Kristin Scott Thomas — on meeting Prince, reuniting with Scarlett Johansson, and writing her own story

Summary

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Podcast Summary

Podcast: Dinner’s on Me with Jesse Tyler Ferguson

Episode: Kristin Scott Thomas — on meeting Prince, reuniting with Scarlett Johansson, and writing her own story
Date: August 26, 2025
Location: La Mercerie, Soho, New York City

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Episode Overview

In this rich, intimate episode, Jesse Tyler Ferguson sits down with celebrated British-French actress, writer, and now director Kristen Scott Thomas at a chic French café in New York. Their conversation covers Scott Thomas’s decades-spanning career, from breaking through with Under the Cherry Moon alongside Prince to deep dives into her creative partnerships (especially with Scarlett Johansson), the pain and resilience behind family loss, her directorial debut, and the complexities of typecasting. Over coffee and French pastries, the two reflect on the vulnerability of artists, how critical and public perception shifts over time, and what it means to become the storyteller of your own life.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Meeting Over French Coffee: Reconnecting and Stage Work

• [05:11] Kristin teases Jesse about being in Shakespeare in the Park; Jesse explains he's performing Twelfth Night.
• [05:26]–[07:57] Warm discussion on acting roots: Chekhov, originating roles, pride in seeing others interpret your work, and Kristen’s son becoming an actor.
  • Kristin: “I Felt such relief when [my son] told me [he wanted to act], because it was like, oh, God, somebody is taking over from me.” (07:07)
  • Both discuss the legacy of roles, passing the "baton" to the next generation.

2. The Actor’s Vulnerability: Navigating Criticism and Rejection

• [07:57]–[10:35] Both speak candidly about the challenges of rejection in show business, harsh critics, and how personal artistry makes it difficult not to take criticism personally.
  • Kristin: “People say, don’t take it personally, but how can you not? This is the body I live in, and you don’t want it.” (08:46)
  • Kristin recalls her experience with the play Lioness—critical pans despite commercial success.

3. Shifting Reception: Under the Cherry Moon & Prince

• [11:04]–[14:19] Jesse and Kristin reflect on how culture revisits and revises old work, focusing on Under the Cherry Moon with Prince. Kristin describes her “baptism of fire” and initial wounds from reviews.
  • Kristin: “That was a baptism of fire, as you can imagine, because I’d never done anything before. And suddenly...I was so sort of wounded by some of the things that were being said.” (12:24)
  • [19:14]–[20:49] Kristin tells the story of being cast opposite Prince, meeting him for the first time in a luxury hotel at age 22, and feeling completely out of place.

4. Celebrity Aura and Talent

• [21:00]–[22:18] Jesse compares Prince’s presence to being around Taylor Swift, discussing the specific charge of true, extraordinary talent and the unfakeable aura of superstars.
  • Kristin: “Extreme talent...there is an aura around those people, and nothing can take away that mystery.” (21:35–22:01)

5. Directorial Debut: My Mother’s Wedding

• [22:49]–[29:29] Jesse and Kristin unpack her new film, My Mother’s Wedding: the process of writing, directing, and acting in such a personal project.

  • Kristin admits, “It’s really hard. I don’t recommend it. You can’t really wear two hats at the same time.” (23:39)

  • The story is based on the tragic loss of both her father and stepfather by age 11, and her mother raising five kids alone.

  • Kristin: “I wanted to make a comedy out of a tragedy.” (27:12) – balancing grief, healing, and family dysfunction with humor.

  • Animated sequences were a device to distance memory from reality.

  • Important Segment:

    • [25:25]–[26:07] The “bones” of her family story and translating it into screen narrative.
    • [29:33]–[31:22] Family reactions to the film and the special meaning of including animated memories.
    • [31:22]–[32:05] Differentiation between the energy of the “male ghosts” and the living male character in the film.

6. Mother-Daughter Dynamic with Scarlett Johansson

• [34:13]–[36:07] Discussion of Kristin and Scarlett Johansson’s on-screen mother-daughter roles (The Horse Whisperer, The Other Boleyn Girl, My Mother’s Wedding).
  • Kristin: “I know who can do this. I know who can carry this kind of command and seriousness...It’s Scarlett Johansson.” (35:11)
  • Kristin recounts pitching Scarlett for the role and the thrill of their continued creative relationship.

7. The Power of Fleabag and Wise Monologues

• [38:10]–[40:20] Jesse brings up Kristin's iconic Fleabag monologue about aging, pain, and womanhood.
  • Kristin: “Women are born with built-in pain...we just get on with it.” (38:40)
  • She describes performing the scene, her admiration for Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and the technical challenge of precise dialogue.

8. Collaboration, Typecasting, and the French-English Divide

• [44:43]–[49:56] Kristin shares what it was like to work with Robert Altman (Gosford Park) and being surrounded by legendary talent.
  • Kristin: “You’d get the call sheet in the morning and you’d get, like, eight dames and six knights. People with Oscars. I have to be on my best behavior.” (46:08)
  • Director Altman’s methods and the story about “the missing link” are a podcast highlight.
• [49:11]–[50:09] Acting in French vs. English, and how French films let her break out of her "brittle, posh" English stereotypes.
  • Kristin: “I really like doing French films because I’m often asked to do very different things...” (49:58)

9. Stability, Routine, and Family

• [33:49]–[34:09] Kristin discusses managing family life and fame, striving to maintain normalcy for her children.
  • Kristin: “I really tried very hard to just be like a normal mum.” (34:02)

10. Support and Closing Reflections

• [52:54] Jesse and Kristin share gratitude for the conversation and the serendipity of meeting in a French café reminiscent of Kristin’s long years in France.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Artistic Vulnerability:
  “People say, don’t take it personally, but how can you not? This is the body I live in, and you don’t want it.”
  — Kristin Scott Thomas, 08:46

• On True Talent:
  “Extreme talent...there is an aura around those people, and nothing can take away that mystery.”
  — Kristin Scott Thomas, 21:35–22:01

