Andrew Scott

What is that?

That means I'm happy in Irish.

Hi, I'm Irish. Hey there, welcome to "Cundra Brian Needs of Friend," joined by Sonom of Sessian, Hello Sonna. Hello. Hi, how are you, Matt? Hi, Doc.

I'll just let it go. Do you guys ever see our videos come up when you're, you know, oh yeah, you see the videos come up of us doing the podcast and I see two when they put out the photo of me with the gas. I'll be with Billie Eilish.

I'll be with, you know, whoever the guest is.

“But I think Billie Eilish came to mind because I was looking at the photograph and my hairs”

insane and I realized that for years and years and years I would do a show and I, you know, run a comb through my hair and kind of, you know, make sure the cloth was working and I don't do that at all with the podcast and sometimes it's insanity. We have a wall out there, pictures of me with different guests and my hair is all over the map.

It really, I mean, it's, it's mood hair, it's just insanity and I don't know, I've got

self-conscious. I think the other day, maybe it was the Billie Eilish photograph popped up on my screen. I, I don't know what's going on up there. I look like Shemp from the three studios. Yeah.

If he were a ginger and then I started to think, you know, do I need to do something about this? Do I need to get it under control? Or is this just what it is now, man? You.

It's podcast, man. What? I have to get make sure my hair looks decent every time we do that. No, you don't. No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

“What I'm saying, Sonya, I wasn't saying your hair looks bad.”

It's just, I don't think you have any control over what's happening on top of your head. I certainly do, sir. What do you mean? I put so much product in my hair and I have to make sure that it's, like, kind of humor.

I'm seeing your hair after it's been treated and cared for. I'm just, and I'm saying this, Sonya, you know this is also a compliment because your hair is powerful. It is the source of your strength. But it is.

I have the most iconic hair on this podcast. I love saying something. Yeah, that's. I know what I mean.

But I mean, you have a abundant luxurious, powerful hair.

It is. And what you did. What do you do to it? Okay, so I get out of that. To make it so angry and crazy.

Do you taunt it? I start off, I put in argon oil to moisturize. It's. Aragon oil. What is that?

It's argon oil. Argon. It's an argon, a gas. It's a gas. No, argon, ARG-A-N.

Oh, okay. Oh, okay. Oh, okay. What is argon oil? It's like, it's like Moroccan oil.

It's like, it's like really nice oil and it moisturizes. You can use it on your skin and then after that, I put in like seven other products. Like I put in a leave-in conditioner, I put in a styling cream. I put in some gel and then I twirl it, then I blow dry it. And then you use a deep fibrillator, clear, bang, clear, bang.

I just, I'm still a hostage and negotiate or go for it. Yeah, but it's been dry lately because I ran out of, I ran out of, I ran out of, oh, wait, you saw that. Huh? What would it be like if you didn't see it?

Oh, it's horrific. Okay. So this stuff is expensive. It is expensive. Yeah.

It's imported. It's expensive. So you have to get it from Morocco. That's the best way to do it. Have you been to Morocco to shop for argon oil?

I have not, but I would love to go and I would go just to shop for argon oil.

“I think if they knew that people in Morocco knew you were coming to get more of their oil,”

I think they would try to keep you from showing up. Because it's just a massive drain on their oil supply. I just picture huge reservoirs of argon oil being poured over your head just to tame your hair for two hours. Well, maybe it'll help your hair, too.

You think I should put argon oil in there? I think yes. Oh, and then slick it and part it down the middle and put on glasses and go, "BOOM." It's a new look. That'll be a big fail file.

Um, yeah, I would, I would love to go to Morocco to just buy some more argon oil. Yeah, okay. Not going to happen. Not on my dime, that's for sure. Hopefully.

Do you direct order it from Morocco? No, but you can only get it because they're, I guess they're just trees that only

And then they, like, cultivate you oil. They're cutting down trees in Morocco to tame your hair. No, they're cutting down forests for it to tame your hair. Forest? Yeah.

That's why there's a desert. It was beautiful. Yeah. No, it was like Ireland there once and so soon I started to try and tame her hair. Oh my god.

It was like the shire. There were monkeys going from tree to tree and then so I was born. Oh man. We need these trees. You thought I've been using it since I was born?

I know. I was an infant putting on argon oil. I think you were born with all that hair. I really do. I don't think you were a bald baby.

I was it. No, I just think so. No, I just think so. I think so. Your hair was born maybe a two months before you came out.

You're my mom was breeding it. Well, she'll be here soon. Yeah, that's right. That's the image I want all of you to have.

“That's how you're actually born with a handle.”

Yeah. When it was dark. It was a ripped cord. A ripped cord. Yeah.

And flu? Wand. Wand. So anyway. That's insanity.

Wait. So you're it's dry now because you're. No argon. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I've read out.

I got to go get some. All right. We got to get to some. All right. Insane.

In just insanity. And one of the most disturbing images out of hundreds and hundreds of episodes we've done. Yes. So in his hair coming out months before she comes out and then her mom combing it and

braiding it before so in his born is freaking me out. I feel like this is the second time he's done it. You've done a whole bit about my birth. We're one time you were talking about my mom crushing me. Do you guys remember?

Yeah, this sounds amazing.

You just kept yelling. I crush you. I crush you.

“Yeah, with her strong pelvic muscles, she was crushing me.”

Don't talk about my muscles. I crush you. Yeah, it was. I don't know why she was crushing you. But I do remember the phrase.

I crush you. You were my mom in apology. No, don't think so. I love your mom. She's fantastic.

Yeah. Because this is like a show expense though. Like based on like the blay way of doing things. Can I use my corporate card to buy? Absolutely not.

No, because that's just going to encourage blade by more, you know, whatever Star Wars Gloves and Iron Man assholes. And then charge us for them. So no. I can't get you in this.

Because you know what you did and it was wrong. And your mother's been advocated as well. No, no. You cannot buy argon oil on our dime. It's not going to happen.

All right. I'll stop you. All right. We've got to get into this.

We have an amazing show today.

My guest today is a fantastic actor who has started in Sherlock, Fleabag. I mean, so much more. I adore this fellow.

“I think he's one of the greatest actors alive.”

I'm serious about that. Now you can see him in the new movie Pressure. I'm just on cloud nine that he's here today. Because I have not met them then. Andrew Scott.

