took Andrew Garfield & Florence Pugh on a date | ON THE MENU

Okay guys, I'm with Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield. Hello. Congratulations on the film. So I'm a chef, like I told you guys before. I use a lot of dates in my cooking. I've set up a little date for us here. And I also brought you guys some dates. In my opinion, the best. Wait, actual dates? Actual dates from my favorite part of California. No way, I thought you were saying, did they actually do dates? And I was like, yeah, they did date, but this is actual dates. Actual dates, my favorite part. And I also brought some, I don't know where your blood sugar is at right now, but this is for us to snack on right now. They're like really beautiful dates. And the ones that will never let you down. Thoughts? No, so get my pun. I did. No, you did, okay. I got it. It just wasn't that good. Yeah, I agree, it wasn't that good. No, no, no. Is that okay? Yeah, yeah. Can I try one? No, they're for you to eat. I'm gonna chill. I'm gonna chill for a minute. Okay, you can chill. I'll let you know. But I also have questions for you guys, but I've set them up kind of like a menu. So we have some appetizer questions. A little light. A little snackish. So then we've got entrees. Make me feel secure. I'm glad to make you feel secure. Aren't they so good? Entree questions. Get a little deep into it for me. Get into it. And then, no, don't be sorry. And then dessert. A little light and sweet. Hell yeah. To end the day. And then it will be your favorite date of the day. I know you've had many today. You seem, you're threatening us. I know. I mean, I'm threatening you with the dates. Okay, so I just want to start by saying congratulations on the film. It was beautiful and just so real and raw. And your performances were unlike anything that I've seen. I want to start with your first appetizer question, which is, when you're on set and you're working, do you have a must-have that you're walking up to set you cannot do a day without? I can't start my day without a Yorkshire Gold cup of tea with her milk. I drink it. It's great. I have a big mug of it. Yeah. I sit in hair and makeup. I have my sides. I go through my sides, in hair and makeup, finish my tea. And then after my tea, I'm nearly, everything's nearly woken up. I'm ready to go. Just plain? I don't. I'm not a big eater in the morning. Okay. Because usually it's probably like 5 a.m. Yeah. It's early. So I just need my tea. And my tea makes me really happy. I, similar, not dissimilar. I, every morning is a granola, kefir, raspberry, blueberry thing. I know. Health guy. 41, baby. Shit changes. And then oatmeal latte with some honey. And then headphones. I need music. Perfect for my day. Throughout my day. Especially in the morning when, if it's like a hard scene or a scene where I need to be focused and I can't, I love chatting in the morning, but sometimes I just feel too responsible to the scene. So I hide my headphones in. And like, even if I'm not listening to anything, it's just like an indicator to people that I'm just trying to get into a zone. Sure. Especially when you sound like it's to be in hair and makeup. Yeah. There was not many times where I didn't have my headphones on. Yeah. We didn't chat a lot. I know. We didn't. I actually don't really remember you with headphones on and hair and makeup. I think on this film I didn't really do it that often because we were catching up every morning and that was part of it. Chit chat. So actually like a must have for this film was morning chit chat with Flo Pugh. That's cute. That's true. So. I'm going to use that. You got us a little bit of a loopy part. I love. No, no. This is good. This is why I brought you here. I'm just playing out. Good for watching. Okay. So Florence, you play a chef in the movie. And in the film your character is asked to participate in a competition. So I'm curious. Are you guys competitive at all about anything? And if so, what about? I own myself. I love anything. You don't like losing. I'm a good loser. I don't like losing. I'm a very sportsmanlike loser. I don't like losing. That's true. There's a distinction. Sure. I love losing. I'm insane. I'm literally like this is going to be your best day. I can't lose on this one. I appreciate that. Thank you. I really appreciate that. You know what? The moment I feel like someone's taking it a bit too seriously, I'm kind of like have it. Have it. No, have it. Have it. It doesn't mean so much to me to win. And even sometimes I'll then like, I wonder what that is. It must be to do with like, oh, if I don't try and fail and it doesn't feel as bad. So then I'm like, it's all right. I don't need to win. I'll let you just now just kind of be casual. Like a self-protection thing. Yeah, later. It's okay. That sucks to lose. On the food front, is there a memorable dish that you've had recently that comes to mind? I had a birthday recently with some friends at my favorite restaurant in London called Sabor. Oh. Yeah, Sabor. It's an amazing chef. Female chef. He also does maraschino. And it's beautiful Spanish food. So that, there was a suckling pig we had, which was kind of incredible. It was a birthday, so we went a little bit all out. But it was, that was a special. Nice. Yeah, birthday meals are really special. Nice. I had a really great meal. I was turkey recently. Beautiful. And we had just a really lovely like flatbread with this really thin minced meat. It was kind of like a Turkish makgeolli, but it was like a Turkish pizza. Yes. It was really, really thin. Sure. And it was so delicious. Are you guys ready for your entrees? Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I feel like the amuse-bouche. Okay, so let me ask. Do you have dates even bigger than that? If you like really dig, then you'll find out. Andrew, you've said often that you really need to feel called to do a project, so I'm interested for both of you, what was it that really stuck out to you about this script when you read it for the first time? And Florence, I know the timing too worked out perfectly, so that you could join when that wasn't initially the case. Yeah, this was really interesting. I really wasn't looking to work. I was taking some time just to relax and rest and be a human being and become a cobbler. I don't know. I was just doing private work. Have you made any issues? No, no. I'm not good enough to be a senior. I know. I've just been doing my own thing and just being quiet and private and reconnecting with my... I think it's so tempting for us to just kind of... We love working so much, and we're such a privilege to do what we do, but I think sometimes we have to pump bodies. My body definitely tells me, you've got to relax for a second. And I was processing a lot of my own loss, my mother and life and everything, just lots of things. And I was like, unless I feel really called to do something that feels really right... Because usually when I go and see a play that I'm not in, and it's great, and the actors are doing incredible work on stage, I'm like, I wish they could get me in there. But that left my body for a while. I have no desire to do anything to support these incredible people doing their work. You guys are doing great. I'm just going to eat my candy. But then I read this script, and I said, huh, I'm feeling all of this anyway. I'm processing all of the things that this script has in it. Maybe this could just be a part of my break. This is part of... There's a real... I've never approached work like that. Usually I approach it with a much more trepidation, fear, intensity, trying to get big preparation. This felt like, oh, I've been in the preparation for years. This feels like, I'm just going to flow into this, and it really was that. It's all the things that I'm dealing with in my own life anyway. Love, loss, how to live, what matters, what doesn't, how to be courageous in our lives, how to go for what we want, how to risk failure, rejection, being deemed unlovable, whatever, abandonment, all of that stuff, and losing the thing that we love the most. But how do we fully enter life in an uncompromising and courageous way? And still accept that we're going to lose everything we love. That's part of the setup. How do we process that? How do we incorporate that as human beings? That's part of the process. It felt like a very smooth entryway into the story. Me. Me time. Me time to explain my head. Me time to think. Me time to think and make things right as well. Okay, me time, genuinely. I wasn't... Me time again. Timing wasn't going to be a thing. Me time all the way. Sorry. Sorry, start again. This wasn't going to happen. I wasn't going to do the movie. I don't think I even really knew about the movie because my dates were just... I was supposed to go to... Thank you. Let me finish what I was going to say. Because me time... Sorry. Me time. And I was supposed to go to Atlanta and shoot a movie that was going to be going for five months. And then, for some strange reason, it got pushed. It wasn't ready. And within pretty much the same day, I would say, I had this script come into my inbox. And I had two weeks now available. Two months, sorry, now available. And originally, I thought, okay, well, that's good. I'll just have some time off and I'll have some me time. And then the script came into my inbox and I read it in, you know, literally by that evening. And I said, yes, we've got to do this. Let's go and jump in now. And it was kind of this wonderful realization of how this really was going to matter to me. And how I knew I needed to do it and I knew I wasn't going to do it. And I couldn't believe that not only was the script in my inbox, but that it was an offer. And that he was already on it. And it was like, do you want to go and make a really important movie and work with people that you've always wanted to work with? Because it's right there and you can start shooting in half a month. It was crazy. It was really, really mad. And it kind of did feel like that sliding doors of possibilities of life. And in that time, within like half an afternoon, I now was very much aware that I was going to grow as an actor hugely. I'm coming out the end of this experience. And also, I got to do a movie that I think I've been kind of wanting to do for a while. I really wanted to do a movie about love and life and being in love. And it just ticked every single box. And I didn't think I was going to be able to do it for a long while. And it did. I grew as a human. I grew as an actor. I had the most insane experience with Andrew that I really didn't feel every day. My brain was just expanding. My heart was expanding. My abilities were stretching. And I was working in a way that I'd never worked in before. And we really, really were connecting and growing together as this talented couple on screen. But also, in us trying to be there for each other, it was really quite the most magical experience. So all the things that drew me to the project were, and they all happened pretty quickly. And here we are a year and a half later talking about this magical thing that happened. And it still feels insane that those doors slid. It meant to be. Especially the timing of it too. You have exactly two months. I know you guys shot it in eight weeks. That's just insane. And like you mentioned, it's so important, the themes. All these things of loss and grief and love and heartbreak. And you portrayed them so beautifully in such a raw and human way. Things people are really going through, which is why it's resonating with so many people already. I'm just so curious as actors, did you feel like it was challenging to not bring those characters home with you? Is there a way that you were able to step back into Florence and Andrew? Or was that something that stayed with you? It felt like I wanted to stay with the feeling. It didn't feel indulgent. It didn't feel dangerous. It felt, honestly, healing to stay in the scenes or in the moments that we were shooting day in, day out. Because as you say, they were universally human. And it's a privilege to step into these little moments and pockets of these