"I Like Watching Them Make Mistakes" - Jack Lowden On His Legendary "Slow Horses" Castmates

♪ ♪ [CHEERS AND APPLAUSE] >> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY. WELCOME BACK TO "THE LATE SHOW." FOLKS, MY NEXT GUEST IS AN EMMY-NOMINATED ACTOR YOU KNOW FROM "DUNKIRK," "MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS," AND AS RIVER CARTWRIGHT IN "SLOW HORSES." PLEASE WELCOME TO "THE LATE SHOW," JACK LOWDEN. [CHEERS AND APPLAUSE] ♪ ♪ GOOD TO SEE YOU. I'VE GOT TO TELL YOU. I'M A FAN OF YOUR WORK. YOU ARE GREAT AS A RIVER. I'M A HUGE FAN OF THE SHOW. CONGRATULATIONS. ME NOM, THAT'S GREAT. WERE YOU KNOWING WHEN THAT WAS COMING. WERE YOU LIKE, I DON'T CARE ABOUT THAT? WAS IT A SURPRISE? >> Jack: SOMEONE SENT ME A MESSAGE AND SAID CALL ME RIGHT NOW AND I THOUGHT I HAD DONE SOMETHING WRONG. >> Stephen: THAT'S A TERRIBLE WAY TO GIVE THEM ANY GOOD NEWS. >> Jack: YEAH. THEY REALLY DIDN'T GIVE ME ANY INFO AND THEN I PHONED THEM AND I QUICKLY RELAXED. >> Stephen: IT'S LIKE GETTING A TEXT THAT SAYS "WE HAVE TO TALK." IT'S A FANTASTIC CAST. YOU GET TO ACT ON A REGULAR BASIS WITH GARY OLDMAN, KRISTIN SCOTT THOMAS, JONATHAN PRICE. HERE YOU ARE WITH GARY OLDMAN RIGHT BANNER DESCRIBING THE SIZE OF THE WINE BOTTLE YOU ARE ORDERING. WHAT ARE YOU MEASURING THE SIZE OF? >> Jack: I DON'T KNOW IF I AM MEASURING OR IF IT'S ME TELLING HIM WHEN I FOLLOWED HIM HOME. >> Stephen: ARE YOU OBSESSED? DO YOU HAVE TO PINCH YOURSELF? DO YOU EVER FREAK OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF A SCENE AND GO "HOLY COW, IT'S GARY OLDMAN." >> Jack: HE'S VERY NORMAL AND HE COMES FROM A THEATER BACKGROUND WHICH FORMED THE PEOPLE YOU MENTIONED COME FROM HERE THEY ARE INSTANTLY MORE CHILL THEY HAVE REAL COMPANY FIELD. THEY DO NOT TAKE THEMSELVES SERIOUSLY. GARY DOES NOT TAKE HIMSELF SERIOUSLY AT ALL IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM. >> Stephen: DOES HE DO ANYTHING TO PUT YOU AT EASE? DOES HE EVER SAY, HEY, MAN, DON'T THINK THAT I AM GARY OLDMAN. >> Jack: VERY QUICKLY -- THERE WAS A SCENE IN THE FIRST SEASON, I WAS THINKING ABOUT THIS. HE HAS A CAT. HE HAS TO STROKE A CAT. THE CAT DIDN'T WANT TO DO THE CLOSE-UP BECAUSE IT HAD SOMEWHERE TO BE OR SOMETHING. THEY USED A ROLLED UP SWEATSHIRT AND GARY WAS LIKE, YEAH, I'LL DO IT WITH THAT. IT'S IN THE SHOW. THE CLOSE ON GARY WHEN HE BENDS DOWN, TO LOOK COOLLY ACROSS THE STREET. HE'S JUST STROKING SWEATSHIRT. AND THAT'S THE MEASURE OF SOME OF THESE ACTORS. THEY REALLY DON'T CARE AS LONG AS IT LOOKS GOOD. >> Stephen: WOW. >> Jack: YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? THEY CARE ABOUT THE WORK BUT THEY JUST WANT TO SERVE THE WORK. >> Stephen: IS IT TRUE THAT YOU SHOW UP ON DAYS WHEN YOU'RE NOT SHOOTING JUST TO WATCH THEM SHOOT? >> Jack: YEAH. >> Stephen: SO YOU'RE NOT AT ALL OBSESSED WITH THEM? WHAT ARE YOU LEARNING FROM DOING THAT? >> Jack: I LIKE WATCHING -- IT'S GOING TO SOUND TERRIBLE BUT I LIKE WATCHING THEM MAKE MISTAKES BECAUSE THEY DO. THEY MAKE MISTAKES. I ONCE WENT TO WATCH A SCENE BETWEEN HIM AND KRISTIN SCOTT THOMAS IN THE OFFICE AND IT WAS LIKE A EIGHT, NINE PAGE SCENE AND I HID BEHIND THE SOFA AND JUST WATCHED THE PAIR OF THEM. A CREEPY PAIR OF EYES. THEY MAKE MISTAKES AND THEN I THINK IS THE YOUNG ACTOR, IT'S IMPORTANT TO WATCH LEGENDS LIKE THAT MAKE MISTAKES. YOU CAN GO OH, RIGHT. AND THEY MAKE LESS MISTAKES THAN THEY DO GOOD TAKES, I WILL