March 17, 2025

Cate Blanchett, Naomie Harris, Tom Burke (Black Bag); Rosamund Pike & Cast of The Wheel of Time

Cate Blanchett, Naomie Harris, Tom Burke (Black Bag); Rosamund Pike & Cast of The Wheel of Time

What if you could step inside the mesmerizing worlds of fantasy and thriller, guided by the very stars who bring them to life? On this episode of http://podcast.popcultureweekly.com, we explore the enchanting realm of Prime Video's "The Wheel of Time"...

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What if you could step inside the mesmerizing worlds of fantasy and thriller, guided by the very stars who bring them to life? On this episode of Pop Culture Weekly, we explore the enchanting realm of Prime Video's "The Wheel of Time" Season 3 with insights from showrunner Rafe Judkins and actor Natasha O'Keefe. Discover how they navigate the labyrinth of adaptation, honoring Robert Jordan's epic while crafting compelling television. Our conversations with cast members Rosamund Pike, Josha Stradowski, Daniel Henney, Sophie Okonedo, Ceara Coveney, and Ayoola Smart reveal their journeys in embodying characters with deep histories and fan expectations, offering a peek into the alchemy of transforming beloved book characters for the screen.

From fantasy to a gripping thriller, we shift focus to the enticing world of "Black Bag." Acclaimed actors Cate Blanchett, Naomie Harris, and Tom Burke take us behind the scenes of this stylish film, sharing their unique experiences and challenges. Cate Blanchett opens up about joining the project on trust, Naomi Harris discusses breaking molds with her non-traditional psychiatrist role, and Tom Burke dives into his layered character, exploring the universal messiness of life. Their insights illuminate the dynamic storytelling and creative freedom that drive the film's narrative, promising a cinematic experience rooted in suspense and intrigue.

Join us as we bring you face-to-face with the magic of storytelling through the eyes of those who create it. Whether you're a fan of epic fantasies or edge-of-your-seat thrillers, this episode provides a captivating journey into the heart of two imaginative projects. Be prepared to hear firsthand accounts of the artistic processes and the collaborative spirit that fuels these captivating worlds, leaving you eager to witness their stories unfold onscreen.

Kyle McMahon's Death, Grief & Other Sh*t We Don't Discuss is now streaming: https://www.deathandgrief.show/Chapter-One-The-Diagnosis-AKA-WTF/

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WEBVTT

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In this episode of pop Culture Weekly, I interview the

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cast of a Wheel of Time from Prime Videos season

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three of the show, plus two time Academy Award winner

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Kate Blanchett and Naomi Harris and Tom Burke discuss their

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new film Black Bag.

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Let's go.

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Welcome to pop Culture Weekly with Kyle McMahon from iHeartRadio

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your pop culture news, views, reviews, and celebrity interviews on

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all the movies, TV music, and pomp culture you crave weekly.

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Here's Kyle McMahon.

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Nick ne Nick, Hello, and welcome to pop Culture Weekly

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with Kyle McMahon. I of course I am Kyle McMahon.

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I am so thankful that you are here for another

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episode of pop Culture Weekly.

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This is a great episode.

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No co host on our rotating panel of co host

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today because it's all interviews.

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We have a lot of interviews.

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Today, the first set revolving around season three of Prime

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Videos Wheel of Time, which is such a great series

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such so uh, it's really great for fantasy fans drama.

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I'm really enjoying it and season three is an awesome

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addition to you know, the story and the series. So

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we also have the cast of Black Bag, the new

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Steven Soderberg movie, which is really good. I don't know

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if you saw my review, but you can go to

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popculturewekly dot com and check it out.

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I love this movie. It is so good.

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So I speak with Kate Blanchett, the two time Academy

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Award winning Kate Blanchett, as well as Tom Burke and

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Naomi Harris all about that. So we're gonna jump right

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into it with all of these interviews.

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First up, The Wheel of Time.

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So The Wheel of Time, which season three just premiered

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on Prime Video. It is a very high fantasy series

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based on the beloved book series by Robert Jordan, and

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it's set in this sprawling world where magic exists, but

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it's only wielded by certain women, which is a cool twist.

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The story follows Morain Damadrid, who's played by Rosamond Pike,

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who I freaking love, and she embarks on this quest

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to find the Dragon Reborn, which is a prophesied figure

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who will either save the world or destroy the world.

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So the series is packed with political intrigue, all these

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really cool epic battles, and very deep character arcs, and

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it's got a really diversed cat diversed, diverse cast, including

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Ronda Althor who's played by Joseph Strodowski, who I love

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and we'll be speaking with him soon, and so much more,

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and they all are navigating their fates in this world

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that is basically on the brink of war. Will of

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Time was developed by the showrunner, Rafa Jenkins, who I

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also speak with. And you know, the critics have loved

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the series. It's been praised for its stunning visuals, its

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immersive world building, and really strong acting performances. So season

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one was kind of the introduction to the world and

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all of its characters, and season two expanded on that

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lore and really brought up the stakes. And now with

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season three adapting loosely, you know, based on the Shadow

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Rising book, fans can expect even more deep storytelling, bigger battles,

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and an exploration of the series' most beloved themes, which

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are basically destiny, power, and the balance between light and shadow,

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you know, good and evil. So it's an epic ride

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for longtime fans of the books and fans of the series.

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It's really really Season three is just awesome. So let's

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start off with the interviews with the Wheel of Time.

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Season three cast. First up, let's speak with Rafa Judkins,

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the show runner, and actor Natasha O'Keeffe. So, Natasha takes

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on the enigmatic and pivotal role of Landfier, who is

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one of like the most complex villains in the books

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in the series, and alongside her we have the show

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runner himself, as I've been saying, Rafa Judkins. So they

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you're going to give us exclusive insight into the making

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of season three, the adaptation process, and what's to come.

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So let's jump right in with Natasha O'Keefe and Rafa Judkins. So,

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first of all, congratulations on the success of the series

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and season three kind of takes everything up a notch

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and you know, dives deeper and bigger.

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And I wonder what that you know, in this kind

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of pre release moment, what that excitement feels like for you.

