Amy Adams Full Interview on The Graham Norton Show (2020)

Right, time to head to LA to meet our next guest. She's the star of Enchanted, The Fighter, Vice and American Hustle. Please say hello to Amy Adams. Hello Amy Adams, how are you? I'm well, how are you doing? I'm very, very well. It looks so sort of glamorous there. Oh yeah, it's wise. And listen, you're really busy behind the camera now as a producer. And I hear there's a particular part of that job that you really enjoy. I think we're talking about the mom voice, aren't we? Yeah, so you get quite strict. It's compassionate, but firm. Oh, okay. What sort of things might you say? When somebody gives you an idea and it's not what you're going to be going with, you can very much say, that is a really nice direction to go. But I feel like we might want to move off of that topic now. It's okay when I do it. Most people are pretty patient with it, but I've started using it during lockdown on my husband. And I'm learning that that is not going well. And then I talk to him in the mom voice and I'm like, I don't think we're going to be watching that program tonight. I think there's some other things in mind. And haven't you done it on the red carpet as well? Oh, yeah. I've told this story before. There's this woman on the red carpet that would swear all the time. And I'd finally had it. And I really was like, we do not swear on the red carpet. We behave ourselves on the red carpet. I get very mommy. Hugh Grant is here. You have a special daddy voice, don't you? Hello, hello, Amy. I do have a daddy voice. Why does the daddy voice seem like it's a different thing than the mommy voice? Yeah, I have turned into my father in my old age. And he had the most terrifying bark. And I find I suddenly do it. It frightens my children. It frightens my wife. It frightens the neighbours. It frightens me. It's awful. Suddenly, put that down! I'll tell you who's got the worst possible directorial bark is Stephen Frears. I don't know if you ever do anything with Stephen Frears? I haven't now. Well, even the most intimate scene with the camera right here and another actress, and you're trying to be really intimate, it's always, ACTION! No, no, no. Maybe just quieter because we're trying to be intimate. I'm so sorry. Yes, right. Let's go again. Right. Take two. ACTION! Nightmare. Hey, you're here to talk about your new film, Hillbilly Elegy. It's out next Tuesday on Netflix. This is the latest from Ron Howard. It's based on J.D. Vance's bestselling memoir. So what can you tell us about it? It's the story of J.D. Vance and his family and sort of him overcoming his challenges through, you know, the women in his life sort of giving him the inspiration to move forward and sort of how he leaves his past behind him to create a new future for himself. OK, well, we're going to watch a clip. This is you and your son. And of course, your mother played by the great Glenn Close. And you've just lost your job. What did they do? Well, they fired me. What do you think they did? Gainful employment was cramping her style. I will get another job. You could lose your license. What are you doing? Well, I got a headache. I just need a... You know, you can't have a goddamn hissy every time you have an off day. You got to think about these kids. What do you think I've been thinking about since I was 18 years old, huh? Never had a life where I wasn't thinking about the kids. It's all about us. So what are you going to do? Figure something out. Great plan, Mom. What struck me is that, you know, these people, they're not celebrities. They're not known. And at the end of the film, though, we see the real Beverly. We see the real grandmother. And you went to such lengths to look just like them. Yeah, we had a great team. I mean, when you see the picture of Glenn and Mama, it's striking. So for everybody who watches the film, stay for the end, because Glenn Close, she's absolutely amazing in the film, but she looks nearly identical to the woman she's playing. It's remarkable. But you too. You look really like... Because I didn't realize, are you wearing subtle prosthetics in this? Yeah, I have a slight nose piece to widen the bridge of my nose. And then we wear aging makeup towards the end. You catch up with Beverly later. But and also these amazing wigs that they made that I had a nickname for. I'm sure you've heard. I nicknamed her the beaver because it was about 103 degrees in Atlanta, and it felt like I had a hot animal sitting on my head during the shoot. So I would say I feel like I have a beaver sitting on my head. So she became the beaver. Well, listen, Amy, it's a little early for Oscar buzz, but I think I hear it. I do. Good luck with Hillbilly Elegy. And thank you so much for joining us tonight. It's been lovely to see you. Amy Adams, everybody.