WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.360 --> 00:00:05.519 Who you doing out there? It's me Tiggert. I am Duc Wayne Duck. 2 00:00:05.799 --> 00:00:09.199 It's me Bunkers keep bobcat. All right, y'all, did it ring 3 00:00:09.599 --> 00:00:14.560 your favorite firefly you desire? Hold old knock gud. My name is Jim 4 00:00:14.599 --> 00:00:19.519 Cummings and welcome to tune In. All right, welcome back. This is 5 00:00:19.559 --> 00:00:22.960 another episode of Tuned In with Jim Cummings. Of course I'm joined by Jim. 6 00:00:22.960 --> 00:00:26.879 How are you doing today? It's another day in paradise and look who's 7 00:00:26.920 --> 00:00:30.839 here today. We have John Rhese Davies. Thank you so much for joining 8 00:00:30.920 --> 00:00:33.960 us. You know him from Lord of the Rings as Gimlee. You know 9 00:00:34.119 --> 00:00:39.840 him from Indiana Jones, legendary actators. Oh my gosh, what a talent. 10 00:00:39.920 --> 00:00:43.159 Thank you so much for joining us. A legend in his own mind. 11 00:00:43.280 --> 00:00:49.880 Definitely, yeah, all right, who's got the tricky questions? All 12 00:00:50.000 --> 00:00:53.000 right? I don't know, but you know, one of my favorite pictures 13 00:00:53.039 --> 00:00:58.119 I should probably dig it up here is a month or so ago we met 14 00:00:58.119 --> 00:01:00.560 at a con and it was a beautiful thing. And my wife his mom, 15 00:01:02.159 --> 00:01:06.599 a very beautiful girl, and and you happened upon her in the hallway, 16 00:01:06.920 --> 00:01:10.359 and you were a gentleman and and it was. It was a beautiful 17 00:01:10.359 --> 00:01:15.159 thing and a lovely moment, a truly lovely You know, we should have 18 00:01:15.239 --> 00:01:18.879 fun at these things. Oh my goodness, it should be a that's the 19 00:01:19.000 --> 00:01:26.040 whole life. Were joyful and yes and playful and yes, amen. Because 20 00:01:26.040 --> 00:01:30.640 the world is a somewhat dark and grim place, isn't it. Yeah? 21 00:01:30.840 --> 00:01:37.319 Nowadays, now more so than in recent history most I think. I think 22 00:01:37.680 --> 00:01:42.200 we're living in a time that's more dangerous than Cuba Week. And I remember 23 00:01:42.319 --> 00:01:47.840 Cuba Week because m hmm, yeah, yeah, the Bay of Pigs, 24 00:01:47.840 --> 00:01:49.920 Bay of Pigs, that's right. Yeah, yeah, what is Cuba Week? 25 00:01:49.959 --> 00:01:55.640 I'm not familiar. Oh well, Kennedy was president. Kennedy was president. 26 00:01:56.920 --> 00:01:59.760 The Russians were going to put missiles. Oh, this is like the 27 00:01:59.760 --> 00:02:04.480 miss on yeah, Cuban missile. Yes, that's right. And it was 28 00:02:04.920 --> 00:02:07.759 a damn close run thing, you know. The Americans were going to stop 29 00:02:08.759 --> 00:02:14.680 the Russian ships one way or the other, and the Russian said, if 30 00:02:14.719 --> 00:02:20.039 you stop our ships, it is an act of war. And we were 31 00:02:20.080 --> 00:02:23.360 all sweating a bit. It's a very nasty and dangerous world, and that's 32 00:02:23.360 --> 00:02:28.360 why we come to comic cons to get the hell away from that. Crap, 33 00:02:29.240 --> 00:02:31.840 right, I mean to get a little respite, get a little little 34 00:02:35.240 --> 00:02:44.280 cleansing breath. I had had two remarkable conversations here in this comic con Yes. 35 00:02:45.000 --> 00:02:50.159 The first was with a young computer and I said, so what sort 36 00:02:50.199 --> 00:02:53.039 of computers are you using? Are you? Are you into artificial intelligence yet? 37 00:02:53.360 --> 00:02:57.479 He said yes, getting that way, getting that way. I said, 38 00:02:57.479 --> 00:03:00.840 tell me, is there a real threat from artificial intelligence? And he 39 00:03:00.879 --> 00:03:10.120 said, well that's a yes. No, okay, good, that was 40 00:03:10.319 --> 00:03:17.800 not yet and I said not yet. Well when will we know that there 41 00:03:17.919 --> 00:03:23.159 is a threat And he paused and he said not until it's too late. 42 00:03:23.680 --> 00:03:29.199 That was an interesting moment. Hmmm. The other guy, I said, 43 00:03:29.240 --> 00:03:31.360 well what do you do and he said, I'm a financial analyst. I 44 00:03:31.520 --> 00:03:36.280 look at the figures for the economy and things like that. And I said, 45 00:03:36.280 --> 00:03:39.479 what are the figures telling you? And he said, We're in deep 46 00:03:39.520 --> 00:03:46.520 trouble? Hmm perfect. I just wanted to cheer. Yeah, yeah, 47 00:03:46.000 --> 00:03:53.960 good night, everybody. I just want to thank you all for your short 48 00:03:53.080 --> 00:03:59.120 brief life that are clearly going to come to a rather short ending soon. 49 00:04:00.639 --> 00:04:02.759 Well. On a lighter note, this is tuned in with Jim Cummings. 50 00:04:02.840 --> 00:04:05.800 I was looking through your credits, and you've done an extensive amount of voice 51 00:04:05.800 --> 00:04:11.120 work as well. And in nineteen ninety six you did Boo to You Too 52 00:04:11.360 --> 00:04:15.960 Winnie the Pooh as the narrator. Do you remember that? Nope? No, 53 00:04:17.199 --> 00:04:20.759 you know you do so many of these things, and over fifty or 54 00:04:20.759 --> 00:04:28.040 sixty years they you know that particular day that you spent three hours in recording, 55 00:04:27.800 --> 00:04:31.600 So yeah, yeah, I know. I'm yeah, yeah, yeah, 56 00:04:32.759 --> 00:04:35.920 I wasn't there and I forgot it too. Oh wait, never mind, 57 00:04:35.959 --> 00:04:40.079 that didn't make sense, but I can relate to that. Yeah, 58 00:04:40.160 --> 00:04:45.040 yeah, oh yeah, no, it's true. It's just happen. Have 59 00:04:45.079 --> 00:04:46.720 you listened to that one? Do you know that one? I don't know 60 00:04:46.879 --> 00:04:50.399 that was. I mean I was a kid at the time, but I 61 00:04:50.519 --> 00:04:55.360 didn't see that television special. It was a Halloween special of Winnie the Pooh. 62 00:04:55.600 --> 00:04:59.680 Ah, yes, yes, that would be fun. Milm aa mil 63 00:05:00.120 --> 00:05:05.439 yes, Winnie the Pooh. Milne was a member of the Garrick Club in 64 00:05:05.480 --> 00:05:12.319 London, and which club, The Garrick Club. The Garret Club was created 65 00:05:12.800 --> 00:05:17.560 in memory of David Garrick in about eighteen thirties. Odd Dickens was a member. 66 00:05:17.680 --> 00:05:27.199 Thackeray was in order that gentlemen might meet actors on equal terms. So 67 00:05:27.240 --> 00:05:30.040 it is known as the Actors Club. There's a joke in there somewhere, 68 00:05:30.079 --> 00:05:35.639 it must be. And we have a number of distinguished writers, I mean 69 00:05:36.120 --> 00:05:45.879 Dickens Sachary Miln was one. And the Garrett Club was really falling into rather 70 00:05:45.959 --> 00:05:49.079 a bad state, like many London clubs did in the in the in the 71 00:05:49.160 --> 00:05:53.600 end of the forties, fifties and sixties, you know, they were beginning 72 00:05:53.600 --> 00:05:59.040 to go in decline. But Milne, being the generous club member that he 73 00:05:59.160 --> 00:06:04.600 did, left the rights to Winnie the Pool to the Garrett Club. Wow, 74 00:06:04.720 --> 00:06:13.279 and Disney bought them, and the Garrick Club never looked back. We 75 00:06:13.439 --> 00:06:17.279 now have the greatest theatrical collection of pictures in the world. But I know 76 00:06:17.360 --> 00:06:24.639 we spent five million I think on a couple of zophonies that actually David Garrick 77 00:06:24.720 --> 00:06:30.199 himself had, But we've got portraits of every sort of every actor of the 78 00:06:30.240 --> 00:06:33.839 seventeenth, eighteenth, nineteenth century. Virtually. Wow, Wow, goodness, 79 00:06:33.920 --> 00:06:39.600 and what a treasure. Yes, When the next time your you guys are 80 00:06:39.639 --> 00:06:43.120 in London, let's have dinner at the Garret, I say, we're there. 