Mark Rylance on the history behind WWII drama "Dunkirk"

Actor Mark Rylance earned an Academy Award for his portrayal of a Soviet spy in the movie "Bridge of Spies." Rylance returns to the big screen for World War II drama "Dunkirk" about the rescue of more than 300,000 British and Allied soldiers from the beaches of Dunkirk in northern France. The film is being considered an early Oscar contender. Rylance joins "CBS This Morning" to discuss his new role and the real-life heroism that inspired the movie.
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Delivered by Charlie Rose, Norah O’Donnell and Gayle King, "CBS This Morning" offers a thoughtful, substantive and insightful source of news and information to a daily audience of 3 million viewers. The Emmy Award-winning broadcast presents a mix of daily news, coverage of developing stories of national and global significance, and interviews with leading figures in politics, business and entertainment. Check local listings for "CBS This Morning" broadcast times.

[@rmy1011]

Rylance is the very definition of charm and humility.

[@friarnewborg9213]

Don't let his humility disarm you, he knows what he is doing, and gets the job done

[@That_Random_Bloke]

edferf wrewefrv Yeah but it's an Oscar winning wiener

[@fabulousmyriad267]

The difference between his onscreen personas and reel life is staggering. I love watching his interviews and seeing the mild but sharp minded actor.

[@patrickbyrne5070]

You’ll also notice he always put in a anti imperialist anti fascist not in things… all so subtlety… he’s a good man. A real man a great actor.

[@thegame6929]

Got to love Rylance, fast becoming one of my favorite actors.

[@skywalkerpotter21]

Who else came here after the film "Don't Look Up" ... just to see if that's the way he actually sounds like.

[@friarnewborg9213]

With his modesty, you can almost forget how brilliant an actor is Rylance

[@friarnewborg9213]

He is also a good teacher - I once took a two day acting class with him

[@advancelast1740]

Friar Newborg - almost

[@Hendo56]

His character is based on Charles Lightoller, who used his personal boat to help evacuate soldiers. Lightoller was the senior surviving officer of the TITANIC. His yacht, the SUNDOWNER, still exists in a museum in Ramsgate.

[@8aba_Yaga]

amazing

[@HamburgerTime209]

SPOILERS: -The boy that dies, George, isn't one of his sons.- However, they do mention that one of Mr. Dawson's sons was in the RAF, and was killed in action early in the war. This matches up with Lightoller, who's youngest son was one of the first British serviceman killed in the war. His oldest was one of the last.

[@davidmurphy8364]

*Spoiler Alert

[@BrawnyBuddha]

Dear diary, Today KZbin comments didn't give me cancer.

[@oriel229]

Interesting. I live in Broadstairs so I'll go and take a look.

[@Harunnawzadi]

Who is here from Look Up? His acting was supreme and I wanted to see if he actually is like that in real life 👀

[@maesterrific]

Just watched it yesterday trying to find something worth watching. His character irritated me mainly bec of his arrogance and the way he spoke. He nailed that role though, a tech billionaire who’s out of touch with the real world. Glad he got what he deserved in the ending.

[@nasibawasim9897]

Who came here to see if he talks like he does in 'dont look up'?

[@blank557]

Rylance acts so natural in his role. Nothing forced, insincere, or chewing up the scenery. He inhabits the character he plays.

[@Sofi-451]

Exit Only that's how I feel completely. I've loved him since bridge of spies. He's like a clear glass. Whatever liquid you pour into, he'll show its color without trying or twisting.

[@Sofi-451]

@killwill83 thank you 😊

[@elizaheathen]

wow this guy is an absolute gem

[@patrickbyrne5070]

He’s half American half British really- we can both be proud

[@shaid1111]

When I am sad, I remember Mark Rylance exists and I smile

[@kalinotsofia]

Would it help?

[@liukin95]

Christ, even when Harry isn't there being interviewed they talk about him! Can we just focus on the film itself please?

