00:00When I did my audition for Star Wars, I did about 16 different takes.
00:04I kept sending them in to the director, made the mistake of giving me his email.
00:07I'm an obsessive guy, and my auditions are bad.
00:10Nice to see you.
00:11I hear you, right? You too, man. Love this outfit.
00:13Thank you. Everyone's calm. I don't normally dress up. I'm normally just in my jeans and a t-shirt.
00:17That's great. Amazing outfit, mate.
00:19I got the memo from Riz that we need to go for a little bit of, you know, red today.
00:22Is that the memo you've been sending out?
00:24I told everyone to pop it.
00:25Sorry, you kind of got it with the sunglasses.
00:27You know, I try, but it's just a high, like, tiredness, bro.
00:31He's doing good job.
00:31He's doing his job, mate.
00:32He's doing his job. He's doing his job.
00:33He's doing his job.
00:34It's so nice to do these when the show is good.
00:37Like, what a great show.
00:39Funny, poignant, everything.
00:40Like, it's got it all.
00:41You both have a go at doing your best Bond, I feel, in this.
00:46Like, even you girls, like, you on the carpet doing it.
00:48Did you guys practice that?
00:50You're like, do I look cool?
00:51Were you in the mirror being like...
00:52I think the chances of looking cool next to guys can't are very low.
00:57Wow.
00:59And that can go either for two reasons.
01:00Either because he looks so incredibly cool that you can't look cool next to him,
01:04or because he looks like such a melon, he's going to make you.
01:07So there's no, you know, it's out of your hands.
01:09If you're next to guys, it's really on him which way it's going to go.
01:12It can go either way, really.
01:14Do you feel cool next to Riz?
01:16Do you know what?
01:16I don't even think about the word cool, you know?
01:21I just be coming out my house in the morning and how my daddy looks
01:25and how my hair is being styled on any random school run
01:28or taking my children to disciplinary meetings.
01:31That's happened a lot of late.
01:32You know, you look how you look, bro, innit?
01:34Do you know what I mean?
01:37That speaks to the difference between his character Zulfi
01:40and my character Shah.
01:41Zulfi is someone who's at peace with himself, at ease with himself,
01:44to some extent.
01:45It's not like he doesn't have some deeper issues which come out,
01:47but he's not trying to be anyone else.
01:49Whereas Shah is trying to be not just someone else,
01:52not just anyone else, but James Bond.
01:54And I think that speaks to this deficit, he feels, of worth and self-love,
02:00on the one hand.
02:01On the other hand, is a totally legitimate, incredible, bold ambition.
02:08So, you know, the show deals with that nuance of like,
02:12is chasing a dream an amazing, ambitious, cool thing to do
02:15or actually you're just running away from yourself?
02:17And it's unclear, actually.
02:19It's a bit of both, for sure.
02:20I love how deep you got with that.
02:21You put so much thought into it.
02:22You know, he's deep, he's deep.
02:24One minute we're talking about Greg's and then...
02:26I just haven't slept.
02:26I haven't slept and anything's possible.
02:28Yeah.
02:29Obviously, it all starts with this audition for Bond.
02:33And I know, Riz, I think you've said before, like,
02:34life is just one big audition anyway.
02:37But I am curious to know whether you guys have had any auditions
02:41where you're like,
02:42God, I really hope that never comes to the light of day or...
02:46So many auditions that are terrible, yeah.
02:49I remember, I've spoken about it before,
02:50my Slumdog Millionaire audition was so bad.
02:53I accidentally...
02:54It was playing for the brother.
02:57And Danny Boyle very kindly said,
02:59you can do what you want.
03:00You can put your hands on me, whatever.
03:01He's an aggressive character.
03:02And I just remember kind of blanking out.
03:04I don't remember anything.
03:05And then I came back to my senses
03:08and I've got Danny Boyle up against the wall
03:09and I've ripped his shirt open and the buttons have popped off.
03:11Swear it down.
03:12And he's just like,
03:13okay, thanks a lot, Riz.
03:14Thanks for coming in.
03:15I was like, obviously I didn't get the role,
03:16which was the right decision.
03:18I do love Danny.
03:20And, yeah, things like that.
03:22I mean, when I did my audition for Star Wars,
03:24I did about 16 different takes.
03:26I kept sending them in to the director,
03:27made the mistake of giving me his email.
03:29I'm an obsessive guy and my auditions are bad,
03:33which is why I built the show,
03:34because I didn't have to audition for it.
03:35That's the best way.
03:36You see, this is the fundamental difference
03:38between me and Riz.
03:3916.
03:40He loves it.
