>> James: OUR NEXT GUEST SAN INCREDIBLY
TALENTED ACTOR YOU KNOW FROM THE BIG SHORT, BLACK MIRROR AND
TRYING ON APPLE TV PLUS, WILL YOU ABSOLUTELY LOVE HIM BECAUSE
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE HIM, THE GOR NEWS-- SHALL GORGEOUS, TE
DELIGHTFUL RAFE SPALL IS ON THE SHOW AND I COULDN'T BE MORE
HAPPY.
LOOK AT YOU.
RAFE, I KNEW YOU WOULD MAKE AN EFFORT.
I KNEW YOU WOULD MAKE AN EFFORT.
>> I AM ON THE "LATE, LATE SHOW," RIGHT.
AND ALSO THESE PEOPLE TBAIF ME THIS SUIT, THEY GAVE ME THE
SUIT.
IT'S A FREE SUIT SO I THOUGHT I WOULD WEAR IT FOR YOU.
>> James: WELL, I LOVE IT.
AND I KNEW YOU WOULD HAVE A FANTASTC BAR, I HAVE NEVER BEEN
TO YOUR HOME IN THE COUNTRYSIDE BUT I KNEW IT WOULD HAVE A GREAT
BAR.
>> YOU KNOW HOW PEOPLE HAVE BEEN PUTTING BOOKCASES UP BEHIND THEM
FOR ZOOM.
I WANTED TO PUT SOMETHING UP MORE OF MY EXPERIENCES.
THIS IS, LIKE HAVE I NOT READ ONE BOOK BUT I HAVE DRUNK A A LO
OF BOOZE.
>> James: YES.
NOW RAFF-- -- RAFE I'M SO EXCITED FOR EVERYTHING HAPPENING
IN YOUR LIFE RIGHT NOW BUT I'M REALLY EXCITED TO TALK TO YOU
ABOUT THIS.
IT HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED YOU ARE HEADING BACK TO THE STAGE.
ARE YOU GOING TO GO TO LONDON'S WEST END NEXT YEAR.
ARE YOU PLAYING ATT ICU S FINCH IN TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, WHICH
IS A HUGE UNDERTAKING, ARE YOU READY FOR THIS ROLE?
>> NO, OF COURSE I'M NOT, LOOK, IT WAS A PRODUCTION THAT WAS ON
BROADWAY.
>> James: YEAH.
>> AND TO MASSIVE ACCLAIM AND OBVIOUSLY WHEN YOU THINK OF TOO
KILL A MOCKINGBIRD YOU HAVE GREGORY PECK AND THEN ON
BROADWAY IT WAS DONE BY ED HARRIS AND THEN JEFF DANIELS.
AND I'M OBVIOUSLY THE LOGICAL PROGRESSION TO THOSE GUYS.
LIKE I'M SO SIMILAR TO GREGORY PECK, I TOTALLY SEE WHY THEY
CAST ME.
BUT NO, IT IS EXCITING.
IT IS SLIGHTLY NERVE-RACKING AND YEAH, SLIGHTLY CONFUSED AS TO
WHY I HAVE BEEN-- I KEEP EXPECTING.
I THINK THEY THINK THAT RAFE FIENESTS ARE WALKING IN THE
ROOM.
>> James: I DISAGREE.
I THINK ARE YOU GOING TO BE INCREDIBLE, I REALLY DO.
BECAUSE YOU ARE AS GOOD AN ACTOR AS THERE IS ON PLANET EARTH.
AND I REALLY MEAN THAT.
THE LAST TIME YOU WERE ON BROADWAY YOU WERE IN THE PLAY
WITH DANIEL CRAIG AND RACHEL WEIS AND IT WAS THE TALK OF
BROADWAY THAT WHOLE TIME.
AND YOU HAD SOME QUITE INCREDIBLE BACKSTAGE GUESTS,
RIGHT?
THERE WAS ONE IN PARTICULAR.
TELL ME THE STORY BECAUSE I LOVE IT.
>> I MEAN, YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS LIKE, YOU YOURSELF ARE A-- OF
BOD BROADWAY SO YOU KNOW ALL ABOUT T WHEN PEOPLE COME
BACKSTAGE, YOU MEET THE MOST A I MAAING PEOPLE.
>> James: YEAH.
>> AND THEY ALL WANT TO BE NICE TO YOU.
