♪♪♪
>> Stephen: WELCOME BACK,
EVERYBODY. MY FIRST GUESTS TONIGHT ARE A
WELSH ICON OF STAGE AND SCREEN AND A CELEBRATED FRENCH
WRITER/DIRECTOR. THEIR FILM "THE FATHER" IS
NOMINATED FOR SIX ACADEMY AWARDS. >> WHAT DO YOU DO FOR A LIVING. OH, I WAS A DANCER. WERE YOU? YES. DAD! WHAT? YOU WERE AN ENGINEER. WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT IT? YES, TAP DANCING WAS MY
SPECIALTY. >> REALLY? YOU SEEM SURPRISED. A LITTLE BIT. DON'T YOU BELIEVE ME? OR YOU FIND THAT DIFFICULT TO
IMAGINE? >> OF COURSE. IT'S JUST I'VE ALWAYS LOVED TAP
DANCING. >> YOU, REALLY? WOW, I'M STILL GREAT AT IT. I'LL SHOW YOU. ( LAUGHTER )
JOLLY GOOD! WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING? >> I'M SORRY. SORRY. >> I KNOW, I KNOW WHO SHE
REMINDS ME OF? >> WHO? LUCY. IT WAS LUCY WHEN SHE WAS
YOUNGER. >> LUCY? YES, MY OTHER DAUGHTER. THAT'S RIGHT. THERE'S A RESEMBLANCE, DON'T YOU
THINK? >> MAYBE. YES, YES, HER UNBEARABLE
HABIT OF LAUGHING I HAD YOU THERE, DIDN'T I? >> STEPHEN: PLEASE WELCOME TO
"A LATE SHOW," SIR ANTHONY HOPKINS AND FLORIAN ZELLER. GENTLEMEN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
BEING HERE. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH. >> Stephen: THE FILM IS
NOMINATED FOR SIX ACADEMY AWARDS. TONY, THIS IS YOUR SIXTH ACADEMY
AWARD FORM NATION, FLORIAN, THIS IS YOUR FIRST. I UNDERSTAND YOU ADAPTED "THE
FATHER" WITH TONY IN MIND. WHY TONY FOR THIS PARTICULAR
PART AND PERHAPS YOU COULD TELL THE AUDIENCE SOMETHING ABOUT THE
ROLE OF "THE FATHER" "THE FATHER" IS ABOUT A MAN LOSING
HIS BEARINGS, AND IT'S TRUE WHEN I START DREAMING ABOUT MAKING
THAT FILM, BECAUSE EVERYTHING STARTED WAS A DREAM. THE ONLY FACE THAT CAME TO MY
MIND WAS ANTHONY'S. SO I WROTE THE SCRIPT WITH HIM
IN MIND AND THE REASON IS I THINK HE IS THE GREATEST LIVING
ACTOR AND ALSO BECAUSE I HAVE THIS INTUITION THAT HE WOULD BE
REALLY POWERFUL IN THIS PART, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE WE KNOW AN
ACTOR THROUGH ALL HIS PARTS AND, TO ME, AT LEAST, ANTHONY WAS
THIS MAN, VERY INTELLIGENT, ALWAYS IN CONTROL, AND I THOUGHT
HE WOULD BE EVEN MORE DISTURBING AND HEARTBREAKING TO SEE THAT
MAN PRECISELY LOSING THE CONTROL, AND, SO -- IT WAS LIKE
A DREAM AT FIRST, BUT I WAS AWARE THAT IT WAS NOT AN EASY
DREAM TO FULFILL BECAUSE IT'S MY FIRST PICTURE PHILLIP AND HE'S
SIR ANTHONY HOPKINS. BUT I WAS, LIKE, IF SOMEONE
COMES AND PROVES YOU IT IS NOT POSSIBLE, IT MEANS THAT
POTENTIALLY IT IS. >> Stephen: FLORIAN POINTS OUT
THAT YOU'RE WELL KNOWN FOR BEING ARE EITHER THE PERSON IN CONTROL
OR HAVE GREAT CONTROL OVER THEMSELVES, YOU KNOW, WHETHER
YOU'RE ODEN IN THE MARVEL MOVIES, OR WHETHER YOU'RE THE
CHARACTER WHOSE NAME ESCAPES ME AT THE MOMENT FROM "REMAINS TO
HAVE THE DAY" WHO'S SOMEONE WHO'S IN CONTROL AND VERY MUCH
IN CONTROL OF THEMSELVES. THIS STORY ABOUT A MAN WHO HAS A