03:41I just want to say a percentage,
03:42I think of 98% of all auditions
03:46that I've ever engaged in,
03:48spoken about or turned up to,
03:50you get none.
03:51So there's a 2% hit rate here, my friend.
03:53Okay.
03:53There's a 98% chance that someone's going to say,
03:56Daffaho, get out.
03:56Off you go, pal.
03:572% chance you get the job.
03:59So just to anybody out there
04:00who's an aspiring performer,
04:01who gets disheartened
04:02that out of 10 auditions they've done,
04:04they haven't got any.
04:05Don't worry about it, blood.
04:06We've been getting told,
04:07go away all the time.
04:08So don't stress.
04:09It's this kind of game, innit?
04:10You've got to develop thick skin,
04:12you know,
04:12or just internalize it
04:13and hate yourself for the rest of your life.
04:15Absolutely.
04:15That's what I do about everything.
04:17It's just the best way.
04:18Just get through life like that.
04:19I can relate.
04:19Absolutely.
04:20Did he make your audition for this role?
04:22No.
04:23He told me,
04:23we've got the role in the back streets of Los Angeles.
04:27He said,
04:27I've written this role for you.
04:28We were.
04:28You guys had just performed in LA.
04:30He came off stage
04:31and I was like,
04:31I've written this TV show
04:33and one of the main characters is,
04:36I've written for you.
04:37Yeah.
04:38So you have to do that.
04:39Of course I'm screwed.
04:40Yes.
04:40And this is how it comes officially.
04:41You know, sometimes,
04:42if the geezer's created the show tells you,
04:44look,
04:45I've written this role for you.
04:46If somebody does then fancy screen test,
04:48you should be like,
04:49look, speak to the guy who wrote it, innit?
04:51I don't know,
04:52while we're screen testing for here,
04:53he wrote it in his Chinese bed.
04:55I'm the guy for the role.
04:56Do you understand what I'm saying?
04:57You were the guy for the role.
04:58There you go.
04:59Absolutely.
05:00I was so pleasantly surprised to see Sir Patrick.
05:03Well, not to hear Pat.
05:05You can't talk about it,
05:06but Sir Patrick Stewart is in the show.
05:08Right?
05:08The one and only Sir Patrick Stewart.
05:11Did he take any convincing to be part of this?
05:14I've got to be honest with you.
05:15I still don't know why he did it.
05:17I'm waiting for his agent to email me any minute and go,
05:20what have we done?
05:21Why do we do this?
05:23The role that he plays is unlike any role
05:25you've ever seen him play before.
05:27And I actually asked him this,
05:28you know, directing him.
05:30I kind of said,
05:31can I ask you,
05:32what drew you to this?
05:34And he went,
05:34do you know,
05:35I've never read anything like this in my life.
05:40Ever.
05:41I've done a lot of work.
05:42And I was just like,
05:44that is the greatest compliment I could ever have.
05:46Because one thing we wanted to do is said,
05:48let's take a big swing.
05:49Let's make something unique.
05:51That's it.
05:51Some people will love it.
05:53Some people will feel it's not for them.
05:54The feedback we've been getting is overwhelmingly positive.
05:57But we wanted to make something that's just got its own unique vibe,
06:02identity, feeling, music, pace, concept.
06:06And he really responded to that.
06:08And the character that he plays is,
06:11I can't spoil it,
06:12but it's a very central and important character
06:15and a very unusual.
06:18Has he heard your impression of him?
06:20He hasn't.
06:21He hasn't.
06:22I hope he never does.
06:23He will now.
06:23I would always worry about that.
06:25Yeah.
06:26This legendary uncle might back out his project.
06:28But he's got,
06:28I think he's got enough clout
06:29to ask Amazon to remove his scenes, bro.
06:32Just got to be careful with his stuff.
06:34Would you replace him if...
06:36Nah, you can't follow Uncs, man.
06:37You can't follow.
06:37Uncs is a serious guy.
06:39You could do the voice, I'm sure.
06:40Come on.
06:40I mean, technically he could do the voice.
06:42Do you know what I mean?
06:43So it should be okay.
06:44But you don't want to...
06:45Don't vex him up, bro.
06:46Okay, sorry.
06:47I'm sorry.
06:48Like you guys have said though,
06:49it's been overwhelmingly positive.
06:51So I don't need to wish you luck with it
06:53because I think it will do incredibly.
06:55But good luck with it.
06:56Thank you so much.
06:57Thank you very much, mate.
06:57Appreciate you taking the time.
06:59Thank you for coming out, mate.
06:59What a nice to meet you.
07:00Yeah, pledge to meet you.
07:00Thank you. All the best.
07:02Have a great day. See ya.
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