This week Graham Norton welcomes The Crown star Claire Foy, Hollywood actor Sarah Michelle Gellar, The Sixth Sense director and writer M. Night Shyamalan, top comic Rob Beckett, and Brit and Oscar-winning singer-songwriter Sam Smith.
Claire, talking about her Oscar-nominated film Women Talking, and asked if she will be going to the Academy Awards, she says, “I don’t know. There are 12 of us in the cast so it depends on who they pick to go with them. It’s my child’s birthday that day so I probably shouldn’t go. Either way I’ll have a great time!”
Asked about playing a member of the Mennonite community, she says, “We had no hair and makeup at all and wore polyester dresses so what got us through filming was the thought of a party at the end when we could wear makeup and shave our legs. I thought not worrying about shaving would be a real moment of empowerment but actually it was horrible and reminded me of puberty!”
Talking about playing the young Elizabeth II in flashback scenes in the latest series of The Crown, she says, “I went back and did it again because it is a lovely thing to do and I really love Imelda (Staunton), I think she is amazing.”
Sarah, talking about her new supernatural show Wolf Pack, and asked if she hesitated before saying yes to another teen drama, says, “I had no intention of reading it, but then we got deeper in the conversation around mental health, which is very timely. The werewolves are a metaphor for teenage anxiety.”
Asked about being an executive producer on the series, she says, “It is important to me to be able to protect the material and, more than that, I can protect the cast. I came up in Hollywood at a time when it was difficult for young actors. It’s still not perfect but I can help create a safe work environment.”
Talking about Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which ended two decades ago, she says, “People love to remind me that it is 20 years. I love that people still reference it, but I don’t need the actual date and passage of time so people realise how old I am!”
Night, talking about his new psychological horror film Knock at the Cabin, and asked how he makes his films so scary, he says, “I break down the psychology of what is happening and look at new and fresh ways to tell that story – I try to do something a little different and really interesting. I like entertaining people.”
Talking about never being able to watch a movie without assessing it from a director’s point of view, he says, “It’s a real issue in our house. My family won’t let me watch things with them because I will wince or have involuntary feelings. It is hell for them!”
Asked if his parents have ever been impressed with his career, he says, “My whole family are doctors so there was sadness and resistance. When I told them Bill Clinton had invited me to The White House for dinner, my mother said, ‘Maybe something good will come from this!’”
Rob, talking about his tour Parenting Hell Live, he says, “Putting it on in arenas is a bit scary but Josh (Widdicombe) and I love the interaction with a live audience. It is the best of the podcast but making the most of being in a big room with so many people.”
Asked if there will be an end point for the podcast as his children get older, he jokes, “I plan to go on until they go to university, then tap out for a while and then start up again when I am a grandparent!”
Sam joins Graham for a chat before performing their single I’m Not Here to Make Friends live in the studio.
Talking about their new album Gloria, Sam says, “Gloria is a state of mind, a spirit. I think it is my mother’s voice that is in my body at all times telling me what to do. It’s a word that has weight to it and symbolises the last few years for me.”
Asked about their response to the upcoming Brit Awards and its all-male nominated Artist of the Year category, Sam says, “For me music is all about people coming together and I always want it to be more inclusive – that was my aim always.”
And finally, Graham pulls the lever on more foolhardy audience members brave enough sit in the world-famous red chair to tell their funniest stories.
The Graham Norton Show, BBC One, Friday 27th January 10.40pm. Also available on BBC iPlayer.
Next week (3rd February) Graham’s guests include Michelle Yeoh, Austin Butler, Jack Lowden, Ashley Banjo, and Mimi Webb,
Picture: So Television