Welcome. You may not be aware that there is a Irish television show that's in Irish language, exclusively, that they make in Ireland. Yes. It's called Rostaneroom.

Rostaneroom. I was on Rostaneroom. I was on Rostaneroom. And then it got canceled. Yeah.

You're here in the last season of Rostaneroom. I was closed on the one that ended it. It was flourishing. But no, I went. I did some taping in Dublin.

I found out there was a possibility I could be on Rostaneroom. I said yes. All my lines are in Irish. What we used to call gay like, but they're all in Irish. So did you have to learn it for that?

Yes. I had to learn it. They had two cards that a horse could read. I mean, literally. It was.

Paul. He. Nah. It's the most insane language. It's completely insane.

And I thought, well, this is going to be cool. And I get there. And I talked to this very cool woman who's the producer. Super efficient, super smart, wicked sense of humor. And I said to her, well, what's my part?

You know, I'm coming in. Am I the dashing? You know, she went. No, you're um, you're an idiot who delivers balloons to the bar. And yeah.

And I said to her, listen, as a joke, I said to her. Listen, there's a good chance that before the day is out, you will fall in love with me. This is what happens when I, when I work with him. And she said, I'll fall in love with you if you get this done in half an hour.

Don't burst the balloon. Yeah. Yeah. And don't touch the balloon. And it occurred to me that I've been to Ireland a number of times.

And what always occurs to me is that my formative experience was performing.

There was a show I did once with a bunch of other Irish comedians.

It shows over with we're at the American Ambassadors residence in Phoenix Park. We get into a cab. The cab driver's funnier than all of us. Yeah. Of course.

And it's just you throw a stick and you will hit 75 of the funniest people you've ever met in your life. And they'll tear your face off. Another vicious. Yeah, vicious. But you grew up in Dublin.

Yeah. Yeah. And my father, my father was from the west of Ireland. Very rural. And my mother was from Northern Ireland.

You confronted your Irishness. Oh, it's like it. I think it increases. I think it increases. You know, I think if you get it.

Because when you're in Ireland, do you just. You don't think about it. But when you're at. If you're an Irish person, I'd side of Ireland. You're much more aware.

“I think of your Irishness than you would be.”

Of course. If you were just surrounded by everybody else. Other babbling. Other babbling people. Mainly depressed, but also you for it.

People. People only think on the do think there is there's a. There's a reliance on storytelling. But you know, babbling and being funny. Because it keeps the people alive.

And it keeps the people alive. So if everybody's emigrated. Yeah. The way you talk about them is you create this stuff about them and you create. You keep them in the room.

Yeah. So I do think. I was just back there filming actually in the right.

For the first time in a long time actually.

And everybody's funny. Yeah. Everybody's funny. It's the language. Yeah.

It's just the use of language. So I need to say this right up front. I intended to say it right up front. But of course, we started talking immediately. But Ross Naroon.

I was running around. It should be the way. Every single podcast in the view I do. Ross Naroon. Ross Naroon.

Sorry to bring Ross Naroon back again. Share was just here. And we talked about Ross Naroon. You know, well, she brought it up. Yeah.

She brought it up. She said, have you ever done Ross Naroon? I said, shut up, share. I am a Andrew. I am a mega fan to a disturbing level.

And I know exactly when it started, which is my. My son really got into the remake of Sherlock Holmes. That's what's been it. It's been it. Can't.

Can't. And by the way, in the States, that's a sobriety test. You don't even have to get out of the car now. They say, who's in the Sherlock Holmes. And if you go, bottom it up.

Thank you. Come on. So Benina Comberbatch as as as Holmes. And then you are his Nemesis Moriarty. And the second you walked on camera was a epic moment for me.

Because and jump in here, if you know, if you. Yeah. This this performance you gave, which has been much discussed. And it really puts you on the map. You are frightening, terrifying, and funny.

And I've always thought all the best villains are charming and funny.

Totally. It's important. Yeah. And you're Moriarty. There's this iconic scene where you walk into that.

There's a swimming pool. And you're being very clever. And you have that beautiful lilt in your voice. And you're very.

“And then at one point you say, I believe the line is you.”

You beat you get enraged and you say to homes. I will burn your heart. Yeah. Yeah. But then you're kind of pleasant again.

And I, I think I, I don't know how many times I've watched that scene. But you are so great in that role. And then these things just came one after another, Fleabag, the hot priest and Fleabag, who was an iconic standout role.

And by the way, if there were five people you'd asked me a month ago, who would you, who would you like to meet that you haven't met? One would be you and the other would be Phoebe Wallabridge.

Ah, who I've never met, who I absolutely adore.

She's keeping us at a distance. Which quite right. Did you mention Ross the Room? I did. Just saying, certainly in the face.

Yes. She apparently was booked then she saw me as the balloon boy. She was in Ross's room. Pop those balloons. Yeah.

And she was out. Yeah. I'm serious. You have to watch it. It's a fright.

Did you arrive at the balloons? The guy at the bar is starts thinking I'm an idiot and calling me an idiot and we get into a dispute. And I'm quickly ejected from the bar. That was my big.

And then was a year and a half ago. I hear, oh, they've come out with a serialized version of Ripley. Yeah.

“That I have watched Ripley, which I believe is how many episodes is it?”

I think it's eight episodes. Eight episodes. I think I've watched it three times. I've only three. Your performance is stunning.

All the performances are great. One of the things I also notice is that you can freeze frame any second. Yes. Yes.

And have that mounted on the wall. Yeah.

“And it's a credible black and white photograph.”

It's maybe I don't, I'm not someone who walks away from a project and says, oh, the cinematography. Yeah. That is one of the most spectacular pieces of television filmmaking. So that got me. Your vania, which is, you play every role.

Which I don't understand. Yeah. There are times I watch people. Usually it's in athletics where I say, well, I'd, that's a different species. But I, I don't know how you did that.

And then I'm delighted that one of my, my best friends in the world, one of my oldest and best

friends, Lisa Cudro, has done this brilliant third version of the comeback.

Yeah. And I don't even know you're in it. And then you walk in as her new very mysterious strange boss. And I thought, okay, all my favorite people are in one project. So Andrew, if I do nothing else, but compliment you in this.

It will be a very boring interview. You're forgetting as a bond villain too. Oh, I know. I know. I left that out just to humiliate you.

