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BRUNO FERNANDES has opened up on how he “convinced” he was destined to join Tottenham.

Spurs take on Fernandes‘ Manchester United in the Europa League final in Bilbao this evening.

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But in another reality, the 30-year-old could have been lining up for the north London club.

Six months before a January transfer window deal took Fernandes to Old Trafford from Sporting Lisbon for £47million, Spurs were deep in discussions to sign the midfielder.

There had been five meetings between the two parties with Fernandes’ camp left impressed by their structure and Sporting all set to accept the bid.

Of the talks, a source involved in the talks told the BBC: “They were absolutely next level when it comes to detail.

Even the rooms at the training ground – each one was decorated just like the players’ bedrooms at home, the ones they share with their partners.

“The bed was exactly the same. Even the flowers in the garden gave off a scent that’s meant to be beneficial – it was mind-blowing.”

However, the deal fell through when the Sporting board decided to hold out for an offer twice the size which ultimately never arrived, before selling Raphinha to Rennes instead.

Indeed, Fernandes had been so convinced he would be leaving that when club president Frederico Varandas tried to explain the situation he told him to go away.

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In an interview in January 2020 before he joined Man Utd, Fernandes said: “It was the team that wanted me the most and was the only one I agreed to talk with, because there were other clubs that didn’t interest me or whose project was not up to my expectations.

“Tottenham fit into everything I wish I had at that moment. It is an appealing championship. Knowing that Tottenham would be willing to pay for me and make every possible effort to take me, leaves a player eager to take that step.”

But five years later, the “Portuguese magnifico” has become the heartbeat of the Red Devils.

In the last five years, no outfield player has made more appearances (288) or played more minutes (24,747) across Europe‘s top five leagues than Fernandes.

The all-action club captain has almost single-handedly kept the team afloat this season with 19 goals and 19 assists in all competitions.

MAN UTD TRANSFER NEWS LIVE: All the latest deals and rumours from Old Trafford

That includes 12 goal contributions in the Europa League, featuring a hat-trick in the last-16 against Real Sociedad, a penalty in the 5-4 win at Old Trafford over Lyon and a brace in Spain against Athletic Bilbao.

Earlier this month, he had said: “The manager and physio say that I need to relax and rest, but I say no. When I die, I will have a lot of time to lay down and rest.”

Fernandes is one of five players still at Man Utd who was in the matchday squad when the club fell to defeat on penalties against Villarreal in the final in 2021.

He, Luke Shaw and Victor Lindelof all started the game under then boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, while Amad Diallo and Harry Maguire were unused subs with the latter missing the clash through injury.

Man Utd have lost to Spurs three times this season – twice in the Prem and once in the League Cup – but have the chance to salvage the club’s worst-ever Premier League finish with a European trophy and a spot in next season’s Champions League.

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Man Utd vs Spurs – Europa League final: Kick-off time, TV channel and live stream info for Bilbao clash

WATCH the shocking moments a brawl erupts between Manchester United and Tottenham fans as punches get thrown ahead of the Europa League final.

Up to 70,000 Man Utd and Tottenham fans have flooded the streets of sunny Bilbao in good spirits and with drinks flowing.

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However, the mood took a dark turn with footage surfacing on X of a brawl between the two sets of supporters.

In the shocking video, a large group of football hooligans are seen brawling as they throw objects and punches at each other.

Residents alerted authorities at around 9.20pm after they witnessed violent behaviour on Fermín Calbetón Street.

Witnesses say the fight broke out when two large groups of supporters began shouting and hurling insults,

It quickly escalated into a full-blown brawl, with both Man Utd and Spurs fans grabbing whatever they could to throw at each other.

One hooligan overturned a terrace table and used it as a weapon against the other group.

Drinks and bins were also hurled, creating a chaotic scene that posed a serious risk to local businesses and passersby.

Several local police patrols rushed to the scene after reports of the brawl and quickly restored order.

No arrests have been made so far, but officers have stayed in the area to keep the situation under control.

An ambulance was also dispatched, with several people treated at the scene.

However, after further assessment, staff determined no one needed to be taken to the hospital.

It comes as tens of thousands of Brits landed in Bilbao ahead of the highly anticipated final.

Some are braving an epic 32-hour-plus ferry ride which set sail at 10pm on Sunday evening and won’t arrive until 8am on Tuesday morning.

With flights to Spain rocketing over £1,000 after the Prem teams sealed their final spots, many took advantage of the cheaper sea-route option, which set them back £260 for a cabin.

