THANK YOU, MARK.
WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY. MY NEXT GUEST IS AN ACTRESS,
WRITER, AND DIRECTOR OF THE MOVIES "AWAY FROM HER" AND "TAKE
THIS WALTZ." HER LATEST FILM IS "WOMEN
TALKING." PLEASE WELCOME TO "THE LATE
SHOW," SARAH POLLEY! ♪ ♪ ♪<i>
( APPLAUSE )</i> YOU.
>> SO NICE TO MEET YOU. >> Stephen: NOW, TUESDAY
NIGHT, YOU HAVE-- BESIDES BEING A DIRECTOR OF THE NEW FILM, YOU
ALSO HAVE A MEMOIR CALLED "RUN TOWARD THE DANGER," WHICH I WANT
TO GET INTO IN A MOMENT HERE. BUT YOU HAD AN EVENT AT THE
STRAND BOOKSTORE HERE IN NEW YORK WITH THE GREAT FRANCES
McDORMAND. THERE ARE THE TWO OF YOU
TOGETHER. SHE INTERVIEWED YOU.
SHE MODERATED THIS EVENING. I DON'T THINK-- I NEVER HAD A
CHANCE TO INTERVIEW HER, SPEND TIME WITH HER.
WHAT-- WHAT'S SHE LIKE? DOES SHE ASK TOUGH QUESTIONS?
>> SHE'S-- YEAH, THERE'S NOT, LIKE, A LOT OF NICETIES.
SHE GETS TO THE POINT. IT'S PRETTY DIRECT.
BUT THE THING THAT SHE DID LAST NIGHT THAT WAS SO AMAZING WAS
SHE READ FROM THE BOOK, AND I HAD THIS AMAZING EXPERIENCE OF
HEARING MY INNER-MOST THOUGHTS READ BY FRANCES McDORMAND,
WHICH I ACTUALLY THINK IS AN EXPERIENCE WE SHOULD ALL HAVE.
>> Stephen: LIKE PLAYING YOU TO YOU.
>> YEAH, BUT AS FRANCES McDORMAND, TOO.
NOW I HEAR MY VOICE AS VERY CONFIDENT.
LAUGH. >> Stephen: I WOULDN'T
PICTURING MYSELF AS FRANCES McDORMAND.
>> IT'S REALLY THERAPEUTIC. >> Stephen: NOW, THE BOOK, AS
I SAID BEFORE, IT'S CALLED "RUN TOWARD THE DANGER."
WHICH IS AN EVOCATIVE AND AN ATTRACTIVE IDEA.
WHERE DOES THAT TITLE COME FROM FOR YOU?
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? >> I HAD A CONCUSSION IN 20 15.
A VERY LARGE EXPIRE EXTINGUISHER FOAL MY HEAD AND I HAD A
CONCUSSION THAT LASTED THREE AND A HALF YEARS, ON AND OFF.
>> Stephen: WHAT DOES THAT MEAN, A CONCUSSION-- I THINK I
PROBABLY HAD THEM BRIEFLY WHEN I WAS A KID.
WHAT IS-- HOW DOES THAT MANIFEST ITSELF OVER A LONG PERIOD OF
TIME? >> SO IT CAME AND WENT IN
INTENSITY, BUT BRAIN FOG, HEADACHES, ENORMOUS TENSIVITY TO
LIGHT AND NOISE, IMPOSSIBLE TO MULTITASK.
I CERTAINLY WASN'T GOING TO BE MAKING A FILM AGAIN.
AND SO I DID ALL KIND OF TREATMENTS, WENT TO ALL KINDS OF
DOCTORS. A LOT OF THE ADVICE WAS, "GO LIE
IN A DARK ROOM. REST.
LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. LISTEN TO YOUR LIMITATIONS."
AND I FINALLY FOUND MYSELF TO FITZBURG MEDICAL CENTER AND
DR. MICHAEL COLLINS WHO SAID IF YOU REMEMBER ONLY ONE THING FROM
THIS MEETING, REMEMBER THIS, "RUN TOWARDS THE DANGER."