• On Directing & Acting Simultaneously:
  “It's really hard. I don't recommend it. You can’t really wear two hats at the same time.”
  — Kristin Scott Thomas, 23:39

• On Family Tragedy Turned Art:
  “I wanted to make a comedy out of a tragedy.”
  — Kristin Scott Thomas, 27:12

• On Casting Scarlett Johansson:
  “I know who can carry this kind of command and seriousness...It’s Scarlett Johansson.”
  — Kristin Scott Thomas, 35:11

• On Legendary Film Sets:
  “You’d get the call sheet in the morning and you’d get, like, eight dames and six knights. People with Oscars. I have to be on my best behavior.”
  — Kristin Scott Thomas, 46:08

• Robert Altman’s ‘Missing Link’ Story:
  “He gathers us all around and he said, ‘Now, I have something very important to say. One of you...One of you is the missing link.’ And from then on, we were all very, very highly concentrated...”
  — Kristin Scott Thomas, 47:36–47:51

• On Acting in French vs. English:
  “It’s a bit like wearing a wig that’s slightly uncomfortable — you kind of get used to it.”
  — Kristin Scott Thomas, 49:56

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Important Timestamps

• 05:11–07:57 — Chekhov, originating roles, passing the baton, family legacy in acting
• 07:57–10:35 — Navigating rejection, criticism, and processing artistic vulnerability
• 11:04–14:19 — Shifts in critical and cultural reception (Under the Cherry Moon with Prince)
• 19:14–20:49 — Auditioning for and meeting Prince
• 22:49–29:29 — Directing My Mother’s Wedding, mining personal trauma for art
• 34:13–36:07 — Multi-decade on-screen mother-daughter collaborations with Scarlett Johansson
• 38:10–40:20 — The power and technical challenge of the Fleabag monologue
• 44:43–49:56 — Making Gosford Park with Altman, legendary ensemble, and “missing link” anecdote
• 49:11–50:09 — On typecasting and working across languages

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Episode Highlights

• Candid emotional disclosures about rejection, grief, and the making of art from trauma.
• Kristin’s delight and fear in becoming a director, and wisdom about the creative roles of women.
• A peek behind the curtain of truly elite theatrical ensembles.
• Deep appreciation for generational bonds in acting, both professional (with Scarlett Johansson and Meryl Streep) and personal (her own son’s recent foray into acting).

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Final Tone

The episode is warm, honest, and gently humorous, brimming with mutual respect and a touch of wistful nostalgia. Ferguson deftly elicits both craft insights and personal stories from Scott Thomas, making for a conversation that feels both celebratory and revealing—perfect for listeners interested in the real, unvarnished lives behind acclaimed public personas.

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Transcript

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

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You know her from iconic films like the English Patient and Gosford Park.

More recently on your telly, as they.

Say in England in shows like Slow Horses and Fleabag.

She's out with a new film that.

She directed, wrote, and stars in called My Mother's Wedding. It's Kristen Scott Thomas.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

And then I'm sitting in this incredible dining room in this sort of luxury hotel. Beautiful polished parquet floor, gold everywhere. And there is prince in a green suit.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

This is dinner's on me.

And I'm your host, Jesse Tyler Ferguson.

I have been a fan of Kristen Scott Thomas for a very, very long time. Of course I saw the English Patient. Unlike the characters in Seinfeld, I did.

Not think it was terrible.

I loved it so much. It remains one of my favorite films.

Gosford Park. Robert Altman loved her in that.

I cannot believe I'm going to sit down with Kristen and actually have a conversation with her about all these amazing projects. We were supposed to sit down when I was in London doing Here We Are, and it didn't work out and I thought the moment had passed. So how excited am I that I'm here in New York City doing Shakespeare in the park and Kristen is passing through town? I know that Kristin lived for a long time in France, so I am.

Taking her to La Mercerie, this beautiful.

French cafe which is tucked inside the Roman and Williams Guild in soho.

It's not just a restaurant.

It's part of this whole world that the guild has created. And the best part is the restaurant.

Actually spills into a furniture and home.

Goods store in the back so you.

Can actually buy it somewhere. Tableware and furniture literally on the other.

Side of this room. It's very tempting. I saw a lamp that I actually might have to leave with. The chef, Marie Odroz, makes these classic French dishes with so much care. They're really known for their pastries and.

These stunning, savory galettes.

I am definitely going to have a croissant. Maybe a crepe.

Definitely a quiche. And honestly, this is the perfect place.

To meet Kristin Scott Thomas. There's something very elegant and understated about both her and this space. It just, it all makes sense. Plus, I'm hoping that maybe she'll order in French. Okay, let's get to the conversation.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

What are you doing in. What are you doing in the park? Shakespeare in the park. You're doing what?

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I'm doing Twelfth Night.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Oh, fun.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Have you ever done Twelfth Night?

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

No. I know you've never done any Shakespeare.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

No, I know you've done lots of Chekhov.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

I've done lots of Chekhov, which is.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Actually kind of my dream.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Well, I've only done two Chekhov. Well, there aren't that many to do.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I mean, I feel like if you've done Siegel and Three Sisters, you've done lots of stuff. I mean, I wish to God I had seen him in the Seagull. I've watched clips of it and I mean, I've seen. I saw Cate Blanchett do it. I saw Meryl Streep do it. And I was like, I mean, I think you would complete the trifecta of.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

It was so fun. Do you know when I did it on Broadway, Meryl sent me a note saying, welcome to the Arcadena Club with a kid.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

And I thought that was such a sweet thing. So when I saw Kate do it in the Barbican, I wrote to her saying, Meryl Streep told me, passing it on.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

What's it like seeing other people tackle roles that you've done?

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

I don't know. It's. It. I mean, it happens all the time. Yeah.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Of course.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

On the stage, you know, so it's always kind of. You kind of wish you would. You say, oh, that's such a good idea. Why didn't I think of that?

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

You know?