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I Mean, it's always crazy before the series comes up

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because we I've put so much into it over so

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much time that it's there's this moment when like the

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rest of the world's about to see it that feels,

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you know, it feels like the culmination of more than

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on other series I've worked on, where you make it

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pretty quickly to when it airs. You know, we were

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in the writer's room on this season in twenty twenty,

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I think, And so you know, like to think of

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the amount of time it takes for a show like

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this to get to air, you have it's a really

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exciting feeling more than anything else. That's kind of like

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letting everyone else into our little secret. Yeah fly yeah.

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And we're for you know, both of you, how much

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did you it's for me? It's it's interesting as a

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viewer and a fan that it's got to be. There's

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got to I feel like there's or I don't want

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to put this into your minds if it isn't. So

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now I'm like nervous to say, but is there is

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there any heaviness or responsibility you feel to having a

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work that's so celebrated that you're you know, translating into

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a different form.

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I mean I always feel that because I really love

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the book series. So you know, you feel kind of

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the joy and weight of responsibility at all times of like,

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you know, it's so incredible that we get to do

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this and have this rich world that we can dive

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into and bring to life, But you also have a

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responsibility to do the very best job you can with it.

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And so yeah, I mean I think we feel both

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of those things all the time. And every person on

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the show has a different interaction with the world of

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the books and the world of the show and how

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they they view it. But you know, we really do

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feel a responsibility to do something great with it.

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God absolutely, Yeah. I mean if I thought too much

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about it, I also might be feeling a little bit stunted.

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So there's this kind of like fine line that I

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personally walk as the actor that I I must go

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with instinct and from what is given to me these

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marvelous scripts and the sets and everything in the costume,

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all the gifts that I'm given as an actor. And yeah,

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but it is a responsibility I do understand. But if

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I think too hard about it.

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Yeah, you can't let it squash things. Yeah, across all departments,

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we all feel that way of like you know, you

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can feel sometimes where it's if it starts to squash

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on what you need on a TV shows, You need

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everyone to feel like they're able to put their most

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into it, and the shows that it's best when everyone's

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bringing themselves to their part two. Like now, the character

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of Landford yes, she existed in the books, but now

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in the show she is Natasha, you know, like pieces

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of Natasha are in the character. We write the character

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differently because of you. Like that is how TV should work,

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and so it's at its best when it does work

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that way, and you see the people who make it

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in the show too.

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I love Oh, I'm so sorry. I love that.

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Essence of the essence of the actors.

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Oh yeah, sprinkling, Yeah, they fold into the characters.

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I love that. It's so interesting to hear both of you,

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you know, obviously in two different roles, if you will,

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but for the same series. So I love hearing that contrast.

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Thank you both so much. I can't wait for everybody

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to see season three of The Wheel of Time exclusively

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on Prime video. Thank you, thank you, Thanks so much.

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Natasha o'keefan right for Judgkins.

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Love the insight into the series and where it's going

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in season three and how it got here.

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To season three. Will of Time is just so great,

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all right?

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Next up, Daniel Henny and Sophie Okendo. Daniel is the

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ever stoic and deadly warder named lan Mandra Goren and

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Sophie Oknito is the commanding and wise Swan Sanche. So

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their characters share a complicated relationship with Morain, so you

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can guess that season three is sure to bring some

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new challenges and.

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Maybe even some shifting allegiances. Here they are, Daniel Henny

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and Sophio Condo.

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First of all, thank you both for speaking with me.

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I really appreciate it. How are you doing, Kyle, I'm well,

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thank you. Congratulations on this series in general. But season

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three really, you know, is kicking it up even more.

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What is it like for both of you to be

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on such a you know.

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Giant series, I mean big and kind of every way epic.

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It's incredible. I mean, it's grown so much since we

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started in twenty nineteen. It's our sixth calendar year now

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on the show, and we've gone from having basically seven

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to eight actors to almost three hundred. The show shoots

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in multiple units, so I mean we were shooting in

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South Africa simultaneously shooting in the Czech Republic. It's really

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incredible to be a part of something so big, and

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not to mention the amazing sets and the amazing talent.

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It's just it's it sounds cheesy, but it's really a

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dream come true?

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And how about for you?

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Yeah, I was like, you know what, I couldn't really

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know how big it was because I when I started,

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I was coming in and out. I also don't do

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any social media or anything, so I'm not really keeping.

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I didn't really look on the internet rep so I'm

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not really keeping. I didn't have that influence. And then

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when I came back and then there's a lockdown, there's

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things that everything was very separate. And then I came

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back for this season, I was like, this is massive.

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And obviously also people come up to me and talk

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about it a lot and people ask about it, so yeah,

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it's really it's and I hadn't realized how big it

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had become. And then this year I was just like,

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this is fantastic. I mean just going wandering through the

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huge like where they were based in Prague, and going

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through the studios and just see each room with a

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different character costume that sets people doing things in different parts,

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and it was like a kind of whole world and

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this was just one location just for so yeah, I

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didn't go to South.

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Africa, So yeah, amazing.

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And for you, had you read the novels before or

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any of the novels, either before you had been cast

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or when you had been cast.

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I didn't read them before, and I haven't read them now.

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Okay, I had not read them before. I'm still reading now,

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but I've read quite a bit now. I was a

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fantasy fan, but I hadn't heard of the Wheel of

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Time growing up in Michigan and know why. But as

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soon as I was cast, I jumped in and it

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helped a lot.

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Yeah.

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I was just I can just outgrow through the scripts

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and understand it. And I've got Raith there and everyone

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explaining everything, and then I understand the nuggets of the character.

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But I was like, I'm going to get lost till

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I go down.

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It can be a slippery slope.

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Yeah, but that's when I did go on the internet.

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But because people have like posted stuff like, I got

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some people explaining the world to me.

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So that was like some of the fans. Yeah, quite helpful. Actually,

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I find it interesting. I'm sorry, yeah, now he's Oh,

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I find it interesting the contrast between the two of

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you in that regard. Uh, you know, just two actors

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that have chosen kind of different ways. I wonder, you know,

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is is that how you typically are in your careers.

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Like in in one instance, you can go and you

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kind of have a bible, if you will, in some

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ways from having the novel, so you can kind of

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see where in this version your character is going where

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you know. On the other hand, you can also just

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be like, you know what, No, I want to do

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this character my way in this story.

