WELCOME BACK TO "THE LATE SHOW,"
EVERYBODY. MY FIRST GUEST IS AN EMMY
AWARD-WINNER YOU KNOW FROM FILMS LIKE "MANHUNTER," "X2" AND
"ZODIAC." HE CURRENTLY STARS AS PATRIARCH
LOGAN ROY IN "SUCCESSION." >> NOW YOU STEP UP ON TO THE
RACK. I'M GOING TO PULL YOU LIMB FROM
LIMB LIKE A PIÑATA AND SEE WHAT FALLS OUT. >> OKAY. SO YOU WANT WHAT? >> I WANT THE GAME PLAN, WHAT
THE TIMETABLE IS. CAPITAL STRUCTURE, END GAME,
WHAT THEY MIGHT ACCEPT, WHAT THEIR WEAK POINTS ARE. BUT WE'LL START AT THE START. WHEN DID THEY APPROACH YOU? >> UM, WHEN DID THEY APPROACH
ME? >> Stephen: MM-HMM. DID IT TAKE LONG OR DID YOU OPEN
YOUR LEGS ON THE FIRST DATE? >> Stephen: PLEASE WELCOME
BRIAN COX! ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
( BAND PLAYING ) ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
( BAND PLAYING ) >> Stephen: NICE TO HAVE YOU
ON. >> NICE TO BE ON. >> Stephen: THANK YOU FOR
BRINGING -- I THINK YOU BRING A CERTAIN DIGNITY, A CERTAIN
GRAVIDAS TO EVERY ROLE THAT YOU PLAY. >> YEAH, IT'S ALL FAKE. ( LAUGHTER )
>> Stephen: YOU PLAYED SOME REAL HEAVIES IN YOUR TIME. YOU PLAYED THE GUY WHO MADE
JASON BOURNE IN THE JASON BOURNE. YOU PLAYED THE GUY WHO MADE
WOLVERINE INTO WOLVERINE. THEN YOU PLAYED RUPERT MURDOCH. SO DO YOU THINK "SUCCESSION" IS
SHAKESPEAREAN BECAUSE I KNOW YOU'VE DONE QUITE A FEW
SHAKESPEARE PLAYS.ño >> IT HAS VERY STRONG
SHAKESPEAREAN ELEMENTS BUT IT'S LIKE A CHAUCER MORALITY TALE. THERE'S SORT9
WE LIVE IN LUDICROUS TIMES. >> Stephen: SURE. AND I THINK THAT "SUCCESSION"
IS A LUDICROUS SHOW FOR LUDICROUS TIMES. >> Stephen: RIGHT. IT'S THE FUNNIEST SADDEST SHOW
ON RIGHT NOW. >> YEAH, EXACTLY. >> Stephen: IT'S■ FUNNY AND SAD
AT THE SAME TIME. >> AND THAT REFLECTS THE STATE
THAT WE'RE IN. >> Stephen: BECAUSE FAMILIES
LIKE THIS ACTUALLY DO CONTROL OUR MEDIA. >> THAT'S THE PROBLEM. THEY DO CONTROL IT. THEY'RE GETTING OUT OF HAND, AND
WE DEMONSTRATE THAT IN OUR SHOW. >> Stephen: WE HAD ONE OF YOUR
CO-STARS NICHOLAS BRAWN WHO PLAYS COUSIN ED, GREG THE EGG
LAST WEEK. >> YES. >> Stephen: HE SEEMED A LOT
LIKE HIS CHARACTER. ( LAUGHTER )
VERY SWEET, VERY SWEET -- >> I HAD REAL CONFUSION BECAUSE
THE FIRST SEASON I USED TO CALL HIM GREG, BECAUSE I GOT HIS NAME
WRONG, BUT THAT WAS PART OF THE SCRIPT. THE SECOND SEASON, I KEPT
CALLING HIM NICK, WHEN I SHOULD HAVE BEEN CALLING HIM GREG. AND THEY SAID, NO, BRIAN, IT'S
GREG, NOT NICK. I SAID, HE'S SO LIKE THE
CHARACTER, I CAN'T TELL THE DIFFERENCE. ( LAUGHTER )
