Taron Egerton, Jensen Ackles, Eric Dane; 'Smoke' cast; 'Countdown' cast

Get ready for an electrifying exploration of this summer's most thrilling series! We're serving up exclusive behind-the-scenes glimpses into "Countdown" on Prime Video with Jensen Ackles, Eric Dane & the cast. Plus Taron Egerton & the cast of "Smoke" on Apple TV+.

In this episode of Pop Culture Weekly with Kyle McMahon, Imagine the suspense of a ticking clock paired with the complexity of dynamic character interactions in "Countdown," brought to life by the talents of Jensen Ackles and Eric Dane. Kyle talks with Jensen and Eric as well as Jessica Camacho, Violett Beane, Uli Latukefu and Elliot Knight.

Meanwhile, "Smoke" promises a gritty narrative with Taron Egerton and Greg Kinnear delivering unforgettable performances. Dennis Lehane takes us through the creative odyssey that birthed "Smoke," exploring themes of chaos and modern manhood. With interviews with Taron, Greg Kinnear, Jurnee Smullet, Ntare Mwine, and Rafe Spall, discover how these actors balance suspense and authenticity, ensuring you're hooked from the first episode to the last.And that's not all! 

This episode promises to be a captivating ride through these two incredibly gripping shows. Tune in for the exclusive interviews and thrilling insights you won't want to miss!

🗣️ Want to be featured on the show? 📱 Leave a voicemail here!

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
In this episode of pop Culture Weekly, Jensen Apples is on,
Eric Dane from Countdown, Taron Egerton in the cast of
Smoke on Apple TV Plus, and so much more.

Speaker 2 (00:10):
Let's go.

Speaker 3 (00:12):
Welcome to pop Culture Weekly with Kyle McMahon from iHeartRadio
your pop culture news, views, reviews and celebrity interviews on
all the movies, TV, music, and pomp culture U Crab Weekly.
Here's Kyle McMahon.

Speaker 1 (00:29):
Nett ne it Net, Hello and welcome to pop Culture
Weekly with Kyle McMahon. I, of course and Kyle McMahon
and we have got an absolutely stacked episode of pop
Culture Weekly. So I hope you've got your streaming passwords
memorized because we're diving headfirst into two of the buzziest

(00:49):
shows of the summer, Countdown on Prime Video and Smoke
on Apple TV Plus, both really great thriller series. And
I'm really really excited about that. First up, you know,
I'm always you know, I spend my fourth of July
in Washington, d C. For a Capitol Fourth, which is

(01:10):
an incredible annual special that airs on pds, and you
may have caught that I had the exclusive reveal of
the lineup this year and it is awesome dance floor
legend himself, Alfonso Robero returns as hosts for this year's broadcast.
It's its forty fifth year and there's something for everyone

(01:32):
with the performers Yolanda Adams, Gospel Queen and Anti Anti
Yolanda Anti Yo, Abby Carter American Idol Season twenty two winner,
Grammy winning chart topping larn Daegel low Cash is going
to be bringing the summertime country bops, the Beach Boys,
and the Temptations to legendary bands will be gracing the

(01:56):
Capitol fourth stage. Trombone Shorty is performing and country crooner
Josh Turner will be performing as well. And as always,
the National Symphony Orchestra, led by Jack Everley, will be
providing the soundtrack for this patriotic celebration. And because it
is more than just about the music, there will be

(02:18):
some incredible tributes to the people and the stories that
make America America. There'll be a two hundred and fiftieth
anniversary salute to the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps with
an Armed Forces medley and a full color guard, So
that's going to be great. World War Two's eightieth anniversary
tribute honoring members of the Greatest Generation First Responders recognition,

(02:41):
and of course that jaw dropping fireworks finale with the
biggest and best fireworks in the country. So you can
watch live Friday July fourth at eight pm Eastern on PBS,
PBS's YouTube, and PBS dot org, with an encore presentation
immediately following at nine point thirty. And if you already

(03:03):
have plans, you will want to watch it on demand
from July fourth through July eighteenth, so you'll be able
to watch it.

Speaker 2 (03:11):
On YouTube, PBS dot org.

Speaker 1 (03:13):
And on your on demand. So I'll be there as
always interviewing the talent, and we'll have an episode coming
out the morning of July fourth with all my interviews
with all of the cast, so be sure to tune
in and look for that. All right, First up, buckle
up for Countdown on Prime Video. Countdown is an explosive

(03:38):
edge of your seat thriller from the Chicago Fire creator
Derek has So we're talking like ticking clocks, impossible choices,
and a crazy stack cast that includes Jensen Acles, Eric Dane,
Jessica Camacho, Violet Bean, Juli Latsukifu, and Elliott Knight and yes,

(03:59):
you know. I asked everything from secrets to survival to
how it was on set. Then later things get even
more smoky, literally with Smoke, the intense new Apple TV
Plus series from the brilliant mind of Dennis Lee Haynes,
who's done Mystic River and Shutter Island, two of my
favorite movies ever. This one. Smoke has got Taron Egerton,

(04:23):
Journey Smolley, Greg Kanear, Rafe Spaal and niare Moinna burning
up the screen and Smoke is gritty, It's gripping, and
somehow it manages to make even Greg kanear terrifying, which
is pretty cool. So grab your popcorn, Aaron Haler, or
maybe you know, vodka or water whatever, because we're jumping

(04:46):
right in pop culture. Weekly starts right now. Countdown on
Prime Video. Derek Coss He has brought us Chicago Fire, Chicago,
p D Chicago Med and probably coming soon in Chicago,
Bake Off.

Speaker 2 (04:59):
Well.

Speaker 1 (05:00):
Countdown is like uphulse pounding what would you do? Kind
of series where the clock's against you and you never
know who you can trust. I love it. It reminds
me of like an updated version of twenty four and
the cast is awesome. Jensen Ackles, who still somehow looks
like a CW. Hart Throb and an ABC all at
the same time, Eric Dane, Mike STEENI himself, and the rest.

Speaker 2 (05:24):
Of the cast.