The sky-high air prices are due to just six direct flights from Britain to the Basque region’s industrial port city each day.

And with only 65 hotels in Spain’s tenth largest city, accommodation has been fully booked for weeks.

Each club has millions of fans across the globe, but since there are just 14,000 tickets allocated to each team, bagging a seat to the showpiece event has been a tricky task.

Last night, precious tickets to the big game were selling on the black market for up to £10,000.

EasyJet was charging £1,823 to fly from Gatwick to Bilbao on Wednesday morning and return on Thursday morning, while the cheapest hotels for Wednesday night cost around £1,200.

But for those fans who managed to snap up the golden tickets, footage has shown them enjoying themselves.

A Bilbao bar was flooded with Brit fans chanting and drinking ahead of the anticipated final.

Spurs fans were also seen welcoming the team bus as it arrived in the city one day before the clash.

Footage taken by The Sun showed fans arriving to fill the streets of Bilbao about 40 hours before kick-off.

Both sets of supporters have been pictured marching through the streets, chanting songs with beers in hand as they gear up for the Europa League final.

Footie fanatics get the party started early

By Sun man in Bilbao, Dave Courtnadge

IT’S barely midday in Bilbao on the day before the Europa League final between Manchester United and Spurs – but it’s already getting lively.

I arrived in the city at about 9am after a 32-HOUR ferry ride from Portsmouth.

And the first thing a lot of fellow fans planned to do was find a pub for a well-earned drink.

Walking around the area around the San Mames stadium this morning, a fair few others had the same idea.

Many have had long journeys, stopping off overnight in another city to keep down the soaring cost of getting here, with some direct flights over £1,000.

So it’s no surprise many are already getiing the party started, or the Bilbao leg of the party anyway.

Spurs fan Gary, who flew out from London before an overnight stay in a Madrid hotel resembling a “prison cell”, joked as he supped a pint in the sun: “I’m just getting some practice in for tomorrow.”

The atmosphere has been brilliant so far, and hopefully that will continue.

There had been claims that Spurs fans are set to outnumber United fans by 5 to 1, with an estimated 50,000 supporters of the two English sides expected to arrive.

One Tottenham follower I spoke to joked that they had bought all the flights out of London to keep the Reds out.

Based on the number of Spurs shirts I’ve already seen, he might be right.

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United States President Donald Trump’s tour of the Middle East this week is his first international trip since he started his second term. Conspicuously absent from his itinerary, however, was Washington’s closest ally in the region: Israel.

In the US and Israeli media, the apparent snub has fuelled talk of a growing rift between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Contributors:
Diana Buttu – Human rights lawyer and analyst
Dana Mills – Writer, +972 magazine and Local Call
Jeremy Scahill – Cofounder, Drop Site News

On our radar:

Tariq Nafi reports on the killing this week of one of Gaza’s best-known journalists – and why it represents a new low in Israel’s unparalleled war on the press.

Are India’s news channels helping or harming?

The tit-for-tat conflict between India and Pakistan lasted only a week before a ceasefire deal was reached, but it was long enough to provide an insight into the role the media might play in a longer war.

We speak with Indian journalist Hartosh Singh Bal about mainstream media under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government – from misinformation to hate speech – and the alternative news outlets trying to provide the antidote.

Featuring:
Hartosh Singh Bal – Executive editor, The Caravan magazine

Booze, sex, testosterone — those are the typical expectations from a lads holiday. But what if that’s not what you want anymore? Matt Spraggrett tells us how he fell out of love with the form

Urban dictionary defines a lads holiday as: “When you go on holiday with your ‘lads’ (mates) and you get smashed out of your head and bang about 50,000 girls.”

And perhaps that’s all one needs to know about the typical boys trip and expectations of them.

While there may be (many) men who would jump at the chance to take a no-holds-barred, booze, sex, and testosterone-fuelled trip with the lads, there seems to be a growing section that would really rather just… not.

In fact, new research from First Choice confirms that sentiment. In a recent survey conducted by the travel company involving 2,000 Millennial and Gen-Z men, it was found that 69 per cent of men aged 18-35 secretly dreaded going away with the boys and over half (53 per cent) made excuses to dodge the trip. Furthermore, a staggering 81 per cent of blokes felt the pressure to act “macho” during these out-of-control lads holidays and 66 per cent struggled to keep up with the intense partying mentality.

