Dexter Fletcher • Films To Be Buried With with Brett Goldstein #206

Adams Family values. It's so much better than the Adams Family, and it's really good, but they argue about it so much that they forget the purity and original genius of the first Adams Family film. Yeah, that is true, Earnest. Every week I invite a special guest over. I tell them they've died. Then I get them to discuss their life through the films that meant the most of them. Previous guests include Barry Jenkins, Kevin Smith, Sharon Stone, and

even Aid Frambles. But this week it's the incredible writer, actor and director mister Dexter Fletcher. Head over to the Patreon at patreon dot com forward slash Breck Golstein, where you get an extra twenty minutes with Dexter. We laugh a lot we talk about beginnings and endings. There's a secret. There's a video. You get the whole episode, uncut and ad free. Check it out over at patreon dot com. Forward slash Brett Goldstein. So Dexter Fletcher, come on. Dexter

Fletcher is an amazing actor. He's been in our lives for so long now and all the things that you love, from Press Gang to budsy Malone, the Band of Brothers. He's also an insanely good director, having made five Stonecold Classics and now the TV show about the making of The Godfather starring my girl, Juno Temple and Milesteller, which you can stream on Paramount Plus now. It is called The Offer, and it is brilliant. We've never met before. We recorded this on Zoom. Had such a lovely time.

What a lovely man. I think you're really going to enjoy this one. He's fucking brilliant. He is. So that is it for now. I very much hope you enjoy episode two hundred and six of Films to be Buried With. Hello, and welcome to Films to be Buried With. It is I Brett Goldstein and I am joined today by a Press Ganger, a lock Stocker, a baby facer, a wild biller, a sunshine On Lether, an oscar winning bohemian, a Susie Hayter, a rocketman, a hero, a legend, and most of all

now a godfather. Please welcome to the show. It's the brilliant writer, actor, director, all around hero. It's mister text of lecture. Wow, I'm gonna say, do you put it like a huge round of laus after a new show like that? It's just me doing that. That's good, that's brilliant. I'll take that. That's great. Thank you. Hello, Hey, Brett hey Man. Nice to meet you at last. Likewise, Yeah, yeah, absolutely, so good to meet you. I'm a big fan of yours.

I was just watching your The Offer, which you directed, right, it's brilliant and it has my girl Juno Temple in it bringing her life. She really does. Yeah, she does bring the light. She's amazing. Yes, she just walks on like a halogen lamp, don't she just like oh yes, yeah, I watch someone's dazzling like yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yes,

she was amazing. Watch. I watched The Offer which for those of you who I think it's about to come out in England or maybe out who knows, and it's about the making of The Godfather and what I liked about it and what I thought you'll you'd be good for this podcast is it's such a like what it is at minimum is a show made by people who fucking love films. Like it looks like it's so fun.

It looked like it had been really fun to make, and it's so like that magic feeling, you Like, there's just the scene in the first episode of Juno Mars Teller just watching a take of a production going on and they don't want to go back to work, so they just want to watch, like that feeling of being on a set and the real magic of it. I just think it's all in that show. It's all in there, is that you Yeah? I mean, you know too final pointed.

I mean, the thing the beauty about that is is that we had the Paramount Lot and that's where the film was shot. That's where it was made, you know there, and so we did all our pre production and all our prep there. Everything was happening there, and so I kind of had just freedom around and it was just

I just took it anyway. I mean, you know, there's there's golf carts, sit around in the studio and it's the first it's the first thing I've done in America, directed in America, and it really yeah, but I mean, I do I want a Paramount? Was Rocketmount was was Paramount? Yeah, And I've been there, but I got to sort of prep and prepare and be there. So I took golf

carts and just drive around. And there's this incredible back lot there, and there's incredible history there all the stages, and no one stopped me from doing there anywhere I wanted to. It was definitely that that freedom that you know you kind of always want if you when you get on this. But it's one of the oldest lots in la as well, one of the oldest studio lots,

and it's this history. So the more I wandered around, eventually I started taking scenes that were written in offices, that were just people sort of sitting in offices and have a conversation and dragging them out into the studio lot. You know, there's a really great scene with Juno as

well and Andrea who's who's the casting woman. This is on a golf cart and they're just driving through the studio that originally was just written in the two you know, two people sitting in an office chat and I was like, well, it's just crazy. We've got this incredible studio. So and then I got this old golf cart and I drove them around so that we got to see the studio functioning and all that world and to life like that, because how often do you get a chance to see it?