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

So especially if you go two ways.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

You could be like, I did it better.

But like, normally I go in because.

I did a show on Broadway called the 25th annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and I originated the. I was in the original cast. And it's actually coming in for a Broadway revival this year. It's a 20 year anniversary of this play and I've seen it done in schools, I've seen grade school kids do it. And I went and saw a revival at the Kennedy center. And I always leave feeling such pride as being part of what you just said, that club of people who've gotten to tackle that role and to be a part of that history and being the originator of that role and seeing.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Other people, that must be really fun.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

It's very moving.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Yeah, I bet it's very moving. You're sort of passing the bat on really, aren't you?

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

I remember when I have a son who has decided to. Decided very late in the day that he was going to become an actor at 28. And I. And I Felt such relief when he told me, because it was like, oh, God, somebody is taking over from me.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah, it was really.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

It was really nice. It was like giving the. May I offer you something to drink? I would love some coffee. Coffee? Coffee. Coffee, please.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I'm gonna have coffee, too.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Just. Just. Yeah. Latte. But not. Not too much milk. Regular milk? Regular milk, yes. Thank you. I'll just have.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I'll do the same thing. So your son is.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

So. He's an actor as well? Yeah, and a director and a. Right. You know, he's one of these young people that do everything.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I know. I'm so.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

And I sort of wish I'd had that career.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Well, you're doing it now.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

I'm doing it now, I guess. Yeah. But anyway, the feeling of sort of relief and pride when you do pass something on, it's great, isn't it?

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

It's so interesting because so many people, I think, in our business, knowing how hard it is, really discourage their children from going down that path just because of the heartbreak. And the. The thickness of the skin that you need to have is nowhere near as thick as you think it needs to be. Oh, do you think I do? I mean, dealing with rejection was a lot harder for me than I anticipated it being. Everyone warned me, like, you're gonna have to hear a lot more no's than yeses. I always thought, oh, I'll be fine. I'll be fine, I'll be fine. I have a thick skin. But, like, actually caring, investing in something and then being told that it's not gonna go further, or having something that you love so much that you've put out into the world that people aren't responding to in the way that you feel inside.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Oh, I know. I know.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

That's what's really hard. People did not prepare me for that at all.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

No, that is. That is. That is difficult. And it's not just the. It's not just the, no, we don't want you. Which is a hard one. Also, we don't want you. You're never really sure why. And it's. People say, don't take it personally, but how can you not take it personal? This is the body I live in, and you don't want it.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

And our job is to invest fully in these things. That's what's been hard for me, and I'm still navigating my way through that. It's happened a lot in theater where I've said yes to a project because I love the writing so much, and I'm Physically in front of the audience that I'm presenting it to. And it's not resonating in the way that I expect it to, and it's happening in real time. And that's been something that I knew was always part of this business. I mean, you know, when you do something on film and television, there is a protection of like.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Well, you got. So you can blame someone else, basically.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. It was a bad edit. It was a bad edit.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Yeah. We did it. We did a show in London called Lioness. The critics were absolutely ruthless and horrible and mean and just actually, some of them were quite. Not good at all. We sold 103% of all the tickets.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Wow. It sold so well.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

It sold so, so, so well because people really, really loved it.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Well, and also, you're fabulous.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Thank you very much. But it was a really interesting play and it was such fun to do, but it was a bit of a shock when the reviews happened and they were so vicious, you know, I was like, wow. So you're not protected from anything at any point.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I mean, I just did. Here we are in London.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Yeah.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Which is Sondheim's last musical, and it is, in my opinion, one of his masterpieces is. Almost everything that came out of that man was masterpiece. And, you know. But it was his last work and it's sort of been presented to the press as being something that's not finished because he wasn't around to fine tune it in the preview process.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Yeah.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

And so a lot of the critics were talking about that, like, why are we even presenting it? It might not be finished when you want this. And then, you know, there's other people who are thinking, like, it's, you know, not my favorite of his work. There is a revisionist history that happens so often with work. And I'm interested actually having this conversation with you because I think it's happened with some of. Specifically with some of your early work. I'm thinking mostly about your movie with Prince, but where with time and with the legacy of someone, things are looked at with a different lens. I remember my parents would not allow me to see under the Cherry Moon or Purple Rain, I think, because they thought, like, Prince was, like, you know, too risque. Also, I was pretty young when came out. I was born in 75, so.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

So you must have been about 10, 11.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah, but I watched it, you know, not. I probably watched under the Terry Moon, like, five years ago because I was curious. And also, it was when Prince passed away. That's what it was. Which Is, I think, about nine years ago now. And I was like, I'm gonna watch some of his stuff. And I. I then went and Googled, like, what the critical response was and what the response was then versus what it is now was so different.

People were digested in a different way.

Because of our relationship with that man.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Well, that was a baptism of fire, as you can imagine, because I'd never done anything before. And suddenly I can only remember just being so sort of wounded by some of the things that were being said about it.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

That was your very first.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

My very first one. So I swore I would never read any more again. But anyway, it is interesting how people's attitude has changed, but it's also what's really great. Is it it that has given me, over the years, given me a completely different group of people who are interested in my work, in what I. My work. That sounds really pretentious in what I do. So all these kids say, oh, I saw your movie. And they're just not my. My fan base is old gentlemen. They say, not my fan base at all. And, you know, it was just such fun to have these kids come up and say, so even under the cherry Moon, my mum used to watch it, and she showed it to me the other day. And it's so. It's sort of the children of the people who would do. Who were watching it at the time. So that's quite fun. It's also quite fun being in something like Mission Impossible one.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yes.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

For about four minutes, but I'm in it.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Those are very exciting. Four minutes, though.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

People stop me, I saw you in Mission Impossible. The rest of my enormous body of sort of artistic endeavor. No, that doesn't count. It's Mission Impossible.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

But that is, I mean, such a canon of work and to be a part of that. I know, absolutely.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

I mean, I've been doing it for a really long time, to be frank, and doing it in two languages. So, you know, that makes twice the workload. Like, you know, I spread myself thin. I can.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Because you.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Under the term moon was filmed in.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

It was filmed in France, and you.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Were living there at the time.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Filmed in France. And I was living there. I lived there most of my life. I lived in France for 42 years. Can you imagine living somewhere? 40 years? I mean, you're probably not even 42.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Thank you for saying that.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

I don't know.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I'm turning 50 this year. Are you really going to look fabulous?