A few key factors contributed to their apprehension: 39 per cent of the men surveyed felt they were forced to drink more than usual on a boys trip, while 27 per cent were uncomfortable with the overspending that such escapades involve. Another 20 per cent were aware that their partners disapproved of their absence and their participation in said exploits.

Matt Spraggett, 29, is one such lad who isn’t the biggest fan of these lads holidays.

Currently working in London as an advertising manager, Matt grew up in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, and says he had a lower middle class upbringing. His dad worked in the public sector, while his mum was a PA. Both Matt and his brother attended their local state school and sixth form and in his words it was “nothing fancy”.

While Matt doesn’t hate the quintessential boys trip, it definitely makes him “uneasy at times”. He feels it’s “largely down to the pressure to conform to a certain idea of masculinity”, which he finds off-putting.

Matt tells Mirror Travel: “Specifically, I dislike the expectation of constant, and I mean constant, drinking and the need to be ‘on’ all the time with either a loud, jokey persona or someone who is just ready to whatever the rest of the group wants to do, no questions. Sometimes it feels like a competition to see who can be the most outrageous. I’ve been on trips where guys are practically egging each other on to do stupid things, just for the sake of a laugh, regardless of any consequences they might face and after a while it can be exhausting.”

Matt feels that an all-blokes trip comes with the expectation of reverting to “some kind of adolescent version of yourself”. Matt reflects: “You’re supposed to forget about your responsibilities, your growth, and just act like you’re back in your late teens and do what the typical lads trip consists of such as, all day drinking, strip clubs, night clubs and even taking drugs. There’s often an unspoken pressure to be constantly available for partying, and if you want to chill out or do something different, you’re seen as a buzzkill.”

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Now almost 30, Matt can largely pinpoint the juncture of his life when he started disliking the notion of a typical lads holiday.

“I think it was probably around my mid-twenties, maybe 25 or 26, which might seem a little young to not want to just be on ‘lads lads lads’ / ‘oi oi’ type holiday but I think the pandemic had a big impact. I moved away from where I grew up and met a new set of friends in London, plus I was starting to take my career more seriously, and I had been in a relationship for a couple of years by that time so the idea of spending a week getting hammered and acting like an idiot just didn’t appeal to me anymore. Also, with the cost of living increasing and paying my own way with rent and bills, I became more mindful about what money I was spending on holidays,” he said.

Matt remembers being out for the day, celebrating a schoolmate’s birthday and “feeling a little out of sync with everyone else”. He recalls the conversations being “very surface level and nothing that engaging”, which led him to the realisation that something had changed.

“I don’t want that to sound arrogant, that I changed, and they hadn’t, as they had, but they still lived where we grew up and had a certain view and experience of the world, both socially and politically and mine had evolved differently to theirs. After that moment I started to want to spend my time doing things I truly enjoy — not just doing it to retain some favour with the lads.”

One holiday that sticks out in Matt’s mind which further solidified his negative feelings towards out-of-control boys trips was when he went to Thailand in his early 20s. While the vacation “wasn’t a total nightmare”, there were some tense moments that could’ve escalated and derailed the whole trip”

Matt recalls heading out on a pub crawl with the gang, when one bloke from their group wandered off and returned “about 20 minutes later and says he’s got into an argument with the locals” which resulted in “some pushing and shoving which then turned into a bit of a fight”.

The ‘very drunk’ group instantly started panicking thinking about “horror stories of foreigners causing trouble abroad and losing your passport” and subsequently “sprinted about 2km back to our hotel to avoid some angry bar owners our friend had annoyed.” Matt and the lads “moved off to another part of Thailand quickly after that”.

By his own admission, the 29-year-old feels “many guys and lots of drinks” can often lead to “an overall atmosphere of tension which might kick off at any moment”.

For Matt, his ‘ideal lads vacation’ would be “a good mix of culture and party where it’s focusing on shared interests and experiences rather than just getting drunk all day every day”.

He shares: “I’d love to do something active, like exploring the local history, going to a vineyard or seeing the best viewpoint. Something that involves an activity as well as some drinks is much more appealing to me. The vibe would be relaxed, we’d explore the place we are in rather than just going to the main strip. It’s like going to London and only going to Covent Garden, there’s so much more to see! But that’s just me.”

And while he feels that “there’s nothing wrong with having a few drinks”, he’d rather have it not be “the central focus of the trip”.

The perfect trip in his mind?

“It would be about creating good memories and strengthening friendships, not just racking up embarrassing stories of who got the most drunk. They are funny but I don’t want that to be the only thing I remember.”

