WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.279 Welcome to the Deep Dive. Hi there. Today we 00:00:03.279 --> 00:00:07.480 are, well, attempting quite a task really. Charting 00:00:07.480 --> 00:00:10.619 the career of someone who's just a true modern 00:00:10.619 --> 00:00:14.619 master. Yeah. A creative force whose CV, honestly, 00:00:14.800 --> 00:00:17.179 it reads less like a career path and more like, 00:00:17.280 --> 00:00:19.359 I don't know, a whole history of contemporary 00:00:19.359 --> 00:00:22.160 drama. Absolutely. We are diving into the world 00:00:22.160 --> 00:00:25.059 of Sir Kenneth Branagh. And it's almost overwhelming 00:00:25.059 --> 00:00:27.059 when you start because you look at his work and 00:00:27.059 --> 00:00:29.879 Branagh is the ultimate multi -hyphenate. You 00:00:29.879 --> 00:00:31.980 know, he doesn't just act. No. He directs, he 00:00:31.980 --> 00:00:34.759 produces, he writes, and he's managed to succeed 00:00:34.759 --> 00:00:37.859 everywhere. Classical theater, prestige television, 00:00:38.100 --> 00:00:40.759 really intimate personal drama, and then these 00:00:40.759 --> 00:00:43.600 massive, massive superhero blockbusters. He just, 00:00:43.659 --> 00:00:46.539 he refuses to be put in a box. And that refusal, 00:00:46.780 --> 00:00:48.960 that refusal to be categorized, it's kind of 00:00:48.960 --> 00:00:50.780 codified, isn't it? Yeah. In one of the most, 00:00:50.799 --> 00:00:53.119 well, astonishing records in modern. Hollywood 00:00:53.119 --> 00:00:55.740 history. We're talking about a man who holds 00:00:55.740 --> 00:00:58.960 the unique distinction of being the first person 00:00:58.960 --> 00:01:01.460 ever nominated for an Academy Award in seven 00:01:01.460 --> 00:01:03.859 different categories. Seven and seven. I mean, 00:01:03.859 --> 00:01:05.879 just think about the names he surpassed to get 00:01:05.879 --> 00:01:09.879 that record. Walt Disney, George Clooney, Alfonso 00:01:09.879 --> 00:01:12.519 Cuaron. These are giants of versatility, right? 00:01:12.579 --> 00:01:15.879 All nominated in six categories. But Branagh. 00:01:16.269 --> 00:01:20.010 hit seven he achieved mastery across well the 00:01:20.010 --> 00:01:23.189 entire creative spectrum performing directing 00:01:23.189 --> 00:01:27.510 writing producing and spanning formats from short 00:01:27.510 --> 00:01:30.849 film All the way up to Best Picture. That kind 00:01:30.849 --> 00:01:33.530 of breadth is just, it's unprecedented. It really 00:01:33.530 --> 00:01:36.129 is. Yeah. So our mission today then is to try 00:01:36.129 --> 00:01:39.189 and track that extraordinary path. How did the 00:01:39.189 --> 00:01:42.390 boy from working class Belfast rise up to become, 00:01:42.549 --> 00:01:45.150 you know, the definitive modern Shakespearean 00:01:45.150 --> 00:01:47.629 actor. Then somehow command the Marvel Universe 00:01:47.629 --> 00:01:49.569 and then circle back to write an Oscar winning 00:01:49.569 --> 00:01:52.069 memoir about his own childhood. It's quite a 00:01:52.069 --> 00:01:54.310 story arc. It is. We need to uncover the key 00:01:54.310 --> 00:01:56.750 artistic shifts, I think. And also maybe some 00:01:56.750 --> 00:01:59.340 of the moments of. profound personal costs that 00:01:59.340 --> 00:02:01.819 must have defined this, well, decades long journey. 00:02:01.920 --> 00:02:03.760 Yeah, there were definitely those two. OK, let's 00:02:03.760 --> 00:02:05.840 let's unpack this. Right. So to understand the 00:02:05.840 --> 00:02:07.959 drive that versatile, you really have to start 00:02:07.959 --> 00:02:11.319 with his foundational identity, his roots. Kenneth 00:02:11.319 --> 00:02:16.599 Charles Brona. Born 10 December 1960 in the Tigers 00:02:16.599 --> 00:02:20.599 Bay area of Belfast. And his background was decidedly 00:02:20.599 --> 00:02:23.099 working class Protestant. His father, William, 00:02:23.360 --> 00:02:25.879 was a plumber and a joiner. He specialized in 00:02:25.879 --> 00:02:27.900 fitting partitions, suspended ceilings, that 00:02:27.900 --> 00:02:30.060 kind of thing. Right. Proper tradesman. Exactly. 00:02:30.259 --> 00:02:33.080 And Ken was the middle child. His early life 00:02:33.080 --> 00:02:35.979 was rooted in a very specific place, a very specific 00:02:35.979 --> 00:02:38.479 culture. But that world, it fractured pretty 00:02:38.479 --> 00:02:41.120 dramatically, didn't it, in early 1970? It did. 00:02:41.199 --> 00:02:47.650 He was nine years old. Why have you been there? 00:03:11.150 --> 00:03:13.030 adopted an RP accent, received pronunciation. 00:03:13.490 --> 00:03:16.289 Right. The standard English accent. The standard 00:03:16.289 --> 00:03:18.849 English accent. Exactly. At school anyway. But 00:03:18.849 --> 00:03:21.370 despite that, you know, that necessity for self 00:03:21.370 --> 00:03:24.669 -protection, he has always consistently maintained, 00:03:24.930 --> 00:03:28.050 quote, I feel Irish. I don't think you can take 00:03:28.050 --> 00:03:30.639 Belfast out of the boy. That's powerful. And 00:03:30.639 --> 00:03:32.240 it's kind of the origin of the performer, isn't 00:03:32.240 --> 00:03:34.900 it? That need to put on a mask or a voice just 00:03:34.900 --> 00:03:37.419 for survival. Precisely. And that early theatrical 00:03:37.419 --> 00:03:40.360 instinct, it led him through amateur groups like 00:03:40.360 --> 00:03:42.900 the Progress Theater and then straight into, 00:03:43.060 --> 00:03:46.699 well, the crucible of British acting talent, 00:03:46.900 --> 00:03:50.219 the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Arrata. Arrata. 00:03:50.509 --> 00:03:52.490 Was absolutely crucial. He was an intense student, 00:03:52.550 --> 00:03:55.530 apparently, in a really vibrant era there, working 00:03:55.530 --> 00:03:58.229 alongside people who had become huge stars. Right. 00:03:58.349 --> 00:04:00.050 And there's this incredible little story from 00:04:00.050 --> 00:04:02.469 1980 when he was still a student that shows how 00:04:02.469 --> 00:04:04.650 quickly he was marked out as special. Oh, yeah. 00:04:05.150 --> 00:04:08.270 The principal asked the 19 -year -old Brana to 00:04:08.270 --> 00:04:11.349 perform a soliloquy from Hamlet for Queen Elizabeth 00:04:11.349 --> 00:04:15.909 II during a royal visit. Wow. 19 years old. Performing 00:04:15.909 --> 00:04:17.699 Hamlet for the Queen. Before his professional 00:04:17.699 --> 00:04:20.360 career had even properly begun, he was already 00:04:20.360 --> 00:04:22.800 doing the bard for royalty. That early confidence, 00:04:22.899 --> 00:04:24.579 it must have just translated immediately into 00:04:24.579 --> 00:04:26.920 professional acclaim, right? It did. Pretty much 00:04:26.920 --> 00:04:30.800 straight out of rando, he won the very prestigious 00:04:30.800 --> 00:04:34.699 1982 Sweat Award. That's the precursor to the 00:04:34.699 --> 00:04:37.920 Olivier Award for Best Newcomer. That was for 00:04:37.920 --> 00:04:41.879 his role as the socialist pupil, Judd, in another 00:04:41.879 --> 00:04:45.220 country. OK, so he hits the ground running. Absolutely. 