231
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Yeah.

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I think that I've done quite a few things from novels,

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and I found for me personally, it's just been helpful

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to you. The script is my bible of the character

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because I get I get.

236
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To this is the way my brain works. I can't.

237
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I can concentrate on one thing at a time so

238
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that and I can understand it drives the character. And

239
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then often i'm cast maybe against how the original author

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thought of them. So I don't I don't want to

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bog myself down with that. I just want to have

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the essence of what's in the script.

243
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But that's what I go for.

244
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That's just my own personal choice.

245
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I kind of drop all that away and just I

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fun want to get there. I love that. Thank you

247
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both so much. I did I cut you off? Oh okay, Oh,

248
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thank you both so much. I really appreciate it. I

249
00:13:48.200 --> 00:13:50.879
can't wait for everybody to see Wheel of Time season

250
00:13:50.919 --> 00:13:54.240
three exclusively on Brian Video. Thank You, Thank You.

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00:13:55.440 --> 00:14:00.320
Daniel Henny and Sophia Conido love speaking with them about

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00:14:00.320 --> 00:14:04.759
the Wheel of Time. Up next, Kira Coveney and Aula Smart.

253
00:14:05.240 --> 00:14:10.159
So Kira who brings Elaine Track into life, and Aulas Smart,

254
00:14:10.200 --> 00:14:12.799
who was set to make her mark as the book

255
00:14:12.919 --> 00:14:17.720
fan favorite Avienda. These two fierce women are central to

256
00:14:17.840 --> 00:14:22.600
RAN's journey, and their own destinies are pretty epic themselves.

257
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Let's jump right into talking about these iconic roles, training

258
00:14:27.480 --> 00:14:28.159
and all of that.

259
00:14:28.679 --> 00:14:34.039
Here they are, Kira Coveney and Aula Smart. So tell me.

260
00:14:34.120 --> 00:14:37.519
I got to start with, had you read the books

261
00:14:38.080 --> 00:14:40.519
or any of the books at all before you took

262
00:14:40.559 --> 00:14:41.639
on the rules?

263
00:14:42.840 --> 00:14:46.200
I hadn't read the books before taking on the rules.

264
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But I have two older sisters and both of them

265
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am are longtime fans of the book, so I grew

266
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up with them reading them over and over again at

267
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my house as I was growing up, so they were

268
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very much part of my life. I hadn't actually got

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them until I was cast, and now I phrase like five, Yeah.

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I hadn't.

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I hadn't read them myself, and it was so interesting

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having been cast and then speaking to people in my

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life and realizing how many people had read the books

274
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and what an important part of their life the texts were.

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But yeah, I once I was cast to dived straight

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into ie.

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Of the world.

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But yeah, and did you find that as you're you know,

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once you took the role, did you find that you

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had you know, I feel like when there's a pre

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existing you know, content that this is based on, do

282
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you get kind of like fangirlish as you're seeing who's

283
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going to be your character, you know, play out throughout

284
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the books.

285
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Yeah, it's pretty cool. It's it's really cool to have

286
00:15:53.519 --> 00:15:56.919
a text that that's already there and a character that's

287
00:15:56.919 --> 00:16:00.679
already like flashed out and you you don't have that

288
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work to do it. It's more just finding how how

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they exist within you or how you can bring them

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to life. But yeah, it's amazing and the way that

291
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they're written and the strengths and flaws that they have.

292
00:16:14.919 --> 00:16:17.919
It's it's really interesting to just kind of like dissect

293
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them on the page and think about how that how

294
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that will kind of look.

295
00:16:23.679 --> 00:16:25.559
Yeah, and how about for you?

296
00:16:26.279 --> 00:16:27.639
Yeah, I completely agree.

297
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I think it's.

298
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It's always so exciting when you get to I think

299
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with the books, because you know the information is there

300
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if you want it, and so to know the like

301
00:16:42.080 --> 00:16:43.919
the arc of a character or like the kind of

302
00:16:43.919 --> 00:16:47.840
general ark of a character, there's such a gift beforehand.

303
00:16:47.879 --> 00:16:51.799
But then also to see where that gets cut in

304
00:16:51.879 --> 00:16:54.879
with the writers and this version of the story and.

305
00:16:54.879 --> 00:16:55.519
Kind of.

306
00:16:57.360 --> 00:16:59.360
Every episode or when you first get to read them,

307
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that's like what you you don't know exactly, even though

308
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you have the books, you still don't know what it

309
00:17:04.319 --> 00:17:07.200
is exactly that's in store for you. I think over

310
00:17:07.519 --> 00:17:11.279
the season, which is really exciting. But then when you do,

311
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you immediately have this huge amount of source material to

312
00:17:15.480 --> 00:17:19.359
reference and kind of play with and add with and

313
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give you an understanding. I think where the where the

314
00:17:23.000 --> 00:17:26.279
writers and the source material recross over it. There's you know,

315
00:17:26.279 --> 00:17:30.319
there's times where it is exactly like it is in

316
00:17:30.359 --> 00:17:31.920
the books, and you can kind of go back and

317
00:17:31.920 --> 00:17:33.720
then there's like a whole chapter you can read and

318
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you have for free all of these thoughts on ideas

319
00:17:36.720 --> 00:17:41.960
and like circumstances. And then sometimes it's you know, an

320
00:17:41.960 --> 00:17:45.079
amalgamation of other things, or it's like you know, this

321
00:17:45.200 --> 00:17:48.519
kind of or like new new stuff, and it's like

322
00:17:48.559 --> 00:17:51.920
a really yeah, beautiful kind of navigation of both.

323
00:17:52.119 --> 00:17:57.039
Yeah, yeah, I love that and actually that's my time.

324
00:17:57.119 --> 00:17:59.960
Thank you both so much. I really appree.

325
00:18:00.119 --> 00:18:03.759
She ate it, and so please take one more question. Apologies,

326
00:18:04.480 --> 00:18:06.799
Oh no, no, thank you, take one more question.

