Tom Hiddleston On Arsenal's Title Charge, Avengers 5-a-side & Old Trafford Secrets!

37:41Nicky:Owen Farrell was at Man United's academy I don't remember 12, 13 I think it was maybe 11, 12, 13 and then he chose to go to rugby but he was a goalkeeper at the academy that's amazing at Man United can I ask you a question about because it's lovely hearing about when you're saying about boarding school because I thought every kid whatever your background is loves getting the football and just go out and plays till it goes dark but you're at boarding school did you still all do the football nicknames were you Hiddo on the pitch oh I like that I like It's keeping it real. It just brings you down football.

38:15It's a great level. Hido giving you a... Hido! Massive on the board! What was yours, Paddy? What was yours? Seriously? I can't really say it, obviously. No, at school, I was always Paddy. It was Paddy, yeah. Because you have different groups of mates call you different names. I've got a group of mates who call me Pat. Yeah. I've got Patrick, which is always family. Right. Paddy, like TV lot and all that. And then lads who I used to knock about with in Bolten back in the day call me Ginn. McGinnis. Ginn. again it's always something like that it's so easy though isn't it it just rolls off the tongue what were you were you Butty Butty Nick yeah Scolsy Scolsy love that does that feel like what it was like at United did everyone basically just put a Y at the end of your name yeah Scolsy Butty Gigza Bex Nev so Keeney Keeney Cantanari what was you saying Cantanari Eric Eric Eric, yeah, I love that, Eric.

39:13Eric, it's fantastic. Just talking about Arsenal, now, were there, you know, top of the league, is this the worst time to be an Arsenal fan because you're anxious that they might blow it? Well, it's the hope that kills you, isn't it? It's, yeah, it's, I mean, this weekend was a, because we'd had the, obviously the extraordinary match at Old Trafford and City had lost. And so you've got three hours of going. Wow. Could be nine points. Nine points it could have been. And Villa. They lost as well. Yeah, exactly. So the Forest game. What are you doing that for? Villa aren't going to win. No, I know, but they're up there.

39:52They're pushing. You want the teams below you to lose, don't you? Yeah, but if you're worried about one team, it's City Curses. I don't think they're there now. No, I don't think they are at the level, but it's Arsenal's to win. There's only you that can blow it. Definitely, definitely. But also, you saw the response from some of the players after that draw. they were just furious because they want it so much. I mean, you guys are no better than I will. Wait till it gets to March and April. Oh, that's the business end. What do you think? I'm so intrigued. Where are they, seven points ahead now?

40:23Nicky:Up until the weekend, I genuinely thought they might bottle it and City would come from behind. But I think after the weekend now, I think it could be too big of a gap. I mean, you never know. It's only two games, isn't it, really? But I just don't see who else is going to put pressure on them. I don't think City right now. Now look, if it gets to four or five points in March, April time, that's when you're neighbours. Because you lose one, they win one. All of a sudden, it's two points. I know, and then where's anyone with injuries? But one thing I'll say about Arsenal, they've got the best squad now.

40:52Yeah, amazing squad. Even off the bench now, it's as strong as it's ever been. Who's top four then this season? Or is it finishing? Are United in there? I think they've got a chance now, yeah. I don't want to carry it away. Oh my God, he's definitely getting carried away. I'm not, no, Arsenal, Chelsea. Sorry, Arsenal, City. Don't know about Villa. I'm worried about Villa. But I think United will be one of them. Liverpool. Emery said something he said. He said it's not guaranteed you're going to finish top five. They always say that though, don't they? I suppose they have to. Yeah, they say they take the pressure off the players.

41:26I think you'll be expecting it. So you're going Arsenal, Chelsea. Oh, sorry, Arsenal, City, Chelsea. Who's that fourth spot? No, I don't think Chelsea. Oh, United. Yeah, I think United will get one. But it's top five now, isn't it, as well? Yeah, it's five. Who's behind United now? It's Liverpool, isn't it? Liverpool's four. Spurs. Spurs. No, Spurs are 15, 16, Spurs. I think at the moment it's Arsenal, City, Villa, Liverpool, United, Chelsea, Brentford. Yeah, you would have thought Villa should be... It's going to take a massive dip for Villa to miss out on the top five because there are a lot of points ahead of United still.