00:04:45.319 --> 00:04:47.939 That win basically confirmed he was the one to 00:04:47.939 --> 00:04:50.600 watch. But here's the thing. Instead of just 00:04:50.600 --> 00:04:52.560 settling into the establishment, you know, taking 00:04:52.560 --> 00:04:55.480 roles at the National or the RSC. Right. Branagh 00:04:55.480 --> 00:04:58.579 chose a much more, well, revolutionary path. 00:04:59.170 --> 00:05:02.670 In 1987, alongside David Parfit, he co -founded 00:05:02.670 --> 00:05:04.790 the Renaissance Theater Company. OK, Renaissance. 00:05:04.889 --> 00:05:06.930 Why was that revolutionary? Well, it wasn't just 00:05:06.930 --> 00:05:09.850 a side project. It was a deliberate, almost disruptive 00:05:09.850 --> 00:05:12.970 move against what they saw as the maybe the stuffiness 00:05:12.970 --> 00:05:15.970 and the hierarchy of the existing big theatrical 00:05:15.970 --> 00:05:18.649 institutions. Right. Taking on the giants. Exactly. 00:05:18.670 --> 00:05:20.949 It felt like an attempt to kind of democratize 00:05:20.949 --> 00:05:23.670 high level classical theater. You know, they 00:05:23.670 --> 00:05:25.709 wanted to bring it to a wider audience, give 00:05:25.709 --> 00:05:28.490 young talent a proper chance. They had some early. 00:05:28.589 --> 00:05:31.149 success on the london fringe but it was their 00:05:31.149 --> 00:05:34.670 1988 renaissance shakespeare on the road season 00:05:34.670 --> 00:05:37.949 that really really exploded their status shakespeare 00:05:37.949 --> 00:05:40.629 on the road what did that involve well that season 00:05:40.629 --> 00:05:43.449 really demonstrated branna's eye for talent and 00:05:43.449 --> 00:05:46.189 also his collaborative spirit it wasn't just 00:05:46.189 --> 00:05:49.209 about him performing yeah it was about bringing 00:05:49.209 --> 00:05:52.689 in the absolute best That season featured the 00:05:52.689 --> 00:05:55.850 directing debuts of Judi Dench, who directed 00:05:55.850 --> 00:05:58.389 a fantastic much -do -about -nothing, apparently, 00:05:58.569 --> 00:06:01.430 and Geraldine McEwen, who directed As You Like 00:06:01.430 --> 00:06:04.529 It. Incredible. And another Titan, Derek Jacoby, 00:06:04.670 --> 00:06:07.269 directed Branagh himself in the title role of 00:06:07.269 --> 00:06:09.410 Hamlet. Talk about walking among giants indeed. 00:06:09.730 --> 00:06:11.550 Yeah. And that stage production of Hamlet, that 00:06:11.550 --> 00:06:13.589 was the one, wasn't it, that cemented his reputation 00:06:13.589 --> 00:06:15.670 as the great classical hope? That was the one. 00:06:15.750 --> 00:06:18.189 The critical response was, well, overwhelming, 00:06:18.410 --> 00:06:20.730 particularly the comparisons that started. flying 00:06:20.730 --> 00:06:22.970 around to the legend himself, Sir Lawrence Olivier? 00:06:23.310 --> 00:06:25.389 Ah, the Olivier comparison. That must have been 00:06:25.389 --> 00:06:28.470 intense. Almost paralyzing, you'd imagine. The 00:06:28.470 --> 00:06:31.649 critic Milton Shulman famously wrote that Branagh 00:06:31.649 --> 00:06:34.829 had, quote, the vitality of Olivier, the passion 00:06:34.829 --> 00:06:37.970 of Gielgud, the assurance of Guinness. Good grief. 00:06:38.329 --> 00:06:40.750 That's like... That's like calling a rookie quarterback 00:06:40.750 --> 00:06:43.110 the love child of Joe Montana and Tom Brady, 00:06:43.170 --> 00:06:45.850 like you said. Exactly. It immediately set this 00:06:45.850 --> 00:06:48.389 almost impossible standard, a really high stakes 00:06:48.389 --> 00:06:51.209 comparison that would, frankly, both haunt and 00:06:51.209 --> 00:06:54.170 drive his career for decades. But did the critique 00:06:54.170 --> 00:06:57.759 offer any note? Of caution? Because those comparisons, 00:06:57.779 --> 00:06:59.480 they're almost always double -edged, aren't they? 00:06:59.579 --> 00:07:02.040 They were, yeah. Shulman balanced the praise. 00:07:02.139 --> 00:07:05.399 He noted that Branagh maybe lacked the sheer 00:07:05.399 --> 00:07:09.319 animal magnetism of Olivier, the flawless, mellifluous 00:07:09.319 --> 00:07:11.800 voice of Gilgud. He was brilliant, yes, but the 00:07:11.800 --> 00:07:14.279 shadow of a master's was incredibly long. So 00:07:14.279 --> 00:07:16.420 the challenge placed upon Branagh from that moment 00:07:16.420 --> 00:07:19.579 was crystal clear. Can you transition this stage 00:07:19.579 --> 00:07:21.740 of success to cinema? And can you live up to 00:07:21.740 --> 00:07:24.589 the name, the next Olivier? A massive weight 00:07:24.589 --> 00:07:27.050 to carry into the next phase. And he didn't wait 00:07:27.050 --> 00:07:29.350 long to take on that challenge, did he? 1989, 00:07:29.649 --> 00:07:32.250 just a year after that Renaissance success, he 00:07:32.250 --> 00:07:35.430 adapts his stage, Henry V, for The Scream, his 00:07:35.430 --> 00:07:38.509 feature directorial debut. Yep. And this film, 00:07:38.610 --> 00:07:41.149 it felt like more than just a film. It felt like 00:07:41.149 --> 00:07:43.689 a cultural statement. It really was. And strategically, 00:07:44.069 --> 00:07:46.569 it was brilliant. You have to remember, Olivier 00:07:46.569 --> 00:07:49.930 had directed his own seminal, Henry V, back in 00:07:49.930 --> 00:07:52.629 1944. Right, the wartime propaganda version. 00:07:52.850 --> 00:07:56.189 Exactly, to boost morale. Branagh, directing 00:07:56.189 --> 00:07:58.269 his version just a few years after the Falklands 00:07:58.269 --> 00:08:01.410 War. Ah, interesting context. He presented a 00:08:01.410 --> 00:08:03.970 decidedly grittier, bloodier, much more realistic 00:08:03.970 --> 00:08:07.350 take on kingship and battle. He wasn't just copying 00:08:07.350 --> 00:08:10.709 Olivier. He was offering this kind of post -imperial, 00:08:10.709 --> 00:08:13.769 maybe post -Vietnam interpretation of the text. 00:08:13.930 --> 00:08:16.389 One that really resonated with a modern audience, 00:08:16.550 --> 00:08:19.149 maybe more wary of jingoism. And the Academy 00:08:19.149 --> 00:08:21.389 responded instantly. Dual Oscar nominations. 00:08:22.120 --> 00:08:24.379 Best actor and best director. Incredible achievement 00:08:24.379 --> 00:08:27.639 for a debut. Right. That immediately placed him 00:08:27.639 --> 00:08:30.120 in the, you know, the highest echelon of filmmaking 00:08:30.120 --> 00:08:33.120 talent. Plus, he won the BAFTA for his direction. 00:08:33.299 --> 00:08:36.600 It was a huge breakthrough. Signaled he was here 00:08:36.600 --> 00:08:39.649 to stay. And during this whole period, his public 00:08:39.649 --> 00:08:42.669 life became completely intertwined with his professional 00:08:42.669 --> 00:08:45.269 life through his marriage to the actress Emma 00:08:45.269 --> 00:08:47.970 Thompson. Right. 1989. They became the absolute 00:08:47.970 --> 00:08:50.250 golden couple of British cinema, didn't they? 00:08:50.389 --> 00:08:52.889 Yeah. Embodying that sort of classical talent 00:08:52.889 --> 00:08:55.149 and sophisticated charm. They really did. And 00:08:55.149 --> 00:08:57.009 their collaborations were incredibly extensive. 