The Graham Norton Show

Sylvester Stallone and Robert De Niro talk boxing, Carey Mulligan says she was reluctant to kiss Leonardo Di Caprio, Jonah Hill says Dustin Hoffman told him he wouldn't win an Oscar and Jake Bugg performs live in the studio.

Sylvester Stallone, talking about his iconic role of Rocky admits he wouldn't let anyone else star in the film "It was a crossroads situations that every artist faces. I wasn't a good student but I always understood dialogue so I wrote something for what I could do and that I would feel good with. But they wanted big bankable names for it. I said no. It was a huge roll of the dice but it paid off. It was a long shot. I could have sold the script for a lot of dough but you just know it's right part and you'd bleed for the right part. You'd regret it for the rest of your life if you didn't do it."

Robert De Niro, talking about making Grudge Match, says, "When I heard about it I always knew it had to be Sylvester to do it. I had to talk him into it - he had reservations, he was worried about it being a comedy but I said, 'don't worry, we'll do it together and it will be okay.'"

Sylvester adds, "I was worried because it might have come out as unintentional comedy but the way they worked it and with the other cast it started to get good so I stopped being foolish, precious and protective of Rocky and let it go."

Asked if he would liked to have hit Robert for real in the movie's boxing match, Sylvester jokes, "I would l loved to have whacked him out. I wanted to do Raging Bull and he took my part!" On facing Sylvester in the ring, Robert says, "I wasn't frightened. I saw how much experience he had and it was great choreography."

Looking remarkable fit, the duo talk about getting into shape for the movie. Robert says, "It was fun. I have a fitness baseline and the boxing is a great workout - it's invigorating and it's hard." Sylvester, explaining how he spent his early career in the gym, says, "I'm trying to avoid going to the gym. I ended up doing a lot of action films and you have to be in shape. I swear I was in the gym so often that if I'd had another daughter I would have called her Barbella! I figure at a certain age you get clogged arteries and you drop dead happy."

Carey Mulligan, on being cast in The Great Gatsby, says of the audition, "It was daunting. It was really scary. Daisy has to kiss Gatsby but you don't just kiss Leonardo Di Caprio. We were half way through the scene and I was close to his face but had to ask the director if I should kiss him. He said yes so I just did it and I got the job. That's how you get a job!"

Admitting that the first time she auditioned for the Cohen brothers' Inside Llewyn Davis, via a mobile phone selfie, she was a "Bit tipsy", Carey explains, "I was so excited so I did the audition after a dinner where I had had a few drinks. My American accent is better after a few drinks and then I decided to eat something - it works for Brad Pitt who eats all the time in films! It was a really drunk audition. Thank god I didn't send it."

Jonah Hill, talking about being nominated for an Oscar for Moneyball says "Dustin Hoffman, who is the reason I am in films, said, 'Congratulations, the older guy is going to win, you were great, but you are definitely not going to win!"

And on the opportunity of working with Martin Scorsese, he says, "It was my first audition for six year and I was terrified in the first place, let alone for my favourite director ever. It was a crazy, crazy experience but it was good. It took them two months to let me know I had the part."

Jake Bugg performs A Song About Love live in the studio, before joining Graham for a chat about his Brit nomination and new album.