In short
Episode 1: “The Interviews” (guests: Mason Thames, Lee Kirk, Adam Shankman, Sam Spruell)
Topic
Three separate interviews about film-making and performance. Lee Kirk and Mason Thames discuss Nimrod’s A Green Day Comedy, a teen road-trip story where three friends mistakenly think Green Day invited them to open at a New Year’s Eve show. Adam Shankman discusses Stop That Train, a RuPaul-produced spoof with a Drag Race twist, built like classic parody films. Sam Spruell discusses Insidious: Out of the Further and his villain Cyrus.
Guest backgrounds
- Mason Thames: actor known for The Black Phone and How to Train Your Dragon (live action).
- Lee Kirk: writer/director of Nimrod.
- Adam Shankman: choreographer-turned-director (Hairspray, Rock of Ages, The Wedding Planner, etc.).
- Sam Spruell: British character actor (Fargo, Legend).
Key claims + examples
- Nimrod: concert footage was shot “live” with 2,000 Green Day fans; authenticity guided choices (R-rating, low-light Oklahoma “magic hour,” 1950s lenses). Tommy’s arc is “all or nothing” pursuit of music; Mason trained to play guitar and used band rehearsals to build swagger.
- Stop That Train: Shankman says tone is “drama” with absurd calamity; cameos were added late (e.g., Paul Scheer, Joel McHale). He also officiated Sarah Michelle Gellar’s wedding.
- Insidious: Cyrus is a 1970s cult-leader demon with robes, sandals, rings/trinkets, degraded body, and a blindfold “forged” to his face; Spruell built him from cult-leader archetypes and horror mood boards.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VONimrod's A Green Day Comedy Overview
0:43 to 2:04
Explore the premise of Nimrod's A Green Day Comedy and its unique storytelling aspects.
“Hello Paul, I'm Chris Hewitt and welcome to the first episode of The Interviews in a Little While.”
Lee Kirk's Comic-Con Experience
2:05 to 4:25
Lee Kirk shares details of his Comic-Con experience and insights into his film.
“Have you had a Comic-Con experience yet?”
Creating a Green Day Movie
4:25 to 5:54
Discover how Lee Kirk and Billy Joe approached the creation of a Green Day movie.
“So originally Billy Joe reached out and said, hey, man, I've always wanted to do a Green Day movie.”
Authenticity and R Rating
5:54 to 7:42
Discussing the importance of authenticity and the rationale behind the film's R rating.
“I think with any band, I'm sure there's moments when you're driving around for hours and dealing with life hardships.”
Visual Style and Shooting Techniques
7:42 to 9:58
Understand the visual palette and shooting style that shaped the film's aesthetic.
“It seems like there's almost a lot of, it feels very intimate.”
Mason Thames Joins the Podcast
9:58 to 13:00
Mason Thames arrives to share his experiences and insights about his role.
“These are movies I was thinking about as I was writing the film.”
Character Development and Personal Connections
13:00 to 14:01
Mason discusses his character's journey and the personal connections to filmmaking.
“And I think a lot of people know how this is, but it was just nose, nose, nose.”
Passion for Filmmaking and Music
14:01 to 21:46
Explore the deep connection the guests have with filmmaking and music, highlighting personal stories and experiences.
“This is something that I would like to see myself in for the rest of my life, even if it's not in front of the screen, but behind the screen.”
Introducing Adam Shankman and His Film
21:46 to 22:44
Learn about Adam Shankman's new comedy 'Stop That Train' and its unique production journey.
“respectively, of Nimrods, a Green Day comedy and that film is in cinemas right now.”
Challenges and Humor in Filmmaking
22:44 to 28:05
Delve into the chaotic yet rewarding experience of filming 'Stop That Train' and how humor plays a crucial role.
“That's literally the exact pronunciation.”
Show all 21 chapters
The Influence of Comedy in Film
28:05 to 30:22
Explore how classic parody films influence new projects and performances.
“and serious like in that way but we have to you know play the quote-unquote absurd the calamity of what's going on, but all of these things have to feel incredibly real to you.”
Creating Cameos and Last-Minute Decisions
30:22 to 33:02
Delve into the challenges and spontaneity of incorporating cameos in films.
“It was like, it was, you know, I can tell you like the, both Paul Scheer and Joel McHale got calls like the day before.”
The Role of a Director and Personal Connections
33:02 to 36:48
Understand the responsibilities of a director and the importance of personal relationships on set.
“So that's the one wedding, because that was my next question.”
Baking and Side Hustles
36:48 to 37:52
Discover the light-hearted discussion about baking and side hustles in the film industry.
“sure that my friends and family know I'm alive and that, that I'm being a good son or, you know, friend or boyfriend or like whatever it is.”
Upcoming Films and Casting Choices
37:52 to 40:01
Hear about upcoming films and the unique casting dynamics within the industry.
“Like, I make great frosting, but I can't figure out how to stack a cake and frost it exactly.”
Introduction to Sam Spruell and His Role
42:00 to 44:32
Learn about Sam Spruell's character in Insidious and his creative process.
“Sam Sprawl, welcome to the Empire podcast.”
Character Development and Design Decisions
44:33 to 48:14
Discover how character design influenced Sam's portrayal of Cyrus.
“You kind of get that through a sort of flashback through an old sort of videotape or some sort of spectral TV broadcast.”
Preparation for Joining the Insidious Franchise
48:15 to 52:04
Understand Sam's preparation and inspiration from real-life horrors.
“Like, yeah, you can see my toenails through the sandals.”
Voice and Sound Design in Insidious
52:05 to 56:00
Explore the sound design choices and the voice of Sam's character.
“I think there was something about him just going back to the cult leader thing about bringing that aspect into obviously like a supernatural franchise like Insidious.”
Exploring the Craft of Filmmaking
56:00 to 59:20
Learn about the immersive techniques and practical effects used in filmmaking.
“He wanted people kind of making those things move and work in camera on the day.”
Interview Reflection with Sam Spruell
59:20 to 59:49
Hear reflections on the film and the experience of working with horror icon Lin Shaye.
“Well, we're going to have to leave it there, Sam.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00My name is Shannon Maldonado. I'm the founder of Yaoi, a gift shop from the lens of artists and handmade objects. I chose Shopify because when I was testing other platforms, it was definitely one of the most user-friendly. It was important to me to think about where we would be in the future. All of the tools for reading your sales, like planning inventory, are just right there on your dashboard. For anyone starting a small business, the biggest thing I can tell you is it doesn't have to be perfect. Shopify can help you build upon it. Start your free trial on Shopify.com.
