美国国家公共电台 NPR Emilia Clarke On 'Last Christmas,' Brexit And Life After 'Game Of Thrones'

 

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "LAST CHRISTMAS")

WHAM: (Singing) Last Christmas, I gave you my heart...

LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, HOST:

Any excuse to play George Michael - in the new movie "Last Christmas," Emilia Clarke plays Kate. She dresses like an elf. She works in a year-round Christmas ornaments¹ shop. And her life is a mess.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "LAST CHRISTMAS")

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: (As character) You must just love your job.

EMILIA CLARKE: (As Kate) Love it.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: (As character) It's like being in a dream - all the joys and the love of Christmas every single day of the year. Now, which baby is it going to be?

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Enter the dashing Tom, played by Henry Golding of "Crazy Rich Asians" fame. He's handsome, kind and quirky. But there is something elusive² about him. The movie takes place in a glittering winter London set to George Michael tunes³ and co-written and co-starring Emma Thompson. Yep. Grab your hot cocoa and snuggle in for a delicious holiday rom-com. And here to talk about the film is Emilia Clarke. Welcome.

CLARKE: Hi.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Hi (laughter).

CLARKE: Thank you.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: This is such a fun movie. And can I just start by saying, is there any more beautiful city than London at Christmas in the many of the parts where this was filmed? It was magical.

CLARKE: Yes. I know. And we shot it last Christmas, in fact.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Oh.

CLARKE: And we shot it, I mean, about three weeks before Christmas. So all of the lights and everything were up. And we shot it in the middle of the night...

GARCIA-NAVARRO: (Laughter).

CLARKE: ...Largely speaking because on Regent Street, if you were to do it at any other time, it would be kind of rammed⁴ with tourists.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Yeah.

CLARKE: And so to do that, we had to use the available light. So the only light that we could bring was soft light. And so we just brought an obscene amount of fairy lights.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: (Laughter).

CLARKE: So the London that you see in our movie is already beautiful. And then we made it 10 times sparklier, which just...

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Yeah. It was very sparkly.

CLARKE: Yeah.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: I loved it.

CLARKE: Yeah.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: So tell us about your character Kate - the mother of dragons, she's not.

CLARKE: No. She's not the mother of dragons. She's got mother of dragon tendencies.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Yes.

CLARKE: Yeah. So Kate - she is your antiheroine. We're quite used to seeing, I think, in rom-coms, a sort of perfect depiction⁵ of a young lady. And that ain't Kate. And it's in her flaws is where she becomes so relatable. So she is struggling to get herself together. And she's struggling to take care of herself. She's struggling to take care of those around her, not really accepting help kind of. You can tell she's hiding from something. And life isn't bringing her much joy when we first meet her. But she is trying.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Yeah. She's a failing singer, she's drinking too much.

CLARKE: Yeah.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: She's having inappropriate relationships that might not be helpful...

CLARKE: Indeed.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: ..To her.

CLARKE: Yes.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: What is delightful⁶ about the film, of the many things, are the well-drawn characters. And I do want to talk about your mom, played by Emma Thompson.

CLARKE: Yes.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: (Laughter).

CLARKE: Yes, the glorious Emma Thompson.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: So she, in this, is playing a refugee essentially⁷ who has fled...

CLARKE: Yeah.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: ...War to come to the United Kingdom. And she's a very sort of morose⁸ character.

CLARKE: Yes. She is. So she - Emma co-wrote this with her husband, Greg Wise. And the character that Emma plays is loosely based on Greg's mum. And she is really struggling to find peace in the United Kingdom, which they have fled to because her memories of where she had to run from, former Yugoslavia, and the war that they escape kind of haunt her every single day and lead her to be slightly more anxious and worried and vocal⁹.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: And Emma co-wrote the script. And I understand she got permission to use the George Michael song From George Michael himself before he died in 2016.

CLARKE: Yes, she did. Emma had the good fortune of meeting George pretty soon before he died and seeing him in the flesh and hearing his kindness and his intelligence. And his just care of others was really impactful for her.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Did you do your own singing in the movie?

CLARKE: I did. Yes, I did. Yeah.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: And, I mean, obviously, you are a singer. You have a great voice. What was that like?

CLARKE: Oh, it was incredibly nerve-wracking because I care so much about singing. And I'm genuinely at my happiest when I am singing. However, doing it on camera, in front of a lot of people and doing it, you know, with George's perfect song was I - every time, before I sing, I just think I'm getting tonsillitis or...

GARCIA-NAVARRO: (Laughter).

