Nicholas Braun Was Starstruck by Hugh Jackman While Filming The Sheep Detectives

0:01 -Our next guest is an Emmy-nominated actor you

0:02 know from his work as Cousin Greg on "Succession,"

0:05 as well as the film "Saturday Night." He stars

0:07 in "The Sheep Detectives" which is in theaters May 8th.

0:10 Let's take a look.

0:11 -Who's this?

0:12 -His name's George Hardy.

0:14 He's a shepherd.

0:15 -What happened?

0:16 -Probably a heart attack.

0:18 Not much of a story for you, I'm afraid.

0:21 -Unless there's anything out of the ordinary.

0:23 Right?

0:24 -Nope.

0:24 I've looked everywhere.

0:26 Around the caravan...

0:29 underneath the caravan.

0:30 -What about inside the caravan?

0:36 -Mmm...

0:38 Worth a shot.

0:40 -Please welcome to the show Nicholas Braun, everybody.

0:43 Cheers and applause]♪♪♪♪ Welcome.

0:56 -All right.

0:57 -I'm so, so happy you're here.

0:59 And some congratulations are in order.

1:03 You did a British accent in a movie and the British press,

1:07 notoriously hard, has approved.

1:10 -Apparently they have.

1:11 Yeah.

1:12 -Can I read a couple of quotes?

1:14 This is from The Guardian,

1:16 "A perfectly decent Brit accent and performed with aplomb." -Aplomb means...

1:25 -They like it.

1:25 -Let's just make sure we know what aplomb means.

1:29 -I think it's like skill.

1:30 -It was very— -Flair, would be— -A little bit of flair.

1:33 They were very, very happy about it.

1:34 I mean, the clip there doesn't quite, I think,

1:37 show what's the most unique thing about this film,

1:38 which is, uh, this is about a group of sheep

1:42 who are trying to solve the murder of their shepherd.

1:45 -Correct.

1:46 -Yeah.

1:46 And they're kind of, they kind of need to because your police officer character,

1:50 as we did see in the clip, is maybe not up to the task.

1:53 -No, he's not ready to solve a murder.

1:55 He's not ready to use a Taser.

1:57 -Yeah.

1:58 -Um, so yeah.

1:59 He's not equipped.

2:00 He's not prepared for this.

2:02 He needs animals.

2:03 -And so these are sheep detectives,

2:06 but, it's a little bit sad you did not get to actually work with real sheep.

2:10 -No, no.

2:12 The only sheep were sheep that were in pastures afar.

2:15 -Yeah.

2:16 -Aplomb.

2:17 Laughter] -Yeah, no, it's one of those words you can use for anything.

2:21 -For sure.

2:21 -So, yeah, the sheep were around.

2:23 They were very aplomb, and um— and uh, so yeah,

2:27 we didn't have real sheep, we had stuffed animals.

2:29 We had cardboard.

2:31 Um, Hugh had a puppeteer.

2:33 We didn't get the puppeteer guy, but Hugh had, like, an amazing puppeteer.

2:36 -This is Hugh Jackman.

2:36 Oh, because he had to act with, like, he had to do more acting with the sheep.

2:40 -Yes.

2:40 -Here you are with some of your cardboard cutouts.

2:43 I will say this— -My crew.

2:45 -That's your crew.

2:46 This is a very— I mean, I'd buy that's a real sheep.

2:49 -Totally.

2:50 Totally.

2:50 Those are soulful eyes.

2:52 -Yeah.

2:52 They they got the eyes right.

2:54 -Yeah.

2:55 -You you mentioned Hugh, Hugh Jackman, Emma Thompson, a couple of legends.

2:58 How was it?

2:59 How was your first day?

3:00 It's not like, look, you've worked with legends,

3:02 but like those two, you know, they kind of stand out.

3:04 -Definitely.

3:06 Um, you know Hugh Jackman I've been watching for so long.

3:10 And, and, you know, I was like, okay— In the movie,

3:13 you'll see we are in a scene together.

3:15 -Yep.

3:16 -We had lines in the script.

3:19 We shot lines together.

3:20 I said words to him.

3:21 -Yep.

3:23 -And, but in the first take, I was like, man...

3:26 I was like, "Hugh's about to come up to me.

3:28 He's about to come up to me and we're going to have this exchange." -Yeah.

3:31 -Okay.

3:31 And I look up at him.

3:33 I'm in a church pew.

3:34 Spoiler, there's a church.

3:36 Um, I'm in the pew and I'm looking up and Hugh

3:40 comes up to me and I'm like, "Man, there he is.

3:42 That's Hugh's face.

3:43 Look at him.

3:44 Hugh Jackman standing in front of me.

3:47 Oh, (bleep), I have lines.

3:50 Oh, yeah.

3:50 And in British.