00:08:57.110 --> 00:09:00.230 They pretty much defined the early 90s. So they 00:09:00.230 --> 00:09:02.610 did the stage and TV versions of Look Back in 00:09:02.610 --> 00:09:04.769 Anger. Yep. And then they moved into original 00:09:04.769 --> 00:09:08.159 cinema together. Twisty Neo -Noir, Dead Again 00:09:08.159 --> 00:09:10.740 in 91. Which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival, 00:09:10.879 --> 00:09:13.279 got great reviews. Right. And Dead Again was 00:09:13.279 --> 00:09:15.840 important, wasn't it? Because it proved Branagh 00:09:15.840 --> 00:09:17.889 could succeed outside Shakespeare. Absolutely. 00:09:17.990 --> 00:09:20.889 He injected that high stakes dramatic style into 00:09:20.889 --> 00:09:23.049 a really slick contemporary Hollywood genre. 00:09:23.210 --> 00:09:25.990 It worked. They followed that up with the ensemble 00:09:25.990 --> 00:09:29.549 comedy drama Peter's Friends in 1992. Oh, yeah. 00:09:29.610 --> 00:09:31.429 I remember that. Often called the British Big 00:09:31.429 --> 00:09:33.809 Chill, right? That's the one. Very fondly remembered. 00:09:33.809 --> 00:09:36.450 And then came, well, probably the ultimate collaboration, 00:09:36.830 --> 00:09:41.809 Much Ado About Nothing in 1993. Ah, yes. The 00:09:41.809 --> 00:09:44.990 Sunshine movie. Totally. This felt like the absolute 00:09:44.990 --> 00:09:47.690 pinnacle of their partnership, a sun -drenched, 00:09:47.789 --> 00:09:51.210 just exuberant adaptation. And it had this Hollywood 00:09:51.210 --> 00:09:54.049 -friendly cast, too. Denzel Washington, a young... 00:09:54.600 --> 00:09:57.419 Keanu Reeves. That cast was amazing. And Vincent 00:09:57.419 --> 00:09:59.639 Camby at the New York Times, he captured the 00:09:59.639 --> 00:10:02.700 critical feeling perfectly. He praised Brenna's 00:10:02.700 --> 00:10:05.000 direction for taking this romantic comedy that 00:10:05.000 --> 00:10:06.940 often turns to, I think he said, mush on the 00:10:06.940 --> 00:10:11.240 screen and making it triumphantly romantic, comic, 00:10:11.320 --> 00:10:14.700 and emotionally alive. It really felt like they 00:10:14.700 --> 00:10:16.379 could do no wrong at that point. They seemed 00:10:16.379 --> 00:10:19.100 untouchable. But as often happens, doesn't it, 00:10:19.120 --> 00:10:22.100 when an artist hits that kind of pinnacle. The 00:10:22.100 --> 00:10:24.500 pressure or maybe just the ambition, it leads 00:10:24.500 --> 00:10:27.159 to a misstep. Yeah. And the mid -90s brought 00:10:27.159 --> 00:10:30.879 both a big commercial failure and a massive, 00:10:30.919 --> 00:10:33.980 very public, personal drama. The artistic misstep, 00:10:34.000 --> 00:10:36.299 that was Mary Shelley's Frankenstein in 1994. 00:10:36.940 --> 00:10:40.259 Branagh tried to direct this lavish, epic horror 00:10:40.259 --> 00:10:43.200 film. starring himself robert de niro as the 00:10:43.200 --> 00:10:46.259 creature names huge ambition but it just sort 00:10:46.259 --> 00:10:49.759 of spiraled into this overly ambitious kind of 00:10:49.759 --> 00:10:52.480 uneven spectacle and the reviews were quite sharp 00:10:52.480 --> 00:10:54.240 weren't they i remember reading critiques about 00:10:54.240 --> 00:10:57.629 a lack of technical control they were Janet Maslin, 00:10:57.690 --> 00:11:00.049 for instance, criticized Branagh's lack of technical 00:11:00.049 --> 00:11:03.129 finesse. She said the film often sacrificed emotional 00:11:03.129 --> 00:11:07.330 depth for just pure, screaming melodrama. Ouch. 00:11:07.549 --> 00:11:10.230 Yeah. It was a clear sign that, you know, theatrical 00:11:10.230 --> 00:11:12.769 gravitas doesn't automatically translate into 00:11:12.769 --> 00:11:15.029 seamless blockbuster directing. It's a different 00:11:15.029 --> 00:11:18.029 skill set. Definitely. And then almost cruelly, 00:11:18.049 --> 00:11:20.389 the production of that film became the catalyst 00:11:20.389 --> 00:11:22.409 for the public fracturing of The Golden Couple. 00:11:22.549 --> 00:11:25.470 That's right. It was during the filming of Frankenstein 00:11:25.470 --> 00:11:27.470 that Branagh Branagh began a relationship with 00:11:27.470 --> 00:11:30.389 his co -star, Helena Bonham Carter. He and Emma 00:11:30.389 --> 00:11:33.710 Thompson divorced in 1995. And his subsequent, 00:11:33.769 --> 00:11:36.330 very highly publicized partnership with Bonham 00:11:36.330 --> 00:11:39.629 Carter lasted until 1999. It's hard to overstate 00:11:39.629 --> 00:11:42.129 how much of a tabloid and media event that whole 00:11:42.129 --> 00:11:44.929 transition was. Oh, it was huge. The image of 00:11:44.929 --> 00:11:47.110 the, you know, the impeccable classical theater 00:11:47.110 --> 00:11:49.730 darling was suddenly replaced by this much more 00:11:49.730 --> 00:11:53.950 complex, messy, well... human narrative as his 00:11:53.950 --> 00:11:55.990 commercial directing was kind of faltering. It 00:11:55.990 --> 00:11:59.669 was a massive disruption to that carefully constructed 00:11:59.669 --> 00:12:02.110 public image he'd built. But the remarkable thing 00:12:02.110 --> 00:12:03.710 about Branagh, and you see this throughout his 00:12:03.710 --> 00:12:06.289 career, is that even during this really intense 00:12:06.289 --> 00:12:09.690 personal upheaval, his acting continued to ascend. 00:12:09.929 --> 00:12:12.490 Right. Despite the Frankenstein reviews, he went 00:12:12.490 --> 00:12:15.990 straight into starring as Iago in Oliver Parker's 00:12:15.990 --> 00:12:19.190 Othello. That was 1995 opposite Lawrence Fishburne. 00:12:19.269 --> 00:12:21.370 And his Iago was hailed as pretty much definitive, 00:12:21.490 --> 00:12:23.830 wasn't it? Absolutely superb. Critics called 00:12:23.830 --> 00:12:26.809 it mesmerizing, manipulative. He just captured 00:12:26.809 --> 00:12:29.870 that subtle, despicable villainy perfectly, earned 00:12:29.870 --> 00:12:31.950 him a screen. Actors Guild Award nomination. 00:12:32.250 --> 00:12:34.389 So even if he couldn't quite control the budget 00:12:34.389 --> 00:12:36.750 or the technical side of a studio epic, his power 00:12:36.750 --> 00:12:39.350 as a performer was absolute, undeniable. And 00:12:39.350 --> 00:12:42.429 then, as if to prove the scale of his artistic 00:12:42.429 --> 00:12:44.909 ambition once and for all, he returned to the 00:12:44.909 --> 00:12:47.789 director's chair for his most monumental Shakespearean 00:12:47.789 --> 00:12:52.450 effort yet. The epic Four Hour Hamlet. 1996. 00:12:53.169 --> 00:12:56.450 Four hours. Four hours. And shot entirely in 00:12:56.450 --> 00:12:59.539 70mm film stock. That's the same format reserved 00:12:59.539 --> 00:13:02.059 for these grand spectacles like Lawrence of Arabia. 00:13:02.120 --> 00:13:04.120 Exactly. This wasn't just another film adaptation. 00:13:04.360 --> 00:13:07.539 It was a defiant artistic statement, a gauntlet 00:13:07.539 --> 00:13:10.279 thrown down after the disappointment of Frankenstein. 00:13:10.460 --> 00:13:12.799 So what did that 70 millimeter choice really 00:13:12.799 --> 00:13:14.779 signify to the audience? What was he saying? 00:13:14.940 --> 00:13:18.500 I think he was saying reverence, scale, a demand 00:13:18.500 --> 00:13:21.840 for seriousness. 