He works bond in every house. You do. Well, I mean, you die. Just kick, take it or leave it. No.

No, he's, we will be talking to a historian about the Battle of Gettysburg. And he will say, how do you think James Bond would have done in that situation? You were fantastic. Yeah. Yeah.

So thank you very much. You had this well deserved run, but like all people, you have an origin story. Yeah. And we got to go back to that because you apparently were very shy kid. Yeah, very shy.

Yeah, shy. And you had a pronounced list. Yeah, how the sort of really strong list. Yeah. So I think a lot of kids do.

They sort of grow. It's kind of cute. Yeah. So I went to sort of elicution less than you do. But when I bring up list, is it just come back?

What? What? I don't remember what you were going to say. Save Benedict Cumberbatch right now. But yeah, how to list?

“And so yeah, you have to do this terrible thing called elicution, which is, you know, all”

about your, but it's, it's basically speech and drama. And so the speech part was sort of saltifying with the drama part was suddenly I was able to be kind of not shy and do all these kind of weird things. And then I kind of love TV. And oh, all kinds of stuff.

And so what were you watching on TV? Like just like the Muppet Show? Was there nothing, you know? Not just exclusively the Muppet Show. To this day.

To this day.

You've never seen anything.

You watched all the Muppet Show. And then you did Vanya. All the words. But the Muppet Show is extraordinary, right? Did you see the Germans in documentary?

Yeah, because we had Ron Howard in movies. Yeah. Yeah, for that. I mean, I got to know the man a little bit. Did you read it in another lifetime?

Yeah. I was wearing this. He was a Muppet. Yeah, I was a Muppet. [LAUGHTER]

I'm related to the eagle. [LAUGHTER] No. Very good friend of mine from college was Lisa Hansen. And her dad used to come and visit us.

And then we, he was very nice to meet. And then one day, because I ran the college. She re magazine. And he said, hey, Conan, do you want one of the chairs from the dark crystal for the Lampune building?

And I said, well, sure. And he said, well, come down and pick it up. And so we rented a van. And my friend's Jessica Marshall and Mark Ganimanai jumped in a van.

And I'd never done anything like this.

I drove from Boston to New York. Oh, come on. We went to this warehouse. And they said, you know, guy with this cigar, I was like, you have the dark crystal crown. Yes, I am.

And it's still there to this day. Yeah, amazing. It's just incredible, man. Just what he would have done. That's what I was watching this thing.

“I guess that's what I like, even as a kid.”

You're sort of fully formed, I think. You know what I mean? Yeah. Yeah. When you're doing all that stuff when I was a kid, you just sort of know.

You become maybe more accomplished. But all the stuff is there with you, with you. I think when you're at your zone, I think it's something that he really recognizes being out because he understands that sort of, you know, something I talk about endlessly in acting,

which is by playfulness is not really really required to be. It's just to be like, I'll do that later. Sure. You know what I mean? Then you, you just slot yourself into different sort of scenarios,

and different sort of towns of drama or comedy, whatever it is. And you are very artistic. Yeah. So you're drawing painting, what are you doing? Drawing a lot, lots of life drawing.

My mother was in our teacher. And yeah, just just drawing all the time. It's something that I'm still really interested in. Yeah. So that was kind of, kind of, you know what?

Weird thing where you, you get terrible. Partying anxiety amongst you got the party grow. Yeah. Yeah. And so the drawing is a wave.

Your team would be. Yeah. Yeah. Creepy. I'll be there in a minute.

I just have to draw you. Still, everyone stays still. You said something. It really struck a nerve with me, which is, we come fully formed. Yeah.

That's something that my father used to say to us. He used to say, all of you are who you were when I brought you home from the hospital. Yeah. That's what he said. Meaning when you, it's like buying a phone that already has the software.

Yeah. All that stuff. And you know, parents really like to think, I'm mold the child. And I create the child and they get very, you get to school about it.

And it's always been clear to me that they are who they are.

They come. What you can do is you can, you can fuck it up. Yeah. But, and you can also nurture. And I'm still deciding which way to go.

Yeah. My kids. Yeah. They got her in. I'm my time is precious.

But you know, that's, but you can fuck up the software completely. Yeah. You go like, if you have this very sad idea of what something wants to be.

“You know, somebody, I think that's what my parents were both very good at.”

Actually, but no, because the, the three, there's got two sisters. My older sister Sarah is very sporty and my younger sister. And it's very artistic when it's sort of slightly different way to the way. The way I was artistic. And they were both very good at going.

Okay. Well, you do that. And I think some of the real damage you can do is by going, I don't know. Making your iPhone though. Some phone.

[laughter] Nicely done. No, work. Nicely done. Not very nice.

Very nice. Nicely done. Right?

Because you just secured a deal with Apple.

Although I've already secured it. That's why I'm pretty. [laughter] Damn you, that's what you paused before you said that. You had to get it the right order.

Damn. Get it right. Get it right. That's a lot of writing on this. Well, let me just say that Haynes underwear, I think.

It's the best underwear.

“Because that's the only deal I could get.”

[laughter] Mr. iPhone over here. Mr. Ali, check that out. I'm wearing six layers. Oh, you wearing hands?

Hey. Hey. Let's be honest. I would kill for Haynes deal. I'd take anything at this point.

Haynes is American, right? It's Haynes-- I don't really have Haynes. I only wear a mask in underwear. It's something that I'm very patriotic.

[laughter] I check people's underwear. Concealing. Just to make sure they're patriots. These colors don't roll.

Yeah, exactly. North Carolina. That's right. Thanks for that info. You got it.

North Carolina. Thank you. Thank you. Eduardo. Did you do it on your iPhone?

[laughter] So you grow up. You're working on the LXC. Honestly, that. Yeah.

You never grew up. But also, I love that you said about play. Because that's all any of this is for sure. And I constantly remind people that I have-- You take me at 12 years old.

And what I'm doing now is certain things that have been articulated and developed. It's the same thing. Yeah. I'm just-- I love to play.

Yeah. And I will play with anybody. Yeah. Someone on the street will talk to me. And if they're funny, I'll spend 20 minutes with them.

Yeah, yeah. It's just the same thing. Yeah. And it's a love of play. Yeah.

Which we then get very high-faluten. Yeah. You become fun. And it's extremely impressive. And it takes this amazing town in discipline.

