heartbeat to this story, and why Mixtape hits

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<v Speaker 1>so hard emotionally. And yes, we do get into a

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<v Speaker 1>few hilarious behind the scenes stories, including Ben's surprising first

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<v Speaker 1>crash pad in Los Angeles with a best friend of

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<v Speaker 1>one of the cast of nine to two one zero.

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<v Speaker 1>It's very random story to just add into the podcast. So, guys,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm really hoping you're here to listen to some fantastic

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<v Speaker 1>stories about how Mixtape has been made. It was so

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<v Speaker 1>much fun to sit down with these three. Even though

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<v Speaker 1>it is a short episode, it is a lot of fun.

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<v Speaker 1>So let's dive in. Hey, guys, thanks for jumping on

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<v Speaker 1>and chatting about mixtape. I'm actually a ridiculously big fan

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<v Speaker 1>of all three of you for very different reasons. So yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>I'll start with you. Jim So my partner whenever goes away.

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<v Speaker 1>I watch the movie one day. I've probably seen it

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<v Speaker 1>more like an unhealthy amount of time.

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<v Speaker 2>Very good.

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<v Speaker 1>And Theresa. I've been like obsessed with you and asking

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<v Speaker 1>to have you on this podcast for probably four years,

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<v Speaker 1>and I've done five hundred and sixty episodes, So to

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<v Speaker 1>have you here today is amazing. Congratulations on baby number

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<v Speaker 1>one hundred.

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<v Speaker 3>I see, I think I'm at six now.

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<v Speaker 2>Yes.

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<v Speaker 1>Then, I met you years ago in Los Angeles, and

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<v Speaker 1>I think you were living with Tory Spelling's best friend

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<v Speaker 1>or something. Does that ring a belty?

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<v Speaker 2>That was the very first place I ever stayed in LA.

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<v Speaker 2>It was I had a month sublet that I found

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<v Speaker 2>on Craigslist, and yeah, it was Tory Spelling's first.

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<v Speaker 1>Oh my god, did toy pop over all.

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<v Speaker 3>Anti climbacc.

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<v Speaker 1>Red hair from memory? I remember?

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<v Speaker 4>That's right.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, all three of you need a restraining order against me.

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<v Speaker 1>What a way to start? I want to say, the

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<v Speaker 1>music had to be really good. For this series to work,

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<v Speaker 1>and it really does lift. And I must admit I've

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<v Speaker 1>already started putting together a mixtape of the soundtrack. But

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<v Speaker 1>for you guys, are you familiar with the era of

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<v Speaker 1>making a mixtape for something?

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, do you know how old we are?

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<v Speaker 2>You're the youngest. I mean, you're surely.

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<v Speaker 1>Your night in the middle of you're in the middle

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<v Speaker 1>of it.

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<v Speaker 5>You started being into CDs?

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<v Speaker 3>I did, but I did star in my very first car.

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<v Speaker 3>I didn't have a CD player and like a hold

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<v Speaker 3>of a Marina and so I had a little mixtapes

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<v Speaker 3>I would make and I'd put in my mum's little

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<v Speaker 3>red hole and Marina. It was so fun. It was

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<v Speaker 3>like we were saying, it's actually a shame that they're

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<v Speaker 3>like the days of.

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<v Speaker 2>The past now.

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<v Speaker 4>And also who could afford to buy tapes?

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<v Speaker 2>You know?

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<v Speaker 4>It was like if you were rich, you know, you

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<v Speaker 4>could just go to the shop Brashes and buy like

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<v Speaker 4>a real tape. But like otherwise, the gifting and exchanging

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<v Speaker 4>of curated you know, mixtapes was where I was at.

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<v Speaker 3>My dad owned a CD shop my whole oh, my childhood,

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<v Speaker 3>so I could go and get like for me, it

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<v Speaker 3>was Michael Jackson. It was like Michael Jackson tapes. That's

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<v Speaker 3>when I first started listening to. I'd just go down

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<v Speaker 3>to my dad's, like the compact disc shop that my

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<v Speaker 3>dad had, and I.

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<v Speaker 1>Had go and get her.

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<v Speaker 3>And then of course it folded because no one listened

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<v Speaker 3>to CDs after all.

