Leo Woodall (Tuner); John Krasinski & Michael Kelly (Jack Ryan: Ghost War)

0:00 In this episode of pop Culture Weekly, I talk with Leo Woodhall, Michael Kelly, and John Krasinski. Let's go. Welcome to pop Culture Weekly with Kyle McMahon from iHeartRadio your pop culture news, views, reviews and celebrity interviews on all the movies, TV, music and pop culture you crab weekly. Here's Kyle McMahon. Nit, no Nick. Welcome the pop Culture Weekly with Kyle McMahon. I, of course, am Kyle McMahon. What is up, my fellow pop culture degenerates. You're back with pop Culture Weekly, the show where we overanalyze fictional espionage operations while forgetting where we put our car keys. I'm Kyle McMahon, of course, and we've got a really fun episode today. First up, I am joined by Leo Woodhall to talk about his intense thriller Tuonor, a movie that mixes psychological drama, crime and music into one very anxiety inducing cocktail. And it is really a great movie. I really enjoyed it. It's very unique. Leo, of course, has become one of the most exciting actors working right now, between projects like The White Lotus and One Day, and in this conversation, we really are going to get into the emotional complexity of tutor,

1:31 building tension and what drew them to the role. And then later we're heading into full espionage mode with Michael Kelly and John Krasinski talking all about their brand new film, Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan Ghost War, the latest chapter in the Jack Ryan universe over at Prime Video, and we'll talk about returning to these characters, what keeps the franchise going, and so much. And hey, while you're here, make sure you're subscribed to the pop Culture Weekly newsletter so you never miss what's coming out anywhere. And you know you get video interviews, reactions, reviews, and so much more on the pop Culture Weekly YouTube channel. All right, let's get into it. Our first guest is Leo Woodall. You know him from breakout performances in The White Lotus and One Day and now he stars in Tuner, a thriller about talent obsession, survival and the dangerous places extraordinary abilities can lead someone I should know. All right, here he is Leo.

2:46 Would all thank you so much, Leo for joining me. I really appreciate it. Hey, Kyle, HOWI you doing good? Thank you? Congrats on Toner. It really is an awesome film, and you know, I want what it would be like if if you had hyper ocusis by saying it correctly hopefully, you know, I feel like it's almost like, in some ways a superhero power but also a curse. You know, how did you approach that in the role, you know, because it's kind of like it could be either. It's kind of a fine line. How did you approach that?

3:26 For me? I mean, I do understand the kind of this is it a blessing or a curse thing? But for me, I think it was him. Him falling into safe cracking was kind of him getting a slightly new lease on life. He lives a very mundane, sheltered, lonely life, and you know, this was he kind of. Found friends in these people. And also he found a real thrill. In and something exciting and rebellious and kind of dangerous considering he's constantly forced to protect himself.

4:09 I think he enjoyed walking the line a bit more. Did you you know, as you're playing Nikki, did you approach him more as a guy that's kind of trapped by circumstances or someone who you know, maybe makes some bad choices. I think I think it was it was fine for me to to to play him kind of as as a flawed person because we all are, and I knew, I knew his sort of initial motivations and ultimately he you know, he has to make amends and that for me was was the journey. And I think what was interesting was it even for the other characters, for le or Gil and Nissan who he's or cracksy' sace with.

5:09 They all have their own sort of specific. Moral compass and motivation behind it, and I think that's what makes it really interesting as opposed to them just being. Like we are the bad guys, we are the criminals. Yeah, now you become criminal with us. It was far more nuanced than that. Yeah, it's very much in the gray, much like life. You know, there's this interesting, you know, underlying kind of tension in the film in my opinion, between you know, art and art and crime. I guess you could say, to put it bluntly, you know, was that something that you kind of danced with or that you went into the role like, you know, kind of knowing how you were going to approach that, because again, you know, as I mentioned in the different aspect, it's it's very much a fine line there, and is that something that was enjoyable for you to play with? Is that something that you know, how did you approach that particular aspect?

6:12 I mean, I think it was it was what was most important for me was just understand, you know, why he's doing what he's doing, and and and then what. What would he be thinking during those moments. I think the a lot of it, you know, it's funny. It didn't always feel. Like, you know, you're getting the real sort of kick out of, Oh I get to pretend to be a criminal for this, you know, seeing because a lot of it was just me just twizzling my fingers, dialing a little safe.

6:52 And then I think it was you know, you all rises character got to do. So, you know, he did some some bad stuff in that in that movie, So I think I don't know, it wasn't I didn't really think about it too much. It's like, okay, yeah, now we're doing the crime movie. If that makes sense. Absolutely, Leo, Thank you so much. I love the film. I can't wait for everybody to see it. Thank you, pal, good to talk to you. You Leo would all huge thanks to Leo for joining me. Tuner is available right now in theaters. Go see it.

7:36 It's really great. All Right, We've got more coming up right after this commercial break, including my conversations with John Krasinski and Michael Kelly about Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan Ghost War. We'll be back in sixty seconds. All right, Welcome back to Pop Culture Weekly. Thank you, Thank you for supporting our sponsors who help keep this show going. My next guest, John Krasinski and Michael Kelly. John, of course, stars as Jack Ryan, one of the most iconic characters in modern espionage fiction, while Michael Kelly's fan favorite Mike November continues to bring equal parts intensity, unpredictability, and this guy definitely knows how to dispose of evidence. Their new film, Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan Ghost War on Prime Video, expands the universe of Jack Ryan even further, with big stakes, international tension and the kind of grounded action that has made this franchise such a hit. So all right, without further adieu, was that French? Without further adieu, Here we go anyway, Here they are John Krasinski and Michael Kelly's kying good.