42:05but I think United will get it I think Liverpool at some point are still struggling aren't they you think at some point I've been saying that all season they're going to come with that team they've got to come with it but they just don't do they and top five is a big bonus as well isn't it so I wanted to ask you both this how much do you think that is psychological either in individual players or in a dressing room where something has happened obviously they had the terrible and tragic loss and you don't know how that I think

42:34Nicky:I think psychologists will say it's the biggest part of sport. So we got into an era when we were playing, we didn't really have a psychologist around the club until Bill Bezic came, remember? And basically I wasn't big into it, but you can see now it must be massive in the sports science side of it. If you look at the way that you approach football, I remember when it was going well, you don't even remember anything in the game. You don't think about anything. It just happens. And you go home and you have some food, or you miss it at the night time, you go, I don't remember any of that game, it just happened.

43:04Nicky:and the flip side of it when it's going bad every single thing you do is horrible every touch you make is a bit too far every pass you make doesn't get there and it is it's all in the head I'm pretty sure that's in any walk of life really but particularly in sport because really even though it's a team sport it's very individualised football so if you've got to go and do your job in order to make the team better and I just think if you're down with yourself or you're having a bad time it's horrific The most important time the manager's called it squeaky bum time yes I've mentioned March and April you can do what you want and you put yourself in a position there now Arsenal won it for 22 years or something is it so I mean finishing like silver medalist yeah the only thing which could be different this year the arsehole if they do it properly they could have a 10 point 12 point lead I think as well it always kicks in when the Champions league starts up again if you're going far in both the cups which most of them are and then you've got that many games in such a small period of time and I do think the Arsenal squad will deal with it this year I do as you say it's so deep the bench is phenomenal look at their bench compared to certain other teams' benches you're just thinking every single one of them on the bench would get into the top six team go to the games Tom yeah great stadium it's a great stadium everyone says that when they go I don't know what Arsenal told us It's always been a classy club, hasn't it?

44:30Yeah. We've always liked it. It seems to be. If you think of the old stadium with the marble hallway, it's always a bit of class. It's got class, hasn't it?

44:38Nicky:It's kind of class. Whether you like them or not, they're a proper classic football club. Yeah. When did you... Because all sports now, you know, golf, darts, everyone uses sports psychologists. When did you notice that creeping across the game? Because, no, it's like the norm, isn't it? Do you know what it was? It's normal, though. If you look at coaches back then, they were geniuses, really, because they were the psychologists, they were your coach, they were your manager, they were your physio sometimes, and they were the bus driver. And that's true. Sorry, Nick, because I was thinking about this.

45:10Do you remember when Sir Alex used to do massages? Yeah. What? He used to massage some of the players. Wow. And it was, honestly, it was so... For what reason? Because you didn't have that many staff. You didn't have the staff to do that. Oh, you mean he just went, oh, I'll do it then, no one's here to do it. Yeah, he used to book a time, he used to go to Old Trafford, and he used to like I remember going in once and seeing him doing gigs of his calves a bucket of soap and water and he's massaging gigs of his calves imagine that now that's because

45:36Nicky:he's a control freak though he'd think he's better than a masser he would tell them he's one of them once you used to have a photograph at the start of the season the team he would tell them that the photographer who's a professional move out of the way you don't know what you're doing I know what I'm doing and he'd be you go there it's control freak but going back to the actual that's mind blowing yeah going back to the yeah I was coaching when we were kids he used to drive the minibus then the physio would give you a massage and they'd join in with it it'd be the mind's yacht it'd be the player care because all your stuff these kids are going through at 15 and 16 so the genius is do you remember also sorry we're going off it a little bit here but you used to get fed didn't you obviously in the canteen sure so around Christmas time when the dinner ladies were off the physio used to make you dinner yeah I remember Jim McGregor Jim McGregor going in the canteen God it's amazing how it were back then yeah it was brilliant wasn't it Go back to the psychologist side of it.

46:28Like Nicky said, coaches, manager Sir Alex was the best out of it. He just had to say something to you and it's in your head and you're thinking about it. Even though they've got the best of everything now, just looking at football clubs, the stadiums, everything, the money that's involved in the game. Do you two think it was a happier time to play football when you played or do you think it's the better time now? No, I wouldn't change anything. I wouldn't. So you think back in the day was it better to be a footballer than now? I think it would be more enjoyable. We had a bit of more of a life.