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<v Speaker 1>It's so funny though, because like with this story, it's

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<v Speaker 1>kind of like, you know, when you make food for someone,

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<v Speaker 1>it's kind of romantic. It's kind of that sort of

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<v Speaker 1>you know, where someone takes the time to put together

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<v Speaker 1>their playlist, and that's really the center of this story,

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<v Speaker 1>which has done really well. Had any of the three

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<v Speaker 1>of you read the book before being approached to do this.

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<v Speaker 5>I had read the novel and it was it was

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<v Speaker 5>presented to me as the screenplay first, you know, which

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<v Speaker 5>is kind of you know, it was good because I

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<v Speaker 5>think they did change the world a little bit from

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<v Speaker 5>the book, and there was different music that we used,

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<v Speaker 5>and we used a different sort of period of time.

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<v Speaker 5>So yeah, we sort of focused on the screenplay predominantly

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<v Speaker 5>and sort of built it all together. It was really

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<v Speaker 5>such a collaborative kind of experience to sort of pickle

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<v Speaker 5>the music. Working with Lucy Gaffie the director, who is

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<v Speaker 5>the most collaborative person I've ever ever worked with in

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<v Speaker 5>my life.

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<v Speaker 3>I have to say Jim had a big part in

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<v Speaker 3>the music selection. You would be sending tracks consistently.

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<v Speaker 5>I got kind of obsessed in it and I used

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<v Speaker 5>it and I tried to pretend that it was part

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<v Speaker 5>of my character research. But I believe I was just like,

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<v Speaker 5>sort we got it right because it's all set in

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<v Speaker 5>the North part of England, which is a which is

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<v Speaker 5>a place that I know and understands sort of well,

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<v Speaker 5>and the music very specifically was coming out of that

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<v Speaker 5>place at that time, and so I believe that these

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<v Speaker 5>young kids will be listening to a specific kind of sound,

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<v Speaker 5>you know. And everybody was really on board with that,

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<v Speaker 5>and we really started to dive deep and investigate and

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<v Speaker 5>find out what these kids, what these young teenagers would

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<v Speaker 5>really be listening to, you know, And often it wasn't

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<v Speaker 5>the obvious tracks, so you know, it wasn't the sort

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<v Speaker 5>of the number one hits or the sort of single

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<v Speaker 5>from the album. It was the more sort of obscure

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<v Speaker 5>album tracks. Certainly, when I made mixtapes, you'd put the

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<v Speaker 5>weird ones in there to try and make yourself look cool,

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<v Speaker 5>you know, Yeah.

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<v Speaker 1>How did you go about? Because I mean there's so

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<v Speaker 1>much back and forward between the young actors playing these

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<v Speaker 1>characters and yourself, and I was so mesmerized by it

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<v Speaker 1>that I started doing a deep dive on lots of

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<v Speaker 1>film and TV where this happens. How did you guys

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<v Speaker 1>go about making sure that these characters were the same people.

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<v Speaker 3>We didn't really have that opportunity, to be honest, because

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<v Speaker 3>the younger versions of us were cast after we had

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<v Speaker 3>already shot maybe three quarters of our stuff, so it

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<v Speaker 3>was probably more on them to meet what we've done.

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<v Speaker 3>And then Lucy Gaffe, being the genius that she is

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<v Speaker 3>our director, she was able to steer I think both

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<v Speaker 3>of those younger formers into a place where it felt

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<v Speaker 3>like we were playing the same person. But I think

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<v Speaker 3>for me it was probably easier than say, Jim, because

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<v Speaker 3>my character is completely shape shifting, so I didn't have

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<v Speaker 3>to necessarily match the exact energy that Florence was bringing

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<v Speaker 3>up because I've completely reinvented myself and had a rebirth.

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<v Speaker 3>But watching it last night, I noticed that there's like

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<v Speaker 3>such subtleties and what both of us are doing where

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<v Speaker 3>we're more reserved and we're quieter, and that was just

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<v Speaker 3>two individual choices and it happened to a line. So

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<v Speaker 3>we got really lucky there.