Not often, And so yeah, I just loved being there and just took every opportunity. I mean, I made it as a pain in the arts of production because we had to wait for a Sunday when there was no one else there working and then populated with people's in gladiated outfits and ave man and what you know. But so yeah, there was a lot of that that I was I just sort of ran right with that. I

just took that opportunity. And how much of this is my guess having seen most of your work, and that could be wrong, But like you did Bohemian Rout today, I don't know the full story, but I know you took over. I don't know what happened, you don't want but obviously, well, how late in the process were you brought on on that well, when they were actually shooting. It was about seven or eight weeks in out of

a twelve weeks shoot. Okay, twelve thirteen weeks tune. But also part of the story is it maybe not many people know, is that prior to that, I've been working on the film where it was at a different studio. Was that Sony originally and a couple of years before I was on it, when it was so many with Ben Wishall was going to play Freddie Wow wow, yeah yeah, and we got running, we got sort of we recast and and it was it was Gary. We had a script obviously, and it was it was quite different to

what they ended up making. But but that fell apart because of the vagaries of filmmaking. You know, you could even be in the first week production and suddenly the students so I did not happy about something, and they go, no, we're putting it on ice, and off it goes. And so it didn't actually happen. But I was very familiar with I'd done, I'd met the band, I'd gone and hung out with them and worked with the producers and done a whole load of work prepping it. We were

always getting ready to again. The pre production literally, like I think the first week preproduction, and then so many changed their minds, like because the wind changed direction or whatever, but they so I was. I was sort of well into it anyway, and then went away, and then I went off and started developing and other projects. So when it came back to me, or when it came to me,

I wasn't going to be unfamiliar with it. I was, although it was really different script and as newcast and where the material and the band knew me and they were like, yeah, great, how was it stepping onto set with the custom crew that I've been working together for the name weeks and you're now this new Was everyone welcoming with the tricky first day, like how did you

That's quite hard to do? And I thought it, yeah, it was, but I had to ignore that right to sort of get my head down and get them with it. I mean, I've formused a really quick and solid friendship and relationship with Mammy. He was one of the first people I met, and I knew the producers and I knew the studio, so they were all sort of happy, and Money was very supportive, and I knew what his

concerns were and what to address there. I kind of I've got a list of what I thought the problems were, what was holding everything up and what was really fouling it up for everyone, And so I kind of went in and decided to ignore those problems as it were, or just address them by just being really sort of like blatant and and sort of like big headed and driving it forward, you know, just making sure everyone's there at eight o'clock. Well just came like everyone was starting

at eight o'clock every day. That's what we're going to do. And then and it sort of just it sort of shocked everyone in like, Okay, this guy comes in and his kind of full of energy and determination. I sort of attacked it like that, and and there was a lot of love for the projects on there. They all those people are really invested in it and they wanted to be great. And you know, it's not just a job, as you know, you know, you know, making any projects,

you've got to invest so much of yourself. So I'm kind of exploited that, do you know what I mean? The best way Yeah, yeah, yeah, And just drove forward and night, and I was really excited to be there as well, because I was prepping Rocket Man as well. At the time, and it was all the same period the subject matter. So I was right in the middle of prep for rocket Man, right, it will because it feels like rocket Man is like because Mabe Ratty, which

I love, is quite straightforward telling of yeah a story. Yeah, and then you made rocket Man, which is another music public but rocket Man is fucking like you're going fuck it. Rocket Man is so insane and inventive and and creative. And you know when when I love when Stephen mcinto I started singing and it's so brilliant. It's just like this, yes, this is a whole different. And I wondered how much of that was in relation to but he going, I want to do that completely different, or if it was

always that way. Well, it was always that. It wasn't really reaction to being in rapsodly. I mean, it was interesting obviously because there was a part was like, what what are they doing? Because obviously, you know you you don't want to repeat what they're doing. You don't want to I mean, I mean, their numbers were so amazing when the film came out, it was shit. He wouldn't

repeating the yeah, yeah, yeah, right. No. There was always a very imaginative, let's say, or fantastical kind of Taketon's story. And he was quite sort of adamant of about that in the first draft, and the script that I got rocket Man was had certainly had touches of that that I then, you know, embellished and elaborated on and said they could fly here and whatever and or Steve mackintus should sing. But but it was always and I think that that was that was always a very deliberate choice

in the outset. It was. It's more it was more kind of in keeping with sort of Elton's persona as well. You know, Now I've always loved this tagline a true fantacy, which I which I really loved that was that was sort of like the touchstone for the approach and sort of the world that we were in. You know, it's true fanacy. You know, when when we entered the world with this man's imagination or his retailing his own story, it's full of this fancy, which is really kind of

exciting place to be. Where as you say, being in rapid he was there was this guy and he came from nowhere and he got to the top and Bryce, Yeah, you know, I've got so many questions for you, but at some point we're gonna to talk about the films. But what one thing I'm also interested. You're a very very good actor. You're also a very good filmmaker, and you clearly love love, love, I'm very passionate about films. And then I saw you in like I Hate Susie,

where you didn't you were so good. It's such a good act it's such a good performance. And I wondered, I wondered what it Unless I'm wrong, it seems to me your main thing you want to do is make films. So acting now is that? I guess it's a thing you do occasionally. And some of my questions like what makes you do an acting job now? Like way when I see you and stuff? Oh yeah, I wouldn't do that if someone asks me, really, I mean, you don't