SAY THAT. >> Stephen: JONATHAN PRYCE, ONE OF THE OTHER GREAT ACTORS IN THIS, HE PLAYS YOUR GRANDFATHER. I'M NOT GIVING ANYTHING AWAY. HE IS A SPYMASTER HIMSELF AT A CERTAIN POINT IN THE PAST AND STILL HAS CONNECTIONS ON THAT SORT OF THING. WE HAVE A CLIP HERE. ANYTHING WE NEED TO SET UP OTHER THAN THE FACT THAT JONATHAN PRYCE IS YOUR GRANDFATHER THAT'S WE'RE TALKING ABOUT? >> Jack: HE'S MY GRANDFATHER AND THIS IS ME WITH ANOTHER OF THE SLOW HORSES TALKING ABOUT JONATHAN'S CHARACTER. SLOWLY BEGINNING TO STUFF INTO DEMENTIA. HIS FEEL FOR PEOPLE WHO DON'T KNOW, THE SLOW HORSES ARE BASICALLY SPIES WHO HAVE GOTTENN TROUBLE AND HAVE BEEN RELEGATED TO THIS THAT OFFICE. >> Jack: MADE MISTAKES. IT'S A PLACE TO GO AND GET PUNISHED. THEY MAKE YOU DO CALL LOGS AND PARKING TICKETS. SO THIS IS ME WITH ONE OF THE OTHER SLOW HORSES ND HER TELLING ME I NEED TO GO HELP MY GRANDFATHER. >> Stephen: JIM. >> I THINK HE'S GOING. >> GOING WHERE? >> HE'S CONFUSED ALL THE TIME. HE FORGETS EVERYTHING. >> ISN'T THAT JUST PART OF AGING? HE'S 80 SOMETHING. >> IT'S WHAT HIS GENERATION CALLED WATCHERS. HE HAS A GUN BY THE BED. >> G THINK MAYBE YOU SHOULD BE IN A HOME? >> YEAH, I DO. BUT DO YOU WANT TO TELL THEM THAT? THE LAST TIME I SAW HIM HE GENUINELY DIDN'T KNOW WHO I WAS. FOR THE FIRST 10 MINUTES. NO IDEA. HE KEPT TELLING ME ABOUT HIS GRANDSON, RIVER. IT'S HORRIBLE TO SEE IT. [CHEERS AND APPLAUSE] >> Jack: IT'S SAD. IT'S VERY FUNNY SHOW. >> Stephen: ANOTHER PROJECT THAT YOU'RE WORKING ON IS WORK WITH A GREAT DIRECTOR, JAMES L BROOKS DURING HIS FIRST FILM IN 15 YEARS WHICH YOU ARE IN. TERMS OF ENDEARMENT, BROADCAST NEWS, AS GOOD AS IT GETS. YOU DO AN AMERICAN ACCENT AND THAT. SPOILER. YOU ARE SCOTTISH. YOU DO AN ENGLISH ACCENT AND THIS IN AN AMERICAN ACCENT IN THAT. YOU FORGET TO USE YOUR SCOTTISH ACCENT? >> Jack: NO. THE SCOTTISH ACCENT IS VERY RARELY CALLED UPON IN THE WORLD OF FILM AND I DON'T KNOW WHY. THERE IS THIS LIVE YOU CAN UNDERSTAND US. YOU ARE LOOKING AT ME LIKE MAYBE YOU CAN UNDERSTAND ME. >> Stephen: I AM READING YOUR LIPS. >> Jack: I VERY RARELY, EVEN IN "DUNKIRK" I HAD TO CONVINCE THE BOSS THAT I COULD BE SCOTTISH AS A PILOT. I REMEMBER WHEN HE GAVE ME THE JOB AND I SAID, I RING MY MOM AND I WAS TELLING HER ABOUT IT AND SHE SAID "YOUR UNCLE JIMMY WAS IN THE RAF DURING THE WAR. TELL HIM THAT." SO I WENT IN AND TOLD HIM, MY MOM SAYS, THERE WERE SCOTTISH PILOTS. SHE'S NOT GOING TO BUY A TICKET UNLESS YOU -- AND HE LET ME DO IT. ALSO I FEEL LIKE THE PILOT IN "DUNKIRK," BECAUSE EVERYTHING GOT A LITTLE HIGH-PITCHED. THE MOST PANICKED PILOT IN THE RAF. THE ACCIDENT LENDS ITSELF VERY WELL TO DOOM. >> Stephen: YES, IT DOES. IT SOUNDS A BIT CLOUDY. >> Jack: I THINK THE SCOTS ARE GOOD AT BREAKING BAD NEWS. BECAUSE WE HAVE A SORT OF CYNICAL STANDPOINT AND I THINK WE START AT CYNICISM. THAT'S WHY I LOVE THING RIVER CARTWRIGHT. >> Stephen: BUDDIES ENGLISH. >> Jack: HE'S ENGLISH BUT I BRING THIS WOULD'VE SCOTTISH CYNICISM INTO HIM TO SORT OF MEAT IN THE MIDDLE. >> Stephen: THE PART OF YOU YOU ARE SHARING WITH US. IN A SCOTTISH ACCENT, A LOT OF HAPPY THINGS CAN SOUNDS SAD. CAN YOU SAY, WITHOUT ANY -- IN A SCOTTISH ACCENT, CAN YOU SAY IN A STEADY VOICE, HAPPY BIRTHDAY. >> Jack: HAPPY BIRTHDAY. >> Stephen: THANK YOU SO MUCH. "SLOW HORSES" SEASON 4 PREMIERES TODAY ON APPLE TV+. JACK LOWDEN, EVERYBODY. WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK. ♪ ♪