[@Sofi-451]

Liukin95 I am quite mad to hear honestly. This movie isn't life of Harry Styles. But then I can't be so mad, looking Rylance's smile. He is just kind and genuine.

[@JohnyAngelo]

This is the kind of person I could just sit with and talk and talk and talk...

[@nayden5834]

Charming man

[@theredbaronlives9889]

mr.Rylance is terrific and wonderful gentleman.looking forward to seeing this in Imax

[@josedominguez26]

Can't wait to see this film Saturday. Chris Nolan will amaze me once again, I just know it

[@truthfilter]

it's an incredible movie i watched it today make sure you go to the toilet before you start because you won't want to move

[@samcad-ho3ze]

Mark Rylance seems like such an unbelievably lovely person.

[@BossMasterPangs]

So his voice is normal. His voice acting in "player one" and "dont look up" is so wierd that I have to search for interviews to check if its his normal voice

[@maxcovfefe]

I just saw "Don't Look Up" this week... and I'm stunned that *Rylance played Peter Isherwell!* I mean he DISAPPEARED into the character! He's unrecognizable. Literally, I just now put this together, like "WAIT A MINUTE!" (a few Google minutes later...) "HOLY CRAP! IT'S THE SAME GUY!!" I feel like someone could scrape me off the floor right now like a used piece of gum. What a fun discovery I just made! I hope other people know about this. Verrry similar moment back when I realized Mindhunter's Ed Kemper was the same guy as The Umbrella Academy's Hazel. They're both played by Cameron Britton, who blows my mind with his wide acting range! Super awesome when this happens. :)

[@silverlve70]

Am planning to view this but I will be drained of tears.

[@carmenchacon726]

Amazing story, I agree! I have read quite a bit about WW2, but I didnt know the specific details of the Dunkirk drama. More than 300 thousand were saved, Incredible!

[@omifishcakes]

Mark Rylance has the most wonderful sparkly eyes. He seems so completely charming.

[@CaptainAmercia]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="4">00:04</a>:44 "everyone's going to come" my mind right then was in a completely different place :-D I can listen to Mark all night his voice is fantastic

[@DonHalli]

An amazing actor who for some reason reminds me of Bobby Ball a little bit in this interview.

[@alexandercummins]

Rip to the one French guy. You see the film you'll know who.

[@xxhsxx]

Rip all the french soldiers and the french resistance who were killed holding the city so the allies can retreat knowing its a suicide mission. They have ONE sentence in this movie mentionning them, that's a shame..

[@Musabre]

If they were actually on the beach where the majority of the movie takes place, maybe they'd be mentioned more. The movie is about being 'right there', not about what's going on further afield. Nor is it a history lesson.

[@BERTRAMCAT]

Merci !

[@derek-press]

xxhsxx .yes and BUT this was French soil the brave French 1st were fighting for their country the british were there to help them and Europe THEY DID NOT have to be there .... if this was an English beach I would stay and fight to the last just as your guys did (130K French did make it to Britain thankfully )

[@patrickbyrne5070]

@@xxhsxxthat’s Nolan for you. Still… Rylance knows, and he’s a genuine joy. We must remember- we remember all of it

[@BartOpph]

‘And now, in some ways, you‘re safer in the military…’

[@cannibal6427]

Favorite actor by far

[@Liamnesque]

I wished they would've shown more of the French holding the lines... those were real brave frogs

[@mrswinkyuk]

French AND British held the line. Learn your history. Also, mention the Canadians, Belgins etc. AND thousands of Frence were also rescued.

[@Jared_Wignall]

In the movie, when they’re waiting for the civilian ships to arrive and when they arrive, you can hear gun fire, which is the French shooting at the Nazis. The film is supposed to be about putting you in the situation of the British trying to get home as well as those doing what they can to help those stuck on the beach, be it by boat or plane, not about the French holding the lines. So, while you don’t really see the French holding the line against the Germans after the beginning of the movie, you can hear them shooting near the end of the movie.

[@Vangough792]

Excellent actor

[@PINQINQ]

The dude could win an award for being on a Talkshow

[@dessullivan1725]

He captures that lovely dulcet southwest accent so well (Dorset?).

