Fresh off making Emmy history with his historic double win for Widow's Bay and The Beast In Me, 3-time Emmy winner Matthew Rhys sits down with Richard Bacon for an unforgettable conversation ✨. From nearly joining the British Army after facing years of rejection to his hilarious "eye patch" James Bond audition before Barbara Broccoli, Matthew opens up about the realities of Hollywood. He reflects on meeting his wife Keri Russell on The Americans, navigating the extreme highs and lows of acting, setting the standard as a lead actor, and the ritual humiliation of auditioning as a Pot Noodle.

00:00 – Double Emmy Nomination Year

01:56 – A Career-Best Moment

03:00 – Widows Bay and Tonal Risks

04:14 – Working with Hiro Murai

05:46 – Ghostbusters and Katie Dippold

06:38 – The Craft of Screen Acting

07:27 – Olivier's Technical Mastery

08:28 – Escalating the Scares

09:18 – Why Matthew Avoids Watching Himself

11:06 – Career Peaks and Pessimism

12:21 – The "This Too Shall Pass" Rule

13:38 – Common Threads in Success

14:52 – The Graduate on Stage

16:47 – Overcoming Imposter Syndrome

18:13 – Early Breaks with Ioan Gruffudd

20:00 – Arriving in Hollywood & Titus

23:33 – Acting Lessons from Anthony Hopkins

25:28 – Running Lines at Home with Keri Russell

26:47 – Ten Years of Audition Rejection

29:05 – Almost Joining the British Army

32:00 – The Hard Reality of Acting

33:43 – Rejection, Anger, and Motivation

36:00 – The Rise of Self-Taping

37:27 – Auditioning for James Bond

38:32 – The Failed Eye Patch Joke

40:00 – Unrealistic Optimism in Art

42:31 – Learning Camera Savvy

44:00 – Setting the Standard as Number One

45:51 – Meeting Keri Russell

47:20 – Falling in Love on The Americans

48:47 – The Mickey Mouse Club Advantage

50:00 – Star Quality and Presence

52:41 – Aging Out of Younger Roles

53:30 – Too Old to Play Young Quint in Jaws

55:00 – Turning 50 and Existential Thoughts

56:07 – Pushing for the Owain Glyndŵr Project

57:20 – Promoting Welsh Identity

58:39 – Looking Back at a 2001 Interview

01:01:11 – Upcoming BBC Role as Harold Evans

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