PROFOUND DEMENTIA THE AUDIENCE GETS TO EXPERIENCE THROUGH HIS
EXPERIENCE IS QUITE THE OPPOSITE. WHAT IS IT LIKE FOR YOU AS A
PERFORMER TO PLAY SOMEONE WHO HAS A SENSE OF STATUS AND
CONTROL AND DIGNITY AND, YET, IT'S CONSTANTLY BEING UNDERMINED
BY THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF HIS OWN PERCEPTION? >> WELL, IT'S QUITE EASY. YOU KNOW, I HAVE BEEN DOING THIS
FOR A LONG TIME NOW OFF ( LAUGHTER )
>> Stephen: SO EVERY PART JUST ROLLS OFF YOUR TONGUE IS WHAT
YOU'RE SAYING? >> IT TAKES A LOT OF
PREPARATION. I'M NOT A METHOD ACTOR AS SUCH,
I DON'T HAVE TO SIT IN A CORNER THINKING ABOUT IT. BUT I DO STUDY THE SCRIPT
CAREFULLY AND I GO THROUGH IT AND I FEED MY BRAIN WITH IT, I
LEARN THE LINES. THAT IS CONTROL. BECAUSE IT'S LIKE GETTING IN THE
CAR AND DRIVING WHEN YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO DRIVE. YOU'RE ALL THE WAY OVER THE
FREEWAY, YOU KILL PEOPLE. SO WHAT I DO IS I CONTROL MY END
OF IT, FEED MY BRAIN WITH THE STORY LINE, AND CHRISTOPHER
HAMPTON'S SCRIPT, AND, YOU KNOW, FLORIAN'S ORIGINAL PLAY IS LIKE
A ROAD MAP, SO I FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS TO HAVE THE ROAD MAP. IT MAKES IT REALLY EASY. MAY NOT SEEM LIKE IT. MAY SEEM I'M BEING FALSELY
MODEST, BUT IT ISN'T ONCE YOU KNOW THE TECHNIQUE. THE TECHNIQUE IS MISTRUSTED IN
AMERICA, ESPECIALLY THE ACTOR'S STUDIO, THOUGH GREAT RESPECT TO
THEM. BUT I DO BELIEVE YOU HAVE TO BE
IN CHARGE ALL THE TIME, AND THEN THE INFORMATION I'VE GOT IN MY
BRAIN TAKES OVER. >> Stephen: ONE TO HAVE THE
THINGS THAT'S MOST BEAUTIFUL ABOUT THE FILM TO ME, AND MY
CARDS ON THE TABLE, I THINK -- AND YOU CAN TAKE THIS AS YOU
WILL -- I THINK THAT THIS IS THE GREATEST PERFORMANCE OF YOUR
CAREER, AND IT MIGHT BE THE GREATEST PERFORMANCE I'VE EVER
SEEN AN ACTOR COMMIT TO FILM. THAT IS MY IMMEDIATE REACTION
AFTER I SAW THE FILM. IT'S ABSOLUTELY HEARTBREAKING,
BUT SO BEAUTIFULLY RENDERED, NOT ONLY THROUGH YOUR PERFORMANCE
BUT THROUGH THE WRITING AND THE DIRECTING, FLORIAN, THAT I'M
REMINDED VITALLY OF, YOU KNOW, THE OLD -- OF SAYING BY
TERRENCE, WHICH IS I AM HUMAN, NOTHING HUMAN IS FOREIGN TO ME,
AND YOU EXPERIENCE THIS DEMENTIA THROUGH THE PERSON OF TONY,
WHICH IS ALSO THE CHARACTER'S NAME, AND IT'S A STRANGELY
ENTERTAINING FILM AS WELL AS BEING A HEARTBREAKING ONE. YOU WANT TO KNOW HIS PERCEPTION
AND HOW IT TURNS OUT. WHAT WAS YOUR INTENTION IN
TELLING THIS STORY? BECAUSE I'M LEFT GRATEFUL FOR
THE FILM, EVEN THOUGH I'M HEART BROKEN. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SAYING
THIS. THE FIRST IDEA WAS TO PUT THE
AUDIENCE IN THIS UNIQUE POSITION, AS YOU SAID, TO GO
THROUGH A LABYRINTH AS IF YOU WERE IN ANTHONY'S MIND, YOU
KNOW, AND TO QUESTION EVERYTHING YOU ARE SEEING AND IN ORDER TO,
YOU KNOW, I WANTED "THE FATHER" TO NOT ONLY BE A STORY BUT AN
EXPERIENCE OR THE EXPERIENCE OF WHAT IT COULD MEAN TO LOSE