0:43Chris Hewitt:Hello Paul, I'm Chris Hewitt and welcome to the first episode of The Interviews in a Little While. But we're back with a belter. Nimrod's A Green Day Comedy is a comedy that has Green Day, one of the biggest rock bands in the world of course, in it. as opposed to being a comedy about Green Day. Specifically, it's about three friends who embark on a cross-country road trip to LA in the mistaken belief that Green Day have invited them to open for them at a New Year's Eve gig. Written and directed by Lee Kirk, it's a really bittersweet, funny, and surprisingly tender teen comedy with some great music, largely courtesy of Green Day and themselves, who also cameo.
1:22Chris Hewitt:But they are not the stars. The stars are the likes of McKenna Grace and Kyler Kaufman, and Mason Thames. Yes, I finally learned how to correctly pronounce his name and it's not like the river who anchors things wonderfully as the lead character, Tommy. I spoke to Kirk and Thames a few weeks ago at Comic-Con in San Diego. Mason, who you'll know of course from the black phone and the live action How to Train Your Dragon was absent for the first 10 minutes or so. But with a tight Comic-Con schedule looming for everyone, Lee, Kirk and I pressed on and you'll hear the moment when Mason turns up. It's really rather lovely.
1:59Chris Hewitt:Anyway, talking to these guys about movies and music and more was a blast. Enjoy. Lee Kirk, welcome to the Empire Podcast. How are you? Thank you. I'm great, man. Thanks for having me. This is really exciting. This is very, very exciting. We're in San Diego at the moment. We're not in Comic-Con itself. That's over there. Petco Park is that way. I imagine you just got into town. Have you had a Comic-Con experience yet? so far well i got in town last night and saw the chaos there's people everywhere i i'd never been here before so it's pretty crazy and uh went and saw uh billy joe played his his band the cover-ups played a show last night so i went to see that show that's very nice that was a blast good times how many times have you seen billy joe uh play uh either with green day or the cover-ups now over the years yeah probably over the years i you know maybe eight eight eight times eight to ten times Does it get boring?
2:50Do you think, ah, I'm over this now? You know what? They're the best live band I've ever seen. They just bring it every night. So, no, I haven't been bored yet. That's good. Listen, I don't want to spoil things for Nimrod,
3:02Chris Hewitt:but I think it's in the trailer we can talk about this. Green Day, there's a Green Day performance in the film, which I really liked as well, because it sounded to me like you were capturing their sound live. Yeah, we were. Yeah, the whole thing was live. Which is great, you know, because you know i'm allergic to overdubbing and lip syncing i am as well i i don't think green day would have had it any other way yeah and i wouldn't have either and that was actually one of the first things when billy joe and i talked about making the film we talked about ending it with a big concert at the hollywood palladium yeah and and we would actually put on a concert so what we did was we got 2 000 green day fans in there and we just put on a show of course stopping and starting and doing it over and over again because we had a bunch of story to tell within the concert.
3:49Yeah. But it was electric and it was really cool because he's a real Green Day fan. So, it has that authenticity of a real Green Day concert because they're all singing along and they're all going nuts and it was fun.
4:02Chris Hewitt:It was a blast. How long was the concert? How many songs did they play? I think they played probably a total of maybe eight songs. Okay. You know, some for the film, some that I had put into the movie. And then just between takes, they'd be like, we're going to play, you know, play a song for you. And they just crush, you know, Revolution Radio or something like that. So it was really cool. The fans were excited. Take me back to the beginning. How did this happen? So originally Billy Joe reached out and said, hey, man, I've always wanted to do a Green Day movie. And Billy Joe and I worked on a previous film together, Ordinary World.
4:34So he thought of me when the idea came to him to do a movie. And he said, I don't know what the movie is, but it ends with a New Year's Eve concert, Green Day at the Palladium. So we started talking about what it could be. And we came up with this idea of these kids in a band who are traveling across the country to get to the Hollywood Palladium in a Green Day concert. And from there, then, you know, I realized as the writer of the script, I needed stories. I needed some really fun, crazy stuff to happen to these kids along the way. And I started quizzing Mike and Trey and Billy Joe about just stuff that happened to them and their years of driving around in a van, you know, to get fun stories.
5:11And then I would take those sort of nuggets of a story and I'd sort of twist them in my own fictional way and put them into the story. And that extended beyond just the antics, you know, to just details of just Green Day's, you know, story.
5:28Chris Hewitt:The dynamics, the interpersonal relationships. Exactly. Exactly. And, you know, like the bookmobile, for example, is now it's an ice cream truck in the film, you know. But the Ice Cream Dragon has its DNA in the bookmobile. So it's lots of that. I would say the way I like to say it is that Green Day's fingerprints are all over this story. That they have fall-ins out because there's the central three in the movie. I should say they don't always get on. There are moments of schism. Of course. I think it's fair to say. I think with any band, I'm sure there's moments when you're driving around for hours and dealing with life hardships.
6:07understand this person anymore yeah yeah you just stop talking right now you know so so uh while i didn't get into any specifics with that of that with those guys that's all just i feel like it's
6:17Chris Hewitt:inherent yes you know in the journey yeah because it's not and this is very very important because green day are in it as themselves so it can't be but it's not a green day biopic and that was that was on the table from the from the off yeah yeah we didn't want to do a biopic yeah um but there is there's elements of them in it, you know, but it's not, the three main characters aren't Mike and Trey and Billy Joe, you know? But the essence of, of who the, who Green Day is and what they do and what they stand for is, is in the film. Yeah. Another thing that's really struck me about the film was that it's, it's R rated.
6:53Chris Hewitt:It's properly R rated. There were something like four F bombs in the first two minutes. I'm like, Oh, this is an R rated film. Yeah. Yeah. It would have been felt odd to make a PG Green Day movie. You know what I mean? Precisely. there's even there's there's drug use there's things like that in the movie uh you know so it's not sanitized in that way was that something that was important to you and also to the to the guys yeah we never really discussed it um but it felt to me like if you had a move it had a green day movie and it said pg it just felt like maybe you weren't going there you know so uh so it wasn't it wasn't a conscious it wasn't a uh like i i wasn't putting the f-bombs in because it had to be an r-rated movie it just felt that's how the characters speak yes it felt authentic to the characters and how they would talk to each other so and that was you know authenticity was a guiding principle for me on this whole movie was was making this world feel real making these characters feel real um making the music feel real yeah that was all very important in the story for me even down Can you talk me through the visual palette of the film and how you came upon that?
