The Interviews (ft. Jack Reynor; Seamus McLean Ross & Samuel Bottomley; Kat Coiro & Will Packer)

27:27Chris Hewitt:he must be terrified as well oh mate 100 % oh yeah how's he going to talk to these actors the things he was saying in that interview with you are they going to respect my notes I'm sure he's all that but there was no question we all sound terrified making this film it's like the thing they say about lions if you meet them in a while they're just as scared of you I don't think so I don't think so they couldn't kill me but one swipe and her mighty paws but yeah it is honestly it's such an assured confident directorial debut from him and one of the great things about it is how natural the performance is seen genuinely it feels like you two guys have known each other for years yeah how long did you have when you first met until filming began to kind of create that sense of history and chemistry well we booked the job in the first of January 2024 feels like so long ago now and then I had a year to wait until filming I was filming Outlander and then I got some prep done but we had about six weeks of skateboarding and prep work including the shoot yeah and two weeks of prep so skateboarding and recording two or three weeks it might have been yeah maybe it was longer than that of like making the album not making the album making all the songs that were in the film six songs like six songs that we had to make so that was a great experience first time for us both together being in a studio and going for pints and living in glasgow and literally improving in the streets of glasgow and having the same experience trying to trying to get our bond and that that carefree vibe you know we brought each other like we had a great instructor called hayden yeah hey didn't need him bet yeah i think his name his last name is and like it was me seamus and hayden and we're just bringing each other on like every day like oh that's good how can you do this and that's real proper skate culture to push each other and like exactly things you can do with your pal that you wouldn't be able to do by yourself is a big theme of the film friendships padded up to nine not very cool though we'd be not very cool there's like seven year old passing us doing ollies and that at the sleeping skate park that's amazing what about the the rapping side of things is that something that comes naturally it didn't come naturally But it did If you think of it Yeah it did But like There's lots of things I underestimated with it Like I thought I'd be able To go into it like seamlessly But I couldn't Like Oh it wasn't seamless The loss of breath Like You've got like a A piece of Like Of like poetry Basically is what it is From start to finish Like It's really hard to get through With like Picking the timing And the breath It's like going for a Shakespeare monologue And what thoughts lead to which And where you get your breaths right So it can flow into this whole thing sentence and map it out uh get your tongue around it literally it was it was a lot to do you could pronunciate the words really clearly sing it out yeah we recorded and recorded we went to abbey road to record it it's got to be clear for an american audience and a english scottish like you know just highlighted and crazy annotations on it if you saw our things it was a lot of a lot of fun but a lot of work we just yeah uh when did you first uh rap on camera when did we first wrap on camera I think it was like earlier days in Dundee in the park in the park we're sitting trying to finesse the American accents and just and doing it yeah yeah yeah and we're sitting on the bench and we're just running it because of my music and a lot of those wee moments James would just you know kind of slip into film and he sometimes wouldn't always see action he'd just be like we'd be kind of a little bit before and then he'd just like he'd catch it as doing it so he was just like keep going because we just try and do it before the take and just ease into it so That was cool That was amazing What about Crown?

31:12Chris Hewitt:So there's a scene in the movie Big sequence actually At the Barrowlands Yeah In Glasgow That was massive I imagine it was big For Mr. McAvoy It was big for everyone He pulled that off Because of Again Scottish guerrilla warfare style Of putting a message out Cold arms And the people of Glasgow rallied Yeah Literally like He's like I'm doing a gig Come along You'll see too But honestly Glasgow crowd man Massive one They turned up Dressed in the early Noughties attire Here for a good time No phones Committed to the bit Fully Yeah And so we had a wee gig on Prior to the show Right Me and Sam Have been performing it Honestly like 80 times And I don't I don't over exaggerate that We did about 10 rehearsals of it Coming back Doing it music Dancing There's a choreographer Coming up from London It was all dead Quite rushed Yeah I'm feeling sick We're sitting there We'll look as a tablets With fans And I'm losing my voice Then we hear 2 ,000 people Strolling through the badass doors And when they like a gig They fucking slam the floorboards It's a dance floor So they're hitting their heels like that Ready for us Come on We've got a one take shot backstage Coming and flying James Rhodes on the handheld camera It was just like We're making a movie Yeah It was mental Jesus And of course It's a very fractious moment In your relationship as well In the movie So you've got to do that Completely yeah You've got to act as well As like run around Stay in time It was fucking hard Who doesn't seem I had a week on as well I'm running around on stage These hot lights And that I had a woman coming in And fanning my My hair line After every take I'm like We were terrified backstage I was just steaming my voice Also my school friends Just rocked up backstage I was like What the hell are you doing here?

