S24.E04: Michael Caine, Chris Pine, Rami Malek, Sally Field, Christine and the Queens

[Athena]

Quote

Graham is joined by Sir Michael Caine, Chris Pine, Rami Malek and Sally Field. With music from Christine and the Queens, who perform their current single 5 Dollars.

[PWHCHCH]

I throughly enjoyed this episode. The guests all worked well with each other. I like it when Graham can just switch off and allow the guests to interact naturally with each other.

I was aware of Rami but this was my first real exposure to him. What a neat guy he is. I hope he does play for my team as my gaydar was pinging  a lot.  

I’ve been a Sally fan so this was a delight. 

[MissLucas]

I thought Sally was veering dangerously close to JLC territory at times. But other than that it was good - and the thought of Michael Caine having Christine and the Queens on his iPad is delightful (I shared his mild disappointment with the subdued choreography). 

[MsTree]

JLC??

[dusang]

5 hours ago, MsTree said:

JLC??

Jamie Lee Curtis - she was on the previous ep. 

[FormerMod-a1]

Granted I usually only see him in his roles/movies, and not on talk shows, but Chris Pine looked way more..  plastic? ... painted?  ... something... than I expected.  He seemed pretty cool, though.  I think I'd enjoy talking to him, and drooling over him, in person. :-P  Rami seemed really cool, too.  I can't wait to see Bohemian Rhapsody.  All and all I enjoyed the whole show and the whole couch.

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 10/23/2018 at 12:20 PM, MissLucas said:

and the thought of Michael Caine having Christine and the Queens on his iPad is delightful (I shared his mild disappointment with the subdued choreography). 

My only experience with Christine and the Queens was her previous appearance on Graham Norton, which absolutely blew me away.  And the choreography on that one was quite subdued but still compelling.  I didn't like this one at all.

 

1 hour ago, aquarian1 said:

Granted I usually only see him in his roles/movies, and not on talk shows, but Chris Pine looked way more..  plastic? ... painted?  ... something... than I expected.  He seemed pretty cool, though. 

I can't believe (or, actually, I can believe, sadly) he's that ignorant about the disparity in female and male nudity in movies, and why it's the way it is. 

The editing showed in this one, when Malek was talking about method actors--apparently Sally Field had said in a part that was edited out for U.S. audiences that she's a method actor.  The editing bugs, but it really bugs when references to the edited material are left in.  It's one thing to not know what I'm missing, but another to have it pointed out.

[MissLucas]

You didn't miss much - it was one of those cringey moments I talked about. Malik wanted to explain how he approached playing Mercury and he made it just to 'I'm not a method actor' when she interrupted him 'I'm a method actor, so let's stop talking down method actors!' I know some people make fun of method acting but nothing in Malik's demeanor indicated that he was about to make a joke, as he politely explained to her after that unnecessary outburst.

[athousandclowns]

On October 23, 2018 at 2:18 AM, GSManiac said:

I throughly enjoyed this episode. The guests all worked well with each other. I like it when Graham can just switch off and allow the guests to interact naturally with each other.

I was aware of Rami but this was my first real exposure to him. What a neat guy he is. I hope he does play for my team as my gaydar was pinging  a lot.  

I’ve been a Sally fan so this was a delight. 

 I so agree with your whole post. Graham has been my favorite talk show host for some time now. He does asks a question and let's the couch answer.  He's funny and so likable.  I'm a Sally Field fan also and  kinda know what the poster was saying about JLC but Sally wasn't rambling like JLC.    I'll get Sallys book.  I had second hand embarrassment with JLC because she was the same even worse on The a View.  Although I didn't know much about Queen with FreddiecMercury but  I want to see it. 

Michael Caine always has interesting funny stories, 85 incredible. 

I thought there was more to the method acting comments. 

[sugarbaker design]

5 hours ago, athousandclowns said:

I thought there was more to the method acting comments. 

I did too, when RM said he wasn't a method actor he was looking at CP, maybe CP said something about method acting that BBCA edited out.  So SF was actually reacting to two anti-method acting remarks when she finally spoke up.