3:51 I have to speak in a British accent,

3:53 but there he is." You know, it's kind of— It's kind of awesome.

3:56 -I mean, he's striking.

3:57 The most exciting thing about Hugh Jackman

3:59 is he looks exactly like Hugh Jackman.

4:00 -That's— That's it.

4:02 -You kind of can't believe it.

4:03 -There it is.

4:04 -Like, whoa!

4:04 -Yeah, yeah.

4:05 -It's the --You do!

4:07 -I'm feeling that right now, too about you.

4:08 -Thank you.

4:09 I'm feeling it about you.

4:10 I'm feeling about you.

4:11 -There he is.

4:11 -That's really him.

4:13 Cheers and applause] -I had a— I had a very— a very fun moment.

4:18 We were talking about it backstage.

4:20 I did not realize who you were talking to, but I was with my kids

4:23 and walking in New York and I heard your voice and I was like,

4:26 wait a second, I know that voice.

4:28 And I turned and you were having a conversation

4:30 with an older gentleman who struck me as like, I was like,

4:32 who— Nicholas Braun's got like a cool, older friend 'cause that guy, like,

4:37 has style and seemed to be like, really just like giving you a great anecdote.

4:40 And then it turns out that was your dad.

4:43 You were just like walking around New York, just like— -He's just got that vibe.

4:46 -He's got a vibe.

4:47 -He's just— yeah, he's sort of hunched over,

4:49 sort of talks to the ground when he talks to you.

4:51 -Yeah.

4:52 -And yeah, he's got— I mean, he's an actor as well.

4:55 -Right.

4:55 -Um, so, so yeah, I guess he's got that old actor vibe.

4:59 -And a New Yorker.

5:01 -And a New Yorker, for sure.

5:02 -He, um, he was a graphic designer and then he got into acting, uh,

5:06 later, but like, that was right when you were like, becoming like a child actor.

5:10 Correct?

5:10 -Yeah.

5:11 So he was a famous record album designer.

5:13 And he designed the Rolling Stones tongue.

5:16 -That's fantastic.

5:17 My God.

5:18 Barry the lead.

5:19 -Him and Andy Warhol.

5:20 -That's a really good.

5:21 -He's gonna love that applause.

5:23 -Yeah.

5:23 -He is gonna love that you guys just applauded.

5:26 -By the way, like I know that he ended up being your dad,

5:28 but like he was acting,

5:30 what he was like on the street was a guy who created the tongue, you know?

5:34 Now I'm like, "Oh, so I was right." -Okay.

5:36 -You know what I mean?

5:37 Like, I was both wrong and right at the same time.

5:39 -He had legend vibes, but you didn't know exactly from what.

5:41 -What the legend was from.

5:42 -Yes, yes.

5:44 Um, but yeah, so he started acting at 55 years old.

5:47 -That's fantastic.

5:48 -Yeah.

5:48 And I was six.

5:50 -Okay.

5:50 -And so were you guys— Now obviously you're not

5:53 going out for the same parts, but— -No, no, no,

5:55 I have a huge range though, but I can't— -Do you feel like looking back,

6:00 were you were you tall as a six year old?

6:01 Could you play.

6:02 Could you have played eight?

6:03 -I was like 90th percentile.

6:06 -Yeah.

6:07 -I was tall, but no facial hair yet.

6:10 -Right.

6:10 -Um, but he and I— So I quickly fell in love

6:14 with it and he and I would coach each other on auditions.

6:19 I mean, we would look in the back of Backstage newspaper.

6:21 I don't know if you guys know what this is,

6:23 but it's it's a New York theater, you know, acting stage newspaper.

6:27 And I don't even know if it exists anymore.

6:30 But in the back, there were open calls.

6:32 And so he and I would write postcards to casting directors or call them up,

6:36 I guess, at the time.

6:37 -Yeah.

6:39 -And try to get in for these open calls.

6:40 And he'd be like, you know, later it was like,

6:43 "I've got an audition for 'Law and Order SVU.' Do you

6:46 want to help me prep and like vice versa?" And like,

6:48 he did "SVU" and I did "SVU." And so it was a pretty cool.

6:51 -That's really cool.

6:52 -Yeah.

6:53 -And then you guys did a couple of short films together.

6:56 -We did.

6:56 We did.

6:57 Yeah.

6:57 My first acting jobs, I think, were these two short films.

6:59 -And what were— There's two of them.

7:01 Please describe titles and plots of your two short films with your dad.

7:05 -Cool.

7:05 Yeah, yeah.

7:06 So, um...

7:07 So the first— The first is "Rocky

7:11 and Pop's Search for the Holy Mackerel." -Okay, great.

7:14 That's a gripping title.

7:16 I'm in.

7:17 -Perfect title.

7:19 -Yeah.

7:20 -Sort of a gross, weird, alcoholic grandfather takes his grandson to go fishing.