CLARKE: ...My throat is closing up or something. So I took a lot of courage, but I got there.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: We don't want to give too much away about your character, Kate, because we - as you mentioned, it sort of unfolds what we learn about her. But she does have health issues. And you spoke¹⁰ out recently about your own challenges when you were first doing "Game Of Thrones," you suffered two brain aneurysms and went through a really hard time. Did this role connect that to you? Is that something that brought you to this role?

CLARKE: I wouldn't say it was the defining thing that brought me to it. Dame¹¹ Emma Thompson probably was that. But it definitely allowed me to bring quite a lot of truth to what Kate struggles were because, for Kate, she had her health crisis in her early 20s. And that's when I had mine, too. And that time for any young person is incredibly, you know, intimidating¹².

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Yeah. And the movie just doesn't shy away from the headlines. It's not set in a fictitious¹³ world. Kate's families, as we mentioned, are refugees. And there are a few scenes where Brexit is shown And its effect on immigrants.

CLARKE: Yeah.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: And there's even a scene where a white man sort of on a bus shouts that a couple who are speaking, I think, Serbo-Croatian - I'm not sure...

CLARKE: Yeah.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: ...To go back where they came from. Why was it important to include that?

CLARKE: Well, we're showing a movie that is now. That is today. And I don't think that Emma or Greg could have written something about London today without mentioning it and without having it. And they're both politically outspoken¹⁴ and cared deeply about the refugee crisis and care deeply about Brexit and about inclusivity and community and the diverse, multicultural¹⁵ thing that is London.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Yeah. What are your views on Brexit?

CLARKE: Oh, heavens. It's heartbreaking. We've just heard now that we will have a snap election, which I think is a very good thing, indeed, because I think it's going to put a full stop to - a stop - maybe a comma after this very long, drawn-out situation we've been in since 2016, really. But I mean, I'm pathologically hopeful as a human being. And I'm pathologically hopeful that maybe we'll just, you know, see the error of our ways and remain and just stay.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: You have been in one of the most successful shows of all time. So I am curious. What does your next chapter look like? What are the kinds of roles that you're looking to sort of define this new period in your acting¹⁶ career?

CLARKE: So I've been - had the good fortune of being in this incredible show with this incredible character. And my goodness, if I were to get stereotyped¹⁷ as a mother of dragons, you know, I could...

GARCIA-NAVARRO: (Laughter).

CLARKE: I could ask for worse. It's really quite wonderful. But what it's left me with, after 10 years of seeing that and being a part of that and of doing quite big movies in my hiatus and all of these things, is a yearning¹⁸ for a kind of different sort of creative ownership. So I started my production company about three years ago very, very quietly because I didn't want it to go wrong and have it be public knowledge. And now I've got six or seven things on my slate¹⁹ that I'm writing and producing and - because there is - I mean, you know, the landscape has changed for young actresses and actors for the sort of roles that are out there. I struggle to find them because the thing that I've learnt, from being on 10 years in the show, is that the biggest luxury in life is time and space. So I sort of wanted to take those two things, which I have very luckily been able to have now and really consider what my next option is because I care about what I'm doing with my time.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: So I have one final thought on this film. The London park bench...

CLARKE: Yeah.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: ...Is such a staple²⁰ of British rom-coms.

CLARKE: Yes, it is. Yes (laughter).

GARCIA-NAVARRO: "Notting Hill" famously - so tell me you do sit in park benches in the snow and read books. It seems impractical²¹ and chilly²². But I think we all need to believe that.

CLARKE: Oh, absolutely. I do. I really do.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Good - I'm glad to know that.

CLARKE: Yeah.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: That's Emilia Clarke, who stars in "Last Christmas," which opened this weekend. Thank you very much.

CLARKE: Thank you so much. Thanks.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

1 ornaments   

n.装饰( ornament的名词复数 )；点缀；装饰品；首饰v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The shelves were chock-a-block with ornaments. 架子上堆满了装饰品。
• Playing the piano sets up resonance in those glass ornaments. 一弹钢琴那些玻璃饰物就会产生共振。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 elusive   

adj.难以表达(捉摸)的；令人困惑的；逃避的

参考例句：

• Try to catch the elusive charm of the original in translation.翻译时设法把握住原文中难以捉摸的风韵。
• Interpol have searched all the corners of the earth for the elusive hijackers.国际刑警组织已在世界各地搜查在逃的飞机劫持者。

3 tunes   

n.曲调，曲子( tune的名词复数 )v.调音( tune的第三人称单数 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调