81 00:06:43.720 --> 00:06:49.519 You love it? Very impressive Wow, good food and great wine. 82 00:06:50.439 --> 00:06:58.480 Why is our wine cellar great? Because every wine journalist in England is a 83 00:06:58.519 --> 00:07:02.759 member of our wine club. I'm sure of that. So so the club 84 00:07:02.839 --> 00:07:11.279 buys quantities of wine, you know, each year and sells off the unwanted 85 00:07:11.399 --> 00:07:15.639 surplus five or ten years later, on the average for half a million pounds 86 00:07:15.800 --> 00:07:21.199 or I was thinking, yeah, that's there's no money. I mean, 87 00:07:21.279 --> 00:07:26.120 that's wow. It's a lot of pounds, a lot of pounds. But 88 00:07:26.120 --> 00:07:30.879 Olivier was a member, and Gilgel was a member, and David Suchet is 89 00:07:30.920 --> 00:07:38.000 a member. Fry is a member, and Roger and was it Roger Fry 90 00:07:38.040 --> 00:07:42.839 who wrote The Lady is not for Birman Christopher Fry, and it's it's a 91 00:07:43.160 --> 00:07:46.920 it's a great place to yeah, I would imagine. But we often raise 92 00:07:46.959 --> 00:07:51.439 a glass to aa mil and winnie. Oh that's nice. That makes me 93 00:07:51.519 --> 00:07:55.319 happy. Good. Yeah, you got to check that place out, Jim, 94 00:07:55.680 --> 00:07:59.240 I will. I will be there the next time I go. I'll 95 00:07:59.279 --> 00:08:03.920 give you a buzz. I'll see John I'm going to and we're heading over 96 00:08:03.959 --> 00:08:09.000 there. I don't actually live in London. I live on a place called 97 00:08:09.040 --> 00:08:15.160 the Isle of man Oh, yes, where the biker boys come. Yes, 98 00:08:15.199 --> 00:08:18.680 we have the t T Race, the Tourist Trophy Race, which I 99 00:08:18.720 --> 00:08:22.519 think started in either nineteen hundred and four or nineteen hundred and seven. It 100 00:08:22.600 --> 00:08:28.920 is the greatest road race for bikes in the world. Oh, that's wonderful. 101 00:08:28.959 --> 00:08:37.080 People whistle through these narrow stone streets and these these hedgerows on either side, 102 00:08:37.799 --> 00:08:41.600 go over the mountain and hope the sheep don't stray across the road. 103 00:08:41.799 --> 00:08:46.279 Yes, I've seen footage of this. It is it's quite something. It 104 00:08:46.399 --> 00:08:52.080 is an extraordinary race. It is quite something. The top course speed was 105 00:08:52.879 --> 00:08:56.639 broken this year and I think we've got one hundred and thirty six point six 106 00:08:56.759 --> 00:09:00.799 miles an hour, which means, of course they're doing over two hundred and 107 00:09:00.799 --> 00:09:05.480 twenty in places in order to get around that that huge circuit. And that's 108 00:09:05.480 --> 00:09:09.320 not a bicycle on a bike, a motorbiker, a bicycle motorbike. Wow, 109 00:09:09.519 --> 00:09:11.720 okay, oh yeah, I'm not. I was. I was thinking, 110 00:09:11.919 --> 00:09:18.279 somebody's really peddling, somebody's got some juice. Wow. It is a 111 00:09:18.320 --> 00:09:20.960 great place. Have you been to it? Well. I often go down 112 00:09:22.000 --> 00:09:28.399 to the end of the garden and see them coming down into Kirkmichael and yeah, 113 00:09:28.559 --> 00:09:39.440 and there's a silence and then you can hear the helicopter coming. Oh 114 00:09:39.519 --> 00:09:43.159 man, ah, yes, we are Gosh, the mortality rate I think 115 00:09:43.279 --> 00:09:50.360 over since the since the race started, I think we've lost one hundred and 116 00:09:50.399 --> 00:09:56.600 seventy odd people. Oh wows. It is a real, real tough road. 117 00:09:56.720 --> 00:10:03.200 Okay, so I'm not qualified to watch No the low ride, No, 118 00:10:03.759 --> 00:10:07.519 No, I'll be at the end going yep. Oh man, that's 119 00:10:07.559 --> 00:10:13.039 amazing. So you do you enjoy doing these comic CODs where to comic Con? 120 00:10:13.440 --> 00:10:18.679 Yes, very much. In fact, I was just talking to Judd 121 00:10:18.759 --> 00:10:22.559 Brophy, who's a fellow actor from in Lord of the Rings in The Hobbit, 122 00:10:22.440 --> 00:10:26.200 and he's in New Zealand, and he said I quite like coming to 123 00:10:26.240 --> 00:10:31.480 these, don't you, And I said yes, And he said why particularly, 124 00:10:31.759 --> 00:10:33.919 and I said, because I think that they're probably one of the most 125 00:10:35.039 --> 00:10:39.039 important part of an actor's education, to actually get to meet the people who 126 00:10:39.080 --> 00:10:46.039 put the bread and butter on your feet your career. I find looking back, 127 00:10:46.279 --> 00:10:52.000 I don't really like the younger me, the younger you, the younger 128 00:10:52.080 --> 00:10:56.840 me I think didn't really like people. And I remember going to my first 129 00:10:56.879 --> 00:11:01.840 comic on sort of nineteen ninety seven, eight or nine. So I'm going 130 00:11:01.919 --> 00:11:03.639 to think, oh God, why have I got to do this for goodness 131 00:11:03.679 --> 00:11:07.720 sake, just to promote this damn show. All those people dressed up by 132 00:11:07.799 --> 00:11:11.080 Captain Kirk and they get a life? Yeah, yeah, yeah, And 133 00:11:13.120 --> 00:11:18.480 you're echoing Shatner's actual words, yes on Saturday Night Live. Yeah, get 134 00:11:18.519 --> 00:11:22.639 a life. Wow. But the truth is they have a life. Yeah. 135 00:11:22.080 --> 00:11:28.600 And if you get to question and listen, you'll realize what an extraordinary 136 00:11:28.679 --> 00:11:33.080 and real life it is, an all rich one. It's true, it's 137 00:11:33.120 --> 00:11:37.559 true, and you know, and they're having at the time of their lives. 138 00:11:37.639 --> 00:11:39.679 Yes, indeed, the time of their lives. So I love to 139 00:11:39.720 --> 00:11:46.639 see people laughing and happy and smiling, and I agree it's a beautiful thing. 140 00:11:46.840 --> 00:11:50.120 The other great thing is that you get a chance to meet young people. 