BY THAT HE MEANT ALL OF THE THINGS I HAD BEEN AVOIDING
BECAUSE THEY WERE TOO MUCH FROM MY HEAD WHERE I HAD TO GO LIE IN
A DARK ROOM OR AVOITH THINGS THAT TRIGGERED SYMPTOMS WERE
THINGS I HAD TO DO MORE OF. MY BRAIN WAS BECOMING WEAKER
WHAT I WAS AVOIDING OUT OF JIET. >> Stephen: DESENSITIZE
YOURSELF TO THAT STIMULUS. >> YEAH, AND YOU HAVE TO MOVE
TOWARDS THE THINGS THAT MAKE YOU VERY UNCOMFORTABLE.
AND THAT'S THE ONLY WAY YOU'RE GOING TO GET BETTER.
>> Stephen: WHAT DOES THAT MEAN ON A BROADER SENSE TO YOU?
YOU NAME YOUR BOOK, I ASSUME, BECAUSE THAT HAS RESONANCE TO
THE REST OF YOUR LIFE AND YOUR WORK.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO YOU GENERALLY NOW?
>> I THINK IT WAS A REAL PARADIGM SHIFT.
I THINK I'M SOMEONE WHO LISTENED TO THEIR ANXIETY A LOT IN LIFE,
LISTENED TO THEIR LIMITATIONS. AND I THINK IT MADE ME THINK
THESE ARE ACTUALLY CHALLENGES. THESE ARE EXCITING OBSTACLES TO
OVERCOME, THE THINGS I'M AFRAID OF, I CAN MOVE ALONGSIDE THE
ANXIETY. I DON'T EVEN HAVE TO OVERCOME
IT. I CAN MOVE WITH IT AND DO THE
THINGS THAT ARE UNCOMFORTABLE AND THERE'S TREMENDOUS PAYOFF IN
THAT. >> Stephen: HOW DO YOU FEEL?
HOW IS YOUR HEAD NOW? >> WITHIN SIX WEEKS OF BEING AT
THAT PROGRAM I WAS COMPLETELY BETTER.
>> Stephen: AFTER THREE AND A HALF YEARS OF SUFFERING THROUGH
THIS. >> YEAH, YEAH.
>> Stephen: THAT'S EXTRAORDINARY.<i>
( APPLAUSE )</i> ABOUT FRANCES McDORMAND IS SHE
OPTIONED THE 2018 NOVEL "WOMEN TALKING," WHEN YOU'VE ADAPTED
AND DIRECTED. AND SHE ALSO ACTS IN THE FILM
AND IS A PRODUCER. YOU'VE ALREADY SAID SHE HAS AN
ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF CONFIDENCE AND, YOU KNOW, SHE SEEMS FUN BUT
TOUGH. IS SHE INTIMIDATING TO WORK WITH
AT ALL? >> I MEAN, SHE'S-- SHE IS REALLY
FUN. AND SHE HAS AN ENORMOUSLY KIND
HEART. BUT SHE DOES CUT TO THE CHASE,
SO THERE WAS A GUY WHO WAS OUR HOST AT THE STRAND NAMED WALKER
LAST NIGHT, AND THERE WAS A MOMENT WHERE SUDDENLY I SAID,
"WALKER, HOW ABOUT A TOILET?" AND IT WAS LIKE YOU JUST GET
STRAIGHT TO THE ACTUAL THING YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.
>> Stephen: WHAT WAS IT LIKE MEETING HER ORIGINALLY WHEN SHE
CAME TO YOU WITH THE BOOK? >> I MEAN, I WAS THRILLED
BECAUSE IT WAS A BOOK "WOMEN TALKING," A BOOK THEY LOVED SO
MUCH. AND I HAD ACTUALLY REACHED OUT
WHEN I FOUND OUT SHE HAD THE RIGHTS, AND SHE AND DEED
GARDNER, WHO ARE PRODUCING IT TOGETHER, REACHED OUT TO ME ON
THE SAME DAY SO IT FELT VERY MEANT TO BE AND VERY EXCITING.