70 millimeter film gives you 00:13:21.840 --> 00:13:24.440 this incredible resolution, this depth of field, 00:13:24.600 --> 00:13:27.360 visual majesty that's just unsurpassed. Right. 00:13:27.500 --> 00:13:30.419 By choosing it, Branagh was saying, look, this 00:13:30.419 --> 00:13:32.980 story is epic and I demand you view it with the 00:13:32.980 --> 00:13:34.899 same attention you'd give the grandest cinema 00:13:34.899 --> 00:13:38.139 ever made. It was a deliberate throwback, a nod 00:13:38.139 --> 00:13:40.480 to the golden age. And artistically, it paid 00:13:40.480 --> 00:13:43.559 off. Yeah. Four Academy Award nominations, including 00:13:43.559 --> 00:13:45.539 Best Adapted Screenplay for Branagh himself. 00:13:45.799 --> 00:13:48.419 Yeah, and Roger Ebert, who saw, you know, thousands 00:13:48.419 --> 00:13:50.659 of films. Millions, probably. He praised it for 00:13:50.659 --> 00:13:53.120 making him feel, quote, at home in that doomed 00:13:53.120 --> 00:13:55.940 royal court. He highlighted its emotional accessibility, 00:13:56.200 --> 00:13:59.320 even with that daunting four -hour runtime. It 00:13:59.320 --> 00:14:01.460 really felt like the definitive capstone, didn't 00:14:01.460 --> 00:14:03.919 it, to his whole decade of Shakespearean dominance 00:14:03.919 --> 00:14:07.980 on screen? It did. But interestingly... Following 00:14:07.980 --> 00:14:10.220 that achievement and then the financial failure 00:14:10.220 --> 00:14:12.980 of his next project, it actually signaled a brief 00:14:12.980 --> 00:14:15.940 pivot away from directing features. It forced 00:14:15.940 --> 00:14:18.879 him, in a way, to reinvent himself again for 00:14:18.879 --> 00:14:20.919 the new millennium. Right. So that shift came 00:14:20.919 --> 00:14:24.840 early in the 2000s. Branagh decided to take another 00:14:24.840 --> 00:14:27.659 big dramatic swing, didn't he, with Love's Labors 00:14:27.659 --> 00:14:30.200 Lost in 2000. He did, turning Shakespeare into 00:14:30.200 --> 00:14:33.059 a 1930s musical comedy. Old move. Very bold. 00:14:33.360 --> 00:14:36.200 Innovative, definitely. But ultimately, it failed, 00:14:36.299 --> 00:14:38.720 both commercially and critically. And the source 00:14:38.720 --> 00:14:40.899 material suggests this failure really did put 00:14:40.899 --> 00:14:43.200 a brief pause on his feature film directing career. 00:14:43.419 --> 00:14:46.929 So what did he do during that pause? Well, strategically, 00:14:47.230 --> 00:14:49.490 it was probably beneficial. It forced him to 00:14:49.490 --> 00:14:52.289 explore other avenues where his gravitas could 00:14:52.289 --> 00:14:54.330 shine, but maybe without the immense pressure 00:14:54.330 --> 00:14:56.950 of a huge directing budget. Makes sense. He transitioned 00:14:56.950 --> 00:14:59.129 into more voice work. He was the voice of the 00:14:59.129 --> 00:15:01.509 charming rogue Miguel in DreamWorks animated 00:15:01.509 --> 00:15:04.509 film The Road to El Dorado. That was stupid. 00:15:04.690 --> 00:15:07.110 Oh, yeah. I remember him in that. And he also 00:15:07.110 --> 00:15:09.509 became this sort of go -to voice for historical 00:15:09.509 --> 00:15:12.830 context, narrating acclaimed documentaries like 00:15:12.830 --> 00:15:15.450 Cold War, Walking with Dinosaurs, World War I 00:15:15.450 --> 00:15:18.230 in Color. His voice just lends itself to that 00:15:18.230 --> 00:15:21.649 kind of authority. Absolutely. But the real genius 00:15:21.649 --> 00:15:25.710 move of this era, I think, was his embrace of 00:15:25.710 --> 00:15:28.730 high -stakes historical prestige television. 00:15:28.929 --> 00:15:31.230 Yes. That allowed him to really deep dive into 00:15:31.230 --> 00:15:33.909 these complex characters, and it earned him immense 00:15:33.909 --> 00:15:36.480 industry recognition. That's exactly where we 00:15:36.480 --> 00:15:40.259 get the, frankly, chillingly effective conspiracy 00:15:40.259 --> 00:15:43.460 in 2001 for HBO. Right. Playing Reinhardt Hadrit. 00:15:43.789 --> 00:15:46.870 portraying SS Obergruppenführer Reinhard Heydrich, 00:15:47.029 --> 00:15:49.409 the principal architect of the Holocaust, during 00:15:49.409 --> 00:15:51.929 this single -location drama depicting the Wannsee 00:15:51.929 --> 00:15:54.570 Conference. It's basically just men talking in 00:15:54.570 --> 00:15:56.809 a room. Utterly terrifying. Utterly. It was a 00:15:56.809 --> 00:15:59.269 chamber piece, pure acting. And he was just phenomenal. 00:15:59.549 --> 00:16:01.809 He stripped away all the theatrical flair you 00:16:01.809 --> 00:16:04.710 might expect and presented this pure, chilling, 00:16:04.909 --> 00:16:08.529 bureaucratic evil. And that role won him the 00:16:08.529 --> 00:16:11.129 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor. 00:16:11.580 --> 00:16:14.559 It really demonstrated that his power wasn't 00:16:14.559 --> 00:16:17.799 reliant on epic 70 millimeter landscapes. It 00:16:17.799 --> 00:16:20.919 was internal, deeply internal. And what's fascinating 00:16:20.919 --> 00:16:23.299 here is the sheer range he displayed almost immediately 00:16:23.299 --> 00:16:26.679 afterward. If Hadrick was the historical villain. 00:16:26.840 --> 00:16:29.879 Yeah. Just four years later, 2005, he plays the 00:16:29.879 --> 00:16:32.279 iconic American hero, U .S. President Franklin 00:16:32.279 --> 00:16:35.399 D. Roosevelt in the HBO film Warm Springs. Wow. 00:16:35.899 --> 00:16:38.820 From hatred to FDR. Exactly. Earning another 00:16:38.820 --> 00:16:41.679 Emmy nomination for that. Moving seamlessly from 00:16:41.679 --> 00:16:43.799 the architect of mass murder to a beloved American 00:16:43.799 --> 00:16:46.080 icon. I mean, that is acting range defined, isn't 00:16:46.080 --> 00:16:48.539 it? It absolutely is. This era also included 00:16:48.539 --> 00:16:50.919 another really significant, long -running television 00:16:50.919 --> 00:16:53.879 commitment for him. Wallander. Ah, yes. Wallander. 00:16:53.980 --> 00:16:57.379 Starting in 2008, ran until 2016. He starred 00:16:57.379 --> 00:16:59.740 as Inspector Kurt Wallander, the brilliant but 00:16:59.740 --> 00:17:01.960 deeply, deeply troubled Swedish detective from 00:17:01.960 --> 00:17:03.600 Henning Mankel's best -selling crime novels. 00:17:03.740 --> 00:17:06.390 Such a great series. It was a masterpiece of 00:17:06.390 --> 00:17:09.009 that scanning war atmosphere. Branagh was also 00:17:09.009 --> 00:17:11.049 an executive producer on it, helped shape that 00:17:11.049 --> 00:17:14.710 distinct, moody tone. And the series was lauded 00:17:14.710 --> 00:17:17.769 for its cinematic quality. It won the BAFTA TV 00:17:17.769 --> 00:17:20.670 Award for Best Drama Series. Right. And his performance 00:17:20.670 --> 00:17:23.410 as Wallander really cemented him as a television 00:17:23.410 --> 00:17:26.490 powerhouse in the UK. Earned him another prestigious 00:17:26.490 --> 00:17:29.930 Emmy nomination. Broadcasting Press Guild Award 00:17:29.930 --> 00:17:32.930 for Best Actor. It was huge for him. But amidst 00:17:32.930 --> 00:17:35.170 conquering television, he did dip his toes back 00:17:35.170 --> 00:17:37.650 into directing features, didn't he? Though maybe 00:17:37.650 --> 00:17:39.829 a bit less successfully than before. He did. 00:17:39.910 --> 00:17:42.809 He directed a film version of Shakespeare's As 00:17:42.809 --> 00:17:45.589 You Like It in 2006, which was, you know, fine. 00:17:45.970 --> 00:17:48.670 More interestingly, perhaps, he took on the difficult 00:17:48.670 --> 00:17:51.670 task of remaking Anthony Schaffer's play Sleuth 00:17:51.670 --> 00:17:54.349 in 2007. Oh, the one with Jude Law and Michael 00:17:54.349 --> 00:17:56.789 Caine. Yeah. Taking over the Olivier role. Exactly. 