Daniel Mays: Dark Roles, Ben Affleck Cut Scenes & Stephen Graham Playing Cupid
5/12/202644 min
This week on A Night In with Sally Lindsay, Sally chats with acclaimed actor Daniel Mays about a career that’s taken him from Albert Square to Hollywood.
Famous for his roles in Line of Duty, Des, and most recently Believe Me, Danny shares great stories from his early days. He talks about getting his first part in EastEnders and ending up on the huge set of Pearl Harbor, surrounded by Spitfires, megaphones and Ben Affleck’s massive trailer.
He looks back on 'going method' while working with Mike Leigh, his surprising exit from Line of Duty that still hurts, and he explains why Stephen Graham, who he calls “my Cilla Black,” should be thanked for introducing him to his wife.
Danny also talks about the emotional challenges of playing real-life predators and troubled characters, as well as the excitement and imposter syndrome he felt working with screen legends in The Thursday Murder Club. Plus, he discusses his upcoming role in Channel 5’s Play for Today - Wild.
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsSpeaker 00:00
[upbeat music] Acast powers the world's best podcasts. Here's a show that we recommend.
Knox0:07
Do you like being educated on things that entertain but don't matter? Well, then you need to be listening to The Podcast with Knox and Jamie. Every Wednesday, we put together an episode dedicated to delightful idiocy to give your brain a break from all the serious and important stuff.
Jamie0:22
Whether we're deep-diving a classic movie, dissecting the true meanings behind the newest slang, or dunking on our own listeners for their bad takes or cringey stories, we always approach our topics with humor and just a little bit of side eye, and we end every episode with recommendations on all the best new movies, books, TV shows, or music.
Knox0:38
To find out more, just search up The Podcast with Knox and Jamie wherever you listen to podcasts, and prepare to make Wednesday your new favorite day of the week.
Speaker 00:45
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Daniel Mays· Guest0:55
[upbeat music] It was one of the first tweets I ever did, and I posted, "You can't move for BAFTA-nominated actresses on this gig. Congratulations Vicky McClure [laughs] [laughs] and Keeley Hawes." And I was like, "Post, there you go." I didn't work for six months after I come out of drama school. I couldn't get arrested.
Sally Lindsay· Host1:14
The irony.
Daniel Mays· Guest1:14
And then I had an audition for EastEnders.
Sally Lindsay· Host1:17
So how did you get to Pearl Harbor then?
Daniel Mays· Guest1:19
We had a scene with Ben Affleck. It was set in a pub, and I thought, "This is never gonna make it." And lo and behold, it didn't.
Sally Lindsay· Host1:25
It didn't make it.
Daniel Mays· Guest1:26
It ended up on the cutting room floor.
Unknown speaker1:28
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