Philip Pullman and Ruth Wilson on His Dark Materials | In Conversation

Phlip Pullman and Ruth Wilson
met in Oxford
to discuss His Dark Materials,
playing Mrs Coulter, and
learning to love through stories. Listen to the new audio editions of His Dark Materials here: adbl.co/3dW6xIG
#HisDarkMaterials #PhilipPullman #RuthWilson
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[@lilypond5158]

“what do I know? I only wrote her.” That's just beautiful isn't it?

[@miguelnegron6337]

Yes! Imagine God, Creator of all things, writing everyone's individual story and then saying what do I know I wrote it here's free will, now you choose. 😳

[@Sikosm]

Complete opposite of JKR who has to know every detail 😂

[@jcny11]

I love how he makes us readers be collaborators in creating the stories.

[@ianoneill1736]

I love Philip’s honesty about his characters. He never claims to fully know them. Ruth found things deep within Mrs Coulter’s character that Philip didn’t know were there.

[@druid_zephyrus]

That really is one of the best things a creator can feel and express, imo. Being able to acknowledge that just because you created them does not mean you know them in and out. And to genuinely express gratitude gratitude a new facet of your own creation, from another is just...phenomenal

[@CopperLontra]

She did a phenomenal job as Mrs Coulter. One of my favorite characters in any book and Ruth Wilson absolutely nailed that role.

[@AnnaBellaChannel]

Philip is not a women that is why.

[@CameronHuff]

I remember an author (I forget who, maybe Stephen King?) saying that when they write, sometimes characters will do things they never expected. It just came out of their subconscious and was put on the paper or word processor.

[@TheYorkRose]

Petition to get Ruth Wilson a bench

[@Lord_Procrastinator]

Ruth Wilson's performance was so mesmerizing! My eyes were glued to the screen every time she showed up. She was so complex and vulnerable and badass. She was definitely my favorite character in the whole show.

[@rukeyser]

Agreed - she brought things that will enrich rather than distract from the experience of any who go from the show to the books themselves.

[@TheGrillCheeseFanatic]

Philip Pullman had written such a complex character in Marisa Coulter. I think so very few people in this world can truly represent who and what exactly Mrs Coulter could be. She is so complex. So difficult to portray. And yet, Ruth Wilson has brilliantly nailed her. It is as if Mrs Coulter had been released from the books and walked this world.

[@jsalinasbarros]

In the season 1 pilot i was like YAAAAZ...I truly think that Nicole Kidman wasn't a right cast back then, but Ruth Wilson prove it all along.

[@TheGrillCheeseFanatic]

@@jsalinasbarros Kidman is an oustanding actress. But yes, I agree. She wasn't fit for such a complex role. Wilson, however, is another story. Staring right from the beginning, her performance was nailed, and slayed through and through to the end of the seasonal trilogy. Marisa Coulter is such a complicated personality to interpret, but Wilson completely did it just right. Not too much, not too less. Just right. I think that is why every time she's been on screen through the series, my eyes were automatically turned, and my mind was alert.

[@TheGrillCheeseFanatic]

@@jsalinasbarros It is also incredible how she managed to nail that 'metallic fierceness, mixed with the attractive beauty' which makes Marisa Coulter. You could feel that metallic power emanating through the screen. Remember that metallic power? Pullman had written it just so perfectly. A mixture of compelling attraction, exisiting alongside the poisonous teeth of a serpent of sorts. Wilson just completely got it just the right way.

[@sylviaplath1128]

I will nail her

[@sylviaplath1128]

By force

[@beetlebob4675]

This adaptation is so amazing, i cried. i was waiting for 16 years. Lol whomever dropped Ruth's name in conversation about casting deserves a goddamned raise. 😂

[@Vayne_Solidor]

Shame it's over now, Ms. Coulter is the best character easily, and I always adored Lyra since I read the books.

[@TrikruWanheda]

@@Vayne_SolidorTruly, three seasons was so short, none of them reached 10 episodes, it’s hard to believe they covered everything. I cried so many times it’s not even funny.

[@MonicaJimont]

His Dark Materials has been my favorite trilogy, and story, for years and I'm totally in love with the adaptation. When I got the news that Ruth Wilson was going to play Mrs. Coulter, I knew she was going to be incredible; and this conversation is proof of it. I wish we could have more conversations about the books, because every time I read them again, I find something completely different.

[@racerex340]

Something that is so telling about Sir Philip Pullman, here he is with Ruth having this conversation on film, he has been knighted, the His Dark Materials trilogy is one of the most popular in the past 75 years, The Book of Dust books, he's net worth at least $20 million, and the blazer he is wearing in this video is tattered, well worn, he lives such a simple life, but one of purpose... He personally led a campaign to buy William Blake's Sussex cottage to preserve it as a memorial in Blake's name. I'm not personally British, but this man is a national treasure.