00:17:56.869 --> 00:17:58.990 Michael Caine playing the older role this time. 00:17:59.150 --> 00:18:01.730 That remake was notable for its extreme darkness. 00:18:02.130 --> 00:18:04.430 The original 72 film was quite witty, almost 00:18:04.430 --> 00:18:06.349 playful in its games. Yeah. Branagh's interpretation. 00:18:06.440 --> 00:18:09.599 pushed it into a much more psychologically twisted, 00:18:09.859 --> 00:18:13.519 almost grim thriller space. It kind of signaled 00:18:13.519 --> 00:18:16.000 his comfort with that intense, high -stakes material, 00:18:16.359 --> 00:18:19.019 that psychological sparring, which would actually 00:18:19.019 --> 00:18:21.759 define some of his later villain roles. Interesting 00:18:21.759 --> 00:18:24.819 connection. And we shouldn't overlook his simultaneous 00:18:24.819 --> 00:18:27.099 commitment to the stage during this time either. 00:18:27.220 --> 00:18:29.579 He wasn't just doing TV and film. No, absolutely 00:18:29.579 --> 00:18:32.619 not. In 2008, he returned to the West End to 00:18:32.619 --> 00:18:35.039 take on the demanding title role in Chekhov's 00:18:35.039 --> 00:18:38.099 Ivanov. How was that received? It was a critical 00:18:38.099 --> 00:18:40.539 sensation. It reminded everyone that the man 00:18:40.539 --> 00:18:42.400 who is now starring in Scandi Noir adaptations 00:18:42.400 --> 00:18:46.000 was still fundamentally a master of theatrical 00:18:46.000 --> 00:18:49.259 timing and profound emotional depth. Right. Still 00:18:49.259 --> 00:18:52.890 got the stage chops. Absolutely. He won the Critics 00:18:52.890 --> 00:18:55.049 Circle Theater Award for Best Male Performance 00:18:55.049 --> 00:18:57.869 for Ivanov. It confirmed that his classical foundation 00:18:57.869 --> 00:19:01.930 was fully intact, even as he was, perhaps unknowingly, 00:19:02.049 --> 00:19:04.910 preparing for a completely new and pretty unexpected 00:19:04.910 --> 00:19:08.849 chapter. So by 2010, the next Olivier had successfully 00:19:08.849 --> 00:19:12.309 expanded his domain. Shakespeare, sure, but also 00:19:12.309 --> 00:19:15.769 HBO historical drama, Scandi Noir. He'd covered 00:19:15.769 --> 00:19:18.039 a lot of ground. But yeah. No one could have 00:19:18.039 --> 00:19:20.380 predicted the sheer scale of the shift that was 00:19:20.380 --> 00:19:22.500 about to come next. Okay, this is where the story 00:19:22.500 --> 00:19:25.099 takes a really interesting, almost surreal turn. 00:19:25.720 --> 00:19:29.400 2011, Branagh makes this pivot to massive budget 00:19:29.400 --> 00:19:32.240 directing by helming Marvel's Thor. Right, Thor. 00:19:32.500 --> 00:19:34.500 The question everyone asked at the time was, 00:19:34.640 --> 00:19:38.380 why him? Why the Shakespearean maestro for a 00:19:38.380 --> 00:19:40.660 cosmic comic book movie about a guy with a magic 00:19:40.660 --> 00:19:43.099 hammer? Exactly. It seemed like such an odd fit 00:19:43.099 --> 00:19:45.220 on the surface. But the answer, I think, became 00:19:45.220 --> 00:19:47.740 pretty clear in the film's execution. It was 00:19:47.740 --> 00:19:49.960 about the family drama, wasn't it? That's the 00:19:49.960 --> 00:19:52.859 key. Phase one of the MCU, they needed Thor to 00:19:52.859 --> 00:19:55.380 establish the emotional core of Asgardian royalty. 00:19:55.660 --> 00:19:58.240 The father -son stuff, the brother rivalry. Right, 00:19:58.259 --> 00:20:00.079 they didn't just need spectacle. They needed 00:20:00.079 --> 00:20:02.660 a director who understood kings and usurpers 00:20:02.660 --> 00:20:05.880 and brotherhood and tragedy. Who better? Precisely. 00:20:06.400 --> 00:20:08.960 Branagh apparently saw the dynamic between Thor 00:20:08.960 --> 00:20:11.779 and Loki not just as a superhero brawl, but as 00:20:11.779 --> 00:20:14.140 this almost Shakespearean conflict between two 00:20:14.140 --> 00:20:16.920 brothers, you know, Edmund versus Edgar and Lear, 00:20:17.079 --> 00:20:19.819 or maybe a more subtle take on Iago's manipulations 00:20:19.819 --> 00:20:22.359 with Othello. Ah, interesting parallels. His 00:20:22.359 --> 00:20:25.640 background gave the film this necessary gravitas, 00:20:25.819 --> 00:20:28.480 this almost operatic scale that actually grounded 00:20:28.480 --> 00:20:31.740 the fantastical elements, made them feel weighty. 00:20:31.759 --> 00:20:33.819 And it worked. It was a critical and financial 00:20:33.819 --> 00:20:36.680 success, launched a huge part of it. It really 00:20:36.680 --> 00:20:39.099 did. And then in this fascinating moment of dual 00:20:39.099 --> 00:20:43.670 identity in that exact same year, 2011. While 00:20:43.670 --> 00:20:47.089 he's directing Norse gods. Yeah. He's starring 00:20:47.089 --> 00:20:50.190 as the defining figure of his own career lineage. 00:20:50.589 --> 00:20:53.630 Sir Lawrence Olivier himself in My Week with 00:20:53.630 --> 00:20:55.910 Marilyn. Incredible timing. Talk about facing 00:20:55.910 --> 00:20:58.829 the comparison head on. It was the ultimate challenge, 00:20:59.069 --> 00:21:01.309 wasn't it? To embody the very man to whom he 00:21:01.309 --> 00:21:03.990 had been compared relentlessly for decades. And 00:21:03.990 --> 00:21:06.349 the performance was just meticulous. He captured 00:21:06.349 --> 00:21:09.210 Olivier's theatricality, his exasperation, his 00:21:09.210 --> 00:21:12.390 charm. It earned Branagh his fifth career Academy 00:21:12.390 --> 00:21:15.029 Award. Award nomination, this time for Best Supporting 00:21:15.029 --> 00:21:17.089 Actor. And Peter Branshaw's review at the time 00:21:17.089 --> 00:21:19.150 really nailed it, didn't he? He said Branagh 00:21:19.150 --> 00:21:22.289 revived Olivier with wit, intelligence, and charm. 00:21:22.450 --> 00:21:24.730 It felt like he succeeded in stepping out of 00:21:24.730 --> 00:21:27.410 Olivier's shadow by simply becoming him on screen. 00:21:27.730 --> 00:21:31.150 A real meta moment in his career. Maybe it allowed 00:21:31.150 --> 00:21:33.109 him to finally accept those comparisons without 00:21:33.109 --> 00:21:35.599 the burden. I think that's a great reading of 00:21:35.599 --> 00:21:38.839 it. Yeah. And post -Store, Bernard suddenly became 00:21:38.839 --> 00:21:42.000 this trusted name for big -budget family spectacles. 00:21:42.220 --> 00:21:44.460 He'd shown he could handle enormous visual effects 00:21:44.460 --> 00:21:47.359 budgets but still bring artistic integrity. Right. 