♪ ♪ ♪<i>
( APPLAUSE )</i> EVERYBODY!
THANK YOU, LOUIS. FOLKS, IN JUST A MOMENT I'M
TALKING TO JEREMY STRONG, AND ALSO I WILL SIT DOWN, I WILL BE
TALKING TO, AND HAVE A PERFORMANCE BY ONE MR. ED
SHEERAN. SO STICK AROUND FOR THAT.<i>
( APPLAUSE )</i> GUEST IS THE EMMY AWARD-WINNING
ACTOR YOU KNOW FROM "SUCCESSION," "THE TRIAL OF THE
CHICAGO SEVEN," AND "THE BIG SHORT."
HE NOW STARS IN "ARMAGEDDON TIME."
>> LOOK AT YOU! A YOUNG MAN, FIRST DAYEST REST
OF YOUR LIFE. >> YOU LOOK ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS.
>> I LOOK LIKE A TOTAL IDIOT. >> NO, YOU DON'T.
>> I CAN'T EVEN HAVE A NORMAL AP SACK.
>> A NORMAL KNAPSACK, WHY WOULD YOU WANT A NORMAL KNAPSACK WHEN
YOU CAN HAVE THIS? THIS IS AN ATTACHE CASE.
THIS SAYS, "I AM READY TO WORK. I COME AS A STUDENT."
>> YOU JUST WANT ME TO BE LIKE YOU.
>> WHAT? >> YOU JUST WANT ME TO BE LIKE
YOU! >> NO, NO, BIG BOY, I WANT YOU
TO BE A WHOLE LOT BETTER THAN ME.
THAT'S WHAT I WANT. >> Stephen: PLEASE WELCOME
JEREMY STRONG! ♪ ♪ ♪<i>
( APPLAUSE )</i> >> Stephen: LOOK AT THAT.
THERE YOU GO. THAT'S WHO THAT IS.
NICE TO SEE YOU. >> NICE TO SEE YOU.
>> Stephen: I LIKE THE AUTUMNAL COLORS.
>> THANK YOU. >> Stephen: THANKS FOR
MATCHING THE MOMENT. >> THANKS, MAN.
>> Stephen: HOW ARE YOU? >> I'M GOOD.
I'M GOOD. IT'S AN HONOR TO BE HERE.
>> Stephen: IT'S AN HONOR TO HAVE YOU.
I'M A LONGTIME FAN AND I KNOW YOU DON'T DO THIS STUFF OFTEN.
HAVE YOU DONE A LATE-NIGHT TALK SHOW BEFORE?
>> I HAVE NEVER DONE ONE OF THESE.
I ACTUALLY-- WELL, I MEAN, YOU'RE BRILLIANT AND I LOVE THIS
FILM SO MUCH THAT I FELT COMPELLED TO OVERCOME MY
RESISTANCE AND FEAR OF DOING THESE THINGS.
>> Stephen: YOU'LL BE GLAD YOU DID.
THESE ARE LOVELY PEOPLE. >> NO, I CAN TELL.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ). ESPECIALLY-- ESPECIALLY, IT ALSO
HELPS IF YOU CALL THEM "LOVELY PEOPLE."
THEY LOVE THAT STUFF. >> RIGHT, OKAY.
>> Stephen: LET'S TALK ABOUT THAT FOR JUST A SECOND.
BECAUSE IT IS PART OF THE JOB. A LOT OF FANTASTIC ACTORS SORT
OF FAMOUSLY DON'T LIKE THIS PART OF IT, LIKE De NIRO IS SORT OF
FAMOUSLY DIFFICULT INTERVIEW. HE DOESN'T HAVE ANYTHING AGAINST
IT. HE DOESN'T PARTICULARLY WANT TO
BE THERE. >> IN A WAY, HONESTLY, THE
FEELING SOMETIMES IS WHAT CAN YOU POSSIBLY ADD TO THE WORK?
BECAUSE WHAT YOU WANT IS FOR ALL OF YOURSELF TO BE IN THE WORK
AND TO SORT OF DISAPPEAR INTO IT.
>> Stephen: SURE. >> SO THAT'S THERE, AND THEN,
YOU KNOW, WHAT CAN YOU ADD TO IT?
I'M NOT SURE. >> Stephen: I WANT TO ASK YOU
ABOUT THE WORK ITSELF, THEN, WHICH IS HOW DO YOU-- THIS IS
ALSO PART OF A BROAD QUESTION-- IS THAT YOUR JOB IS AN ACTOR,
OKAY. WHAT IS THAT JOB, IN YOUR
OPINION? <i> ( LAUGHTER )</i>
DO YOU WANT ME TO NARROW IT DOWN?