really ask me very often anymore. I mean, I I've got a scene in Dungeons and Dragons as well that I would have did. But you know, I don't know. I don't know if you find this because when you're when you're the acting side of the line, there's a world, in a space that you inhabit as an actor that that is, it's very exposed, and you know there's a lot of that comes with it. As an actor, you know you do have to navigate and but your your your your attention to detail and focus on on one aspect,

your character really is is all consuming. And and you know you're in that company of other actors who are all processing the same diet to be good and create something truthful, and and and and everyone's process is different

and kind of complicated already simplified or whatever. But there's a it's it's a really kind of extraordinary landscape in terms of our people when I started directing anyway, And I don't know if you find this, you know with you know when you're the other side of line, that there's some of the big things going on at all, the the the anxiety that's attached to being an actor, that your state you can, oh, mate, you really don't need to worry. You're really that you're do you know

what I mean? You could say that actually honestly, you're really you're good. It's good, honestly what you're you or great? It is good. Relax because you really should enjoy it. You're told what to wear, where to turn up, what to say. There's going to be music on top of it that's going to make everyone cry. You don't have to do anything exactly. Yeah, yeah, really really enjoy it and that so there's a part of me that kind of goes, fuck, I spent that he is worrying too much.

And fear and nerves are the things that are getting your own way, that stopped being that that free that you need you or want to be as an act because you know when you're in, you know when you don't. And and so when acting opportunities come along, I'm like, yeah, I'll do that. Great, what fantastic workouts like yeah, great, And you just get to it and you get to see other acts being great as well. And I and I love love that. I do love that. I can't.

I can't. You know, it's like we just touched on Juno when first it's like she just brings this light and energy and fun. She got that you know he's there, and that's why she's so brilliant to watch because you're safe in her hand. She's having a great time. She could move you sheever way she wants you to go. And she's a really good example of that. And and so when someone says, do you want to come and you know, jump around the hotel. We've been a hiper and be a drug add on watch that actor like

this is great. That's a proper day out. Yeah, that's a proper day out right, love to do, you know? And so yeah, but but again people don't ask me very much anymore because I was always directed if you listen to this, that is available for a proper day exactly, for a proper day out. I'm definitely up for it. Affect her. I've forgotten to taste having. Yeah, I should have told you in the beginning, and I made a note. I made a note of it, and then I missed it.

But you've you've died. You're dead, You're dead? Oh yeah, yeah, how did you die? You want to say? With no socks Ontagram by adoring. I didn't know. That's that's that's the beautiful. I don't know how I died. And that's what's really fantastic. It's happened. It was a real shot. No one there was a shot. No, no, I mean people beyond me now that I've woken up dead and I how did that happen? So so it was quick painless and and there wasn't a great deal of terror involved.

It was Should I tell you what happened? Because I do that on the jet engine fell out of this guy where you were asleep, and went came through your roof and crusty to death is today? Yeah? That that carriage? That that makes sense. Do you worry about death? Yeah? Sure? Yeah. I don't relish, you know, I don't relish the end of the vast expense of nothingness. But do you think that's this? You think that's it? You think it's that's expensive nothingness after it? Yeah? I think I do. I

mean I do. I mean, you know, I want to you know, I believe, you know, there's a certain amount of residual echoes maybe of you somewhere, and you know, maybe our our profession gives us a more tangible version of that. But yeah, I mean, you know, it's it's such a complex and incredible thing at the earth and universe and the world and and and you're not here for a long long time, and then you're here for a bit of time, a very small amount, and then

you're not again. It seems to me that kind of does carry and make some sort of sense in a way you know that you know that's what it is, and so yeah, you know, and then if you're lucky, you're happy, at some points along the way you've got to be questioning it. And that's the supposed part of the human condition is like we are acutely aware that that is, whether you like it or not. What what

the what the end result is it is? So that's I'd be alive to be like, no, I haven't just for life happily and not a get in the world. And and I really, oh, yes, I suppose about that. You're telling me there's an end. Yeah really, yeah, I think that. Yeah, I did keep thinking that. It is weird. We don't talk about it enough. We all know we're going to die. We're all in denied about it. But equally, yeah,

I do. I do think he wouldn't want to live forever because everything would become meaningless, right if you if you were a vampire, or you would get bored, I think because you'd have Yeah, yeah, I mean, yeah exactly. I mean it's interesting thing to explore in your mind. And yeah, yeah, I don't know if it's the automa in kind of of self obsession. I think what I should I should live forever. Yeah, yeah, yeah I could do that. I could you handle that well? Everyone? Because

also everyone else would die. I mean it would be awful. You'd just be watching everything everything decay. Yeah yeah, just be set on a rock, just going on. I regret that decision when they say hell is other people, but I think the point where you'd be like wow, missing now living forever thing is yeah, there is a heaven. There is a heaven. Well, you're echoing around the earth for your work. You're in heaven and everyone's excited to see.

