( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ( BAND PLAYING )
>> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY! WELCOME BACK!
FOLKS -- MY FIRST GUEST IS A TWO-TIME
ACADEMY AWARD WINNER YOU KNOW FROM "MOONLIGHT" AND "GREEN
BOOK."
HE NOW STARS IN THE FILM "SWAN SONG."
PLEASE WELCOME BACK TO THE LATE SHOW, MAHERSHALA ALI
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ( BAND PLAYING )
>> Stephen: NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
>> GREAT TO BE HERE.
>> Stephen: NOW, SINCE THE LAST TIME I SAW YOU, YOU HAVE
WON TWO OSCARS!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) CONGRATULATIONS.
>> THANK YOU.
>> Stephen: AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I DID NOT KNOW
THE LAST TIME YOU WERE HERE IS BEFORE YOU WERE AN ACTOR, YOU
WERE QUITE AN ATHLETE, YOU WERE A D-1 COLLEGE BASKETBALL PLAYER.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: AND ETCH MORE INTERESTING TO ME IN A CERTAIN
WAY, YOU WERE, AS A CHILD, A B.M.X. RACER AT AGE FOUR.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: THAT'S YOU RIGHT THERE.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) YOUR MOM LET YOU DO THIS?
THIS IS GOING TO BE ROUGH AND TUMBLE.
YOUR MOM LET YOU DO THIS?
>> SHE DID.
SHE DID.
I RACED FOR SIX YEARS FROM WHEN I WAS FOUR TO TEN.
>> Stephen: ANY CRAZY RACES?
CRAZY RACES, DEFINITELY A FEW CRAZY RACES.
ONE IN PARTICULAR.
I REMEMBER RACING AGAINST A GOOD FRIEND OF MINE.
SO I RACED EVERY WEEK-END ALONG WITH OLDER COUSINS, YOU KNOW,
AND WE WERE IN DIFFERENT AGE GROUPS, DIFFERENT HEATS AND WHAT
KNOT, AND A GOOD FRIEND, A GIRL BY THE NAME OF ROBYN, YOU KNOW,
THE GIRLS RACE WITH THE GIRLS, THE BOYS RACE WITH THE BOYS, BUT
A GOOD FRIEND AT THE TIME, WE DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH KIDS FOR OUR
HEAT AND ROBYN CAME AND RACED WITH THE BOYS AND I REMEMBER
LOOKING AT ROBYN LIKE, OKAY, GOOD LUCK, DON'T TAKE THIS
PERSONAL.
AND WE STARTED RACING, AND ABOUT A QUARTER THROUGH THE RACE, I
KIND OF FELT MY LUNGS TIGHTEN UP A LITTLE BIT, AND THE NEXT THING
YOU KNOW I WAS HAVING A FULL-BLOWN ASTHMA ATTACK
MI-RACE.
I WAS WOBBLING, AND I SEE ROBYN PASSING ME UP A BIT, SHE
PASSINGS ME, FINISHES THE RACE, BEATS ME, AND MY COUSINS RUN ON
TO THE COURSE AND THEY'RE LIKE YOU GOT BEAT BY A GIRL!
MID ASTHMA ATTACK, WHICH I OBVIOUSLY SURVIVED, BUT SOME
GREAT EXPERIENCE.
>> Stephen: SO YOU WERE BEATEN BY A GIRL BECAUSE OF AN ASTHMA
ATTACK.
>> EXACTLY.
>> Stephen: THAT'S WHY I DIDN'T PLAY D-1 BASKETBALL
BECAUSE OF MY ASTHMA.
>> RIGHT ( LAUGHTER )
>> Stephen: YOU'VE HAD A BIG MONTH BECAUSE MARVEL FANS WILL
KNOW -- AND I'M NOT GIVING ANYTHING AWAY BECAUSE THIS HAS
BEEN WRITTEN EVERYWHERE, BECAUSE IN ONE TO HAVE THE POST CREDIT
SCENES AT THE END OF "ETERNALS" WE GET TO HEAR YOUR VOICE AS IS
REVEALED WITH YOUR VOICE OFF SCREEN THAT YOU ARE GOING TO BE
BLADE IN THE MCU.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> THANK YOU.
>> Stephen: YOU MUST BE, LIKE -- YOU MUST SORT OF PREP
YOURSELF TO KNOW YOU'RE GOING INTO THE SUPERHERO.
HOW IS IT GOING SO FAR?
>> IT'S WEIRD BECAUSE THE ANTICIPATION IS SO GREAT.
MY EXCITEMENT FOR ANY ROLE IS PRETTY EQUAL, HONESTLY, BECAUSE
I FEEL THE RESPONSIBILITY IS ALWAYS THE SAME, BUT I'VE NEVER
WALKED INTO A ROLEY THE ANTICIPATION WAS SO GREAT, WHERE
PEOPLE WERE ALREADY SO FAMILIAR WITH THE CHARACTER AND HAVE REAL
OPINIONS AND POINTS OF VIEW AND ALL OF THAT.
