00:03I'm Oliver Trevina in studio with The Hollywood Reporter, joined by my fellow Brit, Tom Ellis.
00:08Hello mate. How are you? This is nice. It's very professional.
00:11It's very professional. Fancy meeting you here.
00:13Fancy seeing you here. Just by coincidence, Tom just stopped into the studio and I was like,
00:17Hey, do you want to do an interview? And the rest will be history. There you go.
00:21I have to say, quite the devil, aren't you?
00:23Oh, you do have to say that.
00:25I couldn't resist. I was thinking about it all day and I was like, should I? Shouldn't I?
00:28I should.
00:29I think most people do go with some kind of devilish pun at the start of an interview.
00:33Well my mum, is that an English thing? Because all she used to say is, you little devil.
00:36You little devil, speak of the devil. It's quite funny actually, since doing the show,
00:40a lot of the sort of Britishisms that are to do with bloody hell, which is like a staple in
00:46the show now,
00:47was something that just came out of me sort of experimenting during the pilot.
00:50Right, there you go.
00:50And just chucking stuff in that was like hell-related but British.
00:54It's hell-related but in England it's normal.
00:56It's just normal stuff.
00:56Yeah, which is very worrying, very worrying.
01:00But yeah, season three, 24 episodes coming to an end.
01:03Yeah.
01:04Yeah, everyone's kind of talking about it.
01:06Yeah, man.
01:07Yeah, no, it's been, I mean, gosh even getting this far in the process, I've done a few things
01:12where like I've done a season over here or done pilots for stuff that's never been picked up.
01:17Getting to like season three, it's a bit kind of like, how did that happen?
01:21Right.
01:21But it's been so much fun.
01:24I mean, it looks like it's fun.
01:25It really is.
01:26I mean, I suppose like when I was like choosing what I wanted to do and parts and stuff like
01:32that,
01:32when the idea of doing something like this, which could potentially go for a long time came up,
01:37I thought, well, it's got to be really a part that I love doing.
01:40Right.
01:40And I found it.
01:42There you go.
01:42I feel very lucky.
01:43It suits you.
01:44It really does suit you.
01:45It's weirdly like a glove.
01:46It's got a bit of depth and a few layers to him.
01:48Yeah.
01:48And it is.
01:49And it sort of, the thing that I really loved about it in the first place is that it was
01:52funny
01:52and anyone that knows me knows that I, you know, I love comedy and I've worked a lot in comedy
01:56in the UK.
01:57Right.
01:58You can't stop cracking jokes.
02:00There was a few just before we started.
02:00It's very annoying.
02:01I know.
02:02I've got sort of like, I've got like dad joke Tourette's.
02:05Right, right.
02:05Yeah.
02:05Where it just sort of comes out.
02:06Yeah.
02:07But yeah.
02:07No, I, and that's sort of something very, that I think I felt like I didn't want to step too
02:13far away from comedy,
02:14but if I could incorporate drama.
02:15Anyway, this job Lucifer came along and it was like, oh my gosh, I get to do all of it.
02:18Right.
02:19And sing a bit as well.
02:20So there we go.
02:20There you go.
02:21Yeah.
02:21What more can you want?
02:22What more can you want?
02:24And obviously Lieutenant Pierce, we've just, well, we now know is Cain.
02:27So you guys have this kind of bromance.
02:29We do.
02:29Cain from the Bible, Cain.
02:30Yeah.
02:31The world's first murderer.
02:32Indeed.
02:34So we've got Tom Welling who joined our cast this year and his, you know, he, we think
02:39that he is this Lieutenant Pierce, this new Lieutenant.
02:42And then slowly in the first half of the season, it becomes apparent that he may not be all
02:45he seems.
02:46Well, he's talking about his dead brother.
02:48And then he realised he killed his brother and it was Abel.
02:50Exactly.
02:50And Lucifer twigs on this and then forges a sort of unholy alliance with him.
02:55Because he realises that Cain's biggest desire is to die.
02:59Right.
02:59And Lucifer's biggest desire is to piss his dad off, basically.
03:02And it's his dad that sort of cursed Cain.
03:04So he's like, well, I'll tell you what, I won't tell anyone if you let me kill you.
03:09Right.
03:09So that becomes the plan.
03:10And so we...
03:11Good bargaining.
03:12Yeah.
03:12So Lucifer, there's a whole episode where Lucifer's trying to work out how to do it.
03:17Because Cain has tried everything possible to kill himself.
03:20Right, right, right.
03:21And then the episode coming up this week is one where it's...
03:26Lucifer's like, he's got like writer's block, basically.
03:28Right, right.
03:29And then at the end of the episode, he finally gets his idea on how he's going to kill Cain.
03:34Which we find an episode, the one after this, which is one of my favorite...
