S22.E03: Jane Fonda, Nicole Kidman, Colin Farrell, Bryan Cranston, Matt Lucas, Niall Horan

[Athena]

Quote

Graham Norton is joined by actress and activist Jane Fonda; Nicole Kidman and Colin Farrell, who star in The Killing of Sacred Deer; Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston, currently performing at the National Theatre; and comedian Matt Lucas. Plus music from Niall Horan, who performs his latest single Too Much to Ask.

[dusang]

The only part of this episode I've seen so far is this clip shared by the show "Nicole Kidman gets flustered talking about Alexander Skarsgard".  It's pretty funny and charming -- since she left Tom Cruise I generally like Nicole although she is a bit shy and awkward sometimes.  I love that she's finally gotten to a level of confidence that she can directly challenge Graham for being the shit-disturber he totally is. Although he still manages to totally fluster her.

[Bruinsfan]

The fact that Nicole was a good enough sport to come back on his show after he unveiled her 80s modelling shots really raised my opinion of her.

[StatisticalOutlier]

Nicole Kidman was surprisingly delightful. 

Man, Jane Fonda's plastic surgery looks good--she still looks like herself.  On my old kind of fuzzy TV, anyway--not sure about high-def.  Occasionally her face has expressions that look like an 80-year-old is making them, but otherwise, really impressive.

[Ms Lark]

41 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

Man, Jane Fonda's plastic surgery looks good--she still looks like herself.  On my old kind of fuzzy TV, anyway--not sure about high-def.  Occasionally her face has expressions that look like an 80-year-old is making them, but otherwise, really impressive.

Oh, she looked great on high-def, too. Must've paid a bundle for good work and it was worth it. I'm all for aging gracefully, but dang. And she's still really sharp, too.

[attica]

What a great couch! Everybody was into everyone's stories. Jane kvelled over everybody in a charming way. Nicole was loose and adorable (my opinion of her has quite grown in the past 6 months or so -- I must be softening in my old age!). Cranston might have dialed it down a degree or two, but I'll give him points for commitment to the bit. I want to read Matt Lucas's book.

Niall is the second millennial I've heard in the past week waxing fondly about 70s soft rock music. WHAT IS EVEN HAPPENING?

[dubbel zout]

I had to laugh when Nicole got all flustered when Graham showed the picture of her kissing ASkars at the Emmys. Yes, Nicole, we know you're very solidly, very happily married to Keith Urban, who was also in the picture. Calm down. You escaped Tom Cruise.

I wanted more from Colin Farrell, but I also like that he seemed very comfortable letting everyone else talk without it looking like he was standoffish.

Except for Jane Fonda (I think), I loved how everyone on the couch had worked with at least one other person on the couch. For a somewhat random assemblage, that was cool.

3 hours ago, attica said:

Niall is the second millennial I've heard in the past week waxing fondly about 70s soft rock music. WHAT IS EVEN HAPPENING?

LOL. Everything old is new again, attica! I liked his song a lot more than I thought I would, given his boy band pedigree.

Edited October 29, 2017 by dubbel zout

[msrachelj]

12 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

Nicole Kidman was surprisingly delightful. 

Man, Jane Fonda's plastic surgery looks good--she still looks like herself.  On my old kind of fuzzy TV, anyway--not sure about high-def.  Occasionally her face has expressions that look like an 80-year-old is making them, but otherwise, really impressive.

yes, her plastic surgeon should win an award! much better than most plastic surgery victims. of course , she did have good genes to begin with if you look at her younger photos. exercises a lot, probably eats well. but yes, the face is a work of art. i wonder what her doctors name is and where he is located!

[Mumbles]

Quote

Nicole Kidman was surprisingly delightful. 

Kidman is usually talk show death - I think she’s actually very intelligent, I just think she’s very introverted. It helped that her follow guests were warm extroverts. And Cranston is couch gold - every time he’s on this show he brings out the best in others because he tells good stories and clearly loves the show. And, credit must be given to Graham for Nicole - he responds to her reticence with good-natured and gentle teasing, which she responds well to. He’s the Nicole Kidman whisperer.

And Jane Fonda - national treasure. Intelligent and witty. I love actors of that generation - Redford, Hoffman, Caine, Sutherland, Julie Christie. There’s an authenticity to their work and in the lives they live. They were too young for the studio system, but also predate the PR-machine created stars of today. 

