Actors Brendan Gleeson & Chris O'Dowd Discuss Their Movie "Calvary"

Transcript

Event Date(s): 07/29/2014 | Event Location(s): Today New York Studio | Description: EJ: CLIP (HBO): Clip from movie “Into The Storm” with actor Brendan Gleeson. CLIP: Clip from a Harry Potter movie with actors including Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Gleeson. CLIP: Clip from movie “Bridesmaids” with actors Kristen Wiig and Chris O’Dowd. CLIPS: Clips from movie “Calvary” with actors Gleeson and O’Dowd. EJ: CLIP: Clip from the Broadway play “Of Mice And Men” with actors O’Dowd and James Franco. Hall, Geist, Morales, and Roker interview actors Brendan Gleeson and Chris O’Dowd live in-studio: “NATALIE MORALES: Well, Emmy Award winning actor Brendan Gleeson has brought a range of characters to light from his portrayal of Winston Churchill in HBO's Into the Storm, to Hogwarts professor Mad-Eye Moody. And Tony nominated actor Chris O'Dowd was part of the ensemble that made us all laugh so much in Bridesmaids. AL ROKER: Well, now the two star in the new film Calvary about Father James, an innocent priest seemingly whose life is threatened and has very little time to sniff out the possible suspects. Brendan, Chris, good to see you guys. BRENDAN GLEESON (Calvary): Good morning. CHRIS O'DOWD (Calvary): Good morning. WILLIE GEIST: How are you guys? NATALIE MORALES: Good to have you here. TAMRON HALL: Yeah. BRENDAN GLEESON: Thanks for having us. TAMRON HALL: Yes. AL ROKER: And first of all, Chris, thank you so much for wearing the shark-themed shirt. WILLIE GEIST: Yeah. NATALIE MORALES: Yes. CHRIS O'DOWD: Sure. I wear it like I was looking-- I wear something shark themed every day. TAMRON HALL: You're smart. CHRIS O'DOWD: So the fact that you were doing a Sharknado feature was purely a coincidence. AL ROKER: So-- so this movie isn't so much a-- a whodunit but who's going to do it in a sense. BRENDAN GLEESON: Yeah. Yeah. The-- the priest is told in confession that he has seven days to live, basically. NATALIE MORALES: Mm-Hm. BRENDAN GLEESON: And it's to do with the-- the-- you know, the whole pedophile scandal in the church. The-- the guy who is making his confession has been abused and says he's going to take it back on a priest is innocent. NATALIE MORALES: Mm-Hm. BRENDAN GLEESON: So rather than pay somebody back who did something, he's said he's not going to pay any attention to that. We're going to kill you because you're a good man. So we follow the seven days through them to see who's going to do it. AL ROKER: Wow. WILLIE GEIST: And Chris did -- there is some darkness to the movie. There's no question about it. TAMRON HALL: Right. CHRIS O'DOWD: Yeah. WILLIE GEIST: But it's funny too. I mean there are a lot of laughs especially with your character Jack. CHRIS O'DOWD: Sure. Yeah. I play kind of a local butcher. And it is-- it's a very-- we deal with a lot of dark themes in the movie but it is funny. WILLIE GEIST: Yeah. CHRIS O'DOWD: Like I think in all kind of, it's a very true film. Like, it's a true representation of a-- of a place at the end of the world. There's-- it's very, very funny. A lot of-- a lot of great gags. I know it doesn't seem like it or what it's like. AL ROKER: On the face of it. CHRIS O'DOWD: Well, obviously there's a good chance that a priest is going to die, doesn't feel like a great comedic kind of premise. NATALIE MORALES: Yeah. (Cross talking) CHRIS O'DOWD: But it's very, very funny. WILLIE GEIST: Yes. CHRIS O'DOWD: Because he kills him and a bang thing comes out. AL ROKER: You're giving it away. TAMRON HALL: Right. Don't give the plot. BRENDAN GLEESON: The shark arrives-- WILLIE GEIST: The sharks. NATALIE MORALES: Yeah. Then swoops in on the priest. And Brendan-- BRENDAN GLEESON: It's been very-- it's been released in Ireland already. You know, there's controversy enough. But people feel, you know, that it's giving every side a fair crack of the whip. I mean, it's a-- it's an intriguing kind of a thing. Everybody seems to have a personal relationship with it. One scene you're never free. NATALIE MORALES: Hm. TAMRON HALL: Oh. BRENDAN GLEESON: There you go. NATALIE MORALES: Interesting. CHRIS O'DOWD: And it's-- you know what? We talk about it in the film a lot is, you know what, religion these