And it's filled with your favorite thing. What's your favorite thing? Wow, that's that's hard. I suppose films would be on the list. All right, it's my favorite thing. Actually is my wife. Okay, here's what heaven is. A shadow that might have is a million clans of your wife. It's too late, you made your choice. It's a million vasures of your wife. The furniture looks like your wife. The wolves is made

of your wife. Your wife is there in a million iterations, and she's delighted to see they all are, and she wants to know about your life, even though she knows quite a bit. But nonetheless she wants to know about your life through film. And the first thing your wife and your million wives made by the same woman want to know is what's the first film you remember seeing?

Text to Fletcher, this is hard, it's tricky. I think my mom took us to see two thousand and one A Space honest, when I was really young, because she wanted, Yeah, she wanted to go see it. Yeah, that's I do. I do remember being in the cinema ending really my big impact with the with the baby in space and yeah, the big ending of that and how and the monkeys as well, you know, the caveman rather at the beginning. I just I have a recollection of that, being in

a big darks and when it was quite empty. I think my mum was My mum's a big science fiction fan, and so I think that's one one of the earliest memories. And then there's another film called Sinatra film called Love is the Tender Trap. I remember watching on telling, a black and white telling with my dad and there was Sinatra was singing the opening number and my dad was singing along to that because it was a big Sinatra fan. Wow, So I remember that. But but the big I remember

watching over and over time. What was Singing in the Rain was a biggin of my house. My favorite film was very big. Yeah yeah, I mean, you know, it's it's hard for it not to be. It's it's so phenomenal, but I think music, Yeah yeah, yeah, I mean it's it's so brilliant. But it's also about the film industry as well, which is fantastic about it. You know, it's

like dignity, always dignity. Like it's like if you can't say that would have smile on your face and understand that it's about the complete opposite of that, you know, because there's that brilliant opening montage with no dignity, always exactly you know, getting smash airplanes and motorbikes, and that's what What is the film that's scared? You like being scared? I don't, to be honest, and I'm not sure why. I'm not a big horror fan. I don't like gory stuff.

I remember, I mean, if you ask me about the first one, I remember being quite friend of the Omen, the Omen film, you know, with the nanny haying herself and just for you, Damon and aller that. Remember that? And The Exorcist. I remember those films scaring me, and because I suppose because I was young as well when they were the kids in them. Yeah, you know, you know somehow connected to that. It's a tweey one actually,

because I don't tend to watch him. I mean, I watched Stranger Things the other day and that scared me. I was like, oh God, but I'm easily. I'm very you know, I'm very susceptible to It's just I'm sensitive. I am. I am said, Oh please don't. I don't. I don't really like roller coasters like that. Yeah, I suppose, so I suppose. So yeah, what about crying? How are you were crying? It's funny. That was a hard one

because I don't remember really crying at anything. I cried like a baby at Warhols, but that was when I saw it in the theater, and I'd not I cried for years. I don't know nothing that's penetrated the stuff exterory of mine. I had nothing to cry about. No, that's not true. But that made me blub And then when I wanted to sawt the cinema, I was already keen to down to see it in the theater when it came out it's Billbourne's version of it, and it

had the same impact on me. Then for some reason that I think it's just sort of taxed into some kind of empathy for for an animal that had absolutely no control or choice in this terrific kind of life that was dragged into. And then that then that sort of love that that young man had for it, and anyway, that just sort of somehow opened up. And I don't know if you know, I was trying. I was trying to analyze it and think about it like you do.

And I didn't really have announce I suppose, but but yeah, somehow that that and I don't have any dogs or cats or anything like that had not a great animal person a few cactuses. But do you like Sunshine un Leave has moving stuff? Do you ever Yeah, have you ever cried editing a film yourself? Like? Do you move yourself together? So good? One of my country? No, I've got to say, though, good acting does though. I mean,

you know Pete Mullen for example, in Sancho Relief. I remember when I was editing there was a thing that I was unaware of that happened on the set that he that he did that you find in the edit that you you know, when you're going through assembling things and people was calling responses. It were, you know, people's reaction to other actors or other characters and just taking a little bit of music that it was his little bit of signature music and putting it under certain look

that he gives and it just didn't transformed it. And you definitely get the fields. You definitely get months and whether that's because you're so invested in it and you want that to be what it is, or you managed to see so much that you're then detached hopefully enough to go is this working as an emotional beat and is hitting the right But but Malon for me, he just disappointed where he looks at his daughter in the hospital.

She's there and he's and he's surprised to see her and he's just super happy, and it's just but that was the power of his actors. He's a phenomenal and he is so good. And so there's things like that that happened which are really satisfying, because you don't know if that's going to carry you don't you don't know if it's just like wishful thinking or the desire for it to be that, but that certainly is a real

treasured and great moment that you know. It's like when he when he came into the booth to sing his song Oh Jean, which he sings at Akayley his twenty fifth Women Anniversary, so all the actors have to come into the studio and sing their song, you know, and he came in and he had his then girlfriend with his own wife, I'm with him, and he just went in the booth and she stood in the control room and he sung it once and he just looked at her the whole time when he sang it to the

glass and she just had tears and running down her face and he just was he was just warm and open and smiling at her and just sunny, just grounded or gene or Gene. Oh, he just sort of like ground his way from his dog and it like Tom waits us and she just in a tear rolled out and it was beauty. Was like one take. I was like, great, that's what we need, that's that's what we're doing. It was so good and and so and so it's sort

