The Backstage Experience with Ebenezer, Jessica Chastain, The Legend of Zelda & more!

The Backstage Experience starts now. Welcome to the Backstage Experience as we take you backstage with the biggest names and games in entertainment. This week, Sam Claflin and Rupert Grint spend Christmas with the most miserable man in London as Johnny Depp's Scrooge comes to life in Ebenezer. Kelvin Harrison Jr., Maya Hawke, and Lily Taylor return to Panem for the 50th Hunger Games in Sunrise on the Reaping. Peter Farrelly reveals his own underdog story from salesman to Oscar-winning filmmaker as he brings Sylvester Stallone's story to life in I Play Rocky. And Jessica Chastain steps back into the spotlight as a country star searching for her missing niece in the Netflix thriller Heartland. Plus, we're picking up the controllers for the Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time remake and setting sail with One Piece and Fortnite Treasure Hunters. It all starts right now, only on The Backstage Experience. Welcome to the Backstage Experience. I'm Dave Morales. And I'm John Stembaugh. And this week, this is a movie I've been waiting for for a long time. Johnny Depp is playing Ebenezer Scrooge. That's right. The 1843 Charles Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol, comes to the big screen in the movie Ebenezer. I am so excited, like you, about this one because honestly, this really kind of makes it feel like the holidays are here. Not only that, I can't think of a better actor to play the role. It's going to be great. We flew all the way to London, United Kingdom, to talk with the cast. We're excited to present. This is Ebenezer. To Uncle Scrooge. To Uncle Scrooge. To Uncle Scrooge. No, no, no. My friend, it's great to see you again. You too. You too, man. Congratulations. Thank you so much. This put me in the holiday spirit. That's what it should do, I think. I think it's, you know, Halloween's done. I know you guys have Thanksgiving yet to come, but. For me, as soon as Halloween is over, it is Christmas. Do you know, I'm the same way, and I really don't like scary things, but I like Halloween because that brings the cooler weather, the holidays begin for us, you know, you can start decorating. You're the only one that I'm asking this question to. The message here for Ebenezer, obviously we do know the story, but this particular version, like what is the message that you would say to people that are about to experience this? Well, I think... I think the reason this story is and has been told so many times in so many different ways is because I think there's an important message, which is, you know, choose love and love. I think you need to be open and receptive to other people offering you love or offering you help or offering you assistance. And that will in turn, I think, change your own perception of the world. But you have to be open to it. What I love about Fred's character is that he is someone who continually is hopeful in the pursuit of love for his uncle. And eventually, thankfully, you know, it's rewarded for his efforts. What did it feel like on set? Like, describe to me your first day looking around and seeing things. I'm looking around here and thinking, wow. It does. It does something to you, doesn't it? It just, it's, I don't know, it's kind of nostalgic in a way. It kind of makes you think of kind of Christmases as a child. And yeah, I mean, being on set there was just, it was great. We filmed it in the winter. I think it was February. So it was still quite cold, which kind of gave it the right kind of atmosphere. It's fair. And, yeah, I mean, just being in all the clothes, kind of horse and carriages going down the kind of London street that they built was, yeah, it was very easy to get swept up in that whole world. When you hear the line, God blesses everyone, that's just got to be something special. Oh, it does, yeah. I mean, it's iconic, and we've heard that line in so many. so many times it's almost it's so ingrained in people's minds i think there was a lot of those kind of moments in this kind of being in the office especially with like Ian and Johnny as well really kind of takes you out it's kind of an out of body experience out of body experience in a way um but yeah so much fun i i really loved it. Merry Christmas. Hunger Games Sunrise on the Reaping is dropping next week and I need a little bit of a break so I'm volunteering day of his tribute. Uh-uh I wondered where you were going with that there is no way I would even last 10 seconds. Maybe like three minutes in the Hunger Games. All right What's interesting about this movie, how long would you last then? About four minutes. Okay that's Four minutes longer than I would. The interesting thing about Sunrise on the Reaping, it is a prequel. Now, if you've