[dubbel zout]

That section was a little garbled. I took Rami's meaning as he didn't keep the Mercury teeth (hee) in all day because he was a Method actor but because he enjoyed being Freddie. Given the overbite Mercury had, I don't see how that could have been comfortable.

8 hours ago, aquarian1 said:

Chris Pine looked way more..  plastic? ... painted?  ... something... than I expected.

He seemed very air-brushed/overly bronzed to me. He's 38, so I wouldn't think he'd need so much stuff on his face.

7 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

I can't believe (or, actually, I can believe, sadly) he's that ignorant about the disparity in female and male nudity in movies, and why it's the way it is. 

I think he gets it, but when it's your penis that's getting so much attention, it's got to be unnerving. He was right that female nudity doesn't get called out the same way—the reviews don't focus on boob size or pubic-hair style (unless it's blinking lights or something). I think that was the point he was fumbling to make. At any rate, it's nice to hear a guy realize all of that.

[MsTree]

I'm not an actor of any kind, so could someone explain the difference between method acting and non-method acting? Thanks.

[TexasGal]

I think Chris Pine has acne scars or similar marks on his face, and tends to overcompensate with makeup to cover that up.  He always looks weirdly plastic to me in interviews but exactly the same so I don’t think he’s having work done.

I thought Sally Field was actually going to go there and explain male/female nudity disparity but she stopped herself and made a general statement instead.

7 hours ago, MsTree said:

I'm not an actor of any kind, so could someone explain the difference between method acting and non-method acting? Thanks.

I’m not an actor either so I may get this wrong, but I think method actors try to become the character for the duration of the project.  So, if they have an accent for the role they will use it even when not filming and off set, for example. Rami would have worn the teeth to stay in character, but he was saying he just did it because he liked it and it allowed him to talk to people like Freddy (which cracked me up).  Oh, speaking of accents, I was impressed with Chris Pine’s Scottish accent from that brief clip.

Edited October 28, 2018 by TexasGal

[dubbel zout]

1 hour ago, TexasGal said:

9 hours ago, MsTree said:

I'm not an actor of any kind, so could someone explain the difference between method acting and non-method acting? Thanks.

I’m not an actor either so I may get this wrong, but I think method actors try to become the character for the duration of the project.  So, if they have an accent for the role they will use it even when not filming and off set, for example.

Pretty much this. Method actors will often insist on being called their character's name at all times and will reply as that character. They're trying to get to the emotional truth of a character, and be in the moment all the time so every line and reaction feels true to the character.

[athousandclowns]

2 hours ago, dubbel zout said:

Pretty much this. Method actors will often insist on being called their character's name at all times and will reply as that character. They're trying to get to the emotional truth of a character, and be in the moment all the time so every line and reaction feels true to the character.

I've heard method actors say that spouses often suffer when they bring whatever character home for months. 

[attica]

Coincidentally enough,  I just finished reading Sally's book. She writes quite well! (I think she was being mock-indignant when she made the 'be nice to Methods' comment, but I can see how that would not strike everybody that way...) she only talks about a handful of her movies, and Caine does not figure in at all. 

How likely would it be that Rami's brother suffers a professional setback now that the world knows he didn't come by his degree honestly?

I bought C & the Q's last album based on her last appearance; her new record is getting really good reviews. Ialmost liked her song. Maybe another listen will have it grow on me.

[lb60]

2 hours ago, attica said:

How likely would it be that Rami's brother suffers a professional setback now that the world knows he didn't come by his degree honestly?

Rami's told that story before.  I think I heard it the first time when he started doing publicity for Mr. Robot. I'm sure Sami would have told him to knock it off if it bothered him or had the potential to do him harm.  

Edited October 29, 2018 by lb60

[JustaPerson]

14 hours ago, dubbel zout said:

I'm not an actor of any kind, so could someone explain the difference between method acting and non-method acting? Thanks.