8:03Chris Hewitt:Yeah. It seems like there's almost a lot of, it feels very intimate. It feels very, I don't know if you shot in the film, but it feels that way. Can you talk me through how you staged it? Well, I had a great DP, David Robert Jones, who I work closely with. And I told him from the very beginning, I want a film that feels rough around the edges because this is a story that's rough around the edges and punk rock is rough around the edges. but I also want it to be beautiful to look at. I want beautiful images in there as well, you know? And man, he nailed it. He did such an amazing job. And one of the beautiful things is we shot in February in Oklahoma.
8:41So the sun is always low in the sky. So it just allows you to just frame up beautiful shots because you're not dealing with harsh shadows of the sun above, you know? So that really helped. And he used, we did not shoot on film, but he used lenses from the 1950s, which really helped give it that texture. Because it does.
9:01Chris Hewitt:It has it. Yeah. It feels in a way that a lot of it was shot at magic hour. But I guess. Yeah, it does. In Oklahoma in February, every hour is magic hour. Pretty much. Pretty much, man. Yeah, yeah. You have less light to work with, but the light is really, really perfect and beautiful. That's awesome. So Mason's still, he's not here yet. Not here. It's very rock and roll, very late entrance. Yeah, exactly, man. Exactly. Hey, it's early. Okay. This is a teenage kid. It's like 930 right now. So who knows when he's going to roll in here? What was it like working with him on set where you're like constantly going, Mason, how do you tell her?
9:38No, Mason, that kid's a pro. I'll tell you what. He showed up every day on time and prepared with really interesting choices, really great ideas, you know, put his heart into it, but also very flexible. You know, if I needed to tweak something, he was there to do it, you know. um and uh you know also the the singing in the movie you know he sang he did an amazing job singing he just brought everything i wanted that character i wanted a character who you felt like when you watched him like like like he he was gonna somehow figure it out you know like you believe in him and and i remember growing up those kinds of movies those kinds of characters in movies i always responded to yeah i'm talking about like ferris bueller for example right or the Goonies, Mikey, the lead kid.
10:28These are movies I was thinking about as I was writing the film. And you just believe that somehow this kid is going to take you on a journey that's going to work out somehow. And Mason brought that quality to the character in a really nice way. And here he is now. Oh, my God. How are you, man? Good to see you. How are you doing? Great, man. Good. How are you? I'm so excited. It's going to be awesome. I'm so excited. It's going to be awesome. Yeah. Yeah. Hey, bud. Good to see you again, man. You all right? Good. You guys are on the podcast right now. This is happening right now. How's it going?
11:00I'm Chris. Nice to see you. Hey, how are you? Nice to meet you.
11:04Chris Hewitt:Nice to meet you. Sit there. There you go, buddy. Hold the microphone just under the... It's good to see you. It's so good. There's your microphone there, Mason. If you can just hold it, maybe hand up a little bit. I don't want to say hand up the shaft a little bit. Yes, perfect. Thank you. It's far too early for me to be saying hand up the shaft. a little bit. There we go. Hey, man, a couple more copies. This is a punk rock movie. Let's go.
11:33This is on brand. We're all right. Yeah, right? Exactly. Go for it. So Mason, where have you been? Dude, where have I not been? I was in Hong Kong in Budapest for a bit doing a job. And I got done with that. And now I'm just excited because I get to promote these movies that, you know, I'm very excited and just passionate about. and I think everybody a part of it is. So it's going to be fun. It's going to be really, really fun. Yeah. Okay. Yeah, man. All right.
11:58Chris Hewitt:But that doesn't answer the question of where you were this morning. Why are you late? Oh, this morning. What's happening? I was in my hotel room and I was told to come down at this time. I may have gotten false information, but listen, I'm here at the right time. If you want to throw anyone under the bus, now is the time. All right. So first of all, it's all these fault. Blame Green Day. Exactly. Everybody's at fault except me. What were the first conversations you both had as actor and director about this movie and this character? Well, you know, first of all, I just thought as Mason, he has an essence to him, as you are seeing now.
12:37He's just a great kid, a really wonderful kid, and very accessible. And that is in Tommy right there. So I knew Mason would bring that already to the character. and then he you know he but he gave him a certain edges certain colors you know that that just part of you know mason's creativity you know and uh and then you know we rehearsed like like he said we rehearsed the band and and i think the rehearsing also kind of like brought out a little bit of a swagger in tommy right yeah it's a lot of fun it's a lot of fun yeah like he's a guy who's
13:12Chris Hewitt:got a dream and he doesn't he doesn't really want to take no for an answer he just pursues that dream is that is that something you could relate to in your career is it something that you've really pursued in that same sort of dogged enthusiasm 100 i mean just starting off i i i always knew i wanted you know something and i started off in ballet and performing up on stage was that was that was the light that i've always kind of been drawn to and it wasn't ballet and i got into acting and it was kind of a thing where it was what i wanted i wasn't gonna stop and it It was, I moved out to LA when I was maybe 10 and it's about four or probably four years of just three auditions a day going back and forth from Burbank to Santa Monica.
13:53And I think a lot of people know how this is, but it was just nose, nose, nose. And it was a thing where it was costing me and my family just a lot. And nobody kind of knew if it was going to work out, but no matter what, I just, I didn't want to stop. And I still never want to. This is something that I would like to see myself in for the rest of my life, even if it's not in front of the screen, but behind the screen. It's just filmmaking in general is something I'm so passionate about. And Tommy, music is his everything. It's his therapy. He can take out his rage. He can show love. It's everything he needs it to be.
14:30And I think a lot of people can understand that. It's him striving not for greatness or anything like that. It's just it's all he knows. And it's kind of like what I said, it's all or nothing. So, yeah, I think I can relate to Tommy on a lot of different levels.
14:48Chris Hewitt:I mean, have either of you had to not necessarily lie to get ahead in your career, but maybe, you know, obfuscate the truth now and again? I mean, I've been to her in a while. Yeah, precisely. I think that goes with the territory. Or skirt past a security guard to get to an audition or something like that. I told Leah I knew how to play guitar. Imagine. Okay. And the truth was? I did not know I'd play guitar. But, I mean, I was doing a job and I was like in the middle of a winter camp, in the middle of nowhere, and I just kind of... So that'd be the black phone today. Yeah. Okay. I just had to try to learn what I can, but it got to a point where it was a lot of the songs are really difficult.