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<v Speaker 5>I had beautiful Rory, who plays the younger version of me,

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<v Speaker 5>and this is the first job that he's done, This

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<v Speaker 5>is his first sort of professional acting job. So he

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<v Speaker 5>came on to the set he was so hungry desperate

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<v Speaker 5>to kind of learn, and asked the director if he

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<v Speaker 5>could watch the monitor and sort of watch my scenes

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<v Speaker 5>and see if he could sort of take anything from that,

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<v Speaker 5>which was hugely intimidating as she's have a young actor

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<v Speaker 5>could have studied the study the work that's going on

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<v Speaker 5>at the time. And Lucy actually for me, she'd actually

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<v Speaker 5>sent me some of the audition tapes that they were

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<v Speaker 5>doing because she was she just wanted to know how

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<v Speaker 5>I felt about you. I think they I think they

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<v Speaker 5>were quite sure of who they were going to cast

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<v Speaker 5>for the young Allison and they were sort of, you know,

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<v Speaker 5>really sort of trying to make sure they got the

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<v Speaker 5>right young Daniel. And so she did send me some

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<v Speaker 5>casting tapes quite early on and said, who do you

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<v Speaker 5>feel is feeling like your version? Who do you feel

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<v Speaker 5>you're kind of connecting to with these young actors, and

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<v Speaker 5>I was so grateful to be able to be included

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<v Speaker 5>into that, you know process. And I could just see

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<v Speaker 5>straight away from Rory that he just had a sort

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<v Speaker 5>of there was a sort of gentleness and of vulnerability,

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<v Speaker 5>and I believe that he was a sort of you know,

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<v Speaker 5>he was a lad, and he was a sort of

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<v Speaker 5>you know it was it was someone that could sort

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<v Speaker 5>of hold his own but had a sort of slight

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<v Speaker 5>kind of poetry to him as well.

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<v Speaker 1>You know, well, I'm running out of time, Ben. I

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<v Speaker 1>always finished this podcast with a question of what's something

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<v Speaker 1>from behind the scenes, And I was going to say, Ben,

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<v Speaker 1>the subtlety with your character and the fractures in the

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<v Speaker 1>marriage that come across on screen almost immediately with his

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<v Speaker 1>character would have been very difficult because Theresa is so likable.

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<v Speaker 3>Yes, challenge, what a challenge.

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<v Speaker 1>How did you go about sort of creating that subtlety?

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<v Speaker 1>You know, for us as an audience, we kind of

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<v Speaker 1>it almost gives us a reason to not like you

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<v Speaker 1>in a way so that we can support the fact

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<v Speaker 1>that she is setting back outside the well.

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<v Speaker 2>That was the drawer of the role for me, is

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<v Speaker 2>you know, being able to jump into a character that

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<v Speaker 2>it's not clear whether he's all good or all bad,

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<v Speaker 2>or if we're supposed to like him or not. And

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<v Speaker 2>there's many, many reasons why he's a good fit for Allison,

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<v Speaker 2>you know, like she ended up with him for a reason,

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<v Speaker 2>and you know, to sort of play him in a

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<v Speaker 2>Mastache twieling, you know, villain way would have been like

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<v Speaker 2>ridiculous but also insults you know, Allison Teresa's character because

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<v Speaker 2>we go, well, why would the person that we're rooting for,

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<v Speaker 2>why would she end up with this villain? So what

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<v Speaker 2>was fun for me was to really sort of try

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<v Speaker 2>to be the most likable version of this guy who's

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<v Speaker 2>kind of controlling, you know, like he's certainly problematic in

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<v Speaker 2>his marriage, and there are many clues in between them

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<v Speaker 2>that tell us that she doesn't have a freedom in

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<v Speaker 2>this marriage that she should have. So you know, that

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<v Speaker 2>was really the fun part for me. It was like

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<v Speaker 2>trying to get the audience on my side as much

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<v Speaker 2>as possible to then have them go, oh, I don't

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<v Speaker 2>know how to feel about this guy. So that was

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<v Speaker 2>the game of it.

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<v Speaker 1>Well, congratulations, guys, I have to let you go. This

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<v Speaker 1>show is so great, Like it's so deep, it's so

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<v Speaker 1>rich and I can't wait for people to watch this,

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<v Speaker 1>to enjoy the music, enjoy your performances, and congratulations to

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<v Speaker 1>the three of you.

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<v Speaker 3>Oh thanks, Benjamin