32:56They're like We can't even see you at gig I was like This is the last thing I want I'm in character You know what I mean You actually didn't talk For the last half an hour of it You were in that Steaming Steaming his voice I'm like What's that bro? he's like just checking his head what is it explain steaming for a steaming your voice is just getting moisture to your to your larynx yeah because I've been singing all day rapping all day shouting that I've lost my voice so I needed to steam and I think it can help

33:23Chris Hewitt:bit of eucalyptus bit of yeah something like that yeah yeah yeah like a team of people helping me out do hardcore eucalyptus backstage yeah yeah baby but that sequence of I can't imagine what it was like as well you know I think it was actually the barrel answer yeah I went to see Libertines like a week before it's the best venue in the same place and I was like literally stood on the other side of the barrier it was so surreal to be like on stage looking down at where I'd just been stood genuinely nothing compares to it no nothing does compare to it feels like a fever dream and like you can't really explain it to your friends or family that want their hair because it feels like it feels like we'll never do that again so it feels like a dream you just have one and you can never get back again it was so fun man it was actually it was a day before your birthday as well wasn't it that's right yeah what a birthday present filming the next day that was amazing do you also have scenes opposite James yeah yeah terrifying it was terrifying because he plays a terrifying guy and obviously he's a brilliant brilliant actor and he's like looking directly into our eyeballs with that piercing gaze He's got a terrifying stare.

34:35Oh my god, yeah. I love that scene in the car when we've just performed The Badass. I'm like, yo, the songs came out. He's flipping out. Mary's leaving him. I'm like, come on, dude. Dang. And then James goes in the car. Drive away, driver. He just sits on the stairs. It was like that.

34:55Chris Hewitt:Yeah. As a director and an actor in the film, did he have other people giving him notes during this performance? Did he have other people watching his performance or was he very much on top of the person? I think one person tried to give him an open. They got fired pretty soon. I'm joking. I'm joking. For the avoidance of any doubt. That is a joke. Yeah, that was 100 % true.

35:20No, I mean, he had conversations with the DOP and stuff about how things wanted to look. Yeah, yeah. if he was in that's the only only person he'd confer with about something like that maybe it would be James Rhodes I think he would tell you he talked to John Baird yeah yeah John Baird yeah yeah so I think he talked a lot so yeah he tried to he talked about his influences in film and stuff like that and little things he'd put in there and stuff but it felt I don't know it felt like James McAvoy you were talking to James McAvoy it didn't feel like just himself like he'd just be in the corner of shots with a handheld camera watching it playing it felt felt easy and just joyful like yeah he's a great boss to have you know what I mean like six or seven weeks we got to spend time with him and like soak all that stuff up like even the question I asked him earlier on in the podcast guys if you're on the plane you'll know what I'm on about I asked him I don't even know what I asked him but it's like just listening to his answers just like so lucky to like be able to experience that yeah he's got a great career What was your last day like And what was your rap gift I thought it was in London What was your rap gift Well we got these amazing watches Didn't we We got the watches Yeah not long ago We got these custom watches The same JP Monaghan JJ Monaghan I think JJ JJ JJ Morgan Which is wrong JP Morgan JJ Monaghan Financial people Yeah Sponsored now

