Maggie Smith says she’s glad Downton is over and
admits she’s never watched it, Alex Jenning talks about
playing duplicate Alan Bennetts, Bradley Cooper says
he almost fainted preparing grouse, Sienna Miller
reveals she was intimidated by Clint Eastwood and
Justin Bieber says he and his music are growing up
On this week’s show (30th October), Graham welcomes doyenne of stage and
screen, Dame Maggie Smith, British actor Alex Jennings, Oscar-nominated
star Bradley Cooper, actress Sienna Miller and chart-topping pop star Justin
Bieber.
Maggie, making her first British chat show appearance since 1973, and
commenting on the 42-year gap, says, “I never thought this day would come! It’s
a long time since the last one. I was with Kenneth Williams and he didn’t draw
breath so I just sat there.”
Talking about Downton coming to an end, she says, “I’m glad it’s over, I really
am. By the time we finished she (Countess of Grantham) must have been about
110. It couldn’t go on and on, it just didn’t make sense.
“It’s only since Downton that people seem to recognise me. That’s television for
you. I was in Waitrose the other day and a little boy was at the checkout with his
mother and he kept looking at me. When I asked him, ‘Can I help you?’ he said,
“No, it’s alright, it’ll come to me in a minute.’ It was so lovely.”
Asked if she’s watched the series, Maggie pauses, and intimating ‘no’ with a
shake of her head, says, “I’ve got the box set.”
Not giving anything away about the Christmas episode, she says, “I pleaded for
something to happen to me! Asked if she will be in the proposed movie she
says, “I can’t. What age would she be?”
Asked if The Queen is a fan, she says, “I was told that she watches it, but then a
gentleman at the palace told me she likes Midsomer Murders – I didn’t take it
badly!”
Talking about the use of ‘Dame’ on credits she says, “I’m not that when I’m
working because you don’t use it professionally,” Adding jokingly, “Unless you
are Sir King Bensley that is!”
Asked about working with Lawrence Olivier in the 1960s, Maggie says, “I was in
awe of him, he had great authority. When we doing Othello he was a bit cross
with me and hit me very hard one night. I fell to the floor and Edward
Petherbridge who was playing a Venetian gentleman apparently said, ‘Oh Mags!’
I don’t remember because I went out – I definitely saw stars at the National
Theatre!”
Talking about being in Harry Potter, she says, “It changed my life. There were a
lot of small people who said hello, which was nice. A whole different lot of people
know me because of it. It was like I’d never existed before. One child asked me,
‘Were you really once a cat?’ and I heard myself say, ‘Pull yourself together, how
could I have been!”
Alex, talking about Lady In The Van, in which he plays Alan Bennett alongside
Maggie’s character, he says, “I play two different versions – the writer who is
observing Alan Bennett and Alan Bennett himself.” Maggie interjects, “Alex is
more convincing as Alan Bennett than Alan Bennett! And when Alan Bennett
was on set it was creepy because there were so many of them!”
Talking more about playing the two characters, Alex says, “For American
audiences they had to do some re-writes to explain it, just in case they thought
the two versions were twins!”
Bradley, talking about his new film Burnt, in which he plays a top chef, admits he
got a little queasy while preparing food, “There was once scene with all these
grouse and I’m leaning against the counter because I thought I was going to
faint, actually pass out. I had to cut the heads off the birds and my hands were
shaking. It was actually very intense.”
Asked if he has retained the skills he learnt preparing for the film with the likes of
Gordon Ramsey, Marco Pierre While and Marcus Wareing, he says, “A lot of
things go in and out for me. You train a lot and you can do it for that time and
then it’s gone.”
Talking about Clint Eastwood, who he work with on American Sniper, he says, “I
had put myself on tape for every one of his films since Flags Of Our Fathers
because he doesn’t like meeting actors he just watches them on tape. It’s kind of
smart of him. Because he’s an actor, he just can’t bear being in the room with
someone to give bad news.”
Sienna, talking about working on American Sniper, admits to being intimidated by
Clint Eastwood, "I couldn't speak much at the beginning but he’s very warm,
loving, sweet and calm. He's completely disarming."
Sienna, asked about her own new found cooking skills since co-starring in Burnt,
says, “I can cook fish quite well because I must have cooked about 500 pieces of
it during filming. And I learnt to fillet a turbot, which sounds pretty inane until you
see what it is. It’s like a rhinoceros that has been flattened so it’s a pretty
impressive thing to be able to do. I went off to the farmers’ market the other day
and bought a whole turbot, I got it home and then just hacked at it. It was awful
and I froze this mangled piece of fish.”
Justin performs What Do You Mean live in the studio and joins Graham for a
quick chat.
Talking about his single being number one, he says, “It’s great that people accept
my music and not make it about my personal life. That’s why I started in the first
place and it feels really good. I’m growing up and my music is growing up and it
feels fun.”
Asked if his song is a cry from the heart to the women of the world, Justin says,
“Yep, because I never know what they mean. We boys needed an anthem!”
The Graham Norton Show, BBC One 30th October at 10.35pm
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 week (6th November) Graham’s guests include, Michael Fassbender, Kate
Winslet, Julie Walters, 50 Cent and Ellie Goulding.
For further information please contact Mary Collins 07769 670516 or at
mary@marycollins-pr.com
30th October 2015