参考例句：

• a potpourri of tunes 乐曲集锦
• When things get a bit too much, she simply tunes out temporarily. 碰到事情太棘手时，她干脆暂时撒手不管。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 rammed   

v.夯实（土等）( ram的过去式和过去分词 )；猛撞；猛压；反复灌输

参考例句：

• Two passengers were injured when their taxi was rammed from behind by a bus. 公共汽车从后面撞来，出租车上的两位乘客受了伤。
• I rammed down the earth around the newly-planted tree. 我将新栽的树周围的土捣硬。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 depiction   

n.描述

参考例句：

• Double rhythms, resounding through the lyric depiction and connecting with each other, indicate the thespian place of mankind and the cognition of the writer to this thespian place. 这双重旋律互为表里，表明了人类的某种悲剧性处境以及作家对这种悲剧性处境的感受和认识。
• A realistic depiction of scenes from everyday domestic life. 日常家居生活的写实画。

6 delightful   

adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的

参考例句：

• We had a delightful time by the seashore last Sunday.上星期天我们在海滨玩得真痛快。
• Peter played a delightful melody on his flute.彼得用笛子吹奏了一支欢快的曲子。

7 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

8 morose   

adj.脾气坏的，不高兴的

参考例句：

• He was silent and morose.他沉默寡言、郁郁寡欢。
• The publicity didn't make him morose or unhappy?公开以后，没有让他郁闷或者不开心吗？

9 vocal   

adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目

参考例句：

• The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
• Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。

10 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

11 dame   

n.女士

参考例句：

• The dame tell of her experience as a wife and mother.这位年长妇女讲了她作妻子和母亲的经验。
• If you stick around,you'll have to marry that dame.如果再逗留多一会，你就要跟那个夫人结婚。

12 intimidating   

vt.恐吓，威胁( intimidate的现在分词)

参考例句：

• They were accused of intimidating people into voting for them. 他们被控胁迫选民投他们的票。
• This kind of questioning can be very intimidating to children. 这种问话的方式可能让孩子们非常害怕。

13 fictitious   

adj.虚构的，假设的；空头的

参考例句：

• She invented a fictitious boyfriend to put him off.她虚构出一个男朋友来拒绝他。
• The story my mother told me when I was young is fictitious.小时候妈妈对我讲的那个故事是虚构的。

14 outspoken   

adj.直言无讳的，坦率的，坦白无隐的

参考例句：

• He was outspoken in his criticism.他在批评中直言不讳。
• She is an outspoken critic of the school system in this city.她是这座城市里学校制度的坦率的批评者。

15 multicultural   

adj.融合多种文化的，多种文化的

参考例句：

• Children growing up in a multicultural society.在多元文化社会中长大的孩子们。
• The school has been attempting to bring a multicultural perspective to its curriculum.这所学校已经在尝试将一种多元文化视角引入其课程。

16 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

17 stereotyped   

adj.(指形象、思想、人物等)模式化的

参考例句：

• There is a sameness about all these tales. They're so stereotyped -- all about talented scholars and lovely ladies. 这些书就是一套子，左不过是些才子佳人，最没趣儿。
• He is the stereotyped monster of the horror films and the adventure books, and an obvious (though not perhaps strictly scientific) link with our ancestral past. 它们是恐怖电影和惊险小说中的老一套的怪物，并且与我们的祖先有着明显的（虽然可能没有科学的）联系。

18 yearning   

a.渴望的；向往的；怀念的

参考例句：

• a yearning for a quiet life 对宁静生活的向往
• He felt a great yearning after his old job. 他对过去的工作有一种强烈的渴想。

19 slate   

n.板岩，石板，石片，石板色，候选人名单；adj.暗蓝灰色的，含板岩的；vt.用石板覆盖，痛打，提名，预订

参考例句：

• The nominating committee laid its slate before the board.提名委员会把候选人名单提交全体委员会讨论。
• What kind of job uses stained wood and slate? 什么工作会接触木头污浊和石板呢？

20 staple   

n.主要产物，常用品，主要要素，原料，订书钉，钩环；adj.主要的，重要的；vt.分类

参考例句：

• Tea is the staple crop here.本地产品以茶叶为大宗。
• Potatoes are the staple of their diet.土豆是他们的主要食品。

21 impractical   

adj.不现实的，不实用的，不切实际的

参考例句：

• He was hopelessly impractical when it came to planning new projects.一到规划新项目，他就完全没有了实际操作的能力。
• An entirely rigid system is impractical.一套完全死板的体制是不实际的。

22 chilly   

adj.凉快的，寒冷的

参考例句：

• I feel chilly without a coat.我由于没有穿大衣而感到凉飕飕的。
• I grew chilly when the fire went out.炉火熄灭后，寒气逼人。