days seems to talk about sins and damnation a lot and not enough about forgiveness and virtues. AL ROKER: Hm. CHRIS O'DOWD: And I think we discuss that a lot in the movie. So it's a very positive spin on it. NATALIE MORALES: I think a lot of people love to know sort of the back stories behind your celebritydom. And Brendan, I think what's fascinating is before you became a big star you were a teacher and father of four and you gave that up and-- BRENDAN GLEESON: I'm still a father of four. AL ROKER: Good. (Cross talking) NATALIE MORALES: I mean, you took a big risk. CHRIS O'DOWD: She'll be happy to know that. BRENDAN GLEESON: Me to, I'm very happy to know that. TAMRON HALL: He's complaining, though. BRENDAN GLEESON: Yeah. I still have-- you know, I still play-- yeah, I was a teacher for ten years. NATALIE MORALES: Yeah. BRENDAN GLEESON: I was also doing theater. You know, something I could do on my own terms. TAMRON HALL: Yeah. BRENDAN GLEESON: And I enjoyed it. But, you know, I had a good time. I enjoyed them. I was teaching teenage boys, which is a very interesting part and time of life. NATALIE MORALES: I cannot imagine-- BRENDAN GLEESON: Yeah. But one of the things, you know, you can kind of think back and the troubles of your teens and all. But one of the things that always impressed me about them was you forget how much you laugh at that point. AL ROKER: Hm. NATALIE MORALES: Yeah. BRENDAN GLEESON: You're beginning to get adult jokes. You're beginning to get adult themes in your head. And I don't-- you ever laugh as much as you do, you know, in school, in your teens. CHRIS O'DOWD: Right. TAMRON HALL: You haven't hung around this crew. BRENDAN GLEESON: Yeah, yeah. TAMRON HALL: We've got two teenage boys-- BRENDAN GLEESON: That's something you never get out of this. (Cross talking) CHRIS O'DOWD: The one time I could, I remember laughing more. So I used to be an altar boy. You know what altar boy's work? BRENDAN GLEESON: No. They wouldn't let me in. CHRIS O'DOWD: I was an altar boy for year. And it's one of those things where you're not supposed to laugh-- AL ROKER: Mm-Hm. CHRIS O'DOWD: --is when you laugh the most. AL ROKER: Oh, yes. NATALIE MORALES: Yes. WILLIE GEIST: Mm-Hm. CHRIS O'DOWD: And when you're walking around with candles-- NATALIE MORALES: At church. TAMRON HALL: Yeah. CHRIS O'DOWD: --hot wax and-- and other fellows your own age, it's a lot of-- lot of burns and a lot of laughs. BRENDAN GLEESON: It's a little bit like this movie. CHRIS O'DOWD: Yeah. AL ROKER: A lot of burns, and a lot of laughs. WILLIE GEIST: Yeah. BRENDAN GLEESON: A lot of burns, and a lot of laughs. CHRIS O'DOWD: That should be the tag. Yeah. WILLIE GEIST: The last time we saw you, we're talking about Of Mice and Men. TAMRON HALL: Yeah. NATALIE MORALES: Yeah. CHRIS O'DOWD: Sure. WILLIE GEIST: And since then you've been nominated for a Tony for playing Lennie. So congratulations. NATALIE MORALES: Yeah. Nice. AL ROKER: Congratulations. NATALIE MORALES: Well done. CHRIS O'DOWD: Fingers crossed. WILLIE GEIST: Yeah. NATALIE MORALES: Yeah. CHRIS O'DOWD: Oh, no, I didn't win. But-- yeah, but it was-- yeah, it was terrific. It's actually our last show today. AL ROKER: Today? CHRIS O'DOWD: Yeah. We do two shows today and that's it, so. TAMRON HALL: You're keeping your cool, I mean you're here with us, you get your last shows, I mean. CHRIS O'DOWD: I know. I mean it's a big mistake. I should be in bed. BRENDAN GLEESON: He knows his lines. NATALIE MORALES: Not coming on our show. BRENDAN GLEESON: He finally knows his lines. CHRIS O'DOWD: Yeah. BRENDAN GLEESON: It's the last show. TAMRON HALL: Wait until the very edge on this. CHRIS O'DOWD: I feel like I have one last chance to do as well. NATALIE MORALES: Yes. TAMRON HALL: Earn that Tony nomination. CHRIS O'DOWD: Yeah, exactly. Yeah. AL ROKER: And it was a great play. You had a lot of burns and a lot of laughs. CHRIS O'DOWD: Yes, indeed. BRENDAN GLEESON: Yes. AL ROKER: There you go. Chris O'Dowd, Brendan Gleeson, thank you so much. BRENDAN GLEESON: Thanks, guys. AL ROKER: Good to have you guys. CHRIS O'DOWD: Thanks, guys. AL ROKER: Calvary opens up in New York and L.A. this Friday and then nationwide later on in March. BRENDAN GLEESON: Thanks for having us. TAMRON HALL: Thank you, guys.”