You're still playing. And you absolutely are. I hate the idea of high-art and low-art. I really do. I think it's nonsense. Yeah.

And actually, all the people who were, you know, like with Shakespeare and you

those people, like Shakespeare, I always feel as being sort of hijacked by academics.

Yeah. Yeah. And anybody, you know, I always find that because the very-- Because we used to do when I was a kid. We used to do these.

We used to get to do Shakespeare in these little Irish competitions, you know, like just extract from Shakespeare. So you do 10 minutes of it. And you sort of-- I don't know.

You just understood it in a way. I didn't understand all the words. But then I take what happens with some of those big guys. Is that if they're 250 books written about how to speak the language of

“Michael Patrick King and Lisa Cudrose come back, right?”

It would drown. It would kill it. There isn't a way of doing it. There isn't a way of doing it. And so what I think happens with sort of some of those with theatre

particulars, there's this idea that it's that you're not-- Not everybody is possessed of the thing that an actor needs to possess. It's just to my mind, just playfulness. The stuff that I love to do is to be able to just do lots of all the different stuff.

Well, it's also seeing that, yes, I love Shakespeare. But I also love the Muppet Show. Yeah. That I love some of the more refined cinema. But I cut my teeth on Warner Brothers cartoons.

Yeah. The timing, the characters, the kinds of attitudes that people are playing. And I think there's no difference between a great Warner Brothers cartoon. And I really good Shakespeare song it. It's exactly the same thing.

And actually he even says it in Hamlet.

“He says he literally is a thing about how you should speak the language”

or so extraordinary. He just says, "Just speak it tripping in the tongue and stop shouting at him, stop doing it all that kind of stuff." So I think because I started and I didn't train formally, I kind of have to put your dukes up a little bit about it.

Not the way I'm talking about it. But the way I suppose not to let my access to whatever I do for a living to be influenced too much by the seriousness with which other people talk.

I always think the word calcify.

Yeah, right. Things harden. Someone starts using a bunch of $50 words describing your process and what you do. They're not doing you any favors.

Absolutely. You know, and it's nice that they see all that in your work, but it's best that you not know about it. And because you want access to anything that's going to make you enjoy be spontaneous, see a possibility and I don't ever think it. I think it's so true and you just keep that alive and the longer you work.

You know, because you're not really supposed to play as an adult. Do you know what I mean? You're supposed to know which is like the opposite of playing. You're supposed to have to know the answer. Any of the great adults I think are the ones are like,

"I don't know. Let's keep learning." Because it'll be really boring at this stage. I mean, I'm nearly 30 years acting professionally. I want to keep being like, you know, isn't this cool? Isn't this cool?

Isn't this cool? I get to do this. Yes, exactly. I'm also not to be sort of false in the sense that you go. I don't know anything, but you can still know things.

You can still go. I mean, you know, you definitely have instincts. But actually it's having more confidence in your instincts. When you're doing like it, when you're hanging out with kids and they're playing, watching them play is amazing. They're not thinking if we're going to do it.

They'll just go, okay, you be the thing. You be the thing. You start with a mom to this moment because she was an art teacher. She was an incredible teacher, my mom. She used to teach people how to draw.

And she said, when you when you when you people start to draw, they immediately start, you know, drawing like the most tentative line possible, because they don't want to make them a state.

“Yes, and so the best thing you can always do when you're starting to draw is just,”

it's to be sort of loud confidence and wrong. So start with a really strong line. And even if that line is completely wrong and you've drawn over the line, you know, you've drawn over that line. It'll actually still be there.

But the people appreciate the mistake. So yeah, you start with a bit of confidence. You know, the way kids do that. And you can redraw. You just, but don't not draw.

But also, I mean, I did this kind of comedy for whatever almost 30 years on television, you know, where people come on. I interviewed them and didn't, didn't, and there's a band. And I would pray for mistakes because mistakes were such gifts.

Yeah. And then you get to a point where you're like, oh my, you know, here, someone will miss speak. I'll miss speak. I'll try to say Benedict Cumberbatch.

It doesn't come out right. We then get off on a jag if you acknowledge it. And then it becomes about drunk driving and then it becomes. Yeah. And then it gets called back when we're talking about it.

That's the joy of it. And people know instinctively as you know from, from doing theater so much of your life. There's something about audiences where they know the truth.

I always think that about making mistakes in the theater,

but people worry about forgetting lines. Mm-hmm. There's no better atmosphere. There's no more attentive atmosphere. Then when you think somebody is made of steak,

the whole audiences like, oh my god, something's happening here above. Right. And the actor's fear is that, oh my god, everybody's going to think I'm terrible person.

“But actually, what I think the audiences feel is,”

it reminds them that they remembered while the other audience. Yeah. You know me. Yeah.

That's really true. You know what I mean? Yeah. You know what I mean? Oh god, this is this is sort of life.

So it's kind of all right. And once you get over that idea, we're making a mistake. You know, like, the weird stuff that happens makes it, you know, makes the day the day, you know what I mean? Yeah.

I always think it's weird as well.

Do you like, in comedy, do you feel like you guys dissect the audience as much as we do in the theater? Yeah. Oh, you do.

Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I would be, and we'll get to this, because, you know, we'll be talking about this a little later in the interview, but it's like the way a meteorologist dissects a weather system.

It's pretty good. It's pretty good. Now, I felt like they were,

“and then you get to be like someone who studied wine all their life,”

and you just sip some wine. Instead of being like, oh my god, I love this is a great. I'm here in Tuscany. I just have a great sip of, you know, of Pinot noir.

Instead you're like, yeah, because the audience funny, first came out, they were, you know, you know, as soon as there was enthusiasm, but it's kind of a froth. It's not now.

Then I would say on the upper right hand that I couldn't get them. There was sort of a tentativeness, but then I felt like there were little judgeman on it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, and you're like shot.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Do the thing. Just do the thing. It's like when you go and see somebody in a play, it's a lesson I learned really, really on.

When I was a really young, I started at the Abbey Theatre when I was about 19 or 20. And exactly that, someone had come to see the play. And they were like, oh my god, I love, and I was like, oh, we just couldn't get this laugh that we've got.

You know, the thing, you know, we should've been in last night with the audiences and incredible. And this, I didn't bring any time to say down to that. Don't, don't, don't, don't do that. Because they don't, they don't notice.