36:50Chris Hewitt:Just so they'll send us all freebies So it's JJ A couple grand in the cash JJ Monaghan JJ Monaghan Monaghan JP Morgan wants to send me a few JP you last name we've got our own California Scheming watches they're like black and yellow and it says California Scheming get rich or lie trying and it's in LA time and Dundee time yeah that's nice which is like LA time baby so we're they're not on your wrists right now no I know we've left them at home but I have been wearing mine this week around the house this week around the house not to the most important thing that I should have wore it for just in the shower so just to double check these are not going to leave me is that where they are let's check it let's check right now they got a bidding war from at moment yeah because I saw one and pint it up oh shush

37:44Chris Hewitt:anyway I'll let you guys go but this has obviously been an amazing experience for you and Sam what are you drinking so we've got our own with a great story that we got gifted a big crate of iron brew in Toronto by a radio station. We was then walking through our hotel reception saw... What? Saw. Saw Ethan Hawke. Saw Ethan Hawke. See, I'm bad with names though. I needed him to... He doesn't even know. JP Hawke. JP Hawke. JP Hawke is there. Who was like... PJ Monaghan. What's that? And we're like, oh, it's iron brew, mate. If you want an iron brew, you can have one. He's like, okay, cool, man. Yeah, he put it in his back pocket and then me and Lucine saw him something the next day he's like he's like oh thanks for the iron brew delicious he actually had iron brew yeah he actually found it yeah that's amazing because I do have let you go but Sam I couldn't help but notice as you were custom as we were talking you were drinking from the bottle and I was like he's not drinking iron brew there's no way he's drinking iron brew he's a full Scot now yeah honorary Scotsman man they've adopted me tartan pubes and everything yeah

38:51Chris Hewitt:well listen I think on that note that's a good one yeah No, no, no. Brilliant. Seamus Samson. Thank you very much, man. Thanks, man. That was wonderful. Thank you. Cheers, guys. All right. That was Seamus McLean-Ross and Samuel Bottomley talking about California Scheming, which is in cinemas right now. Go catch it. I thoroughly recommend it, even if you have to put on an American accent to worm your way into the cinema. Okay. One last interview this week, and it is for another film that is already out in cinemas. You, Me and Tuscany is the rom-com with these reggae Sean Page and Halle Bailey, who were on last week's The Interviews Fact Fans, fall in love in, you'll never guess where, Tuscany.

39:31Chris Hewitt:The movie is the latest from Uber producer Will Packer, the force behind movies like Ride Along, Girls Trip and Idris Elba vs a Lion movie Beast, which could simply have just been called Idris Elba vs a Lion. And when Will Packer came to London recently, I spoke to him and the movie's director, Kat Koiro, together about the working relationship Koiro's cameo in the movie, Packer's philosophy about producing, and much, much more. Enjoy. Will, Kat, welcome to the Emperor Podcast. How are you both? Really good. Good to be in London. I like it here. It's amazing. It is. It's a little chilly for me, but Kat loves it.

40:09I think he just doesn't have a proper jacket. That may be true. I thought this was warm I brought shorts, I didn't know I mean it is It's like almost April, it's supposed to be warm What's happening? It was warm two days ago, that was it for the year We're done now By the way, every time I come to London it was warm two days ago Just so you know That's what they say

40:31Chris Hewitt:And also our warm is very different from other people's warm Our warm is like 10 degrees And then it's like Guns out But you guys of course, you shot this in in Tuscany. I love Guns Out. You don't want to see my cunt. But you guys shot this in Tuscany, of course. I imagine, I mean, it looked, it looks horrific, the conditions that you shot this movie in. Yeah. Are you okay? Do you need counseling? It was a huge sacrifice. Horrific. You said it looked horrific. No, no, no. It looked horrible. Horrible. It was just as horrible as it looks being there. The food, the wine, the backdrops. Yes, the pasta.