47:02Nicky:There was no camera phones. Lads now can't go out. We used to go out. If we had no game on Champions League, we'd go out. The whole squad would go out on a Wednesday in Manchester and they'd have one security guy. And I'm talking like Eric would be there, all the big hitters would be there and there'd be no hassle at all. A few fans would say hello, you know, a few pictures and then you're left to it. I mean, they don't even go out in their houses nowadays. I mean, nowadays, I don't think they even go back into the players lounge how many people score in the players lounge it's a shame isn't it it's like they're really isolated and I think that's great especially as young players it's going to affect you that in your life you're almost like robots as well now aren't you you tracked everything you do so you're wearing your monitors and training how far you've run you can't really do anything without being monitored I'd hate that I don't know about you Nick I had a question about Sir Alex by the way and this might be a bit if I think about this but what do you think is there anything you think he might have understood in you before you understood it yourself?

48:03Bloody hell, that's a question. I think he did. This is Tom for you. That's a different level, isn't it? This is Tom. But what are you doing next Monday, Tom? Got some proper questions. I think if you look at

48:12Nicky:Aaron Stoles' background we were very working class and he come from obviously a really working class place in Govan up there and I think he realised that you're not what he told me was when I because you get into a bit of trouble when you're younger you get into a bit of trouble when you're older obviously as well but particularly when you're younger and you've got a lot of people blowing smoke up your backside you're going to be the next big thing and you're in your little environment and you're the king of it but he told me that when I was about 16, 15, 16 you're not just representing yourself you're representing your parents when you go out and you're not wearing the football club and you're not wearing that badge you're still representing the club and I never got that I was like I play football and I go and do what I want with my friends because I am not I'm nobody's role model because I don't want to be but ultimately if you want to be or not you are so there's a lot of things and look I made a lot of mistakes when I was growing up I got into a few little scrapes and stuff but literally he told me that's your phone again do you know what you put it on sound yeah because we were trying to get older I mean that's so unprofessional oh it's Iron Man I mean no he's here he's alright alright Tony he speaks you in a bit hey good day good come here you did well well get out well get out but I think for me that's the big thing he got me was you are representing your family and he was that's amazing he was big on that he was always big on you he was always big on your mum's obviously that sounds a bit weird but he was he was always look after your mum you know you represent your mum your dad will look after his self he's the man but you look after your mum make sure you do this when you got old I didn't understand that until I got older that you make some silly mistakes but you are representing your family and not only that all the people where you're from and stuff so that's what he told me and he wanted you to settle down and at the time we were like 21 to 22 younger than that remember when I was 19 we went to the FA Cup it was against girlfriends make sure you've got a girlfriend get a wife have kids we were like 21 to 22 years of age but he cared and he'd see that that would stabilise you your whole life would be stable didn't turn out that way three marriages later We said that to him last week.

50:18You know you made us get married.

50:20Nicky:You're with some money. You're a few quid. Tom, the level of professionalism he brings. So just for you lot watching this, Tom turned up today, sat down before we started recording. He's got his own notebook for questions for the boys. Get the notebook out, Tom. Let's get stuck in some. I'm really giving him a grilling. All right, here we go. I like seeing him sweat. This is an unusual opportunity and I've got stuff I want to know. we should have done this about you

50:54okay

51:02this is quite interesting what did you understand about winning in the dressing room that cannot be coached in training lovely question this is a tough question this is good this time We were just, I think, can you be born to win? I was going to say, I say this quite a bit. I like that.