I don't understand that. It's not that it didn't happen.

“It probably was a greater show last night.”

But like, cares. And when you're in the audience and you're laughing at something, you're not thinking. But what's the person in the park? It was laughing as much.

You don't really care. You don't even know where it is. The biggest mistake of thousands and thousands of interviews in front of audiences that I've done was a guest would come out. And they would start, you know, talking and saying some of their stories.

And then they would say, oh, I'm sorry. And this is boring. I'm sorry. Yeah. And you could feel the audience leave.

Yeah.

You know, always thinking to myself,

if it's such a rookie mistake, don't tell them they're getting a bad show. Yeah. And also, in terms of etiquette, after someone's seen you do a show, they don't want to hear you go, I know. I just don't like it.

No. They saw you do what you had today. You totally agree. I mean, sometimes they love it. They're just not demonstrative.

I mean, we have this. We have this culture now of everybody standing up. Everybody stands for it's too much. Sorry. No, no, no, no.

No, no, no, no. It's not the elevations. You cannot go to anything without being a stuntman. You were seriously ever seen everybody's stuntman. And also, you go to any daytime,

and also late night show, and everybody stands up for everything. Like, you're going to watch a cooking segment. Yeah. And one of the, and everyone stands, you know,

I think, huh. Well, you know, it used to be that an actor could be in the theater or performer could perform most of their life and get one standing ovation and boy to that means something.

Yeah, that's something. Yeah. Because it's a thing. Because it's completely without meaning. When you're on the stage,

I say this. And then you're like, It's not fucker in the fucking fourth row. It's not something. Because when everyone's standing

and one person isn't. Yeah. It's not me. But I sort of admire it. I sort of admired.

Because it doesn't mean they hate this. No. It just means. It just means. They, they just didn't want to stand up.

Yeah, it's hired. Yeah, it's hired. They're drunk. Yeah. I have got so used to standing ovation.

I'm sorry. I just have. They want someone's not standing sometimes. I'd be raped them. Yeah.

That's super fun. I'm like, sorry. I have no legs. Well, that's awkward. Well, you could still lift him.

Someone don't even have to get him to the hospital. You could have come with a lift. I could have come with a lift. I could have if you enjoyed it. But you didn't care enough.

To hire someone. So you're struggling all these things when you're a kid.

Because I'm always interested in this part.

Because it's fascinating to me. I do think that turbulence and anxiety and some level of some of that stuff just has to be part of the stew. Yeah. Like it or not grow. Oh, yeah.

Yeah. For sure. Yeah. I don't think you kind of really have the other stuff with the other stuff. Yeah.

You know, it's not. It's supposed to sensitivity as the word. Yeah. You've got to be. You can't have one with that the other.

So I suppose I'm pretty. What is it? Ten skinned. I do think Irish people are pretty sensitive as well. Oh, yeah.

Not a me. I think so. It's soft towards it. I think it's in the culture.

“I think it allows the people to be so brutal because you know it's both.”

Yeah. That's that.

It's always all the things.

All the things are both. Yeah. And I don't think it's. I mean, speaking for myself, I'm incredibly thin skinned. And then I can be Viking.

I have both in me. Yeah. But and it's hard to reconcile them both. But that's what it is. It's exactly what it is.

And it's sort of it's like what you were saying about. I think there's something when you're become well known.

which is still incredibly important to me. And so that's one of the things that I think would fright me is not having that access to. To just talking to people every day. I think it's interesting to think it's an awful thing to just be so sort of successful.

“Or so recognizable that you have to be in this sort of present the whole time.”

Yeah. So not to be able to get out and go have a laugh with people. And that's why I sort of hate it's funny that you're saying that as well. But when people say, oh, this is boring. Like when you talk to people and they say, oh, I don't have it.

Interesting a job is you. Yeah. You think I bet you do. Yeah. And then, you know, maybe not as interesting a job, so to speak.

But people always have a story that they kind of want to tell.

And so being able to have the access to those people and to for them to feel like. So what do you do? And then people tell you incredible things. And that's the stuff that I that I I love. And I don't know if that's about being Irish or whether that's just being interested in people or whatever.

But um, or if it's doing with being artistic. I don't know what it is. Yeah. But you know that that's that's the that I think is the thing that you want to. I would be very, very lost with Irish.

That's why I mean, you've you've had all this success movies and television.

“And I read that you make a real point of doing theater regularly.”

You love, I mean, this is something we have in common. I love being in a theater. I also love sort of nothing in an old theater if you know what I'm saying. This is extraordinary moment. I want to see the amazing Mark Robinson in Jerusalem.

And it does this extraordinary theatrical sort of tricky dead. Trying to think if there's something here too. So he had a fight for him. Yeah. So he was playing a giant was by giants sort of about folklore.

Yeah. And then somebody had a lighter and he was telling the story about a giant talking to a child. And to make this sort of this theatrical sort of gesture. He put this cigarette lighter down on the ground. Like like here.

Yeah. Put it down here. Like on the ground. I'm like sort of stood it up. He spoke down to this.

I say you're at lighter. The cigarette lighter. And so you immediately in this in the business of the world court theater. You immediately had this sense of scale. Yeah.

Yeah. That's just, that's got nothing to do with CGI or, you know, so much. I'll never watch this. And he's a real pen watcher. And I know you love to watch the pen.

Yeah. Yeah. Every time I see him he's running away. But yeah. That's just that sort of stuff.

And the audience go, no, it's amazing how when you see someone come up with something.

Like that in a moment. And you realize it's all, the tools change, but the task doesn't sell. You know, you've got, now we have AI and CGI and super computers. And you can create all these effects. And you can put it in the round.

You can do all these things. But basically you're getting the same effect as Markle Rowland's putting a pen cap on the floor. You know, a lighter and standing there in that moment. You know, you can delight the human brain with the old ways as well as with the new. It's the same thing.

It's not true. Because the audience are going, this is what I find so moving.

“I never don't find it moving, which I think is why I love the theater.”

It's that adults are going into a theater. Willfully. And there are people who are turning off the lights. And somebody is telling them a sort of lie that they know is a lie. A story.

And they're saying, tell me, tell me a story. So the liveness, the mistakes and the humanity of it is the thing that really really delights the audience. Of course, visual effects.

I mean, all that stuff is amazing too.