[@darkfeather6857]

This man is such a great actor! I saw him on Don't Look Up and couldn't tell if he was acting or that was how he really is, so I came here to be certain. How did Netflix have the budget to hire that all star cast?! Some of their productions are such low quality.

[@richardjoganah1871]

Mark rylance is a brilent actor and brilent in dunkirk film ☺

[@johnnyjabsco1999]

When I watched Dunkirk I knew I knew him from somewhere. At first I thought it was the real John McVicar. I thought he must've been given an acting role. Then it hit me. He played John Healy in The Grass Arena. A great film, bit of an oldie these days.

[@opo6206]

Mr. Dawson is based off of Charles Herbert Lightoller and he was the 2nd officer aboard the RMS Titanic, he captained man6 ships in WWI, survived a zeppelin attack, and rescued soldiers in Dunkirk.

[@thebacons5943]

Best part of Dunkirk (Character-wise at least)

[@jpdiaz1506]

"we're successful at being imperialists" Real

[@susanmontague5267]

Cillian Murphy, Kenneth Branagh, Mark Rylance ... Who else...? Amazing.!...Amazing!

[@K_-_-_-_K]

any chance of a wallpaper of <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="30">0:30</a>?

[@lewistaylor2858]

Funny they didn't show the French 1st army defending the surrounding area or the abandonment of the highland division

[@diegopisfil614]

He reminds me of Alexandre Desplat

[@Kuntyful]

The UK, lost 90% of armanance ... but saved 90% of troops...

[@johnburns4017]

About of third of arms came back. The BEF was only 9% of all allied troops. The Luftwaffe were largely kept away from the beaches, why so many sailed home after being ordered to fall back to Dunkirk. The RAF over the Dunkirk pocket lost less planes than the Luftwaffe. The beat the Luftwaffe. The first showing in numbers of the Spitfire.

[@kevinpitt2203]

Some good points here, which I see little of in the discussion. The German Army was some 2 1/2 million strong that attacked Belgium and France. The French were by far the largest Army and had overall control and command of the Allied force. Their army was some 3 million strong, and was manly based in the Maginot line. After the collapse of the French Army defending Belgium, the British Army was simply too small to deal with the Germans on their own. There was no way the British Army could mount an effective counter attack from Dunkirk, or hold out should the full force of the German Army be sent against them after the fall of France, which was inevitable. The French consider the evacuation of Dunkirk as a betrayal to this day. Wonder how it will be seen in France.

[@Kuntyful]

It was a retreat no doubt... but it did save WW2... if not, I'd be writing in German....

[@danielw5850]

@@kevinpitt2203 Indeed (to your last point). The "betrayal" narrative omits the fact that Churchill ordered (order - carried out) that there be 1:1 evacuation of French & British; in the last hours, after the BEF were lifted, the ships were waiting for French troops.

[@kevinpitt2203]

@@danielw5850 - A major gripe of many of the French troops evacuated at Dunkirk was that they were kept in England and not returned to France. We can see now that this was the best option as these troops were involved in liberating Paris some 4 years later. For any French national this period is difficult to say the least. They would not have the triumph of the Battle of Britain to sweeten the pill. Sadly though, the reasons for their defeat and abject humiliation lay very close to home

[@terrencejr4627]

the bfg in human form :) :) :) so handsome

[@CleversonSantos]

Hey, He is Sir Stannis Baratheon... He was a warior

[@aquablushgirl]

Mark Rylance was not in Game of Thrones. That was Stephen Dillane.

[@NowlZeo]

Is it just me? this guy looks like Nolan North

[@marc07112]

Dunkirk, thats where we're going....................Dunkirk

[@ysbrandvdvelde4352]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="262">4:22</a> TRIGGERD and woman... And woman... And woman... And woman.... I know there where some woman spies working for GB and even woman snipers in the red army, but they mostly worked in factories making equipement for the army to use. And there where a lot of woman working in radar stations and medical stuff. And woman pilots delivering planes to millitairy airfields and cargo.

