The Graham Norton Show

Robert De Niro explains the ending of Heat, Anne Hathaway says she is still intimidated by great actors, Kenneth Branagh reveals how nervous he was when he first worked with Judi Dench, while Tom Hiddleston talks about getting naked, and The Shires perform live in the studio.

On this week's show. Graham welcomes Hollywood legend Robert De Niro, Oscar-winner Anne Hathaway, director and actor Kenneth Branagh, actor Tom Hiddleston and British country pop duo The Shires.

Robert, sporting a cap to cover his Bernie Madoff bald patch and comb-over, and talking about his new movie The Intern, in which unusually he plays a lowly character, says, "I don't often play those sort of roles but it's a nice flipping of everything around." Asked if it's hard to play a lovely man, he says sarcastically, "Would I have preferred to beat someone up? I asked the director and Anne if I could do that but it's not that kind of movie!"

Asked by Tom, who declares himself a huge fan of the actor, to explain the end of the movie Heat and why his character Neil McCauley turned back, Robert says, "He probably just had to go back and get the revenge he wanted and to even the score. That's the chance he took."

Tom, a great impressionist, entertains everyone with a reprise of the restaurant scene from the movie playing both De Niro and Pacino roles.

Talking about his long awaited movie directed by Martin Scorsese, he says, "We're getting there. We're slowly getting it into position. It's still happening."

Anne, Robert's co-star in the new movie, asked if she's now been in enough movies not to be intimidated in the presence of legendary actors, says, "I haven't, no. I was pretty nervous to work with Robert. Julie Andrews was good prep and Meryl Streep was very, very good prep. But when I worked with Meryl I was so awed by her and I was such a fan that I couldn't get over it the entire time so felt I missed out on the experience of working with her. I was too scared to talk - I don't know if it was the character or Meryl or a combination of the two - so this time I decided I wasn't going let my fan worship (of Robert) get in the way of having a great time so I would do my freak-outs at home!"

Anne reveals that Robert is not actually a fan of the US reality series The Bachelor, "I didn't mean to, but I made the world believe he was a fan of the show. As it turns out it was my mistake because I had no idea he was being sarcastic when he said, 'You bet your ass I'm a big fan' in an email. I thought this is such good goss! I stupidly told a journalist about it and Robert has had to answer non-stop questions this entire press tour." Asked if he's ever even seen the show, he says, 'No.'"

Denying she is in the frame to be the new Mary Poppins, she says, "No, no one has talked to me." Adding jokingly and referencing The Princess Diaries, "Although I do have an in as I am Julie Andrews's granddaughter."

Kenneth also reveals how nervous he once was in the presence of great actors, "Once you get to know people it's different but the first time I worked with Judi [Dench] I was terrified to contact her. I was so nervous it took three days to plan the casual phone call. I rehearsed six different versions of that call and how it might go. I was terrified and my hands were trembling when I dialled her number," adding about his fellow guest, "And when I knew I was going to work with Robert (on Mary Shelley's Frankenstein) and saw my name next to his on a piece of paper, I cried. He is a master."

Talking about directing Thor and a topless Chris Hemsworth, he says, "I was a bit embarrassed when we came to do the scene in the movie when he takes his shirt off, I felt uncomfortable talking about how we would do it and how he might feel he shouldn't. I even rang my wife to ask her and she said rather over enthusiastically, 'Get him to take his shirt off!' When I broached it with Chris he said (Kenneth using an Australian accent), "Of course I'm going to get my bloody shirt off mate. I've been training for nine months for this thing!"

And on the nudity scenes in his new movie Crimson Park, Tom says, "I was happy to do it. In many of these situations it is the woman who is more naked and we wanted to re-dress the balance."

The Shires perform All Over Again live in the studio.

And finally, Graham pulls the lever on more foolhardy audience members brave enough to sit in the Red Chair.