But it separates the audience a little bit from the performer. Whereas if someone said, I could do that with a pen. If I just had access to my imagination. Yeah. So it actually bonds the performer and the audience member.

Whereas if you've got too much stuff, they think about that. That's not something that's anything to do with me. That's just something that I can be impressed by. But not necessarily connected to. I don't know.

It's a, it's a, so the grand scheme of a big theater juxtaposed. Was that just a one tiny human performer. It's sort of beautiful to me as well. You know what I mean? Yeah.

You will keep getting these opportunities to do movies and all kinds of projects you want. But I love that you're saying, yeah. This is what I need. Yeah. I need this.

I need to be in these live productions because that's just, it's like touching home base. You've got it. Especially what it is. And when we did Vania, you know, that one of the beautiful things about that was because that's, you know, check off.

And very serious high art. And check off is so funny. Like genuinely so funny. It's a kind of ridiculous idea that you, that, and it started as a mistake was this,

And I was reading it with the director and the, um, the, um, with the writer. And we sort of allocated the parts. And we were just reading it because obviously it's going to play one part. And we were like, oh, which part might it be? And we were sort of playing, the three of us were playing with the roles.

And we sort of miss allocated the roles. So I ended up sort of going away. Oh, I don't know. I was like, okay. I'll just, I'll just act just to get, just to hear it.

I'll just act with myself. And it was so weird because it was two, the two characters in the play that were, proclaimed that they were the most opposite to each other. And so it seemed completely absurd that they were, this person was, and anyway, that was kind of interesting.

And then we were like, oh, maybe we could do it with two people.

“And maybe actually why don't you try with one person?”

Maybe the whole thing sort of always went reluctant because I thought,

it does not just seem like, let me do it. Sort of. Yeah, let me do it. I think the exact quote, the exact quote because I chopped a someone who was there was, I got this.

That's my deal. That's what I'm saying. I don't remember. You tried to, like, let us all today and do this a little bit. I do.

Yeah. I did try to, and I still think I could do it all. I'm learning about the electronics. I think electronics. Electronics.

Electronics. I know you have here. Electronics. Electronics. Electronics over there.

No. I think that's proof. I know what I'm talking about it. Yeah. But, yeah, like, well, that's stuff.

So you see, so, you know, to do that. Anyway, so why am I telling you this? No, because your, your time but how it all be expanded to you playing all these roles. Yeah, so then you do what you do all those things.

“So anyway, I did all the ended up playing all the parts and like, how do you do it?”

How do you, how do you make the audience feel? Number one that they understand it. But also, how do you teach an audience about? And we have this really fun moment at the beginning because I really wanted the audience to sort of not feel like, okay, we're watching check off.

Like, this is what we need to. Yeah. Yeah. Because people are like, what do I need to know? I mean, I, I don't, is it, it's Russian and I worthy of this.

Yeah. So we did this thing where I came out and I came out and the audience was like, why the fuck is this going? Well, it's this going to be like, it's going to play all the part. So we did this sort of fun thing. It was such a good thing to do where I sort of turned off the house, okay,

and I turned off the, has this a bit of trick. Yeah. We turned off the house lights. So they go, okay. Oh, and darkness now.

And then I just turned the back on. I just turned the back on. And I looked at them and they're like, oh, I can see you. You can see me. This is a bit weird.

And they're already laughing before they share before they know. You told them, let's, don't worry to worry. It's crazy. Yeah. We're going to have fun.

Yeah. It's fun. I like to see you. You can see me doing like this. Well, I love fucking that.

But alongside something that's just like, I have a great masterpiece.

Here's what fascinate me is if you, if you're playing that many roles,

and you go up on a line, can you ask one of your other selves? I'm going to apologize. Can I? Can I apologize? Or do you ever say, I can't work with this again?

Yeah.

“To know what's so, what are the great, there was actually nearly the best thing about it.”

Is if you do go up on a line, it was blessed. You just make it all up. You just go, okay, I fucked up it up. Okay, well, I'm just going to keep talking. Because I'm really, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not having messed anybody up.

And then I'll ask a question that is in the script. And I'll make that person answer in order to go back to our post. [LAUGHTER] [LAUGHTER] It's done great.

That's great. That's great. That's great. You don't have other actors around you going. What?

Yeah. I want to talk about this again, interesting process now, where you've made a movie. And I was told I could access this movie. I could watch it yesterday. And they said, you know, it's this whole system now.

It used to be, they just give you a, you know, you've seen something or a screener. And they said, here's this system and this code. And then you're going to get this number and you know, you're calling different people. Because I don't know much about electronics. [LAUGHTER]

But I don't know nothing about the movie. Yeah, really. I just know it's called pressure. Yeah. And I will watch you read the dictionary.

So it's like, Andrew Scott pressure. I'm in.

So finally the movie start.

I don't know anything about it. And I realize, oh, it's about World War II. And it's about the build up to D-Day. And then I realize your character's on screen. And he's being called you this very important job.

And I realize, wait a minute, because I'm a history buff. I think I know about this. Oh my gosh. I knew about it, which is, you know, the allies are going to launch the D-Day invasion to try and save Europe. They've got the largest Armada in the history of civilization.

Wait, are you just saying you know about D-Day? [LAUGHTER] Yes, I think it must be good. And that's the end of the interview. [LAUGHTER]

I know two things. Electronics and D-Day. No, but I know that what I was aware of was that what's the thing that's perilous that they really need to know, which is invasions over water are almost impossible. They usually fail.

They only work when the conditions are right. But it's 1944.

They need to know the weather's going to be OK.

And Churchill says there's this one guy who I think is a genius who could do it. And they bring Captain James Stag and I'm like, I actually know this story. Not as, I didn't know enough about it. I kind of knew about it.

“And that's what this movie is about, which is a great story to tell.”

Yes. It's really a great story to tell. It's a really interesting story. It sounds kind of weird because it's a movie about the weather. Yeah.

Coming soon with Anthony You. Guys talk about the weather in a room. Oh, I'm throwing this salad. [LAUGHTER] It sounds maybe sound.

But yeah, it is a quite weird thing. But the weather comes into our lives. People think what a preposterous thing to, you don't have a movie about. Because it's sort of like a movie about the weather. What it's also kind of preposterous to sort of not have a movie about the weather.

Do you know what I mean? It influences every day. You know what we wear, where we go, where we're going to have our kids birthday party, where we're going to go on our holidays. It's sort of changed my attitude towards the weather.