of imbibed with that that emotion for me. Anyway. Yeah, they were plays play place, what what what's the film that you love? Most people don't like it's not critically acclaimed, but you're like, fuck you are this is the way Ah, that's the My god. I don't know it's critically acclaimed though, because Paddington two is pretty fucking good. It's delivers it's incredible. It's not meant for me. It's incredible. It's not meant for me, I don't think. I don't know if it

meant the world. It's meant for the world. It's a gift, yeah, because Grant is just having the time of his life. But I don't know if you could put it in he's so good. I don't know if you could put it in that category, Like no, no, that's that's a guilty pleasure. That's what it is. Listen, if the queen's watching Paddington, we're all all right, yeah, yeah, exactly exactly. What about Jem Kelly, Yeah, there you go, living Newton John. That's like a great trap as well as like a

worm in your brain. Now you're too a kid. I get there because I'm old school old. I remember it came out. Wow, this is rummish note, it's glorious. It's that's a perfect gene. Kenny's last films, you know, yeah, jeans movies, man, I think if not his last, I don't have to google that. I wonder if it's his last film. Was it like seventy six or something like that. You must be with seventy six, seventy seven, let me

have I'm going to do that for you. It was We have Got Time for Such seventy nine, Got Such Rabbit Holes ninety eight? Yeah, okay, wow, yeah, yeah, it must have been one of his last films. Love him well, I love him, love him. Yeah. It's always uh fair Weather. It's always fair Weather. It's a great film. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's always fair Weather. They're they're savors again, that's what sonachi. Yeah, it's the one with its father. It's got because friends. Yeah,

they're old friends. And then they finish. Yeah, and then just one day they see each other twenty years later, tennies Eater and they're all different and it's great. I'm thinking of ankers Away okay, yeah, yeah, yeah. What is the film you used to love but you've watched it recently and you thought, oh, this does not hold up for me. For whatever? Isn't it maybe just personal might not be the film's bad, but your feelings are different.

That is tricky again. I mean I wrote, you know when I wrote a flip banswer, which is like carry any carry on film, you know that that you know at the time when you watched it in if it's time, it was like it was a great You'd sit with your family and you'd laugh at you Nan and Kenneth Williams and you know, Poultry and all these guys. But then if you just go back and look at now, oh man, you know, I remember going to see the

Rising Damp movie. When I was at the cinema. There was a rising, you know, because that was what the British cinema used to do. If if if a sitcoms doing well, they'd make a film of it and you'd go see it. Robin's Nest, Rising Damp, all the carry on stuff. Why the ones were there, blessed this house, I'm sure they were. They all got a stepped on Sunrise step on. One of the first films I was in was stepped on some film. Yeah, We're dining of doors. Wow,

that's when I'm sixty years old. That was yeah, Tyne the Doors. Yeah, that was the first job I did. I was like one of the kids. Yeah yeah, the doors stepped on some rides again. It's the one about he's got a blind greyhound, put glasses on it and it suddenly starts when you I mean, but that for me stands up when I watched Genius. But the Caravan feels like But you can't help but love those things

because they're part of our collective history. You know, yes, you know what I mean, And but they're just so of the time. I suppose you could put them in it it's own little little but they are obviously you know, they're obviously what i'd be problematic, but but they're also really good. They are so wild watching what yeah yeah he did he just grow a monster for a finger of another monster. I remember. That is such a natty idea, you know, carry on screaming and carry on the seas

they touched and everything they did it all. If you watch it, you watched them as the kids, didn't you it was not out yet great. All the jokes went over our heads, didn't really get pulled. The innuendo they used to have like a when I was a little there was like a compilation show that was one like carry on laughing, and it was just yeah, yeah, together, yeah, yeah, because I don't know what else. It doesn't stand up. It's tricky because you're gonna piss someone off. Yeah, you

don't have to. Yeah, I'm wanna. I I'm gonna. I'm gonna stick with that for my answer. Okay, here's what is the film that means the most to you. Not necessarily the film itself is good, but the experience you had seeing the film will always make it special. There's a film called Underground by a mere Costa Rizza, which winner yes, yes, frantastic. And there's another film is actually

called Black Cat, Whitecat, which I really loved. I really love both of these films because it was around the time I was getting with my wife, Arlia, who was Lithuanian, and she spent time time to theater director. We were working together in the theater she was directing and I was in it. Over twenty five years ago, and I was at a particular place in my life where I sort of had certainly given up on any any sort

of serious pursuit of my acting career. I was convinced that I was, you know, I was washed up at twenty seven or whatever, and and and and anyway, I ended up doing this this theater piece, The Old Red Lion, with Dahlia and she came from the old Russian school of directing, and it was an incredibly newer, exciting person

in my life. That said. Oh, I went and spent some time on the set of a Mere Costa Rica's film Underground and it came out and I had not really spent any time watching foreign films, you know, or I had no idea who he was or and so we went and saw it and it just it was just so beautiful and brilliant and involving, and that I think that might have moved me. It's about go underground during the war and then come up forty years later,