[@elizabethgillespie5284]

I've reread Blake and grown to appreciate him even more as a result of Pullman's appreciation for him. He quotes his favorite authors often. Thank you Philip Pullman.

[@MikaMausArt]

Marisa Coulter has been one of my favorite and most fascinating/terrifying characters to read about back when I was a kid. I always felt that despite Lyra and Will being the main characters of these books, Marisa was low key the soul of them, and almost dare I say the more mature POV when you revisit it as an adult

[@LilySutton1]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/eH_IloF7jqejqpI did you see Ruth Wilson and James McAvoy fun interview?

[@sdemosi]

She's a cunning and tough lady trying to survive in a world of misogynistic men. She can be dangerous and immoral, but so can Asriel. The book, by design, references a type of biblical ethical calculus where the stakes are so grand that teleological justifications are harnessed for all manner of brutality including oblation, Asriel killing a child & sacrificing anyone on the altar of his war with the Authority. The new TV series catches that moral complexity in a way the Hollywood version was never going to be allowed to. Ruth Wilson is the perfect actress to play Mrs Coulter. Even if she said nothing, you feel she could act this entire role with her face. A sneer, widened eyes, raised brow etc. She brings such nuance

[@R3LI2UI]

I have read, and reread this story, both alone and to my grandchildren; passed it on to as many people of substance I meet in my journeys Mr. Pullman, you've created a classic.

[@gabrielaorlando8191]

Ugh, a conversation between two brilliant ppl about a brilliant series, and they ask each other better questions than talk show hosts nowadays, I loved this, could watch a whole hour on it

[@beadragon1048]

What a treat to actually witness the writer and his leading lady discuss his story and her take on his creation. There is such a wonderful dynamic between them. Such amazing insight into this wonderful world he’s imagined. I loved hearing Ruth’s process and interpretation of the character, she is interesting, intelligent, and very articulate. You can’t take your eyes off of her in the series, even when she’s being cruel. There is such complexity to the character and she has played this conflicted conscience so perfectly! Cheers

[@663lotty]

That was quality I can’t wait to hear the whole interview. It also makes me impatient for me series three.

[@NatyGSRHuddy]

wait, there will be more of this interview?

[@Sierra7329]

Mrs.Coulter was one of the most complicated characters to exist ans she nailed it every season!

[@GeminiLibra73]

If anyone is interested, there's a lecture by Donald Kalsched, a psychologist and trauma specialist, who finds himself exploring His Dark Materials in some depth as a way of understanding the nature of trauma, specifically the severing of one's inner, spiritual core. It's quite moving and insightful.

[@raahimas2776]

this was lovely and ruth is rocking that suit.

[@meropedurwood5514]

She once had a photoshoot in this suit, I had no idea she owned it.

[@tenenieldjoandthenightsist5109]

Omg Ruth Wilson is absolutely DIVINE! Phillip Pullman is so intriguing. I love the characters he created in this world because to each person these characters are so different in each of the readers minds. The way we view the characters is how we relate to them written on these pages we read, there's an infinite amount of different Lyras in our world. I LOVE IT.

[@MultiKarola]

books save lives , fanfiction too. they got me through tough times.

[@hayleymatheson8681]

Completely true.🤗

[@cemeterywolf2500]

Amen, books are what keep me going and I read 100 per year.

[@holliswilliams8426]

@@cemeterywolf2500 Used to read at least 100 a year when I was younger but don't have time any more.

[@claudiapereira6979]

Sir Philip and Ruth Wilson are brilliant. This story was so beautiful and meaningful and allowed you to feel all your emotions. Bravo to all involved!

[@Alrightmaboy]

Philip is not just a author! He is a legend just like other fantasy authors, they all help us to get best time imagining a awesome fantasy world.

[@jonathanweir7672]

That was such a lovely conversation! I feel I could have watched them both talk for hours! HDM is my favourite book series and I just can’t wait for series 3 of the tv show to come to our screens.

[@TrikruWanheda]

This show deserves more recognition, I thought everyone knew about The Golden Compass movie even if they didn’t like it cause of the bear scenes. I’d love to hear about this show randomly taking off in popularity, it’s so visually spectacular, the acting and soundtrack are so perfect, I will never forget it.

[@ozdigg9254]

Thank you. It's so interesting to listen to this writer and this actor discussing their art. I have such admiration and love for the way Ruth finds the hidden horrors in the character of Mrs Coulter, and for the wonderful story of Mr Pullman's invention.