41:12It was my first time actually being in the region. I had never been. Obviously, there are worse places to film. It's really important. One of the things that I give Kat so many props for is when you have a rom-com, it really works when the backdrop is not just a location. When it steps through and really becomes a character, which people say, but it's hard to do. Like you actually have to have nuance and texture for the culture, the people, the food, the vistas, all the things. Kat spent a lot of time thinking about that. And I really feel like it comes through when you see the movie. Well, I, you know, for me, it was such a fundamental part of making the movie work because this is about a young woman who falls in love with a man, But it's also about falling in love with a place and the family and food and wine and ultimately falling in love with yourself in this environment.

42:11Chris Hewitt:There's a pivotal scene. I won't give too much away, but it takes place in a vineyard and beautiful grapes as far as the eye can see. And was that something that you guys saw and you went, OK, this is somewhere we need to film? Oh, man, we searched for that vineyard far and wide because vineyards essentially are just hallways to all you filmmakers out there. It's just a hallway, a very narrow hallway where it's hard to put cameras in. And there are two directions that you can look. And so finding that vineyard that happened to have the mountains behind it and faced in exactly the right direction completely opened up that scene.

42:53So we weren't just in a green hallway. It's a hallway, but it's a damn sexy hallway, Kat. That one is, some of them are not. Kat would drive to work every day and find locations. Like we did full location scouts, like the way you properly do. Production crazy. And then the morning of the shoot, she would say, I know where we're shooting tomorrow. And I would say, yeah, Kat, it's on the schedule. No, I passed a vineyard today. I saw a Vista. It looked amazing. We have to shoot there tomorrow. Here's the thing. She was right. You see the locations in the film. Many of them she found just driving in on the way to work and they would be incredible.

43:28I would wake up. You're absolutely right. I'd wake up every day and be like, oh, my God, look at this sunrise and call the DP and be like, you got to get out there and shoot the sunrise. We have like 30 sunrises that we shot in this film. If anyone needs some stock footage. So all my producers out there get you a director like Kat, but also get you like some Xanax, too, because she is definitely going to drive you crazy. But it will absolutely be worth it. Okay.

43:53Chris Hewitt:Will, you wrote a book recently called Who Better Than You? Yeah. And essentially, you have three tenets of life, essentially. One of which is be arrogant, which as a Brit, I just can't do. I'm the worst there is to be an arrogant. The other one is, there's another two, is embrace the art of a pivot, which I imagine as a producer is something that's very, very important. And the other one is be selective about your circle. So are you selective about your circle as a producer in terms of choosing your directors as well? Yes. I'm only as successful as I have been blessed to be because of the people that I have worked with.

44:39You are only as strong as your team. And oftentimes, just because you are close with somebody or get along with them, that doesn't mean that that's the right person that you want to be in partnership with. You want to be in partnership with somebody that has a skill set that benefits whatever it is the ultimate goal is for the movie. And if you happen to get along with them, like Kat and I always laughing and having fun, that's even better. But you have to be very unflinching in terms of picking the right people to attain your goals. And I do believe that.

45:13Chris Hewitt:Kat, in a way, Deluxe, those guidelines apply to you as well. I mean, there's, you know, as a director, be arrogant, embrace the art of the pivot. Are these things that apply to you also? Oh, 100%. I listened to Will's book on audio, his audio book, which I highly recommend, and he's won many awards for it. And I listened to it on a road trip with my entire family. And it's a great book. It has such solid and simple advice about being a collaborator, really. And, you know, I always say my job as a director is like being the conductor of an orchestra. I have to know what everybody does, but I hope that they're better than me.

45:51I need that first violin and that first cello to come in to make the song sing. And so I really do consider my job as bringing together the absolute best people and creating an environment where they can feel free to be their best selves and to play and to feel safe. You know, I always say about a film like this, a rom-com, you cannot direct chemistry, right? we were very lucky to get two actors who have chemistry together and who play off each other really well and so then my job becomes setting the table so that they can feel comfortable

46:28Chris Hewitt:playing with each other so when did you know that reggae john page and hallie bailey had chemistry did you do a lot of chemistry tests beforehand or was it very much going on faith no they were our first choices the two of them for the role and they met i believe the first time they met was at the Met Gala. So they're in New York at the Met Gala and Kat sent me a photo of the two of them. And we said, oh my God, they're incredible. These are the leads of our, how lucky are we? And then we got to Italy and we were doing a table read in Rome, our first table read. And we saw right then, oh, they're already finding a rhythm.