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

No, because I literally have no idea how old anyone is.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I think I'm the same age as everyone.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

I kind of maintain because I think it's much more fun because then you're not afraid of walking, you know, talking to someone who, you know, could be 30, could be 18, could be 14.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I get, I'm shocked when I hear people are in their 20s. I feel everyone's my age.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Yeah, I have kids in their 20s.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

So, yeah.

Now for a quick break, but don't go away. When we return, Kristen tells me all about starring alongside Prince on the big screen, her decades long bond with Scarlett Johansson, and how it's come full circle in her new movie, My Mother's Wedding. Okay, be right back. This summer, I'll be spending a lot of time in New York City working on Shakespeare in the park, which I am so excited about. But it also means I'll be away from home and Justin will be juggling the kids and the home Ford, which is hectic enough without also having to worry about home security. That's why we use Simplisafe. We've got the full setup. Cameras, sensors, 247 monitoring. So whether I'm backstage in Central park or Justin's doing bedtime back home, both know the house is protected. Simplisafe's professional monitoring team is amazing. If something suspicious happens, they can talk through the camera, trigger lights and even alert the police before anything bad happens. No contracts, no hidden fees. Monitoring starts at about a dollar a day and there's a 60 day money back guarantee. Visit simplisafe.com Jesse to claim 50% off your new system with a professional monitoring plan and get your first month free. That's S I m p l s-a f e.com Jesse, there's no safe like simply safe. All right, let's talk about something near and dear to my heart. Building the perfect sandwich. And yes, yes, I take this very seriously. Step one, you need a great bread. Fresh, crusty, something with character. Step two, Boar's Head Oven Gold turkey.

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It's juicy, it's flavorful. It's the backbone of this operation. Step three, a few slices of Boar's Head Smoke Master ham because I like to mix it up. It adds a slow smoked beechwood flavor that makes your taste buds just, you know, do a little dance. Step four, cheese sharp cheddar if I'm feeling bold. Creamy Swiss if I'm feeling fancy. Step five, a swipe of Dijon crisp lettuce, thin sliced tomato and maybe a pickle or two, you know, for drama. Layer it all up, cut it in half diagonally, obviously, and you Got a sandwich that's perfectly crafted thanks to Boar's Head. Every bite tastes like it was made with care. Because it was. So if you're ready to level up your sandwich game, trust me, start at the deli counter. Discover the craftsmanship behind every bite at your local Boar's Head deli counter. Boar's Head. Committed to crafts since 1905. You know what doesn't belong in your epic summer plans? Getting burned by your old wireless bill. I'm in New York right now doing Shakespeare in the park, memorizing lines, dodging rainstorms, and trying to stay cool in every sense of the word. The last thing I want to deal with is an overpriced phone plan. That's why I've been looking at Mint Mobile. With Mint, you get the same coverage and speed you're used to, but for way less. And for a limited time, they're offering three months of unlimited premium wireless for just $15 a month. So while your friends are sweating over data overages and surprise charges, you could be chilling financially and literally. All plans come with high speed data and unlimited talk and text on the nation's largest 5G network. You can keep your phone, your number, and all your contacts this year. Skip breaking a sweat and breaking the bank. Get this new customer offer and your three month unlimited wireless plan for just 15 bucks a [e-mail] Jesse. That's mintmobile.com Jesse. Upfront payment of $45 required, equivalent to $15 a month limited time. New customer offer for first three months only. Speeds may slow above 35 GB on unlimited plan. Taxes and fees extra. See Mint Mobile for details. And we're back with more dinners on me.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Anyway, so what happened was that I was doing a play in the south of France. Not in the south of France. I was doing a play in Burgundy in a field. And suddenly I get this call from this casting director in Paris saying, will you come up and do an audition for Prince? And, you know, at the time, I was listening to around the World in a Day on a loop on the cassette thing.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

A cassette with a Walkman.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

A Walkman with what? You know, the. What do you remember that? You probably don't, but in the beginning, they had a kind of wire that went like this kind of spongy things that went in your ears. Yeah. And I was listening to Prince over and over and over and over and over and over Calgary. At the time, I must have been 22, something like that.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Early 20s.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Yeah, yeah. And I went up to Paris to do this audition, it was for one of the girlfriends, you know, like, oh, Mary, you look so great. Yeah. One of those lines. And I went in and then there was a bit of a huddle behind the camera, and they said, would you be interested in auditioning for the lead? I mean, you can imagine what that feels like to hear those words.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

So you say yes, and you go in and you audition for the lead, and then next thing you know, you're being called. Prince would really like to meet you. It was sort of. It was so crazy because I just couldn't really believe it was happening to me. You put one foot. It's like walking on air. You put one foot in front of the other and you can't quite believe it's ever going to land. And you just keep going. And then I'm sitting in this incredible dining room in this sort of luxury hotel. I'd never even been to a hotel before in my life. You know, luxury, beautiful polished parquet floor, gold everywhere, enormous amounts of cutlery everywhere. And there is Prince in a green suit. We sit down, it's a bit of awkward conversation. I was literally introducing two teenagers, practically. And he was the same age. I think he was a year older.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Than you, Prince a year older than you.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

And we were kids.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I know.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Literally kids.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I mean, such separate lives, too. That's what I keep thinking. Like, did you. Do you remember presenting as if, like, you. This was all normal for you, or were you.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

No, I was like. I was. It was just completely different. So it took a bit of adjusting because all those things always do.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I mean, what was it? I know Taylor Swift a bit. So, like, I've been around her in private situations with her friends and, like, it's really interesting to see. It's.