327
00:18:07.240 --> 00:18:11.200
Thank you. So, finally, what are you most looking forward

328
00:18:11.200 --> 00:18:14.279
to for you know, I gotta I got to watch

329
00:18:15.039 --> 00:18:17.640
a couple of the first episodes of season three. What

330
00:18:17.720 --> 00:18:22.200
are you looking forward to people seeing themselves in season three?

331
00:18:23.559 --> 00:18:27.839
I think I'm really excited for the audience to see

332
00:18:28.519 --> 00:18:34.039
the new worlds that we explore. I think they're really exciting.

333
00:18:34.160 --> 00:18:39.559
They're really different and not like anything we've seen on

334
00:18:39.640 --> 00:18:44.000
the show before. So yeah, I'm really excited to show

335
00:18:44.799 --> 00:18:46.680
everyone where they went.

336
00:18:47.359 --> 00:18:47.720
Yeah.

337
00:18:47.960 --> 00:18:53.079
Yeah, So I think there's so much exciting and new

338
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stuff coming from all of the characters this season. I

339
00:18:58.119 --> 00:19:00.720
think it's I think it's a great, great, great season.

340
00:19:00.759 --> 00:19:04.480
I'm just excited for everyone to see you at Chris.

341
00:19:04.240 --> 00:19:06.839
Yes, me too. Thank you both for speaking with me

342
00:19:07.000 --> 00:19:10.759
the Wheel of Time season three exclusively on Prime Video.

343
00:19:10.960 --> 00:19:12.519
Thank you, Thank you.

344
00:19:13.880 --> 00:19:18.200
Kira Coveny and a Less Smart All right, so we're

345
00:19:18.200 --> 00:19:21.079
gonna take a quick break, pay the bills, and when

346
00:19:21.119 --> 00:19:25.599
we come back, I speak with Rosamund Pike and Joseph Stradowski,

347
00:19:26.200 --> 00:19:30.119
and then later in the show two time Oscar winning

348
00:19:30.160 --> 00:19:34.519
actress Kate Blanchett, Naomi Harris, and Tom Burke, who discussed

349
00:19:34.559 --> 00:19:35.839
their film Black.

350
00:19:35.640 --> 00:19:45.359
Bag be Back in sixty What all right?

351
00:19:45.519 --> 00:19:48.960
Thank you for supporting our sponsors, which helps me bring

352
00:19:49.000 --> 00:19:51.480
the show to you every single episode.

353
00:19:51.799 --> 00:19:53.680
I love you for that. I love them for that.

354
00:19:54.319 --> 00:19:58.960
Let's dive in to the last of our Wheel of

355
00:19:59.039 --> 00:20:04.519
Time interviews. The wheel weaves as the wheel wills, and

356
00:20:04.640 --> 00:20:09.000
now the wheel has woven. Two incredible guests to Pop

357
00:20:09.039 --> 00:20:13.119
Culture Weekly. Joining us is the luminous Rosamond Pike, who

358
00:20:13.119 --> 00:20:17.960
brings the powerful and enigmatic Moraine d'amored to life, and

359
00:20:18.240 --> 00:20:22.240
Josah Stradowski, the rising star who embodies the dragon reborn

360
00:20:22.359 --> 00:20:27.599
himself rand Al Thor. Love Love Love these two actors.

361
00:20:27.720 --> 00:20:34.160
Rosamund made her breakthrough film role as Miranda Frost and

362
00:20:34.240 --> 00:20:39.839
Die Another Day Anyway, and she was also in Pride

363
00:20:39.839 --> 00:20:44.000
and Prejudice, Wrath of the Titans, Jack Reacher, The World's End,

364
00:20:44.160 --> 00:20:48.079
and of course, Gone Girl, which earned her a nomination

365
00:20:48.160 --> 00:20:51.720
for Golden Globe Award, British Academy Film Award, and the

366
00:20:51.759 --> 00:20:55.680
Academy Award for Best Actress. She won a Primetime Emmy

367
00:20:55.720 --> 00:20:58.920
for her role in State of the Union, that comedy

368
00:20:58.920 --> 00:21:04.799
mini series back in twenty nineteen. And Zosha Stradowski all

369
00:21:04.880 --> 00:21:08.240
the way from the Netherlands, of course, played in Grand

370
00:21:08.279 --> 00:21:13.640
Turismo as Nicholas Kappa, numerous films and movies over in

371
00:21:13.759 --> 00:21:18.200
the Netherlands, and now as Ron Althor in The Wheel

372
00:21:18.200 --> 00:21:21.640
of Time. So let's jump into my interviews with Rosamund

373
00:21:21.680 --> 00:21:23.720
Pike and Josha Stradowski.

374
00:21:24.839 --> 00:21:27.200
Thank you both so much for speaking. Thank you very much.

375
00:21:27.279 --> 00:21:33.039
I appreciate sports well. Thank you. First of all, congratulations

376
00:21:33.160 --> 00:21:35.880
on the series and season three, which I got to

377
00:21:36.480 --> 00:21:39.599
catch a few episodes of, and I'm excited now I'm like, okay,

378
00:21:39.640 --> 00:21:42.400
I want the rest. But what's it been like for

379
00:21:42.480 --> 00:21:46.960
you both to be on such a big, huge epic series,

380
00:21:47.039 --> 00:21:51.480
you know, filming in different countries and you know, in

381
00:21:51.480 --> 00:21:54.480
in world, you know, in the in the series, being

382
00:21:54.599 --> 00:21:56.279
kind of all over the place as well.

383
00:21:57.039 --> 00:22:02.839
It's I mean, for me, really really amazing. I'm I'm

384
00:22:02.839 --> 00:22:06.640
a Dutch. I'm Dutch by the way, and so I

385
00:22:06.720 --> 00:22:13.440
come from dutch Land, and that scale I've never seen

386
00:22:14.039 --> 00:22:18.480
anything like it before. I remember twenty nineteen when I

387
00:22:18.519 --> 00:22:21.079
walked onto the set for the first time, I just

388
00:22:21.119 --> 00:22:24.920
couldn't believe how many people that were there, Like it

389
00:22:24.960 --> 00:22:27.880
felt it felt like theater. You know, you do one

390
00:22:27.920 --> 00:22:30.079
rehouse on there's like three on are four and sometimes

391
00:22:30.160 --> 00:22:32.960
five hundred people watching you, and you're like, this is

392
00:22:33.160 --> 00:22:35.799
this is insane? Can we sick? Can we please send

393
00:22:35.799 --> 00:22:40.759
them away? But then in the essence, it's it's still home.