EVERYTHING INCLUDING YOUR OWN BEARINGS, AS A VIEWER. THE FILM IS LIKE A PUZZLE AND
YOU HAVE TO PLAY WITH ALL THE PIECES TO HAVE THE PUZZLE TO TRY
TO MAKE IT MEANINGFUL TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS GOING ON AND
WHAT IS REAL AND NOT REAL, AND TO ME IT'S TO PUT YOURSELF IN AN
ACTING POSITION, NOT TO WATCH A STORY BEING TOLD BUT REALLY TO
BE PART OF THE NARRATIVE. >> Stephen: TONY, IN WHAT WAYS
IS THIS ROLE MEANINGFUL TO YOU AS SOMEONE WHO YOU HAVE YOUR OWN
FACULTIES, YOUR ARTIST AND TECHNIQUE YOU'RE STILL A MASTER
AND COMMAND OF, BUT TO CONSIDER THE THOUGHT OF LOSING THAT
CONTROL? >> WELL, IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S
BEYOND OUR CONTROL IN A LIMITED WAY, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE NO
CONTROL AT ALL IN THE BIGGER SENSE. WE CAN NEVER PREDICT WHAT'S
GOING TO HAPPEN. AND FOR ME, AGAIN, GOING BACK TO
THE SCRIPT THAT'S SO EASY TO PLAY, BUT THE CONTROL, FROM AN
ACTOR'S POINT OF VIEW, IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY, AND, YOU
KNOW, SUBS STANISLAVSKI INTESTED THE TECHNIQUES AND KNOWLEDGE ALL
THE TIME. I'VE KNOWN HIM SINCE ABOUT THREE
YEARS OF AGE. SO I'VE LEARNED ENOUGH TO KNOW
THINGS ARE FRAGILE, AND I CAN'T MOVE AS FAST AS I USED TO, BUT I
KEEP MY MIND ACTIVE BY LEARNING THE LINES, PLAYING THE PIANO,
KEEPING ACTIVE ALL THE TIME AND ENJOYING EVERY DAY OF MY LIFE. TO ANSWER THE QUESTION, MY
PARENTS DIDN'T DIE OF DEMENTIA, BUT I REMEMBER MY FATHER
SUFFERING TOWARD THE END. HE DIED SLOWLY OVER A PERIOD OF
NINE MONTHS FROM HEART DISEASE, AND I KNOW HE WOULD BECOME
IRASCIBLE AND OF COURSE HE WAS FRIGHTENED. HE WENT INTO A COMA SLIGHTLY FOR
ABOUT A DAY, AND THEN HE DIED. IT WAS A LONG TIME AGO, 40,
ALMOST 50, LONG, LONG TIME AGO. AND I REMEMBER THAT MOMENT. AND WHEN HE WAS DEAD, I THOUGHT,
THAT'S IT. I LOOKED AT MYSELF AND I
THOUGHT, YOU'RE NOT SO HOT EITHER BECAUSE WE'RE ALL GOING
TO GO. AND I THINK WHAT APPEALS TO ME
NOW AT THIS TIME IN MY LIFE IS THAT WE COME SCREAMING INTO THIS
WORLD FROM DARKNESS. WE GO THROUGH LIFE AND WE THINK
WHAT IS IT ALL ABOUT, IS THERE ANY PURPOSE? WHAT IS THE MEANING OF IT? WE KNOW AS WE'RE COMING TO AN
END THAT WE GO SCREAMING BACK INTO THE DARKNESS FROM WHICH WE
CAME AND NO MATTER HOW MUCH WE DENY IT IT'S THERE ALL THE TIME. SO THAT ENRICHES ME AS AN ACTOR,
KNOWING THAT. SO THE EMOTIONS ARE PRETTY RAW
NOW, I TEND TO WEEP AT THE SMALLEST THING, BUT I ENJOYED
THIS SO MUCH BECAUSE IT'S AN EXPLORATION OF MYSTERY OF LIFE,
THE SHEER MYSTERY, THE GREAT TERRIBLE BEAUTY OF LIFE AND HOW
IT JUST GRADUALLY SLIPS AWAY AND, YOU KNOW, AND IT'S AWESOME,
AND I'M IN AWE OF THIS, TO BEGIN AN OPPORTUNITY TO PLAY A MAN
LIKE THIS WHO'S LOSING ALL HIS MARBLES. ONE THING THAT CAME OUT OF MY
CHILDHOOD, I WAS ALWAYS OBSESSED WITH THE WIND AND RAIN AND THE
LEAVES IN THE TREES. THERE WAS ONE LINE, THE WIND AND
THE RAIN, BUT THAT HAUNTS ME. THE WIND AND THE RAIN, BECAUSE