15:33So it was just watching other people. And a lot of one of our bandmates, Kyler, he knew how to play instruments and he'd been in a band. And a lot of people, part of our group, like were and have been and still are. And it was just kind of a thing. We're watching them and trying to make it look as authentic as possible. And obviously a giant help from Lee in all of that, because it was a lot to take on. And just try to look like, Oh, he did. These guys look like they knew what they were doing. You pulled it off, man. You pulled it off. It was really, really special. Okay. You are an actor. I am an actor.
16:06Chris Hewitt:you are. So if I was to be using guitar right now, which don't worry, I don't have one. I'm not, I'm not magic, but what could, what could you do? How many, you know, is it three chords in the truth? I can play any song.
16:21I've been, I've been, I've been working a good bit. So I haven't had time to keep it as, keep it up as much as I wish I could, but I'm on a little bit of break now off these jobs. So I have a couple of guitars at home that I'm going to, I'm going to hook back up and McKenna obviously knows how to play. So she's going to help me out with that. Amazing. That's amazing, dude.
16:39Chris Hewitt:So you playing Green Day stuff? Cause Lee said you're a Green Day fan. Oh, a hundred percent. I mean, I mean, McKenna, she tried to teach me cause before production, I didn't, I obviously didn't know how and she would send me these these videos of her literally making like a youtube how to play guitar like tutorial and like show me all the easy things so it was a lot of help but she uh she knows all the songs so she's she she helps me out with them but you try my best that's amazing dude i love it i love it i remember when she was sending you stuff and you were like you send me videos of playing the guitar and i was like it's happening it's happening slowly slowly it's happening moving your fingers into position we're just gonna pan up from that
17:32Chris Hewitt:a third man comes in from this stunt guitarist behind my back it's not a bad idea um i've got you guys go in a second but uh let's talk about green day i mean obviously you guys you and the guys go way back but shooting scenes with with green day and you know mason you have scenes more scenes i say with billy joe as well uh what was that like for you both i start with you mason and then and then lee he just has this like aura to him it's so cool and i remember lee took took me to a green day concert um before filming and by the way that was my kind of like my first concert ever and i remember going backstage and billy just like pops out and he was just there and like you see these videos of him up on stage and i mean he's a monster he's an animal i mean he can perform like that for hours and hours and i i don't know what i was expecting but he walks up and he's just the chillest dude i think i've ever seen he was just i was just like hey i'm i'm i'm i'm such a baby he's just like hey hey man yes it's nice to meet you excited for the show i'm like yeah yeah it was like well let me know how it is afterwards i was like wow that was really cool and my experience with him ever since then has been just he's such a down-to-earth humble cool chill person yeah and uh really fun to talk to and uh i mean obviously my character is um pretty based off of billy i mean that's how i went into it was basing a good amount of stuff off of billy and uh getting to talk with him even if for a short bit was really nice.
19:16But yeah, I love them. I love all of them.
19:19Chris Hewitt:Amazing. And Lee, do you get to, you know, as a director of Green Day, do you get to get right in their faces and be all going, that last take was rubbish. Yeah, that was better next time. Take it again. Remember your lines, guys. Tomato, tomato. Come here, Armstrong. I'm old school. You know what? What was wonderful about this is these guys, you know, they're Green Day. they have their thing you know and it was sort of like just point and shoot here we go guys do your thing you know and uh and so we have that scene in the record store which was just a blast to shoot and they just you know they were just doing their thing of course they've done that a million times sat behind a you know a table and signed people's stuff yeah so it's like have fun guys and they had lines and they did their lines but they also improvised and did their own thing and which was what i wanted by the way you know and uh and then you know of course the concert was a complete blast.
20:13And we had that nice scene with Bobby Lee, you know, which was, which was really fun. So, so, you know, with Billy Joe as well. And, and man, it was just, it was a blast. You know, it was great. Those guys are great. Billy Joe's phenomenal. And, you know, I'd worked with him before and, and he, Mason's right. He has just an essence about him, you know? I mean, he's an artist. The guy's just an artist, you know? And he just, something comes through of him, you know, in a big way on a stage, but also just when you frame up the camera and just point it at him. So it was cool.
20:49Chris Hewitt:Amazing. Glad you guys go, but we're at Comic-Con. I know you haven't really had a chance to properly walk around the convention center yet, but have you seen, I mean, Mason, have you seen any grabbers? Not yet, not yet, but I'll be looking out for them when I see them all around. I was going to say, you might just see grabbers wherever you go, right? It's just this. Yeah, there's a lot of grabbers. Every time I close my eyes. That guy is a grabber. You can see him too, right? Take it easy, Mason. You're all right. I'm safe here. Brilliant. On that note, guys, I hope you had the time of your life.
21:29Chris Hewitt:Thanks so much. Yes. Very good. Welcome to paradise, guys. Okay. and I smack it out of the park. I'm Mason. Mason Lee, it's been a pleasure. Thanks a lot. Thank you. Cheers, guys. Okay, that was Mason Thames and Lee Kirk, star and director, respectively, of Nimrods, a Green Day comedy and that film is in cinemas right now. As is Adam Shankman's riotous spoof comedy, Stop That Train, which is an old-fashioned throwback to the spoofs of Sucker Abraham Sucker, the likes of Airplane and top secret in the Laked Gun, but with a RuPaul's Drag Race twist. It was in fact produced by RuPaul, who also plays the president, and it sees Ginger Minj and Jujubee on a runaway train packed with cannon fodder, celebrities, and celebrity cannon fodder.
22:20Chris Hewitt:It's something of a departure for Scheichmann, a choreographer-turned-director who has films like The Wedding Planner, Rock of Ages, Hairspray, the musical version, and The Pacifier under his belt, but he handles it admirably. And in this interview, he talks about the film's unusual journey to the screen, how he feels about directing, his unique relationship with Sarah Michelle Gellar, who cameos in the film, and the correct way to say the film's title. Enjoy. Before we talk about Stop That Train, that's why I'm saying it, Adam. Is that correct? Or am I pronouncing it wrong? You pronounced it exactly right.
22:50That's literally the exact pronunciation. You've got an A-plus on that one.