The difference can basically be summed up in this story about Dustin Hoffman, a method actor:

Quote

A showbiz story involves his collaboration with Laurence Olivier on the 1976 film Marathon Man. Upon being asked by his co-star how a previous scene had gone, one in which Hoffmann’s character had supposedly stayed up for three days, Hoffmann admitted that he too had not slept for 72 hours to achieve emotional verisimilitude. “My dear boy,” replied Olivier smoothly, “why don’t you just try acting?” (Hoffman subsequently attributed his insomnia to excessive partying rather than artistry).

[msrachelj]

On 10/27/2018 at 8:02 AM, dusang said:

Jamie Lee Curtis - she was on the previous ep. 

sally was a little strange but i found jamie lee curtis downright unlikeable and acted above everyone else . i don't like when these celebrities have to take the spotlight away from someone whose turn it is to tell a story or give an anecdote. it seems so very narcissistic. has anyone read sally's book? a few revelations in there that are surprising. she had a horrible childhood. it's an interesting read for those of you that like biographies. going to  look into michael caine's also.  

On 10/27/2018 at 12:36 PM, StatisticalOutlier said:

My only experience with Christine and the Queens was her previous appearance on Graham Norton, which absolutely blew me away.  And the choreography on that one was quite subdued but still compelling.  I didn't like this one at all.

 

I can't believe (or, actually, I can believe, sadly) he's that ignorant about the disparity in female and male nudity in movies, and why it's the way it is. 

The editing showed in this one, when Malek was talking about method actors--apparently Sally Field had said in a part that was edited out for U.S. audiences that she's a method actor.  The editing bugs, but it really bugs when references to the edited material are left in.  It's one thing to not know what I'm missing, but another to have it pointed out.

i agree. is chris pine that oblivious ? what a dummy. 

On 10/27/2018 at 1:12 PM, MissLucas said:

You didn't miss much - it was one of those cringey moments I talked about. Malik wanted to explain how he approached playing Mercury and he made it just to 'I'm not a method actor' when she interrupted him 'I'm a method actor, so let's stop talking down method actors!' I know some people make fun of method acting but nothing in Malik's demeanor indicated that he was about to make a joke, as he politely explained to her after that unnecessary outburst.

another example of a celeb that just can't get over herself. still not in jamie lee territory though!

[theatremouse]

I think Chris Pine thought he was raising an important point, but he did it in a super clunky way, and it was not as, I donno, enlightening as he thought it was? Like he just realized this double-standard exists, not that he had a vague sense before but only one he experienced his own pile-on about his nudity did he really give it thought and feel the need to say something (which would'v made him look like less of an idiot). Like it was all Sally Field could do to not say "are you seriously asking that as if you're the first person to notice?" Like, gee Chris, every woman who watches films regularly knows this already.

[peeayebee]

He sounded very naive to me, esp in these "MeToo" days. I was impressed with how Sally handled it. She was, I thought, kind of dumbfounded but covered it pretty well.

I enjoyed the show. My least favorite part was probably Chris Pine. He didn't come across as very intelligent, even aside from the film nudity talk. 

I also enjoyed Christine and the Queens' performance. I thought the dancing was very interesting.

[Corgi-ears]

On 10/28/2018 at 12:36 AM, StatisticalOutlier said:

I can't believe (or, actually, I can believe, sadly) he's that ignorant about the disparity in female and male nudity in movies, and why it's the way it is. 

 

On 10/30/2018 at 11:03 AM, theatremouse said:

I think Chris Pine thought he was raising an important point, but he did it in a super clunky way, and it was not as, I donno, enlightening as he thought it was?

I think Chris just did not make his point clearly. I think his point was when a man goes full frontal in a film, there's a lot of attention, and when a woman does, it goes without comment -- and this shows a double standard because our culture objectifies women so much that it has become expected and unremarkable when there is female nudity. In other words, he was commenting on how the double standard, once again, disadvantages women. 