Reporting from Keene, N.H. — On Aug. 28, 1990, Carl Babbitt, in the midst of a cocaine- and alcohol-fueled blackout, killed a man. Almost a quarter-century later to the day, he stood 50 feet from Hillary Rodham Clinton and revealed his past.

“You look at me as a regular person. But I served 11 years in prison,” he began.

As unpredictable as New Hampshire town hall meetings can be for presidential candidates, it was nevertheless a jaw-dropping start to an audience member’s question.

Babbitt, 54, said he was thrown out of his home by his mother as a child and later sexually abused by a foster parent.

“I turned to drugs and alcohol to cover that pain,” he recalled. He would eventually seek treatment but was denied care because he lacked insurance, and six months later stabbed a man to death during a fight. He served 11 of the 15 to 18 years he was sentenced to for manslaughter and was released from prison in 2000.

“I’ve been out clean and sober for 15 years, and I cannot find a full-time job because every time they run a background check, ‘You’re a convicted felon,’” he told Clinton, adding that it is a roadblock that he and many others face.

“What would you suggest we do?” he finally asked.

This wasn’t a standard New Hampshire town hall meeting, and on a day of headlines about her email server and her attacks on Republicans, it was precisely the kind of issue Clinton had come to Keene to address.

TRAIL GUIDE: All the latest news on the 2016 presidential campaign >>

Heroin abuse in particular has been an issue that voters have repeatedly confronted Clinton about on the campaign trail, and on Tuesday, she offered a window into a possible presidential role as convener-in-chief, discussing potential policy specifics and seeking more from a panel of locals with different perspectives on the crisis, including the county sheriff and treatment center and hospital representatives.

The first stop Clinton made this year in the state as a candidate was in Keene. And there for the first time she heard about an issue that had reached almost epidemic status in New Hampshire.

“I have to confess, I was surprised,” Clinton recalled Tuesday. “I did not expect that I would hear about drug abuse and substance abuse and other such challenges everywhere I went.”

Hands shot up throughout the school event room when the audience was asked whether someone’s drug abuse had affected their lives. According to statistics provided by Clinton’s campaign, New Hampshire has the highest per-capita rate of addiction and second-lowest treatment capacity in the nation, with 320 drug-related deaths last year alone.

On Saturday, hundreds attended a candlelight vigil at New Hampshire’s Capitol in Concord to remember victims of drug overdoses. WMUR-TV reported two weeks ago that more than 400 people turned out in Manchester, the state’s largest city, at the first police forum on the heroin abuse crisis in the city.

“We know this is happening, but it’s not yet a big issue” in the campaign, Clinton said as she opened what the campaign called a community forum on substance abuse and opiate addiction. “Some people question why, since I’m running for president, would I be talking in New Hampshire about substance abuse?”

“Really, it’s simple for me. That’s what people talk to me about.”

Since her initial April visit, Clinton’s campaign staff have been holding meetings in the state and online to discuss possible policies she could offer as president to address substance abuse issues.

After the initial discussion, Babbitt, who two years ago earned a degree in drug counseling and now works as the volunteer director for a church’s after-prison ministry program, asked Clinton about how he could get nonprofit status to fund it and whether Pell Grants could be used to help provide education for people in and out of jail.

Clinton cited studies that found those who are educated while in prison had sharply reduced recidivism rates. She said that once people had “paid their debt to society” they should not only have voting rights restored, but be “given a chance to present yourself for jobs, for housing.”

“At the end of the day, people can make their own judgment. But you shouldn’t be automatically disqualified,” she said, referring to a campaign that seeks to remove questions about a criminal record in the early stage of a job application process.

In an interview after the event, Babbitt said prison was the best thing that had happened to him.

“If it weren’t for prison, I’d be dead,” he said.

But the Worcester, Mass., native, who now lives in Keene and said he had never before attended a campaign event, said he hopes Clinton “follows through on her promises.”

“Other candidates should get involved, because it’s not only a community problem, it’s a national problem,” he said. “When they get out, if we don’t help them … they wind up right back in jail, costing us as taxpayers.”

For more campaign coverage, follow @mikememoli

This story contains spoilers for “Andor” Season 2, including Episodes 10 through 12.

When Elizabeth Dulau first heard what showrunner Tony Gilroy had planned for her character in Season 2 of “Andor,” she burst out laughing.