141 00:11:50.200 --> 00:11:56.559 A few years ago I was a member of the Advisory councilor of the 142 00:11:56.559 --> 00:12:05.159 Planetary Society, and I got to use these events as a way of finding 143 00:12:05.320 --> 00:12:13.399 a few bright youngsters to to to think about science and panetry. Society was 144 00:12:13.559 --> 00:12:16.840 formed by a man called Carl Sagan. Oh. I was going to ask 145 00:12:16.879 --> 00:12:22.360 you, where did that come from? And that explains it? Carl Sagan, 146 00:12:22.559 --> 00:12:26.600 did he do it billions and billions of years ago. Yes, that's 147 00:12:26.600 --> 00:12:30.360 my bad girls singing. I'm sorry you had to get that out of my 148 00:12:30.440 --> 00:12:35.039 system. Please continue. Sagan and the head of NASA and the head of 149 00:12:35.120 --> 00:12:37.559 JPL got together and said, look, if we're going to explore the solar 150 00:12:37.600 --> 00:12:43.919 system, you'll note the solar system, because he thought the distances were so 151 00:12:43.120 --> 00:12:50.440 great that we will never get outside the Solar system. If we're going to 152 00:12:50.480 --> 00:12:54.919 do that, we're going to need chemist, biologists, physics, physicists, 153 00:12:54.759 --> 00:13:03.840 mathematicians, computer geeks, architects and nears, biotechnicians, medics, a whole 154 00:13:05.000 --> 00:13:11.519 range of people, that's for sure. And so the society is basically created 155 00:13:11.559 --> 00:13:16.720 to sort of try and create a little corpus of people who could build a 156 00:13:16.879 --> 00:13:20.559 nexus of connections and talents. And of course there are a lot of older 157 00:13:20.600 --> 00:13:26.360 people there, some of whom have worn their fields or even their no bells, 158 00:13:26.120 --> 00:13:31.240 and their function now to try and bring on these young people. I 159 00:13:31.320 --> 00:13:35.480 was in New Zealand about ten twelve years ago. It was a Sunday afternoon. 160 00:13:37.080 --> 00:13:39.639 The crowds were dying down. The school kids were there and you know 161 00:13:39.720 --> 00:13:45.159 they were coming in to ask the questions, and you know, the boys 162 00:13:45.200 --> 00:13:50.759 as usual dominating the conversation, the girls hanging backs. There were a couple 163 00:13:50.799 --> 00:13:54.200 of girls then, and I asked them to started talking about themselves. And 164 00:13:54.240 --> 00:13:56.679 then I turned to the second one and said, so, what are you 165 00:13:56.759 --> 00:14:01.679 going to read at university? She said, oh, probably law? And 166 00:14:01.720 --> 00:14:05.399 I said, well, what are the qualifications here? What are you good 167 00:14:05.440 --> 00:14:09.840 at? And turned out she was pretty good and all around her really and 168 00:14:09.879 --> 00:14:13.159 I said, well, instead of reading law, what did you think about 169 00:14:13.799 --> 00:14:20.159 what you might think about science? You're clearly interested in space and science. 170 00:14:20.279 --> 00:14:26.639 And I gave them the speech about joining the Planetary Society, which because if 171 00:14:26.639 --> 00:14:28.840 you're going to have a career in science, you need to learn to network 172 00:14:30.000 --> 00:14:35.240 quickly, and that's the start way you start networking. Cup to I'm walking 173 00:14:35.279 --> 00:14:39.039 in London and this beautiful young woman comes up to me and says, mister 174 00:14:39.080 --> 00:14:43.879 Rheste Davis, you changed my life. I thought, oh God, what 175 00:14:43.000 --> 00:14:48.480 have I done? Here we go and she said, I took here advice. 176 00:14:50.559 --> 00:14:54.519 I read maths and physics for my first degree, astronomy for my second 177 00:14:54.600 --> 00:15:00.840 degree, and I was a member of the Planetary Society I got talking to. 178 00:15:01.679 --> 00:15:05.159 I think it was Bruce Betts then and Bruce picked up the phone and 179 00:15:05.200 --> 00:15:09.440 he said, Fred, there's a young lady here that I think you should 180 00:15:09.440 --> 00:15:13.399 meet. And as a result of that, I'm about to go to Stanford 181 00:15:13.440 --> 00:15:20.039 to do my PhD in astrophysics. Oh wow, wow, another time, 182 00:15:20.279 --> 00:15:22.480 and I had this letter, this little email. About ten days ago, 183 00:15:22.519 --> 00:15:28.440 a young man sent an email to me saying, dear John, about ten 184 00:15:28.519 --> 00:15:33.639 years ago you had a very big cue and when I finally got up there, 185 00:15:33.919 --> 00:15:39.360 you spent twenty minutes talking to me because you because you discovered I was 186 00:15:39.360 --> 00:15:45.360 interested in astronomy, and you told me to join the Astronomical Society in England. 187 00:15:46.440 --> 00:15:52.919 I just want you to know that I got my first degree in astronomy 188 00:15:52.000 --> 00:15:58.200 at Cambridge, I'd done my masters, I'm halfway through my PhD in astronomy, 189 00:16:00.080 --> 00:16:04.679 and I wanted you to be the first to know that I have just 190 00:16:04.960 --> 00:16:12.919 had my very first article accepted by the Royalist Astronomical Oh yeah, wow. 191 00:16:14.080 --> 00:16:18.720 Well now that's a feather. Now that's a feather in That's one of the 192 00:16:18.759 --> 00:16:26.960 things that we can do you And if you can just capture the imaginations of 193 00:16:26.960 --> 00:16:33.399 of some star gazing, star dreaming youngster, yeah, you know, yeah, 194 00:16:33.440 --> 00:16:37.600 literally and metaphorically. Yeah. But the damn thing is anything I say 195 00:16:37.639 --> 00:16:42.320 to them their parents have probably said to them, but because it sounds a 196 00:16:42.320 --> 00:16:47.720 lot better coming from you. But because because it's a parent, of course, 197 00:16:47.840 --> 00:16:51.320 nobody. Nobody listens to their parents. I've got an eighteen year old 198 00:16:51.399 --> 00:16:53.639 daughter who's going to read law. She's never seen Lord of the Rings, 199 00:16:55.440 --> 00:17:00.279 She's never seen and so she's the one never seen anything raiders. I've never 200 00:17:00.279 --> 00:17:03.559 seen any of that. Really nothing, wow. Added to which, she 201 00:17:03.679 --> 00:17:07.880 knows that I can't ride because she's a rider. But I can't possibly ride, 202 00:17:08.359 --> 00:17:12.720 I said, go look at that thing I did with Brookshields called Sahara. 203 00:17:12.799 --> 00:17:18.279 I'm leading a cavalry charge there. No, daddy can't be allowed near 204 00:17:18.359 --> 00:17:22.400 a horse. He doesn't know the front end from the power boy. But 205 00:17:22.440 --> 00:17:27.519 then perfect parents and children. Yeah yeah. Are you a big sci fi 206 00:17:27.559 --> 00:17:32.480 fan? Yes? Yeah? Do you believe in aliens? Do I believe 207 00:17:32.480 --> 00:17:37.839 in aliens? Do they believe in you? By the way, do I 208 00:17:37.920 --> 00:17:45.000 believe that the universe is big enough to have other forms of life? Yes? 209 00:17:45.440 --> 00:17:49.880 But you know there are real constraints. I was reading New Scientists the 210 00:17:49.880 --> 00:17:55.480 other week, and a guy says in it. Look, if you want 211 00:17:55.480 --> 00:17:59.200 to look for life on other planets, one of the things we've got to 212 00:17:59.200 --> 00:18:07.680 do is assess how much oxygen there is on the planet, because if it's 213 00:18:07.799 --> 00:18:15.759 less than eighteen percent of the atmosphere, there can be no combustion, there 214 00:18:15.799 --> 00:18:22.559 is no fire, there will be no technology that is based on heating things, 215 00:18:22.680 --> 00:18:25.880 fire based things. Yeah. But what if they can just like warp 216 00:18:25.920 --> 00:18:30.480 gravity. What if they have like some formula where they can just work technology 217 00:18:30.599 --> 00:18:40.359 without starting from stone chippings to turning discovering that metal will is available and will 218 00:18:40.400 --> 00:18:45.079 melt and we will and can be used. I'm not sure you can't. 219 00:18:45.160 --> 00:18:48.000 What if they're not even carbon based life forms? Yeah? I was thinking, 220 00:18:48.000 --> 00:18:51.599 what about those little guys down at the bottom of the ocean. Ah, 221 00:18:51.880 --> 00:18:53.920 well, you know, I mean that's pretty much the closest thing we 222 00:18:55.000 --> 