00:00 Then, star of two of my favourite things ever on British television, Coupling and The Hollow
00:04 Crown which couldn't be more different in terms of content but a couple of absolute
00:08 bangers.
00:09 So in my view, you've mastered television, especially in this country, but it's a whole
00:15 different ballgame stepping on a set of this magnitude with a director of such iconic status,
00:22 with a lead star of such iconic status.
00:24 How daunting is that for a seasoned actor such as yourself?
00:28 Really daunting, I was pretty starstruck, I was very, very nervous.
00:31 But the great thing about both of those two people is they make you feel so welcome and
00:39 so part of the process.
00:41 They make you feel like you have something to contribute to this piece of work.
00:46 From day one I absolutely loved it and I felt right at home.
00:49 Never stopped feeling nervous, never stopped feeling the pressure, but they were so great
00:56 at enabling you to do what you can do, to bring what you can to the part and to the
01:02 whole project.
01:03 I always wonder about the methodology on sets like this because for a fan of British TV
01:08 there are so many fantastic performers and actors in this set.
01:12 You've seen over the last 20 years give belt-in performances in all sorts of different kinds
01:18 of productions.
01:19 But then you think, if you step onto a set like that with all that kind of talent and
01:22 knowing the kind of work they've done, not just the people like Joaquin in there, everyone
01:27 must have their own ways of working.
01:28 Does that ever play on your mind?
01:31 I quite like that, I like different approaches.
01:34 I love the way Joaquin worked and I love the way Ridley worked.
01:39 The way the shots were set up was brilliantly structured.
01:43 Everybody in every department on this movie was at the top of their game.
01:48 So when Ridley shouted 'action', the concentration was incredible, but also the kind of ability,
01:56 the playfulness of it, the looseness almost within each take was so fantastic and so creative.
02:04 No matter the size of their reputation and the greatness of that reputation, they were
02:12 all just there to do the job, to just do the work.
02:15 And that is what was so great about this show, and Joaquin leading the film, and Vanessa
02:21 Kirby too.
02:22 They're great, great actors, but they're really great people at the same time.
02:27 They're very grounded, they're very ordinary, but they have this great talent that they
02:32 share with you on set every day.
02:33 It was a joy.
02:34 There's a lot of surprising humour that comes out of the film, which kind of gives the impression
02:39 that it's a film that's been made with joy and love, despite how iconic and huge.
02:45 Absolutely, yeah.
02:46 Joaquin's got a great sense of humour, it's very mischievous, and I think Ridley had too.
02:54 I think that in a way enables them to bear the pressure of the project in a way.
02:59 They have great dedication and application to this job, but they've got a kind of swagger
03:05 to them both that really drives through.
03:08 Yeah, I'm glad it's funny as well as epic and tragic.
03:13 And before they drag you away, of course, The Crown is coming to an end.
03:18 You're re-teaming up with Vanessa in this.
03:20 That must have been great to see each other again.
03:22 How do you guys feel about something like this?
03:24 It's been such a big part of your lives and careers in recent years, kind of having a
03:28 line drawn under it at long last.
03:30 Sad, but I'm so proud to have been part of it, and so proud to have been involved at
03:35 the genesis of it really, when Vanessa and I were shooting season one and everyone was
03:40 saying 'is this going to be okay?
03:42 It's going to be alright, isn't it?'
03:44 And luckily it turned out well, and yeah, it's a real landmark for me.
03:51 I'm so proud of it.
03:54 As you said, it was great to see Vanessa on this.
03:57 There's going to be a big finale quite soon, I think, in the South Bank for the final season
04:02 of The Crown.
04:03 So I'm hoping to see people there.
04:05 Yeah, it's great for me. It's really great.
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