But the garbled way he spoke made it seem -- and that was why it appeared to tick Sally Field off -- like he was saying that we should pity him (and male actors) for being the victim of a double standard ("poor me, why can't my penis fly under the radar like women's nudity does?! Women are so lucky!!"). Knowing his character (at least on social media), I think he meant to convey the first point.

Edited November 3, 2018 by Corgi-ears

[Ailianna]

I think that's what he was trying to say too, but it definitely didn't come out cleanly!

[theatremouse]

On 11/3/2018 at 5:19 AM, Corgi-ears said:

I think Chris just did not make his point clearly. I think his point was when a man goes full frontal in a film, there's a lot of attention, and when a woman does, it goes without comment -- and this shows a double standard because our culture objectifies women so much that it has become expected and unremarkable when there is female nudity. In other words, he was commenting on how the double standard, once again, disadvantages women. 

But the garbled way he spoke made it seem -- and that was why it appeared to tick Sally Field off -- like he was saying that we should pity him (and male actors) for being the victim of a double standard ("poor me, why can't my penis fly under the radar like women's nudity does?! Women are so lucky!!"). Knowing his character (at least on social media), I think he meant to convey the first point.

 

I agree he didn't make his point clearly, but I don't think he was making only the point you indicate. He acknowledged that, sure, but he went on some more and that's when it went sideways. I don't think Sally was frustrated for the reasons you hypothesize. To me it came across more like, he stated the obvious fact that it is expected and unremarkable for women, and then asked why. He asked "why" multiple times, and where it got muddy is whether he were genuinely asking why (which is what I think SF thought and was so frustrated by) or if it were more of a rhetorical why, as in "we as a society should stop and ask ourselves how we got here in order to change it, instead of accepting it as the given it is". I hope he meant it more as the latter, but the way he kept repeating "why" made it seem like he genuinely had no idea how that became normal. I think if he'd just said "this is how it is and that's ridiculous" and stopped there, it would've been fine, but if he was really asking why, then Sally's incredulity was entirely reasonable. I mean, at the same time, if he really had no idea I'd certainly rather him be thoughtful enough to ask why than to sit back and think "meh, this is fine". But if so, there's still a ways to go.

[Corgi-ears]

8 minutes ago, theatremouse said:

He asked "why" multiple times, and where it got muddy is whether he were genuinely asking why (which is what I think SF thought and was so frustrated by) or if it were more of a rhetorical why, as in "we as a society should stop and ask ourselves how we got here in order to change it, instead of accepting it as the given it is".

I took him to mean, "Why should it be the case that men's nudity is so much more unusual? It shouldn't!" I think Sally and some others took him to mean, "Why are women nude more often?" The first is a lament, or, as you say, a rhetorical why. The second suggests that he stupidly actually doesn't get the demands that women are subjected to. I don't think he's that stupid, but certainly his failure to specify, and to only stop after "why," meant that he kind of came across that way. (Not to most press outlets, though -- they take him to be saying the first.)

[StatisticalOutlier]

9 hours ago, theatremouse said:

I don't think Sally was frustrated for the reasons you hypothesize. To me it came across more like, he stated the obvious fact that it is expected and unremarkable for women, and then asked why. He asked "why" multiple times, and where it got muddy is whether he were genuinely asking why (which is what I think SF thought and was so frustrated by) or if it were more of a rhetorical why, as in "we as a society should stop and ask ourselves how we got here in order to change it, instead of accepting it as the given it is". I hope he meant it more as the latter, but the way he kept repeating "why" made it seem like he genuinely had no idea how that came become normal. I think if he'd just said "this is how it is and that's ridiculous" and stopped there, it would've been fine, but if he was really asking why, then Sally's incredulity was entirely reasonable. I mean, at the same time, if he really did had no idea I'd certainly rather him be thoughtful enough to ask why than to sit back and think "meh, this is fine". But if so, there's still a ways to go.

It looked to me like Sally Field was holding her tongue, and I wish she'd just said, "Why are men nude less often than women?  Because men have always been in charge."  His reaction to that would have gone a long way toward clarifying what he meant by "Why?"  And I swear that's what Field was thinking, but for some reason didn't say it.

