#PodcastPick – Fearne Cotton's 'Happy Place': Natalie Dormer
Happy Place is comforting, reassuring and informative; it’s a breath of fresh air. Fearne has had a spectacular selection of guests (all of whom are public figures), including Matt Haig, Poorna Bell, Russell Brand, Kirsty Young and most recently, Natalie Dormer.
Fearne’s enthusiasm for these interviews is contagious, and in each episode you can hear her guests gather momentum as she thoughtfully leads their conversation. Natalie’s interview is no exception to this- they meet in her London home, and swiftly venture into a candid conversation about ‘performing’ for a living. Natalie speaks with such satisfying eloquence on the strange nature of acting, that you are immediately drawn into her sphere of thought. She talks at length about the catharsis of playing her characters, and says that for her, the key is finding common ground with her roles, even if that requires digging pretty deep. In a moment of self-deprecation, Dormer says “it’s a silly job isn’t it really, getting to know yourself by playing other people.”
Fearne has a knack for coaxing surprising conversation out of her guests; it never feels rehearsed or performative. With each episode, you become more convinced of the resilience of human beings, and how extraordinarily unique we all are. Take one episode weekly as antidote for your January woes.
Title image sourced here.