Speaker 1 (05:24):
I talk with them all. The show is packed with tension, swagger,
and very attractive people diffusing extremely complicated situations. So first
up is Julie Let Tukifu and Elliott Knight. Julie has
this presence on screen that basically says, do not mess
with me, but his vibe in person is totally chill.

(05:45):
He's really awesome. And the charming and sharp Elliot Knight,
who brings some nuance intention to his role and Countdown.
So let's jump right into my interview with them. Julie
Let Tukifu and Elliot Knight, thank you both so much
for speaking with me. I really appreciate it. Hey, nice

(06:05):
to meet you. So first of all, congratulations on Countdown.
It's really enjoyable. It's edge of your seat and I'm
loving it. So congrats on that.

Speaker 4 (06:14):
Thank you.

Speaker 1 (06:15):
It's awesome to hear. Thank you, of course. So what,
there's so much to the project. There's action you guys,
you know, shot in La on location for a lot
of it the writing, the other talent. What drew you
to doing this?

Speaker 5 (06:32):
I think the uniqueness of the mix of all of
those things, not as a cop out answer, but truly
it's not that often that you get so many wonderful
components coming together to make something original like that. And
you know, Derek has a proven track record of being
able to create beautiful dynamics of characters and stories that
really draw people in. And I think that having a

(06:54):
streaming home with Amazon is just a really exciting combination
and it's made it really fun to be a path
And how about.

Speaker 6 (07:01):
For you you, I mean, mate, I was born and
raised in Australia, so kind of the opportunity to work
in the City of Angels with you know, the industries
was born.

Speaker 1 (07:13):
For me.

Speaker 6 (07:13):
That was a real special thing that I was really
hoping would happen, and it happened, and the genre again
and working with Derek proven trek record, as Elliott said,
So it's all been a dream, Mate, I have to
tell you.

Speaker 1 (07:28):
Well, it's it shows up on screen. So for both
of you, you know, as as you were doing this,
you know, I had asked some of your cast mates
because it's just so fascinating to me like I would
be fanboying out wanting to know what's next, you know, like,
what's happening next in the story? Did either of you
do that or did you take it script by script

(07:49):
or like, what did you do?

Speaker 6 (07:51):
I read in advance just for my own sanity. Yeah,
I kind of just understanding my personal arc by the
end well as long as yeah, yeah, right, But but
then took my approach when filming episode by episode because
I didn't want to preempt anything or anything like that,
but I did need to know for me that kind

(08:13):
of what Derek was thinking about where he would end
up and that kind of thing.

Speaker 5 (08:17):
And for sure, Yeah, I think you'd fit in if
that's how you feel, because I definitely felt like that.
It's exciting to find out what's going to happen, and
every new script feels like a little treasure chest you
get to open, not knowing what's going to be inside.

Speaker 1 (08:29):
Yeah. Oh that's good. I should have been saying that more.
That's right, Yeah, that's good. That's I like treasure chests.
But it does.

Speaker 5 (08:35):
It feels like that, not just about yourself obviously, but
finding out where things are going to go, because he's
really made a story that's so unpredictable. Yeah, so, yeah,
you would not be out of place. It's it's easy
to get excited.

Speaker 1 (08:48):
About and and then you know, you you filmed this
a bit of go and now it's coming. You know,
now it's here. Do you get that same excitement that
you kind of had as you were filming now that
this project that you work so hard on is being
unleashed to the world or does it turn to nervousness
or like what happens?

Speaker 6 (09:07):
I am I'm not nervous, but I'm I am. Yeah,
I guess I'm excited because, you know, watching it back,
I kind of get you get memories of where you
shot things and who you're shooting with. That's always an
important thing. I am quietly, quietly pumped for people to
see it.

Speaker 1 (09:28):
I love that. How about you earlier?

Speaker 5 (09:33):
No, yeah, it's the way that this actually feels different
for me. This is completely true. It was such a
relaxed experience to enjoy doing this work, still caring about
it and still bringing our all to it. But this
feels like such a family energy around what we've done.

(09:55):
I'm almost on the other side of being nervous or excited.
I can't wait for people to see it. But I'm
also just so proud of what we've done, and I
fully believe in the fun that we created and what
we've all done together, and anything else after that is
a bonus for me. So I'm just I'm excited for
anyone who does join us on this ride and enjoy
the show like we have, because there's a lot more

(10:16):
that we want to do, and hopefully I'm with you
guys watching as well, we'll be able to do that.

Speaker 1 (10:21):
Awesome. I can't wait for it. Thank you both for
speaking with me. I really appreciate it.

Speaker 2 (10:28):
Jui and Elliott.

Speaker 1 (10:31):
Great guys, very very sweet guys, and incredibly talented actors.
All right, Next up, I chat with Jessica Camacho and
Violet Bean. These two just own every scene that they're in,
whether they're throwing punches or throwing shade. They bring the
fire to count Down. Let's jump right into it. Jessica

(10:51):
Camacho and Violet Bean, thank you both so much for
speaking with me. I really appreciate it. Hi, how are you.
I'm doing good? Thank you, and I'm loving Countdown. It
is awesome, and so congratulations to both of you on that.
Thank you, of course, So tell me about you know,

(11:13):
obviously it's an it's an exciting series, and but what
drew you to it?

Speaker 5 (11:21):
Was it?

Speaker 1 (11:21):
The script?

Speaker 2 (11:22):
Was it?

Speaker 1 (11:22):
The idea? Was it? You know what drew you to
do in the project? I think it was a bit
of all of it.

Speaker 7 (11:30):
I think, Yeah, I mean, the characters are awesome, They're
all so uniquely themselves, and Los Angeles is like the
fact that you would shoot here is so wild to
me because so many shows don't, first of all, but
also it's a show that takes place in La you know,
it's not just going to be in a studio, and
we were on location probably half half of the days

(11:52):
every week, shooting in different neighborhoods. And yeah, I think
just all the unique characters with such a big draw.

Speaker 8 (11:59):
For me, how about for you, Jessica, Like action thriller,
you know what I mean? Just the exciting nature of that,
getting to play in a world where the stakes are
so high, everything's the need for resolution is immediate, it's now.

Speaker 9 (12:19):
And you know, how people show up when they're operating.

Speaker 8 (12:23):
In those stakes is fascinating to me.