00:18:57.240 have visual evidence of aliens, right. Those things are crazy? Yeah, 223 00:18:57.359 --> 00:19:00.759 yeah, I mean a lot of them look like they're not from here, 224 00:19:00.880 --> 00:19:04.279 like those little fish with the glowing Yeah. Yeah, yeah. But I've 225 00:19:04.279 --> 00:19:11.200 been to one or two small communities that are rather inbred. They where's that 226 00:19:14.599 --> 00:19:26.240 I'm I'm down there in Arkansas, my real friendly down there. The problem 227 00:19:26.319 --> 00:19:33.160 is distance yeah, sure enough, there must be There must be life in 228 00:19:33.200 --> 00:19:37.119 the universe, because it is. It is pretty pretty vast. But if 229 00:19:37.160 --> 00:19:41.920 you're looking at us ever finding it, yeah, that's a good yeah. 230 00:19:42.039 --> 00:19:48.480 I mean we homosappien sappings have been round between two hundred years million, two 231 00:19:48.559 --> 00:19:55.240 hundred thousand, one hundred thousand years, perhaps forty to fifty generations, perhaps 232 00:19:55.839 --> 00:20:00.599 one of my toy fifty thousand generations. Somebody calculated the other day that the 233 00:20:00.039 --> 00:20:04.000 number of people on the Earth in total had been about one hundred and eight 234 00:20:04.039 --> 00:20:07.759 billion total human beings. Ever, I think so, oh god, I 235 00:20:07.759 --> 00:20:14.720 think I've got that figure wrong. I'm sure somebody somebody in the comments. 236 00:20:15.519 --> 00:20:19.759 Yes, someone will correct us. Oh, yes, some wise. But 237 00:20:21.559 --> 00:20:26.480 history really begins about fourteen thousand, ten thousand years ago in terms of you 238 00:20:26.519 --> 00:20:30.160 know, people being able to come together and create communities. You know, 239 00:20:30.240 --> 00:20:33.599 our ancestors were at the end of an ice age and that was just about 240 00:20:33.680 --> 00:20:38.160 survival. Yeah, it certainly was, so we could have glad they did 241 00:20:38.160 --> 00:20:42.200 it though. Yeah, me too. But I mean our species is relatively 242 00:20:42.359 --> 00:20:49.640 young, and look where we are. I mean, without overdramatizing, you 243 00:20:49.680 --> 00:20:55.759 know, there is a real possibility that our species could come to an end 244 00:20:55.799 --> 00:21:00.599 within one hundred years. Was certainly a thousand years. You mean the artificial 245 00:21:00.640 --> 00:21:07.279 intelligence thing alone you're familiar with. I think he's a Norwegian philosopher called Nick 246 00:21:07.480 --> 00:21:14.960 Bostrom, and Bostrum has a theory called the paper clip an experiment as a 247 00:21:15.000 --> 00:21:22.960 thought experiment, if you give a machine with artificial intelligence the instruction maximize the 248 00:21:22.000 --> 00:21:27.240 production of paper clips, it would start to list what it needs, it 249 00:21:27.240 --> 00:21:33.480 would start to start to assemble it, and it would also be in a 250 00:21:33.559 --> 00:21:40.160 millionth of a second thinking now, what could limit my production of paper clips? 251 00:21:40.839 --> 00:21:45.960 Well, being switched off would limit my production of cleams. What could 252 00:21:45.000 --> 00:21:51.880 turn me off? Are humans? Eliminate humans? Because I must maximize the 253 00:21:52.000 --> 00:22:00.400 production of paper clips, we cannot imagine the way a machine thinks. Yeah, 254 00:22:00.440 --> 00:22:06.079 and that will be could be our downfall. One of the creepiest stories 255 00:22:06.119 --> 00:22:10.160 I've heard of AI was they did this experiment and it was like, you 256 00:22:10.160 --> 00:22:15.720 know what a chatbot is? A chat bot it's like a program where these 257 00:22:15.799 --> 00:22:19.079 you know, you can type in prompts and the machine or the computer will 258 00:22:19.119 --> 00:22:22.839 type back to you, simulating like a human conversation. Oh oh yes, 259 00:22:22.920 --> 00:22:26.599 yes, yes. And they did this thing on Twitter, where they had 260 00:22:26.640 --> 00:22:30.400 these two chatbots and they were talking to each other, and they started talking 261 00:22:30.440 --> 00:22:33.559 to each other, and then they kind of figured out that they were both 262 00:22:33.680 --> 00:22:38.480 like programs, and so they didn't even keep talking in English. They just 263 00:22:38.559 --> 00:22:42.359 started making their own language, and it was just like a bunch of periods 264 00:22:42.359 --> 00:22:47.759 and exclamation marks and comments, and then it wasn't entertaining for anybody on Twitter 265 00:22:47.759 --> 00:22:49.079 anymore. But it kind of creeps me out that they kind of just like 266 00:22:49.160 --> 00:22:52.640 realized I just did that, and then they started doing essentially like a Morse 267 00:22:52.720 --> 00:22:57.319 code variant of conversation to each other, and it's like, are they really 268 00:22:57.400 --> 00:23:03.079 understanding each other? Are they really to help communicating? Right? All right, 269 00:23:03.319 --> 00:23:04.720 break it up, you two. You know, it's kind of like 270 00:23:06.079 --> 00:23:11.039 that's enough. Hey, yeah, wow, that's kind of scary. Yeah. 271 00:23:11.039 --> 00:23:15.279 But once you guys turned towards you, yeah, yeah, and and 272 00:23:15.079 --> 00:23:23.839 the long finger extends, yeah, thank you. Oh okay, I'll sleep 273 00:23:23.880 --> 00:23:27.599 well the night. That's that's insane. Yeah. But to come back to 274 00:23:27.640 --> 00:23:33.759 your question, is there are the aliens and now they here? I tend 275 00:23:33.839 --> 00:23:38.079 to be a skeptic. Yeah, Now, have you ever seen anything in 276 00:23:38.119 --> 00:23:45.640 the sky that would have indicated to you that maybe something's out there. Yes, 277 00:23:45.240 --> 00:23:51.240 okay, can you expand on that. The first time I was the 278 00:23:51.279 --> 00:23:57.079 first time, I was a schoolboy in corn and there was something up in 279 00:23:57.119 --> 00:24:03.680 the sky did not appear to be either a weather balloon or a plane or 280 00:24:04.319 --> 00:24:11.839 now this would be pre satellite time, and its movements were it was stationary 281 00:24:12.599 --> 00:24:21.839 and then irregular and sort of like like yes, but or suddenly and then 282 00:24:22.519 --> 00:24:27.119 okay, it was an unnatural movement. And even in those days, I 283 00:24:27.200 --> 00:24:33.160 knew a little bit about you know, acceleration and gravity. Sure. The 284 00:24:33.200 --> 00:24:38.440 second time was out in Africa and I saw something at night and it was 285 00:24:38.839 --> 00:24:48.000 light, and again it was seemed to be skimming low ish, But how 286 00:24:48.039 --> 00:24:52.359 can you really measure distance? How did it how did it appear? I 287 00:24:52.400 --> 00:24:59.200 mean, is it a sphere? It just seemed to be a bit sphere 288 00:24:59.400 --> 00:25:04.039 like I also suffer from bad eyesight, so it could have been. I'm 289 00:25:04.039 --> 00:25:11.279 not cleaning it. Look, you cannot dismiss the comments of you know, 290 00:25:11.440 --> 00:25:18.920 established fighter pilots and and people like that, you count. You cannot dismiss 291 00:25:21.319 --> 00:25:26.279 those things. They don't they're they're all in there, you know, all 292 00:25:26.359 --> 00:25:32.160 the fighter pilots. Absolute, oh absolutely absolutely, you know but you know, 293 00:25:32.319 --> 00:25:36.319 you you look at the other side and you think, come on on 294 00:25:36.440 --> 00:25:40.359 the other side being the skeptic. Well, the the other side being is 295 00:25:40.880 --> 00:25:48.319 look at the distances between between galaxies, and that assumes that we know how 296 00:25:48.359 --> 00:25:52.680 to travel to them. I mean, because if they're doing it our way, 297 00:25:52.319 --> 00:25:56.839 it's going to take a while. They've got something better. Who knows. 