It's not surprising.

I mean, she's a normal person who loves her friends and family and complains about things and, like. But I've seen that, like, real side of her that I think a lot of people don't get to see. But then, you know, what never goes away is that sort of, like, aura.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Of, like, talent that's talented. No, but talent, really amazing talent is, you know, there is an aura around those people, and they do make. That does make them kind of special.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

And whatever you think about fame and glory and entourages and the whole thing, whatever you think about that, that nothing can take away that mystery of talent. I mean, extreme talent.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Because you and I are both fairly talented and we both frequent a lot of fairly talented people, but when occasionally you meet These people who are superstars. Superstars. Yeah, you. You know, it really does. I mean, it's a.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

It's different. It's a different thing. And it's not. It's not. You can't pin down what it is. And you can't. You can't bottle it either. Prince also wrote and directed this film. Right. So he's a year older than you.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Yeah.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

He's writing and directing this thing. That's your first.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Yeah. I didn't even know you had to do the same thing twice, you know?

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

We have to do it again exactly the same.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

This is.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

But we've just done that. No, but we're doing it tighter. What do you mean? Yeah, it did not.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, now, you know, on the opposite end of your career, where you are now, I mean, you also have just written and directed a film, My Mother's Wedding, which is obviously so personal to you, which I want to talk about that and, like, what the impetus was for writing and. And then wanting to direct and then also be in the film. I'm very passionate about getting into this industry behind the camera as well. Like, I'm. I'm. I've been given some opportunity to. To direct, and I'm so excited by it. I'm so. I'm all intimidated in a way that. I don't know why. I'm intimidated because I know exactly what I'm doing because I've been on the other end of it. But it's, you know, it's different when you're in charge. I can't even imagine directing myself.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

It's really hard. I don't recommend it.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

You don't?

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

No. I think it's really, really, really hard. You know, it's difficult getting the distance.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Sure.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Because, you know, I'm sure sometimes you've been with other people, and I'm sure it's happened to you. You knew other members of the cast, and then you suddenly get caught watching them and you sort of forget your line or something because you're mesmerized by what you're. What. What the other person is doing. Well, that's what it's like when you're director. You're mesmerized all the time, but you're allowed to be. But when you are on set with them as an actor, you know, I'm mesmerized and I forget to act. Yeah.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

So you can't really wear two hats at the same time. So I find it.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

You have to always sort of be somewhat Removed.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

You have to be a little bit removed. And then I would go back and look at the monitor and. And cover my side of the frame with my hand and try and watch.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Like, Scarlet's work or something.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Exactly. But it was. It was fun in the way that I could get right in there with the other actors, and that was great fun. And to be able to sort of stoke things in a way. But having then to kind of look at it with a critical view and to see whether you've actually got it or not. I often had to rely on other people to tell me whether they thought they'd got. If I was in the scene.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Right.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

I had to rely on them to sort of say, yeah, it's fine.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah, yeah. And also to add another wrinkle and complication to all of this. I mean, it's a very personal story to you, based on. Loosely on your. Or not so loosely, but loosely ish on your life. And you're also stepping into the role of who would be your mother in this story. Just so people. Listeners know, like, tell us a little bit about what the story is and what the impetus was for putting it on screen and on page.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

So the basic bones are a little girl and her siblings. There were lots of us, lose their father, Their mother marries again, and that stepfather is also killed in exactly the same way. And they share the same Christian name. So that's the basic.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

These are the things that happen.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

And these are things that happened to me and my siblings when we were very little. I was 5 when my dad died and 11 when my stepdad was killed. And my mother was left on her own to bring up five kids. That's my story. The film story is a bit different. There are three sisters. Cause there's always three sisters.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah, Chekhov.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Check off. Mountains, trees, you know, rocks, bars, probably. And the mother is getting married for the third time to a man that the girls don't think is quite glamorous enough because they've kept this amazing memory of their father's, and they've sort of. They adore the memory of their fathers. The eldest daughter, played by Scarlett, is sort of so obsessed with the memory of her father that she's actually carrying on his work by joining the Navy, becoming sort of top dog in the Navy and this kind of thing. And they're all. All these women are in what I like to call romantic disarray. And their mother is deliriously happy at all. And they all come back home for this wedding to witness this wedding. And their noses are all slightly out of joint, you know, because he's not quite up to scratch. But gradually they learn that he's actually more than that and he's a great guy. And their mother sort of pulls them together and says, stop behaving like this. Anyway, I wanted to make a comedy out of a tragedy.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah. Well, it's about. It's about grief and healing, but it's also about the complexities of family. And the dysfunction of family.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Yes.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Which I think, you know, everyone can relate to.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Yes.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

And the dysfunction of family is so interesting. You know, no one wants to watch a family that's getting along. No, I mean, what. What does that.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

I mean, look at that. Yes, exactly. Yeah.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Complexities, flaws. You want to see the flaws.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Yeah, yeah.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

You want to relate to the flaws. And we. You certainly bring that in the film and in your writing. What was it like to take History of your Own and create a screenplay from it? I know your husband.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

It was really fun. Yeah. My co writer, who has since become my husband, he wrote so well that I married him. So, yeah, it was really fun taking this sort of route, which are these memories that are in the film are. I deliver them as little animated sequences. So it's sort of black and white and removed from reality to take. To use that as a springboard for all these other adventures from these four women in particular. You know, how they get along, how to be a mother and have a love life. How to detach from your parents. How to stop thinking they, you know, they're the bee's knees. How to have respect for them without glorifying them. You know, all these. All these complicated issues that we all have to deal with. I think we talk a lot about mothers, a little less about fathers. And I think that I personally, having grown up without any of them, I. Any fathers, rather. I. I think they're really important. Important.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I. Yeah.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