394
00:22:40.880 --> 00:22:45.960
It's still like in like back home. It's just there

395
00:22:46.000 --> 00:22:48.359
is a camera and in this case there might be

396
00:22:48.400 --> 00:22:52.240
a couple more or during or whatever, but you do

397
00:22:52.400 --> 00:22:55.640
respond in a way that you think is the essence

398
00:22:55.720 --> 00:22:58.720
of your character, and you listen to the other person

399
00:23:00.319 --> 00:23:01.400
and that's still the same.

400
00:23:02.759 --> 00:23:03.400
I love there.

401
00:23:03.440 --> 00:23:05.880
It's been an amazing thing to be part of. I mean,

402
00:23:06.599 --> 00:23:11.319
they're wonderful, wonderful stories, rich and everybody has something interesting

403
00:23:11.359 --> 00:23:14.480
to do, which always leads to a fulfilling creative experience,

404
00:23:14.559 --> 00:23:16.960
you know, whether that's the people making the knives or

405
00:23:17.000 --> 00:23:19.359
the people working on the leather, or the actors who

406
00:23:19.680 --> 00:23:22.920
all have fantastic characters. And this season, now that we're

407
00:23:22.920 --> 00:23:25.599
in the world, we broaden out the storylines and amazing

408
00:23:25.640 --> 00:23:28.240
new characters are coming in. You know that attract really

409
00:23:28.319 --> 00:23:33.599
high caliber actors because the parts of Juicy interesting, complicated.

410
00:23:34.599 --> 00:23:39.880
You know, it's great stuff. And you know, we've got

411
00:23:39.960 --> 00:23:44.400
inspirational costume designer, set designer, home makeup team who are

412
00:23:44.440 --> 00:23:47.400
just we're all working in harmony. It's become a family

413
00:23:47.440 --> 00:23:50.039
and we're kind of flying now right now.

414
00:23:51.119 --> 00:23:53.799
And it's been so long. I mean, you guys, it's

415
00:23:53.839 --> 00:23:56.480
been what six years now since you started on this.

416
00:23:56.640 --> 00:24:00.680
Twenty nineteen September, so five years, five.

417
00:24:00.519 --> 00:24:03.880
Years, and we're you know, we're getting season three now,

418
00:24:03.920 --> 00:24:07.680
which is exciting from you know, from a viewer standpoint.

419
00:24:08.559 --> 00:24:11.640
Have have either of you read the books at all

420
00:24:11.759 --> 00:24:14.000
or any of the books or did you kind of

421
00:24:14.240 --> 00:24:17.400
go in blind on purpose or tell me about that.

422
00:24:17.559 --> 00:24:21.240
Both we've both read read most most of it, right.

423
00:24:21.400 --> 00:24:25.480
Yeah, you've read all of it. Yosha's read all fourteen books.

424
00:24:25.519 --> 00:24:31.079
I've I've read five of them. I've and I've recorded

425
00:24:31.119 --> 00:24:36.039
four of them for audiobook, so I'm pretty I know

426
00:24:36.119 --> 00:24:39.559
them very well. But Yosha knows beyond.

427
00:24:39.200 --> 00:24:43.599
What I know. And Yosha was that as was that

428
00:24:43.720 --> 00:24:45.799
like as a fan or was that when you got.

429
00:24:45.640 --> 00:24:48.640
The role or no, when I got the role.

430
00:24:49.240 --> 00:24:54.839
Yeah, I when we were auditioning, everything was very secretive,

431
00:24:55.119 --> 00:24:58.319
so it felt very special. But they had some kind

432
00:24:58.359 --> 00:25:00.480
of weird name for my character and I looked it

433
00:25:00.559 --> 00:25:03.200
up and I couldn't rid Harn. They called him as

434
00:25:03.240 --> 00:25:07.200
I remember still, and I just couldn't find him online.

435
00:25:07.279 --> 00:25:12.359
So I thought, okay, whatever, and then it felt really important.

436
00:25:12.599 --> 00:25:16.359
And then and then after a whole day of auditioning

437
00:25:16.359 --> 00:25:18.079
in London, they called me up and they said, okay,

438
00:25:18.119 --> 00:25:23.200
the name character is is Rand. And then I looked

439
00:25:23.240 --> 00:25:25.640
him up on Google and it said like the central

440
00:25:26.039 --> 00:25:29.160
one of the central figures, the hero of the antagonists

441
00:25:29.359 --> 00:25:33.359
and do the chosen one. And I was like, all right, yeah,

442
00:25:33.400 --> 00:25:36.880
that's quite let me start reading. So I immediately started

443
00:25:36.920 --> 00:25:41.039
reading and it was great, you know so much as

444
00:25:41.079 --> 00:25:43.720
an actor, that's that's what you wish for, so much

445
00:25:43.799 --> 00:25:47.599
source material. And I took him. I took it really seriously.

446
00:25:48.519 --> 00:25:50.400
It's fat as but I was reading it as it

447
00:25:50.440 --> 00:25:50.799
was real.

448
00:25:51.680 --> 00:25:54.799
I love that. I can't wait. I wish it was real.

449
00:25:54.880 --> 00:25:58.119
I could join in that world with you guys. Thank

450
00:25:58.240 --> 00:26:00.359
you both so much I can't wait for it. Everybody

451
00:26:00.400 --> 00:26:03.160
to see season three of the Wheel of Time exclusively

452
00:26:03.680 --> 00:26:06.440
on the Prime Video. Thank you, guys, Thank you.

453
00:26:08.079 --> 00:26:13.319
Josha Stradowski and Rosamund Pike love love, love these two

454
00:26:13.599 --> 00:26:15.920
love the Wheel of Time. If you haven't checked it

455
00:26:15.960 --> 00:26:20.039
out yet, check it out on Prime Video right now.

456
00:26:20.079 --> 00:26:20.799
It's so great.

457
00:26:21.000 --> 00:26:24.400
Start with season one obviously, because there's a world building

458
00:26:24.559 --> 00:26:28.279
and backstory and lore and some amazing battles.