But of course they would be thinking, OK, well, if we have to land on the beaches and Normandy, we need to know that these kids are not going to be drowned immediately. They're going to be able to land safely. So they need somebody to say, this is what it's going to be like. Don't go on that day, because then you'll surprise them.

That would be a good day to go. That's they'll see it coming on a mobile line. So they had this very particular day that they wanted to do it. And this guy, very, very resolute kind of man, stood up. He was a real hero and he was like, no, no, you're not going on that day.

And they were like, we are going on that day.

“That's the thing that movie gets really, I think, right, the enormous pressure.”

Yeah, the huge thing. This isn't just, should we do the podcast today, or should we move it to tomorrow? Yeah, it's close to that.

Second, the pressure is similar.

But you don't, you have an Andrew, you have no idea what I do with the end of day out. I am Eisenhower. Oh, my God. Yeah. And I need the decision today.

Let's proceed with Andrew Scott. And the 40-minute shot. And that go ball. And go. And fail.

The body is everywhere. No, but, you know, it was, it's this huge decision. And it really does come down to the entire unified allied command, looking at this one guy and saying, well, we need to go and we need to go now. And it's all set.

And just all we need is you're okay. And he says, can't give it to you. Yeah, I won't give it to you. I can't deny why I'm telling you. So who's this extraordinary, he's sort of, he's not,

not a particularly affable person. So it's kind of cinematic characters that aren't necessarily nice, but are good. Yeah. You know, he's a very good man.

And he's doing the right thing. But he is not a people, please. Oh, it's not. And I'm fast because I'm, I just, I spend so much of my life making, trying to make sure everyone in the room is okay.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And so I'm fascinated by people who just don't give a shit. Yeah. Just don't. He's here.

What are you doing? No pleasant. Yeah, yeah. People go to shake your hand. There's not time for that.

Well, I mean, it's great.

“I think because I'm a little bit similar to you as well.”

I think that's a game part of the Irish. We're both great actors. I didn't catch you though. Have you seen Myvanya? Did you see Anders Scott just said we're very similar?

Hello? Is this wrong with this? It turned out. Yeah. You've got a lying down ovation.

People try to actually find lower ground when I finish a play. They went to Death Valley at the basement here. [LAUGHTER] It's incredible. I hear drilling often when I--

But no, but what I loved about it was it's historically-- It's a true story. It really happened. It's something no one's going to talk about. And people know the 1D Day story, which I understand.

You were a very small part of "Saving Private Ryan." Tiny was not like a red one of your early things. Yeah. They shot that in the side of Art and uncorco region. So basically, it's nothing.

The Tom Hanks rolled over me and I'm like, "My fur, please!" [LAUGHTER] What was your line? My line was, "Nobody's where there's a post!" Oh, God.

That's the-- That's the way it looks very well. I know that line. Oh, yeah. That's crazy.

Nobody's where they're supposed to be, but your head gets blown off. I don't think people cared enough to-- To know if my hair got blown off. My head got blown off.

I was just-- I was always saying, "I was the guy in green."

[LAUGHTER] Oh, God. But your character, you did manage to shout. And it actually made it into the setting private Ryan. Yeah.

The weather is key. More on that later. You'll see. You'll see. You'll see.

You'll see. The Hanks comes back and he shoots you. And you're an American.

No, it's-- I was thrilled.

It was like-- I knew nothing. Yeah, it's an interesting story. And then I'm like, oh, this is great. Yeah, this is really great. Yeah.

And a terrific cast. Yeah, really good. Yeah, Brenna Fraser and Chris Messina.

“Can we come and tell me in those great people?”

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

I Damien Lewis says, is it-- he's sentry the eighth, I believe.

He's sentry the eighth. He's sentry the eighth in-- Yeah, more full. More full. Yeah, yeah.

He's so good in there. Oh, he gets great. Oh, yeah. He's so good in there. Oh, he gets great.

Oh, yeah. Yeah. And smile. Yeah.

It's like all those characters.

“I'd always think that's what you want as an actor as you want.”

Whatever you're presenting to be the opposite of what you're feeling. Yeah. Sometimes, you know, man, they're the ones that, you know, whether it's-- Somebody who's-- a cold heart is, you know, probably-- Could be benign or the opposite.

Well, you have people expect you to kind of walk into room. Sometimes it'd be a little bit more sinister, because you're so proud. Yeah. For sure.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I don't mind that. Yeah.

You're-- you're-- you're-- your waiter comes right away. [LAUGHTER] My waiter's-- don't. You're like-- that idiot can be killed alone. Um, well, this has been an absolute thrill for me.

Uh, and, like I say, if you bump into Fibuola Bridge anytime soon, please tell her-- Oh, my list is gone. My-- my list is almost down to no one at this point, but she's on it.

Okay. But up to today, it was the two of you. Oh, well. And so this is a bucket list a moment for me. I hope you'll come back anytime I'd love to come back. Yeah, just and and trust me. I'm gonna get you my clip from not from Ross and a run. Maybe we can find it you found it you found it

“This is just a photo. Well, that's just a photo. Well, I love you. Look here. That's how they dressed me”

That's what happens when a hero returns to his country. You came in off the street with that Red Bull. We have the clip if you want to put on your headphones You'll listen to he thought he was an actor We go. There we go lots of balloons small doorway Good y'all

Do you wish That's a y'all we're gonna chill. Yeah balloons your to watch how do you get come in this girl? Quigayuro Did a fad deal how could I make you a COD cash on delivery and your suckering tada flumps So p m t home alone suck on the veil I'm gonna get on that balloon. I bet you don't miss a tada con the trash and this my fair crocklet and balloons in it is I get y'all Y'all have mong don't let him break in the floor. I'm gonna kick you

You're on the top of your mouth They she mil they just went out of their way and God bless him. Yeah, cuz no one deserves it more than I do But There was no way to be cool in that sea And yeah, I remember I remember saying like what if you know Colin Ferrell showed up

She'd be like well, we'd you know we'd make him the love interest We're not getting him some fucking balloons You know, but yeah, I was Is Irish how was this absolutely beautiful I can't thank you enough just a joy to be with you today

