"Taron Egerton"

26:04And then, of course, there are days where not even because something bad's happened in your life. There are days where you just, you know, I think there are days where I find it much harder. And the common denominator is, and I think what people don't always realize about, you know, people in our position is normally the days where you feel less good about being available to the public are days where you feel terrible about yourself. There are days where your relationship to self is so weak, whether it's because I listened to one of your episodes the other day, Sean, you know, you said that you'd eaten, I don't know, some mac and cheese at 11 p.m.

26:37at night. You're going to have to narrow down the episode. but the guy the guy who wakes up the next day is not going to be as good at being the guy to take selfies as the guy who's just done 10 weeks eating chicken broccoli and rice and is kind of you know ready to go you know that's that's my experience of the world anyway so yeah yeah in answer to your question jason i find it at times i love it if i feel psychologically emotionally robust enough to be available for people. I'm great at it, but it chops and changes. Where did you have to be, and you probably still, it's an ongoing thing, are you helpful to your family and your friends, like where you are right now?

27:19You can't just like slide into Wales, you know, fresh off the set down in Australia and expect everyone to be as kind of easy with the light switch as you are. Like, you have to help them kind of intellectualize what's happened to their dear Taryn as well, right? Like, now you're known all over the world, and you've got all this money and all of this access. And so, I mean, there's a bit of a responsibility on your end to make them comfortable with it too, question? Well, I think I'm lucky. I'm from a well-adjusted, you know, my family are well-adjusted and cool, and I think we're very empathetic and understanding.

27:57So they really see, I feel very seen very clearly by my family and by the people who are important to me in my life. And I guess I feel like, I guess I feel like, I don't know. Sorry, I got distracted because I don't know if that was mine. It was like a getaway car. It was like some sort of souped up engine. Mr. Hayes? And, you know, to that point, Jason, it's easy to kind of lament the drawbacks of being famous or noteworthy, but it's fucking, it's awesome to be successful. It's awesome to do what you love. It's awesome to be involved in telling stories and to have the money. It's also really weird.

28:35And it's okay to say. It's very weird. And I don't know if you guys have done this. I've quite literally, and I'm sure members of my family are listening sisters and or mom or whatever, and where I've had moments where I've said, hey, I'm really sorry that I put you in this position. I didn't do it on purpose, but I'm... You find yourself almost apologizing. Well, sure, because everyone's involved. I mean, you know, Willie, you walk down the street with your kids and a photographer gets up in your face, you kind of know how to flow with it, but maybe your kids aren't even thinking about the fact that their dad is famous and that's like weird.

29:12Can I tell you something funny that Abel, my 14-year-old who's a really funny kid, said the other day we were talking about another friend of all of ours who's very well-known globally and he was talking about them and he said, oh man, thank God we're not that famous.

29:27And what I found... And Will started drinking again. What I found really funny about it was A, but like his sort of perception of where everything was on a scale and B, the we're of it all. Yeah.

29:43It's a circus group. I love that. Wait, so go back. Go ahead. No, I was going to ask. I'm excited to hear, I'm excited for your project with the one that's based on the conversation with John Bishop. Is this thing on? Yeah. When I heard about that, it was such a collision. You're familiar with him, yeah, Taron? Well, I know him. I've said hello to him a few times in passing at various things. Great guy. My family are from Liverpool, so anyone from that part of the world, I kind of feel a vague affinity with. Congrats on the championship. Let's get it out of the way. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, yeah, I mean, it's obviously a terrible thing happened.

30:26Yeah, what happened? Some people were injured when a guy drove into a celebration parade. But yeah, John's an amazing guy, proper scouser. I mean, you know, just a really cool dude. And got to know him a little bit. And then we've, through that, sort of inspired this film. Listener, they're talking about the main figure that is the inspiration for Will's upcoming film with Bradley Cooper. That's right, yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We just finished. Yeah, so yeah, it was a lot of fun. And he's such a great guy and his life is fascinating. Did you write some? Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's cool. With Mark Chappell, who's a friend of the podcast, Chappie.

31:07We got it. Magic word of the day. And Bradley, of course, too. Yeah, very cool. So the three of us, yeah, yeah, yeah. So had you not gotten into the Royal Academy, was there, were you sort of getting ready to maybe do something else? Because that was right at the age when you kind of had to decide, right? Oh, man. That's a conversation that happens regularly in my family, you know. We have a lot of pinch me and dreamy moments. While I've been away filming at the house, I mean, now we've been renovating for a long period of time and it's kind of just coming to fruition. It's just coming together.