459
00:26:29.079 --> 00:26:31.559
And when you get to season.

460
00:26:31.240 --> 00:26:33.759
Three, hit me up because it is really good. Ups

461
00:26:33.759 --> 00:26:37.359
the stakes, as you've heard in these interviews. So all right,

462
00:26:37.920 --> 00:26:41.119
that is it for now for the Wheel of Time.

463
00:26:41.759 --> 00:26:45.799
Next up, we are shifting gears to talk about one

464
00:26:45.839 --> 00:26:49.920
of the most anticipated thrillers of the year, Black Bag.

465
00:26:50.200 --> 00:26:53.519
I told you about my review. My written review is.

466
00:26:53.559 --> 00:26:57.720
Up on podcast dot popculturewekly dot com under reviews or

467
00:26:57.759 --> 00:27:01.079
popculturewekly dot com whatever, And I loved it.

468
00:27:01.319 --> 00:27:02.519
I love this movie.

469
00:27:02.519 --> 00:27:04.119
It is like reminds me of one of those like

470
00:27:04.200 --> 00:27:08.079
old you know, big fifties Hollywood who done it?

471
00:27:08.079 --> 00:27:09.039
It's really great.

472
00:27:09.440 --> 00:27:16.000
It follows Michael Fastbender, whose beloved wife Catherine is suspected

473
00:27:16.039 --> 00:27:21.000
of betraying the nation. They're both intelligence British intelligence agents,

474
00:27:21.599 --> 00:27:26.319
so George played by Fastbender, has to face the ultimate test,

475
00:27:26.880 --> 00:27:30.880
loyalty to his marriage or loyalty to his country. It

476
00:27:30.960 --> 00:27:35.240
is really, really great, and it's, you know, this gripping

477
00:27:35.519 --> 00:27:39.680
espionage drama thriller, and it's packed with secrets and betrayals

478
00:27:39.720 --> 00:27:43.319
and really powerhouse performances. So we're diving deep into it

479
00:27:43.680 --> 00:27:47.480
with three of the film's incredible stars. We have the

480
00:27:47.640 --> 00:27:52.480
legendary Kate Blanchett, whose command of the screen is literally unmatched.

481
00:27:52.559 --> 00:27:56.599
She brings elegance and intensity to every role she does.

482
00:27:57.079 --> 00:27:59.960
She's one of the most versatile actors of our time.

483
00:28:00.519 --> 00:28:05.000
She's delivered unforgettable performances and everything from Blue Jasmine, which

484
00:28:05.000 --> 00:28:09.200
I absolutely love, to Tar Carol to of course, Gladriel

485
00:28:09.440 --> 00:28:12.279
in The Lord of the Rings, one of my favorite

486
00:28:12.480 --> 00:28:15.119
film franchises of all time. I'm obsessed with the Lord

487
00:28:15.160 --> 00:28:18.640
of the Rings. And of course she has won an

488
00:28:18.680 --> 00:28:23.720
Academy Award. It's an Oscar not just once, but twice,

489
00:28:24.319 --> 00:28:26.319
which made her the only actor to ever win an

490
00:28:26.359 --> 00:28:29.640
Academy Award for portraying an Academy Award winning actor. I

491
00:28:29.640 --> 00:28:32.279
thought that was just a fun fact. She's one of

492
00:28:32.400 --> 00:28:36.240
only four actresses to win the Academy Award for Best

493
00:28:36.279 --> 00:28:40.319
Actress after winning Best Supporting Actress. And she's the only

494
00:28:40.440 --> 00:28:45.200
actress and only one of six total in actors total

495
00:28:45.240 --> 00:28:48.319
in Oscar history to be nominated twice for playing the

496
00:28:48.319 --> 00:28:52.119
same role in two different films, once for Elizabeth and

497
00:28:52.200 --> 00:28:55.960
again for Elizabeth the Golden Age. She's been nominated for

498
00:28:56.079 --> 00:29:02.359
an Academy Award eight times already. Films have grossed over

499
00:29:02.480 --> 00:29:05.599
nine point eight billion at the worldwide box office, her

500
00:29:05.680 --> 00:29:09.359
highest grossing obviously including The Lord of the Rings trilogy

501
00:29:09.440 --> 00:29:12.160
and The Hobbit Trilogy, but she was also in the

502
00:29:12.160 --> 00:29:14.599
Curious Case of Benjamin Button I Love that movie, and

503
00:29:14.640 --> 00:29:16.720
Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I

504
00:29:16.759 --> 00:29:21.000
love that movie. Thor Ragnarok, I love that movie, Ocean's Eight, Cinderella,

505
00:29:21.079 --> 00:29:22.839
and on and on and on. She is, you know,

506
00:29:23.000 --> 00:29:24.839
one of the best of the best, So anyway, I

507
00:29:24.880 --> 00:29:28.319
speak with Kate Blanchett as well as the always brilliant

508
00:29:28.400 --> 00:29:33.200
Naomi Harris, whose magnetic performances in films like Moonlight and

509
00:29:33.480 --> 00:29:36.160
No Time to Die About Movie have made her a

510
00:29:36.319 --> 00:29:40.240
force to be reckoned with and rounding out our trio today,

511
00:29:40.359 --> 00:29:43.799
is the immensely talented tom Burke, who continues to captivate

512
00:29:43.839 --> 00:29:49.240
audiences with his complex and layered characters like in Strike

513
00:29:49.519 --> 00:29:54.519
and the Souvenir. So buckle up, let's hop right in here.

514
00:29:54.559 --> 00:29:58.960
They are Naomi Harris, Tom Burke, and Kate Blanchett.

515
00:30:00.160 --> 00:30:03.599
Thank you all for joining me. I really appreciate it. Hi, Hey,

516
00:30:03.599 --> 00:30:07.119
con So, first of all, I love the film it is.

517
00:30:07.400 --> 00:30:09.880
It reminds me of like those old who'd done it,

518
00:30:10.000 --> 00:30:13.640
and it's so stylish and slick and such just a

519
00:30:13.680 --> 00:30:17.119
great thriller. So kudos to you all for that. Keat,

520
00:30:17.240 --> 00:30:20.240
if I may start with you, Etherne, I heard that

521
00:30:20.720 --> 00:30:24.400
you took the role without having read the entire script.

