Up next in 10
Carrie Hope Fletcher and Joel Montague reveal their favourite thing about working together
Feb 15, 2026
_
Heart is the UK’s biggest radio brand. Join us for feel-good music, exclusive interviews, and behind-the-scenes clips from your favourite celebs and presenters, including Amanda Holden, Mark Wright, Olly Murs, Emma Bunton, Vicky Pattison, and Jamie Theakston.
Subscribe to Heart's YouTube https://youtube.com/@thisisheart
Watch more videos and exclusives here on Global Player: https://thisisheart.co/heartglobalplayer
No Filter Interviews: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0V_gR0JpJ-n-gtHWzqJvwv3TT7yiEQeo
Heart Breakfast with Jamie Theakston & Amanda Holden: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0V_gR0JpJ-lviL3qm1jYeySr-XfiOLb6
Memory Box Nostalgia Interviews: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0V_gR0JpJ-lShfYoxWF97vDK2bC-djvx
Heart Musicals: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0V_gR0JpJ-k_BSVAs6x11xy9_f1j7TkT
Follow us:
Facebook: https://facebook.com/thisisheartofficial/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/thisisheart
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@thisisheart
Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
0:00
Hi I'm Carrie Hope Fletcher. Hi I'm Joel Montague and we are here with Heart Musicals
0:04
Heart Musicals. That's a big question. Physically we met at the stage door at the Apollo Theatre
0:13
In 2015? Yeah, when I was junior in town and you were doing Les Mis
0:18
So our theatres were like next door to each other. We've had lots of coincidences where your best friend was in Les Mis with me
0:24
and then your housemate was in Heather's with me and then someone I was in Heather's with was in Kiss of Kate with you
0:29
Kiss the cake with me. And so we were constantly like bumping into each other
0:33
at like press nights or little events and stuff. Always really got on. Then we met at a stage door again
0:37
Yeah. We're very stagey. We met at a stage door watching a friend in a show and that was when we sort of
0:41
started to actually converse with each other and found, oh. You're quite nice. Yeah
0:47
I might want to spend the rest of my life with you. Yeah. And then we went on a date and that was it
0:51
Rest is history. Rest is history. Yeah. I mean, we love what we do
0:56
Like, I think it's very rare for you to be able to wake up every morning and kind of love
1:01
I mean, we say that. We wake up with, like, zero voice because we've just blasted our voice the night before
1:07
But apart from that, you know, you're looking at a person who you respect and who is also extremely successful in the industry
1:13
and that's very, luckily, but very rare. I think one of the wonderful things
1:17
is that we get to see each other doing what we do best every day at work. So I get to stand in the wings
1:21
and, like, watch you be Bud of the Elf and be amazing
1:25
And it's extremely attractive when you get to see the person that you love
1:30
And I get to annoy you on stage every night. Be talented, yes, you do. Which I'm very, very good at
1:34
Both things are true. It's a very old school mentality, I think
1:39
Like you said in that video, the old ball and chain thing. And I'm like, well, for me
1:44
if you've chosen to marry that person and be with that person for the rest of your life, to then get to work with that person as well
1:51
Because also when we're doing our work separately, we really never see each other that much
1:56
so then the fact that we now have the opportunity to work and see each other every day all the time
2:01
is great so when our home time is with Mabel then we get to be a family and we get to then be
2:05
our professional job which is yeah yeah and I think our personal selves are very different from
2:09
our professional selves as well well no I'm an idiot in both professionally and personal so also
2:16
true but you're a different kind of idiot at work than you are at home thank you thank you thank you
2:19
so much my gorgeous wife I mean for me I don't know where to begin with Carrie because she's
2:26
uber talented in a lot of different areas i mean i have one which is dressing up in a frock on
2:31
stage and performing carrie's rights you know vlog like there's so many things to what carrie
2:37
can do that yeah she she inspires me endlessly endlessly well i think contrary to popular belief that you don You don inspire me No Actors are very or can be very insecure people because they very emotional people and that always kind of on the surface
2:54