>> Stephen: PLEASE TELL ME YOU'RE NOTHING LIKE LOGAN ROY. >> UM... ( LAUGHTER )
( APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: DO YOU HAVE
ANYTHING IN COMMON WITH THIS MEDIA MOGUL? >> JUST CONTEMPT. ( LAUGHTER )
NO, NO, NOT REALLY. NO, I HAVE NOTHING IN COMMON. IT'S A COMPLETE CREATION, YOU
KNOW. >> Stephen: I UNDERSTAND THAT
YOU'RE FROM DUNDEE. >> I AM FROM DUNDEE. >> Stephen: SCOTLAND, AND SO
IS HE. >> WELL, YES, EXCEPT HE WASN'T
ORIGINALLY. >> Stephen: OH, YOUR CHARACTER
WASN'T ORIGINALLY FROM DUNDEE. >> NO, HE WAS ORIGINALLY֖ FROM
QUEBEC IN CANADA. ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
YES, QUEBEC IN CANADA, AND WHAT HAPPENED WAS, IT WAS VERY FUNNY,
WHAT HAPPENED WAS IN THE NINTH EPISODE OF THE FIRST SERIES, WE
HAD ALREADY DONE THE PILOT, AND IN THE PILOT PETER FREEDMAN DOES
MY BIRTHDAY, AND HE SAYS BORN IN QUEBEC, CANADA. AND HE CAME BACK AND SAID THIS
IS THE NINTH EPISODE, THEY'VE CHANGED YOUR BIRTH PLACE. I SAID WHAT DO YOU MEAN? HE SAID, WELL, YOU'RE BORN
SOMEWHERE ELSE. I DID SOME DUBBING, AND HE WENT
TO HIS DEVICE AND SAID, HERE WE ARE, DUNDEE, SCOTLAND. AND I SAID, BUT THAT'S WHERE I'M
FROM. ( LAUGHTER )
HE SAID, YEAH. AND I WENT TO JESSE AND I SAID,
WHAT DO YOU MEAN? WHY IN THE NINTH EPISODE ARE YOU
SUDDENLY MAKING ME FROM DUNDEE, SCOTLAND? OH, WE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE A
NICE LITTLE SURPRISE FOR YOU. I SAID, WELL, IT CERTAINLY IS. ( LAUGHTER )
>> Stephen: IT MAKES REFERENCE TO FAMILIES. ANY MEMBER OF THIS FAMILY COME
UP TO YOU AND SAY I DO OR DO NOT LIKE HOW I'M PORTRAYED. HAVE THEY SEEN THEMSELVES IN
THIS? >> A FUNNY STORY, I SPEND SOME
OF MY TIME IN LONDON, I LIVE IN PRIMROSE HILL. THERE ARE LOVELY CAFES THERE. I WAS HAVING MY COFFEE SITTING
THERE, AND A GUY FROM BEHIND SAID, WE'RE LOVING YOUR SHOW. I SAID, OH, AND I TURNED AND I
SAID, OH, THANK YOU. HE SAID, NO, IT'S REALLY -- IT'S
REALLY GOOD. IT'S REALLY INTERESTING. I SAID, OH, THANK YOU, THANK
YOU. HE SAID, YEAH, EVEN MY WIFE
THINKS IT'S GOOD. MY WIFE LIKES IT. I SAID, I'M HAPPY YOUR WIFE
LIKES IT. HE SAID, YEAH, SHE FOUND IT
DIFFICULT AS TIMES, AND I'M HOPING THAT YOU'RE GOING TO GO
EASY ON THAT CHARACTER. I SAID WHAT CHARACTER? WELL, THE CHARACTER TO HAVE THE
DAUGHTER. I SAID, WELL, WHO IS YOUR WIFE? HE SAID, ELIZABETH MURDOCH. ( AUDIENCE REACTS )
>> Stephen: SO SHE SEES7sñ HERSELF. >> I REASSURED, KEITH TYSON, AN
ARTIST/AGENT, I SAID, REALLY, IT'S NOTHING LIKE ELIZABETH