Read the full transcript
22:54Chris Hewitt:The emphasis is on all the right words in all the right places. That's good. this is obviously an audio podcast but I am very taken sir with the wall behind you which is liberally festooned with incredible pictures from yeah from where from throughout your career or just stuff that you like yeah it's it's no it's career family and friends it's my life it's just like a gallery wall of my life it's like it's all special moments and you know people who've meant a great deal to me and i don't know no it's good it's good it's the wall of tears
23:37Chris Hewitt:so does that mean that you'd like to look at it and then tear up every now and again or do you like to avoid looking at it i miss my misspent youth when i miss begotten life i you know triumphs and losses the whole spectrum uh is there anything on there from stop that train there it let me see is there no but i just had something printed i did just have something printed that i would like to put up there yes okay excellent because i imagine this is um uh like it was a 19 day shoot uh an absolute i don't know just hell for leather push to the finish line it was man dude it was i'm not gonna lie it was mayhem but um it was it was it was sweet chaos yeah it taught me through the sweet chaos how did it how did it begin and then did it ease as time went on when they asked me to do it i had taken uh i was about to embark on the other movie I have coming out this year, which is Man with the Bag, the Christmas movie.
24:43And I was like, and there's so little time in between seasons of Drag Race where Rue was available, where RuPaul was available, and I, and we were just trying to, and I read the script and I thought it was absolutely hilarious and it was so stupid and so silly and such a delight that I was just like, I want to make it like you don't get the opportunity to make movies like this anymore, or they just don't come across my desk. And I was, I was honored and thrilled at the opportunity. And I said, but I understood how limited the resources were and the time constraints. And I said, I think we can do it.
25:28And so it was a legitimate labor of love. and it was um a blast and but i mean i only had like three weeks you know to get it ready i mean two weeks after i finished man with the bag i was shooting i was in the oval office we were shooting that scene two weeks later so and then we had kind of a little break there where they were trying to build the train in time and like that train do not lean up against the walls because they're fucking paper mache man they're like that shit you're gonna fall through and it looks great but like don't put too much pressure on there because i mean you can see in the um in the outtakes like yeah i'm like trying to show natasha leggero and i almost go through a window like it's like it was everything was just spitting glue when was the last time that you made a movie that was held together by spitting spitting sellotape never i mean it was like even my short film was like we were in actual locations so it was like i've never done it before and um but i had this feeling that that everybody was so game and understood the assignment i mean i made sure everybody understood the assignment before we started like but they understood it in such a way and was so supportive of putting these particular artists these drag queens uh front and center and wanted to to do it so much that i was like i'm pretty sure we can just get it done i mean some days were like oh but you know it was um it was it was wild uh you know i i just had the pleasure
27:17Chris Hewitt:of talking to Ginger Minj and Jujubee for this podcast as well. They were talking about how they essentially have to play it straight and they're in a different film from everyone else. In terms of understanding the assignment, how did you convey to them the tone that they were going for and how did you convey to everyone else, all the day players for example, all the big name day players you have coming in? The first thing I said to everybody is you're in a drama. period end of story you are in a drama no matter what like they do not ever play the joke do not ever play the comic like you just the stakes for all of your characters have to be incredibly real it needs to bump up to like a soap operatic level of drama like if we can't play it you know quiet and serious like in that way but we have to you know play the quote-unquote absurd the calamity of what's going on, but all of these things have to feel incredibly real to you.
28:17And so, so they did, you know, and that, cause that to me is the only way that a satire like this plays, you know, this isn't a long tradition. It's not just the, the airplanes and top secrets and naked guns and hot shots. It's also the Mel Brooks movie, the high anxiety, you know, blazing saddles what the early uh melbrook stuff like but young frankincense i mean everything has to be real to these people and so um once they heard that and knew that that's what i expected
28:52Chris Hewitt:then everything kind of fell into place on this podcast we're huge fans of of a lot of those parody movies that you talked about you know mel brooks and the sucker abraham sucker movies I'm constantly talking about how Top Secret is possibly the funniest movie ever made on our podcast. This has come up repeatedly. I love that because Top Secret feels like such a lost gem to me. Like, you know, it is like there's like no young person who knows about Top Secret. Or you have to be a true cinephile to like, you know, and particularly a lover of comedy to have discovered Top Secret. Yeah, I love Top Secret.
29:32Chris Hewitt:So were you asking cast members to kind of sit down and watch these movies in a way? Yeah, I asked them if they didn't have a familiarity with them. I was like, I think it's important just so you understand the tone. Like you should look at these things so that you understand. These are all just words coming out of me. But if you see it visually, I think you'll understand what I'm talking about. Yeah, very much so. And I don't want to spoil every cameo that's in this. because if I started listing all the people who are in this, Adam, frankly, I'd run out of time very, very quickly. They're on the poster.
30:06A lot of them are on the poster.
30:07Chris Hewitt:And in fairness, they're in the first 30 seconds of the movie. All the names are there in the first 30 seconds of the movie. Yeah, that's true. But you have, I mean, it's an amazing, amazing lineup of comedic talent just popping in sometimes for just one gag, two gags, then they're gone. One line sometimes. It was like, it was, you know, I can tell you like the, both Paul Scheer and Joel McHale got calls like the day before. Like I had decided that I was like, no, I need two more bits in the opening thing where we are. Cause I was concerned. I was like, look, right now it's like in the setup of the movie, it's almost all drag Queens.
30:48There's no jokes from any of the cameos. And so I would like an audience to not be led to believe that it's only going to be drag queens in the movie. And so let's put some cameos in that opening commercial. And but that didn't happen until the day before we shot it. And we were already shooting the movie like that wasn't in the script. And so Connor and Christina wrote up a bunch of gags. And I was like, I like this one. I like this one. And we got on the phone and I called Joel and Randy Barbato called Paul. And like, we were like, Hey, what are you doing tomorrow? I mean, it was like that. Do you have, you know, and well, Joel was like, well, how long?
31:31And I was like, Joel, I swear to God, you're going to be in and out in under an hour. He was like, are you fucking serious? And I was like, I'm not kidding. He was like, I know how this works. It's not, I was like, I'm telling you, you're going to be in and out in under an hour. And he was. so you know it was it was it was like that yes that's that's the story of this movie you know
31:56Chris Hewitt:because obviously Sarah Michelle Gellar is in the movie she's very very funny in the film and uh Adam this blew my mind when I discovered this you officiated her wedding I did I did that was one of the easier phone calls for me to make um i have a very long relationship with sarah michelle and her husband and freddie prince and um yes i officiated their wedding that's amazing by the way it wasn't until like last year that i we were together at something and i said you know i've never asked you why the hell did you ask me to officiate your wedding of all of it like that. And I'm not going to tell the story about why, but the story made sense to me.
32:42And I was like, oh, okay, well, that makes sense. But I adore those two. They're old, wonderful friends of mine. And I'm so proud that the one wedding I've officiated has, you know, produced, ended in a lasting marriage that couldn't be more strong to this day.