and I think it's saying more. It's a brilliant film, and it's beautiful and lyrical and poetic and visually stunning, and I was like, oh, wow film. And so she kind of was a big part in unlocking or, you know, my kind of adult world, you know, because when I was sort of trapped to my child world, you know what I mean, I had so much success as a

kid from six onwards. Yeah, yeah, that I didn't exactly and that becomes sort of debilitating, that that early success becomes the thing that I kind of got locked in and she and so that opened me up to the world of like, study, look at things. There's stuff to look at, don't just not don't just sit around waiting for him to happen. And that it was a huge turning point for me. But and that was a great film. But there's a film called Black Cat, Whitecat that he

made that I just absolutely love. Was about this gipsy kid and this girl, and you know, it's a very simple film, but it's beautiful. And so those films are very special to me. That's a really really good answer, and you're going to get ten points for it, Okay, story, all right, go to see Black Cat, Whitecat. It's brilliant. I think you really I think you really love it. It's okay, it's funny, and there's this great great gangsters in it who are just ridiculous but brilliant and very threatening.

I'm very funny, but they're scary, these these That's what What is the film that you must relate to? I suppose Singing in the Rain would be a good answer to that. It's a strange kind of way I see that that dignity always dignity things because it's fun in it. But you know, you've got to be able to know that it's ridiculous and kind of but it does at the same time, it's it brings so much for so many you know, but but that's not what the important thing is. Important thing is how you enjoy it. And

and just there's a there's a real thing. And and I honestly thought this in your I hate Susan because I haven't seen you act for a while and you're you know, it's just one episode right off, I hate say yeah, yeah yeah. And it's the same as comes across in Rocketman, the same that comes across in in all your work and in the offer, even just seeing the offer, is that it is full of joy, like there is a real life and love in all the stuff you do, including you as a person. That's really

good things. Yeah, yeah, I do. I mean I maybe it is that part of me, you know you that was as a kid, that was the place where I go where you know, to Anashurs, which is you know, just the drama club at Islings and fifty years ago that everything was allowed, all the things that you weren't really supposed to be doing running around, climbing, shout in pretending whatever it was all the things that that were in the real world, like sit down, shut up, don't

do that. There's not the time. This was the time and place for that, and so and there's there's a kind of freedom and funding that. And so I suppose the set or the world still allows me to connect to that feeling. And so I do. I fucking love it. But I'm sure you're the same. You know, you can't say with it that's doesn't have that feeling as well. It's the part of the its there's key to its

success as well, that there's that absolute joy. Yeah, you can tell where every fucking like you say you're loving it, and it's like that, that's but you've created this character, you've created this world, you've created these people, these stories that oh, yeah, that'll bring a lot of job. But aside from that, you're loving it. You're having a good hold. You guys look like you're and that's real. That's not lost on us. It's not like, oh, you went to work.

It's like the best fucking time of my life, right, that's if that's lost on you. Then you're not. You're not the best time of your life. You're but it seems like you you you seem to have been working since you were six, in whatever capacity, and you don't appear to have become jaded or you've It's very clear. And the brief time I with you and when I spoke with you on the phone is like, yeah, I was like, oh, here's a guy who fucking appreciates it.

You're not taking any of it for granted. It doesn't seem it's not like no, no, no, no, no. I mean, do you you know better than that? You can't. But I know people I know, I know jade, people who right, yeah, I've seen yeah, yeah, I've seen that and I and I never got that, I never I mean yeah, it's like we all are are looking for a way to be happy. You know, being happy is not a given, you know, that's always the everyone wants that. That's what

this seems like. The internal fucking struggle living in a society is about how am I happy? But I do. I remember being in the theater when I was a kid and there were some old actors there and oh god, this fucking play. Oh god, you know more Henry the Fourth. I was like, it's like three hours a night. That's a top three hours a night, and I've been doing it for six months. So yeah, some people work in the fucking chicken factory for sixty years and doing the

same every day, and like we're complaining. I don't get it. I'm gonna go and climb in the fly rieg and see what's up there, and you know, I just fuck off or go and explore, you know, backstage or something then because you could. And who doesn't want to see behind the curtain? Well, you know it's like you say, I work in films and said, oh great, you want to come and visit the set? Yeah, everyone, I'm gonna get there, and they brought out of their mind. Everyone

wants to see. Yeah nothing, you will see nothing happening for a very long time. But you do the same thing over and over again. Yeah, yeah, that's right. Didn't you didn't you just do this bit? Yeah, we'll do it again, speaking it happy? What is the sexiest thing

we've ever seen? And may before you answer, may I confess that it occurred to me yesterday when thinking I was doing this with you, that you might be in one of my answers to this question, which is the Rachel interesting which was incredibly formative for me and I think one of the same. Well, yeah, I don't remember not feeling very sexy when we did it. I mean, she was very beautiful and it still is as far

as I understand, But there was. There's a film called If with Lindsay Anderson's idio We've wrappened without Yeah, I actually strange answer, but there's a bit we meet this girl and they go ride and try and motor bikes around and she rides to this on the top of this motorbike and I remember that being on first like, oh, hello, that's fun, sexy, that was cool as hell. I remember that was what if You're one of the first times, Yeah,

films can be sex. That was that was really sexy and I found that really and the Witches of Eastwick as well. I yeah, well John Candy in stripes wrestling with those girls in the mud. Have you ever seen that? Yeah? Yeah, yeah, yeah, Wow, that's fun. The list comes on, ye, Rachel. Rachel papers is also all the all the sexy stuff. It's very uh, it's quite if I may say, it's sort of quite lovely.