>> NO, IT'S A GREAT QUESTION. I MEAN, I GUESS IF I HAD ONE
WORD IT WOULD MAYBE BE A VESSEL. YOU'RE A VESSEL FOR
STORYTELLING. BUT IT'S-- IT'S REALLY A MYSTERY
TO ME WHAT IT-- WHAT IT IS AND HOW IT WORKS.
>> Stephen: YEAH. >> I THINK KIND OF PROTECTING
THAT MYSTERY IS IMPORTANT, TOO. >> Stephen: I HAD A-- I HAD A
TEACHER CALLED FRANK GILOTTI. >> I KNOW HIM.
>> Stephen: YOU KNOW HIM. >> I WENT TO A SCHOOL,
STEPPENWOLF. >> Stephen: I WENT TO
NORTHWESTERN. FANTASTIC GUY, VERY INFLUENTIAL
TO ME. AND ONE DAY IN CLASS, HE SAID
THIS THING-- HE WAS BEING VERY NICE.
WE WERE JUST STUDENT AT THE TIME.
THOSE OF US IN THE THEATER, HE SAID COMPLIMENTING US, THOSE OF
US IN THE THEATER WE SOMETIMES LAUGH AT PEOPLE WHO COME
BACKSTAGE AND SAY, "HOW DO YOU REMEMBER ALL THOSE LINES?
BUT THEN HE SAID, HOW DO YOU? ARE YOU THAT YOU CAN DO THAT AND
WHO DO YOU HAVE TO BECOME TO MEMORIZE SOMETHING FOR TWO HOURS
AND GO ON STAGE AND BE THAT PERSON OF PEOPLE WATCHING YOU DO
THAT ON STAGE AND BE AWARE OF THEM AND NOT BE AWARE OF THEM AT
THE SAME TIME AND ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE BEAUTIFUL WHILE YOU DO IT.
>> I WOULD SAY AS BEAUTIFUL BUT ALSO AS FALL UBL AND FLAWED.
>> Stephen: BUT THE FLAWS ARE BEAUTIFUL, TOO, IS THE IDEA.
>> I AGREE. >> Stephen: BEAUTY DOESN'T
MEAN GOOD. >> RIGHT.
YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE VIRTUES OF THIS FILM, THIS
JAMES GRAY MOVIE. BECAUSE IT'S A VERY PERSONAL
MOVIE, AND IT SORT OF SPEAKS TO THAT DICTUM THAT THE MOST
IMPORTANT IS THE MOST UNIVERSAL. BUT JAMES WAS REALLY INTERESTED
IN AN UNVARNISHED LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, AN EXAMINATION OF THIS
FAMILY SORT OF AS HE SAYS, WARTS AND ALL.
>> Stephen: THIS IS-- THIS IS HIS STORY, ESSENTIALLY.
>> IT'S HIS STORY. IT COULDN'T BE MORE PERSONAL.
IT'S ESSENTIALLY AN AUTO BIOGRAPHICAL STORY.
>> Stephen: TELL THE PEOPLE, IF YOU DON'T MIND, THE
THUMBNAIL. >> IT'S-- IT'S SORT OF BOTH THE
ORIGIN STORY OF... OF AN ARTIST, AND THE ORIGIN
STORY OF OUR COUNTRY WHERE WE ARE NOW IN 2022.
IT'S SET IN CONVENTION IN 1980 AND THE STORY OF A FAMILY AND
THESE SORT OF SEISMIC CHANGES HAPPENING IN THE YEAR OF THIS
BOY'S LIFE IN NAMELY AGAINST THE BACKDROP OF SEISMIC CHANGES THAT
ARE HAPPENING IN THE COUNTRY-- REAGAN'S ELECTION, AND THIS
MOMENT OF SORT OF INFLECTION POINT IN OUR HISTORY WHEN SORT
OF THE MARKET IS GOD SORT OF TOOK OVER FROM-- I WATCHED THE
MOVIE LAST NIGHT, ONLY FOR THE SECOND TIME, AND I THINK IT'S
ALSO A MOVIE ABOUT INTEGRITY AND THE DIFFICULTY OF LIVING WITH
INTEGRITY AND SOMETIMES OUR FAILURE TO MAKE CHOICES, MAKE
THE RIGHT CHOICES, CHOOSING SOCIAL ACCEPTANCE OVER COURAGE. YOU WERE PLAYING HIS FATHER, A
CHARACTER BASED ON HIS FATHER. WHAT IS THAT LIKE TO PLAY
SOMEONE SO IMPORTANT TO THE DIRECTOR?