7:26 -Got it.

7:27 -And they don't catch fish.

7:28 -Great.

7:30 -Yeah.

7:30 That's kind of it.

7:31 -Okay.

7:32 There's not a third act to it.

7:34 -Yeah.

7:34 Gotcha.

7:34 That's, you know, that's a short film.

7:36 It's very hard to have three acts in a short film.

7:37 -Totally.

7:38 It's two really good ones.

7:40 -Yeah.

7:40 -Um, and then the other film— Film.

7:43 Nice.

7:44 I'm calling it a film.

7:46 Not even short.

7:48 Um, the other one was actually a parody trailer.

7:52 It was called "The Sick Sense." -SICK.

7:55 -Yes.

7:56 -It was parody of the film "The Sixth Sense." -Great.

8:00 -And so in "The Sixth Sense," Haley Joel Osment's character,

8:06 who I played the version of, his whole thing is "I see dead people." -Right.

8:12 -In "The Sick Sense," I said, "I see dead people's asses." -Oh.

8:22 -"I see dead people's asses." And so

8:26 my character was— "Character."[ Laughter] I-I would, um...

8:34 It was a great trailer and— and— and I remember being like,

8:41 there were these guys like on nooses hanging from nooses.

8:43 Like I walked into a room, like everyone's on nooses hanging, you know,

8:48 uh, and they, but they spin around and they'd show their asses.

8:54 Or I'd walk into a room and a ghost is there, but their ass up.

8:57 And I was like eight years old and I'm the star of the dead people's asses.

9:04 Yeah.

9:04 -And is the idea that that's even more

9:06 haunting 'cause you're not only just seeing dead people,

9:08 you have the added trauma of also seeing asses.

9:12 -All different shapes and sizes.

9:13 Yeah, yeah.

9:14 -And they don't get better looking the longer you're dead.

9:17 -No.

9:17 They're really pale.

9:18 -Yeah.

9:19 They say the ass is one of the first things to go.

9:21 Looks wise.

9:22 -Yeah.

9:22 Yeah.

9:23 Well, the ass excretes something, right?

9:25 When— When you die.

9:27 -Look, this is just real life.

9:29 If you guys don't know this.

9:30 Like we can't help you.

9:31 You're learning about real life.

9:33 Um, you were— You did an Off-Broadway show.

9:36 -Yes.

9:36 -Uh, in New York City.

9:38 And I'm wondering if any members of your "Succession" family,

9:42 your "Succession" cast came and saw you perform.

9:45 -They did, they did.

9:47 Um, Sarah Snook came early on, which was awesome.

9:49 And then Brian Cox came.

9:52 -Yep.

9:52 -Um, Brian— Honestly, I came off stage and I came out to the theater

9:59 and Brian hugged me so tight and he whispered in my ear,

10:04 "I'm so proud of you." And I was like, I think he actually respects me now.

10:11 -For the first time.

10:12 -For the first time, I'm like— I think as Greg,

10:15 he thought I was good and he sees me on on stage

10:18 and he's like— I've never heard him talk that way.

10:21 Just whispering in my ear.

10:23 -It's funny.

10:24 -"I'm so— I love you, Nicholas." -Um,

10:26 It is weird when people say something that makes you realize like both,

10:30 you're like, that's so nice.

10:32 And also you— and retroactively realize what

10:34 they've thought of you until that moment.

10:36 -Yeah.

10:36 -Like when someone comes up and is like,

10:38 "You can act!" and you're like— -Totally -Huh.

10:40 -Cool.

10:41 Been doing it a while.

10:42 -Yeah.

10:43 Weird that you're just coming to that conclusion.

10:46 Um, but it's a shame on him for not noticing.

10:49 But, you know.

10:50 -And I'm exaggerating.

10:51 Yeah.

10:51 I love him.

10:52 We love each other.

10:53 -And you want Brian Cox to be the last guy to give it up?

10:57 -Totally.

10:57 Well, you have to earn it.

10:59 -Yeah.

10:59 -And I do think for a while I was trying to get it.

11:02 So yeah, you do one play, guys.

11:05 -That's it.

11:05 And then Brian Cox— -You got him.

11:07 -And almost every play,

11:08 he's waiting at the stage door is to give you a big old hug.

11:11 -Yes.

11:11 Yeah.

11:12 Everyone's plays.

11:12 -Everyone's plays.

11:13 Some of the theaters have pictures,

11:14 "Do not admit." -"Brian's nearby waiting to hug you." Um, which we want.

11:21 Hi, Brian.

11:22 -Hi, Brian.

11:22 Congrats on the movie.

11:24 Thanks so much for being here.

11:24 Please come back soon, man.

11:25 Such a pleasure.

11:26 Nicholas Braun, everybody.

11:28 "The Sheep Detectives" in theaters May 8th.

11:29 We'll be right back.