IT RAINS EVERY DAY. THERE'S SOMETHING SO FRAGRANT
ABOUT MORTALITY, IT WILL COME. AND THAT IS HAUNTING FOR ME. IT'S BEAUTIFUL IN A WAY BECAUSE,
FINALLY, YOU THINK, WELL, THIS MAY BE A DREAM. WHAT IS THIS ALL ABOUT? IT'S A WONDERFUL SENSE OF AWE. >> Stephen: WELL, SPEAKING OF
SHAKESPEARE, WHEN THE FILM WAS OVER, I WAS REMINDED OF SONS
HAIR, SONS TEETH, SONS EVERYTHING AND AT THE END OF
THIS FILM, YOU ARE STILL LEFT WITH THE LOVE THAT THE DAUGHTER
HAS FOR THE FATHER AND THE NEED FOR LOVE THAT THE FATHER HAS,
ESPECIALLY AT THE END. THAT KEEN NEED FOR LOVE AT ALL
TIMES. SO WHEN EVERYTHING ELSE IS GONE,
ALL IS LEFT IS THE LOVE AND THE NEED FOR LOVE. >> THAT'S IT. >> Stephen: THIS IS YOUR
LATEST FILM, BUT YOUR FIRST FILM WAS THE LION IN WINTER. >> YES. >> Stephen: HOW DID YOU GET
THAT JOB? I UNDERSTAND THAT PETER O'TOOLE
KIND OF MADE YOU TAKE THE JOB. >> HE CAME TO THE DRESSING ROOM
OF THE THEATER. I WAS PLAYING IN THE PRODUCTION
OF THE THREE SISTERS. HE CAME TO THE DOOR AND PETER
WAS THERE WITH HIS IRISH GREEN CAP AND HAD HAD A FEW TO DRINK
AND SAID WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE IN A FILM WITH ME WITH KATE IN IT? I SAID YES. HE SAID MEET ME TOMORROW. I MET HIM AND WE DID A SCREEN
TEST. SO HE WAS THERE OFF CAMERA
READING KATHARINE HEPBURN'S LINES, IN CHELSEA PARK GARDENS
OF ALL PLACES, AND HE SAID, YOU GOT THE PART. SO HE STARTED, 1967, ALMOST 53
YEARS AGO. SO I STARTED WITH THIS
EXTRAORDINARY ACTOR, PETER O'TOOLE. I HAD SEEN HIM ETEN YEARS BEFORE
AND LOOKED BACK AND HE WAS ELECTRIFYING, GREAT ACTOR. AND TO MEET HER, SHE WAS
STARTING OUT. SHE WAS TOUGH AND WONDERFUL, A
WONDERFUL WOMAN. I WAS YOUNG, I WAS 29, AND I HAD
CONFIDENCE, I WAS BULLISH AND TOUGH. WE DID ONE SCENE AND I HAD THAT
KIND OF CONFIDENCE, AND, SO, WE DID THE SCENE IN REHEARSAL AND
AT THE END OF IT, SHE'D SAID, LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING, YOU
DON'T HAVE TO ACT BECAUSE YOU'VE GOT A GOOD HEAD AND A GOOD
SHOULDERS AND GOOD VOICE, JUST SPEAK THE LINES, AND WATCH
SPENCER TRACY IN BOGART AND LEARN HOW TO DO IT. JUST SPEAK THE LINES. AND THAT WAS THE BEST ADD
VIOLENCE. >> Stephen: DIDN'T SHE SAY
NEVER TURN YOUR BACK TO THE CAMERA. >> YEAH, DON'T TURN THE BACK OF
YOUR HEAD TO THE CAMERA BECAUSE I'LL STEAL THE SCENE FROM YOU,
I'LL PROBABLY DO THAT ANYWAY, BUT, DARLING, GIVE YOURSELF A
BREAK. ( LAUGHTER )
>> Stephen: I REALLY HOPE THAT I CAN TALK TO BOTH OF YOU
GENTLEMEN AGAIN. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING
HERE, BEST OF LUCK. ENJOY YOURSELF HOPEFULLY THIS
WEEKEND AT THE OSCARS, AND THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR BEAUTIFUL
FILM AND YOUR EXPLORATION OF OUR HUMANITY. "THE FATHER" IS IN THEATERS AND
ON DEMAND NOW. SIR ANTHONY HOPKINS AND FLORIAN
ZELLER, EVERYBODY. WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH SENATOR
MAZIE HIRONO. ♪♪♪