51:21Nicky:And it sounds like a bit, for me, it sounds very big-headed and I can understand people that don't support United or don't like us and that's quite a lot of people at the minute, isn't it, with the Martinez thing. But literally, it sounds big-headed, but I genuinely believe that from the age of 13, 14, we was bred to do what we did. Amazing. And no one's got a given right to go and win games or win titles or whatever it might be. But I genuinely do believe we just got the perfect storm. we had the right person at the football club as a manager we had the right owner who allowed the manager to gamble on young people but more importantly we had the right professionals around us like the Robsons or Bruce's the Keaton's the Smichos and Pallister's and it was a perfect storm for us because I know the school's the hell saying that I'm in a manager coming to my school at 14 or 14, 15 that doesn't happen that would never happen now imagine Pep Guardiola going to a 14 year old kid's school to give him a bit of a bollocking because he'd been misbehaving at school it wouldn't happen so I think when you go back to your original question about winning I do believe he was bred to do it every single game he played in the B team on a Saturday morning they'd be watching the 13 boys would be watching the manager would be watching he'd come down to the dressing room and give you a bollocking or he'd give you a pat on the back and that was from 14 all the way up to you started making your debut at 17, 18 so for me winning was always what was meant to happen and that's not a given right that's where I think it sounds big headed but I do believe we bred like a like a well it's a culture a horse or something like that to go and win and there's a belief I suppose a belief in that sounds like there's just a belief everything they did everything they did was filtered down to the coaches to take us out of our comfort zone right it was about how you won it was about how you prepare for football for Man United what you do when you get on a pitch and again going back a little bit sorry I've gone a little bit here is when we talk about Man United now people take it the wrong way a little bit because it's not all about winning well it is at the minute because they're not in the right the right frame of mind the right place but it's about how you win and what you do on a football pitch a big example remember Oli Gunnar Solskjaer got sent off against Newcastle when he sprinted back remember that game he sprinted back now all the fans are going great that's brilliant we're not going to lose the manager come in and absolutely annihilated Oli you don't do that when you play for this football club we win but we win the right way we don't cheat we don't do this and it was real eye-opener we were bred to win as like you said and I think probably even before we met Alex because from 9, 10 years of age, Nicky was probably in the best team.

53:45We were in the best team and we were winning all the time, weren't we? So it was nothing new to us. And maybe that's why they saw that in us that we're probably sometimes more than ability is that it's just in you to win. I think the difference is now, as Nicky said, a lot of it, I hear about, say, B team and A team. Now it's like under-16s, under-18s. It was all about winning. Now you look at 16, 17, 18, the big word is development so you might get beat but did you learn from the game? That was never anything to do with us look we wanted to learn and you had to learn of course because of the cultures and standards we had but it was all about winning You probably did learn though Yeah Maybe you didn't know you weren't learning in a conscious way They get bombarded with a lot of information now young footballers so I think sometimes it's probably too much you know when they get We were taught probably to think for yourself a lot when you're on the pitch a manager can only do a certain amount and we have to think sometimes you have to do things for yourself that maybe doesn't come from the manager now I think the big difference is young players and I think probably all players now they need to know they've been bombarded with so much information they need to know what they're doing every time, every minute of a single game and that takes away a little bit of freedom you don't see many Mavericks anymore you don't see these canter-mars Jack Grealish possibly could be one.

55:12And that's probably been taken out of the game a little bit. My day kicks off with a refreshing Celsius energy drink, then straight to the gym. Pre-K pick-up, back home to meal prep. Time for my fire station shift. One more Celsius, got to keep the lights on. When the three alarm hits, I'm ready. Celsius. Live, fit, go. Grab a cold refreshing Celsius at your local retailer or locate now at Celsius.com. on a slight tangent when you look at like football clubs and everyone will know united city real madrid liverpool all the big big clubs in the job you do you've had such a varied career and you've done loads of different things from theater television to film yeah when you get the sort of oh your agent rings you up and go Marvel you know they're looking at you for a film is this like the big move is this where you go love get the new conservatory order because we are set I'm joining Real Madrid I'm joining we're in the we're in the Marvel universe like what how's that for someone in your job when that comes about it was it was absolutely game life changing but also kind of specific for me I when I auditioned for Marvel for the first time they'd only made one film they'd made Iron Man so Marvel Studios was a actually a small studio which had emerged from a separate from the publishing house you know that produced all the comics and everything and their biggest characters had all been licensed to other studios so Spider-Man was at Sony and the X-Men were at 20th Century Fox.

56:59Of course, that's all been integrated now. But back in the day, Marvel was this kind of baby studio. And they were just beginning to go, we're going to make our own films. And Iron Man was the first one. I remember going to see it. Which was a belter. Which is unbelievable. Yes, great film. What a way to start. What an opener. Five nil on the first day. And an extraordinary moment for Robert Downey Jr., who's this generational talent. and a real comeback for him. And it sort of was a start was a mean to go on feeling. And I didn't know this at the time, but it was announced they were going to make a Thor film.

57:38But they wanted unknown actors. They didn't want big associations. So they were like, I think the casting director said to me, and no disrespect to Brad Pitt, but I said, we're actually not looking for Brad Pitt. Because everyone knows who Brad Pitt is. And we don't, Brad Pitt probably won't say yes anyway, but we don't want Brad Pitt in a cape. We want someone that the audience can just go, oh, that's Thor. So they were looking for younger actors who hadn't done big movies before.