03:38So you're not going to tell us.
03:38I can't tell you too much.
03:39You can't tell us too much.
03:40But it's a really good episode.
03:41It is a show full of twists.
03:43I think that's obviously...
03:44Well, that's why it's season three, episode 24 and it may keep on going.
03:49Yeah.
03:50Because of the twists and stuff.
03:51Keep on guessing.
03:52We've had the same writing staff since day one and I think it really tells because they
03:56really...
03:57They love the characters.
03:58Right.
03:58As we do, the actors love the characters and all of us love working on the show and
04:03playing around with these dynamics.
04:06And it's just...
04:07The writing...
04:08I always look forward to picking up the next script.
04:10Right, right.
04:10Like, for example, last night I read the penultimate episode of this season.
04:15Okay.
04:15And I was crying at the end of it.
04:18And...
04:18There's a little clue.
04:19Yeah.
04:19Not because it's a really bad episode.
04:21He's dead.
04:21He's off the show.
04:23Tommy's now unemployed.
04:24I've just realized...
04:25You just gave it away.
04:26They are killing me off.
04:28But no, it's...
04:30And we're all involved like that.
04:31Right, right.
04:32And I want it to be good.
04:34I want the show to be good.
04:35And the writers have never let us down.
04:36It's been great.
04:38It's amazing.
04:38Do you know...
04:39Is there any info that's been given on season four?
04:42Too early?
04:43We don't know yet.
04:44We are waiting to find out.
04:45Right.
04:46But yeah, it's...
04:48We hope it will be coming out next year.
04:50Because the show seems to have gathered quite a bit of momentum.
04:52Okay.
04:53If you could have fun with it, and you could just for a...
04:55I guess just for giggles, write your own season four.
04:58Or would you like to see have them with Lucifer?
05:01Um...
05:02Oh gosh.
05:02I mean, I love the show when it goes a bit darker.
05:05Right.
05:05And it's a fine line.
05:07Because I think, you know, the show is obviously...
05:10There's lots of murders in it.
05:12Quite a few.
05:13Investigating murders every week.
05:14Yeah.
05:15But when the show sort of explores the darkness of LA and LA nightlife, that coupled with
05:21the sort of bright humour of the show, I think that's when it really zings.
05:25So, to maybe take a few more chances on the darkness of the show next year would be
05:29quite fun.
05:30I think if there was like stats out for any show ever made with that amount of murders
05:34and that amount of laughs to go with it.
05:36I know.
05:37It's true, isn't it?
05:37I think Lucifer's winning.
05:38It is funny.
05:38Because the two don't really normally go together.
05:40We call Lauren German one a week decca.
05:42Yeah.
05:42There you go.
05:43Because she sells one a week.
05:44There you go.
05:45There you go.
05:45Love that.
05:45Love that.
05:46The show obviously, you know, when it's going this many seasons and stuff, you have so
05:50many guest stars.
05:50Yeah.
05:51If you could have anyone guest star on the show.
05:53Ooh.
05:54Anyone at all.
05:55Anyone.
05:55Anyone at all.
05:56This is Hollywood, Tom.
05:57You can have anyone.
05:58I love Tom Hanks.
05:59I grew up loving Tom Hanks and I still love Tom Hanks.
06:02In a very healthy way.
06:04That's good to know.
06:05Good to know.
06:05But I think someone like Tom Hanks.
06:06You might want to stop sitting outside his door.
06:08Tom called here earlier and asked us if we could just mention it.
06:11Yeah, no that is true.
06:13Yeah.
06:13But I think someone like him, because I think he's, what I love about his acting is that
06:18he seems, there's an inner child in him.
06:21And he seems to like find the fun in most things.
06:24Right, right.
06:24And I think people that come on our show that embrace that.
06:27Like Patrick Fabian.
06:28Right, right, right.
06:28That was our guest that we had on recently.
06:30He was fantastic and he just got the show.
06:33And you know, I just want people to come on and have fun.
06:35Right.
06:35Because that's basically.
06:36That's basically you.
06:37Yeah, it's basically me.
06:39But like it is really good fun acting.
06:41Yeah, yeah.
06:41And like working on a TV show should be fun.
06:43And certainly when we're dealing with the material we're dealing with, there's no reason we shouldn't be.
06:47Right.
06:47As long as it doesn't get too bit like self-congratulatory.
06:51But you know, it's.
06:52You can do a little bit of that at a time.
06:53It's fun.
06:53Like take yourself, take the work seriously but don't take yourself too seriously and that's
06:57the best way to go into it.
06:58Okay.
06:59Love that.
06:59Favourite Tom Hanks movie?
07:01Now you've mentioned that.
07:01Probably, probably big.
07:03Because it's, you know, it's just like a seminal kind of movie in my life.
