Richard Madden on Prepping for 'Cinderella' Dance Scenes

So excited to have Richard Madden here. Thank you for coming in.

Thanks for having me.

I'm going to fan out a little bit. Blown away by this movie on so many levels. First of all, the acting.

Thanks very much.

Um, but this is done so well, it's just done so well. I think of all the Disney remakes, not to choose favorites but this is my favorite. Yeah. It's beautifully done. It's beautifully done. And you just said it more beautifully than I said it. Um, your first reaction when you saw it?

I just like smiled the whole way through.

So a guy does, it's not just a girl, okay.

No, like my friends made fun of me when I first got the part and I continued to make fun of me.

Oh, I bet, I bet.

And then I brought them all to Berlin and they watched the film and they all had like puffy eyes from crying. Yeah, they did. So if you can make a man cry, this is this is a good this is a good thing.

So with the teasing you got, was it because of the dance or

Oh, it's because I'm playing I'm playing the prince and they I think they don't really view me as that.

Really? How do they see you?

I wouldn't like to say. I don't know, they call me "prince-a-lot" behind my back.

Do they really? Oh, that's so cute. Oh, I love it. I love it.

But they're proud. They cry. Yeah, they're proud and they cried and they smiled and they loved it and they're totally not the demographic. So I was pleased with that.

Okay, so if we're talking about guys things versus girl things, because obviously everybody knows the story of Cinderella. She goes to the ball, she gets the I want to set it up for you. Instead of a pumpkin, what's your what's your chariot of choice? The ultimate guy night.

I don't know, I'd probably just be in like a really loud club with loads of music.

Nice. How are you getting there? What's the chariot?

An Aston Martin would be all right.

There you go. What are you wearing? Not a blue gown, I'm assuming.

God no, not a blue gown. Maybe something like this. Just all in black. Just yeah.

Have people called you out on the one eyebrow you voluntarily

I I can't control it.

Really?

It's it's uncontrollable, yeah. And now aware of it, thanks.

Now I've made you now I've made you completely um aware of it. I read that in the ballroom scene when she makes her entrance, there was actually a real moment for all of you guys.

Oh, yeah. I mean, it was such a huge set, like we didn't CGI it. So you had this great set and there's like 2000 lit candles in the studio that day. And when Lily kind of appears at the top of the stairs in her Cinderella dress, you're just like everyone's But the breath is like. Yeah.

You had to have exceptional strength, I read, for the the dancing scene.

Exceptional strength. Yes. I wish I had exceptional strength. No, I just had to train a lot, um, because I'm not a very good dancer really. So I had to train a lot to kind of make sure I knew what I was doing and I wouldn't like destroy Lily's dress. And did destroy two of them.

Did you? I wasn't gonna bring that up.

Before they let me near the real one. And then the real one by then I'd kind of got it down.

I mean, I know you've been acting for a long time but I feel like it's been a kind of a whirlwind.

Yeah, totally. I think Game of Thrones is to thank for that. You know, I kind of I thought it would be like a little niche show and it turned into something really big.

So you guys had no idea.

No. And that's really great, because it means I get to kind of do things like Cinderella now that I wouldn't have ever chance to.

I think I read that recently did you have to record audio and you were sobbing? There's all kinda lot of male sobbing going on. You're recording the audio over the

Yeah, it was like we were doing it down the line so it was me in London and Michelle, who's my mother was in LA and we all kind of got these earpieces in watching it and doing the audio commentary for a whole episode. And and Michelle, who's my mother, hadn't seen the episode yet.

Has she not watched it?

She not watched it. So the first time watching it was kind of with us and like she's getting upset and I'm kind of getting upset by it because it's such a kind of trauma It was a big traumatic thing to do, but also it was the end of us kind of being a family. I got to see like my on-screen mom more than my real mother. So like when it was the last day of that, it's like a big emotional thing, it's five years of my life, you know.

Do you still watch?

Of course I do. Yeah.

But you kinda know something season 5 you've spoiled something.

Yeah, I've not spoiled anything yet. Uh, and I only know one little thing. But you know.

You haven't

I know, but I try and like I try and tell my friends, I'm like, please don't tell me what's gonna happen. And then we're having a beer and they're like, oh right, and episode 4 when this I'm like, stop it, stop it, stop it.

He's cute. He's a cutie, isn't he? It's not. He's been in here, I know. He's a little bit he's a troublemaker. He has indeed. Um, actually you also have Bastille.

Yeah, Bastille day coming out, yeah.

Idris Elba.

Yes. Phenomenal actor. Yeah. It's funny because we're quite an odd pairing I think, as a couple of actors.

A couple? How so?

Well, I don't know. We're just very different people. I think we're kind of chalk and cheese, but I think that's what makes it work. We really got on and actually kind of hopefully got some good comic elements out of what this kind of should be like a thriller, like an action film. I don't really know what it's gonna be yet because I've not seen anything. But we had a great time shooting it. It's modern day. I get to wear jeans and a t-shirt for a change. And uh, it's kind of Bourne. It was roomy. Guns. It was roomy.

Nice. A nice change. A lot of actors that sit where you're sitting, they say to me, you know, if I say one show that they're obsessed with, they name. Is there something that you binge watch? Because they all say Game of Thrones. Is there something that you

I'm binge watching American Horror Story at the moment. I love that show. It's great.

You've caught up?

Yeah, I'm like halfway through season 4, the Freak Show one. I've got like four episodes to go.

You could show up on that show.

I'd love to be on that show.

There you go. Put it out there. Anyway, thank you for coming in.

Thank you very much. This is a pleasure. Thank you.

Absolutely phenomenal movie.

Thanks.