THE FIXATE & BINGE PODCAST, with Host, Joe Curdy: Deep dives into cinema and storytelling with voices who create it · Joe Curdy

🎙️Working With David Fincher & Ridley Scott: Sam Troughton Tells All | Ep. 200

·1 hr 3 min·2 clips

Sam Troughton describes being hauled to a guillotine with 200 extras for Ridley Scott's Napoleon.

This episode features actor Sam Troughton in a wide-ranging conversation with host Joe Curdy and co-host Deontay Jenkins. Troughton, known for stage work and roles in projects like *Chernobyl* and *Mank*, discusses his career across theater, film, and television. The conversation delves into his experiences working with iconic directors and the nuances of acting for different mediums. Troughton recalls seeing his father, David Troughton, play Caliban in a Sam Mendes-directed production of *The Tempest* at 16, which inspired him. He explains his transition from stage to screen, noting the initial shock of hearing his own voice and seeing himself on camera. He details working with David Fincher on *Mank*, where scenes often required 50 to 70 takes to achieve an unconscious, natural performance. Fincher’s process involved giving clusters of notes after every four or five takes, which Troughton compares to the repetition of a theatrical run. He contrasts this with filming *Napoleon* for Ridley Scott, where scenes like his character’s guillotining were captured in just a few takes with multiple cameras. Troughton describes the immersive scale of Scott’s set, with hundreds of extras creating a palpable realism. He shares an anecdote about watching Gary Oldman perform a phone call scene for nearly 100 takes during *Mank*, calling Oldman an absolute joy to work with. Reflecting on *Chernobyl*, he emphasizes the director’s focus on portraying the disaster as a routine Tuesday morning to avoid melodrama. A surprising insight is how his stage discipline, particularly from Shakespeare, gave him the confidence to trust a character’s world could change on a single word. He finds that extensive screen work has conversely made him freer and less precious in theater rehearsals, treating them like different takes. Troughton reveals he hasn’t performed Shakespeare on stage since 2014, which he finds remarkable. He also mentions his cousin is actor Harry Melling, who played Dudley Dursley and now works with the Coen brothers. The tone is conversational, nostalgic, and deeply informative, flowing from personal anecdotes to technical craft. The style is interview-based, with hosts asking detailed questions that prompt reflective, specific answers from the guest. Film buffs and aspiring actors will love this episode for its insider perspectives on legendary directors and the actor’s process. Listeners seeking a tight, single-topic narrative might find the wide-ranging career overview less focused.

As heard by us

A milestone interview that finds its best footing in the craft talk.

The episode keeps its attention on craft: repeated takes, rehearsal, and the small notes that turn a performance from careful to instinctive. The strongest stretch comes when Sam Troughton gets concrete about what that process feels like in practice.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

Want a backstage look at how repeated takes shape a performance?

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from THE FIXATE & BINGE PODCAST, with Host, Joe Curdy: Deep dives into cinema and storytelling with voices who create it