Speaker 9 (12:25):
How they how the dire need to survive relies upon
you know, your your skill set, your capability, your smarts,
your intellect, your your intuition, relying upon each other, working together,
you know, being part of a cohesive group of people

(12:47):
who are tasked with this mission that has detrimental costs,
you know if we don't succeed.

Speaker 1 (12:55):
So I just love all of that.

Speaker 8 (12:56):
The excitement inherent in all of that.

Speaker 1 (12:58):
Really pulled me.

Speaker 8 (12:59):
And then, yeah, I've been talking about this all day,
reading the script in which the scene in which oliveris
is introduced for the first time. It is such a
delicious scene. I was picturing it immediately, and I was
picturing myself and and I was like, well, I'm gonna
play this.

Speaker 7 (13:16):
Just set it up in her room, and he was.

Speaker 1 (13:20):
A bit creepy.

Speaker 2 (13:21):
You know.

Speaker 10 (13:22):
I loved ones.

Speaker 8 (13:22):
I didn't know if I was a kid but that,
you know, that first scene. I was like, she's so dynamic,
there's so much to play with, And yeah, I was,
I was in scene.

Speaker 1 (13:33):
Yeah I didn't, you know, until you just said that.
It never really really dawned on me that, like, everybody
is bringing kind of their own skill set. You know,
mine would be obviously making peanut butter sandwiches, but it's important.

Speaker 7 (13:46):
Hey, not everybody can do that, you gotta eat.

Speaker 1 (13:49):
It's true, I'll keep the team fan But but as
you're reading the script as you're shooting and all, I
don't know in your particular cases, uh, if you know
it was like sides or if you got the whole
script or whatever, but were you kind of like fanboying over,
like what's going to happen next?

Speaker 7 (14:09):
So when we when we auditioned, we only got the
pilot right, yes, but then right after we or right
before we started shooting, we actually had the privilege of
reading all thirty if we wanted, if we wanted to,
some people wanted to, some people did it. Sometimes we
read like a couple episodes ahead. But that's crazy because
you never get to know that. And I think I

(14:29):
think we were both on the same side of like,
I don't want to know too too far because we
wouldn't know in real life where things are going to go.
But it is helpful if there's some big character choice
that you are making or want to make, that you
get to know what's going to happen at the end.
And it's very rare. Derek had already written all of
them because he's crazy our show creator. He's like so talented,

(14:51):
so he already knew everything, and that was that was
fun to kind of know the general idea of where
we were going.

Speaker 1 (14:58):
Yeah.

Speaker 8 (14:58):
I like to strike the balance between like knowing enough
in order to play what I needed to play, but
not knowing, you know, too much, so that I could
I could still bring an element of surprise to her
and alongside her, you know, as Amber's learning information, I
want to be discovering that information as well. You know,
you want to play the moment, not where they end up.

(15:20):
So it's a balance.

Speaker 5 (15:21):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (15:22):
Well I think you both balanced it beautifully. I can't
wait for everybody to see the Countdown. Thank you both
so much, Thank you so much.

Speaker 11 (15:30):
We appreciate it having I appreciate you you too, Jessica
and Violent.

Speaker 1 (15:38):
All right, Last, but not least in our Countdown block,
Jensen Acles and Eric Dane. Jensen the Man, the myth
and the trench Coat legend and Mixsteini himself. Eric Dane,
you loved him and Supernatural, you feared him in the Boys,
and now he's back in Countdown as a man with

(15:59):
a badge past and no time for nonsense. And Eric Dane,
who has officially transitioned from mcsteeny to mister I will
break you with my voice in Countdown. He brings serious
weight and those intense eyes to a role that's going
to keep you guessing. And I have a feeling you're
gonna love it just as much as I did. Here

(16:21):
they are Jensen Ankles and Eric Dane. Thank you both
so much for joining me. I really appreciate it.

Speaker 4 (16:30):
You gonna hit us with some pop culture trivia because
we're not prepared.

Speaker 1 (16:35):
No, no, and I wouldn't be prepared either, which all right,
it's kind of typical for me anyway. But first of all,
I love Countdown, and uh, it's it's such a great show.
It's so exciting, edge of your seat, high stakes. What
what drew you both to do?

Speaker 5 (16:53):
It?

Speaker 4 (16:53):
It all of what you just said, honestly, Like, uh,
there was there was the heists, the action pack, the intensity,
the fast paced. But you know, I'll speak for me,
there was there was a there was a vulnerability to this,
to this show.

Speaker 1 (17:12):
There was a heart to this show.

Speaker 12 (17:14):
Personality.

Speaker 1 (17:14):
There was a personality to the show. That's right, that's
that's very good.

Speaker 4 (17:18):
That that it that I think it It really it
made me want to care about these characters. In a
way that I don't think you normally get with with
a show like this. You want to you want to
want you want to root for these people. You want
to make them, you want to you know, you want
to you want to hope that they succeed. You really,

(17:40):
I don't know, there's they.

Speaker 12 (17:42):
It's there's the time enough invested so that you can
as an audience invest correct.

Speaker 4 (17:48):
Yeah, And I think that that's we're hoping that that
that's that's one of what's going to give us seasons two.

Speaker 1 (17:56):
Three, ten, fifteen, twenty. And that actually was something that
was something I was going to ask you guys, was
are there more Is there more room in the world,
in this world for more stories? A hundred percent?

Speaker 4 (18:17):
Yeah, Derek's Derek's an absolute phenom of a writer. He's
got stories for days up asleep.

Speaker 1 (18:24):
Yes, he has like forty seven different shows on the
air right now.

Speaker 4 (18:27):
I think, yeah, Well, I mean it's a testament to
who he is.

Speaker 1 (18:31):
And yeah, what he's capable of.

Speaker 4 (18:33):
And I think he's uh, I think he is proudly
hanging his hat on this show as he should, because
I think he's done a dynami job.

Speaker 1 (18:42):
Yeah, it really is a great show, and you know,
and it's I feel like we don't have a lot
of shows like this anymore. Like when I was a kid,
remember twenty four, like had that, you know, that was
kind of like an edge of your seat show for me,
and I feel like we've been kind of missing that
and Countdown brings it back, at least for me. Scratches
that itch. You know.