31:50and it's been made possible largely through what's happened to me in my life. And we did have that conversation over dinner the other day. What the fuck would you have done if you hadn't been an actor? Because I can't do anything else. I can't do anything else. Getting ready for this podcast was so stressful because it involved me opening a MacBook and changing the settings and plugging a mic into the device. These things are totally beyond my abilities. I'm the world's weakest millennial. Well, first of all, it should be noted, Taryn, we've done over 250 episodes. I don't know if you watched Sean this morning trying to do it.

32:29He couldn't connect. Again, over 250. Imagine if he was our pilot. I can't connect thoughts, let alone a computer. So then, Taryn, it would be safe to say you probably would have been more on the labor side of things. Well, I don't know. Honestly, I really don't know. You mean pushing a wheelbarrow? Is that what you're saying? Swinging a hammer, you know, whatever it is. Yeah, maybe, wow, yeah, swinging a hammer. There's people who'd laugh at the prospect of me swinging a hammer. I can't put up a set of shelves. I don't know. I'm not great at it myself. I think I'd have figured something out, but it's true that acting is the only thing that I ever felt a huge kind of cosmic pull towards.

33:08And I love it. I absolutely love it. Could have been singing. Yeah. Now, I did not know this. You, correct me if I'm wrong, because I'm just, you know, Wikipedia is my research partner. You sang with Sir Elton John, recorded the song that won an Academy Award for Best Original Song. That's right, yeah. I mean, huh? Wait, what? So did you see, you sang with him on that song? Yeah, so he wrote. It's in the movie Rocket Man. I love the movie. Thanks, Sean. I think it's the credit song, and it's a song that he and Bernie wrote for the movie that we sing as a duet. I think it's like a call and response sort of deal, you know?

33:56And, yeah, they won an Oscar for it, yeah. They, you, you sang how it's a duet. Do you get to hold the Oscar for a couple of months a year? Yeah, no. I think the Oscars are reserved for the chaps who wrote it, you know? Mm-hmm. but still I mean we'll talk about a pinch me moment I mean incredible did you sing with him in the studio or did you do your part and then later they recorded his part no we went in and sang we went in and sang together in the studio yeah it was um it was a lovely it was a lovely experience that's pretty wild of course by this time you guys were probably close buddies because was was he a part of your early research auditioning uh etc etc yeah so I it I sang um I'd say the animated movie that you mentioned when you introed me is called Sing.

34:48And I'm saying I'm still standing in that movie. And then in the Kingsman sequel, Elton came along and played himself. And through those two things, the conversation around me playing him in Rocketman came about and grew from there. so wait wait did the two of you kind of have that conversation on the set and you guys decided well maybe we should go out and kind of pitch this together Matthew Vaughan who directed the Kingsman films and has produced a couple of other things that I've been in as well he, David Furnish and Elton had formed a friendship and I think the Rocketman project in the iteration it was in at that time because there was a different director and a different actor attached, had stalled.

35:38Oh, I see. Okay. And we were there to kind of step in, basically. That's cool. That a boy. Wow. Nothing if not opportunistic. Yeah. I love that. Well, listen, I mean, it's the right place, right time. That's a famous, you know, part of our business. And the movie, like, when I saw the movie, you were so great in it. I love that movie. I have notes. Is it locked? Is the picture locked? Because I did. No, but when I was watching, I was like, oh, well, the next, logical move is to make the movie a stage musical. Yes, I've thought the same thing, yeah. Right? I mean, it's like done. It's all done.

36:14And so I just didn't know if you wanted to ever, if you were part of that conversation or whatever. No, no. I'm sure it's occurred to them. David and Elton, you know, they obviously, I know that they've got various irons in the fire with theatrical endeavors, and I'm sure it's occurred to them. You're friends with Elton, right? Yeah, yeah. Yeah, we've hung out for a minute. I don't know whether they've ever considered it seriously, but I don't think it would involve me. It's one of those things that I'm so, it was such a moment in my life and something I'm so fiercely proud of that I just wouldn't want to touch it.

36:50For sure, you already did it. You already did it. We'll be right back.

36:57And back to the show. Well, a completely different experience with the success of a project than what you experienced on your other projects that have been equally successful. I mean, you know, I would imagine that the Kingsman process was probably more startling and challenging to you because it was the first big splash into public view. Yeah, that was, I mean, you know, I'm very, I'm really grateful for it. It was the thing that made my name. So great. And I really, that first film especially, I really, I do think is kind of cool. And they're incredibly well made. I mean, I'm sure we could do a whole podcast on the process of making those things with the stunts and the intricacies of the camera work and stuff.

