(bright upbeat music)
- So we have all spent a lot of time at home
in the last few months.
These are strange times, these are emotional times.
What in that period have you guys learned about yourselves?
- Well, there are two things for me.
One is that I've discovered that I'm much better
at jigsaw puzzles than I knew I was.
You can laugh
but I'm actually having them framed.
The jigsaw puzzles that are actually works of art.
But the other thing is, I used to think of cocktail hour,
as being a point somewhere between
half past five and eight o'clock you know.
Now it's,
quarter to six.
And so--
- Tobias have you learned anything about yourself
in this period of time?
- I think I've learned a bit that I'm a workaholic.
I've really missed work.
I think I realized I kind of...
That's what makes me tick a bit
and so you know my mind has spun a bit
but maybe that you know,
maybe that's a good thing.
I'm sure it is a good thing to be forced to stop a bit.
- In signing on for "The Crown" which already
had these two beloved seasons,
you have the challenge of both taking on
a real powerful figure, who people know,
who people have watched.
Has there been any feedback or advice
going in from that maybe--
- Well from the real people?
- Yeah.
- No, no.
"The Crown" never comment.
I'm afraid no.
I mean I would love it if he watched it.
I don't know.
I don't think he did though sadly.
I get...
I think probably he watches sort of documentaries.
I think he'd probably have no time for like fiction.
He'd be like, "That's nonsense."
Oh yeah.
I don't know.
No they've never said.
- Patrick you've been vocal you know over the years
about how challenging it was to sort of get people
to see past you as Picard.
- There was a film being made and I was in a supporting role
that I was really eager to have a go at
and I couldn't get to meet the director
but finally I did and he was lovely and very friendly
and very warm but he said finally
with the smile on his face,
"Patrick why would I want John Luke Picard in my movie?"
And that had a bad impact on me for a long time.
Afterwards I thought, "Oh my Lord,
"is this it?"
I have to accept all these other offers you know.
- I have to take this opportunity to tell you Patrick
that your voice work on "American Dad" is so great.
- He's almost as big an asshole as you are.
(laughing)
Me and you are...
Okay, me. Yeah, thanks.
- Kieran you are now stuck with
and I mean this is the greatest possible compliment.
The creepiest character that I've ever seen on television,
I mean, I'm not always sure I can stay in the room
when you walk onto the set.
- That's a big compliment there.
- It is a big compliment.
- It's true of it.
You are weird.
- Yeah.
I actually think when I read the "Pilot" too I just like...
It was...
"The Pilot" was sent to me to read for another character.
I was to read for cousin Greg and I immediately knew that
I just wasn't this guy but I read on
and Roman walks in the room and his first line is,
"Hey, hey motherfuckers."
And he just starts,
just jabbing everybody just like.
I'm like, "Oh this guy looks like fun."
By the time I got to the end of that "Pilot" and I
saw the thing he does where he offers a small child
a million dollars if he can hit a home run--
- Mm-hmm.
- And the kid almost does it
and then he rips up the check in front of him.
There were people on set that said
they were really uncomfortable.
I was like, "Are you kidding?
"That was hilarious, that was fun."
Everyone that yells that I'm an asshole
thinks they're the first one to say that.
I'm learning...
I'm wearing a mask.
I got this like mask on, I'm carrying my baby.
It's like, "Oh, you're on that show.
"You're a real asshole."
I'm like, "Maybe, leave me alone."
- Which brings us to "Watchmen".
In what ways did you hope it would be impactful
when you were making it and in what ways does it become
that much more so in this moment in time?
- I'll tell you "Watchmen" was as good on the page
as it ended up being on the screen.
The thing about "Watchmen" is that
it's relevant for the past.
If you watch it anytime in the past, 60 years
and even go back or then, it's gonna be relevant
in whatever time period you watch it.
You know it's not really right on time,
it's actually 60 to 70 years late,
you know what I mean?
For me the biggest impact from "Watchmen" was
after the show came out and then I got to be a part of
the online conversations and to see how people
were affected by the content of the show
and they were emboldened because "Watchmen"
didn't really back, shy away you know.
"Watchmen" said,
"Hey we're," you know.
"We're calling the problem as it is.
"We're offering not necessarily a solution
"but we are saying that racism in these institutions
"needs to be eradicated and that there's a way to do that
"while also telling an exciting story.
"There's a way to do that
"while we're also taking a hero's journey,
"a love story, a story about action."