Speaker 12 (19:02):
I don't know what we've been doing, but that is
a great reference twenty four.

Speaker 1 (19:07):
Yeah, I've used. Yeah, that's a great reference.

Speaker 12 (19:10):
Yeah. I don't see the show as a throwback, but
I do understand what you mean. And it's an elevated procedural.
And like Jensen said, you get to invest in these
characters because you get the time to care about them.

Speaker 1 (19:33):
Yeah. Yeah, absolutely, And I think everybody is going to
I can't wait for everybody. I can't wait for it
to come out so I can start talking to people
about it because now I'm like, I can't talk to
anybody about it yet. So one week, baby, one week,
there we go. Thank you, Eric, and Jad said, I
really really appreciate both of your time. I can't wait
for everybody to see Countdown.

Speaker 2 (19:55):
Jensen and Eric.

Speaker 1 (19:58):
Love these two amazing talented actors love Countdown and I
think you will too. It is streaming right now on
Prime Video, so hit me up, let me know if
you're watching it, let me know what you think. There's
a lot to talk about with this one, so let's
get to talking.

Speaker 2 (20:16):
All right, don't go anywhere.

Speaker 1 (20:17):
We're taking a quick sixty second break to pay the
bills and to keep the lights on over here pop
Culture Weekly. But when we come back, we're diving in
just Smoke on Apple TV Plus with Taron Egerton and
the rest of the cast. All right, thanks for hanging

(20:37):
with me and supporting our sponsors who support me, that
help me bring this show to you. So all right,
let's talk about Smoke, Apple TV Plus's latest entry into
the gritty crime drama that will emotionally wreck you in
eight episodes. And I mean that in the best way possible.
It is so good. This one comes from Dennis Lehane, who,

(20:58):
let's be honest, doesn't write stories as much as emotional uppercuts,
often with Boston accents. So if you've seen Mystic River Gone,
Baby Gone, or Shutter Island, you know Dennis does not
come to play Smoke is moody it's messy in the
best way possible, and it's really magnetic. It stars Tarren Egerton,

(21:20):
who somehow manages to look both dangerous and like he'd
apologize for bumping into you at Starbucks, and Journey Smalay,
Greg kinnear just the whole cast is giving emmy bait
with a side of Oh no, I need therapy after
this episode. It's that good. So I sat down with
everybody to talk about the show. Let's get right into it.

Speaker 2 (21:42):
First.

Speaker 1 (21:42):
Up is actor Tayray and Winnen, whose performance in Smoke
is so layered you'll be thinking about it long after
the credits roll.

Speaker 2 (21:51):
Let's jump right into it. Here he is Tray and winning.

Speaker 1 (22:00):
Thank you so much and sorry for speaking with me.
I really appreciate it.

Speaker 11 (22:03):
Thank you. Kyle Culcher, was that what's up? Pop culture?

Speaker 1 (22:10):
I'm loving Smoke. It is a really incredible series, and
congratulations to you on that. So I was talking to
Dennis earlier and Taren about the series, and I asked
them what drew them to this, and I wonder the
same with you, just because you know, I'm interested in

(22:32):
this for this project because it is to me kind
of fascinating on how it is originally a true story
that was then a book that was then a podcast
that is now a limited series that has that is
inspired by based on this what drew You to Smoke?

Speaker 11 (22:53):
Dennis Lame, Taron Erton, Joreny Small, that the incredible team
that's assembled here's a dream to work with. And Dennis
has been a mastermind in creating psychological thrillers that have
taken us on a thrill ride.

Speaker 2 (23:07):
That is.

Speaker 11 (23:10):
Wonder where it all comes from. This piece, there was
a source material, so there was some sort of loosely
inspired by true events. My character is loosely inspired by
one of the most prolific serial arsists in US history.
So that what a playground. Any actors dream to be
able to dive into this world?

Speaker 2 (23:31):
And were you able to or did you.

Speaker 1 (23:36):
Kind of speaking of diving into the world, did you
dive into the reality at all or did you you know,
what was your angle as an actor? What was your
tactic for that?

Speaker 11 (23:51):
Freddie Fassano's lived a life that, from my point of view,
is unimaginable. I didn't know anyone who's sort of gone
through circumstances lived through I had no sort of personal
connection to what he's been through. When I spoke with Dennis,
I was like, where did this come from? How did
you write this? And he just simply said his imagination.

(24:13):
He let his imagination run free. And sometimes when you
do that, you can surprise yourself and surprise others. And
so that gave me the creative license to sort of
play and play with the incredible dialogue that he written,
the incredible scene partners that I had Dakota Delby, Adina Porter,
Taron Edgerton, and having that sort of creative license playing

(24:35):
opposite them led to fireworks that I think surprised all
of us.

Speaker 1 (24:42):
As you are preparing for a role like this, do
you dive into the reality of it? Do you know,
go introspective? What's your method?

Speaker 11 (24:56):
I mean, you try as much as you can to
try to understand through of what the characters live through.
But for me, with this role, I had to let
go of that because there's nothing I could possibly I
can never fully understand the depths of despair that this

(25:17):
characters live through. I would be a fool to say
that I understand his pain, or his suffering or his loneliness.
All I can do is try to pretend and let
my imagination go on what that might be like and
hope and pray that that translates on screen. But for

(25:38):
you to ask me, do you really know what it
feels like to be Freddie? I was like, I can't
speak to that because there's people who really have lived
through that, and I have utmost empathy for anyone who's
been through this journey.

Speaker 1 (25:58):
Yeah, and for you, you know, you're you're such a
creative person. You've You've done so many projects from stage, documentary,
film series. Is there something that when you were, you know,
considering your next project, do you have a pattern or

(26:20):
is it just like, oh, you know, my agent sent
me this awesome project and I'm interested in it. Or
is there there's something you know more to it? Is
there stories you're drawn to over you know, one type
over another.