[@ysbrandvdvelde4352]

But they played a importment role.

[@lewistaylor2858]

Ysbrand vd Velde there were no women in the BEF

[@davidh8151]

I am interested to see that Mark Rylance sails his boat from Weymouth to Dunkirk in the film. I doubt that that this happened in reality. I live in NZ but spent much of the war as a young boy in Weymouth. Its a long sail from Weymouth to Dunkirk. According to the official record most of the "small ships" sailed from Ramsgate or ports closer to Dunkirk. Can anyone confirm whether boats came from Weymouth. Despite this Weymouth is a lovely town but I doubt that I will visit there again

[@SayakDas95]

His character is based on Charles Lightoller, who used his personal boat to help evacuate soldiers. Lightoller was the senior surviving officer of the TITANIC. His yacht, the SUNDOWNER, still exists in a museum in Ramsgate.

[@iamthecaptainofmysoul2293]

David H it's entirely possible www.bbc.co.uk/news/10188033

[@joemancini327]

Yes indeed this event did happen in reality. This actually isn't the first time Officer Lightoller as been potrayed in film.

[@morganpowys]

I can barely hear Rylance over the sound of the air whistling through the heads of the 2 female hosts

[@kevinsavage808]

THE BRITISH FLAG WAS UPSIDE DOWN ON THE JEEP AT THE BEACH

[@HappyBear376]

That rips my knitting.

[@mikejohnson693]

i think it would of been safer going back on a canoe.

[@Lobotommy110]

I gotta go to play CoD now!

[@WiseAilbhean]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="80">1:20</a> yw

[@flyingboxcow8724]

THE MOVIE IS NOT ABOUT HARRY STYLES DAMN

[@wheretheyhaveribs55]

They invite Mark to talk about Harry. These dim witted reporters!!

[@brynleyjones2674]

Spoiler alert: the soldier then kills the son of Mark rylance in the movie.

[@JIeryxa]

He just acted himself in the movie.

[@jwhiskey242]

Every time I see something from one o these morning news programs - I am reminded why I wont watch morning "Fake news" programs.

[@splinterbyrd]

Dunkirk: limp.

[@HawtButCold]

She had to throw in the " and women" .

[@kascnef]

Dunkirk will be the next titanic

[@saaulooo]

And Mr Dawson was based on a Titanic survivor who rescued people in his yatch

[@joemancini327]

Yes. Mr Dawson was based off a Titanic survivor known as Officer Lightoller who survived the sinking in 1912. He went on to help in both world wars. He owned a yacht that he used to help in Dunkirk. Officer Lightoller eventually died in the smog diaster in London in 1952. His yacht still exists and is currently in a museum.

[@zebunker]

Answering the...Call of Duty...goes on sale Nov 1st. Why did they not show the German side at all. Feels archaic flag waving John Wayne propaganda.

[@amyclarke41]

I thought it was about Scotland 😐

[@johnturner2175]

I must ask you are you really interested in why we did what we did to the Japanese in America and why. For anyone truly interested you will only find the answer in southern China. The Americans knew what the Japanese we’re doing to the Chinese people 5 years prior to Dec. 7, 1941and that’s why we interned them. You say what a horrible thing we did with the bomb ask the relatives of the Chinese people who managed to survive if it was horrible thing. Your show was interesting about your family except for some truly ignorant comments you made about the poor Japanese.

[@4catsnow]

This guy thinks the British are so successful at War? And they are guy's with 400 thousand troops trapped on a beach?? Woow.,,,....they were lucky Von Runstedt wanted his Panzers to stop and rest...that's the only reason they got off that beach...

[@ollie1154]

4catsnow if the Panzers kept moving the Panzers would have suffered heavy losses their supply lines were over extended and they had no infantry they would have been easy targets for the BEF. Also the British are an island smaller than Idaho yet controlled 1/3rd of the World and have invaded and won wars against 90% of the worlds nations.