And Jane was so genuinely interested in Niall Horan and seemed a little smitten by him. 

Edited October 30, 2017 by Mumbles

[dusang]

11 hours ago, Mumbles said:

And Jane was so genuinely interested in Niall Horan and seemed a little smitten by him. 

I said it the last time Niall was on, I want to dislike* him but he's ADORABLE.

*"Dislike" might be overly harsh, I just mean not only am I well past boy band age, their boy band didn't even have choreographed dance routines!!  I judge.

[StatisticalOutlier]

Jane Fonda's face is a work of art, but it's making me uneasy the more I think about it.

I agree that she seems to have good genes (well, for physical attributes--her mother was manic depressive and her father was strange), so it makes me wonder what she might look like if she'd not had plastic surgery.  Probably like a very youthful 80-year-old, and not like an unusual 60-year-old who's obviously gone under the knife.  I don't know...Nicole Kidman's gasp when Fonda revealed her age has stuck with me.

I would normally think, "Who cares what you look like? Is it worth it to undergo surgery to make your face look younger, especially since you're naturally going to look a lot better than the vast majority of people already?"  But then I remember that this is a movie actress we're talking about, and definitely not the female equivalent of Philip Baker Hall.  So her looks are a huge part of her trade, and maybe I should just be happy that she got excellent results and not worry about the 90% of the iceberg we don't see.

I'm not expressing this well, maybe because it's a roiling pot of many issues that are intertwined and therefore really complicated.  And stemming from something I saw on an alcohol-fueled chat show. 

Oh well...excellent, impressive results by a plastic surgeon who must sit back and think, "Damn, I'm good."

[MissLucas]

I might have concerns about plastic surgery but one thing I admire about Fonda is that she's always been open about it - unlike others who insist their looks are due to plenty of water and sleep even though the work they've had done is nowhere near the mastery of Fonda's.

[TexasGal]

18 hours ago, Mumbles said:

And Jane Fonda - national treasure. Intelligent and witty. I love actors of that generation - Redford, Hoffman, Caine, Sutherland, Julie Christie. There’s an authenticity to their work and in the lives they live. They were too young for the studio system, but also predate the PR-machine created stars of today. 

 

She cracked me up with the - Redford needs to stop acting - bit.  She's awesome.  I remember being amazed at her not seeming her age when she was on The Newsroom, but I'd forgotten again until she said it.  Wow.  Her plastic surgeon should just have her face on his/her business cards.

[attica]

2 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

Nicole Kidman's gasp when Fonda revealed her age has stuck with me.

Naw, All H'wood types understand that gasping when somebody tells you their age is Exactly On Script.  Nicole just knows her lines, is all.

[Mumbles]

It's not just Jane's face that defies age (with help). It is her voice too (Redford also sounds so young when they were promoting their movie.) And how "with it" she comes across, not in a phony way ("Well, Nixon had it out for me..."). I think the fact that she works helps keep her current. I hope that one of the results of a show like "Grace and Frankie" is that older women actors get more work (and not in roles of freaks or weirdos.)

[Bruinsfan]

I'd disagree, to me her voice had that kind of rasp I find customary among elderly ladies (and Holly Hunter). She sounds her actual age while looking twenty years younger. Definitely nice to see that she was so vital, quick-witted, and sharp though.

[marys1000]

This was the second reference I've heard to some show or series of Graham doing interviews (Jane Fonda in this instance, I forget the other). 

 

Anyone know anything about what this show or series is?  Maybe its his radio show IDK.

 

I want more Graham.  Being in the US sucks.

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 10/31/2017 at 8:52 AM, marys1000 said:

This was the second reference I've heard to some show or series of Graham doing interviews (Jane Fonda in this instance, I forget the other).

I got the impression that it was a live show, like on a stage, but I'm not sure why I thought that.  Maybe he was holding up a poster?

 

On 10/30/2017 at 1:01 PM, MissLucas said:

I might have concerns about plastic surgery but one thing I admire about Fonda is that she's always been open about it - unlike others who insist their looks are due to plenty of water and sleep even though the work they've had done is nowhere near the mastery of Fonda's.