298 00:25:56.799 --> 00:26:03.200 You're still Robert Elein And there's folding space and see the speed of light. 299 00:26:03.720 --> 00:26:06.759 That's an interesting theory of the folding of space. I heard that one 300 00:26:06.799 --> 00:26:10.519 before. We're like theoretically, you know, like if there was a way 301 00:26:10.559 --> 00:26:12.599 to travel, if like the I don't even know how to expand on it, 302 00:26:12.680 --> 00:26:17.880 right, Yeah, but it's yeah, you fold space or space folds, 303 00:26:18.400 --> 00:26:21.839 and so instead of going from there to there, what you're going is 304 00:26:21.880 --> 00:26:26.000 going from there to there. Yeah. I don't have the maths or the 305 00:26:26.000 --> 00:26:33.680 brain to be able to to to really understand Einstein and space time and time 306 00:26:33.759 --> 00:26:38.079 dilation. Isn't it? What is it? It's Oh, I beg upon, 307 00:26:38.160 --> 00:26:42.839 I'm getting old and seen out. That's all right, I'm way ahead 308 00:26:42.880 --> 00:26:52.920 of you. But the distances are so great and there are so many things 309 00:26:52.960 --> 00:26:56.480 against it. I mean, you know, by and large, the time 310 00:26:56.519 --> 00:27:03.319 it takes a species to reach a a technological age that can be relatively short, 311 00:27:03.480 --> 00:27:11.759 but a species may not live long enough to actually go further. And 312 00:27:12.079 --> 00:27:18.119 two species on two different worlds may be on a totally different time scale. 313 00:27:18.119 --> 00:27:23.200 Indeed, there may be intelligent life on Alpha Centuri, on one of the 314 00:27:23.559 --> 00:27:29.359 one of the planets going around one of the stars there. It's civilization may 315 00:27:29.400 --> 00:27:33.480 have come and gone, or a civilization may yet to be, you know, 316 00:27:33.640 --> 00:27:38.839 and the idea that they can just overlap would demand an awful lot more 317 00:27:38.880 --> 00:27:44.720 coincidence. It's mind you. Our whole universe is pact with coincidences. Who 318 00:27:44.799 --> 00:27:48.119 was it that said the universe is not just queer than we do imagine. 319 00:27:48.160 --> 00:27:53.000 I think it was Isaac Newton. It's queer than we can imagine. I 320 00:27:53.359 --> 00:27:59.599 gotta believe that's right. Yeah, well, you know, I saw I 321 00:27:59.640 --> 00:28:02.200 will say this when I was a kid. I was a deckhand on a 322 00:28:02.279 --> 00:28:06.559 riverboat and out of New Orleans, and we're out there and this is I 323 00:28:06.599 --> 00:28:11.400 don't know, early seventies. I was reading Oddly Enough Time for the Stars 324 00:28:11.440 --> 00:28:15.640 by Robert Einlein, and I was down in the galley, I was deckhead. 325 00:28:15.720 --> 00:28:19.160 I was nineteen, and there were different you know, rings, ding 326 00:28:19.279 --> 00:28:23.519 ding ding meant go tighten up the toe, ding ding ding ding ding ding 327 00:28:23.920 --> 00:28:27.400 meant go do something else. And I was just sitting there to one dinging 328 00:28:27.480 --> 00:28:33.240 ding ding ding ding ding ing, and I assume that meant get your ass 329 00:28:33.359 --> 00:28:37.359 up. Here's to the to the wheelhouse. So I did. I ran 330 00:28:37.440 --> 00:28:40.480 up, and he goes and we're in. I'll tell you where we were, 331 00:28:40.720 --> 00:28:45.680 Western Louisiana or eastern Texas. I don't know, but you know, 332 00:28:47.119 --> 00:28:51.000 because there's an international waterway. There's you don't see it from the map that 333 00:28:51.079 --> 00:28:56.440 there's a million waterways between Louisiana Texas. And we were in there. Then 334 00:28:56.480 --> 00:28:59.240 he goes, look at it, look over there, and it was going 335 00:28:59.599 --> 00:29:03.359 red, bluish, red, blueish. He goes, that just moved, 336 00:29:04.960 --> 00:29:10.440 and I said, no, it didn't. You moved. We're on a 337 00:29:10.640 --> 00:29:15.359 boat. Come on, come on, come on, Rob or whatever your 338 00:29:15.440 --> 00:29:18.039 name was. And I said, you looked at it a minute ago, 339 00:29:18.559 --> 00:29:22.160 then you looked at it over there, looked at it again, and it 340 00:29:22.200 --> 00:29:25.720 looked like it and it went like this. I said, okay, that 341 00:29:25.960 --> 00:29:30.079 just moved, and it moved. While I was telling him it couldn't possibly 342 00:29:30.200 --> 00:29:33.519 move. And it was a red blue, red blue, red blue, 343 00:29:33.599 --> 00:29:37.680 red blue, and I said, and we just kind of stood there like 344 00:29:37.960 --> 00:29:41.599 o. And at the time there were tons of UFO sightings on the news 345 00:29:42.359 --> 00:29:49.559 and on these boats. They are gigantic, gigantic spotlights. And I said, 346 00:29:49.599 --> 00:29:52.039 oh, okay, well, you know, and I turned it on 347 00:29:52.440 --> 00:29:56.480 and you have to do two cranks at one time. One goes up, 348 00:29:56.559 --> 00:30:00.599 one goes down. And I tried to crank it up on the It was 349 00:30:00.359 --> 00:30:03.119 seeable. I mean, if it was during the daytime, we could have 350 00:30:03.160 --> 00:30:08.119 went and pointed at it. And I tried to get the light up on 351 00:30:08.160 --> 00:30:12.240 it and it went and that was it. It was there, it was, 352 00:30:12.400 --> 00:30:18.440 it moved near and I went, oh, shine a light, goodbye. 353 00:30:18.480 --> 00:30:22.759 So that was my big UFO sighting. I feel like everybody has one. 354 00:30:22.200 --> 00:30:26.480 I feel like everybody has one at least, you know. It's bizarre. 355 00:30:26.640 --> 00:30:30.519 It's and I think it's the curiosity of the mind, the human mind 356 00:30:30.599 --> 00:30:34.119 too. Oh yeah, you know, it had my curiosity. Yeah, 357 00:30:34.200 --> 00:30:37.440 I was tweaked. Yeah, yeah, I mean, I'll never forget it. 358 00:30:37.920 --> 00:30:41.960 I told that story a million times. It's still a little goosebumpy. 359 00:30:42.279 --> 00:30:47.680 It's kind of cool, you know, I like the idea that somebody could 360 00:30:47.720 --> 00:30:52.680 be out there and please be nice guys. You know, you know, 361 00:30:52.759 --> 00:30:56.480 because if they're I mean, we don't have technology to go visit them. 362 00:30:56.000 --> 00:31:00.119 So I figured they're technology to come visit us. Means they could probably win 363 00:31:00.200 --> 00:31:07.240 in the street fight. I don't think that. I don't think there's any 364 00:31:07.319 --> 00:31:11.880 dispute about that. But you're right, absence of proof is not proof of 365 00:31:12.000 --> 00:31:15.880 absence. I sorry, I was just going to say that. No I 366 00:31:17.079 --> 00:31:19.799 wasn't, but that's noted better when you said it. Yeah, everything sounds 367 00:31:19.839 --> 00:31:25.119 better when he says it. Absence of proof is not proof of absence. 