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Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch are pub mates with a 15-year friendship
Aug 31, 2025
Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch reminisce about the first time they met and the joys of new movie "The Roses", which is their first on screen appearance together. #oliviacolman #benedictcumberbatch #theroses _ Subscribe for regular entertainment! http://bit.ly/1qyfc2T Watch videos in full + exclusives here: https://thisisheart.co/heartglobalplayer Honest Celebrity Interviews: https://thisisheart.co/honestinterviews Music Artists: https://thisisheart.co/3YVm8wN Film and TV Stars: https://thisisheart.co/filmandtv _ We're the UK's biggest commercial radio brand creating memorable moments with the most recognised names in entertainment!
View Video Transcript
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Olivia was just sat there calmly on a cushion meditating, going
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Hello, how are you? Very zen. I don't move much. You're listening to Heart Breakfast with Jamie and Zoe
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in for Amanda this week. Now, listeners of a certain vintage will be familiar
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with the Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner movie, War of the Roses
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I think it, 30 years ago, put an entire generation of us off marriage
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to my mind a far more enjoyable remake that comes out today
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it's called The Roses and it stars our special guests Olivia Colman
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and Benedict Cumberbatch thanks thank you very much we are very excited
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to have you here guys it's great to be here we're very excited to be here thank you
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I hope I'm not doing the film a disservice by calling it a remake
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a reimagining a reimagining it strays quite a lot on many levels
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I think from the original dynamic Of course, based on a book. Based on a book, exactly
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Anyway, in the first place. So for those, Benedict, for those who may not be familiar with the story
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kind of explain to us briefly what The Roses is all about
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It's about a very impulsive couple who leave a life in England
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that's not satisfying them, find their dream in America, and it's about that dream going wrong when one's fortune goes down
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and the other goes up in brief. That's kind of it. Oh, my God, you are nailing the script
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He's amazing. It's certainly taken six weeks, like you said. it's a lot of fun
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and it's very well observed and nuanced and dark in places but also very very funny
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and comedic and it's written by Tony McNamara favourite yes of course
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amongst the world he's a favourite and poor things and the great
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and directed by Jay Roach I think he going to do very well he doing yeah you two are finishing each other sentences just like America are they actually married in real life No But is this the first time that you guys have worked together Sadly yes
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What? I know. We've been wanting to make this kind of happen because of that. We've been friends for a long time and we always said
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wouldn't it be nice to take this friendship to work? The two of you are married
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Has this kind of taught you anything about your own marriages? Don't have hard fruit on the counter
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Yeah, that's never a good plan, is it? Simple things like that. I don't know what the opposite of a rom-com is
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rom-com is? But this would be... A com-rom. Not a com-rom. But this would be kind of..
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It's the antithesis to a rom-com, right? Yes. The film, isn't it? I see what you mean. It sort of is
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They are subversive. They're a subversive violent pair. But they do love each other, so there is rom
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Yes. And there's a load of com. Yeah. Can I just ask, have you got music playing in your heads
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Yeah. I mean, as is... Right, okay, good. It's not just me. I'm off the plane. I've got... Yeah
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I've got a pop soundtrack going on here. Maybe I've been doing this job for a bit too long without sleep
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It's called a bed that's playing. Why is it, do you think, Olivia
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we enjoy, it seems to me that we enjoy watching other people's relationships
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because of collapse in a way. Is it because, are we measuring our own
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against what we perceive to be perfect relations? Is that why we find it enjoyable
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I don't know, but it's a bit like watching like a cat fall over
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You don't, I find it very enjoyable. The funniest thing in the world for me is when my husband hits his head. Right. Oh
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Isn't it brilliant? Or there was a point when our kids are all enormous now, but when they were tiny, they
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would run at him or he could run through his legs and then they just grew a little bit. Wow
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That's painful. Yeah. So I think it's that similar feeling watching. My husband was really cross the other day and then he accidentally came off his bike and I was like oh that a car ride Are you all right Stop me so grumpy I think we have a vicarious pleasure as well
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in watching not just couples, but sort of, you know, the British comedy is a strong vein
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of the comedy of failure. And you're still rooting for Alan Partridge
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and David Brent and Basil Fawlty, but they're failing left, right and centre
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Yeah. And it's also that sliding door thing of, oh, if only you'd done that or that way
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and that's very much the case with this couple down. You can see the missteps, can't you
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Because you pointed out that they do love each other and of course you don't get that without them loving each other
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it's just an uncomfortable situation. They were totally indifferent. There's no point watching
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But there is so great a fall to come. Yeah, the hubris of it
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And that has an emotional impact as well as high comedy. That's the idea and that's what Tony balances so brilliantly
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It's called The Roses. it's out in cinemas today we'll have more from our special guests
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Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch right after this how brilliant was that
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Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch wasn't that? I thought I'd play your favourite song
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Olivia, just for you thank you did you enjoy that? you requested it, didn't you
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banger yeah, absolutely banger she was dancing away to it wasn't she
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never, I just saw a different version of you there's a spinny thing on my back
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oh yeah I didn't know you could do the caterpillar as well I know I've never seen you. Wow
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Now you two, you mentioned that you are friends. We were. Until this point in time
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Until this interview. Until Olivia started dancing. No, you're old friends. You know, it's fair to say you know each other very well
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Olivia said 30 years ago. It shocking how old I must be I think Do you notice how he said I It was Yeah yeah Not her She doesn age She never ages No no no just me She exactly the same
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His eyesight's getting worse, which is why I'm still... It really is. Yeah. It was awful
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You know when you put your... I put my makeup on, then you put your glasses on. Oh, no. Oh, no
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Mirror, mirror. How did you... When did you first meet? It was..
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You remember this. You tell the story. It was in a... It was either a radio advert we were doing
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or a little radio play. Play, maybe. That sounds classy, doesn't it
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Let's say it was that. It was that. And Ben had scruffy long hair
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unshaven, and this long jumper that had big holes in it and his thumbs came through the sleeves
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and it was bouncy and tiggery. Hello, hi. And now you get your chance
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to an Olivia impression. Olivia was just sat there calmly on a cushion meditating, going, hello
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How are you? Very zen. I don't move much. No, I remember
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I just remember I have lots of memories of Olivia. Some of them are a bit blurry because we used to have a lot of
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well, we still do have a lot of fun. And at those moments, saying, we should work together
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we should take this friendship to work. And then we kind of wake up in the morning and kind of forget about it. But hence it's taken so long, I think
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And we've been a bit busy. But this has been a wonderful treat. And I can't wait to go over again
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You can see your friendship in the movie. It's called The Roses. It's out today. Unfortunately, we're out of time
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Oh, no. What? But it's been a pleasure. Thank you so much
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Oh, I've got so many more questions. I've been told that since
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and so we're on we're on strict I don't know you're the stars guys
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you can say you don't want to leave Olivia Colman and Vicky thank you for having us
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thank you very much thank you that was lovely thank you guys
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