522
00:30:24.519 --> 00:30:26.680
Is that accurate? Yeah?

523
00:30:26.759 --> 00:30:28.759
Well, nameI and I were going to make a different

524
00:30:28.759 --> 00:30:31.400
film with Stephen actually, and that was it's a really

525
00:30:31.480 --> 00:30:32.960
quite a complicated one to make.

526
00:30:33.480 --> 00:30:34.880
And he had a slot.

527
00:30:35.359 --> 00:30:38.480
Because he's he's worked to work, he back, he back

528
00:30:38.519 --> 00:30:40.640
works to work. I can't speak English, he works back

529
00:30:40.680 --> 00:30:43.480
to back. So he then had this script that David

530
00:30:43.559 --> 00:30:46.559
Kirp had written. It was perfect, and then he said

531
00:30:46.799 --> 00:30:48.519
are you free? And I said, well I was going

532
00:30:48.559 --> 00:30:50.400
to work with you, so yeah, absolutely, what do you

533
00:30:50.440 --> 00:30:52.160
want me to do? Who am I playing? Who's going

534
00:30:52.200 --> 00:30:54.599
to be in it? And all of those things were

535
00:30:55.119 --> 00:30:58.599
very deliciously answered, So it was an impossible thing to

536
00:30:58.640 --> 00:31:00.400
say no to love that.

537
00:31:00.839 --> 00:31:07.000
And Naomi, your character as a psychiatrist, you know you

538
00:31:07.359 --> 00:31:11.680
it's an interesting, I think role for an actor. How

539
00:31:11.680 --> 00:31:15.240
do you kind of dive behind the psychology of playing

540
00:31:16.200 --> 00:31:19.240
somebody that deals with psychology while you work with.

541
00:31:19.240 --> 00:31:23.799
A clinical psychologist, which was really really helpful. Although one

542
00:31:23.839 --> 00:31:25.680
of the first things she said when she you know,

543
00:31:25.799 --> 00:31:30.440
read my scenes was no therapist would behave like that

544
00:31:30.680 --> 00:31:33.160
at all. But I actually really loved that.

545
00:31:33.240 --> 00:31:35.839
It gave me even greater insight into who Zoe my

546
00:31:35.960 --> 00:31:39.640
character is, because she's somebody who is so unorthodox in

547
00:31:39.680 --> 00:31:40.400
her methods.

548
00:31:40.720 --> 00:31:41.799
She knows the rule book.

549
00:31:41.839 --> 00:31:44.400
She's so intelligent that she knows how she should behave

550
00:31:44.440 --> 00:31:47.119
and she knows what works. But ultimately she throws all

551
00:31:47.160 --> 00:31:49.359
of that out of the window because she's like, I'm

552
00:31:49.400 --> 00:31:51.799
just going to do what's effective. All that matters to

553
00:31:51.839 --> 00:31:55.480
me is that my spies complete their mission missions and

554
00:31:55.519 --> 00:31:59.960
maintain their mental health. And so she's and she defined

555
00:32:00.119 --> 00:32:03.559
her moral compass is defined by her own set of

556
00:32:03.799 --> 00:32:07.000
weird beliefs And I really like that because then you

557
00:32:07.039 --> 00:32:09.680
get to create a character on your own terms completely.

558
00:32:10.519 --> 00:32:15.599
I love that. And Tom, your character is messy, I

559
00:32:15.599 --> 00:32:19.480
think it is one word to put it in and complicated,

560
00:32:19.519 --> 00:32:22.880
as as all of the characters are. How do you

561
00:32:23.119 --> 00:32:27.200
find inspiration when doing something you know? You don't strike

562
00:32:27.279 --> 00:32:32.039
me as a super messy life type of person. How

563
00:32:32.079 --> 00:32:37.559
do you find uh that that space to be in to,

564
00:32:38.000 --> 00:32:41.559
you know, play a role like this. I think.

565
00:32:43.160 --> 00:32:45.960
Everyone's been in some place like that at some point

566
00:32:45.960 --> 00:32:50.359
in their life. And yeah, so it's a very Yeah,

567
00:32:50.400 --> 00:32:51.559
he's very human to me.

568
00:32:52.240 --> 00:32:57.319
Mm hmm. And do you do you feel that you

569
00:32:57.319 --> 00:33:00.839
know as you're as you're doing this, are you able

570
00:33:00.880 --> 00:33:04.400
to I always find it interesting, you know, different types

571
00:33:04.400 --> 00:33:07.559
of actors in the way they approach things. Some are

572
00:33:09.200 --> 00:33:11.799
just kind of go all in in their role and

573
00:33:11.799 --> 00:33:14.319
that kind of consumes their life for that period. Are

574
00:33:14.319 --> 00:33:19.160
you able to kind of separate the character from you

575
00:33:19.279 --> 00:33:21.279
at the end of the shooting day?

576
00:33:21.359 --> 00:33:21.559
Yeah?

577
00:33:21.599 --> 00:33:26.160
Yeah, but there's a yeah, there's a there's a magical

578
00:33:26.200 --> 00:33:29.599
lift in anything. But if you're playing somebod who's been

579
00:33:29.680 --> 00:33:32.720
spiked with a drug that is also an invented drug,

580
00:33:32.799 --> 00:33:35.200
that you know, is whatever we want it to be.

581
00:33:36.480 --> 00:33:40.920
And I say to Stephen in the midst of setting

582
00:33:40.960 --> 00:33:43.359
up for that same by the way, what you know,

583
00:33:43.400 --> 00:33:45.440
do you think this mights me go loud or quiet

584
00:33:45.599 --> 00:33:48.160
or hot or cold or you know what?

585
00:33:48.160 --> 00:33:48.359
What?

586
00:33:48.359 --> 00:33:51.920
What's what's the kind of flavors of it? He and

587
00:33:51.960 --> 00:33:56.680
he just said the words pure id. That's you know,

588
00:33:57.359 --> 00:34:01.480
that's quite a freeing thing to be told, right, just

589
00:34:01.559 --> 00:34:02.480
go for pure it.