37:45It's just stunning stuff. Yeah, it was really well done. But it was a lot. I was 23 and I remember I was making a TV show. I was a year out of drama school and I was filming a TV show for Sky in the UK and I remember I got an email from my agent and at the time it was called Huntsman and Son and it didn't have the script but it had two scenes in it and one of the scenes was the scene where I first meet Colin Firth's character in the pub and I didn't know Colin was involved I didn't know Michael Caine was involved I didn't know anyone was involved but I read the scene and I don't know about you guys but I find that whenever I excited about a piece of writing, I start reading it aloud.

38:28And that's normally how I know that it's something. I do that. And I know the street corner I was on in London, and I was reading this scene, and I started reading it aloud. What are you, selling newspapers? A sandwich board? No, I was in Hoban. And I just popped the email open, started reading it. And as I read, I kid you not, I read the scene and I thought, that's my part. I've got to get that part. Wow. That's my part. And I've never actually had it since. I've never had that level of... They say nowadays you manifested it. Yeah, well, it felt like that. These hippy-dippy kids did it. No, come on, man.

39:13You've got to put it... I tell you a film of yours, Taryn, that I really love. I loved all your films and you're good. Carry on. Sorry. I cut you off. I never saw that one. Is that the one where your character wore a ball cap? What a choice. Listen. What a fucking, oh man, a fucking ball cap. Did you guys see what he's doing? No, I was going to say, we're not going to cut that. We're going to loop it. Did you guys see Taron in Tetris? I loved that movie, man. I didn't see it. I want to see it. Such a great, cool film about how that game came about. I love that game. It's a fascinating story, isn't it?

39:59It's a really fascinating story. Yeah, it's cool. I think you're one of about 27 people who saw it, so I'm really thrilled. Thanks, man. It's a great little movie, man. It's about the guys that designed that game? Yeah. It is. It's about, well, it sounds so dry. It's about the guy who licensed the game for distribution globally from memory and his relationship with the designer who designed the game in Russia before the war in 1989. So, yeah, it's a fun movie. Yeah, that was really stunning. It's amazing. And people are trying to sort of muscle their way to grab the license for it because they understand the impact that it's going to have.

40:40It's fascinating. Well, I do like the game, so I'll watch the movie. Oh, thanks for it. Oh, thanks so much. Fuck. What did Tristan think of the game? Does it cut into your candy crush hours? It does. I have to. The irony is that you do have such a crush on candy. It's so true. But wait, go back to the America thing for just a second, Taryn. Okay. No, because I want to know, like, so I got your impression that, you know, because I'm always fascinated with the perspective of people in other countries that come here and work here. what was it like when you first worked here and was it everything that you thought it would be or what was not?

41:24It was better. I love America. I bought a home in America. You feel comfortable here? I absolutely do. And whenever I have meetings with prospective directors or writers, quite often people ask, what is the perception of America now, given everything that's happening? Yeah, we'd like to know that. Please go ahead. And I don't know. I think it depends on who you are. But my experience of America, regardless of where you go, and I've visited various places, not just New York and LA, but the people in America, from my experience, generally, it's just a wonderful place. I remember when I first landed in New York, I had a really weird feeling that I was like, I don't know if it's because I've watched Home Alone too many times, but it felt like coming home.

42:11You know, there's a warmth. I think historically, there is an inclusiveness at the heart of what America is, it seems to me, that I really love about it. Yeah, melting pot. Yeah, and I have nothing. I mean, as I say, I have a house in California that I split my time between. That's great. Yeah, I love being in the States. Why? What's your fear, Sean? No, no, I like to know different people's perception because I find it fascinating. I mean, when I go over to London, people ask the same thing. What do you think of London? What do you think of England? Whatever. And I absolutely love it over there.

42:52I mean, I haven't been to Wales, but I need to go to Wales. Yeah, I'd like to go to Wales. Yeah, and it strikes me that you have such microcosmic identities when you move from one place to another in a country. If you spend a weekend in Liverpool, it's going to be vastly different from your experience. you know, in Edinburgh or whatever. Right. And I walk around London last time I was there, just a couple months ago. And I'm like, you know, everywhere you go, it's incredible history, which we don't have here. And so, and I talk to people about it and they're like, and this one girl I know over there, she's like, yeah, I always forget to look up.

43:26I'm like, what do you mean? Or look left. I always look. Good, Jason. I always forget to look up and look at these historical buildings because everybody's just so used to it. So fresh eyes is really cool. That's what I've always asked people who aren't from here. What do your fresh eyes see? Yeah. You know? Now, Taryn, you know, you are managing to knock off really great commercial projects, really good sort of like artistic projects. Like, is this just dumb luck? No. You're doing some sort of really good deliberate work in choosing what you do. What does the perfect project kind of look like to you?

