FOLKS, MY FIRST GUEST IS THE ACADEMY AWARD-WINNING DIRECTOR
BEHIND FILMS LIKE "APOLLO 13," "RUSH," "FROST/NIXON," AND SO
PLEASE WELCOME BACK TO "THE LATE SHOW," RON HOWARD!
( APPLAUSE ) ♪ ♪ ♪
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ).
>> THANK YOU!
THAT'S-- THAT'S A THRILL ALREADY.
>> Stephen: ISN'T THAT NICE?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> Stephen: YOU DON'T GET THAT ANYPLACE.
>> OH, NO, ONLY HERE.
>> Stephen: THAT'S RIGHT.
NOW, YOU'RE A DIRECTOR.
YOU'RE AN ACTOR.
YOU'RE A PRODUCER.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: YOU'RE A WRITER.
YOU RECENTLY ADDED A NEW ITEM TO YOUR C.V., AND THAT IS YOUR A
WEDDING OFFICIENT.
WHO ARE WE LOOKING AT RIGHT HERE?
>> YEAH, THAT IS ME.
THAT'S MY DAUGHTER PAIGE, AND THE LOVER OF HER LIFE, TIM.
AND I DID OFFICIATE THE WEDDING.
>> Stephen: DO YOU HAVE TO GET A LICENSE.
>> THEY DID.
THEY GOT A DEAL.
I WOULD CHARGE A LITTLE SOMETHING-SOMETHING.
>> Stephen: I'VE DONE IT BEFORE.
AND IT CAN BE NERVE-RACKING HELP HOW DID IT FEEL?
>> IT WAS OKAY.
MY DAUGHTER, ALL THROUGH COVID THEY WERE TRYING TO PULL THIS
WEDDING OFF, AND IT FINALLY HAPPENED.
AND I'M NOT SURE THE OFFICIANT IS SUPPOSED TO WEEP OPENLY
MIDCEREMONY, BUT THIS ONE DID.
BUT IT WAS GREAT.
>> Stephen: CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU AND YOUR DAUGHTER AND THE
LOVE OF HER LIFE.
( APPLAUSE ) YOU'VE GOT A NEW FILM.
YOU'VE GOT A NEW FILM CALLED "THIRTEEN LIVES," WHICH IS ABOUT
THE RESCUE OF THE SOCCER TEAM-- THE YOUTH SOCCER TEAM--
>> IN NORTHERN THAILAND.
>> Stephen: IN NORTHERN THAILAND BACK IN--
>> 2018.
>> Stephen: FIRST OF ALL, I'M REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO IT.
WHAT A DRAMATIC STORY.
I UNDERSTAND SOME OF YOUR ACTORS, INCLUDING OUR DEER
FRIEND VIGGO MORTENSEN, WERE IN IT, WANTED TO DO THEIR OWN
DIVING.
DID THEY NOT BELIEVE IN STUNTMEN HAVING JOBS?
WHY DID THEY DO THAT?
>> IT WAS ABOUT A CAVE RESCUE.
AND MUCH OF IT WAS UNDERWATER, AND WE HAD RICK STANTON AND --
>> Stephen: PEOPLE WHO ACTUALLY DID IT.
>> PEOPLE WHO ACTUALLY DID IT WERE OUR TECHNICAL ADVISERS AND
WERE TEACHING OUR ACTORS TO DIVE THE WAY CAVE DIVERS DO WHICH IS
TECHNICALLY QUITE DIFFERENT.
WE WEREN'T DI DIVING IN REAL CA.
IT WAS A SET.
BUT THEY'RE STILL CAVES, THEY'RE STILL TRAPPED IN WATER.
AT A CERTAIN POINT VIGGO CAME TO ME AND SAID, "WE'VE BEEN WORKING
WITH RICK AND JASON AND WE CAN DO THIS AND DO IT SAFELY AND
IT'S SO PARTICULAR--" AND THIS IS VIGGO.
HE SAID, "I THINK I'M SPEAKING FOR ALL THE OTHER GUYS.
WE DON'T WANT A STUNT DOUBLE.
THIS IS PART OUR CHARACTER, AND WE WANT TO DO ALL THE DIVING."
>> Stephen: WAS HE ACTUALLY SPEAKING FOR ALL OF ACTORS.
>> WHEN I SAID YES, THEY ALL AGREED.
>> Stephen: BECAUSE THEY COULDN'T GET OUT-VIGGOD.
>> LOOK, I DID APPRECIATE IT.
I APPRECIATED EFFORT.
AND I WAS KIND OF PATRONIZING ABOUT IT.
I SAID THERE IS NO FRICIN WAY WE CAN LET THEM DO THAT.
WE HAVE STUNT PEOPLE.
IT WAS KIND OF AN INTERVENTION.
HE WOULDN'T LET UP.
I FOUND OUT THE OTHER ACTORS WANTED TO AS WELL.
LO AND BEHOLD, THEY DO EVERY SINGLE SHOT THAT IS IN THE
MOVIE.
AND IT WAS ALL GOING FINE.
BUT LATER I FOUND OUT ALSO EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM HAD HAD A
REALLY ROUGH MOMENT-- A PANIC ATTACK, HUNG UP, ANXIETY.
AND I NEVER HEARD ABOUT IT AND I THINK THAT'S BECAUSE THEY
THOUGHT I WOULD PUG THE PULL THE PLUG ON IT.
>> Stephen: DID YOU DO IT?
>> NO.
I'M THE DIRECTOR, MAN!
( LAUGHTER ) I WEAR THE RIGHT COAT, AND I
DON'T GET IN A CAVE!
>> Stephen: WE HAVE A CLIP HERE OF ACTUALLY SOME OF THE
DIVING.