Speaker 11 (26:34):
Yeah, sometimes we can self sabotage ourselves as an actors.
I didn't. I never would have thought I could do
this role. This character is so far out that I
was never pitching my my agent saying this is the
kind of role I need to play. He's needed this

(26:55):
this the other you know. I don't give any spoilers away,
but I said to my reps, this is the kind
of thing I want. I would never have thought I
would never have drapped up a role like this, and
so to be given this opportunity, sometimes you got to
think out of outside the box and be and be

(27:17):
surprised at what is handed to you as an opportunity
and be willing to just dive in. Because even when
I got the audition material, my first audition scene was
a barbershop scene where they're shaving my characters surly afro
and as you can see, I'm not very well gifted

(27:38):
in the hair department. And I was like, how do
I even do that audition scene because they're talking about
cutting my hair and I have I'm recording that an
audition where I have no hair and I'm talking about
my hair. I was like, it just didn't even make sense.
I was like, should I wear a wig? And then
I was like, that's gonna look cheesy. So all I
could do is sort of let go h of expectations.

(28:02):
And sometimes when you let go of expectations, you experience
the divine, and hopefully that is what happened on screen
with this.

Speaker 1 (28:10):
I love that sometimes when you let go of expectations,
you experience the divine. That's very powerful. Finally, what do
you hope that a viewer gets from Smoke? You know, ultimately,
while it is a drama, dramatic drama dramatized versions is
why don't use speak words, but why it is a

(28:31):
fictional lottt version of true events that you know it
is based on some truly horrible, horrible things. What do
you hope that a viewer gets watching Smoke?

Speaker 11 (28:40):
I think that viewers are going to get a thrill.
I mean, it's a thrilling ride of love, loss and
revenge and what happens when people try to connect with someone,
want desperately something from someone else and doing the thing
that makes things worse. I mean, we've all been in

(29:04):
a situation where you've lost something and you try to
get it back and it just makes it worse and
you get in a vicious cycle and you can't figure
out how to get out of it. This is not
the extreme, but in a way that there's you hope
for the best for the characters, and you see their

(29:28):
attempt to try to get the best for themselves, but
in the process somehow shoot themselves in the foot, and
then you hope for the best for them again.

Speaker 1 (29:39):
Much like life. I would say Thank you so much, sir.
I can't wait for everybody to see Smoke and then
I can finally talk about it with people.

Speaker 11 (29:48):
Thank you for getting the word out.

Speaker 1 (29:50):
Of course, have a great day you too. Let's ay
Ray awesome guy, such a charming guy and a great actor.
All right. Next up the man behind the Madness Dennis Laane.
His resume reads like a syllabus for incredibly well crafted

(30:11):
trauma one oh one, the Drop, Mystic River, Shutter Island,
and now with Smoke, is once again proving that no
one writes morally complex, emotionally devastating drama quite like he does.

Speaker 2 (30:24):
So let's jump into it.

Speaker 1 (30:26):
Dennis Lane, thank you so much for speaking with me. Dennis,
I really appreciate it. No pleasure, thanks of course. So
first of all, congratulations on Smoke. It is really compelling
and I absolutely love it. What this story, which is

(30:48):
obviously you know, based on a true story, has been
through a book, in a podcast, now a limited series.
Why did you decide to create this in this It
was brought to me by Carrie Antolis, who did the
podcast Firebug, and then he brought it to me, and
even when he was pitching it to me telling me

(31:08):
the story.

Speaker 2 (31:09):
I was like, h really, I don't know, you know,
but he stuck with me because I had the exact
same reaction to Blackbird too. So I'm very hard to
convince to do stuff. So I listened to the podcast.
I went back to him and I just said, look,
carry I like one really like one thing about this
that I feel like I could look into, which is
I like this idea of this guy who's so in

(31:32):
denial that he's an arson investigator chasing a serial arsenist
who he happens to be, and then he's writing a
book about it in which he's putting in fires that
mirror the actual fires with the information that only the
actual arsenists could know. That I find interested because I
find this sort of I don't know, I just find

(31:56):
denial interesting. And so I said, I can do that,
and I can pull in this idea of fire, like
what does fire mean?

Speaker 1 (32:03):
You know? What does fire mean? Metaphorically? What does it mean?

Speaker 2 (32:06):
What does it mean?

Speaker 1 (32:06):
Emotionally? Does it mean?

Speaker 2 (32:07):
Psychologically? What is it to be trapped in a fire?
If I can do that, and then I can throw
out everything else because I really don't want to do
the nineteen eighties I don't want to do Glendale, California.

Speaker 1 (32:17):
I don't want to do this guy's trial.

Speaker 2 (32:18):
I don't want to do any of that.

Speaker 1 (32:20):
Then I'll do it.

Speaker 2 (32:21):
And then I had the exact same conversation with Tarran,
and Tarran said, I'll do If you're doing that character,
I'll do it. And so then we were off to
the races. But it was always meant to be a
heavy fictionalized version inspired by a true evet, which was
this one guy who had done this one thing. And
there's a little of the same thing in.

Speaker 1 (32:44):
The Freddy character.

Speaker 2 (32:45):
Freddy character was inspired by an actual guy too, and
so inspired by and then you break bad and then
you go as far afield as you want to go.
And I think where we really had the most fun
with that early on was Michelle. There's no Michelle in
that in this story, in the real facts of the
real case. And I just said, what if we created

(33:06):
an investigator who had her own really warped relationship with Fire,
and what if she was attracted to Fire in a
way that she didn't even understand, And it's the reason
that she ended up going to war, it's the reason
she became a cop, it's the reason she makes all
these disastrous romantic decisions. It's all of a piece, and

(33:30):
that's when the show began to get really fun. In
the writer's room. I remember that.

Speaker 1 (33:34):
You know, it's interesting to me that you were I
don't want to say so adamantly against it, but so
really almost not interested in a way in the early
stages to where you know, you've been able to creatively
kind of, as you said, you know, go on a
fictionalized version and kind of run with it. And it's

(33:56):
it's I find that fascinating for me, just for you
as a creator, you know, and and then how it
comes together so well. Obviously in my opinion, it was
the right creative decision. It's it's an incredibly great series
and you and I think, you know, the decisions that
you made.

Speaker 2 (34:13):
Obviously worked very well to support that. Uh Taraan you
worked with them on on Blackbird.

Speaker 1 (34:20):
Was he at you know, at the forefront of your
thoughts as you were, you know, kind of exploring this project.