>> Stephen: I UNDERSTAND YOU HADN'T DIRECTED IN A LONG TIME,
YOU KNOW, AS YOU SAID. YOU CERTAINLY COULDN'T DIRECT.
IT HAD BEEN 10 YEARS. DID YOU APPROACH DIRECTING
DIFFERENTLY AFTER THIS THAN YOU DID BEFORE?
>> YEAH. I MEAN, I FELT SO GRATEFUL EVERY
DAY JUST TO BE ABLE TO DO THE JOB AND TO BE ABLE TO
COLLABORATE WITH PEOPLE. AND, YOU KNOW, IT SOUNDS TRITE
BUT IT WAS A REALLY TRUE SENSE OF EUPHORIA EVERY DAY BEING ABLE
TO DO A JOB THAT REQUIRED IMAGINE SCPAGZ COLLABORATION AND
MULTITASKING. AND ALSO, I'VE HAD THREE KIDS IN
THE LAST 10 YEARS AND THAT WAS A BIG PART OF THE REASON I TOOK
THE TIME OFF. THE STAKES JUST FEEL LOWER WITH
EVERYTHING AFTER THREE KIDS. >> Stephen: NOTHING CAN BE AS
HARD AS THREE KIDS. >> NO.
I WAS-- ALL THE PEOPLE I WAS WORKING WITH HAD FULLY DEVELOPED
FRONTAL LOBES. NO ONE YELLED ABOUT THE
WRONG-SIZED SPOON. IT WAS REALLY EASY.
>> Stephen: WELL, THE FILM HAS GOT AN EXTRAORDINARY CAST.
CLAIRE FOY, ROONEY MARA, JESSIE BUCKLEY, EXTRAORDINARY ACTRESS.
WHAT IS IT ABOUT? AND WE HAVE A CLIP HERE, IF YOU
COULD SET UP WHAT WE'RE ABOUT TO SEE?
>> SURE, SO "WOMEN TALKING" IS ABOUT A GROUP OF WOMEN IN AN
ISOLATED RELIGIOUS COLONY. THERE HAS BEEN A SERIES OF
SEXUAL ASSAULTS OVER MANY, MANY YEARS.
WE DON'T SEE THIS IN THE FILM. THIS IS THE BACKDROP.
AND THEY GATHER WHEN THE MEN HAVE BEEN CAUGHT, THE MEN HAVE
GONE TO JAIL. ALL OF THE MEN OF THE COLONY
HAVE LEFT TO BAIL OUT THE MEN. THE WOMEN ARE THROFT DECIDE THE
FATE OF THEIR COLONY. ARE THEY GOING TO STAY AND
FIGHT? ARE THEY GOING TO STAY AND DO
NOTHING AND FORGIVE THE MEN? OR ARE THEY GOING TO LEAVE AND
BUILD THEIR OWN COLONY? THE FILM FOLLOWS THIS VERY
RIGOROUS, PASSIONATE DEBATE BETWEEN THESE WOMEN.
AND IN THE CLIP WE'RE ABOUT TO SEE, SOME OF THE MORE STICKY
QUESTIONS ARE GETTING ASKED. LIKE, WHAT IF WE HAVE THE WRONG
GUYS. >> Stephen: JIM.
>> WE NUFT CONSIDER? >> THIS.
>> NO! NO!
THAT IS NOT OUR RESPONSIBILITY BECAUSE WE AREN'T IN CHARGE OF
WHETHER OR NOT THEY ARE PUNISHED.
WE KNOW THAT WE'VE BEEN ATTACKED BY MEN, NOT BY GHOSTS OR SATAN,
AS WE WERE LED TO BELIEVE FOR SO LONG.
WE KNOW THAT WE'VE NOT IMAGINED THESE ATTACKS.