And what it has made me do personally, making this film is made me think, oh, yeah, I really missed out not having a dad, you know. But anyway, I made a film about it. So something good has happened from my little adventure. In fact, my mom said to me before, when she found out what we were doing, when I told her what we were doing, she said, I'm. She was so glad that something positive could Some, you know, could happen out of something which was potentially disastrous.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Right, right. You're the oldest of your siblings.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

I'm the eldest of my lot. Yeah.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

There must have been some responsibility of feeling like the keeper of the Keys without those memories.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Well, that's what? That's why initially I wanted to make some very short anime, always animated, because I love animation. I think it's a really powerful tool. I wanted to make animated sequences which told what I remember of my father and of my stepfather and of the. Particularly of the moment when we found out that my stepfather had also crashed. That was quite a strong moment in our lives. But I remember it incredibly Clearly.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

You were 11 when I was 11.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, he went missing for days and they couldn't find him and then they gave up. You know, it was a. It was a long, drawn out, horrific process where I, at 11, was a kind of witness to all of this. I watched my mother kind of dissolve and. And then because this is England, I got put on a train and sent back to school. Unbelievable, what we did in this.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

How close were you to your next sibling?

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Like a year between, we go ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, in a very, very neat row.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

And I.

Are you.

How many of your siblings are biologically connected to your father, who passed away when you were five? Four of you?

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Yeah.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

What. What was their response to the film?

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

I think they're quite moved by it.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

And I think they're glad to see the. The. Especially the drawings. I think. Well, they relate mostly the drawings. I think that's what they. They are. And then, of course, the. Without giving any spoilers, the finale is quite moving, I suppose.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yes. It's interesting that in the film it's three sisters and the young males are portrayed by the offspring.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Yes, the offspring. Yeah.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

So you do have like that presence of that male energy.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

But you do have. Yeah, and you have the sort of. And the absent male energy. And then the male energy of Jeff, the fiance, the man who marries the mother, is so different from all this very kind of pushy, loud, rambunctious energy of the boys. And one would imagine these young men who like going very, very fast in airplanes, who are the ghosts, and he's a very different sort of person. But he's lovely, Jeff. He's just so lovely.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

But, yeah, no, it was really fun inventing these. These kind of archetypes.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Right, right.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

And her cast, a crazy actress.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

I have to admit it's quite a lot of me in that one.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

But, yeah, you know, I mean, Scarlett Johansson's obviously the eldest sister.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

She's the eldest sister.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

And then Sienna Miller plays this actress. So I was like, well, for. Some of this has to be based on your history.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

I said to Sienna, I've always wanted Sienna's Play the spice. You know that slightly kind of uncomfortable feeling when you've been on a talk show and you might have said something that you think is a little bit or just lean into that.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. That's like her sweet spot. Yeah, yeah.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

And, and, yeah, no, we had really.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

And the youngest sister is.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

The youngest sister is a sort of doing everything right sister, you know, And I've certainly strived to do that. I've certainly strived to be, you know, to. I do this. I used to do this thing when I had small kids of going to work, being an actress. And the moment I got off that job, I would shut all the doors. I would literally just not do anything to do with the business. And it was very difficult to keep the business out of the house. And I remember when it started to creep in, then things started to get more complicated. But when they were little, I really managed. I would spend, you know, it was. I just had as much of a. Of a kind of everyday distance. I would take the kids to school, I'd sit in the park, I'd bring them their sandwiches.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

You know, I do all that business is incredibly destabilizing. I mean, stable ground is, is, you know, the, the, the cornerstone of a family.

You need that.

So it's. I understand what you're saying.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

I really create that not to be an actress at that point. I really wanted to just be like a normal mum.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

And I tried very hard to make that happen.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

With Scarlett Johansson. You have such a rich history of a mother daughter relationship on screen. This will be the third time that you guys have played mother daughter. I know you did the Boiling Girl, the other boy, the other Boylan girl. And then the first film say that.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Boylan.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Boylan. Am I saying it wrong?

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Yeah, it's called Boleyn.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Oh, God, I would never have said it that way.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Boiling sounds as if she's being cooked. The Iron Boilinger. No, Berlin. The other Berlin Girl and Berlin. That's what we say. Yeah. In England. That's what I say.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I guarantee you your pronunciation is correct. And then the first, the other film.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Was the Horse Whisperer.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

The Horse Whisperer. Right.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

And she was only like 12. So I've known her since she was a little girl.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

And I think there's been about like 10, like a decade between each of these.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Yes, yes.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I mean, how special first of all is that relationship?

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

It's so great. I mean, I was so happy when she accepted it and it was such a long shot for us, you know, because I said, I know who can do this. I know who can carry this kind of command and seriousness and at the same time let you in to see vulnerability and kind of. And a certain sort of troubled spirit. I know who can do this. It's Scarlet Yansen. We'll never get hurt. I said, well, let me just try.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

So I got in touch and said, could you read this? And she was marvelous. She was fantastic. She was such a great sport, you know, she was really brilliant. She wasn't at all kind of, oops, Scarlet. Scarlet Johansson, you know, it was all very kind of low key and easy.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

And I've never met her, but she seems.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Oh, she's great.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Like the coolest person. So easy to be around. I'm such a fan of hers.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

No, she's. And she's a really, really, really clever, smart actress.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah, agreed.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Yeah. I mean, generally brilliant. So I was thrilled about that. And Sienna, of course, I'd written that part thinking of her. And Emily is just an actress that I've been watching for a few years. Emily Beecham. She's. She's fantastic. Fantastic. I was really lucky. And Frieda, of course, is wonderful, who kind of glows with health and sanity, whereas all these women, all these other lawyers.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Right, right, right, right.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Tearing their brains apart.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

There's a really incredible monologue that your character delivers at the graveside of your two deceased husbands. And it just sort of encapsulates, you know, grief and loss and, you know, looking back upon your life and decisions you've made. And it's a very grounding moment, and it's all very wise. I took so much from that monologue just as a parent, and I just. I was just struck by the fact that you were, you know, having to say these words that you've also had to create and put up.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Yeah, that was. It was. That was. Well, I. I didn't feel as possessive about them as I might have done had I actually written them, because John did write that bit. But it was very difficult to shoot, to be honest, because I had to do a lot of acting and they had to do a lot of reacting. You remember that from drama school, and. But I wanted to. I wanted to see what they were doing because I knew that I would be fascinated in watching what's going on in Emily's face or what, but I had to concentrate on being good enough for them to react to.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Right, right, right.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

So it was. It was really complicated. And we saved it till right at the end. I think it was one of the last scenes we shot. And I hadn't quite realized that I was giving myself in a very sort of narcissistic way. No, I cancel that it's not narcissism, but I had given myself this enormous scene and I was afraid that it would be seen as that, you know, as sort of greedy or something. So I was. It was a. It was a weird kind of balancing act to pull off.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah. Another monologue of yours that I've watched several times on one of my favorite TV shows, Fleabag.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

That's good, isn't it?