33:02Chris Hewitt:So that's the one wedding, because that was my next question. Have you officiated any other weddings? Are you available to officiate? I am available. I am available. It's my side hustle. And was this power bestowed upon you by the internet or how did that happen? 100 % by the internet. It's just so brilliant to me that like for$20 and an application, I can decide, I can legally decide that people are married. I can ordain it and create a lifelong marriage. It's so weird. But God bless it. Does that play into the idea that you can do that? Does that play into the God complex that I suspect all directors have to some extent?
33:52100%. We all think we're God. What are you talking about? Are you implying that we're not?
34:03You know, it's so funny. I've worked with so many directors before I was directing. I worked with, you know, I worked on well over 100 movies and with so many directors and so many great directors and some less great directors.
34:25And it's the great ones that have zero God complex, and it's the not great ones that seem to have the bigger God complex. And when I say great, I'm not even talking about the work that they produce is great. I'm talking about how they are at work, on set, in the environment, doing that, you know, how they treat crew, how you, you know, how you behave in your environment. safe space.
34:53Chris Hewitt:Is that something that's run through your career as director all the way from The Wedding Planner onwards? The way you hold yourself, the way you comport yourself on set is so important. It's really important to me. It's really important to me because I'm from crew. I started when I was dancing and stuff. And then when I became a choreographer and I worked on all those movies and all those TV sets, it's very difficult to learn something from somebody who's great at what they do because it seems like some sort of magic trick that they're, you know, because so much of what makes a great director, it's sort of just instinctual and inside their head and you can't get a handle on that.
35:31It's the shitty ones that I learned everything from because I was like, you are exactly what I don't want to be. Watching you make these decisions, watching you being incapable of making a decision, watching the way that you treat a crew member watching the way that you do like those are those became the easiest ways for me to really learn about how i wanted to comport myself and also um and be a leader in some way because it's you know being a director is a very isolating job it's like you're the only one on any given set unless you are a team of directors you know and um and you are you know at least while you're shooting basically the final word and it's all predicated on you know how you're telling any given story that you're working on and i i take that very very seriously because it is a very happy safe space and it is also the only space where i know exactly what my purpose is it's like if you when i call cut and it's a wrap and i go home i have no fucking idea what i'm supposed to do.
36:44Like I have, like, I'm a disaster. Like I, I don't know what my purpose is other than to take care of my dogs and to make sure that my friends and family know I'm alive and that, that I'm being a good son or, you know, friend or boyfriend or like whatever it is. And so it's the most purpose-filled I ever feel. So I take that as like a holy space for me. And so, to be a jerk in that space would be counterproductive and it would make my life miserable. And I don't do this to be miserable. I do this to be happy, you know? So, it's the only thing I really know how to do other than bake, so.
37:28Chris Hewitt:Well, you know, baking is very lucrative these days, Adam, but. Kind of, right? Another side hustle. Like, believe me, I have friends who are like, no, we should start a little something here. You could do the whole thing. You could officiate the wedding. You could shoot the wedding video. You could bake the wedding cake. I'm saying that this is perhaps… I'm terrible at cakes. I'm great at cookies, cupcakes, cheesecakes. I'm brilliant at. I can't make a normal cake to save my life because I can't figure out how to frost them. Like, I make great frosting, but I can't figure out how to stack a cake and frost it exactly.
38:03I don't know why. I'm sure I could learn.
38:06Chris Hewitt:but yeah maybe one day you'll you'll crack that code who knows but uh i've got it to go in a second but as you mentioned at the beginning this is the first of your two films out this year you're remarkably prolific in 2026 the man with the bag uh arnold schwarzenegger as santa claus which is something i can't believe hasn't happened i sort of after after day one of shooting him i was like how has this never happened before? Like he, he's, I'm, I'm going to step 30 ,000 feet outside of my own life and my own career. And I'm just telling you objectively, I swear to God, he is so freaking good in this movie.
38:46It's crazy. Like it's, I was like, Oh my God, who knew that Santa Claus was the role Arnold Schwarzenegger was born to play. It's so crazy. it's him and Alan Richson and Awkwafina and Ka Mooney and Eliza Koshy and Michael Cyril Creighton it's just such an incredible group of people and it's a lovely film it really is a lovely film I'm actually proud of it so I'm excited to talk to you about that again whenever Christmas comes
39:17Chris Hewitt:around we can chat about the man with the bag as well because you have this knack throughout your career of taking these A-list actors and and doing stuff that kind of obviously plays into image a little bit but also subverts it and plays against it whether it's tom cruise and rock of ages or or finn diesel in the pacifier you know it's all it's all there yeah it's all it's and for some reason with me it's always the dudes it's like i don't know why it's like i i've i haven't been uh i haven't done as much time with the ladies and i'd like to correct that a little bit but the um i've had a great a great successful and love i have great relationships with all of them i adore them i i'm stunned that we've gotten to do the things together that we've gotten to do and I don't take it for granted and I really appreciate it.
40:02And by the way, not to try to circle back to stop that train, but it's like to work with these queens in this and put them in the front and center of this insane project and to have them fill the space in the way that they did and to be so good is just a great source of pride for me.
40:24Chris Hewitt:Absolutely. But if I can just correct you very, very quickly, on your pronunciation. It's Stop That Train! It is. I'm sorry. Sometimes I slur. It's a speech impediment. I apologize. Thanks for pointing it out. Whatever. Don't worry. I'll fix it in post. It's all good. On the note, Adam Shankman, it's been a pleasure. Thanks so much for your time. Absolutely. Thank you, Chris. Thanks for taking the time. All right. That was Adam Shankman, folks. And Stop That Train is now out in cinemas and is a right old lark. Fans of RuPaul's Dry Grace will love it. And speaking of RuPaul's Dry Grace, Ginger Minj and Jujubee, the film's stars, will be on the next episode of the interviews.
41:07Chris Hewitt:And trust me, they were a ton of fun. One last interview now, and it is with the star of the latest Insidious movie, subtitled Stop That Demon. No, it's actually Insidious. Out of the Further, the sixth installment of the wildly successful horror franchise. And as the title suggests, this time the demons of the further are going further than they've ever gone before. And they're led by the chilling Cyrus, played by the wonderful British character actor Sam Spruill, who's been so memorable in the likes of Fargo Season 5 and Legend. He's got something of a penchant for memorable miscreants. But thankfully, he's a lovely bloke in real life, as we discovered when Becky Dark, making her interview debut on The Empire podcast, chatted to him on Zoom just the other day.
