"Sharon Horgan"

Early Life and Career Beginnings [00:00:00]

• Horgan was born in England but moved to Ireland with her family.
• Her parents ran a pub before transitioning to poultry farming.
• She is one of five children and learned to make her parents laugh to get attention.

  "I guess because I'm in a family of five kids and you know I guess right that's where are you you kind of uh second eldest okay and it's you know how you get attention I suppose is - making your parents laugh"

Pursuing Acting and Facing Rejection [00:00:00]

• Horgan initially wanted to be an actor but faced rejections from drama schools in Dublin and London.
• She studied art in Dublin and later pursued a degree in English and creative writing.
• She worked as an administrative officer in the employment service for six and a half years.

  "I was studying art in Dublin and then I tried to get into drama school in Dublin didn't get in and then I came to London to try and get into drama school and didn't get in anywhere"

The Shift to Writing and Creating [00:00:00]

• Horgan found her passion for writing during her English degree.
• She realized the potential for creative writing as a career path.
• Her professional career in comedy and writing began in her early 30s.

  "I went and did a degree because I I thought should I bet you know I better get some kind of degree in what in English so that's when I started doing creative writing"

Auditioning Terrors and Coping Mechanisms [00:00:00]

• Horgan describes auditioning as a terrifying experience that caused her to lose her skills.
• She developed coping mechanisms, including breathing exercises and eating a banana.
• She now uses beta-blockers for auditions.

  "Auditioning is one of the more terrifying things that has been in my life forever and for always really"

Early Career Challenges and Low-Budget Productions [00:00:00]

• Horgan recalls working on low-budget productions like "Pulling" and "The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret."
• Craft services were minimal, sometimes just biscuits and tea.
• This contrasted with American productions that offered more elaborate catering.

  "The budget I've we've done I've done it before you show up and you're like where's craft service and they're like what'd you bring there's nothing"

The Impact of "Game Night" and Writing During Production [00:00:00]

• Horgan loved the film "Game Night" and found it underappreciated.
• While filming "Game Night," she was simultaneously writing the UK TV series "Motherland."
• She experienced a stark contrast between her trailer with lobster and her co-writer's situation.

  "When we were in the trailer I was writing that series and I my co-writer like when we would - I don't think there was even I don't think we were zooming"

The Joy of Creation and Collaboration [00:00:00]

• Horgan finds immense joy in the writing process, especially creating characters and stories.
• She values collaborative "writer's rooms" for idea generation and laughter.
• Even solo writing projects benefit from input from others.

  "I think it's the writing bit for sure because although although I do I love I love an edit where you're putting it together and making it better"

Navigating Creative Control and Actor Interpretation [00:00:00]

• Horgan discusses the challenge of actors interpreting lines differently than imagined.
• She has learned to manage this, sometimes by guiding directors or showrunners.
• She acknowledges that there isn't just one way to perform a line.

  "I think it is but I think I've learned how to be better at it because I used to it used to be a problem"

The "Cock Lolly" Scene and ADR [00:00:00]

• Horgan recounts a specific scene from "Pulling" involving a "cock lolly" pitch.
• The line delivery became a running joke, with the actress repeating it until she was exhausted.
• The line was later re-recorded during ADR (Automated Dialogue Replacement).

  "We wrote this line for for one of the the main actors in it and it was it was just a stupid line it was it was a joke about - a thing"

The "Where's the Fan?" Game [00:00:00]

• Horgan explains a game involving line readings of "Where's the fan?"
• The game originated from a hotel experience where a fan had a note not to remove it from the office.
• Participants take turns delivering the line with different intonations and preambles.

  "So like somebody coming like oh okay boy we got a lot of problems in the hotel today where's the fan?"

AI and the Future of Entertainment [00:00:00]

• Horgan discusses the potential impact of AI on filmmaking, including manipulating faces and dialogue.
• She notes that human behavior has become somewhat cliché, making animation easier.
• The predictability of emotional reactions in actors is highlighted.

  "And what they're saying is coming in in in AI is not and it's not going to be some cartoon character it's going to be something that looks exactly like a person"

Medical Anecdotes and Personal History [00:00:00]

• Horgan shares a memory of having a catheter inserted in her leg after dislocating her hip at 13.
• She discusses her parents' move from London to Ireland due to her father's involvement in a pub and a potentially dangerous situation.
• Her grandfather is from Dingle, Ireland.

  "I had a catheter yes I don't remember having one of those you did a catheter just sort of drains could be draining anything really couldn't it"

"Youth" - A New HBO Series [00:00:00]

• Horgan's new HBO series, "Youth," premieres on September 20th.
• The show is eight half-hour episodes, similar in tone to "Pulling" and "Catastrophe."
• It explores themes of midlife, empty nest syndrome, and the "sandwich generation."

  "It's on hbo yeah and classy organization all right and - it's eight episodes half hour"

Filming Locations and Creature Comforts [00:00:00]

• "Youth" was filmed in the UK, Germany, and Spain.
• Horgan admits to not being great at change and prefers to stay in familiar environments.
• She has lived in the same house for a long time and has had the same agent for 25 years.

  "I shot it here in the in the in in the uk gotcha gotcha yeah and and in and in and in germany and in spain"

Life in Los Angeles vs. England [00:00:00]

• Horgan dislikes hearing constant "industry talk" in Los Angeles, finding it destabilizing.
• She prefers the environment in England, where such talk is less pervasive.
• She notes that LA offers opportunities for fitness and wellness but also has a high crime rate.

  "I don't miss hearing industry talk everywhere I find it very disconcerting and yeah and destabilizing"

Sleep Struggles and Coping Strategies [00:00:00]

• Horgan experiences significant sleep difficulties, possibly due to hormones or stress about her show's release.
• She wakes up around 4:15 AM and listens to podcasts to try and fall back asleep.
• She has tried homeopathic sleep aids like Cams and melatonin without much success.

  "I keep waking up at like 4 15 and just like lying there and I keep putting on - podcasts that that you know put this one on you'll go right back"