MURDOCH. AH-HA. ( LAUGHTER )
>> Stephen: NOW I UNDERSTAND THAT THE VERY FIRST READ-THROUGH
OF THE SCRIPT IN 2016 HAPPENED ON AN INTERESTING
>> YES, IT TID. >> Stephen: WHEN WAS THE FIRST
READ THROUGH? >> IT WAS ELECTION NIGHT. THIS ELECTION NIGHT. >> Stephen: NOVEMBER 8th,
2016. >> YEAH, I SORT OF BLOTTED IT
FROM MY MEMORY. >> Stephen: YES. IT WAS VERY BIZARRE. AS I SAY, THE SHOW IS LUDICROUS,
AND IT SEEMED TO ME THAT THAT NIGHT WE ENTERED A NEW AGE OF
LUDICROUSNESS. >> Stephen: THE NEW TIME LINE. THE NEW TIME LINE, AND I
THOUGHT, WELL, THIS IS VERY APT, THIS IS WHAT OUR SHOW IS ABOUT
AND IT SEEMS TO BE PERFECTLY APT. I WASN'T TOO HAPPY ABOUT THE
ELECTION. WAS ANYBODY? >> Stephen: I DON'T THINK HE
WAS. >> WELL, NO, I DON'T THINK HE
WAS. >> Stephen: I THINK HE WAS
SHOCKED. >> I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANYBODY
MORE SURPRISED -- OH, I WON, OH, DEAR! >> Stephen: I HAVE TO LIVE IN
THIS DUMP? UNBELIEVABLE! ( LAUGHTER )
YOU HAVE DUAL CITIZENSHIP. >> I DO. >> Stephen: SO YOU GET TO VOTE
IN OUR NEXT ELECTION. DO YOU LIKE ANYBODY? >> YEAH, I LIKE ELIZABETH
WARREN. ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
>> Stephen: YOU WANT SOMEBODY WITH A PLAN. YOU WANT SOMEBODY WITH A PLAN. AND YOU ALSO HAVE AN INTIMATE
KNOWLEDGE, NOW, OF ONE OF OUR GREAT PRESIDENTS OF THE 20t
20th CENTURY, YOU ARE IN THE VIVIAN BEAUMONT THEATER, THE
GREAT SOCIETY, YOU'RE PLAYING L.B.J. >> I AM. >> Stephen: WHAT IS THAT LIKE? WELL, IT'S --
>> Stephen: HE'S A LARGER THAN LIFE FIGURE. >> HE'S A LARGER THAN LIFE
FIGURE, AND IT'S INTERESTING, I HAVE BEEN WATCHING THE L.B.J. TAPES, THE DOCUMENTARIES ON HIS
RECORDINGS THAT HE MADE -- >> Stephen: SURE. -- AND THERE IS SOMETHING
QUITE TRAGIC ABOUT HIM, YOU KNOW, THE FACT THAT HE DID GET
THROUGH MEDICARE FOR OLD PEOPLE, HE DID GET THROUGH CIVIL RIGHTS,
YOU KNOW, HE DID AN EXTRAORDINARY AMOUNT, A
REMARKABLE, REMARKABLE MAN, BUT HE ALSO HAD THE VIETNAM WAR, AND
THE VIETNAM WAR WAS REALLY HIS ACHILLES HEEL AND SORT OF
DESTROYED HIM BECAUSE I THINK HE REALIZED THAT HE COULDN'T GO ON
AS PRESIDENT BECAUSE HE COULDN'T CONTROL THE VIETNAM WAR, IT JUST
WAS GETTING CRAZIER AND CRAZIER AND CRAZIER. >> Stephen: BRIAN, THANK YOU
SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. >> MY PLEASURE. >> Stephen: "SUCCESSION,"
SEASON TWO STARTS THIS SUNDAY ON H.B.O., AND SOON, "THE GREAT
SOCIETY." WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK...