41:56Chris Hewitt:Here it is as they dive into the process of creating a truly bad guy. Enjoy. Sam Sprawl, welcome to the Empire podcast. How are you doing? I'm doing very well, thank you. Yes. Good. I was sat in a beautifully air-conditioned screening room this morning watching Insidious out of the further today um and i had such a good time with it sam um it was great to be back with elise and all her spooky enemies of which you are now one so can you tell me a little bit about your new big bad this kind of entity that you play out of the further yeah i mean he is like um he's another kind of demon from the further another kind of um uh spirit villain if you like and um And I suppose when I first came across it, I met the director, Jacob Chase, to talk about doing, playing Cyrus.
42:58Yeah. In the film. And he pitched it to me as this kind of, you know, some kind of powerful figure who had been killed in the 70s, who has kind of retained his power and his charm and charisma, if you like, in the further. and wants to bring himself along with his followers back to the real world. And I just thought, this sounds so great. And the way he pitched what he wanted to do with the film, it all sounded so creative and interesting. And Jacob Chase, who directed it, is a man full of ideas. And I'm an actor who loves to work with people who are full of ideas, who are kind of full of creativity because that's how I'm, I'm like full of ideas.
43:55I'm full of creativity, creativity and kind of the world of horror really has the capacity to hold that, to hold that level. For sure. And before we did all the scenes that we worked on together, we had lots of great chats about character and the world and costume and how we were going to do certain things. And it really kind of played out as a very creative experience. I love that. Yeah. The character design really stuck out to me. Actually, you've got this. You said there about Cyrus having been killed in the 70s. And he's this kind of cult leader figure. You kind of get that through a sort of flashback through an old sort of videotape or some sort of spectral TV broadcast.
44:43um but he's kind of retained that he's got the long hair the kind of robes uh rings on his fingers um but one of the things that really stuck out to me was kind of the blindfold as well like that was quite um striking as part of the kind of look so yeah how did the kind of uh the character design itself sort of help you kind of bring the character to life i mean it's it is um it's all kind of develops as you're going on in this conversation but but just to to start kind of you know I did early on obviously I knew that he was a kind of cult leader so and he died and he was exist he was alive in the 70s and so you know we let's go for some flowing robes let's go for sandals let's go for long hair do all that kind of um uh really lean into that tropey um american um cult leader and um you know like a kind of horrible hippie uh well vicious brutal murderous hippie and um that kind of uh that felt great and then we built into you know he wanted a specific color which was really good and then and then jacob really had these strong ideas that he wanted trinkets um kind of around uh cyrus's neck from all the kind of um from all his victims so there was rings it was a retainer hanging off at one point and just different things and rich kind of created this horrible kind of montage hanging around his neck of visual disgustingness and um and then also So kind of then you had the great kind of he's been the further along time.
46:32So he's degraded and diminished and his his nails are horrible and his body's kind of kind of peeling away and being kind of just just disgusting, you know. And that was that's like it's great. It's great because you you as a kind of actor, you just want to kind of let rip. And suddenly you've been given kind of absolute license to do so in so many ways. and then you know the blindfold came quite late in the process but what was so good about it was that um i don't know you're trying to create a kind of image a strong image and and a kind of and a strong kind of tone about this character so to have him kind of feeling his way through the dark felt you know and obviously the blindfold comes from a set piece that you kind of get a glimpse of that occurs in the 70s when he's alive but yeah you you to have this as as him in the further stuck with this blindfold yeah it almost looks it was interesting what you were saying about him haven't been in there for so long because it almost looks as if it's like become part of his face he's not wearing it it's like part of him yeah yeah exactly it's kind of forged itself to his skin yeah and so you know again that was all part of the discussions that you can have when you're doing a horror film and i mean i suddenly was like what have i been doing all my career because this is the first horror film that i've done i was like this is this is these are my people this is kind of my world and i love um you know i've played a lot of strong characters in my life and so um and so you know it was it was it this was another one where you could really as i say let rip so um yeah the whole creation around it was just such fun and like what costume did and then makeup with my body and the kind of, the quality of his hair is so disgusting.
48:41And yeah, I loved it. I loved it. And it just kept going. Like, yeah, you can see my toenails through the sandals. Let's make them horrible. You know, I mean, it was just everything. We just went to town and it's great. And actually there's probably a lot more material than made it into the film. You know, that's just the nature of filmmaking. you've got so many characters to kind of hold in it but I think there's definitely a kind of spin-off available for um Cyrus to kind of go out into the world again so I'd love that I'd love to go back and revisit him in the 70s maybe like do a period piece yeah what's that what's that when they call it a um you know when you it's his um oh his origin story his origin story exactly Yes.
49:27That's what we need. You said that you obviously haven't done a kind of horror movie before in terms of being in one, but how was it to kind of join a big popular horror franchise like Insidious at this stage? Were you already a fan? Did you have to do much preparation in terms of watching all the previous movies? I watched one with my son and really enjoyed it, but I didn't really know about it. Right. And just because I suppose I'm not, like, I haven't seen loads of horror and certainly modern horror has kind of escaped me. Right. Partly because my focus, I guess, is on other stuff, other types of cinema.
50:11But I've always wanted to do a horror film and now I'm like, I'm fully there. You've got the bug. Yeah, definitely got the bug. But it's kind of, it's, I didn't really need to, obviously I was like, really learned different aspects of the world, how the world works, the different characters that have emerged through the franchise. I was really, obviously knew about Lin Shay, fantastic, you know, love the fact that she's the baseline to this whole world, and that's great. But I just, my reference, I guess, was kind of powerful people who are, who behave very badly. And, you know, there's lots of those kind of people in the real world in which we live.
51:09So I just picked a few of those horrors and kind of thought about them and how I wanted to transpose their spirit into Cyrus, you know. And then, of course, the normal things, like there's certain things that you retain in your head where you've been really scared yourself in certain films with certain characters that you go back and revisit. And that is always part of my process. I often put, you know, when I start working on a character, I put a visual mood board together. Lots of people do that. So you can have a kind of, you can cross-reference with your director and just kind of have a, it kind of forms the beginning of a discussion.
51:50And so, yeah, I had a few proper nasties in there, which I kind of don't want to reveal because I don't want to kind of take the attention away from Cyrus. But yeah, some pro passes both from the real world and both from the kind of films that I had seen in the past. I think there was something about him just going back to the cult leader thing about bringing that aspect into obviously like a supernatural franchise like Insidious. There's something about the kind of, I don't know, the phenomenon of the cult leader in 2026, which I thought really meshed so well with kind of what we've seen from the franchise before, but seems to chime maybe louder than ever before in terms of the world that we're living in now.