58:08Nicky:Is that so they can create their own superstars going forward? I guess so. I mean, I don't know if it happens as much. Would they be cheaper as well? Yes. And the fans of that franchise as well, they're not seeing the Brad Pitt who's been in Fight Club and everything. they're seeing someone and go, oh, you are that character. So where were you? And were you in the middle of the job when your agent rang you up and said this? Because I presume you had to audition. Oh, yeah. I was 28. And I was in Los Angeles. There used to be a thing called Pilot Season. Yeah, I love that. Where every television network, I don't know if they do it now, but they would make loads and loads and loads of pilot episodes, first episodes of potential series and they'd spend proper money on them and then they'd look at them all and go out of those 20 we're going to make these three into the series but it was always a good time to be an actor because you could get a good gig maybe the series doesn't get picked up and become the West Wing or lost someone spots you so I always had Los Angeles auditioning for these kinds of things and a call comes in from the agent they'd like to see you for Thor and it was being directed by Kenneth Browner who I had acted with on stage in London.

59:29And I'd done a smaller part in a television series he'd done called Wallander. I thought, well, I know Ken and he's acted with me a bit like you guys, you know. I've played with him. So he knows who I am as an actor. He knows whether I've got a score now, like I've got to deliver. But I thought, well, I've got a shot here a small one I got a small but I got a short knowing someone it relaxes you a little bit I suppose it relaxed me and I thought well this is an opportunity I didn't want to let him down you know in front of the studio so I was like right learn your lines get ready turn up on time and do the best you can you're listening was it always are you listening especially turn up on time say that again so it was always that character Loki it was always that you went well sometimes for something i did i initially auditioned they were they were looking at like uh i'm six foot two so they were they would they audition me for thor first so i i but they need bonkers and that was the first audition and then i did my screen test and i had to sign a um basically there were four of us i think it's all it's all common knowledge now it was like me and charlie harnham and liam hemsworth and alexander skarsgård were up for this part and all of them gone on to great things and i had to sign this thing and on my uh cover letter was marvel studios you know has the right to cast tom hiddleston as slat thor slash loki i thought that's the first i've heard of it yeah i was listening for thor and um about a month later they uh kenneth bannner and kevin feige the head of the studio called me up and said we'd like to cast you as loki and we've just called chris hemsworth and we're going to cast him as thor and it's the two of you.

1:01:18Congratulations. And there was about half an hour I thought, I remember I was in Kentish Town walking down the high street and I had to sit on the pavement for like 10 minutes and go, wow. All right. Did you know in that moment that it's going to be a complete game changer? Could you feel it? I think it was, I could feel, I knew that Kenneth Branagh's vision for the film was something that people weren't expecting. Because it's always a big risk. Because even though I am and I did well, it's like a big risk. When you read the script, you know it's going to be good. Have you made mistakes? I knew that one was going to be good.

1:01:55Because I could see it was much deeper and funnier than people were expecting. And actually Thor at the time was a less well-known character than something like Spider-Man. and I thought what's nice is I felt slightly like we were I don't know not quite underdogs but we had something in our locker that people didn't know and Anthony Hopkins was playing our dad oh yeah of course and Natalie Portman was playing did you know that when they told you you got the part in the film did you know those other people were in it or did you find oh what a treat it was amazing and then And then, I mean, I remember this is how, like, Chris Hemsworth and I became kind of bonded for life.

1:02:42Because we met up in London. And actually, Kenneth Branagh sent us to go and train together, which is hilarious. Never trained with Chris Hemsworth. I was going to say that when you went for the Thorpe, because the other guys you mentioned then, just the physicality of them. Yeah. They're so much bigger than you physically. Yes, yes, yes. So you must have, it's got to be a bit daunting when you're reading for Thor and you stood there and then Emsworth sat with him. Have you finished? And you're like, oh yeah, I'll just get my coat. I'll just get my coat, yeah. I always knew in a way that the two, because I'd read the script and I knew it was a bit like the, you know, Batman and the Joker.

