♪ ♪ ♪<i>
( APPLAUSE )</i> WELCOME BACK.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MY FIRST GUEST IS AN ACTOR AND DIRECTOR
YOU KNOW FROM "DRINKING BUDDIES," "HOUSE," AND
"BOOKSMART." HER NEW FILM THAT SHE DIRECTED
AND STARS IN IS "DON'T WORRY DARLING."
>> BOYS AND THEIR TOYS. AT LEAST WE KNOW THEY'RE GETTING
WORK DONE. >> WHAT DO YOU THINK THEY'RE
REALLY DOING OUT THERE? >> WHAT DO YOU MEAN?
>> I MEAN, I KNOW WHAT THEY SAY KNOW-- DEVELOPMENT OF
PROGRESSIVE MATERIALS. BUT SOMETIMES PETER INSIGNEUATES
THAT THEY'RE ACTUALLY MAKING WEAPONS AND THAT IT'S ALL
HAPPENING UNDERGROUND BECAUSE FRANKLY I DISCOVERED--
>> HEY. >> SORRY.
>> WE'RE ALL HERE BECAUSE WE BELIEVE IN THE MISSION.
>> YES. >> WE HAVE JOBS, TOO, THAT ARE
JUST AS IMPORTANT, JUST AS VITAL, WHAT WE DO AT HOME--
SUPPORTING THEM, TAKING CARE OF THEM.
WITHOUT THAT, THEY COULDN'T BE OUT THERE CHANGING THE WORLD.
>> Stephen: PLEASE WELCOME BACK TO "THE LATE SHOW," OLIVIA
WILDE! ♪ IT'S ALL RIGHT ♪<i>
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )</i> ♪ IT'S ALL RIGHT ♪<i>
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )</i> NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
>> IT'S SO GOOD TO BE HERE. >> Stephen: IT'S BEEN TOO
LONG. >> I KNOW.
>> Stephen: SINCE-- "BOOKSMART."
>> Stephen: A YEAR BEFORE COVID HIT.
>> TWEFT YEARS AGO. >> Stephen: SOMETHING LIKE
THAT. THERE IS NO TIME ANYMORE.
>> IT HAS NO MEANING. >> Stephen: DO YOU REMEMBER
WHEN YOU WERE HERE, WE GAVE YOU A LITTLE DIRECTOR'S CHAIR?
>> OF COURSE, IT'S BY MY BED. >> Stephen: IT'S TO CELEBRATE
WHAT AN EXTRAORDINARY FRESHMAN OFFERING FROM A NEW DIRECTOR
THAT WAS. IT CAME OUT OF THE GATE SO
BEAUTIFULLY WITH THAT MOVIE. >> OH, THANK YOU.
>> Stephen: AND I JUST WANTED TO SAY-- PEOPLE ARE GOING TO
HAVE THEIR OWN OPINIONS ABOUT MOVIES, BUT I WATCHED "DON'T
WORRY DARLING," AND I DON'T WANT TO GIVE ANYTHING AWAY,
OBVIOUSLY, BECAUSE THERE'S SOMETHING TO GIVE AWAY, WHICH I
DON'T WANT TO DO. BUT THE WAY THAT YOU LAY OUT
THIS CONCEPT-- WHICH IS A CONCEPT THAT WE'VE SEEN BEFORE,
WHICH IS SORT OF AN UNSETTLING UTOPIA, YOU KNOW.
>> EXACTLY. >> Stephen: OR A SEDUCTIVE
DISTONIA. >> YES.
>> Stephen: YOU DO IT WITH INTRIGUE.
YOU DO IT WITH TENSION. AND YOU DO IT IN WAYS THAT I
HAVEN'T SEEN BEFORE THAT ARE ALSO FUNNY.
FOR INSTANCE, YOUR CHARACTER, PARTICULARLY, IS VERY FUNNY.
>> SHE IS. >> Stephen: IT'S LAID OUT IN A
WAY I HAVEN'T SEEN BEFORE. IT'S ABSOLUTELY INTRIGUING.
MY FIRST REACTION WATCHING THE MOVIE WAS IT'S NO MISTAKE WHAT
YOU DID IN "BOOKSMART." YOU BELONG IN THAT DIRECTOR'S
CHAIR. AND CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR
SECOND FILM. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH, THANK YOU.
THAT MEANS A LOT <i> ( APPLAUSE ).</i>
ON IT FOR-- HOW LONG? >> THREE YEARS.
>> Stephen: THREE YEARS. THROUGH COVID?
>> YES, AND IT WAS A MASSIVE TEAM EFFORT.
THERE WERE SO MANY OF US WHO CAME TOGETHER AND PUSHED
TROUGH, YOU KNOW, CHALLENGE AFTER CHALLENGE.
BUT WE'RE SO PROUD OF IT. IT'S SO EXCITING.
>> Stephen: WELL, AFTER WORKING FOR THREE YEARS ON
SOMETHING LIKE THIS. >> YES.
>> Stephen: IT MUST BE PARTICULARLY FRUSTRATING TO HAVE
PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT A LOT OF THINGS THAT AREN'T THE FILM
ITSELF. >> OH, ARE THEY.
>> Stephen: REALLY? YOU HAVEN'T HEARD?
NO. THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF TALK.
>> YUP. >> Stephen: THESE ARE THINGS
THAT-- >> YEAH.