07:07There's so many though.
07:07And I want that apartment.
07:08I've always wanted that apartment.
07:10You can get it now.
07:11Surely.
07:12Not quite yet.
07:12If it goes season four you can.
07:14Season four.
07:14If it goes season four you can.
07:16Is it weird when someone, I always think this, you know, you're in and around Hollywood and you're
07:19with actor friends and someone suddenly approach and be like, that's Superman.
07:23Or anything.
07:24When suddenly you're called the Devil.
07:27Do you get used to that?
07:28Have you gotten used to it?
07:30I think the weirdest one for me was when the show had just come out and I was, we used
07:36to shoot in Vancouver for the first two years and I was travelling back to Canada and the
07:41TSA guy, you know, the burly kind of big scary American TSA people.
07:47That really don't want to let you in.
07:47Yeah, don't want to let you in.
07:49He was like, look to me and then he gave me a double look and then like there's a row
07:52of people behind me and he just goes, you're a Lucifer man.
07:55And I was like, I am.
07:57And then I had to turn to the people behind me and go, but I'm not.
07:59Just to sort of like clarify that.
08:01Just before.
08:01And you were leaving and getting on a flight.
08:03So that's really the last person you want to get on a flight.
08:05Exactly.
08:06But yeah, no, I've kind of gotten used to it now.
08:08But yeah, it is strange.
08:09It was strange when it first started happening.
08:11Love that.
08:12Love that.
08:13We're going to, quick questions here.
08:14THR's top five.
08:16Oh, really easy.
08:16Really easy.
08:19Movie you watched as a kid that you wished you were in.
08:22Mary Poppins.
08:24As Mary?
08:25As Bert.
08:27Honestly, that is an honest answer.
08:29I'm obsessed about that movie.
08:31The new one's coming out, isn't it?
08:32Yeah.
08:33Yes.
08:34Emily Blunt.
08:35Which is a sequel.
08:36It's not a remake.
08:37Is that right?
08:38Is that how it's going?
08:39I think that's what they've talked about.
08:41I'm referring to people off camera who have no idea either.
08:44Mary's not here.
08:45We won't look at Mary.
08:45I'm dubious about it.
08:46It's such a kind of huge movie in my life.
08:48So anyway.
08:49We'll see how that goes.
08:50You're obviously British and living in LA.
08:52One thing you miss most about home?
08:56Architecture.
08:56Okay.
08:57And one thing, the thing that you love most about LA?
09:00The climate.
09:03Fairly obvious.
09:03Is that a standard answer for a British?
09:05It's actually not.
09:06But it's a safe one.
09:08Do you have a favourite movie line?
09:10A favourite movie line?
09:13Probably, where are we going?
09:14We don't need roads.
09:17It's a good one.
09:18It's a good one.
09:19Actors who inspired you growing up?
09:22Well, Tom Hanks obviously.
09:23Kenneth Branagh.
09:25When I was kind of like at school and struggling with the concept of Shakespeare and understanding it.
09:30And then I watched his Much Ado About Nothing.
09:32Right.
09:32And I just thought it was like brilliant.
09:34Right.
09:35Now we get it.
09:35Now I get it.
09:36And now that's how you speak it and infuse it with kind of feeling.
09:38And now I get it.
09:39And it was kind of like a huge light bulb moment for me.
09:42And there's a British actor called Mark Rylance who is the best actor you will ever see on stage.
09:48Yeah.
09:48Without a doubt.
09:49Amazing.
09:50They were good ones.
09:51That was strong.
09:51Thanks, man.
09:51That was strong.
09:52Thanks.
09:52Real strong.
09:53One lesson you've learned during your career in Hollywood that comes to mind.
09:58I think like literally, and this might sound cliche, but the more you put into it, the more you get
10:03out of it.
10:03Okay.
10:04And I think when I first started coming out here and auditioning and stuff, I'd sort of worked at home
10:08for a while and there was a, I had to get rid of this sort of chip on my shoulder
10:12about the fact that why can't people see that I've worked before rather than just think I'm just, you know.
10:17Right, right.
10:17Like you have to earn your stripes again basically.
10:20And rather than resent that, I kind of, a friend of mine and I was sitting talking one night and
10:25he'd been successful out here and he said, look, why don't you stay up till three in the morning learning
10:30lines for your audition and working on every single thing and whatever.
10:34Why go out with people at nine o'clock in the evening for dinner, you know, and just spend an
10:38hour on it before you do it.
10:39It's like, why not give yourself the best possible chance?
10:42Because that, if you come out of an audition room going, I couldn't have done a better job, then you've
10:46done the best audition you can do.
10:49What more do you need?
10:50What more advice do you need?
10:51It's great.
10:52From Lucifer as well.
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