On the latest show Graham welcomes Oscar-nominated actors Michelle Yeoh and Austin Butler, Scottish actor Jack Lowden, dancer Ashley Banjo, and Brit-nominated singer songwriter Mimi Webb.
Michelle talking about Everything Everywhere All at Once, says, “It is almost impossible to describe. Beyond the wackiness, the core of the story is about family. I love that an ordinary ageing immigrant mother and wife is allowed to be a superhero. It has resonated with so many people of different generations. It’s a little movie with a big heart.”
Asked if the success of the new film has changed the rest of her career, she says, “I hope it will give me more challenges and a lot more things to look forward to.”
Revealing why she would not be played off stage during the Golden Globes, she says, “They tried didn’t they. Come on, this is the first time I got a nomination and won. I worked for 40 years for it, so nobody was getting me off that stage! I was like, ‘Back off, I’m taking all this in.’”
Austin, talking about starring in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis, and his Oscar nomination, says, “It has been a whirlwind and it’s amazing because when you are making a film you never really know how it will be received. With this one there were so many ways it could go wrong so to be received in the way it has means the world to me.”
Talking about working with Tom Hanks, who plays Elvis’s legendary manager Colonel Parker, Austin says, “I had no idea what it was going to be like meeting someone you have admired for so long. You hope they would be warm to you, but you never really know. He is such a master of his craft, and I was intimidated, but the first time I met him he gave me the biggest bear hug and joked about how nervous he was. When I said I was terrified, he said ‘And, nobody knows what Colonel Parker sounds like, but everyone knows what Elvis sounds like!’”
Explaining why he still sounds a little like Elvis, he says, “I am getting rid of the accent, but I have probably damaged my vocal cords with all that singing. One song took 40 takes!”
Jack, talking about new BBC series The Gold, based on the 1983 Brink’s-Mat robbery, and playing infamous criminal Kenneth Noye, says, “It is really about why greed it so powerful rather than the robbery itself.”
Asked about the success of Slow Horse, he says, “There are a lot more books so there is the potential for a lot more series.”
Talking about how the scripts scared him, he says, “There was a specific phrase use to describe what would be expected of me which was ‘to vault’. My character never just ran or jumped, he vaulted. I got rather terrified by that so whenever I was out walking, I would double check everyone was out the way and then I’d vault over fences and back again until I was happy with it. There was also a lot of running and I was told very quickly that mine was below par and too expressive!”
Ashley talking about Supernova, his new Diversity tour, and asked if there is a theme to the show, says, “No, not really. It’s a bit loose at the moment but after 14 years it feels like a new era, so the focus is on change. It is a big transitional period so the show will be special.”
Austin gives Ashley a lesson in Elvis’s iconic sidewinder dance move.
Mimi performs her current single Red Flags, live in the studio before joining Graham for a chat.
Asked if she is looking forward to the Brits, she says, “I am so excited because I’ve never been before. I am a bit nervous about what to wear!”
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 3rd February 10.40pm. Also available on BBC iPlayer.
Next week (10th February) Graham’s guests include Salma Hayek Pinault, Julianne Moore, Johannes Radebe, and Shania Twain.
Picture: Remarkable Television