But we play other people for a living so we are insecure. So I think if you have two actors in a relationship you have to be as positive and as supportive and uplifting as possible because we're our own worst critics
3:06
We're the first people to tell ourselves that was a terrible performance. so you need someone with you who's like you're amazing and you're and obviously carrie's got
3:14
is very good on social media i am not it's really really difficult to separate how you feel versus
3:20
how other people are telling you they feel and not to sort of like take that on board yourself
3:25
and sort of burden your own soul and heart with that i think there is a level of everyone having
3:31
like a very thick skin in this industry anyway but then i think the difference is is that's for
3:35
professional purposes so then when it becomes personal and it becomes about
3:40
who you are as a human who you are as a mother a wife a sister you know whatever
3:45
all of a sudden your armor doesn't feel as thick anymore and you you don't know
3:49
why you're not able to sort of take those blows as well as the professional
3:53
blows and it's because no one's meant to sustain that kind of rejection and
3:58
negativity and I love social media and I think it's amazing and I think the way
4:01
that it connects people and the way that we share information now is like unbelievable but it also obviously has its downsides like everything and one of those
4:09
is the fact that it gives a megaphone to people who definitely shouldn't have a megaphone
4:14
for me i would always just be like just just know it's going to be okay and know that the
4:21
the lows are going to be low and the highs are going to be high and if you can embrace that
4:25
and know that you never know what's coming around the corner and you can be happy with that then
4:30
life's going to be okay. Yeah, just not take things too seriously. I don't want to diminish what we do because I know how I feel when I go and see a musical
4:39
and the life-affirming, uplifting, hopeful way that I feel after seeing an incredible piece of art
4:46
That is really special and really, really important. However, we are dressing up. I am playing an elf. You are playing an elf
4:53
I'm playing an elf. You're playing an elf for Christmas. I trained at drama college and now I'm an elf
5:00
But I do think that as soon as you start taking it seriously, it sucks so much of the joy and the happiness
5:05
that you can get out of performing and you can get out of theatre and art
5:10
And you start to talk yourself out of it. Oh, my goodness
5:16
Elf, obviously. Obviously, Elf. Right, right now, Elf. But if we couldn't say Elf
5:21
If we couldn't say Elf, because we're in it. Oh, God, it really is like picking your favourite child
5:27
I loved The Addams Family I really really loved that show Halloween though for you Yeah Queen of Halloween I do love Halloween I love all things spooky And I just think that she ticks all of the boxes
5:38
She doesn't have the burden of carrying the show and being on stage from start to finish
5:42
which is lovely, but it comes with its huge pressures. But she gets some cracking songs
5:49
Really good songs. She gets really funny and really fun-lined. She's a character that everyone really knows
5:55
so before the show's even started you feel like the audience are already on your side
5:58
because they know who Wednesday Addams is it's spooky and kooky and I just loved it
6:05
yeah very you yeah very me you? it's really hard isn't it
6:10
as a production, as a set of people when I did You're In Town
6:14
I had the most wonderful set of people and we're still in touch to this day
6:19
it was such a good show as well it just created the really good family feel
6:24
and I actually have to sort of say that about Gatsby as well because Gatsby was very similar with the cast
6:28
but Roel I mean it has to be King George like George and Hamilton like
6:33
he can't he's so iconic and obviously Jonathan Groff made him so iconic that
6:38
being a Brit playing him in London not that he's the best monarch to play
6:42
because he had his flaws a lot of flaws but yeah he's just a great
6:47
a great comical character and gets arguably the best songs in the show
6:51
he's a brilliant vehicle in a phenomenal show like you know phenomenal show
6:56
I'd love to do create something together with Carrie. We'd love to work together more
7:03
Like we would really love to work together more because we enjoy it and you know we really like it
7:08
But to originate roles I think is to make your own blueprint to originate on something