00:21:47.579 --> 00:21:49.980 Which led to Disney choosing him for the live 00:21:49.980 --> 00:21:53.440 -action Cinderella in 2015. Yep. And that film 00:21:53.440 --> 00:21:55.859 was widely praised for its balance. It wasn't 00:21:55.859 --> 00:21:58.119 cynical. It wasn't overly modernized like some 00:21:58.119 --> 00:22:00.180 other adaptations. No, it felt quite classical. 00:22:00.400 --> 00:22:03.619 Exactly. Critics praised him for, quote, reverently 00:22:03.619 --> 00:22:06.500 reimagining Charles Perrault's fairy tale. It 00:22:06.500 --> 00:22:09.279 was another huge financial success and also a 00:22:09.279 --> 00:22:11.180 critical affirmation that he could handle these 00:22:11.180 --> 00:22:13.059 classic narratives, whether they were written 00:22:13.059 --> 00:22:15.759 by Shakespeare or Perrault. And this period also 00:22:15.759 --> 00:22:18.500 saw the birth of his own major commercial franchise, 00:22:18.779 --> 00:22:22.180 where he took on both roles. Director and star. 00:22:22.400 --> 00:22:25.319 Ah, yes. The Poirot series. The Hercule Poirot 00:22:25.319 --> 00:22:27.559 series. Kicking off with Murder on the Orient 00:22:27.559 --> 00:22:30.539 Express in 2017. And then he followed that with 00:22:30.539 --> 00:22:33.059 Death on the Nile in 2022. And A Haunting in 00:22:33.059 --> 00:22:35.759 Venice just recently in 2023. Sporting quite 00:22:35.759 --> 00:22:37.960 the magnificent mustache. Quite the mustache. 00:22:38.180 --> 00:22:39.920 Let's circle back to that technical detail we 00:22:39.920 --> 00:22:41.519 mentioned earlier. For Orient Express, he went 00:22:41.519 --> 00:22:43.880 back to the old ways, didn't he? Opting to shoot 00:22:43.880 --> 00:22:46.640 using those massive 65mm film cameras again. 00:22:46.799 --> 00:22:50.650 He did. Why? Why continue to choose that expensive, 00:22:50.750 --> 00:22:54.329 difficult format, especially for what's essentially 00:22:54.329 --> 00:22:56.690 a period whodunit? Well, I think for Brenna, 00:22:56.730 --> 00:22:59.309 it's become a signature artistic statement. For 00:22:59.309 --> 00:23:02.769 a film like Orient Express, 65mm gives the locations, 00:23:02.990 --> 00:23:06.650 the massive train interiors, those snow -swept 00:23:06.650 --> 00:23:09.609 mountains outside, this palpable, epic texture 00:23:09.609 --> 00:23:12.289 and scope. It uses cinema history, that visual 00:23:12.289 --> 00:23:14.269 language, to evoke a sense of sweeping nostalgia, 00:23:14.630 --> 00:23:26.039 maybe grandeur, importance. That makes sense. 00:23:26.799 --> 00:23:29.779 And simultaneously, while he's building his Poirot 00:23:29.779 --> 00:23:32.640 franchise, he begins this incredibly successful 00:23:32.640 --> 00:23:34.859 collaboration with director Christopher Nolan. 00:23:35.059 --> 00:23:37.180 Yeah. Which shows that Hollywood's most ambitious 00:23:37.180 --> 00:23:40.160 directors still valued him purely as an actor. 00:23:40.519 --> 00:23:43.160 He's become almost a fixture in Nolan's recent 00:23:43.160 --> 00:23:46.019 work. He really has. Three Nolan films now. He 00:23:46.019 --> 00:23:48.359 was the Royal Navy commander in the epic Dunkirk 00:23:48.359 --> 00:23:52.140 back in 2017. Stoic performance. Very. Then the 00:23:52.140 --> 00:23:55.079 deeply unsettling Russian villain Andrei Sator 00:23:55.079 --> 00:23:58.799 in the time -bending spy thriller Tenet in 2020. 00:23:59.099 --> 00:24:02.079 Terrifying in that. Truly. And most recently, 00:24:02.220 --> 00:24:04.900 the Danish physicist Niels Bohr in Oppenheimer 00:24:04.900 --> 00:24:07.569 in 2023. So what does that collaboration tell 00:24:07.569 --> 00:24:09.789 us about his stature now, working so consistently 00:24:09.789 --> 00:24:11.589 with someone like Nolan? I think it speaks volumes. 00:24:12.089 --> 00:24:14.990 Nolan is famous for demanding actors who can 00:24:14.990 --> 00:24:17.710 handle really dense exposition. Yeah, Tennant 00:24:17.710 --> 00:24:21.289 especially. Exactly. And intense dramatic pressure, 00:24:21.349 --> 00:24:23.910 but without losing the human core of the character. 00:24:24.269 --> 00:24:26.769 Brunner, with that Shakespearean training, he 00:24:26.769 --> 00:24:29.750 can deliver pages of technical dialogue or complex 00:24:29.750 --> 00:24:33.390 exposition like he did so brilliantly and chillingly 00:24:33.390 --> 00:24:35.410 in Tenet while still grounding the performance 00:24:35.410 --> 00:24:37.750 in something genuinely terrifying or empathetic 00:24:37.750 --> 00:24:40.750 or whatever the role requires. He offers reliable 00:24:40.750 --> 00:24:44.670 precision in really high stakes filmmaking. Nolan 00:24:44.670 --> 00:24:48.049 clearly trusts him implicitly. Yet amidst all 00:24:48.049 --> 00:24:50.670 the gods and villains and physicists and Poirot. 00:24:51.400 --> 00:24:53.660 his career took what felt like its most emotional 00:24:53.660 --> 00:24:56.200 and ultimately most critically successful turn 00:24:56.200 --> 00:25:00.440 in 2021. With Belfast. Belfast. Yeah. Belfast 00:25:00.440 --> 00:25:04.180 was his deeply personal project, a semi -autobiographical 00:25:04.180 --> 00:25:07.539 film that finally directly addressed that fractured 00:25:07.539 --> 00:25:09.440 identity we talked about way back at the beginning. 00:25:09.579 --> 00:25:12.119 Right, the Belfast roots. Exploring his own childhood 00:25:12.119 --> 00:25:13.859 in Northern Ireland during the outbreak of the 00:25:13.859 --> 00:25:16.099 Troubles, it was him returning home both visually 00:25:16.099 --> 00:25:18.400 and emotionally. And the stylistic choices really 00:25:18.400 --> 00:25:20.220 underscored that personal connection, didn't 00:25:20.220 --> 00:25:22.619 they? Yeah. Shot primarily in that stark, beautiful 00:25:22.619 --> 00:25:26.240 black and white. With only those brief flickers 00:25:26.240 --> 00:25:29.420 of color images reserved for moments of pure 00:25:29.420 --> 00:25:32.779 escape, like the cinema or memory. It gave it 00:25:32.779 --> 00:25:36.259 this tender, almost elegiac quality that audiences 00:25:36.259 --> 00:25:38.240 just instantly connected with. The reception 00:25:38.240 --> 00:25:41.980 was immediate. And overwhelming. It won the People's 00:25:41.980 --> 00:25:43.960 Choice Award at the Toronto International Film 00:25:43.960 --> 00:25:46.019 Festival, which is often a bellwether for the 00:25:46.019 --> 00:25:49.119 Oscars. Right. And it won the BAFTA Award for 00:25:49.119 --> 00:25:51.920 Outstanding British Film. It felt like the film 00:25:51.920 --> 00:25:54.420 that transcended a lot of his previous work because 00:25:54.420 --> 00:25:57.220 it was simply his story, unburdened by the expectations 00:25:57.220 --> 00:26:00.720 of the Bard or Marvel or Agatha Christie. And 00:26:00.720 --> 00:26:03.920 critically, Belfast achieved the capstone. the 00:26:03.920 --> 00:26:06.400 thing that completed his unique Academy Award 00:26:06.400 --> 00:26:08.119 record. That's right. The film received seven 00:26:08.119 --> 00:26:11.660 total nominations, including Best Picture, Best 00:26:11.660 --> 00:26:14.079 Director for him. Huge nods. And then finally, 00:26:14.099 --> 00:26:15.799 after all those years, all those nominations 00:26:15.799 --> 00:26:17.819 in different fields, he won his first competitive 00:26:17.819 --> 00:26:21.079 Oscar, the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. 