Eamonn Holmes, 65, takes swipe at ‘horrible’ celebrities as he rips into fakeness of showbusiness: ‘False, false, FALSE!’
Eamonn Holmes has pulled no punches during a recent discussion about fakeness in Hollywood and showbiz as a whole after almost five decades in the industry.
The GB News Breakfast star has been a familiar face on screens since 1979, beginning on Ulster Television before heading to the BBC, ITV, Sky, and now, the People’s Channel.
During that time, Eamonn has interviewed and mingled with some of the world’s biggest and best-known faces, with countless exclusive interviews on his CV.
But in the latest episode of his podcast, Things We Like with Eamonn & Paul, he and co-host Paul Coyte sat down with legendary British actor Ray Winstone to discuss how some of the celebrities they’ve crossed paths with aren’t necessarily the nicest.
During the episode, Winstone reflected on his illustrious career on the big screen, touching upon his roles in films like Sexy Beasts, The Departed, and a whole host of other box office smashes.
At one point in the conversation, Winstone lauded the work of several directors he’s worked with before, prompting Eamonn to ask why he decided against a home in Los Angeles where he could be living among industry legends.
“You talk about being there, why are you not in Hollywood, Los Angeles, or New York, living with them all and mixing and socialising with them all?” Eamonn probed.
“West Ham don’t play in New York or Los Angeles, Eamonn, for crying out loud!” Paul hilariously cut in before Winstone delivered his honest explanation.
“That would be like living above the shop!” Winstone replied. “Listen, I’ve had a great, great time working in Los Angeles and New York. I love New York. New York is one of my favourite cities.
“LA… I couldn’t live in LA. It’s constant. Even the guy who puts petrol in your car works in the industry. It’s like every two minutes, it’s all they want to talk about. We talk about birds and football and boxing, you know, they talk about movies.
“There’s something else out there, you know, and I think to be successful in what you do, you’ve got to know what else is going on in the world rather than be wrapped up in your own fantasy world.
“Hollywood and Los Angeles are wonderful places when you’re doing alright, but when you’re not…”
Sensing what Winstone was alluding to, Eamonn chimed in: “‘I don’t like this character. I don’t like so and so. I like that person. I didn’t get on with them’.”
Winstone agreed with Eamonn’s point as the two turned the subject towards celebrities’ faux fondness for their counterparts when the cameras are rolling. “I’ve upset a few people before, not too many, but why would you say you like someone if you don’t?” Winstone chipped in.
Eamonn then let loose: “That’s what the business is based on. I mean, I’m like you. I get myself into trouble because if I don’t like someone, they’ll know I don’t like them.
“And there are so many horrible people that you end up with. People say, ‘Oh, he’s lovely, he’s fantastic’…
A post shared by ‘Things We Like with’ Eamonn & Paul (@thingswelikewith)
“If they say to me, ‘What’s that Ray Winstone like?’ I’ll say he is lovely and he is fantastic and people will believe me because I wouldn’t say it if you weren’t, but so many are just false, false, false.”
Winstone agreed, although he explained why he has an element of sympathy for younger figures in the industry.
“Sometimes, especially some of the younguns are put in a position when they’re asked questions on the telly and they’re not quite sure how to answer it and quite rightly so because they’re burning bridges in a way,” he said.
“But I’ve seen people on shows, ‘Everyone’s lovely, everyone’s wonderful’… No, they’re not!”
Things We Like with Eamonn & Paul releases new episodes weekly and is available to stream and download on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major platforms now.
The full Ray Winstone podcast is also available to watch on YouTube here.