Topic
13 facts from 1 episode, in date order. These are what speakers said on the shows, each linked to the moment it was said. They aren't independently verified.
Second World War
Matthew Rhys said that during the Second World War an armed man burst in on the poet Dylan Thomas, whom Rhys played in a film.
“he burst in on Dylan Thomas with a machine gun, cause it was during the Second World War, he came in with a machine gun.”
Undated
Matthew Rhys said The Americans ran six seasons although the showrunners had planned it for five.
“It was meant to be five. And I think the the the poor showrunners had kind of arced it for five.”
Undated
Matthew Rhys said he asked director Elizabeth Banks for a small part in Cocaine Bear and was given the role of a man who falls out of a plane.
“And she very kindly said, Yes, you can come in and fall out of an airplane.”
Undated
Matthew Rhys said Welsh is not English and is much older than English, one of the oldest languages in Europe.
“It's not, it's not English, it's much older than English, it's one of the oldest in Europe.”
Undated
Matthew Rhys said Wales is about the size of Connecticut and that Welsh people take pride in any Welsh person who succeeds.
“So anyone who's Welsh and has done anything, even if they haven't done anything, we're just inherently proud for a country the size of Connecticut”
Undated
Matthew Rhys described a Welsh tradition dating from before Christianity in which people gathered to compete in singing and reciting poetry, which now involves children.
“It's pre-Christian, whereby everyone congregates, in the old days, everyone would congregate. And then you would sing competitively, or recite poetry”
Undated
Matthew Rhys played Benjamin Braddock in a stage adaptation of The Graduate opposite Kathleen Turner when he was twenty-five.
“stage adaptation of The Graduate with Kathleen Turner as my Mrs.”
Undated
Matthew Rhys said he was performing a two-person play at the Royal Court with Paul Bettany when an American agent invited him to Los Angeles for pilot season.
“I was actually doing a two-hander at the Royal Court with Paul Paul Bettany.”
Undated
Matthew Rhys said his first Los Angeles audition was for Julie Taymor's first film, Titus, starring Anthony Hopkins and Jessica Lange.
“it was Julie Taymor's first movie, Titus, with Anthony Hopkins and Jessica Lange.”
Undated
Matthew Rhys said he filmed Titus in Rome for six months and then did not get another job for about a decade.
“And then I did that, yeah, and I shot that in Rome for six months, and then I went back to LA. And didn't get a job for a decade.”
Undated
Matthew Rhys recalled that the virtual green room for the Golden Globes, held remotely during the pandemic, included him, Jason Bateman, Bob Odenkirk, Josh O'Connor and Al Pacino.
“And then we were all waiting for Al Pacino to kind of pop up, do you remember, into the virtual green room?”
Undated
Matthew Rhys said the Perry Mason reboot took almost ten years of development and went through several forms, including a TV film and a series.
“it took them almost ten years of development and it it went through m many, very many guises of a TV film, a a series.”
Undated
Matthew Rhys said Susan Downey chose to delay Perry Mason season two rather than shrink the production, so it could keep hundreds of supporting artists.
“We'll wait until we can make the same big show with hundreds of supporting artists and do it right.”
Episodes