52:37So it's interesting to hear that you were kind of drawing on that. Yeah, we're living in a world of personality. Yeah. and um and where the style it purports to be one thing but the substance is actually quite different and i suppose that that um that uh does chime with cyrus and chimes with a lot of people who are coming into your mind right now that we don't need to discuss but exactly exactly you know We are not short of kind of frightening people in the real world. And so I had them all over my mood board and they were very good to kind of reference in my head, maybe before I do a scene or whatever.
53:23Yeah, yeah, yeah. Also, then you're just on set as well. And you're just opposite good actors who are giving you a whole kind of different perspective on the scene. and there's nothing like you can plan as much as you like but once you get there once you get to set once you see how it all kind of plays out once you have to kind of collaborate with actors who have totally different ideas of how it should be you know then then it becomes something different and you have to kind of throw away um a lot of what you've thought about just to kind of live in that moment but yeah of course hopefully you've done a threat where it's some of what you've decided stays in that character stays in your delivery stays in your presentation you know part of the uh presentation um from you sam is that uh he's got such a quite idiosyncratic voice and i thought that the sound design on the film as well like it felt like um cyrus's voice was just booming in my ears every time you were kind of on screen or his like disembodied voice came over um i love that oh good but did you do i mean i know that your character in the fargo tv show also had a very sort of idiosyncratic voice and way of speaking um and then obviously cyrus has got that kind of um very sort of deep menacing kind of way of speaking and that voice is that as i say sort of booms through the sound design so were you able to kind of pull on anything from sort of old monk in terms of, you know, the vocals or even just the bad guy stuff?
55:03Yeah, I mean, I've played a lot of bad guys. So, you know, maybe that kind of, I just have access to that. You know, some people have access to kind of being romantic. I hope that doesn't escape me, mind. But, you know, some people have access to that or can cry or whatever. I have access to kind of being menacing. And maybe I grew up with a lot of rotters in Southeast London or, you know, I don't know what allows you that, what gives you that, but it just, but that's been part of my journey, a significant part of it. But they're all different. You will try and kind of make it different. And you also, I suppose, you know, there's two different things.
55:51the psychology and then the voices kind of was real experimentation because actually we also thought about how the further had affected his voice so actually when he's alive in the 70s he's got a kind of higher pitched voice I noticed that yeah then and then we take him through you know and he's kind of just he's just you know folded into himself he's just the kind of he's like a he's become a thicker liquid if you like you know and um and uh so we try to kind of do that in the voice and and and actually we did different things where we recorded some of my voice and then layered it with another voice that I had done you know and there was experimentation there like i don't know what i i couldn't i've only seen the film once so i couldn't just totally see what they had done but it's all my voice it's all kind of there's no effects on there i think part of jacob chase's filmmaking is actually he wants as little effects as possible so from the sound design to the visual what you see he's a real practical filmmaker you know and he began life actually creating immersive theatrical live theatrical shows and that's interesting yeah no and he really brings that into his filmmaking and kind of so sometimes you turn up on set and you and there would be a lot you'd be doing a scene with lots of people working the scenery to give a certain effect whether it be doors closing curtains blowing anything that he just didn't want to rely on CGI.
57:42He wanted people kind of making those things move and work in camera on the day. And that felt like old school filmmaking, you know, and I really loved it. And you've got a much bigger team as a result on set or in the room that you're acting in kind of doing stuff. but it's like you're all working together. It's very exciting when it comes off. You mentioned Lin Shay just now. And I think if you know that a bad guy is really bad, you know that you have to get Lin Shay back in to deal with him. How was it working with her, this horror icon? Yeah, she's a horror icon. I totally learned that. She's kind of, she's a proper actress as well.
58:38You know, that's nice for me. Someone who's been doing it, I don't know, maybe 60 years and turning up to work on time, energised. She's really good in the film. Her voice is really strong. Physically, she's still so there, you know, in quite a kind of frenetic series of events that she's a part of. And so I actually loved working with her. And the great thing about actors, you know, is that they're really enthusiastic to the end, I've found, predominantly. And she's definitely one of those, you know, and I just thought she was great. I love it. Well, we're going to have to leave it there, Sam.
59:23But thank you so much for joining me today and chatting to me about this film. As I say, I had a great time, scared the bejesus out of me, and a lot of that was down to you. So thank you very much. Oh, that's so great to hear. Very nice to meet you. Thanks.
59:37Chris Hewitt:And that was Becky Dark talking to Sam Sproul. And thanks to Sam for taking time out of his holiday. I think he was in Crete, not the Further. That would have been crazy to have that chat with us. So it's very much appreciated. Insidious out of the Further is in cinemas now, both here and in the Further, which is nice. And on that note, that's it for this episode of The Interviews. Hope you enjoyed it. There'll be another one in a few days' time. And meanwhile, the main Empire podcast is up, up, up right now with Helen O 'Hara, James Dyer and Jamie Graham and Harry Stainer talking to Jane Schoenbrunn about their new movie, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma.
1:00:13Chris Hewitt:And a spoiler special for that, also with an interview with Jane Schoenbrunn, is going to be up very, very soon behind the Empire Plus paywall. How exciting. As ever, thanks for listening and supporting the podcast. And if you haven't got your tickets yet for our live show at King's Place on Saturday, September 5th, just a couple of weeks away now, go to kingsplace.co.uk and snap up what's left. Maybe buy them all. I don't know. I'm not the boss of you. But anyway, on that note, that is enough from me. I'm off to close the door on the further forever or until they make Insidious 7. One of the two.
1:00:51Chris Hewitt:Thanks for listening. See you next time. Bye bye. Thank you very much for including my support!
From the publisher
The Interviews returns this week with a jam-packed show, as Chris Hewitt sits down at Comic-Con in San Diego with, after a delayed start, Mason Thames (and yes, we have learned how to pronounce his surname) and Lee Kirk (ditto), star and director respectively of Nimrods: A Green Day Comedy about music, movies, and heart. Then Chris pops onto Zoom to have a natter with Adam Shankman, director of ZAZ-style spoof, Stop! That! Train!, and wind up talking about the time Shankman officiated Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr's wedding, and directors' God complexes. And finally Becky Darke makes his Empire Podcast interview debut by talking on Zoom to Sam Spruell, who's terrifying audiences worldwide right now as the villain of the latest Insidious movie, Out Of The Further. Enjoy!