1:03:23I was like, these are two great parts. And like, I'll be lucky if I get to play Loki, you know, because he's the Marvel version. In a way, he's the mirror. and he was a great I thought this is a great character you can get your teeth into a body a bit more can't you and then there was this moment the moment I knew that you were asking about was I went for a costume fitting my first costume fitting and it's quite a big moment you're trying to bring a comic book panel to life these fantastical images from all of our childhoods I thought how are we going to make this work and I'm getting my cape fitted for the first time that's like pulling on the old number 18 and then somebody like a production assistant knocks on the door and says Kevin Feige just wants to have a word the head of the studio and say congratulations busy man and so I think okay I wonder what he wants to say I hope everything's alright and I'm waiting outside his office and I go in and I sit down and he goes hey look I just wanted to say congratulations I'm so excited about this film you and Chris are going to be amazing together um but before i just also want to talk to you about the avengers i was like what and i was like i'm sorry what and he said well what you didn't know when you were auditioning is that we're gonna we're building up to um to the avengers so we're gonna make thor and then we're gonna make captain america and then after that we're gonna make the avengers that consumes you got a bit bigger than that.

1:04:59You buy one, you get one free. You buy one, you get one free. But I genuinely had no idea. And he said, and because the first edition of the first Avengers comic features Loki as the villain, we want Loki to be the villain in the Avengers. It's going to be Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Black Widow, Hawkeye, and the Incredible Hulk. And you are the Black Widow. I can't believe that someone like Kevin Feige, his vision and playing stuff. It's extraordinary. It's Sir Alex. He's the Sir Alex of our world, I suppose. You've got to be thinking and all when he tells you something like, did you have in your mind like, don't fuck this up?

1:05:41I did. Yeah, of course. I just thought this is such an enormous, it's a chance. It's like being given an England start, right? In a World Cup. You're like, don't mess it up. Let's go.

1:05:51Nicky:Have you ever been asked to do James Bond? Never. I'm obviously going to be perfect James Bond. I do. It just sounds like one. Sounds like one. It's like one. A spy. Sounds one. Do you know when you hear things about, obviously, actors, they get such an iconic character. Does that affect you going forward sometimes, though? Do you know if you are going to do it? Do everyone look at you now as, look, obviously, they've got the other stuff that you do, but literally, the nightmire is unbelievable. Yeah, it depends on what people have seen. I mean, I always say this, like, just on the train up today, you know, there were young people who recognised me at the station.

1:06:32And I realised, and I sat opposite a guy in the train, he's like, my sons have grown up with your films. And it's such a privilege to be accepted into the imagination of young people. Do you know what I mean? So, like, I'd never take that for granted. It's an honour. Going back a little bit, when did you start acting? Was that always something you wanted to do? It was always something I did. yeah we used to do it just I did it all the time as a kid I was in school plays I was quite quiet you know as a child or so my parents tell me and then I would step up on stage and just light up it would all happen a bit like Sculls

1:07:07Nicky:honestly I know he's my best mate but he never said a word when he was younger did you but then he'd go on a football pitch and his character would probably come out on a football pitch and yeah he was exactly like that he had to be different yeah well you didn't have to be some people were loud anyway but I knew to be a footballer, Martin Keown always said to me. Mark Hughes is the same. No, Martin Keown always said to me, especially when it was in England, you've got to talk to people, and I never really did. And then from that moment on, because you've got to help people as well, haven't you?

1:07:35But you know what's interesting is that I think now, and I have thought for like a couple of, I'd say maybe 15 years, probably 20, that working in a company of actors or working in a film production, there are so many similarities of being in a football team. like if it's if it's all about you you're only going to go so far whereas if it's about the team and the crew and like taking people with you and it's actually you know we rise together you can that's there's experiences on some of those films like that first Avengers film I remember it was we were all aware and I was amazed because at the time I was I felt much younger than you know I was working with Robert Downey Jr Samuel L.