47:09Like they are finding within in their characters ways that they are going to play off of each other that's just going to augment what's on the page. So we knew very early on that we had something and that the chemistry there was real. And audiences can sense it. They can tell inauthenticity. They've got too many choices now. And so that's the other thing that I say to filmmakers is you want to make sure that you're making a film that is absolutely as authentic as possible because your audience can tell. So we definitely lucked out with the two of them. And then Kat did absolutely just enough to fan those flames.

47:43And they took it from there. How did you fan the flames? Well, they are very opposite. Their characters are very opposite. And so it really was allowing them to suss each other out and to play with each other. And I've heard them talk a little about the process. And what they really appreciated was, yes, we got what was on the page. But we also played. There's a little montage where they're drinking wine before they run out into the vineyard. And a lot of that is not the scripted, you know, the scene. A lot of that is the cameras rolling while they're playing with each other and laughing. And we're talking about this environment we're in.

48:24And we're maybe accidentally drinking some real wine. And, you know, so there's a playfulness to it that I think really comes through. And I always start with the script and what's on the page. And then I let them be themselves, really.

48:41Chris Hewitt:I love that. Accidentally drinking some wine. How did this wine get in here? I know nothing about that. As the producer who is responsible for everyone's well-being, I can neither confirm nor deny if there was real wine ever drank on set. I just know there was a lot of giggling between my leads and my director that day. I'm like, what's happening? I mean, it's funny, but what's going on here? But that scene as well, the scene in the vineyard, Kat, you make a cameo in that. I don't know what you're having. Oh, boy. That is a blonde woman from Ohio. You have to stay. Not only does she make a cameo in the film, but don't leave.

49:22When you go see this in the cinemas, don't leave because we got something fun in the end credits. And then you get to see just how fun old Kat Coral really is. You know, my one condition in taking that role was that we'll be the guy watching behind the monitor to make sure what was happening was funny. So he had some pretty funny direction he held out to me. I can't say it on this podcast.

49:48Chris Hewitt:Oh, you can say it on this podcast. We can say anything on this podcast. I don't know if I want to. I have to maintain some sense of authority. Please don't. It was a good time. A little bit of a role switch. But I will tell you this, Kat as an actress needs no direction. That's what I'll say. I mean, you're absolutely right. In the outtakes, Kat, there's a run where you are just ad-libbing and improv-ing. I guess improv-ing. So were those things that you had a list of alts that you wanted to get in? Were you just going off the top of your head? I love that you're asking this serious question about your acting technique.

50:24Let me tell you, Kat had a full backstory for this character. So when you guys see the film, there are directors that do cameos. You know, they may walk by, they may say one line. No, one of the biggest laughs in this film is Kat's character when she sees the moment between Hallie and Reggae in the vineyard and sprinklers are going everywhere and there's a lot of sexiness and all the things are happening. Enter Kat, and that's all I can tell you. You have to see it, but listen, she's promising. A lot of people have been asking about the sequel and I'm all for it. They think the sequel is with Hallie and Reggae.

50:59The sequel is with Catherine from Ohio. I think that's how we credited her. And she's our horny tourist. That's what I'll say. You guys can take it from there. Now you can imagine the direction he gave me a little bit. But, you know, look, it was out of necessity. We were in the middle of Tuscany. There weren't a lot of American-speaking actors. Necessity. She had no choice. I love it. I've never heard this story. You know what's funny is it's true, though. We did some auditions. You didn't want to. you were forced to. It was. I was.

51:32Chris Hewitt:There was just some wine accidentally found its way onto the set and next thing I know I was... She gets it. I know how this thing works. It's like you've known us our whole career. You get it. But you know, all joking aside, let's get serious. That little role was a little nod to Diane Lane in Under the Tuscan Sun. Oh, yes, of course. And the film is kind of filled with little Easter eggs of rom-coms that we love that we love We kind of put a little hint in there of it. How about Nia Vardalis? Yeah, my big Greek wedding. Yes, absolutely. She flew over. I think she was in Greece at the time and flew over and blessed us with a nice little cameo.

