Stephen Graham on Acting, Adolescence & Al Pacino

Romesh Ranganathan (0:00)

It must be amazing to just be a straight up ledge. Like, you are, you're undeniable.

I'm deniable. So like, what I was, the difference between you and me is, listen, I'm not saying I'm untalented, but there's an argument about me. You know, like, you would accept counterarguments. I'm deniable. You are undeniable. Nobody has got anything bad to say about you, it's amazing.

Stephen Graham (0:24)

That's slightly, yeah, I mean, I don't know what to say about that. Thank you very much for your very kind words.

Romesh Ranganathan (0:29)

No problem.

Stephen Graham (0:30)

I think you're a legend as well, do you know what I mean?

Romesh Ranganathan (0:32)

Thanks man, but deeply flawed.

SPEAKER_3 (0:35)

Aren't we all as human beings?

Romesh Ranganathan (0:36)

Well, if you look at my online mentions, it's very Marmite, mate. There's as many people hate me as like me, I'd say.

SPEAKER_3 (0:44)

Really?

Romesh Ranganathan (0:45)

Yeah, I reckon. Yeah, and some of them in my house.

Stephen Graham (0:51)

I'm Stephen Graham and I'm going to be on The Romesh Show.

Shanthi Ranganathan (1:05)

Oh, shut up, Romesh.

Romesh Ranganathan (1:10)

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My guest today is a BAFTA Emmy and Golden Globe winning actor who's widely considered to be one of the most talented and versatile actors of our generation. He's also a writer and producer and runs his own entertainment production company alongside fellow actor and wife Hannah Walters. After early roles in Snatch and Gangs of New York, he rose to prominence playing skinhead combo in Shane Mello's This Is England. He's since starred in movies including Martin Scorsese's The Irishman and the one-shot on Boiling Point, as well as TV series Boardwalk Empire, Line Of Duty, Peaky Blinders, A Thousand Blows, The Virtues and the Netflix phenomenon Adolescence.

Stephen Graham (2:51)

That's a lot, isn't it?

Romesh Ranganathan (2:53)

It's the legendary Stephen Graham OBE, everybody!

Stephen Graham (2:59)

I felt like you were asking me one of the questions here on a game show. I was about to come up with the answer. No, don't bank it.

SPEAKER_3 (3:05)

Carry on.

Romesh Ranganathan (3:08)

Does that feel amazing here? I mean, you must have heard that a lot, right?

Stephen Graham (3:10)

I've never heard of soliloquy like that.

SPEAKER_3 (3:13)

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Stephen Graham (3:14)

There's a lot going on here.

Romesh Ranganathan (3:14)

It's incredible. Now, we're very excited about this. We've got a present for you.

We've got a present for you, Stephen. Now, I'm going to give Georgie full credit for this, because I said, I think this would be a great gift for Stephen, all right? And Georgie has gone to 15 different shops.

SPEAKER_3 (3:43)

Oh, God, I'm nervous now.

Romesh Ranganathan (3:45)

I'm going to show you the gift.

Stephen Graham (3:46)

Okay.

Romesh Ranganathan (3:47)

And then I'm going to tell you exactly what happened.

Stephen Graham (3:50)

Okay. Let me just say, though, and Hannah gives me so much shit for this, basically. I'm really terrible at pretending that I like something when I don't.

Romesh Ranganathan (4:01)

That's fine. I'm going to be honest with you. If you don't like this.

Stephen Graham (4:04)

But now I feel really sorry for Georgie.

Romesh Ranganathan (4:07)

Well, she looks like she's crying already.