Speaker 2 (34:28):
Yeah, I brought it to town before I wrote a
line of dialogue. I mean, I brought it to town
before I wrote anything. And we got we both got
jazzed by the idea of the character and in what
we were trying to investigate. I don't like to say things.
I like to investigate. I like to question things. So
we thought, what are we saying about sort of male
culture right now? It's different than what we said in

(34:50):
Black Blackbird, but also of a piece, you know, we
we really that's something that he and I love to investigate.

Speaker 1 (34:58):
What is it?

Speaker 2 (34:58):
What is manhood in the world modern world, you know?
And so we ran down that path, and he was
all in because he knew this was gonna be a
crazy character to play. He knew I was going to
take it someplace absolutely nuts. I mean that was something
that I was conveyed to him through text very early on.
I'm like, this show is going mad, and we just

(35:22):
we you know what, It was a wonderful feeling in
the writer's room when we realized we were going to
just blow the doors off this thing, like there was
it was just Blackbird was a very controlled it was
it was a very controlled piece of narrative, and this
just felt like, no, this demands chaos. You're trying to

(35:43):
write about chaos. You're trying to write about something that's
dangerously both chaotic and sexy, which is fire and sanely
destructive and what does that mean for everybody involved? And
that that just that just allowed us, that became our
marching orders, like basically, there's no limit to where the

(36:04):
show can go.

Speaker 1 (36:07):
And is that part of what you know attracts you
to a project like this where you can do something
like Blackbird, which you say is is more controlled and
then this you're like, Okay, we're going the opposite way
with this. Is that something that attracts you as a
creator to that, Yeah, it's challenging, It's someplace I've never
been before, you know.

Speaker 2 (36:25):
And and I think that's what attracts both Taran and
I think are the secret to our our collaboration is
neither of us likes to do things unless something about
it scares us.

Speaker 1 (36:39):
I think that's a big thing.

Speaker 2 (36:41):
Like Taran doesn't like to take roles unless they scare them,
unless some part of it is like can I do that?
And I don't like to write something unless I'm like,
I could really mess this up. I couldn't really screw
this up, so uh, let's let's give it a try.
That's and that's that's why, that's what keeps the juices

(37:01):
flowing you know what I mean. That's what keeps it.

Speaker 1 (37:03):
You know, you do it.

Speaker 2 (37:05):
That's the Tom Sizemore line. You do it for the
action and uh and he you know, yeah, that's what
it is, you know.

Speaker 1 (37:12):
So I love that, Dennis. Thank you so much. I
can't wait for everybody to see Smoke so I can
talk about it. Tell you, I'm like itching for discussion
on it, and nobody can't do it yet, so I
can't wait for everybody to do I.

Speaker 2 (37:28):
Really appreciate the enthusiasm. It's great to hear. Thank you, Yes,
of course, Thank you, Dennis.

Speaker 1 (37:34):
I have a great day.

Speaker 2 (37:35):
Cheers you too. Dennis Waye.

Speaker 1 (37:41):
Love that I got to talk to him, and he's
just his work some of my favorite favorite projects, like
Mystic River. Shutter Island is one of my favorite movies.
Gone Baby Gone, Like what anyway?

Speaker 2 (37:55):
All right?

Speaker 1 (37:55):
Next up, Greg Kinnear and Rafe Spa together they bring
a wild energy to Smoke, a little bit charming, a
little bit unhints, which honestly kind of how I would
describe me.

Speaker 2 (38:09):
Let's jump right into it. Greg Kaneer and Rape Spy.

Speaker 1 (38:15):
Thank you Greg and Rape for speaking with me. I
really appreciate it. Thank you for having us, of course,
So first of all, congratulations on the series. Smoke is
so compelling, It's such a powerful story. What drew both
of you to this project?

Speaker 13 (38:37):
I was a huge fan of Blackbird, of course, starred
Greg Clear and Taron Edgerton. I was really blown away
by it, and then I got an email about speaking
with Dennis about it. I read the first few episodes
and was blown away by them. Look, it's a show

(39:00):
which is ostensibly about fire and arson, and that is
an inherently fascinating subject. But what kept me there and
which in tern will keep the audience interested, was the
universal themes between the characters in terms of, you know,
people letting themselves down, people doing bad things. I think

(39:24):
that's pretty identifiable. All the characters in this I think,
see themselves as good people, but from the outside point
of view, we can see that they do bad things.
So nothing is black and white. There is a lot
of gray there. So that kept me interested. Wanted to
be a part of it, and I think it will
be the same for the audience as well.

Speaker 14 (39:43):
And how about for you, Greg, Yeah, same thing I
mean I was. I mean, this is a wonderful group
of actors. We got to work with like Blackbird, and
I was always never bored on the show with any
what anybody was doing with they had. Partially that's credit

(40:04):
to the writers and Dennis because the as I'm saying,
I mean, these characters are not obvious. And but I
remember reading it and thinking, oh, this is going to
be interesting to see how this actor takes this. And
sure enough, everybody, everybody, uh, lived up to expectations and
created something that is you know, that is I think unexpected,

(40:27):
and it's fueled by kind of an exotic, weird thing
of arson at its you know, front and center. It's
it's off based off a loosely off a podcast called Firebug.
That's just kind of the starting point of it, but
it goes it's a pretty unexpected show in terms of

(40:50):
the dance it's doing.

Speaker 1 (40:51):
I think, yeah, as I was talking to Tarn and
Dennis earlier, and what I find so fascinating about it
as you know, essentially based on true events that there
was this book, then there was this podcast, and now
there's this limited series. And yet Dennis told me that

(41:13):
he shows specifically to divert away, you know, use that
use the real story as the basis but divert away
from many of you know. The reality which I find,
you know, so fascinating to me is that you know,
for both of you and Greg, you can start as

(41:35):
you're doing something that is, you know, loosely based on
real events. Do you dive into that reality news pieces
and that sort of thing, or do you pull back
and kind of do your own take based on the script.

Speaker 14 (41:49):
Now I find you know that the source material for
me is the script the first and foremost these other elements.
I mean, listen, there are you know, people who making
true stories, but even every story is taking license, I think,
and having worked with him in Blackbird, I saw this.