[@LilySutton1]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/eH_IloF7jqejqpI Have you watched Ruth Wilson and James McAvoy's interview?

[@joseribamarjr5164]

Just binged the series. It was AMAZING. I cried so hard throughout many parts, specially the ending. that golden monkey deserved better. Amazing work by Ruth Wilson. I almost didn't want her to die at the end. Almost.

[@TrikruWanheda]

I loved the monkey too, real tear jerker moments. Glad Coulter got to say goodbye through her daemon, feeling connected not only to her, but to him for one last time…

[@culturestudios3500]

I did not know I needed her before watching His Dark Materials and now I love her as much as the smell of midnight. She is.

[@rrreverb]

are you talking about ruth wilson ? "the smell of midnight," love that.

[@dale4039]

love Ruth Wilson she's painfully gorgeous and 1 hell of an actress

[@WickedWordzz]

Phillip created such a memorable universe, that leaves a lasting impression on all who go on his adventure. And that's how it should be.

[@kelleywebb7392]

This is beyond wonderful. Although every time I see Ruth Wilson I picture Mrs. Coulter at her most intriguing scariest. What an amazing actress to evoke such a visceral response. Philip Pullman is a treasure.

[@pweiner7597]

Ruth Wilson is such a brilliant and intelligent actress - this was a great conversation

[@chrissiem3958]

Man, his hair is his daemon. I love it!

[@NatyGSRHuddy]

I could hear both of them talking for hours and hours more. Lovely interview, thank you!

[@andylambert3618]

His Dark Materials is one of the best Series I've seen in a very long time. My wife and I were hooked from the very beginning. Excellent from start to finish. Hats off to everyone involved. If you haven't seen it then I suggest you do.

[@TrikruWanheda]

I love how much she cared about this role, she really put everything into it!

[@peterrj68]

I have loved this whole trilogy, it has gripped me right from the start. All the characters were so well portrayed. It's strange that it was so hardly mentioned within the media.

[@nickycha8428]

Ruth Wilson is a great actress

[@missyureiii]

It’s so great seeing other people love this series like I did. I never knew anyone who read this series, it was always about Hunger Games, Harry Potter, and Twilight that my friends talked about. And yet I can’t explain why I was so drawn to His Dark Materials and its universe, these books are the ones I have reread the most in my life. Lyra is someone so different from me, but who I eventually came to admire. I think just the overall themes about religion and science expanded my imagination and made me question and expand my own beliefs on Christianity (now I’m agnostic).

[@TrikruWanheda]

My story is similar. I liked some of the pop culture regurgitation too, but HDM was one of my favourites at 10 and always stayed with me. Since they never finished the real ending to the movie or The Subtle Knife, I’m so happy we got the tv show and that it’s as good as it is!

[@peterdixon7734]

Ruth was exceptionally good in that role.

[@annaschmidt2212]

Instead of this interview, finish BOD 3 so we can all find peace ❤️❤️❤️ Can hardly wait

[@hyenasloan8443]

Before I read HDM I knew what love was but I didn’t really fully understand it. The word gets thrown around in media and it became meaningless to me in a way. But then I read HDM and it clicked for me what it was.

[@clivewitcomb2839]

Ruth Wilson simply *made* this series what it was - Mrs C. was really the main character for me. X

[@sol.f]

I could listen to Pullman talk for hours. Oh how I wish I could meet him

[@TheDivayenta]

I thanked him for the books on Twitter and he responded! Aaaaaa!

[@sol.f]

@@TheDivayenta Oh god. I envy you so much

[@rae316]

Love, love and love. Both pure talent❤.

[@mipatataquierido]

❤️ brilliant actress and writer - master mind of Mrs Coulter. Absolutely genius

[@hayleymatheson8681]

Very compelling. I adore Ruth Wilson and his books are just wonderful. Reading 📚 books is my most favourite thing to do in the world.

[@benji9298]

Ruth: "And names, ok so my monkey doesn't have a name" Phillip: "No, I couldn't think of one" Ruth: "Really?" Phillip: "That's it" Brilliant

[@sjofngeirdal9631]

I had read books by Philip Pullman adults books and saw this trioligy somewhere in the cover and bought it and also á thinner book about Lyra loved it and the series are very much what you read thanks Philip Pullman

[@Zeikid]

Just finished the series on HBO and Coulter was definitely the best character and Ruth played her excellently.

[@jonathondelemos4609]

Fantastic interview! When he said the story evolved when he determined the daemon was changing as a child and became static as an adult, the same occurred for me in understanding the symbolism. Once that bit was implemented the story began to grow substantially.

