Jane Fonda believes Nixon was responsible for her arrest in 1970, Nicole Kidman and Colin Farrell talk about their “very dark” new movie, Bryan Cranston reveals how he gets even with rude audience members, Matt Lucas talks about his new bookand Niall Horan performs live in the studio
On tonight’s show(Friday 13thOctober)Graham welcomes legendary Oscar winning actor and activist Jane Fonda, Hollywood stars Nicole Kidman and Colin Farrell, Breaking Bad’sBryan Cranston, comedian Matt Lucas and singer Niall Horan.
Nicole, congratulated on her Best Actress Emmy for Big Little Lies, she says, “Reese (Witherspoon) and I won that together. We produced it and worked our butts off to get it made so it really is our award.”
Talking about her new film, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, in which she stars with Colin, says, “The director (Yorgos Lanthimos) is a very particular film maker. It is very dark but I found it fascinating to morph into what he wanted.” Colin interjects, “I think Yorgos thought he had made an outright comedy. But I found it pretty dark and I was depressed by it.”
Colin, talking more about the film, and asked about the preparation he did for his character – a cardiologist – he says, “I attended a real heart bypass surgery – it was disturbing and fascinating. I turned green and had to step out of the room. Even though the patient was alive and survived, it screamed ‘cadaver.’”
Revealing he is sometimes mistaken for Colin Firth, Colin says, “Even though he beats me by an Oscar, about ten inches and a lot more decorum. I tried to sign up for gym once and the woman got on the phone to sort out the membership and she said in a rather loud whisper, ‘Colin Firth is here.’”
Bryan, talking about preparing for his role in Breaking Bad, says, “The drug enforcement chemist showed us how to make crystal meth. It’s very interesting, intricate and dangerous.”
Talking about his upcoming role in Network at the National Theatre, and asked how he might deal with any rude members of the audiences, he recalls, “There has been some poor behaviour in the theatre. I was working on Broadway and I noticed a kid in the front row who was clearly using his mobile phone and it drew my attention. I got quite angry and I changed my blocking on the stage. When I had a big speech that was full of bluster and I knew there would be a certain amount of expectorant I lined myself up so he was the target. I was spewing and he was dodging!”
Matt, talking about preparing for roles says, “I was in a film in LA where I had to do an American accent. I didn’t stay in character but I decided to stay in the dialect throughout filming. I texted my mum ahead of a call to warn her I would be using an American accent and it might be a bit weird. Then when I called and said, ‘Hi mom,’ she replied, ‘G’day mate!’
Asked about his new book Little Me: My Life from A-Z he says, “It’s basically a love letter to chocolate.” Adding, “The one thing most people ask me iswhat’s it like to be famous so I’ve written a wholechapter on what it like to be a B-lister!” On some of his more famous catchphrases he says, “People come up to me a lot and say, ‘Are you bovvered?’ I say ‘I’m absolutely fine dear because you are mistaking me for Catherine Tate!’”
Jane joins Graham and his other guests for a chat.
Talking about her upcoming 80th birthday, she says, “I never thought I would live this long, much less be working at my age. It’s amazing.”
Asked if she enjoyed making Barbarella, she jokes, “I’ve burned all the films my husband (Roger Vadim) made! He was directing the movie, our marriage was falling apart and it was not an easy movie to make. Years later when I had a sense of humour again, which took a while, I kind of enjoyed it. It was quite campy and fun.”
Talking about reuniting with Robert Redford 50 years after they starred in Barefoot in the Park, for their new film Our Souls at Night, Jane says, “It is like bookends to our careers.” Asked if she is retiring as Robert Redford says he is, she says, “I’m not stopping.” Adding jokingly, “He says he is and he should because he is too old!”
Asked about working with her father (Henry Fonda) and Katherine Hepburn in On Golden Pond, she says, “Katherine was very prickly and told me outright that she didn’t like me much. I did the film for him because he was dying but she taught me the most and I gained her respect for doing my own stunt. But then when I rang to congratulate her on receiving an Oscar for the film she said, ‘You’ll never catch me now.’ She had won three Oscars and I had won two – she was so competitive.”
Revealing her belief that it was the US government behind her arrest in 1970, she says, “Nixon had it in for me.” Explaining why she was arrested she said, “In those days I took a lot of vitamin pills and I had them in little plastic envelopes marked ‘B.L.D.’ – Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner – and they said I was smuggling drugs.The arresting officer told me the order came from the White House.”
Niall Horan performs Too Much to Ask live in the studio before joining Graham for a chat.
The Graham Norton Show, BBC One, Friday 13th October10.35pm.
Pictures are available from PA
Notes to editors – all quotes in this release were said during the recording but won’t necessarily appear in the final show.
Next Friday(20th October) Graham’s guests include Hilary Clinton, Jeff Goldblum, Gerard Butler, Jack Whitehall and Gregory Porter.
For further information please contact Mary Collins 07769 670516 or at
13th October 2017