AND ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE WAS MADONNA, RIGHT.
MADONNA CAME AND SAW THE SHOW AND SHE VERY SWEETLY INVITED ME,
MY WIFE AND I AND DANIEL AND RACHEL TO DINNER.
DANIEL AND RACHEL DIDN'T GO, AND WE WERE LIKE OF COURSE WE'RE
GOING TO MADONNA'S HOUSE FOR DINNER.
>> James: OF COURSE.
>> SO WE GO FOR DINNER AND IT IS AFTER THE SHOW.
BECAUSE IT IS AFTER THE SHOW, I'M FEELING QUITE CONFIDENT,
RIGHT, IN A WAY THAT I NORMALLY WOULDN'T BE IF I WAS HAVING
DINNER WITH MADONNA, RIGHT.
I WAS SAT NEXT TO MADONNA AND SHE IS LIKE FULLY DRESSED AS
MADONNA.
SHE'S GOT LIKE A CORSET ON, FINGER LET GLOVERS AND A GOLD
GRIP, RIGHT.
SHE IS BEING EXACTLY AS YOU WOULD IMAGINE MADONNA TO BE AND
I'M GOING DO YOU KNOW WHAT, MI GOING TO PRETEND TO MADONNA THAT
I AM NOT SCARED OF HER, BEING ALL CONFIDENT AND STUFF.
SO WE FINISHED DINNER, WHICH WAS SOME SORT OF SALMON, OR
SOMETHING, I DI GRES, WHICH SHE MANAGE ERRED THROUGH HER GOLD
GRILL WITH APLOMB, RIGHT.
AND THEN SHE SAYS RIGHT, CLEAR THE TABLE, WE'RE GOING TO DANCE.
AND THEN GETS ON THE iPOD AND STARTS PLAYING TUNES, AND
EVERYONE HAS TO GET UP AND DANCE.
I GET UP AND DANCE AND MY WIFE SAT THERE, ABOUT TWO METERS FROM
ME SPEAKING TO THIS HOLLYWOOD AGENT, YOU WOULD KNOW HIM BUT I
WON'T MENTION HIM.
I'M DANCING AND MADONNA COMES OVER AND STARTS DANCING REALLY
CLOSE TO ME, RIGHT.
REALLY CLOSE TO ME.
LIKE SHE'S TINY, SHE'S UP TO HERE AND SHE STARTS GRINDING ON
ME, JAMES.
AND SHE, AND I'M LIKE, I HAVE SWEAT POURING DOWN MY TORSO AT
THIS POINT.
AND I LOOK OVER AT MY WIFE FOR HELP AND SHE JUST LAUGHS AT ME,
OKAY.
SHE'S LIKE YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN BIG BOY, YOU GOT YOURSELF INTO
THIS MESS, DEAL WITH IT.
SO I'M DANCING WITH MADONNA AND SHE IS REALLY GRINDING ON ME AND
LOOKS UP IN MY EYES AND SHE SAID TO ME, THIS IS WHO YOU ARE.
THIS IS WHO YOU ARE?
RIGHT?
YEAH, YEAH, THIS IS WHO I AM.
RIGHT?
THINKING, THINKING BACK YOU GOT TO BACK YOURSELF, BRING IT HOME,
THIS HOLLYWOOD AGENT OBVIOUSLY IT IS ON WITH ME AND MADONNA SO
HE GETS MEW WIFE AND HE SAYS HEY, ELISE, COME SMOKE A
CIGARETTE DOWNSTAIRS, I'M LIKE NO, DON'T GO, DON'T LEAVE ME,
RIGHT.
SO HE TAKES HER OFF DOWNSTAIRS AND NOW IT IS JUST ME AND HER IN
THIS LIKE EXTRAORDINARY SORT OF DIRTY DANCING TYPE AFFAIR, I
MANAGE TO SORT OF LIKE SHIMMY OUT, AND WAS MENTIONING
SOMETHING ABOUT LIKE WHERE IS THE TOILET OR SOMETHING RIGHT,
AND THEN I GO DOWNSTAIRS AND MY WIFE IS IN HYSTERICS, THINKING
IT IS THE FUNNIEST THING SHE HAS EVER SEEN, OH MY GOODNESS ME, I
THINK I HAVE TO-- I GO BACK UP THERE AND BY THIS POINT A DANCE
CIRCLE HAS FORMED AND MADONNA IS ON A THRONE, A LITTLE THRONE,
RIGHT AND THE DANCE CIRCLE IS HER ON THE THRONE AND ALL THE
DANCERS FROM HER TOUR, RIGHT.