1:08:19Jackson Mark Ruffalo oh my god Jeremy Ruffalo hey I'll get that done with that let me just pick all them up boys he's worse than you him I was you know I had my own I felt like I suppose like you guys must have felt when you joined Manchester United and there's like some of the names around you Eric Cantona and all these senior players Roy Keane Brian Robson Brian Robson and they're like oh my god I'm the same pitch as these people and then do you integrate with them or do you have more of a

1:08:54Nicky:your own company during film is it put footballs always together and do our actors exactly the same or as you do your own thing it depends on it depends on the culture it depends on the leader you know we in our you know depends on what we call number one on the call sheet yeah like number one of the call sheets usually the lead it's usually the kind of the protagonist of the story do you look at call sheets and you go fourth down I need to I need to be a member I'm going to see where we are on call I'm under the fucking rubber it might scrape some toilet wall it's not even on the sheet you don't even look at it mate I just don't do the business so if the Avengers was a football team where would you play us all what positions would be let's go with the superheroes not the actors let's go with the superheroes what in our football team yeah so you've got an 11 superheroes Marvel superheroes who's goalkeeper Spider-Man nice is he Marvel Spider-Man is he mad Marvel yeah Marvel so where is he where is he in the next is he in the next because he could make his own couldn't he be I know you think about it right so Spider-Man's the keeper Hulk centre-back terrific nice yeah he could be both centre-backs I'm not going on the centre back We'll say Hulk Is the centre back So we've got Hulk We'll call it a back four So who's your midfield Floak has got to be ten Because he just floats He's Superman Superman's DC He can go in, he's Superman Where's he centre forward Superman's centre forward So who's your other midfielders where's Iron Man yeah he's a midfield player isn't he do you think he's a midfielder just in front of Hulk no is he Winger so he's a Hulk he's not quick Iron Man's not quick Iron Man's not quick he's got jet fucking packs on he's not got a jet pack on I was from the younger people watching it's all the jet fuel nuclear propulsion thank you for the clarification so who's the goal scorer who's your number who's a true nine don't know we need some help you've got Superman haven't you well let's keep it on Merle I'm firstly I'm putting Thor at the back with Hulk yes I'm going to see Thor and then I'm going to go Black Panther Lumban yeah I see him as a winger and I see Black Widow as a winger yeah goal scorer Orkai Orkai I knew you were going to say that yeah he's got he's got the precision got the precision got the precision who's the manager oof um my goodness Fury isn't it Nick Fury Nick Fury there you go hey bailed you out there Tom thank you very much not that I'm a fan of the films I've got to say like when you're in somewhere like Tom's company because he's so fucking lovely who's Captain oh Captain Captain America Captain America there you go lovely stuff because Tom's such lovely company and he puts you at ease even though he's like bloody A-lister.

1:12:12I remember once and you've got to be careful same with you two like when I'm with you I don't like like saying too much to you off camera like hey what was that like you know because you you're probably just bored of it but I remember being sat at the side of the Tom on one coach journey and we were talking I think they just said Dr. Doom was going to be coming out and I was chatting to you and I thought I'm fucking dying to ask Tom some stuff about this but I'd never do that professionally called what's happening. But I remember, you showed me on your phone just some stuff from filming, I think it was a final scene, I don't know which one it was, but what blew my mind was the sheer scale of just green.

1:12:53Yeah, yeah, that's right. That shows the acting chops. I think you were just going up a green ramp and everyone was throwing like fucking rubble at you and all that. And you told me, and I'm going, and how you explain, I'm like, it's mind-blowing doing those films. Like, oh, much you've got to. And it sounds like a long scene. That was from Loki, wasn't it? I think it was from the Loki show. Yeah. Yeah, you've got to imagine it. The green screen, is it? Everything's green. Green or blue. I think it's green if it's night. Sometimes it depends on, it's basically when you're working with an environment or characters or stuff in the environment that doesn't exist.

1:13:31So if you're flying through space or there's an alien army or actually working with the Incredible Hulk, he never turns up for his call time. Who is the Hulk then? Who are you talking to? Well, actually, a couple of times. They've got the technology now where Mark Ruffalo can play. He can actually play the Hulk. Does he have the tennis ball, ping pong balls all over? He wears these funny kind of backgammon pyjamas. Yeah. He calls it the man-cancelling suit. It makes you... In other quotes. Exactly. and then there's a little he's got like a little rod of steel attached almost like a holster attached to his shoulders with where the Hulk's face is supposed to be you know three feet above him so I have to look at the little cardboard cut out of the Hulk but he's got a camera on his face a motion capture camera which is capturing all his facial expressions so he's performing it's the same technology they use with Andy Serkis and Gollum where he's got little dots on his face and he's doing all the movements and he's doing the voice.