It's quite lovely stuff. Yeah, it's really for a long time, it's quite lovely scenes of love making in it, like it's not it's yeah, it's great. It was very It's the first love scenes I've done, and it was very uncomfortable, and I felt I really felt for I only because it wasn't like the days of clothes sets particularly and R and it just it wasn't so bad for me. But she was eighteen, you know, and yeah, and I mean I was only twenty two. It wasn't like you

were older than her. Yeah, just a couple of years not I mean you know, yeah, yeah, but the story or younger or grown up bibles yeah, yeah, oh yes, yes, yeah, yeah, but she was only eighteen. But I do remember feeling for because obviously between sets and stuff, I'm just laying there in bed and yeah, it was just kind of awkward and and I don't know, so whenever I watch it, that's what I remember. I remember. Yeah, it's not I don't have the I'm not removed enough from it too.

I haven't seen it for a long time. Maybe I watch it go, oh my god, that's lovely. Yeah, well god, I didn't know she was eighteen that makes that sort of makes it feel a bit different. Yeah. Yeah, but you were probably that age when you watched it. Yeah, well there you go. Yeah yeah, so that's all right. Yeah, it's all all right. Bounces out. So what's about? There's a subcategory traveling is worrying? Why dones a film you found a rousing you weren't sure you should e the

Rachel papers. Yeah, I don't know. I could not answer this one. I've got that one because isn't everything permissible? It is? It is if you if you're very comfortable with everything, then that's a great if you have no no shameful bonus. Yeah, no, I don't remember. I don't. Yeah, I don't have one that I'm like because all these things I wrote downs, like Weird Science, Kathleen Turner and The Man with Two Brains. Yeah, you know, just these

incredible women that stand Michelle fire for and scarface. But it's like that's all good. Yeah, okay. One is objectively the greatest film of all type. It might not be your favorite, but it's the pinnacle of cinema. So hard man. I mean, I want to say Singing in the Rain and it's your it's yours as well. Probably no, you can, you can, you can, but that that is so personal as well. I also want to say Godfather too, but that feels like a really obvious answer, but maybe it's

the answer I should give as ultimately I'm here. Yeah, let people know that the offer of about the making us a good father available to stream compared. But it's yes, exactly, I know. I know. That's why I thought I'd get away with a little bit more of a exactly. I mean, look too is fantastic because I just think it's so the scale of it is so good, and we're in two different timelines and that's good. But you know, it's like anyone, you know, anyone says what's your favorite film?

It's different on Monday from what it is on Friday. Yeah, so I would never do this podcast. It's insane that you can I do it and ask you these questions. Right, you're dead, dead. We could talk about the death stuff, but I don't. Such a brain out through your eyeball. It was playful and long and protracted, and then it inhabited your body like a parasite for many months and made you go around and everyone everyone you love. I've

just invented the most horrible death for you. So then by the time I actually died, once the alia left me, everyone was like, good, I'm glad he was dead. He was so rude, they complete asshole, like it's like six months when he was just a complete brick was quick and painless, bombs asleep. What happened? Brilliant mind, that's a pretty good death day. Okay, you're can have gune fun but okay, yeah, God, I thought I just turned happen

and that made me scared. What is the film that you could or have watched the most over and over again? Well again, we're coming back to the perennial Singing in the Rain. I have watched the incredible amount of times and Scarfaces another one that I've watched, the hell of a lot. Scarfaces, I've gone, I've gone, I've gone back to him. If it's on, I can stop them and whatever I'm doing and watch that very happily. It's one of them rare, amazing. Yeah, it's a rare three hour

film that genuinely doesn't feel three hours. It never is boring, it it races along, it's it's always surprises me how long that film is for how it feels and that is you know. Yeah. Another thing like that for me is The Color of Money. Yeah, because I love Newman in it. I just and I love that journey he goes on when he says at the end, I'm back bang, you know, And I just fucking I love that feeling that he gives me. I love that. And Cruise is

just fucking brilliant in it. It's like it's that part for him at that point in his career. Who is It's like and Mary Elizabeth as well. Again it's just all just such powerful performances and and how it's a beautifully shot. So I mean, but that again, it's that list is powerful. I'd happily watched The Incredibles over and over again as well. That's great, That's very great. Now, you don't want to be negative. I don't want to be negative, but we'll do it quickly. What's the worst film?