>> Stephen: THE REPORTS OF FEUD.
>> RIGHT. >> Stephen: PEOPLE ANALYZING
BODY LANGUAGE. PRIVATE MESSAGES BEING RELEASED?
>> YES. >> Stephen: NARRATIVES AND
COUNTER-NARRATIVE. OLIVIA WILDE, IS THERE ANYTHING
OR NOTHING IN THAT LIST YOU WOULD LIKE TO CLEAR UP?
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, IT'S KIND OF-- IT'S INTERESTING.
THE WHOLE EXPERIENCE HAS SORT OF CHANGED MY WAY OF THINKING ABOUT
THE INTERNET AND HOW WE CHOOSE TO INTERACT WITH IT-- OR NOT.
BUT, REALLY, IT'S KIND OF IRONIC, BECAUSE ALL OF THIS IS
REALLY WHAT THE FILM'S ABOUT. THE FILM IS ABOUT THE NARRATIVES
WE ARE FED AND WHETHER WE CHOOSE TO ACCEPT THEM OR QUESTION THEIR
SOURCES. AND AS YOU SAID, THERE WERE
PRIVATE MESSAGES THAT WERE RELEASED WITHOUT CONTEXT TO TRY
TO MAKE A SITUATION LOOK LIKE SOMETHING THAT IT WASN'T.
I-- EARLY ON IN THE PROCESS OF MAKING THE FILM, AS THE
DIRECTOR, I TRIED TO MEDIATE, YOU KNOW, A SITUATION BETWEEN
PEOPLE TO TRY TO SEE IF THEY COULD WORK TOGETHER HAPPILY.
ONCE IT BECAME CLEAR THAT IT WAS NOT A TENABLE WORKING
RELATIONSHIP, I WAS GIVEN AN ULTIMATUM.
I CHOSE MY ACTRESS-- WHICH I'M VERY HAPPY I DID.
AT THE TIME WAS I BUMMED THAT WE WEREN'T ABLE TO MAKE IT WORK?
SURE. DID INFORMATION ABOUT HIM COME
TO LIGHT LATER THAT MADE ME CONFIDENT WE MADE THE RIGHT
DECISION? ABSOLUTELY.
>> Stephen: JUST TO BE CLEAR HERE, DID YOU FIRE SHIA LABOUF.
>> WE HAD TO REPLACE SHIA. HE'S A FANTASTIC ACTOR AND IT
DIDN'T WORK. WHEN HE GAVE ME THE ULTIMATUM
HIM OR FLORENCE, I CHOSE FLORENCE.
>> Stephen: ARE YOU, JUST TO BE CLEAR HERE BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE
PARSING. >> YES.
>> Stephen: ARE YOU SAYING-- AND CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG,
THAT HE WOULDN'T... DO THE MOVIE IN THE WAY THAT YOU
WANTED HIM TO? >> YEAH.
>> Stephen: AND, THEREFORE, HE HAD TO GO.
SO HE CAN SAY HE QUIT, AND YOU FIRED HIM, AND BOTH OF YOU CAN
THINK YOU'RE RIGHT? >> IT'S A QUESTION OF SEMANTICS.
>> Stephen: BUT, HONEST TO GOD, IS THAT IT?
>> YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. >> Stephen: IT HAS TO BE THIS
WAY. HE SAID, "I CAN'T DO THAT, I'M
LEAVING." AND YOU SAID, "YOU'RE FIRED."
>> I SAID, "THAT'S GREAT, YOU GO AND WE WILL MOVE ON."
IT WASN'T GOING TO MOVE FORWARD IN THE WAY HE WANTED IT TO, SO
HE HAD TO LEAVE. >> Stephen: SO WHO CONTROLS
THE NARRATIVE OF THAT STORY? IS IT THE STAR WHO GETS TO SAY
THEY LEFT OR THE DIRECTOR WHO GETS TO SAY, "YOU'RE FIRED."
BECAUSE THAT'S A BIG STRUGOLE MOVIE SETS.
WHO'S IN CONTROL, THE STAR OR DIRECTOR.
OLIVIA WILDE, I ASK YOU. >> IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME.
I THINK EVERY PRODUCTION, THERE ARE SO MANY PEOPLE WHO ARE IN,
WHO ARE OUT IN THE PERIOD OF TIME LEADING UP TO ANY
PRODUCTION. THERE'S SO MANY PEOPLE WHO ARE
IN FOR A PERIOD AND OUT FOR A PERIOD.
AND IT'S ALL A MATTER OF, YOU KNOW, RESOLVING CONFLICT.
AND ANYONE WHO HAS DEALT WITH CONFLICT KNOWS THERE ARE LEVELS
BEFORE THERE IS A CONCLUSION. IN THIS CASE, EVERYONE IN THE
END ENDED UP WHAT THEY WANTED. HE DIDN'T WANT TO BE PART OF THE
PRODUCTION IN THE WAY I LIKE TO MAKE PRODUCTIONS.
SO HE MOVED ON. HE MOVED ON AND REPLACED HIM AND
ENDED UP WITH A CAST THAT I'M SO PROUD OF WIKH A MOVIE I'M REALLY
PROUD ABOUT. >> Stephen: WE HAVE TO TAKE A
QUICK BREAK. WE'LL BE BACK WITH MORE OLIVIA
WILDE. STICK AROUND.