“I just couldn’t believe what he was saying,” says the actor, who portrays the aloof and steadfast rebel spy Kleya Marki in the “Star Wars” series. “And then my first thought was: I need to keep this a secret now for years. How on Earth am I going to do that?”

Kleya plays a pivotal role in the final three-episode arc of “Andor.” After Imperial intelligence officers finally uncover Luthen Rael’s (Stellan Skarsgård) ties to the Rebellion, the antiques dealer attempts to kill himself before he can be captured and interrogated. When Luthen fails, it’s left to Kleya to tie up his final loose end and then deliver vital information to the rebels on Yavin.

Dulau, who didn’t even know if she would be called back for Season 2, learned of Kleya’s storyline in 2023 when Gilroy called to tell her he wanted her to return.

“I’m glad he told me then because it gave me a long time to really ponder how to prepare for that scene,” Dulau says. “He said, ‘We want her to be the one that kills him, and we want it to be additionally heartbreaking because she doesn’t have time to say goodbye.’”

“Andor’s” final episodes sees Kleya utilize the skills she’d honed as Luthen’s closest and most trusted associate as she infiltrates a heavily guarded hospital to reach him. But rather than breaking Luthen out to save him, Kleya’s only option is to unplug him from the machines that are keeping him alive. Then, she has to make sure the information Luthen died for is delivered to the Rebellion.

“We do not have a bad moment of film of her in our cutting room,” says Gilroy, comparing Dulau to Meryl Streep. “She’s unbelievable.”

Elizabeth Dulau says it boggles her mind that Kleya’s story ties into “Star Wars’” famous Death Star plans.

(David Reiss)

“Andor” marks Dulau’s first acting job after graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. While the audition came to her as a role in an “untitled Disney+ project,” she’d heard on the down-low that it was for a “Star Wars” project. She has since been cast in shows including “All the Light We Cannot See,” “Gentleman Jack” and the upcoming “House of Guinness.”

“The beautiful thing about Kleya in Season 1 is that she’s such a mystery,” Dulau says. “You can tell that she’s important, but she’s sort of on the peripheries. There’s so many question marks, so it’s such a delight that a lot of those questions get answered this season.”

That Kleya ultimately plays a role in helping the Rebel Alliance get the Death Star plans needed for them to eventually defeat the Empire also “boggles my mind,” she says.

“It’s not lost on me that Tony has literally written me into Star Wars history with that storyline,” Dulau says. “That blows my mind because it’s so iconic and I have a teeny, tiny little corner of that now.”

Dulau, in a conversation edited for length and clarity, discusses Kleya and Luthen’s relationship, her character’s commitment to the Rebellion and working with Stellan Skarsgård.

There is so much that happens in Episode 10, but how did you approach that final moment where Kleya has to unplug Luthen from life support?

Tony made it very clear to me that he didn’t want her to totally break down in that scene. That breakdown, for Kleya, comes afterward because she’s still in action mode. In that scene, I really wanted to connect with all the love that had grown between her and Luthen, against both of their better judgment, but also all the hate. When Luthen and whatever team of men came to the community she lived in and destroyed them when he worked for the Empire, Kleya was not so young. She would remember her mom and dad. She would remember if she had siblings, any best friends. Luthen is not innocent on that day. He was brave enough to save Kleya, but we don’t know what happens outside of his ship.

Then they spend the next 15 years protecting each other and continuing to save each other. So against their better judgment, love grows between them. I think they’re constantly being pulled apart by that. It’s too scary to acknowledge the fact that they’ve come to really care for each other because this awful thing is there. I wanted to try to condense that and make it as clear as possible in that scene when I go to kill him.

I spent a lot of time leading up to shooting on that day daydreaming. I use daydreaming a lot in my process. And I daydreamed about that day — what happened, what Kleya saw and what she did not see when Luther and his men came to destroy her people. I daydreamed completely made-up scenes in my head, like the day when Luthen made Kleya laugh for the very first time, or happy memories between them. I imagined that those actual flashback scenes were memories of hers that just were intrusive thoughts as she was trying to focus on her mission.

Kleya Marki (Elizabeth Dulau) is Luthen Rael’s (Stellan Skarsgård) closest associate.

(Lucasfilm Ltd.)

What was your initial take on Kleya and Luthen’s dynamic?