590
00:34:04.119 --> 00:34:09.039
Yeah. Well, and it comes across grade from all of you. Kate,

591
00:34:09.280 --> 00:34:12.320
you know, as you were reading the script, and really

592
00:34:12.320 --> 00:34:16.239
for all of you, it's so as a viewer, I'm

593
00:34:16.239 --> 00:34:18.239
like at the edge of my seat the entire time,

594
00:34:18.320 --> 00:34:20.199
what's going to happen next? Who's going to say? What?

595
00:34:20.199 --> 00:34:23.039
What's going to go on? Do you have that same

596
00:34:23.119 --> 00:34:26.400
excitement reading the script or do you like read it

597
00:34:26.440 --> 00:34:30.559
from a place of where my character is going to

598
00:34:30.599 --> 00:34:31.280
be coming from.

599
00:34:31.960 --> 00:34:36.519
I think I'm a really good audience and so I

600
00:34:36.679 --> 00:34:41.559
read a script incredibly quickly at first, because I'm desperate

601
00:34:41.559 --> 00:34:44.119
to know what happens like an audience is. And that's

602
00:34:44.480 --> 00:34:46.519
that's how I know in the end what the audience

603
00:34:46.639 --> 00:34:49.400
experience will be, particularly when you know that it's going

604
00:34:49.440 --> 00:34:51.440
to be a director like Soderberg. Shooting it, you've got

605
00:34:51.480 --> 00:34:54.639
a sense of how the narrative will unfold, But then

606
00:34:54.679 --> 00:34:57.039
I have to go back and then I just do

607
00:34:57.119 --> 00:35:01.440
that narcissistic dive where I just view it all from

608
00:35:01.559 --> 00:35:05.239
her perspective. And so, because it's in an ensemble piece

609
00:35:05.320 --> 00:35:07.280
like this, it's really important to know what your function

610
00:35:07.480 --> 00:35:11.239
is and so which piece of the story you're responsible

611
00:35:11.320 --> 00:35:14.960
for conveying when and in when my character, because I mean,

612
00:35:14.960 --> 00:35:18.400
everyone's a suspect, but I knew she was also a suspect,

613
00:35:18.719 --> 00:35:22.000
so there had to be sort of an unknoble remove

614
00:35:22.719 --> 00:35:24.800
to the way. I think I played her, at least

615
00:35:24.800 --> 00:35:27.039
that's what I did. Maybe another actor would do it differently,

616
00:35:27.119 --> 00:35:30.119
but yeah, so that that came out of the sort

617
00:35:30.119 --> 00:35:32.679
of second read. But I loved the first read, like you,

618
00:35:32.760 --> 00:35:35.519
I wanted to know exactly what you know, how.

619
00:35:35.320 --> 00:35:38.880
This would end right right? I love it. I can't

620
00:35:38.920 --> 00:35:41.440
wait for everybody to see a black Bag. Thank you

621
00:35:41.480 --> 00:35:44.920
all so much, Thank you, Thanks, I have a great.

622
00:35:44.800 --> 00:35:45.639
Day, It's sure.

623
00:35:47.280 --> 00:35:54.000
Kate Blancher, Naomi Harrison, Tom Burke love black Bag, Love

624
00:35:54.440 --> 00:35:55.079
Kate Blanchet.

625
00:35:55.079 --> 00:35:57.239
I love all three of those actors, but guys, I

626
00:35:57.400 --> 00:36:01.000
just talked to Kate Blanchett. This is like on my

627
00:36:01.039 --> 00:36:03.840
bucket list, so I can cross it off. Two time

628
00:36:03.880 --> 00:36:07.840
Academy Award winning actor Cate Blanchett one of the greatest

629
00:36:07.880 --> 00:36:11.119
actors of our time. I can't believe it. In any event,

630
00:36:11.199 --> 00:36:13.280
Black Bag is out right now. I love it.

631
00:36:13.360 --> 00:36:13.920
Go see it.

632
00:36:13.960 --> 00:36:19.039
If you want to spy, thriller, ah, you know, espionage, drama,

633
00:36:19.760 --> 00:36:25.039
anything like that, well acted, intelligent, any adjectives like that.

634
00:36:25.079 --> 00:36:27.039
Go see Black Bag. It is well worth your time.

635
00:36:27.079 --> 00:36:28.800
And Steven Soderberg, like, how can you go wrong with

636
00:36:28.800 --> 00:36:33.000
Steven Soderberg such an awesome you know, director creative?

637
00:36:33.880 --> 00:36:36.280
All right, that is our show for this week.

638
00:36:36.400 --> 00:36:38.639
Of course, we have awesome stuff coming up for you

639
00:36:38.679 --> 00:36:39.639
to continue to.

640
00:36:40.199 --> 00:36:42.159
Check it out. Check out the YouTube.

641
00:36:42.159 --> 00:36:44.199
I've been really uploading a lot of stuff up there,

642
00:36:44.320 --> 00:36:47.400
especially some older interviews that the videos were never up.

643
00:36:47.639 --> 00:36:50.480
So now we're going through that. I am. I did

644
00:36:50.519 --> 00:36:54.559
break my kneecap trying to dunk, which sucks.

645
00:36:54.760 --> 00:36:57.920
So you know, if you don't see me as often

646
00:36:58.039 --> 00:37:02.159
as usual for the next two months, I can't drive,

647
00:37:02.360 --> 00:37:05.639
which has been, as you know, like torture for me.

648
00:37:05.840 --> 00:37:08.960
So that's what's going on, But hang in there with me.

649
00:37:09.519 --> 00:37:12.519
I'll be posting a lot more to YouTube and the

650
00:37:12.599 --> 00:37:16.719
blog on pop podcast dot popculturewekly dot com. Those are

651
00:37:16.760 --> 00:37:19.679
all in the show notes. I will see you next episode.

652
00:37:19.920 --> 00:37:21.159
All right, I love you.

653
00:37:21.639 --> 00:37:24.920
We thank you for listening to pop Culture Weekly. Here

654
00:37:24.960 --> 00:37:33.840
all the latest at popcultureweekly dot com.

655
00:37:33.880 --> 00:37:37.800
It's a blagg black beg.

656
00:37:40.079 --> 00:37:50.480
Okay, okay,