Aah, you're right.  I forgot she'd been so open about it--I remember that from many years ago (she's been at this for a while!).  I was thinking the results might be karmic reward for not trying to hide it, but Susan Sarandon has impressive results, too, and I don't think she's fessed up.

 

Lest we forget there were other people on the show...this is the only talk show I watch, and I'm always surprised by people's natural accents, I guess because I usually see them when they're playing roles.  It was like the United Nations on that couch--Australian, Irish, American, English.  It took me multiple rewinds to figure out what the problem with "Our Souls" was.  I'm just glad it wasn't Scottish because I'd never figure it out.  And even when I can't figure out what they're saying, I enjoy it. 

And Matt Lucas's story about the fan at the book signing who people thought had come dressed up as some character, but he hadn't.  Oh my...how awkward.

[attica]

22 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

I got the impression that it was a live show, like on a stage, but I'm not sure why I thought that. 

You're right. One night only on 10/15. We've missed it.

[marys1000]

Dont they ape everything?  I cant believe these ont be availabe somewherw

[TexasGal]

7 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

 

Lest we forget there were other people on the show...this is the only talk show I watch, and I'm always surprised by people's natural accents, I guess because I usually see them when they're playing roles.  It was like the United Nations on that couch--Australian, Irish, American, English.  It took me multiple rewinds to figure out what the problem with "Our Souls" was.  I'm just glad it wasn't Scottish because I'd never figure it out.  And even when I can't figure out what they're saying, I enjoy it. 

 

I had seen some tweets with Brits reacting to/joking about that name and I could not figure out what was wrong with it. Until I heard it said in an accent it finally clicked.  I think my face did what Jane Fonda’s did at the same time.  Well, maybe a little more wrinkly than hers.  

[peeayebee]

I finally got around to watching this ep. So good. I love when everyone looks like they want to be there, are having a good time, and pay attention to everyone else. 

I enjoyed everyone but was most looking forward to Cranston. He did not disappoint, but I have to say that Colin Farrell's sense of humor really tickled me. There were a few things he said that impressed me with their quickness.

[Clanstarling]

On 11/1/2017 at 9:24 AM, StatisticalOutlier said:

It took me multiple rewinds to figure out what the problem with "Our Souls" was.  I'm just glad it wasn't Scottish because I'd never figure it out.  And even when I can't figure out what they're saying, I enjoy it.

I got it right off, because I watch ALOT of Brit TV - but I totally agree about the Scottish. I once tried closed captioning - which isn't great on live shows in general - but was hilariously bad on this show. I gave up.

[Bridget]

On 10/30/2017 at 6:31 AM, dusang said:

I said it the last time Niall was on, I want to dislike* him but he's ADORABLE.

*"Dislike" might be overly harsh, I just mean not only am I well past boy band age, their boy band didn't even have choreographed dance routines!!  I judge.

 

On 10/29/2017 at 7:11 PM, Mumbles said:

Kidman is usually talk show death - I think she’s actually very intelligent, I just think she’s very introverted. It helped that her follow guests were warm extroverts. And Cranston is couch gold - every time he’s on this show he brings out the best in others because he tells good stories and clearly loves the show. And, credit must be given to Graham for Nicole - he responds to her reticence with good-natured and gentle teasing, which she responds well to. He’s the Nicole Kidman whisperer.

And Jane Fonda - national treasure. Intelligent and witty. I love actors of that generation - Redford, Hoffman, Caine, Sutherland, Julie Christie. There’s an authenticity to their work and in the lives they live. They were too young for the studio system, but also predate the PR-machine created stars of today. 

And Jane was so genuinely interested in Niall Horan and seemed a little smitten by him. 

I'm judging right there with you! *NSYNC forever! ??

Niall strikes me as an old soul kind of guy and I believe that is what draws people to him, including our beloved Jane! He's handsome, but he's also an authentic & genuine person. He's living in LA now and it's paparazzi central. I have only seen one photo of him leaving Whole Foods last year and that's it. Thankfully, I've yet to see him on TMZ for a DUI or in the tabloids for doing stupid stuff, like cussing at fans, sending inappropriate photos to females or even being friends with a Kartrashian! I credit much of that to his being from Ireland.

Confession: I bought his debut CD and it's shockingly good. For real. As in, I kind of want to see him in concert this summer. (Hanging my head in shame.)