read the books, and a lot of people have, you know the story. Now you get to see it on the big screen even better. We've got the cast joining us right now on the Backstage Experience. Nobody ever wins the games, period. There are survivors. There's no winners. Oh, my gosh. Hey, Mitch Abernathy. These are my games. How you die is all up to me. Good to see everybody. Good to see you. Wow. Okay, I'm going to theme this interview first, okay? These are all first. All right. Your first person you told when you were cast. My husband. I think I called my mom. Yeah. You know how my mom was, boy, so I'm right there with you. Yeah. I know. My kid. Awesome. Yeah. Awesome. Okay, here we go. First day on set. Did you pinch yourself? Did you go, my gosh, we're here. This is really happening. I want to know what you, like when you saw everything, costumes. It was so overwhelming. Like the production design and the space we were in was this like insanely large building and that you were sort of like lost in and maneuvering. And I think I was like. Holy smokes, I can't believe I'm in this world. I can't believe that's where the tributes are getting put into cut. I'm just like, whoa. So it was a really overwhelming first day, but it was really just so exciting, and I did pinch myself. Yeah. I was in the car ride with Ben and McKenna, and they were like, did you know parts of Mockingjay were shot here? And they were like, we're trying to find the secret scene or the secret location where this was. And I was like, oh, my gosh, I'm going to hang out with them today. Yeah. Like a treasure. Yeah. It was like the old movies past. Oh, that's so cool. Yeah. In that convention center when everyone was gathered was just like, you know, really didn't have to act. It was just like it was all there for me. And I just had to be. All right, take yourself out of character for a second. The first thing that you would take with you, if you could take something from the outside world, in the Hunger Games, what's the first thing that you would take? Thank you so much for being here this week. Immediately what just popped into my head is the book Hatchet. Yeah. And how much he's able to get done just by having one tool of a hatchet. Yeah. He makes fire, because he can fight, you know. So I think I'd take a hatchet. Yeah. Okay. That's good, actually. I'd take a speaker. Yo, I see you back there. I don't care. Dude, everybody's laughing in the room. I love this. That's clever. I was going to say bear spray, but I think I like that. I don't know. Okay, what's the first one? A knife, a pocket knife. That's practical. It's good. Pocket knife, yeah. From Dumb and Dumber to a Best Picture Oscar for Green Book, Peter Farrelly did it all without ever directing so much as a student film first. Next on The Backstage Experience, the former salesman steps into the ring with I Play Rocky, the true story of Sylvester Stallone's fight to star in his own script. From one underdog to another, Peter Farrelly takes us backstage with I Play Rocky next. Only on The Backstage Experience. Are you delusional? You don't got the looks to be a movie star. Not to mention, you talk like you got rocks in your mouth. Yeah, I know I don't look like Einstein, but I got a brain. The only way for me to show people is me have to write a script for myself. Yeah, so do that. Write a script. Give yourself the best part. Dude, congratulations, by the way. Like, absolutely phenomenal coming off Green Book, and then, like, obviously working on this. It's just... I was so inspired afterwards, wanting to go to the gym, wanting to start writing. You know, it's like, It's one of the most inspirational movies I've ever seen. But I want to throw it back to your Rocky moment because I read that you were doing a sales job and then you decided to quit that and start writing. What was that pivotal moment for you saying, you know what, I'm going to give it up, I'm going to wait tables, and I'm going to start writing? It was the bravest thing I ever did because I was not a writer but I had this thing in my in my mid-20s I was a salesman I had these long drives in my company car I had only had AM radio so no good music and I would drive 10 hours to northern Maine to try to sell you know get some a leather company to use our ships I worked for a shipping line and during those periods it was the first time I was ever a lot alone with myself and I was like what am I doing and there was part Part of me said, you should have been a writer, and... It just wore at me, like, after a year or two, and I finally said, to hell with that. I'd rather try it and fail than always have this in my head that I didn't do it. So I quit my job, moved to Cape Cod, and just wrote like a maniac for two, three years. You know, there's a thing Goethe said about, you