44:07Is it about the part? Is it about the people involved? Is it, you know, theater versus streaming versus theatrical? Like, what do you look for? I don't know. I mean, you operate within the constraints of what you're asked to do. And the grass is always greener. I could be, you know, I could let a side of myself out where I would lament not doing certain things. And there are things that I would love to be doing. but you have to focus on the things that are available to you. And I'm so lucky. And I do get offered things that feel... I know that I try and look for things that feel different from a character perspective.

44:50So I'm not comfortable. I don't like the idea of being... Pigeonholed. Yeah, put in a box or whatever. I mean, in fact, you know, when we did Carry On, my biggest concern about... What a picture! Oh, I'm about to play. I'm about to play. Ah, bravo! The only thing that happened when they rolled credits is I wish they would carry on this picture. Yeah, sure. Carry on and on and on. Where is the sequel? Sorry, we'll get him out soon. He's running around the balcony. Go ahead. Yeah, I was... I worried that it was too... Good. Too vanilla or whatever. It was too near to me. It was a kind of average Joe guy.

45:29And I suppose the actors that I look up to and really admire and revere are the actors who try and stretch themselves. Like with a ball cap. Right. Do have a limp and a missing tooth and a weird accent. Oh. I heard that. So, but I try and look at things like, you know, when I, after Elton, I, you know, I went and did the show for Dennis Lehane, Blackbird, which I felt satisfying because it's a... This is Blackbird City. Pokemon Living at Seas. Oh, my God. I definitely like doing things that feel different. I suppose I'd aspire to be, you know, like a, I like character actors. I like actors who are different from one thing.

46:13Character actor, yeah. And unfortunately, you're too goddamn good looking to be a true character actor, so you have to act your way into that perception, and you're doing it, and you're getting opportunities now with scripts that lend itself to that. And so, you know, it's... I'm going to ask you the Jason Baby question, which is you've been doing it now for a while and you've done a lot of great work. Do you see yourself doing different stuff as in directing? That's a great question. Or writing something? That's a great question. It's kind of where I'm from. No, I mean, you know, I feel, I listened to you guys talking with Jude Law and he summed it up pretty well.

46:49This is another great. One of the old time of great. We have got to get a collar on that guy. He's disrupting the record. No, go ahead. Please go ahead. But I feel that way. It scares me, you know, and I have such admiration for anyone who makes that leap because I'd absolutely love to do it. Of course I would, but I... What's going on with Smoke? What's going on? This is the Apple show that's coming out June 27th. Yes. What drew you to it? What is it about? Is this going to be different than the thing that immediately precedes it, like as you're just talking about doing? Yeah, I think so. I think it's definitely different from anything I've done before.

47:34So it's created by Dennis Lehane, who was the creator-showrunner of Blackbird. And when we finished shooting that show, he approached me about doing another story. And it's one of those, the trailer's out, it's just come out, but it's one of those that's really hard to describe. But the user-friendly logline is, I play an arson investigator who is having very, very limited success catching two prolific arsonists in a fictional town called Umberland. And a police detective is brought in to help him solve these arsons, basically. And that role is played by Journey Smollett. And what you learn over the course of the show is that he is harboring some secrets.

48:25and it's one of those shows where I don't really know. This is the first bit of press I'm doing for it and I have no idea how to promote it without kind of giving it away. Right. But is there enough in there to craft some sort of logon? Yeah, yeah. Oh, yeah, yeah. But basically for anyone who's seen Blackbird, it's a kind of sister piece. Well, Dennis Lehane, I mean, it's this guy, tip top. I mean now Taron you're drunk you're out at a karaoke bar you're feeling good yeah what's your go-to karaoke song? yeah Faith George Michael oh yeah you gotta have Faith I bet that's good Faith George Michael is a good one didn't take you a long time to answer that how many times you've performed that?

49:14no that's a long that's a long standing one and it depends on the mood as well you know if it's like a kind of I don't know if I'm looking for a bit more gravitas Maybe a couple of radio head numbers like Bones or Sulk or, you know, really dirty, maybe like Blackstar, something like that. Yeah. I'm with you off the first album. I love that you have a few available. Jason, never would do it. Yeah, mine's just, I'm just on the Uber app looking for a ride out of there. Mine's the theme to The Greatest American Hero. Is that true? Okay. Yeah, remember that? Believe it or not I'm walking out here Remember that song?