1:14:35When I see any of these productions and hear you talking like that, I've got to say, you know, taking the actors out of it, to direct something like that, you've got to be brilliant. I mean, how do you... Does a director on films like give you notes or do they just leave you to it or are they already thinking of what it's going to look like outside of when they're in the edit? That's the thing. is it's a collaboration you're working together yeah so you're they will have probably storyboarded the sequence in their head or maybe they work with a kind of what they call uh previs which is just pre-visualization they kind of do a little kind of almost like a cartoon version of what the sequence might look like and where the camera is going to be and then most directors in my experience will show you this show this to you saying look here's a sketch of how we think it works but let's break it down into shots and then you realize where the moments are where like where what they want is a physical um like a physical presence maybe that it's the angles wide and the shot is actually watching a body moving through space and it's in slow motion and it's about the kind of choreographic precision or elegance of the shot and the moments were like right it's a close-up it's your face we need to see the loss the grief the heartache yeah um so you break it down and when they look at you you talk about equating things to football teams like it always seems to me rightly or wrongly but you know it's a nice thing to see that everyone involved in those male films all like you guys who look like the main protagonists in the films just do seem genuinely to get on yeah do you know what I mean and I think that that's probably a small part of why the films are so successful because you go oh these guys all get on and they are they're all pulling in the same direction.

1:16:27Yeah, but bring that to football, though, it didn't always happen. No. We had people who didn't like each other. What, even when you were winning the treble?

1:16:34Nicky:Yeah. More than ever. Keene, Pete. Didn't speak. Keene, Michael. Keene. Keene, Sheridan. Never spoke at all. No, never. Keene, Michael. Cole and Teddy. Cole and Teddy. Andy Cole and Teddy Sheridan never spoke. Nowhere. Yeah. Never spoke. And they're, like, playing... But when you get on a football pitch, it's different. So, when you say never spoke, did they just have like if you look at Roy and Peter was there like a time where they had a crossword and they went that's it or they just never the personalities yeah we were there Singapore I was actually fast asleep no I was in Hong Kong no it was Singapore Hong Kong I got punched it was Singapore it was Hong Kong right outside the room once you saw it where it is can we get the anecdote outside the room outside the room outside the room rolling about outside the room and we tried to split it up hang on what was the cause of it I drank a drink they'd had a drink and they were so prior to that they kind of got on well probably a little bit I don't know a little bit between them a little bit edge is that because Roy's going that's your job I actually remember the bus being at I remember the Hong Kong hotel yeah I remember Sir Bobby Sir Bobby opened the door like this to see what the commotion was looked at it like that and went oh get Roy's team and beat Michael rolling round well Pete had to get on the bus with a pair of sunglasses It's on, yeah.

1:17:54Because it's blackout. Wouldn't happen now, would it? Yeah, it probably would. Do you think? Yeah, I think so, really. Yeah. Wow. That's what amazed me when you're saying you're a fan of England and international football. When these two talk about their time at England, when you were just saying about Euro 96, you're going, oh, it was amazing. When you hear about the England camp. Oh, I've been listening. I've been listening all the way through. Sanitising. And how, like, it's not what you think it is. Yeah. It's almost, in a way, when I was saying about you lot doing the films, you go oh it's great they all get on sometimes when it takes I go oh it takes a bit of the shine off when you hear what it's really like you imagine it to be something it's not as a fan do you know what I mean but when you're there and you're like bored to tears or no one's and then you go you look back and go oh so many games we could have won if you were all kind of a bit more together do you know what I mean do you not think that I think when you crossed that line we were winning mostly I know weren't we so we never really never really affected

1:18:52Nicky:I think when you cross the line you get onto a football pitch I'm on about England Oh England If you go onto a football pitch for England example World Cup every single person on that pitch wants to die for the person next to them so that not being best mates doesn't really come into it because you're just on a football pitch and first of all as I said before it is an individual sport within a team sport and you want to do well for yourself but also you want to do well for your person to the right to the left of you and that was always the case it was never a case of I'm not running over there because I don't like him he can do it that never happened and it's just I just think it's the dynamic of whatever squad you're in sometimes you get squads the way you all get on and sometimes you won't I was a couple that didn't hey Tom I've not even got anywhere near some of these questions here but you've been so fantastic and it's been non-stop but unfortunately we've come to the end my friend the end of the 90 minutes an absolute pleasure thanks for having me thank you very much Tom thank you Tom that was brilliant thanks for coming in thank you that's it for today's The Good, The Bad and The Football you can catch us on all your usual platforms, Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get them.