know, when you do follow that thing in your heart, it says, he said, providence, the universe, opens up in ways you could never have foreseen. Amen, brother. Yes, brother. So... I'm waiting tables one night in Cape Cod, you know, while writing, and I meet a guy who's a teacher. He teaches at UMass Amherst writing. He said, you should go. I said, I already went to college. He goes, no, no, it's grad school. I said, I would never get in. My grades are horrible. He goes, no, no, no. You only have to submit 35 pages of your writing, and they judge you purely on that. Did it. Got in. I have no agent. Call all the agencies. Talk to the operator. I need I need an agent. Can you have someone call me? First guy who calls me is Richard Lovett. He had just become an agent that week. If you Google Richard Lovett, it says best agent in Hollywood today. And then my buddy calls me and goes, hey, my friend just moved to L.A. He's doing an extra role in a movie. He needs a roommate. Woody Harrelson. And then we end up living together. And one thing after another. And I tell people, listen to what's in your heart. And then that snowballed into Dumb and Dumber. Snowballed. Nine years later, you finally get Dumb and Dumber made. The bravest thing I ever did was. You know, you take a chance. That's why I tell people never give up. Like, I'm a 13-year overnight success is the way they put it, you know. We gotta talk about I'll Play Rocky, though. So you ended up filming this, like, in five weeks, right? And then, six weeks, and then one of the weeks, you ended up not even using the footage because, does that pressure of having to film so quick make you a more creative director? We never have a lot of time. Like, the Green Book cost $22 million, and we did it in 32 days. And we did this one, actually, in 34 days. And you do have to motor along like that, but you also, the advantage is you never get burnt out. You never, like, I don't understand these guys that do 90-day shoots. They're like, that's like a job. Or like Mad Max, like nine months. I know, I don't want that. Or, you know, the Lord of the Rings. Like those two years, you know, they're shooting the thing. I don't understand it, but you're in it. It's like a thing, you are in it for those six, seven weeks, like your whole being is in that. You can create something really good. It's harder because you don't have the time to mess around, you got to buzz along, but I think that's a good thing, that you don't think too much. They're already wrapping me, so I got to roll. Well, by the way, your first question was probably the best question I've been asked in a week. Really? Yeah, because it's not about just Rocky. It's about, like, how you get into these positions. And that is, like, congrats, by the way, on your thing going into syndication. Thank you, bro. That's how it all happened. Yeah, I mean, I was a finance major, and then just believed in myself, got, like, 30 no's, and just kept going and going and going. Where'd you go to college? Went to University of Houston, I did global energy management, and then when I graduated there weren't any jobs, and decided to start my own production company, and 14 or 16 years later, here we are. This movie is about having a belief in yourself. We'll be right back. It's about going the distance. I put my heart and soul on the page. If I'm not willing to live up to what I wrote, then what's the point? So do you believe in me, or not? Still ahead, a country megastar comes out of hiding when her niece, a rising singer, goes missing. Jessica Chastain takes us inside the Netflix thriller Heartland next. Only on the Backstage Experience. Welcome back to the Backstage Experience, and I got a George Strait song stuck in my head right now, Heartland. Ah, because we're talking about the Netflix movie Heartland, which stars Jessica Chastain. Okay, so she's a country superstar that comes out of seclusion to look for a relative, and then secrets are unveiled. It's a dark thriller, and here's what's really cool about it. Jessica actually sings in the movie Heartland. We've got her, we've got the cast. Let's talk Heartland. Make it down fast. This case will now be in murder investigation. Thank you for the invitation. This town's changed since you left. And you really don't know much, do you? Stop digging. Or you'll be missing right alongside her. My friend, we've talked over the years. You continue to amaze me with your skills. I know you've sung before, but wow, you completely immerse yourself. How is that a challenge though? Because to add that on top of the acting and you're comfortable with it, I'll just add. What is the challenge for taking that on in addition to the acting? Oh, it's super hard. It's like, I'm not comfortable with it. I appreciate you thinking. I mean, I did my