And sometimes it was comedic and sometimes it was sad
and it was very accessible to anyone who was willing
to sit down and allow that narrative to penetrate.
So I was really, really excited.
You know there were so many different lessons and blessings
that I you know, that I came across from playing that,
from playing Karl and Doctor Manhattan
in the different iterations you know.
The three or four different iterations
of the Doctor Manhattan character as well.
- It also meant that you had to be naked a lot.
- It did mean that.
It mean that I had to be naked.
- I am curious.
Were there any hesitations?
What were those sort of conversations like?
And I've heard you say it was liberating
and I'm hoping you can sort of elaborate in on how so, why?
- One, I had to get in shape.
Like I had to get in real physical, like real shape.
I think it would have really been a shame
if Doctor Manhattan would have showed up and he just,
then he didn't have the body you know.
And he just, he just couldn't. - Yeah, probably yeah.
- He was this...
I think that would have just really been a disappointment
and I said, "Look, I'm on HBO.
"Everybody's gonna see it and it's gonna live.
"It's gonna live like after, after me."
You know what I mean?
It's gonna go.
So I wanted to show up for that.
- With good reason Daveed "Snowpiercer"
is also in meditation.
In this case more on sort of class warfare
but like "Watchmen",
it's also wrapped up in a really entertaining genre show.
So I'm gonna ask the same question that I asked to Yaya
which is, do you think it has a different resonance
in this moment?
- What's in the show is in the show
and has been true for a very long time.
We all, all of us are participating in a class system
that we were born into and that economically our world
was created this way and we have ended up on this train
and our jobs every day sort of involve us
interacting with it.
But there are elements of class divide that have felt like
they come to the forefront for people
when watching the show now.
- Resource scarcity?
- Resource scarcity for sure yeah.
And particularly how class interacts with resource scarcity.
So that's...
That seems to come to the forefront because we've been,
we were being confronted with what would have felt like
an allegory if our real life were a sci fi show
but it's just our real life, right?
How intentional is resource scarcity
and who does it serve and what system is it holding up?
Those are the same questions that we ask ourselves
in the political moment that we're in,
in which we start to ask ourselves what system
is being supported by a police force that justifies
brutalizing of black bodies, right?
All of these same systems are coming into question a lot
and a big part of what "Snowpiercer" is doing
is questioning systems.
And I suppose when we go back and watch it
a bunch of years from now,
it'll bring different things to the forefront
so I think all of that stuff is baked into the show
and yeah I think you know the lens is always
a product of the time at which we witness any piece of art.
- Bob you have obviously now spent a lot of years
traveling back and forth and in time with Saul.
What have you learned about yourself from him
and what pieces of him have become you?
Hopefully you have not become him.
But how has it changed you? - Well,
you know it's funny what...
The hardest look...
The hardest thing that to play is the immaturity
of the character.
It's weird but you start to become a champion
of your character no matter who they are
and you wanna in a weird way,
it's like you want them to make the right,
the best, healthiest choice.
That doesn't work out, it's all.
The idea of calling Peter and Vince and I do
and I've done this, I've done this.
It's kind of embarrassing and saying,
"Can he just be a good guy or can he make a better choice?"
I mean you start to like the guy
and you want him to learn the right lessons
from his experience but that's not the story
that they're telling.
For me playing the character has been a chance to think
about my own short sightedness in life and maturity
and impetuousness that is really a big part
of who that character is.
I don't think that's as big a part of me
but it's been something to try to revisit those feelings
inside me and see where they still are a part of me
and try to vanquish them.
- And Bob have you learned anything about yourself
in this period of time?
- You know, before I started acting a lot, I was...
I spent my whole life writing and trying to get chose
to happen in writing movies and stuff
so I was planning to do that, somewhere in here.
Anyways so now this has given me this chance to take on all
these ideas that have been backed up in my head
and I'm realizing how hard that is again which is cool.
I thought it would be that and it is really, really hard.
But the best thing is it's been
to spend time with my kids who are college-age
and otherwise would not be around at all.
We watch a movie every night
and it's just been great to be...
I think I'm super proud of those kids and who they are
and I think you know here...
And I got to spend a lot of time with my kids
when they were little not 'cause of quarantine
but because I was a writer
and I sort of made my own schedule.
And every minute you spend with them now, pays off later.
They become great people.
(bright upbeat music)