00:26:21.180 --> 00:26:24.119 Original Screenplay, not adapted. His own words. 00:26:24.490 --> 00:26:27.910 His own words, his own story. That win felt like 00:26:27.910 --> 00:26:30.849 the synthesis of his entire career. The actor, 00:26:30.950 --> 00:26:33.269 the director, the writer finally recognized for 00:26:33.269 --> 00:26:35.509 bringing his own truth, his own experience to 00:26:35.509 --> 00:26:38.430 the screen. It affirmed him not just as a brilliant 00:26:38.430 --> 00:26:41.269 interpreter, but as an original voice. It's quite 00:26:41.269 --> 00:26:44.789 a peak, but his career continues to defy any 00:26:44.789 --> 00:26:46.289 kind of predictability, doesn't it? Absolutely. 00:26:47.049 --> 00:26:49.349 He recently directed and starred in a highly 00:26:49.349 --> 00:26:52.390 acclaimed stage adaptation of King Lear that 00:26:52.390 --> 00:26:55.849 was 2023 into 2024, taking on another of the 00:26:55.849 --> 00:26:58.089 monumental Shakespearean figures. Of course he 00:26:58.089 --> 00:26:59.849 did. And he's also busy writing and directing 00:26:59.849 --> 00:27:02.230 a psychological thriller called The Last Disturbance 00:27:02.230 --> 00:27:04.910 of Madeline Hind. Okay, intriguing. And then 00:27:04.910 --> 00:27:07.990 in a wonderful piece of... I guess, metacasting, 00:27:08.049 --> 00:27:10.950 confirming his ability to balance high art with 00:27:10.950 --> 00:27:13.450 high comedy. He is apparently scheduled to appear 00:27:13.450 --> 00:27:16.329 as Miranda Priestly's husband in The Devil Wears 00:27:16.329 --> 00:27:19.789 Prada 2. expected in 2026. No way. From King 00:27:19.789 --> 00:27:22.349 Lear to Mr. Priestley. That's Branagh. He can 00:27:22.349 --> 00:27:24.650 pivot from the heights of tragedy to a high fashion 00:27:24.650 --> 00:27:27.009 supporting player without missing a beat. The 00:27:27.009 --> 00:27:29.769 range remains astonishing. We really must dedicate 00:27:29.769 --> 00:27:32.809 some time to officially laying out that extraordinary 00:27:32.809 --> 00:27:35.849 statistic again. The one that just defines his 00:27:35.849 --> 00:27:39.900 sheer versatility. Kenneth Branagh. The first 00:27:39.900 --> 00:27:42.500 and only individual to be nominated for an Academy 00:27:42.500 --> 00:27:45.119 Award in seven different categories. It's worth 00:27:45.119 --> 00:27:47.319 listing them. Let's list these creative disciplines 00:27:47.319 --> 00:27:49.519 because they really do tell the story of a man 00:27:49.519 --> 00:27:53.319 who seems to have mastered every single job on 00:27:53.319 --> 00:27:55.660 a film set. It is a stunning demonstration of 00:27:55.660 --> 00:27:57.859 range. Okay, let's start with the directing and 00:27:57.859 --> 00:27:59.640 performance side. Maybe the more expected ones 00:27:59.640 --> 00:28:02.549 first. Right. One, best director. Nominated twice. 00:28:03.130 --> 00:28:05.410 First, right out of the gate for his debut, Henry 00:28:05.410 --> 00:28:08.990 V. And then decades later for his deeply personal 00:28:08.990 --> 00:28:12.849 film, Belfast. Okay. Director, check. Two. Best 00:28:12.849 --> 00:28:15.710 actor. Nominated for his starring role as the 00:28:15.710 --> 00:28:17.990 titular king in that same film, Henry V. Active 00:28:17.990 --> 00:28:20.839 check. Three. Best supporting actor. Nominated 00:28:20.839 --> 00:28:22.720 for that meta role we discussed, playing Sir 00:28:22.720 --> 00:28:25.200 Lawrence Olivier in My Week with Marilyn. Supporting 00:28:25.200 --> 00:28:27.299 actor check. So that's the entire acting and 00:28:27.299 --> 00:28:29.259 directing spectrum covered right there. Pretty 00:28:29.259 --> 00:28:31.359 much. Now let's look at the writing and producing 00:28:31.359 --> 00:28:34.359 roles, which show his commitment to the kind 00:28:34.359 --> 00:28:36.380 of the entire scope of the project, not just 00:28:36.380 --> 00:28:39.599 performing or directing. Okay. Right. Four. Best 00:28:39.599 --> 00:28:42.170 adapted screenplay. Nominated for adapting that 00:28:42.170 --> 00:28:45.190 four -hour, 70 -millimeter epic Hamlet back in 00:28:45.190 --> 00:28:49.130 1996, demonstrating his command of the classical 00:28:49.130 --> 00:28:51.630 text and how to translate it effectively to the 00:28:51.630 --> 00:28:54.289 screen. Adapted screenplay. Got it. Five. Best 00:28:54.289 --> 00:28:56.809 original screenplay. And this is the category 00:28:56.809 --> 00:29:00.289 he actually won for his intensely personal memoir 00:29:00.289 --> 00:29:03.269 film, Belfast. Original screenplay. The big win. 00:29:03.410 --> 00:29:06.690 Check. Six. Best Picture, nominated as a producer 00:29:06.690 --> 00:29:09.190 for Belfast, acknowledging his role in actually 00:29:09.190 --> 00:29:11.130 shepherding the entire project through production, 00:29:11.250 --> 00:29:13.329 getting it made. Best Picture, producer, check. 00:29:13.490 --> 00:29:15.109 That's six. What's the seventh? The one that 00:29:15.109 --> 00:29:17.089 really shows the breadth. The seventh is the 00:29:17.089 --> 00:29:19.329 one that truly demonstrates the range, the commitment 00:29:19.329 --> 00:29:21.650 to filmmaking, regardless of size or budget. 00:29:22.369 --> 00:29:25.410 Seven, Best Live Action Short Film. A short film. 00:29:25.630 --> 00:29:28.970 Nominated for Swan Song. Way back in 1992, just 00:29:28.970 --> 00:29:30.970 think about that range for a second, from the 00:29:30.970 --> 00:29:33.630 highly niche, often deeply challenging world 00:29:33.630 --> 00:29:36.029 of the live -action short film, often a space 00:29:36.029 --> 00:29:38.769 for up -and -coming talent, all the way up to 00:29:38.769 --> 00:29:42.029 the blockbuster weight and prestige of Best Picture. 00:29:42.190 --> 00:29:45.089 It confirms that his ambition wasn't just focused 00:29:45.089 --> 00:29:47.589 on the biggest budgets or the starriest roles, 00:29:47.789 --> 00:29:50.390 it was always across the board. That's incredible. 00:29:50.470 --> 00:29:53.589 And beyond that Oscar record, his honors... really 00:29:53.589 --> 00:29:56.049 confirm his status within the British establishment, 00:29:56.210 --> 00:29:58.490 don't they? Despite that complex Northern Irish 00:29:58.490 --> 00:30:01.269 background. Absolutely. In 2012, he was formally 00:30:01.269 --> 00:30:03.970 recognized with the highest non -hereditary honor 00:30:03.970 --> 00:30:06.730 the UK offers. He was appointed a Knight Bachelor, 00:30:06.910 --> 00:30:09.589 Sir Kenneth Branagh, for services to drama and 00:30:09.589 --> 00:30:11.670 also significantly for services to the community 00:30:11.670 --> 00:30:13.930 in Northern Ireland. Oh, acknowledging the roots 00:30:13.930 --> 00:30:16.769 again. Explicitly. Receiving the accolade at 00:30:16.769 --> 00:30:19.049 Buckingham Palace was this clear marker of his 00:30:19.049 --> 00:30:21.730 acceptance, his position as a key figure in British 00:30:21.730 --> 00:30:24.430 culture. He said at the time he felt humble, 00:30:24.630 --> 00:30:27.769 elated, and incredibly lucky. It recognized both 00:30:27.769 --> 00:30:30.849 the art and the civic contribution. And his devotion 00:30:30.849 --> 00:30:33.529 to fostering the next generation of actors, that 00:30:33.529 --> 00:30:36.130 seems evident too, right? Through his long association 00:30:36.130 --> 00:30:38.450 with Rodier, where he trained. Very much so. 00:30:38.549 --> 00:30:40.910 He served as president of the Royal Academy of 00:30:40.910 --> 00:30:44.529 Dramatic Art from 2015 right up until early 2024, 00:30:45.009 --> 00:30:47.690 maintaining that crucial link between the classical 00:30:47.690 --> 00:30:50.369 tradition he embodies and contemporary performance, 00:30:50.829 --> 00:30:52.769 giving back to where he started. That's great. 