job to make you think I was, but I actually liked that for Misty. Singing kind of opens up old wounds for her and she's so sensitive. That it's just like, it's like storytelling. I mean, the first time we see Misty sing, I'm playing a song that someone else wrote and I'm kind of doing it for the first time and you see like the anger and at one point my voice cracks and it's live and I'm playing the piano and it's like I watched it at the premiere last night and I'm like, wow, that is. That is real and that is raw. So I still am working to get comfortable with it. I was at the premiere and I heard the cheers and everything for you. And I was part of that part of that ensemble of the cheers. You know, it's a thriller as well. Now, I... What's is there anything that scares you about this particular story? Oh my gosh. Yeah. That's someone, I mean, Misty's niece goes missing and the idea of like, what happened to her, you know? And I'm trying to figure out like, is this something she, she chose? Is this something that someone close to her did? Um, this idea, you know, in this film, it really explores the underbelly of this city and this industry. And it's like, Everyone, no one is who they appear to be. Even Misty. Right. Everyone's got secrets going on. And that actually. You know, makes me nervous. It's like, can you trust the people around you? One of my favorite scenes in the film is Amarillo by Morning. Good morning. That song I just love. What are you? Here's my question. I didn't know. Are you a country music fan? I guess you are. Oh, I am. I'm a Kitty Wells. Yes. I love me some Kitty Wells. I love country music. Thank I like the nose horn. The honky tonk, you know, before they had great microphones and they used to have to just kind of get it out there. I love country music and I used to listen to it with my grandma. What's going to stay with you from doing this role? I love the costumes. You know what? That works. you. I mean, she's so different than anything. I wasn't wearing any makeup in this movie. I have a wig that is brown and gray and thin and ratted and not taken care of. The idea that I could play this character who really doesn't take care of herself, gets to wear super comfortable clothes, and the way she walks through the world is just so who she is. It was really exciting and really freeing. That'll probably stay with me. And not the meanness that Misty has at certain points, but definitely that ease she has of like, you know what? She's, you take her, you leave her. She's not a, she's not going to placate to you. I love that, that quality of any character, male or female. Be a good girl and just go home, Misty. There's no such thing as good girls. You gotta let your heart Before we go, 28 years after it first hit Nintendo 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is reborn on Nintendo Switch. And yes, you can even hum into your console to play the ocarina. Plus, Fortnite hoists the Jolly Roger with One Piece in the Treasure Hunters mini-season. We dive into the world of gaming next, All right, if you're a regular viewer of the Backstage Experience, only on the Backstage Experience. we thank you so much. You know that gaming is a big part of what we do here on the show. This week, no exception. Of course, GTA 6 is dropping next week, so we're going to have that all on next week's episode. But first, David Johnson is going to give us a preview of all things gaming. In the last three decades, gaming has changed in almost every facet, but people still desire the classics, and Nintendo is giving the people what they want. The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time returns on Nintendo Switch 2, with upgrades that don't just modernize the classic, they transform how the entire journey feels. This remake is rebuilt from the ground up. Link now has modern precision, a free camera, manual jumping, Faster swimming and a dash roll system that lets players explore the world with fluidity the original only could hint at. And yes, the ocarina returns with a twist. Players can hum melodies into the Switch 2 microphone or play them on a physical ocarina to trigger in-game songs. The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time is now available exclusively on the Nintendo Switch 2. And finally, Fortnite, one of the biggest games in the world, is working on keeping its players with GTA 6 on the horizon. During the new Treasure Hunters event, players have a chance to discover the ultra-rare Pirate Shop access token hidden inside one of the Treasure Hunt chests. Find one, and you'll unlock 14 days of free eligible item shop cosmetics without spending V-Bucks. Even better, the reward extends to your party. The Treasure Hunters event will end on December 15th, so now is the time to drop in with your friends.