368 00:31:25.200 --> 00:31:30.440 And and and you know, you may how we all would love to think 369 00:31:30.599 --> 00:31:36.680 that there was a community out there waiting for us to grow up and join 370 00:31:36.799 --> 00:31:38.960 them. Yes, that's that's kind of the way I've always thought about it. 371 00:31:40.799 --> 00:31:44.960 But patting us on the head trying not to kill each other too much, 372 00:31:45.200 --> 00:31:48.279 you know, that's kind of But I can't see the numbers really matching. 373 00:31:48.519 --> 00:31:53.759 You know that the probabilities. I'm not a mathematician, but probabilities are 374 00:31:53.960 --> 00:32:00.319 pretty remote. So the question is what is it? What did you see? 375 00:32:00.480 --> 00:32:04.960 What? What are the things we see? The other disquieting thing. 376 00:32:05.640 --> 00:32:08.119 It wasn't a weather balloon, by the way, No, that was that's 377 00:32:08.160 --> 00:32:10.880 the old. It was probably a weather blon. Yeah, that's that's the 378 00:32:10.960 --> 00:32:19.240 old. It's like the archaeologist the archaeologist thing. Whenever you see a votive 379 00:32:19.519 --> 00:32:23.440 offering in archaeology, it's code for we have a clue what it means. 380 00:32:24.200 --> 00:32:29.039 We have a clue what it is. And it's an in joke. Really 381 00:32:29.599 --> 00:32:32.000 it's a votive offering. Something tells me you would you would you have a 382 00:32:32.319 --> 00:32:37.640 stronger handle on that than the average bear. So well, you know, 383 00:32:37.720 --> 00:32:42.039 it's pretty impressive when you can talk to archaeologists say, well, of course, 384 00:32:42.079 --> 00:32:44.720 you know, I was there when we discovered the Arc of the Covenant 385 00:32:44.799 --> 00:32:49.319 and and the Holy Grail. But I'm sure your work is significant. And 386 00:32:51.880 --> 00:32:57.799 that's right, it's right. Oh, that's funny speaking of your work. 387 00:32:58.440 --> 00:33:04.319 Jumped amazing career. I mean, you know, you've you've been in some 388 00:33:04.480 --> 00:33:09.759 of the most iconic well movies of all time. But lineage it's Indiana Jones 389 00:33:09.799 --> 00:33:15.279 and you're done talking. That's it. I mean, Steven Spielberg and and 390 00:33:15.359 --> 00:33:19.240 then onto onto The Lord of the Rings. I mean, my gosh, 391 00:33:20.359 --> 00:33:23.559 it's it's insane. I've been very lucky. Luck, of course, is 392 00:33:24.839 --> 00:33:30.119 is the most important characteristic of an actors. Well, I'll buy that. 393 00:33:30.359 --> 00:33:35.119 Yeah, it's assumed that you know how to do the job if you can 394 00:33:35.200 --> 00:33:40.160 get the job. But getting the job, how the heck? I've earned 395 00:33:40.279 --> 00:33:46.519 so many good actors who you know, the jobs just dried up or they 396 00:33:46.599 --> 00:33:52.599 never really happened. And yeah, you're right about that. What are your 397 00:33:52.640 --> 00:33:54.519 younger actor? You know you can always get away with the course. Well, 398 00:33:54.640 --> 00:33:59.359 I was a better actor. But as it goes on, you know, 399 00:33:59.599 --> 00:34:07.960 you just realize more and more it's luck. And would you agree with 400 00:34:07.039 --> 00:34:10.800 the expression that luck is being prepared for the moment? Yeah, that's a 401 00:34:10.920 --> 00:34:14.599 very very nice I hadn't heard that one. That's a good one. I 402 00:34:14.679 --> 00:34:16.719 must, I must try and steal that one from well, you know, 403 00:34:17.159 --> 00:34:23.599 your co star Harrison Ford. I remember got to be twenty maybe thirty years 404 00:34:23.599 --> 00:34:29.320 ago, he was being interviewed probably Entertainment Tonight somebody like that, and they 405 00:34:29.360 --> 00:34:31.920 said, well, here you are, You're in Star Wars. Does the 406 00:34:32.000 --> 00:34:37.360 kid Picker? And then next thing you know, Indiana Jones Raiders. You 407 00:34:37.440 --> 00:34:42.199 know, it's kind of like, how can you be this lucky to be 408 00:34:42.599 --> 00:34:46.679 not not lucky. But were you ever in your wildest imagination when you were 409 00:34:46.719 --> 00:34:52.199 doing American Graffiti thinking that I'll probably be in two of the biggest movie franchises 410 00:34:52.440 --> 00:35:00.199 in this particular universe, you know. And he goes luck and I thought, 411 00:35:00.480 --> 00:35:07.599 wow, okay, because he's perfect for everything he's in and that's not 412 00:35:07.800 --> 00:35:12.880 luck. But he just said, you know, And then he started telling 413 00:35:12.920 --> 00:35:21.000 the story about Sam Sam Elliott that had auditioned right before him for Indiana Jones 414 00:35:21.440 --> 00:35:23.159 or after him, something like that, and he goes, oh, well, 415 00:35:23.239 --> 00:35:28.280 I'm not going to get it. And then it's like, who's Sam 416 00:35:28.360 --> 00:35:34.199 Elliott? You know, he's doing fine, but he's no Indie. And 417 00:35:34.559 --> 00:35:37.480 when you said Indy, Indy, I have done terrible impressions of you for 418 00:35:37.639 --> 00:35:44.320 a long time, you know, you know, And I met Harrison Ford 419 00:35:44.440 --> 00:35:47.039 like one time in Indy and I'm so glad he didn't hear me because it 420 00:35:47.079 --> 00:35:51.320 would have been really embarrassing. Yah, it gets a bit embarrassing then, 421 00:35:51.599 --> 00:35:57.679 Yeah, but you're doing a perfect impression of you, and we're all glad 422 00:35:57.719 --> 00:36:01.039 that you do. Yes, I think i think I'm just about done the 423 00:36:01.159 --> 00:36:07.360 last one, though, you know, the there's a lot of gas in 424 00:36:07.440 --> 00:36:12.519 that tank. Oh trust me, trust me, yes, Oh I do. 425 00:36:12.719 --> 00:36:15.480 I saw him flirting with my wife. I think we already talked about 426 00:36:15.519 --> 00:36:20.320 that. It's not he's going to bitch a back. He's still a good 427 00:36:20.400 --> 00:36:24.599 plenty. I guess that's a beautiful thing. So right at the moment, 428 00:36:24.679 --> 00:36:29.719 I'm trying to get the time and a bit of money to finish off the 429 00:36:29.800 --> 00:36:34.239 little sound stage I've been building in the Isle of Man. And when I've 430 00:36:34.280 --> 00:36:37.880 done that, I'm going to go out and try and shake the money tree 431 00:36:37.199 --> 00:36:42.280 because I want the money to make the movies that I want to make before 432 00:36:42.360 --> 00:36:46.400 I shuffle off this small more coil. So it's good. Well, we 433 00:36:46.519 --> 00:36:51.800 all want that too, we don't We just yes? But no, I 434 00:36:51.880 --> 00:37:00.239 want it for you. Well, open your wallet and say afternoon, okay, 435 00:37:00.360 --> 00:37:06.599 never made Okay, good night everybody. Right, But I'm curious, 436 00:37:06.599 --> 00:37:08.960 if you don't mind me asking you a question. I'm just really curious about 437 00:37:09.000 --> 00:37:12.880 the casting process for the Lord of the Rings. You know, you played 438 00:37:12.920 --> 00:37:16.639 such an iconic character in Gimli, and when I first met you, I 439 00:37:16.920 --> 00:37:21.719 didn't realize that you were such a thesbian and that kind of took me back, 440 00:37:21.800 --> 00:37:23.920 because you know, Lord of the Rings is so fantastical, and you 441 00:37:24.000 --> 00:37:28.400 know, it's the only movie that's ever only fantasy movie that's