You know? Back in nineteen seventy seven, when I was eleven years old, there was a half turn and me and my mates when I used to go wood Green in mate Ernie mccoon and my other mate film Synder, and we'd go to wood Green Odion and we found that the fire exit was open with bunk so we spent bunking in to see The Amazing Spider Man nineteen

seventy seven. Wow right TV, Yes, by a man And there was a film of that, Yeah, and it was on They put it on at half time because obviously when all the kids goes, yeah and we've got bunked in and go and see him. It must have seen about six seven, eight nine times. I think I was like, I can't watch this film any because we just loved the fact that we bunked into the cinema. That was like that made us cool in our eyes at eleven years old. But the film's so bad. And I even

watched the trailer for it yesterday. If you can find it, I recommend it. And then I watched the trailer for it. Yes, I was like, oh shit, the doing these stunts for real? I mean, guys are swinging from tall buildings. They can't do it like we do it. Now. There's a fucking stunt man on a rope. Yes, we were very loose, very loose. He's really skinny as well. He's like and he never takes the mask off. You never see his face. Actually, this may bee genius, so respectively but I remember the

time I hate this film. You know, you eat too many marshmallows. You're going to eating marshmallows. But this Amazing Spider Man. So I wasn't going to say the Amazing Spider Man and Piole what But it's the nineteen seventy seven Yeah, much like version which you've talked to yourself in to be the greatest film of all. Take what really? I watch these guys were doing it. What you be interested to know what other people come up with him that anyway? But oh tell me this what what is

the funniest what's the film made you laughter? Maxt Maybe not the funniest. I'll tell you what makes me laughs. His semi bro Will Farrell owns a basketball team in seventies. It's very funny. That's that's for me. I don't know why. It just makes me laugh. And he has this song that he's made up called Lovely Sexy, which is like this funk song. And he made a bit of money

and he buys a basketball team. It's like Setting Detroit or something, Unite and seventy and he is just his standard you know, Romberg, he kind of but he has like a big curly effort throwing it and in his basketball and he does. He keeps all his ridiculous publicity stunts too to keep it going. It's just just make me how we laugh. It was very funny. It's probably not the greatest dance. No, you can absolutely have it.

It's not come up before. Dexter Fletcher, you have been beyond a joy and I knew you'd be great, and I found this absolutely delightful. However, when you went through a time portal and you went to bed to have a nice sleep, and while you were asleep, a jet engine fell out of the sky, fell through your roof and killed you instantly. I was walking, I was walking by with a coffin, you know what. I'm like, it's

just strolling around. Yeah, and I see this jet edges crushed this house and your family there, and they're all wondering around. Everyone's fine, but they're like what Dexter, And I said, I think he's actually under the old jet engine. And so we all roll the jet engine out the way and there's this echo of your echo echo, Dexter. To go around anyway, you're flat as a fucking pancake. I have to get an industrial digger. I have to break up the concrete bits of metal. It's a fucking mess. Anyway,

I pile all the bits into a coffin. It's all right, mate, it's my pleasure. Anyway. I fill the coffin, but it's it's full. It's absolutely rammed. There's very little room in this coffin. Other than there's enough room that I can slip one DVD into the side for you to take across to the other side. And on the other side, it's movie nighte every night. What film are you taking to say? Your two million versions of your Wife in

the heaven and it's your movie. Note, Dexter, flect, I'm taking Singing in the Rain, That's what I'm taking, I answer. That's why I have to stick with my My Mother is one of the great joyous films of all time. Got to Dance, it's it's it's going to deliver every time, Dexter. Other than the offer, which is excellent and on paramount plus, is there anything we should be listening to looking out

for a watching of you to come? I haven't seen in Dungeons and Dragons, where I play a diminutive man, I've not seen it play a small Man, but no, I just I just finishooting the Ghosted with with Chris Evans and Arms, which I'm editing that would be out at some point next year. Amazing. I've got high hopes so that it's a lot of fun again. It is fun and they're wonderful together. But my guest, the Prince in ted Lesson, watch out for that. Yeah. Thanks to

what a fucking enjoy. Thank you so much for your I knew it would be when we spoke on the phone. I was like, I love this guy, I love you, I love you. So that was episode two hundred and six. Head over to Patreon at patreon dot com. Forward Slasprett Goldstein for the extra twenty minutes of chat, secrets and video with Dexter. Go to Apple Podcasts, give us a five star rating and write about the film that means the most to you and why that is a lovely thing to read. Marian loves it. I love it too.

Thank you very much, Thank you all for listening. Thank you to Dexter for giving us his time stream his showed the offer on Paramount Plus. Thanks to Scrubis piping the Distraction Pieces Network. Thanks to Buddy Peace for producing it. Thanks to a Cars for hosting it, thanks to Adam Richardson for the graphics and least Aliden for the photography. Come join me next week for another cracking guest on here. I hope you're all well. So that is it for now.

In the meantime, have a lovely week and please be excellent to each other. Up back was as contact. That was as back was back