[peeayebee]

I took Sally Field's reaction as being incredulous that this all seemed to be news to him. It was like saying, "Y'know, black people have been treated kind of badly in our country."

[Ailianna]

Seems like a lot of the people commenting on those articles, however, are just talking about comparing Chris Pines to other famous Chrises, or how hot they think he is.  The dialogue I think he was going for doesn't seem to be happening in a lot of places.

[thecdn]

On 10/29/2018 at 9:08 AM, msrachelj said:

sally was a little strange but i found jamie lee curtis downright unlikeable and acted above everyone else . i don't like when these celebrities have to take the spotlight away from someone whose turn it is to tell a story or give an anecdote. it seems so very narcissistic.

To me, the absolute worst guest for this on Graham's show is Will Smith. He just cannot let another guest say anything without jumping in with a "Look at me!!" statement. I realize he's a big star and is good for ratings but his antics on the show really piss me off.

[msrachelj]

6 hours ago, thecdn said:

To me, the absolute worst guest for this on Graham's show is Will Smith. He just cannot let another guest say anything without jumping in with a "Look at me!!" statement. I realize he's a big star and is good for ratings but his antics on the show really piss me off.

he seems to be nice but then on the other hand his wife seems the opposite so i have to wonder about people. also, yes, he is quite the attention hound! jamie lee was downright snotty so for me that's worse.

[Ailianna]

This is a MMV moment, since I didn't think Jamie Lee Curtis was annoying or snobby, I thought Sallie was weird but sincere, and I adore Will Smith, and find him to be charming and just one of those big personalities, rather than an attention hog.  But that's one of the fun things about this show, for me. Lots of different people in different situations.

[Bruinsfan]

I took Sally's response to the Method comment to be mock-outrage kidding to Malek rather than real, but she definitely had an "are you shitting me?" reaction to Chris Pine making it sound like he was bemoaning women's good fortune in having fully nude performances so expected that people don't react to them as unusual. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt that it was a rhetorical why?, but he really should have followed up with something mentioning how women have been objectified by Hollywood for generations.

[Bridget]

On 10/28/2018 at 7:10 AM, TexasGal said:

I think Chris Pine has acne scars or similar marks on his face, and tends to overcompensate with makeup to cover that up.  He always looks weirdly plastic to me in interviews but exactly the same so I don’t think he’s having work done.

I thought Sally Field was actually going to go there and explain male/female nudity disparity but she stopped herself and made a general statement instead.

I’m not an actor either so I may get this wrong, but I think method actors try to become the character for the duration of the project.  So, if they have an accent for the role they will use it even when not filming and off set, for example. Rami would have worn the teeth to stay in character, but he was saying he just did it because he liked it and it allowed him to talk to people like Freddy (which cracked me up).  Oh, speaking of accents, I was impressed with Chris Pine’s Scottish accent from that brief clip.

I noticed his complexion in the episode as well. In fact, it was one of the first things I noticed. I have seen him on countless talk shows, so I was shocked to see how bad his skin suddenly (to me) looked.

I also thought he looking a lot older than he has in the last year or two. It's like he isn't starting to age well as a result of lots of sun, booze and late nights (except there isn't a lot of sun in Scotland!). I noticed he's getting some deep lines around his eyes and some creases on his forehead. I still think he's handsome, but he's not as "stunning" as he used to be.

Even when he's got a beard and rocks a suit, he looks impeccable. He is a guy who is always well dressed, down to his shoes, and is pulled together, complete with his hair perfectly coiffed. Could that be what people mean when they say he looks like plastic?

. 

His Scottish accent was impressive - and that's a hard one to nail as well.

(I have family in both Scotland and N. Ireland, and I always cringe when I hear really bad accents on TV shows or in movies, but I'm the first to give props when it's done well!)

[MsJamieDornan]

Sally was a pain in the ass the whole show.