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

That one incredible monologue in season two of Fleabag. You have this moment with Phoebe Waller, Bridge at a bar, talking about aging and menopause and how women are saddled with pain. And that's part of, like their makeup and that's part of their DNA. And men have to seek pain out and seek conflict out with war.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Yeah. And we're just used to it. We just get on with it. Don't make a fuss about it. Just get on with it.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

It's an incredible. It went quite viral. I remember.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Yes, I remember that too. I was amazed. But she's really clever.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Really clever. I mean, what was that experience like sitting across from the authority of this incredible piece of writing? And yet, you know.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Well, you know, you. I'm as. As with anyone I'm. I'm working with usually, you know, you have a great admiration for the person who wrote it because it's really hard to write stuff. And Phoebe is quite impressive.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

You want to give her your best.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Sure.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

And it was actually quite difficult for me for some reason. I just couldn't. There were some phrases I just couldn't, wouldn't stick in my mind. And there was one particular one where I can't remember this. Women are born with built in pain, I think. And I kept saying inbuilt or I can't remember. It was one of the other. I kept flipping it around by mistake and I could see her getting sort of more and more disappointed. But, you know, we. We did in the end and it's been hugely successful. And of course, it also involves a lot of drinking of martinis, which obviously not real martinis. Then you've got to time everything with putting the glass down and how many have I had by now? And I'm sipping it quite a lot. And you know, so it was all a big question of balancing it all out and trying to do your best for Phoebe Waller. Bridget, who I had been admirer of for such a long time because she's so clever.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. What did you get?

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

These are eggs, I think, underneath here.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Wow, that's so beautiful.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

And they're nice, aren't they?

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

So creamy.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Yeah. In a broth.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I did a quiche, which is a loafy egg. The opposite of what you've gotten.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Really good mushroomy eggs. Don't you love an mushroom omelette? I think that's my favorite thing in the world.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Now for a quick break, but don't go away. After the break, Kristen and I discuss why being Typ cast can be a blessing in disguise. And Kristen shares a story of one past. Okay, let's be honest. Staying hydrated is the only thing keeping me from turning into a raisin these days. That's why Fiji water is always close by. Fiji water really is from the islands of Fiji, 1600 miles from the nearest continent. It's filtered through ancient volcanic rock, naturally protected from external elements. And it picks up a unique profile of electrolytes and minerals along the way that gives it more than double the electrolytes of the other top premium bottled water brands. And that soft, smooth taste that I absolutely love. Unlike some other top premium bottled water brands, Fiji's water electrolytes are 100% naturally occurring. And Fiji's water has a perfect, balanced 7.7 pH. I have no idea what that means, but I like the word perfect score.

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One of my other favorite filmmakers of all time is Robert Altman.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Well, I knew you were going to say that.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

You did.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Yeah, because I think he's an all actors long to work. Long to work with him.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

To work with him.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Yeah, I remember when the script came through the. In the days when scripts arrived by post and this great big fat thing plopped onto my doormat and it said, inside is a script by Rob by Robert Altman is sending you this script by Julian Fellows. And I thought, this is it. At last. I'm going to be recognized as an actress. Wonderful, wonderful wonder. And then I discovered that I thought I was going to be put as a maid in the cause they described. And I thought last episode I got Rid of that awful image of the aristocratic, you know, snooty English woman. No, no, no.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Playing. It's a type.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Playing as a type.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

It's this great upstairs, downstairs.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

So good, isn't it? It's so good.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

You know, and obviously Julian Phillis went on to write Downton Abbey, and it's sort of almost some ways, feels like a little bit of a precursor to that. I mean, he's known for creating these unbelievable films with unbelievable ensembles.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Yeah. No, I mean.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

And people show up for him.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

They do. They certainly do.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I mean, that cast is stacked.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

The cast was the most terrifying thing. You get the call sheet in the morning and you'd get like eight dames and six nights. People with Oscars, and it was just a. God, I have to be on my best behavior.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah. Who were you most intimidated by?

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

I can't. I think Eileen Atkins. Helen Mirren.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Helen Mirren. Who's the nicest person?

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Nicest people in the world. But they're so impressive. You know, it's the same thing again sometimes, you know, you. It's what we were talking about earlier, this aura around extreme talent. There's something that you. You don't quite get close enough. So there was Helen Mirren, Eileen Atkins. Maggie. Maggie Smith, who I adored.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yes.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

And oh, the men wonder. Alan Bates. Oh, he was lovely. Richard E. Grant, Jeremy Norton, he was hilarious. Michael Gambon, who literally had us laughing all so much with his stories. It was really fun. And then one, there was something going. Everyone was a little bit unconcentrated. I don't know. He gathers us all around and we're all in our evening dresses and we're all looking really sort of polished and made up to the hilt, and our wigs were on and it was fine. But something had gone wrong. Gathers was all around and he said, now, I have something very important to say. One of you. And he looked all around, all the cast. One of you is the missing link.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Oh.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

