On this week’s show (19th January), Graham welcomes great Irish actors Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal, stage and screen star Da’Vine Joy Randolph, star of Vera and Peaky Blinders Kingsley Ben-Adir, and Indie rock band The Last Dinner Party.
Andrew, talking about the critically acclaimed fantasy romance All of Us Strangers, in which he stars with Paul, says, “It is a hard film to talk about because it sounds nuts, but it is beautiful and very emotional. There is a coming out story within it and its about how to love and how to love with courage. It has really been embraced by so many people. To see the film is to love the film and we are very proud of it.”
Talking about the very intimate scenes and asked if their families have seen the film yet, Paul says, “With the Irish premiere, trying to allocate tickets to all the aunties and uncles is a tricky business. They have seen my bum before but there is a little more going on in this movie I would say!”
Andrew adds, “I don’t want to be there when my parents watch it!”
Paul, asked about the upcoming movie Gladiator 2, says, “I finished filming yesterday and survived. It’s done. I am not allowed to say anything, but it will be out at thanksgiving this year.”
Andrew, talking about recently playing eight different roles in the one-man version of Vanya, says, “It’s good because if you mess up there is no one to upset and Chekov is dead, but it was really weird, you miss the other actors, and it’s lonely.”
Da’Vine, talking about her role in Alexander Payne’s new comedy The Holdovers, says, “I’m from Philadelphia and have spent a lot of time in New York so I had to have a dialect coach. I had to work on it to find not only a Boston accent, but one of the 60s and 70s, and then that of an African American. It was hard so I listened to a lot of interviews, in particular those of Donna Summer.”
Asked about the upcoming series of Only Murders in the Building, and working with Meryl Streep, she says, “When I found out she was going to be in it I begged and was like, ‘Please god I want just one scene with her,’ and it happened. I get to arrest her! She is so amazing.”
Kingsley, talking about taking the lead in new biopic Bob Marley: One Love, and asked about singing in the movie, says, “The plan was always for it to be his voice, but I took singing lessons so I could understand him and what it is like to sing. By the time we got to the acoustic sessions parts of the songs are me and I wasn’t butchering them terribly!”
Talking more about the film, he says, “I didn’t know much about his story, so I talked to a lot of his friends and family. He was such an icon and a hero, but I wanted to find out who he was as a man and as a father. On the first day of filming all those people were behind the camera. I was so scared.”
Revealing that he prepped for the role while on the set of Barbie, he says, “I had just eight weeks to prepare so I bought a guitar and did loads of research. I set up my ‘Bob station’ just behind where Ryan Gosling yells out ‘Sublime.’”
The Last Dinner Party perform Nothing Matters live in the studio before Abigail and Emily join Graham for a chat.
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 19th January 10.40pm. Also available on BBC iPlayer.
Next week (26th January) Graham’s guests include Bradley Cooper, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Bryce Dallas Howard, Daniel Kaluuya, and Kevin Bridges.
Picture: So Television