In Season 1, what really fascinated me was that he sets a lot of importance to Kleya’s words. He really listens to her and trusts her and allows himself to be seen by her in a way that he doesn’t let himself be seen by anyone else. So what’s the power dynamic? It’s not the classic father-daughter thing. It’s not like he’s the boss and she’s just the assistant. There’s a real equality, and that’s quite rare, I think, to see between an older man and a younger woman. I was just fascinated by that and had a lot of fun in Season 1 trying to square up to Stellan Skarsgård and tell him what to do. That was intimidating, but really fun.

Then when I found out their backstory, so much about Kleya made sense. It just really broke my heart. In another life, Luthen would have just been this antiques nerd. In hardening himself to what he has to do, he also hardens this young girl, Kleya. It helped me realize that underneath all that hard exterior, at the very core of who Kleya is, actually is something extremely tender and extremely loving. That’s why she is so tough on the outside because there’s something very painful that she’s protecting deep down. She doesn’t let herself have any friends or fall in love or any of that. She makes herself as lethal a weapon as possible. But against her best judgment, love grows for Luthen, care grows between them, and all of that is what they have to lose. But neither of them are ever willing to admit that.

So much of “Andor” is about the sacrifice everybody makes. But for Kleya, we see that her sacrifice has been ongoing.

Yes. “I don’t have lately, I have always,” she says. She has stripped her life of anything that makes her vulnerable. Joy and love and friendship are some of the the most worthwhile things that a human being can have in their life, but it also makes you vulnerable, in a way. And Kleya just cannot afford to be vulnerable. She tells herself, “I have nothing to lose. Everything is for the Rebellion.” [But] she’s lying to herself. She doesn’t really know until Episode 10 that, actually, Luthen is the thing that she has to lose. And she’s willing to do it. She’s willing to sacrifice.

It seems like the closest Kleya has to a frenemy of sorts is Vel, but how do you see their dynamic?

Vel really gets under her skin. Even though Vel is such a tough character as well, she has those relationships. She allows herself to have that relationship with Mon Mothma, her cousin, and with Cinta. She allows herself to fall in love and Kleya just cannot wrap her head around it. How could you let yourself be this vulnerable? But also, maybe for Kleya, there’s a bit of jealousy there as well that Vel has those things.

Kleya has made herself “as lethal a weapon as possible” for the Rebellion, says Elizabeth Dulau.

(Lucasfilm Ltd.)

How did you see Kleya’s trip to Yavin and seeing what she and Luthen had been working for? Because things aren’t quite over for her yet.

I always thought she sees it as her final job, getting the information about the Death Star to Cassian and just getting that information to Yavin. Because you see Cassian have to convince her to come with him to Yavin. She doesn’t want to go there. I don’t know how much she feels she has left to give at that point. She is overwhelmed by grief for Luthen and that grief makes her realize just how much actually she’s come to love him. So she’s in this place of this immensely painful realization about the man who did this awful thing and wiped out her people. How does anyone reckon with that? That’s the space that she’s in when she’s trying desperately to convince Cassian to go without her to Yavin.

Then, once she’s on Yavin and she sees Vel, that tiny little conversation with her, as short as it was, it’s monumental for Kleya because it helps shift her perspective enough that she maybe starts to see a future for herself there amongst that community.

That final shot actually is her looking at the people of Yavin doing their morning routines and seeing the culmination of all of her and Luthen’s work for all those years. I think it’s a feeling of immense satisfaction and sadness that they pulled it off, but also that he’ll never see it.

What was it like working with Stellan Skarsgård?

My final audition actually was with Stellan. I remember my agent calling me to say, “Your recall went well. The note is, for your final audition, just try not to be too nervous. Walk into that room like you’ve been doing this for years.” Then she said, “Your final audition is going to be at Pinewood Studios. You’re going to be reading opposite Stellan Skarsgård. But don’t let that make you nervous.” And I just burst out laughing. Like, this isn’t real. This isn’t happening.

He met with me for coffee 10 minutes before the audition because it was a chemistry read and he wanted to not do it cold. Stellan has this wonderful magic to him that after 10 minutes of chatting with him for the first time ever, I really felt like I was walking into the room with a friend and that I had someone in my corner that was rooting for me.

Stellan has had such a long and rich career, so I don’t know what this job is for him, but this is such a huge job for me and Stellan has been such a huge part of that. I always looked forward to having another scene with Stellan. It was like going home again, having another scene with him, because he was my anchor throughout the whole thing. He knew that it was my first job, so I could ask him all the questions about what was happening, acting techniques for screen, all of that stuff. I could have those conversations with him and he was always so willing to talk about it. He really took me under his wings big time and I will always be so grateful to him for that.