7:13
That's really quite unique. Yeah it's really fun. I have favourite shows that haven't been around in London for ages
7:20
that I would love to be a part of but if I didn't get to be a part of them
7:23
I still just want to sit and watch them and Sweeney Todd is like one of my favourite musicals ever
7:28
I just think it's unbelievable and I've never done a Sondheim before
7:32
so if I was to be a part of a Sondheim I'd love it to be Sweeney Todd
7:36
or Into the Woods but yeah Mrs. Lovett is just Sweeney and Lovett we'd do that
7:41
Or Baker and Baker's Wife we'd do that. Hire us. We're alright
7:49
I don't know. She's definitely following the Disney footstep for sure. Yeah. We're Disney obsessed there. Yeah
7:53
And she's started to sort of sing along to things and, you know
7:57
Her arms. Kids do, yeah. She does a little, like, dancing arm movements and stuff. And marches
8:01
Yeah. But all kids do. All kids, you know, sing along to stuff and sort of pick up dance moves and stuff from
8:05
you know, wherever they pick it up from. She'll do whatever she wants
8:10
Yeah. We very much of the you know the mindset that we just going to encourage whatever she naturally gravitates towards And she bound to obviously do I guess some kind of performance something because she see your mum and dad doing it
8:23
So I can understand that she might do something that would be musical or whether it be something like that
8:28
And lots of kids join like dance parties and stuff like that. Even if they don't go into the performing arts
8:32
If she doesn't like it, if she doesn't like it, it's not a big deal to us. To be honest, it's like, be a doctor
8:38
Yeah. Be a lawyer. Be an accountant. Yes. Do daddy's account. Yeah, I mean, I'm so lucky that I get to play one of my dream roles
8:47
Like Jenna was a dream role ever since I heard that Broadway cast album
8:53
And yeah, the fact that I get to play Jenna is... I'm so excited. I'm so excited
8:57
I auditioned for it back when it was first coming to London. How old was I
9:01
I was like 25. Still very young, weren't you? I was really young, yeah
9:05
So now to play that role, you know, where I feel like I've sort of matured
9:10
and I'm playing older roles now anyway, but also now I have a daughter of my own
9:13
And at this point, I have no idea how I'm going to get through any of those songs. Yeah, everything changes the finale
9:18
I'm going to be like, I wonder if she's going to get through this song. No, I think you're going to have to give me like a week
9:23
of just sobbing and I don't know. At least it's not a real baby that you're looking at though
9:27
because that would be the worst. Yeah. We're so excited though. We get to see Paddington's on site
9:34
because it's on a Sunday and we don't do Elf performances on a Sunday so we actually get to go and watch it
9:39
and be part of the Paddington festivities and I still haven't seen much
9:44
Well we've not have we and I saw G put a post and even G hadn't heard
9:48
and seen a lot of it. I've seen like little bits of like videos of workshops and Tom's kept it quite secret
9:54
even to us. I cannot wait. Very very excited. I can't wait. There's no point in me wearing makeup that day
9:59
I'm going to cry it all off. It's literally just going to be tissues in my bag and that's it. I mean you see the picture
10:03
of the bear already and everyone's just like like you can't. That's not real
10:06
That's AI. That's like a hologram of a bear. An idea of a bear and this is what
10:10
now they're showing me. That's not actually something that was physically, tangibly there in the rehearsal room
10:15
It was. A lovely actress called Amy Fisher, who I did Gatsby with, she's in Paddington as well
10:19
And she came in, like they were rehearsing just as we were finishing Gatsby. And she came and she said to me, she's like, babe, this bear just walked in and I just cried
10:27
She was like, uncontrollably. She was like, I had to like take myself up to a call
10:32
Everyone has a very like visceral reaction to it, don't they? Because I think it's like, the only way I can sort of explain it is like the first time for us is like
10:40
you see the Disney castle and you're just like, what is going on
10:44
Like, what is this? And I just think it's going to be there
10:48
for a long time and they've worked so hard on that show. And it deserves it
10:53
It deserves all the awards. It deserves everything. It really does. Yeah
#Celebrities & Entertainment News
#Acting & Theater
#Marriage
#Broadway & Musical Theater