AND THEY'RE THE BEST DANCERS IN THE WORLD, RIGHT.
SO I COME UP THE STAIRS AND SHE SEES ME FROM THE THRONE AND SAYS
HEY RAFE GET IN ITS CIRCLE.
AND I'M LIKE BACK YOURSELF, YOU HAVE TO DO IT.
SO I GET IN THE CIRCLE AND I JUST HAVE TO PULL SOME MOVES
OFF, I AM IN THERE A MINUTE AND A HALF BEFORE IT JUST SLOWLY
DISSIPATED.
EVERYONE JUST LEFT, EVERYONE JUST LEFT.
>> WHAT SORT OF MOVES DOES RAFE SPALL GO TO AT THAT TIME?
>> WELL, A FEW MOVES THAT YOU CAN DO, ONE IS A DANCE CALLED
THE BOGLE WHICH YOU CAN'T DO STRAIGHT SIT UNDOWN, MAYBE, THAT
ONE, AND THEN THERE IS THE BUTTERFLY WHICH I CAN'T REALLY
DO BECAUSE I'M SAT DOWN WHICH IS QUITE LEGGY.
>> James: LIKE THIS, RIGHT.
>> THE BUTTERFLY, YOU GOT T YOU GOT IT, THAT ONE.
MADONNA DANCE IS GRIND AND PRESS.
AND I WENT HOME.
I LIVE TO TELL THE TALE, THANK YOU.
>> James: THAT WAS-- IF YOU CAN PULL OUT THE BUTTERFLY IN
FRONT OF ALL OF MADONNA'S DANCERS, THEN THAT IS A LEVEL OF
CONFIDENCE THAT I DON'T THINK ANYONE IN THIS ROOM HAS, AND I
MEAN THAT.
NOW LET'S TALK ABOUT YOUR BRILLIANT SHOW TRYING WHICH HAS
ALREADY BEEN RENEWED FOR A THIRD SEASON AND RIGHTLY SO.
I THINK IT IS SUCH A BRILLIANT SHOW, YOU AND ESTHER ARE SO
BRILLIANT IN IT.
FOR ANYONE WHO DOESN'T KNOW, TELL US WHAT IT IS ABOUT AND
WITHOUT YOU PLAY.
>> YES, SO I PLAY JASON AND THE GREAT ESTHER SMITH PLAYS NIKKI,
WE PLAY A COUPLE WHO AREN'T ABLE TO NATURALLY CONCEIVE A CHILD SO
THEY GO DOWN THE ROUTE OF ADOPTION AND THE FIRST SEASON IS
ABOUT THIS QUITE LONG, LABORIOUS PROCESS OF BEING APPROVED TO BE
THE SORT OF PEOPLE THAT AN INDEPENDENT PANEL DEEMS OUGHT TO
ADOPT A CHILD.
IN THE SECRETARY SEASON WHERE WE PICK UP WE ARE BEING MATCHED.
SO THERE IS A LOT OF KIDS AND NOT THAT MANY KIDS AND A LOT OF
PERSPECTIVE PARENTS.
SO A LOT OF HEARTBREAK AND HILARITY ENSUES.
THE TONE OF THE SHOW IS IT IS ABOUT SOMETHING SERIOUS BUT IT
IS FUNNY.
JAMES, THAT IS THE SORT OF THING THAT I LIKE TO WATCH, BECAUSE
THAT'S MY SORT OF EXPERIENCE OF LIFE, IS WHATEVER GETS GIVE IN
MY LIFE, I FIND HUMOR, YOU KNOW WHEN LOCKDOWN FIRST HAPPENED,
LAST MARCH OR WHATEVER, WE WERE ALL QUITE FRIESEN-- FRIGHTENED
AND SENT FUNNY VIDEOS.
THINK IT IS A VERY HUMAN WAY, THAT IS MY EXPERIENCE OF LIFE
AND THAT TONE IS REFLECTED IN THE SHOW.
SO I AM REALLY FROWD OF IT.
>> James: CONGRATS ON HAVING A SHOW THAT I'M CERTAIN, MEANS A
HUGE AMOUNT TO UP COULD ELS AND FAMILIES EVERYWHERE.