8:59 Thank you, mixing as we go. You do your own mix as we go. I don't. It's all a set. It's actually all plastic, you know, it's all plastic. I appreciate the honesty. It looks they just look like those are really Christmas lights. It's great, Yeah, exactly, Yeah, thank you. Congrats on Ghosts War. It's a great film. I love, you know, the expansion as it were, and I wonder for both of you it feels very much like it could be ripped out of tomorrow's headlines. Was there anything that scared either of you about, you know, kind of that as you're delving into that, like, oh wow, you know, I used to be a huge X Files is my favorite show ever, and I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but those things scared me that maybe they could happen, you know. Was there anything you know with the script that kind of evoked something in either of you? Well?

9:51 I think for me, you know, I wrote the script, and you know I co wrote with Aaron about two and a half years ago, so clearly nothing that was happening today was going on or even remotely going on back then. So it's always this weird thing where we're writing something that's completely fictional and if it has any reflection in the real world. I'm as baffled and as you know, like you said, as shocked as you are. But I think you know the the the idea of Clancy in general. He was always writing with a huge geopolitical background, and I actually take great comfort in the fact that, you know, we've gone through weird times and we got through them, and we'll we'll get through it again. And I think, weirdly, that's how Clancy felt too. You look back and you he was writing about the Cold War and that was that was as weird, if not weirder, than where we are now. So it's it's it's cyclical.

10:37 I guess. I love that. And and Michael, your character always feels like he kind of knows more than he's saying, you know, And I love that about him. About November, how do you see that? You know, as you're playing him, how do you see that in the context of Ghost Warm? For me, with him, it was more of more of the same in that the character that he became after towards the end of season two, right, he changed so much over the having met Jack and Greer, and he's always I feel like he's always evolving, but really the guy that he became at the end of two that was game for whatever these guys were doing. He sees that that is the righteous path, and that's the path he's going to go down right, like he wants to do the right thing.

11:29 Uh and and and it cost him his job. He made he made good for himself. He did all right, but then he got screwed again and lost his money again, so he had to go back to work. And now he wearsnuckkerchiefs. No neckerchiefs. Man, it's all good. Full circle. There we go. If they if they let me do another movie. This is the wardrobe right here. I love that. Yeah, John, November will be full yacht rock. There you go. Yeah, background soundtrack. Rude, No, are you got rocks? The greatest? He knows, absolutely, John. You've played Jack, you know, in over the years, you've played him as both this kind of intelligent analyst as well as this kick ass action hero. Is there one that you know? Is there one side of him? And obviously those aren't the only two sides, but is there one side of him that you kind of really really dig into and you're like, yes, this is freaking awesome.

12:25 I mean, at the end of the day, it's it's definitely going to be more exciting, more nerve wracking to do the sort of actiony side of things. But it's really the thing that made me say yes to the role in the beginning. He was when I was a kid, my favorite character because of that complexity, and I think that, you know, the audience underestimated him in season one, but I think the bigger story was how Jack underestimated himself. And I think that that's what's so much fun to play about this character, is that you know, he was a marine, he had done very heroic, insanely scary things and then sort of diminished himself to try to be in the background of saving the world. Are making a difference? And what a great lesson for all of us that you can actually be the difference in the world if you step up and want to be.

13:08 I love that. That's awesome. Finally, very quickly, because we're almost out of time, are there more. Stories to tell that we can look forward? Joe, I hope. So. I mean, there's I have no more fun than I do shooting in this world and working with this guy and the incredible cast. I mean, it's his speech in the movie about you know, being the only family you're going to have. I'm very lucky to not have that be the case. But this is one hell of a family. I think that the three of us together, especially and then bringing in Sienna Miller, and it was just it's just too much fun, and as much fun as we have creating this world, I think the fun comes off on screen. So I would do it again in a heartbeat.

13:48 Awesome, John, Michael, thank you so much. I can't wait for everybody to see Ghost War. Thank you, Thank benk, John. Krasinski, and Michael Kelly. My thanks again for joining me on pop Culture Weekly. Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan Ghost War is streaming right now on Prime Video. Let me know what you think of the new film. All right, that's it for this episode of pop Culture Weekly. As always, I thank you so much for hanging out with me. I really do make sure you're subscribed Wherever you listen to your podcast, leave a review if you're feeling generous, and follow along across social media and YouTube for more interviews, reviews, reactions, and pop culture chaos throughout the week, and hit that newsletter please. All right, you can get that at Popcultureweekly dot com. Forward slast newsletter, and so next time, I'm Kyle McMahon. And remember, if someone asks you to crack a safe because of your unusually gifted hearing, maybe just mute your phone and leave town immediately. All right, I'll see you next week. I love you.

14:56 We thank you for listening to pop Culture Weekly. All the latest at pop cultureweekly dot com. I've got superpowered heaving and I'm gone music for evil. Yes, I am Baber