52:12Nothing like a good Easter egg in a rom-com.

52:15Chris Hewitt:Precisely. So the sequel could be You, Me, and Ohio. Hello. Now you're talking. Come on. I don't want to. Well, no, I love Ohio. I'm not going to say anything. I love it. It's beautiful. I could just picture it. you guys spending three months in the beautiful Ohio sun. Not quite the same. Doesn't have the same ring to it. Do they have thin yards in Ohio? I don't know. They got yards. We'll get back to you on that. They have vines. Yeah, they got vines and they got yards. There goes our Cleveland box office. We love you, Ohio. I do love Ohio. Our producer, Joanna's from Ohio. Yes, she is. Yes. Shout out to Cincinnati.

52:54Chris Hewitt:Very, very quickly. in the outtakes at the end we do get to see the clapperboard for the film as you were shooting it and the movie was originally called Italiana now it is called Yumi and Tuscany talk about the art of the pivot why the name change it was marketing actually so when we got the script it was called Italiana which you know was great from our Ryan Ingle because her name is Anna she ends up in Italy and when you see the film Italiana does still thematically make an appearance in the movie but But I think that we felt along with our great marketing folks that you, me and Tuscan just had a different ring to it.

53:30Like you you got what the movie was. It's a little more whimsical and fun. And at the end of the day, you've got to be able to make a great film. But then you've got to be able to sell that film, because, as I said, audiences have got all kinds of things being pushed on them all the time. So you need something that's going to stand stand out and cut through. So I love Italiana, but I think you, me and Tuscan, that's the winner. Well, also, and you'll see in the movie, there is some confusion over the pronunciation of Anna versus Anna. And that is confusing in Italiana because her name is actually Anna.

53:59So then is it called Italiana? It opens up this whole can of worms that we just didn't want to deal with.

54:04Chris Hewitt:Yeah, Italiana doesn't have the same ring either. Italiana. It paves the way for you, me, and Ohio. So all is good. All is good. That little moment, you know, going back to what we got from the Italian, you know, flavor was that whole Anna, Anna bit came from me being on set and hearing everybody say Anna. And then I'd say, her name's Anna. And they'd say, yes, Anna. And it was so funny. It happened really early on in production where they would say, yes, I'm saying Anna, Anna, Anna. And so we end up putting that in. It's one of my favorite little moments there. a lovely note on which to end Will, Kat, it's been an absolute pleasure thanks so much for your time great interview, thanks for having us brother cheers alright, that was Will Packer and Kat Koiro and that is it for this week's episode of The Interviews now I'm not sure if there's going to be an episode next week as I'll be away on an actual holiday so there's a good chance that we might refer it back to the multi-interview format for the regular Mothership Empire podcast for one week only because we have a lot of guests on the pod that comes out April 24th.

55:13Chris Hewitt:And I'm not around to edit the interviews beforehand. So we might have to put them all into one show. But we'll see what happens there. Speaking of the regular Empire podcast, Brian Cox, no, not that one, the other one, is our guest on this week's show, talking about his directorial debut, Glenn Rothen. So make sure to listen to that show, which is out on Friday, April 17th, and it sees Helen O 'Hara host in my stead and she'll be talking about, well, I have absolutely no clue because I'm recording this on Sunday night, four days before they even record it. All part of the holiday rush in it. I'm getting shit done.

55:52Chris Hewitt:I'm getting shit together. Anyway, tune in to find out what they're talking about. It's going to be exciting. And on that note, that is it for me. I'm off to drink a personalised bottle of Iron Brew. Only problem is, it's not named after me. Let's see who it is named after. What the? Lee Cronin's Iron Brew? Huh, that guy gets everywhere. Thanks for listening. See you next time. Bye-bye.