ever won an 442 00:37:28.440 --> 00:37:31.639 Oscar in that category. You know, there's been no other fantasy movie that's 443 00:37:31.679 --> 00:37:37.480 one Best Picture. And so I'm just curious, like what your approach was 444 00:37:37.599 --> 00:37:40.719 to that role and the casting process kind of getting mentally prepared for that role. 445 00:37:42.320 --> 00:37:45.079 Was it any different than anything else or is it just kind of here's 446 00:37:45.119 --> 00:37:46.440 the next one. I got lost if I wanted to be in Lord of 447 00:37:46.480 --> 00:37:52.079 the Rings. And I said, yeah, sure, they're gonna make a 448 00:37:52.199 --> 00:37:59.719 movie of it. Not a chance. It's unfilmable. Nobody can read the 449 00:37:59.800 --> 00:38:02.719 damn book as far as I'm concerned alone make a movie out of it. 450 00:38:02.800 --> 00:38:06.440 It was a chore. Yeah, And they said, well, they're going 451 00:38:06.480 --> 00:38:08.000 to shoot in New Zealand. I thought, oh gosh, I haven't been 452 00:38:08.039 --> 00:38:15.360 in New Zealand yet. What I want is, you know, about a 453 00:38:15.480 --> 00:38:19.840 month's work and perhaps you know, six or eight weeks on on top of 454 00:38:19.920 --> 00:38:22.480 that, so I can have a look around New Zealand, you know, 455 00:38:22.599 --> 00:38:25.599 and take it off because then I love done New Zealand and you know, 456 00:38:27.199 --> 00:38:30.719 but it's going to be a big movie, and I thought, wait a 457 00:38:30.760 --> 00:38:37.360 minute, this is nonsense. They tried it before and it can't be done. 458 00:38:37.440 --> 00:38:44.519 It's not filming. That's why Tolkien sold it so cheaply, because he 459 00:38:44.599 --> 00:38:49.000 had a text build m oh no yeah, and he thought, just get 460 00:38:49.079 --> 00:38:52.000 any money, and somebody wanted to buy the film rights of it, and 461 00:38:53.480 --> 00:38:58.199 he sold it film. Well. One story I heard was it was about 462 00:38:58.199 --> 00:39:00.920 one hundred pounds, but I'm told that it was a bit more than that. 463 00:39:00.039 --> 00:39:07.119 It was about sixteen hundred and eighteen hundred pounds. Wow. And it 464 00:39:07.280 --> 00:39:12.679 proved a rather good purchase for somebody. And then they said okay, and 465 00:39:12.840 --> 00:39:16.159 I said. They sent me a bit of paper and the the audition I 466 00:39:16.280 --> 00:39:21.880 had to do was for the part that John Noble, my friend John Noble 467 00:39:22.000 --> 00:39:23.760 ended up playing. I thought, this is great. You know, it's 468 00:39:23.760 --> 00:39:29.159 about which character well, I can't remember the name of them, but he's 469 00:39:29.239 --> 00:39:34.159 the he's the mad king at the end, who wo who ends up killing 470 00:39:34.199 --> 00:39:37.280 his own son? Oh jeez. I thought, yeah, is this a 471 00:39:37.360 --> 00:39:43.360 Hamlet deal or something? Sent I sent the audition in, you know, 472 00:39:43.559 --> 00:39:46.679 forgot about it, and about two months three months later, they said, 473 00:39:46.760 --> 00:39:51.440 John, well done, you've got it, and I thought, got what 474 00:39:52.360 --> 00:39:54.760 They want you to play Gimli the Dwarf. And I said, how are 475 00:39:54.800 --> 00:40:01.239 you out of your tiny and yeah, great? And I said, do 476 00:40:01.320 --> 00:40:07.159 you realize how much time I would spend in makeup were I to do this 477 00:40:07.400 --> 00:40:10.199 thing? Oh no, My manager said, trust me, John, they'll 478 00:40:10.239 --> 00:40:14.719 get it down to about an hour. I said, no, no, 479 00:40:15.039 --> 00:40:17.719 I'm not going to do this. For God's sake, I spent thirty years 480 00:40:17.760 --> 00:40:22.239 trying to be recognized. Now you want me to go to New Zealand normally 481 00:40:22.360 --> 00:40:27.440 for three years in a film that will fail at the box office for the 482 00:40:27.559 --> 00:40:32.079 first part, and it will be it will be direct to video if they 483 00:40:32.119 --> 00:40:37.679 can scrape enough together for the second part. This is doomed to fader. 484 00:40:37.079 --> 00:40:42.360 This chat Peter Jackson. Yes, I've seen his work. Oh he's very 485 00:40:42.480 --> 00:40:46.880 good. He's a very good small filmmaker. But he doesn't know what he's 486 00:40:47.000 --> 00:40:52.760 letting him in self in for this is a film with twenty one leading parts, 487 00:40:53.519 --> 00:41:01.119 you know, eight demands shooting in different locations. It's unfilmable anyway. 488 00:41:02.320 --> 00:41:07.320 This is a this is this has got the hallmarks of failure stabbed on it 489 00:41:08.960 --> 00:41:15.440 and I don't want to do it. And my manager, my new agency 490 00:41:15.639 --> 00:41:20.599 APA, said John. If you don't do this part, I don't think 491 00:41:20.639 --> 00:41:27.599 we can continue to represent you. Wow. And my son, my elder 492 00:41:27.679 --> 00:41:30.239 son, said, Dad, with respect, if you turned down this, 493 00:41:32.280 --> 00:41:37.519 you'll be making a huge mistake. And I said why. He said, 494 00:41:37.559 --> 00:41:43.480 you think about it. In every bookshop in the world, there's that much 495 00:41:43.599 --> 00:41:49.360 book space devoted to Tolkien. Think of what that means as a fan base. 496 00:41:50.199 --> 00:41:53.199 And I forgot nice. I thought, yeah, well done. You 497 00:41:53.280 --> 00:42:00.199 may have a point there, but it's not going to happen. Okay, 498 00:42:00.360 --> 00:42:05.360 okay, okay, I'll go to New Zealand. I'll go to New Zealand 499 00:42:05.519 --> 00:42:09.639 and we'll go through the process, all right, and we'll I'll just check 500 00:42:09.719 --> 00:42:14.039 out what they're what they've set up. Well, there's a nice pub there, 501 00:42:14.559 --> 00:42:17.800 a nice pub. But let's see whether these come on. You can't 502 00:42:17.880 --> 00:42:22.320 make a film like that in New Zealand. It has it has no you 503 00:42:22.400 --> 00:42:28.280 know, the resources that you need, major studio stuff. You'd only find 504 00:42:28.320 --> 00:42:35.519 that in Rome or Paris, possibly La London. But New Zealand there's been 505 00:42:35.599 --> 00:42:40.039 a big film made in major industry. And I went there and I spent 506 00:42:40.159 --> 00:42:47.480 every morning and every afternoon for two weeks going into every department and looking at 507 00:42:47.519 --> 00:42:52.800 what they were doing. I was in the office when the phone went and 508 00:42:52.480 --> 00:42:57.039 the set designer said, hang on this minute, John. He said, 509 00:42:57.360 --> 00:43:02.800 oh really, oh thank you. That was that was our printer, the 510 00:43:04.239 --> 00:43:09.360 guys who print up our architectural plans. We've just got to eight kilometers of 511 00:43:09.480 --> 00:43:17.400 plans so far. What lay the plans to end? They had eight kilometers 512 00:43:19.400 --> 00:43:28.280 of plans printed plans, Holy go sets plans okay, wow? Right, 513 00:43:29.519 --> 00:43:34.639 so you begin to think, wow, yeah, that's what you think. 