WHAT'S THIS MOMENT WE'RE LOOKING AT HERE?
>> THIS IS A KEY MOMENT.
THIS IS WHEN THE DIVERS ARE FIRST GOING IN THIS TECHNICALLY
CHALLENGING CAVE AND THEY HAVE NO IDEA REALLY HOW DANGEROUS IT
IS.
AND WE BEGIN TO GET A SENSE OF HOW THOSE BOYS MIGHT HAVE BEEN
TRAPPED BY A FLASH FLOOD IN THAT CAVE, ALL VIGGO, ALL COLIN.
>> Stephen: JIM.
>> LET'S HAVE A LOOK.
WILL.
>> THAT'S IT, WE BETTER HEAD BACK!
I WOULDN'T DO THAT.
>> NO.
( APPLAUSE ).
>> IT WAS-- LOOK, THE REALITY IS KNOW-- AND THERE WERE A NUMBER
OF HEROES, YOU KNOW, IN VARIOUS FACETS AROUND-- AROUND THAT
RESCUE MISSION.
BUT EVERYBODY WAS SO HONORED TO TELL THAT STORY, THAT EVERYONE
WANTED TO GIVE EVERYTHING THAT THEY HAD SIMPLY TO TRY TO GET IT
RIGHT.
SO IT WAS-- I'VE NEVER HAD LESS COMPLAINING ON A SET BECBECAUSE,
YOU KNOW, THEY WOULD LOOK AROUND AND SEE ONE OF THE REAL RESCUE
DIVERS, OR THEY WOULD JUST THINK ABOUT WHAT THOSE BOYS WENT
THROUGH AND WHAT ALL OF THOSE THOUSANDS OF VOLUNTEERS HAD
ACHIEVED AND, YOU KNOW, IT HUMBLED THEM AND THEY WERE GLAD
TO TELL THE STORY.
>> Stephen: YOU WERE HERE IN MAY WITH OUR FRIEND JOSE ANDREAS
ABOUT THE DOCUMENTARY OF THE WORK--
>> "WE FEED PEOPLE."
>> Stephen: YOU SAY THIS FILM AND THAT FILM ARE RELATED.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN JIVES WORKING ON THEM SIMULTANEOUSLY, AND I
WAS MOVING FROM ONE REAL-LIFE SUPER HERO TO ANOTHER.
THESE ARE-- THESE ARE PEOPLE, COMPLICATED, INTERESTING, HIGHLY
INTELLIGENT, DEDICATED PEOPLE, JUST ACCOMPLISHING SO MUCH.
AND, YOU KNOW, WHAT JOSE DOES AND HIS TEAM WITH WORLD CENTRAL
KITCHEN IS EXTRAORDINARY.
IT'S AN ACT OF VOLUNTEERISM.
AND REALLY THIS IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT DIFFERENTIATES
"THIRTEEN LIVES" FROM OTHER MOVIES I'VE DONE AND OTHERS I'VE
SEEN AND ONE OF THE REASONS I REALLY WANTED TO DO IT, IS IT SO
CELEBRATE VOLUNTEERISM.
MOST OF THE PEOPLE WHO REALLY MOVED THE NEEDLE DID NOT HAVE TO
BE THERE.
THEY DIDN'T HAVE TO BE RISKING THEIR LIVES.
THEY DIDN'T HAVE TO BE RISKING THEIR-- THEIR, YOU KNOW, THEIR
EMOTIONAL KIND OF SAFETY AND STABILITY.
CAREER ISSUES.
AND SO NOT ONLY DID I WANT TO FOCUS ON THOSE DIVERS, BUT I
ALSO WANTED TO REFLECT HOW MUCH THE THAI VOLUNTEERISM IMPACTED
THE OUTCOME.
NONE OF IT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED WITHOUT THE COMPLETE
INTERNATIONAL EFFORT.
>> Stephen: THERE WERE PEOPLE UP ON THE MOUNTAIN TO TRY TO
DIVERT RAIN AND TRY TO PREVENT REFLOODING.
VIGGO, VIGGO MADE SOME HEADLINES BECAUSE HE WAS WEARING THE SAME
SHIRT TO THE PREMIERE RIGHT HERE-- THIS IS WHAT WE WORE TO
THE PREMIERE OF YOUR MOVIE.
>> THAT'S WHY HE WAS WEARING THAT KOOKY THING.
>> Stephen: EXACTLY.
HE WORE THAT.
IT WAS THE SAME SHIRT HE WORE TO THE PREMIERE OF "LORD OF THE
RINGS" IN 2001.
AND HE SAID IT'S BECAUSE THE TWO FILMS ARE SIMILAR.
DO YOU WHAN HE MEANT BY THAT?
>> I DO KNOW BECAUSE VIGGO AND I TALKED A BIT ABOUT THIS.
AND, AGAIN, IT IS ABOUT A VERY LARGE GROUP OF PEOPLE WITH THEIR
OWN PERSONALITIES, THEIR OWN, YOU KNOW, CAPABILITIES.
ONE'S FANTASY.
THIS REALLY HAPPENED, WHICH IS I THINK THE POWER OF THIS STORY,
IS IT IT'S A REAL OBJECT LESSON IN WHAT A GROUP OF PEOPLE CAN
ACCOMPLISH.
BUT, YES, STRUGGLING AGAINST INSURMOUNTABLE ODDS.
>> Stephen: A FELLOWSHIP OF PEOPLE WILLING TO GO UNDER A
MOUNTAIN TO GET SOMETHING DONE.
WE HAVE TO TAKE A QUICK BREAK, BUT WHEN WE COME BACK, I'LL ASK
RON ABOUT THE MOST DIFFICULT SHOT HE'S EVER HAD IN A FILM.