(42:11):
I think keeping the show entertaining and interesting and making
it something for an audience is first and foremost what
is interesting to him. It's certainly what I support. You know,
I've seen shows that I'm sure are very accurate, but
that's not what I'm Jason. I'm chasing for a full bodied,
interesting series that's going to take me to places I

(42:35):
don't expect, and if that has to deviate from reality,
so be it. And I think that we have a
great launching point on this. But this thing goes to
some pretty twisted places that even the actual reality and
story wouldn't take you too and for you.

Speaker 2 (42:55):
Rafe is that kind of the same thing. I would agree.

Speaker 13 (42:58):
I'm much like Greg the the Bible is the script
that's to jumping off point now. I think if you're
playing someone that everybody in the world knows. So if
you're going to play Muhammad Ali or whatever, or someone
someone that everyone knows and everyone understands the rhythms of
their speech, and they everyone knows bits about their story,

(43:19):
you have a kind of duty whoever's playing that person
to be as accurate as possible. But if you're doing
a world which is kind of based on a story
of a load of people that apart from the people
and their families, no one's ever heard of them, no
one knows what they.

Speaker 2 (43:33):
Look like or sound like.

Speaker 13 (43:34):
It's a blank canvas to be as creative as possible.
So I think it changes from projects to projects. If
you're playing someone super famous, then you have a duty
to kind of, you know, in some way give an
accurate portrayer that person. But you know, when it comes
to prep you've got the scripts, and if there are bits,
bits from the actual story that are helpful and playable,
then so be it. But a lot of research can

(43:57):
be quite dry and not playable. What's playable is human
emotion and that can come from myriad places like a
song or a or a book that's got nothing to
do with it, something that might.

Speaker 2 (44:07):
Inspire and I love that.

Speaker 1 (44:10):
And and finally, you know, it is some heavy material.
How did you both kind of keep it light when
when needed as you're shooting? You know, I assume I
don't know, I'm not an actor, but I assume you
need some levity in, you know, kind of when you're
dealing with such heavy stuff. Maybe I'm totally off.

Speaker 14 (44:32):
But I would say, yeah, I would say the off
camera chemistry, uh was was really excellent.

Speaker 1 (44:39):
I think everybody on this show was was really great.
Good people, fund to work with.

Speaker 14 (44:48):
And and when we weren't, when the cameras weren't doing
their thing, you know, we had.

Speaker 11 (44:55):
We're in a lot of laughs.

Speaker 2 (44:56):
We did have and that's what's important, you know, is.

Speaker 13 (45:00):
Having fun Because we're in are we breathe very sanctified
air and get into what we do. We do the
jobs that we dreamed of doing when we were kids.
We get to put makeup on, wear other people's clothes
and pretend to do shit. These are my dreams and
they could see you.

Speaker 2 (45:19):
Guys get paid for that. I try to do it
and I got yeah, sorry, yeah, exactly, yeah, but we
get paid for it.

Speaker 13 (45:25):
People bring us into work, they bring us coffee. Everyone's
super nice to.

Speaker 1 (45:29):
Where you're an actor, Sarah Toga when you want.

Speaker 13 (45:31):
To exactly, it's a it's a damn fine life, and
actors tend to be really lovely people, open and fun
and funny and self deprecating, and it's it's a lovely job,
last work, get it.

Speaker 1 (45:49):
I love that. Thank you both so much. I can't
wait for everybody to see Smoke so I can talk
about it with them. I'm like dying to discuss.

Speaker 2 (45:56):
Itay very much, thanks for your time.

Speaker 1 (45:59):
Have a great day. Red can hear a rape spa.
You can tell everybody's so passionate about Smoke. It's such
a good series and you just gotta watch it. It's
on Apple TV plus. It is so good and I
can't wait to talk to you about it all right.
Next up Journey smell a And when I say she

(46:20):
devours every scene she's in, I mean you might want
to keep snacks nearby, just to emotionally recover. We talked
about what drew her to Smoke, how she prepped, and
so much more. Let's jump in right now, Journey, Smelly,
thank you so much, Journey for joining me. I really

(46:40):
appreciate it.

Speaker 2 (46:41):
Thank you for having me man of course.

Speaker 1 (46:44):
So first of all, congratulations on Smoke. I love it.
It's such compell it and television. I find it interesting
for me that it kind of had this interesting journey
from you know, kind of real life to book to
podcast to now, you know, this limited series where this

(47:06):
series itself isn't you know, it's not like a documentary,
so there's a lot of creative license and that sort
of thing. Is that part of what drew you to it? Like,
I feel like there's this mystique to this whole kind
of backstory of the show itself, you know what I mean?

Speaker 15 (47:23):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I mean you know, look, Dennis Lahane
is such a skilled writer and being in his hands
with a project that is a crime thriller, you know,
I mean, it doesn't get better, right the two right,
and yes, while it's inspired by true events, he does

(47:44):
take and he takes a lot of creative liberties with
the story and a lot of the characters, especially my
character Michelle. It was his brain child, you know, and
I remember speaking to him early on and he said,
you know, Journey, everyone says that they want to be happy,
but why are we drawn to the very things that

(48:04):
want to destroy us? And that question of why is
honestly at the heart of Michelle. You know, when you
meet Michelle, she's literally destroying her home in order to
rebuild it, and we will see that she's in a
pattern of destruction and creation. And when she's paired with

(48:25):
Dave Terren's character, you know, at first they're in this
like weird dynamic of neither of them want to be there,
and then he starts getting in her mind, she starts
getting in his mind. Then one minute they are kind
of like brother and sisters, and then the next minute
there's this sexual tension. And so, you know, I think

(48:48):
Dennis is so skilled at writing crime thrillers that are
at its core.

Speaker 2 (48:52):
Character driven stories.

Speaker 1 (48:55):
I love that so much, and it's it's it is
a heavy, you know, heavy topic set. We're dealing with.
How did you as an actor as a person, how
did you have some you know, some levity or did
you live in that world for the entire shoot or
were you able to take, you know, moments, steal moments

(49:16):
that you could be Journey and be happy and not
all this heavy stuff.