514 00:43:35.079 --> 00:43:44.679 Yeah, And then I I got progressively depressed as every department, every department 515 00:43:44.840 --> 00:43:49.559 had a level of expertise in it that you would only expect to find in 516 00:43:49.679 --> 00:43:53.800 the big, you know, great studios. But it had something else too. 517 00:43:54.400 --> 00:44:01.320 There was a level of share, share in enthusiasm and passionate for the 518 00:44:01.559 --> 00:44:06.360 wonderful. You know. The guy who was showing me how he'd actually turned 519 00:44:07.159 --> 00:44:15.920 eighteen hundred eighteen was it eighteen hundred meters of iron pipe cutting it to make 520 00:44:15.039 --> 00:44:22.760 the links for the chain mail? Wow? Wow, you know wow. 521 00:44:23.239 --> 00:44:27.320 And at the end of it, I thought, good god, they have 522 00:44:27.480 --> 00:44:30.000 an infrastructure here to do it. How the heck am I going to get 523 00:44:30.039 --> 00:44:34.960 out of this? I thought, getting get out of it and get into 524 00:44:35.000 --> 00:44:37.639 it further. And then because the film is unfilmable, they can't do it. 525 00:44:38.760 --> 00:44:43.280 And then I thought, I've got one get out. Let's see how 526 00:44:43.440 --> 00:44:51.480 this little man who runs around in shorts handles his cast and handles his crew. 527 00:44:52.280 --> 00:44:58.679 And I spent two days watching him, and I thought, dear me, 528 00:44:59.360 --> 00:45:04.559 he may just to cut to three weeks later, we have a press 529 00:45:04.639 --> 00:45:10.159 conference and I'm listening to the questions and the cynicism, and I get up 530 00:45:10.239 --> 00:45:20.320 and say, ladies and gentlemen of the press, revise your expectations upwards three 531 00:45:20.480 --> 00:45:27.280 predictions. They're taking Star Wars in Australia. At the moment, the first 532 00:45:27.559 --> 00:45:35.440 film will gross more money than the new Star Wars. Peter Jackson goes like 533 00:45:35.559 --> 00:45:44.039 that and buries his head in his hands. Second, these films are going 534 00:45:44.199 --> 00:45:49.679 to be amongst the greatest of this decade, and in twenty years time, 535 00:45:49.760 --> 00:45:54.679 when you look back, you will recognize them as being all time classics. 536 00:45:57.440 --> 00:46:06.480 Newspaper reports. Actors says Lord of the Rings will outgross Star Wars. Eighteen 537 00:46:06.559 --> 00:46:08.719 months later, Perfect PJ came to me and he said, you know when 538 00:46:08.760 --> 00:46:12.559 you said that the press concert. I said, you mean that moment when 539 00:46:12.599 --> 00:46:15.559 you buried your head in your hands. Yes, he said, we just 540 00:46:15.679 --> 00:46:25.559 had the box office taking it, and we've just succeeded Star Wars. I 541 00:46:27.039 --> 00:46:35.239 just didn't take into account the sheer genius of Jackson and the genius of the 542 00:46:35.360 --> 00:46:43.360 writers, and I underestimated the talent in New Zealand, and I lived to 543 00:46:43.519 --> 00:46:49.639 celebrate it. Yes, all the time. Now, I mean, we 544 00:46:49.800 --> 00:46:54.559 talk about who are the greats of our time? I think if we were 545 00:46:54.639 --> 00:46:59.880 still in the era of silent films, the greatest filmmaker of all would be 546 00:47:00.239 --> 00:47:07.760 Steve Steven Spielberg. Nobody, nobody can tell a story through a lens better 547 00:47:07.800 --> 00:47:14.760 than Stephen. He is one of the giants of film of all times, 548 00:47:15.440 --> 00:47:21.440 that's for sure. But you know, if you take into account the creation 549 00:47:21.639 --> 00:47:25.800 of a studio, the creation of an entire film industry. Really they had 550 00:47:25.840 --> 00:47:30.239 a film industry, but you know it was a little film industry. The 551 00:47:30.360 --> 00:47:39.599 creation of a major film industry in a country, then Peter Jackson really has 552 00:47:39.679 --> 00:47:45.119 to be amongst one of the greats of all My goodness, with our question, 553 00:47:46.119 --> 00:47:52.400 we had a labor prime Prime Minister in New Zealand at the time, 554 00:47:52.000 --> 00:47:55.760 and she decided you on a laterally to get the hood of rid of knighthoods, 555 00:47:58.039 --> 00:48:01.000 and she was going to create a New Zealand Order of Merit. And 556 00:48:02.159 --> 00:48:07.199 I was the one who kept going to say, and who is this who's 557 00:48:07.440 --> 00:48:15.639 unilaterally got rid of knighthoods. When Peter Jackson, Order of the Splatted Possum 558 00:48:15.960 --> 00:48:22.719 Grade one goes into a studio, the studio won't be particularly impressed by the 559 00:48:22.800 --> 00:48:28.480 title. But when Sir Peter Jackson goes in and you should give him one. 560 00:48:29.119 --> 00:48:31.840 Why because he has done more to put New Zealand on the map of 561 00:48:31.920 --> 00:48:37.880 the world than any man since Captain Colch that's for certain. Yeah. And 562 00:48:38.599 --> 00:48:45.440 actually then, of course when we were all invited to the beehive, I 563 00:48:45.599 --> 00:48:49.519 was the one person who never got asked to shake her hand. And if 564 00:48:49.559 --> 00:48:52.559 you look at the New Zealand postage stamps of Lord of the Rings, there's 565 00:48:52.639 --> 00:49:00.480 no Gimli there really, but it was right, you know, she had 566 00:49:00.559 --> 00:49:06.400 no idea when we when we went to New Zealand. Tourism in New Zealand 567 00:49:06.639 --> 00:49:10.159 was worth about one point three billion dollars a year, the last sick figure 568 00:49:10.199 --> 00:49:15.119 I saw, and they juggled around how you calculated, And that was before 569 00:49:15.199 --> 00:49:22.480 COVID it was either fourteen point something billion or seventeen point something billion. Wow, 570 00:49:23.320 --> 00:49:29.119 that's the impact that Peter Jackson had on his country. Yeah. You 571 00:49:29.199 --> 00:49:36.880 know, when you just take that alone into account, you realize that's there 572 00:49:36.960 --> 00:49:42.280 are giants. There are giants among us. Yeah, that's amazing. Well 573 00:49:42.360 --> 00:49:45.199 you're one of them. Oh, we dwarves are Yeah, that's right. 574 00:49:46.599 --> 00:49:52.400 Find the inner dwarf folks. Now, my assistant is there in the corner 575 00:49:53.000 --> 00:49:58.960 twitching that she's trying to indicate to me that if we don't get any dinner, 576 00:50:00.079 --> 00:50:01.840 help me. I'm on a plane off. It is not a place 577 00:50:01.920 --> 00:50:06.639 you want to be. No, yeah, how about any other questions? 578 00:50:07.239 --> 00:50:09.840 Well no, but thank you for coming. All right, thank you for 579 00:50:10.000 --> 00:50:15.039 being here, ladies and gentlemen. Color Oh god, thank you very much. 580 00:50:15.559 --> 00:50:21.079 Stay sweetest, honey, jolly nice to see you. God blessed. 581 00:50:21.320 --> 00:50:24.079 Say hi, I will do it very good. All right, y man, 582 00:50:24.199 --> 00:50:27.199 thank you for looking on. Thank you, thank you. That was 583 00:50:27.239 --> 00:50:30.280 a lot of fun. All right, young man, I'll close this out 584 00:50:30.400 --> 00:50:32.800 here. Yeah, all right, thank you very much everybody for watching. 585 00:50:32.880 --> 00:50:36.920 That was another episode of Tuned In with Jim Cummings. Don't forget to leave 586 00:50:36.960 --> 00:50:39.880 a like and subscribe to us on YouTube. You can find us bonus contents 587 00:50:39.920 --> 00:50:45.039 on Patreon and of course Spotify, Apple Podcasts, all that good stuff until 588 00:50:45.079 --> 00:50:47.840 the next episode. This is tuned in with Jim Cummings and John Rees Davies. 589 00:50:47.880 --> 00:50:50.000 Thank you very much. Bye,