00:30:52.869 --> 00:30:55.430 And he's also been celebrated by, you know, his 00:30:55.430 --> 00:30:58.029 roots and also by the symbolic heart of English 00:30:58.029 --> 00:31:00.490 theater. He received the Freedom of the City 00:31:00.490 --> 00:31:02.950 of Belfast in 2018. Wow, that must have meant 00:31:02.950 --> 00:31:05.589 a lot. A really powerful nod, you'd think, to 00:31:05.589 --> 00:31:08.819 the city he left. Clearly never forgot. And then 00:31:08.819 --> 00:31:10.900 also the freedom of the town of Stratford upon 00:31:10.900 --> 00:31:14.079 Avon, Shakespeare's home in 2022. So acknowledged 00:31:14.079 --> 00:31:16.519 by both Belfast and Stratford. That's quite the 00:31:16.519 --> 00:31:18.380 double honor. And we should probably remember 00:31:18.380 --> 00:31:20.539 his status as a British Triple Crown winner, 00:31:20.599 --> 00:31:22.599 too. We should. He achieved that back in 2009. 00:31:22.920 --> 00:31:26.019 That's for winning a BAFTA, an Emmy and an Olivier 00:31:26.019 --> 00:31:28.960 Award during his career. It places him among 00:31:28.960 --> 00:31:32.359 a very select, highly esteemed group of performers 00:31:32.359 --> 00:31:35.019 who've really conquered stage, television and 00:31:35.019 --> 00:31:37.750 film at the highest level. Amazing. And finally, 00:31:37.809 --> 00:31:40.289 just to close the loop on his personal life, 00:31:40.410 --> 00:31:43.150 after that highly scrutinized relationship with 00:31:43.150 --> 00:31:46.109 Helena Bonham Carter. Yes. He did find stability, 00:31:46.309 --> 00:31:49.710 didn't he? He did. In 2003, he married Lindsay 00:31:49.710 --> 00:31:52.210 Brinnick, who's a film art director. They met 00:31:52.210 --> 00:31:54.470 during the filming of the television epic Shackleton 00:31:54.470 --> 00:31:57.849 back in 2002. And they're still together. So 00:31:57.849 --> 00:32:00.069 that brings his story somewhat full circle, doesn't 00:32:00.069 --> 00:32:01.650 it? Oh, yeah. That identity tension we talked 00:32:01.650 --> 00:32:05.279 about created by leaving Belfast at nine. The 00:32:05.279 --> 00:32:08.859 boy who learned to speak RP to survive. He becomes 00:32:08.859 --> 00:32:11.839 this global artist who eventually uses all that 00:32:11.839 --> 00:32:15.099 mastery, all that technique to tell his own Northern 00:32:15.099 --> 00:32:17.380 Irish story in Belfast and wins an Oscar for 00:32:17.380 --> 00:32:20.119 it. It's an incredible trajectory defined by 00:32:20.119 --> 00:32:22.740 both this deep classical excellence and this 00:32:22.740 --> 00:32:25.480 relentless commercial ambition, always seemingly 00:32:25.480 --> 00:32:28.240 seeking that balance between the two. The constant 00:32:28.240 --> 00:32:30.579 theme, I think, is the burden, but also the benefit 00:32:30.579 --> 00:32:32.759 of tradition. He accepted that challenge, the 00:32:32.759 --> 00:32:35.420 Olivier comparison. He mastered the craft in 00:32:35.420 --> 00:32:37.579 literally every capacity. And then he applied 00:32:37.579 --> 00:32:40.380 that mastery to every genre imaginable. From 00:32:40.380 --> 00:32:42.799 a four -hour Hamlet to the CGI spectacle of Thor, 00:32:42.980 --> 00:32:46.700 his career is just proof, really, that deep classical 00:32:46.700 --> 00:32:49.500 knowledge can absolutely fuel boundless modern 00:32:49.500 --> 00:32:53.599 relevance. Hashtag Outrag Outro. So what does 00:32:53.599 --> 00:32:55.900 all this mean for you, the listener? We've covered 00:32:55.900 --> 00:32:58.140 this incredible sweep of professional achievements, 00:32:58.319 --> 00:33:00.220 but let's just circle back for a moment to that 00:33:00.220 --> 00:33:02.700 little anecdote about his preparation for playing 00:33:02.700 --> 00:33:06.059 Olivier. Right, the Bible reading. Exactly. Bryn 00:33:06.059 --> 00:33:07.819 revealed that while he was studying Olivier, 00:33:08.079 --> 00:33:10.880 he listened every single morning to Olivier's 00:33:10.880 --> 00:33:13.720 dramatic reading of the Bible. just immersing 00:33:13.720 --> 00:33:16.359 himself in the voice. And through that repeated 00:33:16.359 --> 00:33:19.470 listening, he found himself unexpectedly becoming 00:33:19.470 --> 00:33:22.049 much more religious. It's such a fascinating 00:33:22.049 --> 00:33:24.930 moment of unexpected depth, isn't it? He wasn't 00:33:24.930 --> 00:33:27.470 aiming for faith. He wasn't seeking spiritual 00:33:27.470 --> 00:33:29.890 enlightenment. He was aiming for authenticity 00:33:29.890 --> 00:33:32.009 in a performance. He wanted to capture Olivier. 00:33:32.369 --> 00:33:35.170 But the pursuit of understanding one artist's 00:33:35.170 --> 00:33:38.369 creative process somehow led him to this genuine 00:33:38.369 --> 00:33:41.609 internal spiritual transformation. He was seeking 00:33:41.609 --> 00:33:44.920 the theatrical voice. found something much, much 00:33:44.920 --> 00:33:47.380 deeper. Which I think raises a really interesting 00:33:47.380 --> 00:33:50.500 question for you to consider. How often, maybe 00:33:50.500 --> 00:33:52.940 in your own life, in the dedicated pursuit of 00:33:52.940 --> 00:33:55.420 studying art, whether that's trying to replicate 00:33:55.420 --> 00:33:58.380 a complex recipe or understand a historical document 00:33:58.380 --> 00:34:01.980 or master a piece of music, do you find that 00:34:01.980 --> 00:34:06.059 that intense focus, that deep dive into the subject, 00:34:06.160 --> 00:34:10.210 leads to an unexpected... maybe profound personal 00:34:10.210 --> 00:34:12.670 transformation that actually has very little 00:34:12.670 --> 00:34:14.369 to do with the original subject matter itself. 00:34:15.150 --> 00:34:18.050 That unexpected personal resonance. Maybe that's 00:34:18.050 --> 00:34:19.969 the ultimate reward of any deep dive, isn't it? 00:34:20.289 --> 00:34:23.010 Beyond just the knowledge gained. Could be. We 00:34:23.010 --> 00:34:25.530 chart his blockbusters and his awards, his nominations. 00:34:26.030 --> 00:34:28.389 But it's those quiet internal shifts, the things 00:34:28.389 --> 00:34:30.309 that happen when you're focused elsewhere that 00:34:30.309 --> 00:34:32.489 perhaps define the true character of the artist. 00:34:32.789 --> 00:34:35.030 Or maybe any of us. Definitely some food for 00:34:35.030 --> 00:34:36.989 thought on your next deep dive. Thanks for joining 00:34:36.989 --> 00:34:38.150 us today. Thanks for having me.