On the first show of his new series Graham welcomes Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise, Oscar-nominated actor Florence Pugh, comedian and actor Lolly Adefope, top comic John Bishop, and singer/songwriter Emeli Sandé.
Tom, talking about his apocalyptic satire Digger; says, “My character is outrageous and unpredictable. He says things that others may be thinking and never say. It’s a timeless story about power, greed, and ego framed in a very timely manner by Alejandro G. Iñárritu – one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. I’ve never read a script like it, and I have never seen a character like Digger.”
Asked about his extraordinary transformation using prosthetics, he jokes, “Let me make it clear - none of that is me!” adding, “The makeup was taking so long that I decided to get it down from six hours to one – it was like a ballet getting everything in place. It was just like Formula 1.” Adding jokingly, “I had someone else hold the stopwatch!”
Talking about his career, he says, “Cinema is my passion. Since I was four years old, I have wanted adventure and an adventurous life. I am always doing something – learning something new which I can add to characters. I want to push every artform. I love the challenge of doing one thing while working on another. To create is life.”
Asked about the Digger’s red-carpet premiere with The Prince and Princess of Wales, he says, “They are amazing – very charismatic. I had such a good time.”
Florence, chatting about starring in the new adaptation of the Steinbeck classic East of Eden, says, “It is a sweeping epic, and my character is also epic in every way. It has been the most amazing journey working with Zoe (director Zoe Kazan). It has been so special and it’s like releasing our baby. I am very protective of it, and really excited.”
Asked about playing a character over seven episodes, she says, “Because I play a character that goes across several decades the thrill for me was figuring her out as she aged. It really was amazing and I had a brilliant time. Creating the series was a dream and I will be talking about this role for the rest of my career.”
Lolly, talking about taking to the stage for the first time as Abraham Lincoln's wife in the critically acclaimed comedy Oh, Mary! says, “It is a gift of a part. The play is a really wild ride from start to finish. It is of course not historically accurate, and Mary is quite a feral woman which is perfect for me! It is very physical and energising. I have never done a play before so being in front of a live audience is quite scary and daunting.”
John, chatting about his new BBC entertainment quiz Wisdom of the Crowd, says, “It is really very good. It is Saturday night and a lot of fun. I never thought I would do a game show, but I love making people laugh so I embraced it.”
Emeli performs her classic hit Read All About It, Pt. III live in the studio before joining Graham for a chat.
Talking about her anniversary tour celebrating 15 years of her multi-platinum debut album Our Version of Events, she says, “It is a thank you to my fans. The album changed my life.”
The Graham Norton Show, BBC One, Friday 25th September 10.40pm. Also available on BBC iPlayer.
Next week (2 nd October) Graham’s guests include Sylvester Stallone, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Andrew Garfield, 50 Cent, and Blossoms.