SO IT FEELS DIFFERENT.
THERE'S CLEARLY AN ADDED LAYER OF PRESSURE WHICH I WILL
EMBRACE.
DISPLMPS.
>> Stephen: NOW, WE DON'T SEE YOU IN THIS.
WE ONLY HEAR YOU.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: SO IT'S BASICALLY A RADIO PLAY SO FAR.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: HOW DO YOU MAKE THE DECISION ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE
GOING TO SOUND LIKE IF YOU HAVEN'T DONE ONE DAY ON CAMERA?
>> YOU LOSE SLEEP OVER IT.
I WAS LOSING SLEEP OVER THIS LINE BECAUSE, IDEALLY, YOU KNOW,
YOU WANT TO BE TALKING ONCE YOU ARE FILMING, YOU KNOW, AND 100%
OF THE TIMES -- 100% OF THE TIMES, MY FIRST DAY ON ANY SET,
ON ANY JOB, I HATE IT, LIKE I HATE HOW I SOUND, I HATE -- YOU
KNOW, I DON'T BELIEVE MYSELF, YOU KNOW, AND, SO, YOU'RE TRYING
TO GET COMFORTABLE IN THE CHARACTER.
SO TO HAVE TO TALK BEFORE YOU EVEN ACTUALLY FILMING WAS
CHALLENGING, BUT I'M GRATEFUL FOR IT BECAUSE IT MADE IT FEEL
REAL, YOU KNOW, IT MADE IT -- IT'S LIKE OKAY, NOW E.R. GOING.
>> Stephen: YOU GOT TO GET SWOLE.
>> I GOT TO GET SWOLLEN.
>> Stephen: DO YOU HAVE A REGIMEN IN PLACE?
LIKE 50 POUNDS OF CHICKEN A DAY.
>> YOUR WORKOUT.
>> Stephen: COFFEE AND RICOLA, THAT'S WHAT I LIVE ON THESE
DAYS.
( LAUGHTER ) YOU STAR IN "SWAN SONG."
>> YES.
>> Stephen: A FASCINATING SCIENCE FICTION MOVIE THAT
RAISES RALE ETHICAL QUESTIONS ABOUT IDENTITY AND DEATH.
TELL THE FOLKS WHO YOU'RE PLAYING AND WHAT YOUR SITUATION
IS.
>> I PLAY A GENTLEMAN BY THE NAME OF CAMERON PRESENTED WITH
THE OPPORTUNITY TO CLONE HIMSELF BECAUSE HE HAS AN ILLNESS AND,
YOU KNOW, HE'S GOING TO DIE, AND FAMILY.
SO -- >> Stephen: WHY CAN'T HE TELL
HIS FAMILY?
>> THE OPPORTUNITY, WELL, IT'S A SECRET AT THIS POINT.
>> Stephen: OKAY.
THE TECH, ALL OF THAT IS VERY NEW.
>> Stephen: MM-HMM.
AND, SO, THAT IS PART OF THE ISSUE IS THAT HE CAN'T SHARE
THAT INFORMATION WITH HIS WIFE.
>> Stephen: IS THAT PART OF THE IDEA TO SAVE THEM THE PAIN
OF HIS DEATH, OR -- >> I JUST THINK IT'S SO EARLY ON
IN TERMS OF THE TECHNOLOGY ITSELF THAT IT'S SUCH A SECRET
AND THIS IS SORT OF IN THE EARLY SORT OF LIKE TESTING PHASES OF
IT, RIGHT?
AND, SO, RIGHT NOW, YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO TELL ANYONE, AND, SO,
THAT'S PART OF THE DIFFICULTY OF THE DECISION BECAUSE HE CAN'T
INCORPORATE HIS WIFE IN THAT, SO HE'S WRESTLING WITH THIS
INFORMATION AND THIS DECISION BUT IT'S THIS HUGE SECRET, AND
IT'S SOMETHING THAT DEFINITELY KEEPS HIM UP AT NIGHT.
>> Stephen: WE HAVE A CLIP HERE.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: CAN YOU SET UP WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE?
>> I BELIEVE THIS IS THE FIRST TIME HE'S SEEING HIS CLONE.
AND UP UNTIL THAT POINT, IT'S BEEN SORT OF THIS IDEA AND
SOMETHING THAT HE'S BEEN SOLD ON, BUT AT THIS POINT, NOW HE'S
ACTUALLY SEEING HIS CLONE IN THE FLESH.
>> Stephen: JIM.
MOLECULARLY REGENERATED, MAPPED TO YOUR DNA, CAMERON
TURNER TO THE MOLECULE.
( APPLAUSE ) >> THANK YOU.
>> Stephen: WE HAVE TO TAKE A QUICK BREAK BUT DON'T GO
ANYWHERE, ANYBODY, WE'LL BE BACK WITH MORE MAHERSHALA ALI.