Speaker 15 (49:21):
That's a great question, you know. I used to I
remember back when I was shooting this TV show called
Underground about you know, the Underground Railroad. I would live
with that stuff man, you know, and take it home
and stay in it. And now I'm a mom, so
I don't have that luxury because my son is not

(49:42):
only you know, he's in and out on my trailer,
going to craft service, coming and checking on mommy, Mommy.
I want to sit at the monitor and watch this scene.
And if it's a scene he can watch, I let him,
you know. And so Hunter honestly has changed my approach
to my craft.

Speaker 2 (49:56):
I have to be very official with it.

Speaker 15 (50:01):
I have to do a lot of prep in the
wee hours, early mornings, late nights. But when I come home,
he wants dinner and he wants to play, you know.

Speaker 2 (50:12):
And so.

Speaker 15 (50:14):
I think it's a blessing because he helps me find
those moments of levity.

Speaker 2 (50:19):
I love that so much, and I love Smoke, and
I love you in it.

Speaker 1 (50:24):
You are amazing, Journey.

Speaker 2 (50:25):
Thank Thank you.

Speaker 1 (50:26):
I can't wait for everybody to see Smoke exclusively on
Apple TV plus.

Speaker 2 (50:30):
Thank you, appreciate the love. Of course, have a great
day you too. Thank you. Journey Smoley. All right.

Speaker 1 (50:42):
Our next and final guest for this episode, Taron Egerton.
I love this man, Golden Globe, Winner, rocket Man, Kingsman,
sometimes Mustache Icon, Robin Hood Sing, Tetris, Legend, Billionaire Boys Club,
and so much more. And I love everything he's done.

(51:02):
He is one of my favorite actors. In Smoke, He's
playing a man who's moral compass is flexible, so we
talked about diving into that darkness and so much more.
Here he is for the first time on Pop Culture Weekly.
Tarn Egerton, thank you so much for talking with me, Taren,

(51:22):
I really appreciate it.

Speaker 2 (51:23):
Likewise, thanks Kyle Hayden.

Speaker 1 (51:25):
I'm doing well. Thank you man. First of all, I
love your work, Tetris and Eddie the Eagle, rocket Man
A Rocketman's one of my favorite films ever. I can
Blackbird and now Smoke. What drew you to doing Smoke?
So you know, when.

Speaker 16 (51:48):
A writer like Dennis likes you, you know you don't
pass up on the opportunity to work with him again.
So I was drawn to it because well, I knew
what the character was in a nutshell, because it's based
on a true story. But I also knew that to
have the opportunity to have a second outing with Dennis
after Blackbird was just a really one of those opportunities

(52:12):
that you just can't pass up on. I'd so loved
making that show and playing Jimmy and Blackbird alongside Paul,
who played Larry. Was there just a really extraordinary creative
moment for me in it, and the show remains something
that I really am fiercely proud of. So when Dennis says,
you know, hey, do you want to come and tell

(52:33):
another story with me, It's like, yeah, well, you know,
sign me up.

Speaker 1 (52:36):
And it was great, you.

Speaker 16 (52:40):
Know, I think as well, To be completely honest, I
suspect Dennis had I loved doing Blackbird, as I've said,
but you know, a part of me, I think always
was watching what Paul was doing with some if not envy,
you know, a mixture of admiration and desire, you know,
And I think think Dennis, to his credit, maybe he

(53:02):
saw that on some level, and I think he recognized
this show smoke as an opportunity for me to maybe
have a go at doing something a little nearer to that,
you know, and play the weird guy for you.

Speaker 1 (53:19):
You're also an EP on this, uh, you know, you're
an executive producer? Why why this project?

Speaker 2 (53:27):
You know?

Speaker 10 (53:30):
So?

Speaker 16 (53:30):
I think for me, the the you know, I suppose
when there's a project where my involvement is feels like
it is broader than just the job of an actor
stepping on set, I say, just you know, I think

(53:51):
it's a I suppose it just feels like a reflection
of my involvement in things behind the scenes. And it
tends to be, you know, when I ask to be
a producer on something, or I'm approached to be a
producer on something, it's it's normally those things where I
feel specially excited about it creatively, you know. And it's

(54:14):
always a lovely, lovely thing when you're allowed that opportunity.
But I don't always ask and I'm not always offered,
And I suppose it's a reflection in some senses of
not my investment, but my involvement.

Speaker 2 (54:30):
You know.

Speaker 1 (54:31):
I love that, And I want to thank you so
much for speaking with me. I can't wait for everybody
to see this, and I have a feeling that we'll
end up seeing you at the Emmys again. So so congratulations.

Speaker 2 (54:45):
Well that's lovely of you to say.

Speaker 16 (54:47):
It might be a little early for congratulations, but I
appreciate the sentiment.

Speaker 1 (54:50):
Thank you, of course, Daron.

Speaker 2 (54:52):
Have a great day you too, mate, Thanks for your time.
Taron Egerton. Love him.

Speaker 1 (55:01):
I love that he joined us on Pop Culture Weekly,
And I love Smoke, which is on Apple TV Plus
right now, and I'm telling you it is really really,
really really really good. So watch it, let's talk about it,
and uh yeah, that's all I got, So all right,
let me know what you think of this episode. Hit

(55:22):
me up on socials and let's talk countdown Smoke or
whatever else you want to talk about with pop Culture,
or leave a voicemail. If you're on the free iHeartRadio app,
you can hit that talkback button comes right to me.
Or go to my site podcast dot Popcultureweekly dot com
and there's a voicemail button on every page.

Speaker 2 (55:41):
You might just be featured on the show. All right, We're.

Speaker 1 (55:45):
Back on the fourth for an all star special celebrating
a Capital fourth, live from the West Lawn of the
US Capitol in Washington. DC.

Speaker 2 (55:55):
I can't wait to see you. Then, I love you.
We thank you for listening to pop Culture Weekly.

Speaker 3 (56:01):
Here all the latest at popcultureweekly dot com.

Speaker 10 (56:09):
Taron Niggerton, Eric Dave, and Jansenakles. How at this becomes
such a dreamy episode.

Speaker 1 (56:20):
I don't know, I don't know.