THAT WE WERE MADE UNCONSCIOUS WITH COW TRANQUILIZER.
WE KNOW THAT WE ARE BRUISED AND INFECTED AND PREGNANT AND
TERRIFIED AND IN PAIN, AND SOME OF US ARE DEAD!
WE KNOW THAT WE MUST PROTECT OUR CHILDREN, REGARDLESS OF WHO IS
GUILTY! >> ALL RIGHT, SALOME, THANK YOU,
PLEASE, SIT DOWN. <i> ( APPLAUSE )</i>
DIRECTOR AND AN AUTHOR, YOU STARTED ACTING WHEN YOU WERE
VERY YOUNG. HERE-- HERE YOU ARE.
HOW OLD ARE YOU WHEN YOU'RE DOING THIS?
>> I THINK I'M FIVE, BUT WHEN I WAS A KID, I USED TO LIE AND SAY
I WAS FOUR, BECAUSE IT MEANT I HAD BEEN DOING IT FOR LONGER.
BUT I THINK I'M FIVE. >> Stephen: WHAT-- WHAT WAS
THIS EXPERIENCE LIKE FOR YOU AS A KID?
NOT EVERYBODY ENJOYS BEING A CHILD ACTOR, LATER WHEN THEY
LOOK AT IT, AT THE TIME THEY WANT TO DO IT, THERE'S A LOT OF
EXCITEMENT BEING AROUND ADULTS AND DOING THIS ADULT THING AND
GETTING THE ATTENTION. WHAT WAS THAT LIKE FOR YOU?
YOU HAVE KIDS, DO YOU ENCOURAGE THEM TO DO IT?
>> NO. I DO NOT ENCOURAGE THEM TO DO
IT. I WOULD SAY IN GENERAL IT'S A
REALLY WEIRD THING TO HAVE KIDS IN A PROFESSIONAL ENVIRONMENT
AMONGST PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT TRAINED TO BE AROUND CHILDREN.
IT DOESN'T MAKE A TON OF SENSE. I DON'T KNOW HOW ETHICAL IT IS.
SO I DON'T ENCOURAGE-- WILL ANY OF MY THREE KIDS TO DO THAT AS
CHILDREN. IF THEY WANT TO DO IT WHEN
THEY'RE OLDER, GREAT. >> Stephen: DO THEY COME TO
SET WITH YOU? >> THEY CAME ON THIS SET BECAUSE
WITH COVID PROTOCOLS, THE ONLY WAY THEY COULD COME WAS BY BEING
BACKGROUND PERFORMERS. AND MY OLDEST KID, OF COURSING,
WANTS DESPERATELY TO BE A CHILD ACTOR BECAUSE EVERY BUTTON MUST
BE PUSHED. SO...<i>
( LAUGHTER )</i> WAY ON SET.
AND DID A LOT OF-- EVERY TIME I WOULD TALK TO THE KID ON SET,
WHO I WAS VERY UNCOMFORTABLE HAVING THERE, "ANY TIME YOU'RE
UNCOMFORTABLE, ANY TIME YOU NEED TO LEAVE OR TAKE A BREAK, JUST
LET US KNOW. YOU DON'T NEED TO BE HERE."
AND MY OLDEST WOULD BE LIKE, "WE KNOW.
STOP BORING US WITH YOUR CHILDHOOD.
WE'RE FINE." SO, YES, THEY VERY MUCH WANT TO
BE ACTORS, AND THEY WILL NOT BE UNTIL THEY'RE OLDER.
>> Stephen: GOOD LUCK WITH THAT.
>> THANK YOU. >> Stephen: SARAH, IT WAS SO
LOVELY TO MEET YOU. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANK YOU. >> Stephen: "WOMEN TALKING" IS
IN SELECT THEATERS DECEMBER 23rd AND "RUN TOWARD DANGER" IS
AVAILABLE NOW. SARAH POLLEY, EVERYBODY.
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK.
