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( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY! WELCOME BACK. WELCOME BACK. MY FIRST GUEST IS AN ACTOR,
WRITER, AND DIRECTOR YOU KNOW FROM FILMS SUCH AS "HENRY V,"
"MY WEEK WITH MARILYN," AND "TENET." HE'S WRITTEN AND DIRECTED A NEW
FILM, "BELFAST." >> I THINK MY DAD WANTS US TO
LEAVE BELFAST. >> WHAT DO YOU WANT? EVERY NIGHT, BEFORE I GO TO
SLEEP, WHEN I SAY MY PRAYERS, I ASK GOD IF HE'D FIX IT SO THAT
WHEN I WAKE UP IN THE MORNING I'M THE BEST FOOTBALLER IN THE
WORLD. THEN I ALSO ASK HIM THAT WHEN I
GROW UP, CAN I MARRY KATHERINE, EVEN IF SHE LOVES RONNY BOYD. SHE CAN STILL SEE HIM BUT SHE
WOULD MARRY ME. THAT'S WHAT I'D WANT. >> STEPHEN: PLEASE WELCOME BACK
TO "THE LATE SHOW," KENNETH BRANAGH! ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
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( BAND PLAYING ) >> Stephen: HELLO. HELLO, WHAT A GREAT CROWD. >> Stephen: ISN'T IT LOVELY. YEAH. >> Stephen: NICE TO HAVE YOU
BACK AGAIN. >> THANK YOU, NICE TO BE BACK. >> Stephen: I'M A VERY LUCKY
MAN. I GOT TO SEE YOUR FILM "BELFAST"
A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO AT THE MONTCLAIR FILM FESTIVAL AND I
DIDN'T KNOW I WOULD BE TALKING TO YOU ABOUT IT. I FOUND OUT NEXT DAY, SURE
ENOUGH, YOU'RE GOING TO BE HERE. IT IS MY FAVORITE MOVIE I'VE
SEEN THIS YEAR, MY FAVORITE MOVIE I'VE SEEN IN MANY YEARS. IT'S SUCH A BEAUTIFUL AND TENDER
STORY OF THIS FAMILY. ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
>> THANK YOU. >> Stephen: THIS FAMILY IN
NORTHERN IRELAND CAUGHT IN WHAT WAS CALLED THE TROUBLE STARTING
IN 1969. PEOPLE MAY NOT KNOW HOW THIS
STORY IS PERSONAL TO YOU. YOU WROTE THE STORY, AND TELL
THEM HOW SO. >> WELL, I'M FROM THERE, I WAS
BORN IN BELFAST AND I LIVED THERE TILL I WAS NINE. THE STORY OF THE FILM IS ABOUT
SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED TO ME WHEN I WAS NINE YEARS OLD AND IN
MY FAMILY. WE ADVOCATE IT TAKES A VILLAGE
TO RAISE A CHILD. WE LIVED ON ONE STREET WHERE MY
FAMILY HAD MANY SIBLINGS, I HAD MANY COUSINS. IF YOU WEREN'T RELATED TO HALF
OF BELFAST, YOU WENT TO SCHOOL WITH THE OTHER HALF. IT FELT AS IF YOU KNEW WHERE YOU
WERE. AND IN THE SUMMER OF 1969,
VIOLENCE SPREAD ON TO THE STREETS AND THERE WAS A MOMENT
WHEN I THOUGHT I WAS HEARING A SWARM OF BEES A LITTLE WAY AWAY. IT WASN'T BEES. I TURNED AROUND, LIFE GOT VERY
SURREAL AND IT TURNED OUT TO BE A CROWD OF RIOTERS COMING UP OUR
STREET AND EVENTUALLY SMASHING THE WINDOWS OF THE CATHOLIC
HOUSES. WE WERE PREDOMINANTLY PROTESTANT
STREET BUT LIVING PEACEFULLY WITH OUR CATHOLIC NEIGHBORS. THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN. THE GROUND WAS LIFTED, PAVING
STONES WERE PUT UP IN A BARRICADE ON EITHER END OF THE
STREET. WE WERE WALKING ON SAND. THE LIVING METAPHOR OF THE WORLD
TURNING UPSIDE DOWN. REALLY FROM THAT MOMENT, MY LIFE
REALLY NEVER FOLLOWED ANY KIND OF EXPECTED TRACK. I MOVED SOMEWHERE, SOUNDED
DIFFERENT. IF I WAS SITTING HERE WITH YOU,
I WOULD HAVE BEEN DIFFERENT IF I STAYED IN BELFAST. BUT IT'S A MOMENTOUS TIME OF
LIFE I HADN'T FACED UP TO PROCESSING UNTIL THE LOCKDOWN WE
STARTED A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO SENT ME RIGHT BACK TO THE
LOCKDOWN CREATED WHEN THAT VIOLENCE CAME AND STRUCK OUR
FAMILY. >> Stephen: THAT STRUCK A
NERVE FOR YOU, THAT RESONANCE, THAT FAMILY EXPERIENCE. >> YES. THE FAMILY WENT ON TO CODE RED,
THAT WE UNDERSTAND FROM LOCKDOWN. WE TOUCHED ON IT A LITTLE WHILE
AGO, THIS IDEA OF THAT MOMENT OR ANY MOMENT IN EVERYBODY'S LIFE
WHERE MAYBE THE JESUITS SAY GIVE ME THE CHILD TILL SEVEN AND I'LL
SHOW YOU THE ADULT, WHERE MAYBE THERE'S A CROSSOVER POINT OF
INNOCENCE, IF YOU'RE LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE A FAMILY AND BE
SETTLED, YOU HAVE TO AT SOME POINT ENTER THE ADULT WORLD. MY VERSION OF IT WAS SUDDENLY
ACCELERATED, IT WAS VERY DANGEROUS. IT'S OFTEN VERY EXCITING. ONCE IT HAPPENED, YOU HAD TO TRY
TO NAVIGATE THE NEW WORLD THAT WAS FULL OF WORRY. YOU STARTED TO THINK OF A FUTURE
YOU NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT IT. YOU STARTED WONDERING IF YOU
WOULD BE LIVING IN THE SAME PLACE. YOU LOOK FOR REFUGE ANY WAY YOU
COULD AND IN MY CASE IT'S RELIGION, NO GOOD FOR ME. THAT DIDN'T WORK. THEY LITERALLY PUT THE FEAR OF
GOD IN ME AND TOLD ME THERE WERE TWO ROADS WHEN I LEFT. I COULDN'T REMEMBER WHAT THEY
WERE. THERE WAS A LONG AND WINDING AND
A STRAIGHT AND NARROW. I GOT SO OBSESSED WITH IT THAT
THAT SORT OF PARALYZED ME. THE OTHER TWO OR THREE
OBSESSIONS WERE FOOTBALL, A GIRL CALLED KATHERINE AND MOVIES. SO THAT'S WHERE I TRIED TO FIND
A WAY OF MAKING SENSE OF THE WORLD AT THAT TIME. >> Stephen: WE HAVE TO TAKE A
QUICK BREAK, BUT DON'T GO AWAY. WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH MORE
KENNETH BRANAGH. ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
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