characters' lives that so reflect all of our own. And really explore them and do it consciously. And do it again, do it again, do it again. What's going to happen this time? How am I going to deal with the news this time? How is she going to deal with my news this time? So fun and joyful. It didn't feel like acting. It didn't feel like work. It felt like we were coming to play and explore and just create a beautiful story together every day. There didn't feel like any pressure. It felt like we were just given this privilege. And I think what Floris has kind of mentioned before, the trust that I had. And therefore the excitement that I had every morning to wake up at 5.30 and come and see her in the make-up chair. And be like, I get to go to play with my ******* friend tomorrow. And we get to do it in such a way, as she said earlier, where I get to support her and help her stretch to where she wants to stretch to. And she gets to take me to places that I get to stretch to. Like, damn. Like, bless. Fortunate. You know. Demure. Mindful. You know. I actually think when you're doing something like this and you are with someone who is wanting to push things as far as you, it's a huge responsibility that you have with each other. And in terms of like, hanging up your acting coat before you go home, we're still pulling on things from our lives and pulling on our own feelings. And there's nothing about that that we didn't want to suddenly shake off the other day. The only thing it meant that we actually wanted to stay on set and make sure that we honoured the feelings that we felt in those scenes. And had a hug and make sure that we had closed that really respectfully and beautifully. Yeah. So that we didn't have any kind of a focus. Sure. It did feel like we needed to respect how far we were going with one another. And making sure that the other person is okay to move on from that. Well, I was just going to say, I mean, there's so much emotional closeness and intimacy and vulnerability in the film. And, you know, you portrayed that so beautifully. Was there a way that you were able to create that safe space for each other? Because as actors, you're really going there. And you're going there together. And it's tough when one person isn't and one person is, right? Or if there's competition or if there's like, who's going to win the scene at the end of that bullshit. Like, yeah, I think it's honestly just lucky that we both wanted to work in the same way. And that's just our inclination. Like, I know that I can only be as good as she lets me be. And she can only be as good as... You know, we either encourage each other and inspire each other. Or, you know, I've definitely been with collaborators that will kind of try to... You know, out of feeling threatened or feeling scared or feeling like, whatever, competitive or whatever it is. Like, this is my movie. Whatever it is. Like, none of that was present. It just felt like, let's... It's like, kind of like what you want in a great relationship anyway. Whether it's with a family member, a friend or a partner. It's like, it's not about the individuals. It's about the third thing that gets created. And it's like, the relationship becomes this third thing. And like, even after our Toronto premiere, I said this to Florence. Like, I was, you know, seeing people after the premiere. And she was elsewhere and doing her own, like, seeing people. And every compliment I received about the film or about the work, I was like, no, no, no. But only half of us are here. It felt like we should have been sewn together as, like, enjoying twins that night. Because it was like, oh no, because it's like, it's one performance, actually, in a lot of ways. I know it's not literally. I know that we all have, we both have our individual lives. But we only craved it because of the person. Like, the places that we went. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Sorry, I'm joining in. No, totally. No, no, no. Yeah, I completely understand why you felt that way. Beautiful feeling. The only, the idea of doing that birthing scene, for example, without him in that room. I mean, that wouldn't have felt similar. It's not, it goes hand in hand. So much of the performance is about them and how they light each other up. And they hold space for one another. So, yeah, it does feel like a complete collaboration performance. Sure. Okay, let's move on to dessert quickly. Okay. Before I'm out of time. What's our last question? Okay, great. Very quick. Rapid fire. We're not very good at this. Yeah, we're not rapid at it. It'll be better, it'll be better. Okay. Chocolate cake or Terry's wine chocolate? Terry likes his chocolate. Ooh, right now I'm more of a chocolate cake nerd. I think I prefer chocolate cake right now. Favorite snack? Just one. Dark chocolate from Hugh. Vanilla crunch. Yum. Carrot and hummus. Favorite preparation of eggs? Oh, depends on the place and depends on the context. I had my favorite scrambled eggs recently with like a homemade churned butter fresh in a place in England called Heckfield Place. Yeah. What do you think about eggs? Rapid fire. I'd say if I'm just doing them for myself and I just want a good quality, that's going to fill me up. I'm not a hard-boiled egg. Yeah. And you're a chef. Like, actually. Well, I'm not actually a chef. But in my eyes, you are a chef. Yeah, incredible. I like to play cooking. But yeah, I love a hard-boiled egg. I even love a pret-hard-boiled egg. Like, you know? The cups. It's great. Okay, last one. Sweet or savory? Oh, it's slavery. Yeah, I like a bit of both. Like, you go to like a mild Dutch and you like a pancake place on Kings Road. And it's like, I want the savory one with cheese and chicken and bacon. But then I want, I want the sugar, the granulated sugar and the jelly. And I want, yeah. And then you start back over again. So it's just a second one. Yeah, the next day it's mild Dutch. You made it mild Dutch. Thank you guys so much for your time and your energy. Thank you. On to the next. Thank you. Thank you so much. Consistent wealth.