Hey, let's start a segment I thought that I knew everything about you Conan. I discovered back in December That there's a way to distract you from anything is that true? It's true. This is you're being real I'm being real. This is real. This is the real me. Okay, and that is to put you in front of a TV and turn on the hallmark channel Wait, where were we when this happened in New York? That's right. It was December. So it was like the Christmas hallmark movies Hmm, I have to say I am powerless around a hallmark movie. I don't know what it is

But I start watching them and then I love to call out what people are gonna say

I call out lines like now get back here young man and then the person will say now get back here young man and it's it's thrilling I mean it's the same high that a gambler and Vegas would get on really. Yes. I get very excited and we were going somewhere Like there was a car picking us up, but we couldn't leave until we found out if this woman quit her job as a lawyer to go

Build ice sculptures. Yes, well first of all

We didn't wait to find out what was going to happen. That's true. We knew what was going to happen

“The uptight lawyer is gonna realize that the most exciting thing in her life is making ice sculptures with this guy”

At Christmas time in their little Christmas village and I knew that was going to happen But I had to see it happen. Yeah, it's one of those things where you know I have to see that happen. Yeah, and um, and I love how there's no jeopardy She her mom runs the law firm. I love how this is coming back to me incident Oh my god, I'm not kidding. Like I didn't know you were gonna bring this up

Her mom runs the law firm and she's dreading telling her mother her mother She's saying of course and you're gonna take over the law firm because that's what and then she's loving making this ice sculpture with this guy Which I think is a loser thing to do and anyway, I'm sorry. He just burned a lot of ice sculptors This isn't like Timmy Shalame with the ballet. I went very specific with ice sculptors If you've got a problem with ice sculptor people

Yeah, I said ice sculptorists by the way. That was really embarrassing. Can we edit that? No, I want to do it I want it ice sculptors ice sculptors ice sculptors Anyway She has to go to her mom and you think oh, this is gonna be the real tension in the show She goes to her mom and says I just want to make ice sculpture

I don't really and she said this is the line I called out. She said but it was always your dream to be a lawyer

And I shattered out no mom. It was your dream and she went no mom. It was your dream and I It was an erotic high for me. Oh, I swear to god I had to go and shower myself off after that I was I needed it was in the room. It was in the room and he saw me go Konname the whole HR, but it was just homework. We were the only person who does it was happening

It was she said but that was always your dream honey and I shouted no mom. It was your dream and she said no mom It was your dream Scrubs scrub scrub Scrubs scrub and then we were on to our Negation, but I needed to see that happen. Yeah, and you've texted son and I before I can't remember what movie it was but you were like I thought commercial for a movie on lifetime

I need the lifetime app

“Oh, yeah, I do remember that. Oh, yeah, I do remember that. Oh, I need my fix”

So I'm just I find it to be endlessly fascinating. I really enjoy it. It calms me down It it I just I'm so happy. They have a formula and it's clearly working

It is so precise and they never vary from it someone's uptight someone's in touch with themselves

Uptight person. They don't get along. I mean whatever. We've seen a million times They always live in Christmas town, USA. I know. It's a little too g rated for me. I've evolved now. What about this? What if they could make and this is something we have a production company Maybe we could get into this a homework show that has all of those hits all of those Points and it's very much like that, but the sex is really down in dirt I mean you see everything a slam it a slam it a slam it a slam it a

That's the lab at us. We have it. You see it all so it's like I didn't know you like making ice sculptures I do make like ice sculptures. You seem kind of up tight before. Well, I'm not up tight now Yeah, it's all like double on tundra titles like Christmas came early and then her name That's great. So no, he was ready to go He had that right away in there. It was already in there. I do think these would do well

Bummerk. Yeah, yeah ball mark ball mark. Like ball. Yeah. Yeah ball you get bald ball mark ball. No, no, no Please blaze Okay, I taste something this is really some this area. This is not something you jumped in Literally you were just watching. She who are just watching Venus Williams play tennis and you jumped in with a racket Sonna on her sonna does this you sometimes it's not so like instead of ball mark. I just say bone mark

“But it's not that good. No, no, no, you get the point. No, the thing is but what about this idea? Be serious for a second an idea where you it is?”

Very g rated very it's the same thing the people are all and then but when it comes to the moment where they start to kiss and you just cut to a curtain Oh, yeah, you cut to the curtain blowing but then you pan back and they are both naked and I mean it

Chamada, bamada, lamada, and it just goes on for like 15 20 minutes. Oh my God. Yeah, and then they're back to well

“I think you know, we got a new someone helping us out at the kuku club store”

I thought you were in uptight corporate lawyer. I was But man we just went at it and then you pan to the curtain or you can to the kuku club And then you pan back and everyone the store is doing it. Oh my God. Yeah 19 people yeah

The guy that runs the kuku clock store the people buying kuku clocks the guys that make them

They're all naked bang and a hang on a wagon a bang on it

“What channel will this go? Oh, we don't go on any channel that wants to make money”

Any channel would want this like pay for Netflix would take this with no Netflix. I don't think it's like straight up pornography Yeah, yeah, what do you mean? It's very and would say Netflix would definitely do it

I don't know who does soft core because I've seen what's happened. Oh, you're a guy to be like full penetration

We want hey, don't be gross No, no, no, I mean I want it to be very very You know like you just want butts no

“What are you talking about no a gray area when we start showing things? Yes. Well, I don't know”

I were just wondering because that could be covered up with things could be covered up with Christmas snow What I'm saying is I want to see no seriously I want people going at it hardcore and then oh look Some icicles formed near where the penis could be or this is snow or Ola reindeer wandered in and it's It's feeding off some acorns right near their crutches This is a show. This is a format. This is a lot of money. Get on it. Get on it

This is our idea. Don't try and steal it. He's out to pop Conan O'Brien needs a friend with Conan O'Brien Sonom of Sessian and Mac poorly Produced by me Mac poorly executive produced by Adam Sachs Jeff Ross and Nick Leow theme song by the white stripes Incidental music by Jimmy Vavino take it away Jimmy

Our supervising producer is Aaron Blair and our associate talent producer is Jennifer Samples Engineering in mixing by Eduardo Perez and Brendan Burns additional production support by Mars Melnick talent Booking by Paula Davis Gina Batista and Britcon you can rate and review this show on Apple podcasts And you might find your review read on a future episode got a question for Conan call the team cocoa hotline at 669 5872847 and leave a message it too could be featured on a future episode

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