[@lewistansiol]

Mrs is Marisa without the vowels P.S. Her character is so aptly named and I just loved Ruth’s performance. So scary but lovable at the same time.

[@333Vampirewillrule33]

hearing Wilson speak about her acting choices makes her, to me, the perfect actor for any project. such versatility

[@lucillebalinska5868]

I’m so in love with the books and the series ♥️ Philip Pullman is one of my favourite humans.

[@ursulageorgeson7086]

I could listen to Phillip Pullman talk about his characters for ages.

[@alfredsharp239]

I love watching videos of actors being themselves. It can be strange after you have gotten used to the characters they play, Ruth Wilson isn't how I expected her to be!

[@Gage-nt]

Great video, I must say it really through me off to see the actor for Mrs. Coulter just being a normal person because I'm so used to seeing her in character.

[@ranihandoko3069]

This is the most beautiful deep conversation ✨

[@daughterofares10239]

I read his series when I was younger and now that I'm older and have my own child I definitely need to reread it from my current perspective

[@anthonyorr8868]

This man is a genius.

[@vertigoed.]

please release the entire interview T_T

[@hello_from_nic2998]

Thanks for sharing this excellent and touching conversation. It makes me love the books as well as the adaptation even more.... Like for Ruth Wilson, my favourite character is Mary Malone. (among a few others...but Mary takes the cake )

[@YodaMan-420]

they met at oxford in june.😭

[@danielwilliamson6180]

I've watched some of His Dark Materials. It's a good series.

[@nicolainilsen5101]

Ruth Wilson 🥰

[@Phantassm]

Brilliant writer.

[@edwardlees2992]

Fabulous interview, looking forward to hearing more of it.

[@michaelroosen3241]

i am from belgium and i also love the serie the best of years

[@jacquie58]

That was such a delight to listen to.

[@MKhan-uv5kt]

Great conversation! Very engaging!!! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@flatscan1978]

Meeting every year at midnight is more practical anyway. There's a lesser chance that the bench might be occupied by someone else .

[@pau0228]

So we're just not talking about how Penguin Books misspelt Philip Pullman at <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="15">0:15</a> then?

[@jennyng7954]

I have been waiting for this to be uploaded!

[@sheepdogman1]

Had the pleasure of acting with Ruth in jane eyre. But if you blink you miss my star role.

[@alexandrelot2798]

Human experience is trancended through storytelling. The only power able to overcome hatred and death.

[@alf6245]

What a lovely comment

[@IxiaClover]

on the topic of will and lyra meeting at midday, i always found that odd as someone else may be using the bench at that time

[@ewalad]

My favourite character is also Mary Malone!

[@wandawizard5605]

I have never seen His Dark Materials, but I really like Ruth Wilson as an actress. Do you recommend it?

[@antonellamR2D2]

Yes, it's a multi layered show. Perfect actors and the cgi is never disappointing.

[@emilyward6901]

I would highly recommend it, it's really really amazing

[@aeolia80]

“I quite like a bench” 😂😂😂😂 so do I, so do I, lol, first time me and my now husband kissed was on a bench in a park

[@fgeiger41]

Amazing, he didn't realize that daemons factor heavily into aboriginal American culture. Before colonization, and some even today, our people were described by and even named after their daemons. Until we were culturally severed and have become like Roger spiritually on a superficial level. One of the biggest tells is that during the rift, one of the psychological weapons used against us was named after a fictional character, Jim "Crow" previously known as the Indian Removal Act before the Civil War and reconstruction. It's an Indian name, which would be weird to use on supposed immigrants. Our "authority" was the pope who granted the Magisterium composed of Puritans, Marovians and others throughout the Americas to "reclassify" or people to "negro" when captured.

[@timlamiam]

I love how he admits that he has a student copy of the Edda, and that he's never read it lolol. Most relatable arts student story ever lol.

[@barbaraball3923]

Love this show, magnificent

[@Oske.images]

Wonderful.. need to start reading again...

[@thixiemattel]

I love his names. my manx is 9 he’s called Pantalaimon and I named my nephew who just turned 3, Iorek. naming Pan was easy because he’s not cat like in the least. he’s much more somehow. hes tiny and orange but thinks he’s a great beast and tyrant. he has no tail like a little rabbit but he’s also a raccoon who steals things from you with his paws and fetches like a dog and sleeps only when he’s cuddled upside down with paws over his eyes like a bear cub. Iorek is beautiful and intense and special and was recently diagnosed with autism. i like to think his name will help lend him the strength of a warrior bear king which is, I think, the very least I could do for him.