And from then on, we were all very, very, very highly concentrated because we weren't, you know, something gone wrong. We, you know, we were all giggling too much. Yeah. Tactic. Watch out. You don't want to be the one who's getting every.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Spoiling everything with this huge group of superstars. One of them was the missing link. It's like a murder mystery.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Yeah, it is, it is.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Gosh, what a cast. What a moment. I mean, I just. I loved. Because I had been watching Altman for years.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Yeah.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Then watching him do this, you know, period piece was just so exciting and Watching that magic and like just a completely different genre was so exciting.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

It's so interesting to watch him work as well because he was a very tall man with the most beautiful long fingered hands and he would. And he had a. He had a standby film director because he was so old I think at the time. Anyway, he'd have two cameras very often and I remember one particular day when they had two cameras on two different directional tracks and he would stand in the back and he'd move his arms around like sort of a conductor.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

And he'd send in one camera and then bring the other one. One back and he got really sort of physically into was. It was really great. He was such a brilliant man. He really was. I was so lucky to have worked with him, truly. Yeah. I've worked with some really cool people actually. I have to say him. Sidney Pollock. Sydney Pollock.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I know.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Robert Redford, Harrison Ford.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I know.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Pretty cool.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Wait, can I ask you about acting in French and English? Does it feel.

Does it feel different?

Do. Are you ex.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

No, it feels exactly the same thing. It's exactly the same. The only thing is there is a mechanical physical exercise. But when I was doing all those French films, I'm about to do another one. So I'm furiously reading everything in French and trying to practice that. That muscle again. Exercise that muscle again. You do. Even if you do it every day of your life you're speaking French. There's some tiny, tiny, tiny effort. That is not your native tongue because it's not your native tongue.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Interesting.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

But that's the only thing. But it's a bit like wearing a wig that's slightly uncomfortable.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Sure.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

You kind of get used.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

You're just aware of it.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Yeah, yeah, you're aware of it. But I really like doing French films because I'm often asked to do very different things from how I'm casting in English.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

That's what I was going to ask you. Do you feel. Because I mean you were just saying, you know, you play. You've been known to play a certain type of kind of brittle. Yeah, that's a great adjective.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Posh.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Posh, sure. And I think every actor who has any Monica of success finds that they're going to live within a stereotype of like what the industry sees them as. I certainly am feeling that myself.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Well, I think it's because you're good at and so people want you to repeat what you're good at.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Exactly.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

And sometimes it takes a long time for, you know, production producers for audiences to trust that you can also do something else.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Right.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

And I think you just have to stick at it and try different things.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Say it's like with Slow Horses, I feel like, you know, your role in.

Slow Horses, it sort of feels like.

On paper it is you. They have, you have been cast in that role again.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Yeah.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

But it's interesting because it is such a long running show now and you've had the opportunity to excavate, things are creeping out that feel very different from what you've done. Yeah. But it's like at the seed of it, it's like kind of like if you go back to watch episode one, it's like, oh, yep, of course.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Oh, Jesus Christ.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Kristen Scott Thompson.

Absolutely.

And now with time, this sort of, these layers have seeped out, which is really lovely to see.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Oh, I'm glad that that's coming across. That's good. Yeah, I think that's what happens when you're doing something for such a long time. And I mean, to be honest, I'm working with such extraordinary people. You know, every time I think, oh, goody, I've got a scene with. I've got a scene with Gary today. I'm really excited about that. Or I've got a scene with Jack or I've got a scene with Sophie and then she's become my friend. So, you know, she's great.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I'm so happy that you have this. As we were saying, you know, as actors, you know, you so rare that we get these jobs that feel like stability and I'm just thrilled that. Oh, thank you. Well, thank you. Little cookie in a bag. Oh, hey.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

It's very.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

How lovely. Thank you so much.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Nice and heavy.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah, right. It's a very heavy cookie.

I love that.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Do you ever think like this is going in here?

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah, I do, I do. So in this Shakespeare in the Park, I'm showing a little skin.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Oh, yeah.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Showing a bit of skin. It's not too much, it's not gratuitous. Like, don't expect any like sex scenes with Lupita Nyong'. O. But like it's. Yeah, I'm showing a little skin. So I actually just got a, a fake tan yesterday. I got a spray tan so I look a little orange. I should have actually led with that. If you were thinking like, God, he.

Looks a little strange.

But I am thinking about this cookie being in my belly with, you know.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

With great enjoyment, I hope.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah, yes, for sure. Anyway, I. What I was going to say, really.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Nice talking to you.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

It's so nice talking to you. And I think thank you for doing this.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

I really appreciate it.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I wish we could have done this in London on your home turf, but thank you for making this happen.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

It's very nice to be here in this sort of semi home turf. It's a French place.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Feels like we're in France, I think.

[Kristin Scott Thomas]

Lovely. Thank you.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Anyway.

This episode of Dinners on Me was recorded at La Meisserie in New York City's Soho. Next week on Dinners On Me, you know her from her groundbreaking late night talk show A Little Late and now from from Doing it, her first feature film which she's starring in, producing and co writing, it's Lilly Singh. We discuss her journey from YouTube sensation to becoming a late night host on a major network at the age of 31, which is still basically a teenager to me. And we get into how much of the cringe in doing it is inspired by her own lived experience. And if you don't want to wait until next week to listen, you can download that episode right now by subscribing to Dinners On Me. Plus, as a subscriber, not only do you get access to new episodes one week early, you'll also be able to listen completely ad free. Just click try free at the top of the Dinners on Me show page on Apple Podcasts to start your free trial today. Dinners On Me is a production of Sony Music Entertainment and a kid named Beckett Productions. It's hosted by me, Jesse Tyler Ferguson. It's executive produced by me and Jonathan Hirsch. Our showrunner is Joanna Clay. Our associate producer is Eliza Metcalfe. Sam Behr engineered this episode, Hansdale. She composed our theme music. Our head of production is Sammy Allison. Alex Schumann assisted in the production of this episode. Special thanks to Tameka Balance Kolasny and Justin Makita. I'm Jesse Tyler Ferguson. Join me next week.