HOW COULD YOU-- DID YOU USE-- DID YOU ASK HIM, "GIVE ME MY
BACK STORY?" >> YEAH, I MEAN, I THINK IN A
WAY HE WAS RELUCTANT. HE'S A BRILLIANT DIRECTOR.
I LOVE ALL OF HIS MOVIES. THIS IS, YOU KNOW, HE WAS
RELUCTANT I THINK TO SHARE TOO MUCH BECAUSE HE DIDN'T WANT
ANNIE HATHAWAY AND I TO PLAY-- TO DO IMPERSONATIONS OF HIS
APPEARANCE, FAIR ENOUGH. BUT YOUR TASK AS THE ACTOR
REALLY IS TO REALLY, I THINK, INTERNALIZE, UNDERSTAND AND
INTERNALIZE AND CAPTURE THE ESSENCE OF WHO THE CHARACTER IS,
AND SO I HAD TO-- I ENLISTED SPIES AND I INTERROGATED HIS
FAMILY. >> Stephen: DID YOU-- I
UNDERSTAND THAT YOU ASKED HIM THE PROUST YE QUESTIONNAIRE.
>> Stephen: YES. >> Stephen: IT'S A SERIES OF
QUESTIONS PROUST CAME UP. >> IT REALLY WORKS.
IT GIVES YOU A KIND OF COMPOSITE PICTURE OF A PERSON AND THEIR
WORLD VIEW. >> Stephen: COULD YOU ASK YOU
SOME OF THE PROUST QUESTIONNAIRE QUESTIONS?
>> SURE, WE HAVEN'T-- WE HAVEN'T --
>> Stephen: WE DO THIS THING ON THE SHOW CALLED "THE COLBERT
QUESTIONNAIRE" WHICH IS BASED ON THE PROUST QUESTIONS.
>> LET'S CODONETSK IT. >> Stephen: THAT'S 15
QUESTIONS. WHAT IS YOUR IDEA OF PERFECT
HAPPINESS? >> I WOULD SAY SLEEPING IN
AND... <i> ( LAUGHTER )</i>
LITTLE GIRLS, YEAH, IN BED. AND MAYBE THEY BRING ME COFFEE.<i>
( LAUGHTER ).</i> CURRENT--<i>
( APPLAUSE ).</i> >> Stephen: CLASSIC.
>> PRETTY GOOD, RIGHT? >> Stephen: QUALITY ANSWER.
WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT STATE OF MIND?
>> AGITATED WITH A CHANCE OF CALM.<i>
( LAUGHTER )</i> AND COME BACK AS A PERSON OR
THING-- >> YES, THIS IS THE ONE I HAVE
THOUGHT ABOUT AND PLANNED AN ANSWER.
>> Stephen: WHAT WOULD IT BE? >> I WAS TORN BETWEEN A HUMMING
BIRD. >> Stephen: WHY A HUMMING
BIRD. >> AND A MOAT OF DUST IN AN OLD
BOOKSTORE. >> Stephen: YOU DON'T HAVE TO,
BECAUSE-- I SUPPOSE-- >> BOTH.
>> Stephen: YOU DON'T WANT TO EXPLICATE IT.
WHAT IS THE ATTRACTIVENESS OF BOTH OF THOSE?
>> HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A HUMMING BIRD?
>> Stephen: YES, I HAVE. >> THEY'RE ASTONISHING, RIGHT?
>> Stephen: YES, THEY ARE. >> THEY'RE ASTONISHING, THEY ARE
QUICKSILVER THEIR HEARTS BEAT LIKE 1,000 TIMES A SECOND.
WHO WOULDN'T WANT TO BE A HUMMING BIRD, I THINK.<i>
( LAUGHTER )</i> SMELL OF AN OLD USED BOOKSTORE.
>> Stephen: SURE. >> SO A MOAT OF DUST IN A
BOOKSTORE SOUNDS LIKE A GOOD LIFE TO ME.
WHAT ABOUT YOU? >> Stephen: WHAT?
>> WHAT WOULD YOU BE? AM I ALLOWED TO ASK YOU.
IF YOU COULD COME BACK AS A PERSON OR A THING?
>> Stephen: A PERSON. <i> ( APPLAUSE )</i>
BEING HERE. "ARMAGEDDON TIME" IS IN SELECT
THEATERS OCTOBER 28. JEREMY STRONG, EVERYBODY!
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH ED SHEERAN.