[@heidismit5261]

It is all very magnificent.

[@darthbane3937]

Has anybody heard anything about the third book in the Book of Dust trilogy? It's been almost 2 years now.

[@amberanime]

Meanwhile people waiting for new A song of ice and fire books....

[@phoebeel]

@@amberanime of Doors of Stone hahaha

[@markianclark9645]

Thanks...yes you seem to be the only commentor that has mentioned my only question for Sir Philip...it has at least 4 titles and very confusing...Book of Dust...The Golden Compass...Northern Lights...and His Dark Materials...every time it comes on the TV or radio or Cinema it has a different title...i guess Hollywood have a control over the film as they always do...as the did with Harry Potter Philosophers Stone became Sorcerers Stone

[@pkunicki]

Mary is the snake (the tempter) Lyra is Eve (the tempted) Pan is God (the betrayed) Will is Adam (the pressured) and Roger is the apple (the temptation) this all leads to the release of the dead

[@niashq]

Ummm not really. The temptation for them was love, love that would keep them from doing what they had to, which was close all doorways and save Dust, conscious life at the cost of their love, of their friendships in different worlds. Mary was the tempter because she taught them what love is, she explains to them, she gives the examples, making them understand their feelings (this is explicitly stated in the book and Pullman says it himself here). Despite the sacrifice, both Lyra and Will were able to resist the temptation of leaving even one window open, just for them, and closed all of them, saving Dust. Love was always the focus. It’s why their deamons settle, why deamons settle. It’s implied throughout the whole series and pretty much explictly confirmed when Lyra and Will’s deamons start to settle and then become permanent forms; when they touch each other’s souls basically, because that’s love; it’s touching, understanding, and loving each other’s souls, the whole being of another person, what makes them who they are. Once their first real love is experienced, deamons settle, because it is a determining moment that changes your perspective of life forever, it makes you mature, it changes you, it is the first taste of how the rest of your life could be.

[@pkunicki]

@@niashq yes I agree with you, I made this comment 7 months ago

[@AnnaBellaChannel]

Roger is also Jesus.

[@Fllavieh]

Love it!!!

[@dorkeboye]

Honestly the dark materials on HBO are soooo much better then the movie. I don’t even think it had anything to do with the actors in the movie that made it bad. It was just too rushed. Things were skipped. Characters did things that made no sense unless fleshed out. I could go on and on

[@vibesmom]

Ruth Keene hit the Mrs Coulter role so out of the park it’s unbelievable. Great conversation, I love this inside stuff.

[@miamo4566]

I feel I am inside this world, or our world is small part of this world.

[@saint1944]

Love it

[@geekyhive]

Marisa Coulter is one of the only existing female characters that truly resembles the complexity of being a woman in a men's society. She is not there only to be used to make men better or stronger or whatever, she is there because SHE WANTS TO BE.

[@leolopez_0728]

There are so many unknowns of Mrs. Coulter: the Golden Monkey never talked, why?

[@tgfitzgerald]

It's fascinating to me that the monkey didn't speak or even have a name. I think the daemons embody conscience, self awareness, empathy, vulnerability, etc. Marisa had spent a lifetime silencing those aspects of herself because 1) she viewed them as weaknesses and 2) to avoid feeling any shame or guilt for her actions. She was very good at rationalizing and justifying her misdeeds to others but the monkey always saw through her lies and manipulation.

[@Brownie2102]

Is the full interview anywhere? Can someone link it if they find it? Cheers

[@robincrowflies]

"I don't believe in an ivory tower. I think that's a bad place to live."

[@manuelabelisario5665]

There should be SOME kind of spoiler alert here :)

[@really-quite-exhausted]

Mary Malone

[@erincosta565]

I love Ruth Wilson. She will always be Jane Eyre.

[@Alexmw777]

I think he's bending the truth a bit to say he couldn't think of a name for the golden monkey. My own view is that the monkey's lack of a name is an intentional part of the Coulter-monkey dynamic, a way of showing instead of telling that Coulter's identity is not well-integrated but rather deeply fractured.

[@mendromon2193]

when is the last book coming out?

[@johnnacke2017]

Any plans to continue the series? Hope so…

[@Dancerapples]

Perhaps Phillip has the cellular memory of the Tarterian's, who we were, our real history.

[@Melpond347]

I'm not fascinated by Coulter in any way, however Ruth performance was extraordinary. Omg we both have the same favourite character ^^ Mary Malone 🤩.

[@paulwestwood6799]

Why have they spliced a frozen screenshot of the back of Ruth’s head into most of this when PP is talking?! 😂

[@jpaxonreyes]

What?