49:53Mine is, no joke, mine is Crazy by Patsy Cline. Always. Really? Yeah. What do you mean always? How much time are you doing in a karaoke bar? I'm doing a lot of karaoke, man. Once a week? You don't know my life. I don't know. Do you sing, Jason? Do you sing? I don't, not even in the shower. No. Next question. Which is why I want to hear you sing so bad. I don't even have to start drinking again. God, you have, there's so little joy in your spirit. Literally the last time I sang was in a karaoke bar. doing press for Horrible Bosses 2, and I think I was still drinking, wasn't I? Maybe? No. I don't know.

50:26No. No way, right? And you did karaoke? I did. And fucking Sudeikis, this guy, you know, this guy's a natural performer. He's a talent. He can sing and dance. I'd love to see a smackdown between you and Sudeikis. Yeah, I think Taron would take him down, though. But that would be a real, that'd be a heavyweight fight. He's got a voice? He sings? He's got a voice, and he's also just got like, the guy's not uncomfortable with the microphone in his hand. Yeah, he's great. That's a certain talent. Yeah, I sort of find it easier when there's a character I can hide behind. So the show, they wrote in a whole bit in this new show I have coming out called Smoke where my guy is obsessed with karaoke.

51:11Oh, really? Partly because they knew I could sing. And I find, I noticed that I find it much easier to do it on set as a character than if I do it in my own personal life. Life at a pub or something. Yeah, I find it quite stressful. Right, no, we're all like that. It's called I Hate Being Me. Also a good thing for a blank bumper sticker, Willie, if you've got a second one. No, it's blank t-shirts that I have. I Hate Being Me is so true. I Hate Being Ellipsis and then on the back just put me. Just me. We love you, Jason, we love you. Thank you. I'll tell you who we do love. Taryn Edgerton. Joining us today.

51:52Taryn, you are something else. You are something else. Thanks for having me. Please say hello to anyone who cares in Wales. If you see Gareth Bale, tell him to send me the money. And, you know, best of luck with Smoke. Smoke. Smoke on Apple TV. It's on Apple TV. I can't wait to watch that. When does it come out? It comes out on the 27th of June. Day after my birthday. Oh. No way. So for my birthday, we'll watch it. For Tracy, Sean's birthday is the day he was born. Is that fucking? That's pretty, that's safe to say. Are you registered anywhere, Sean? I'll email you. Yeah, yeah, I'm registered.

52:30Taryn, love you. I love seeing you again. I miss you, my friend. Nice to meet you, Taryn. Say hi when you come back to LA. Yeah, I will, mate. Take it easy. All right, my friend. Thank you very much. Thanks, guys. Bye, you guys. Bye, Taryn. Bye, pal. Okay, so anyway, so Taryn was amazing. Yeah, Taryn was incredible. and I loved having Taryn. It was so good. Oh, you're just trying to get to your bye? You excited about your bye? No, no, but it was just because like he was, once he was gone and then it was like the rush to see who was going to talk first. Look how flustered he is, Sean. I think he really did.

52:59Did Taryn leave a mark on you well? He did. I liked him a lot. Yeah, I liked him too. Yeah, I liked him a lot. He's got a great vibe. Yeah, yeah. And who else to say? Cool it. No, I'm just saying. You're fucking breathing heavy. He said he was single, right? I said, I'm passing out. Somebody lay me down. Call a grown-up. Call a grown-up. No, that's a good-looking male. Hey, another one. I'm just saying. He's good-looking. Don't objectify Taron Egerton. He's a good, good, good guy. Very, very good guy. Great actor. Very smart. Good hat on his shoulders. Focused. Isn't like, you know, he doesn't seem like he'd fall off the rails in any more.

53:43And he said his attention would be very low temperature, like very even keeled. Yeah. Do you know what I mean? Yeah. Not some ninny. Okay. You know? Whales should be proud. Oh, whales. I'm sure they are. I'm sure they're beyond proud. So, Sean, how's the search going? Oh, good. This Sunday, Scotty and I are going to my friend Kevin's birthday party in Ojai. Oh, yes. This is a really long. Yeah, so it's north of here. It's called Ojai, not to be confused with. No way. No fucking way, dude. Don't even fucking say that. What are you talking about? Not to be confused. What are you talking about, dude?

54:23Sacramento. What are you doing? What? Yeah. No, but you know what? Wait, what was that father joke you said at the beginning? The dad joke? I said. It was so good. The teacher. Yeah, I said what. Oh, wait, where is it? Oh, yeah. Private tutor. What do you call a teacher who never farts in public? Yeah, private tutor. You know, he did that rock. Here comes well. Right? Which was such a great. And one of my favorite Al Johns. Favorite songs ever. Goodbye. Yellow ringer. Smart. Less.

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