>> Stephen: "THE LATE SHOW" BAND, EVERYBODY.
FOLKS, WHERE MY? HERE, THEY ARE?
I KNOW I WOULD FIND IT EVENTUALLY.
WELCOME BACK, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.
MY FIRST GUEST IS AN EMMY AWARD-WINNING ACTOR
YOU KNOW FROM "HOMELAND," "WOLF HALL," AND "BILLIONS."
HE NOW STARS IN THE NEW LIMITED SERIES
"A SPY AMONG FRIENDS." PLEASE WELCOME BACK
TO "THE LATE SHOW," DAMIAN LEWIS.
>> ♪ WE'RE CAUGHT IN A TRAP ♪ ♪ I CAN'T WALK OUT ♪
>> Stephen: PLEASE. NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
YOUR BACK ON TELEVISION AND YOUR FIRST ROLL SINCE "BILLIONS."
THE NEW SERIES "A SPY AMONG FRIENDS."
I ASSUME YOU ARE A SPY OR ARE YOU THE FRIENDS?
>> Damian: I AM ACTUALLY THE FRIEND OF THE SPY BUT I HAPPEN
TO BE A SPY AS WELL. >> Stephen: DO YOU LIKE SPY
THRILLERS? >> Damian: WHO DOESN'T LOVE A
SPY THRILLER? >> Stephen: BAD PEOPLE I
GUESS. WHAT DO YOU THINK --
WHY DO YOU THINK IT IS SO ALARMING?
>> Damian: I THINK IT IS THE DOUBLE LIFE, THE TOTAL DUPLICITY
THAT PEOPLE CAN LIVE ONE LIFE ENTIRELY SEEMINGLY TRANSPARENTLY
WHILST HAVING A TOTALLY DIFFERENT LIFE GOING ON
SIDE-BY-SIDE. I THINK THAT'S FASCINATING, AND
THE ABILITY TO CONCEAL WHILST GOING ABOUT YOUR DAY-TO-DAY LIFE
I THINK IS THE SKILL, MASTERFUL, STRANGE SORT OF SHAPE SHIFTING
SKILL TO HAVE. THE TWO GUYS THAT WE TELL THE
STORY ABOUT BASED ON A TRUE STORY, NICHOLAS ELLIOTT, THE
FRIEND F OUR MOST NOTORIOUS SPY IN THE U.K.
ONE OF THE MOST NOTORIOUS TRADERS OF THE 20TH CENTURY, A
GUY CALLED FILBY, GUY WHO BETRAYED HIS COUNTRY.
HE WAS CAUGHT IN 1963, HIS BEST FRIEND NICHOLAS ELLIOTT,
WHO I PLAY, THE IMMACULATE WONDERFUL GUY PIERCE PLAYS KIM
PHILBY. ELLIOTT, HIS BEST FRIEND IS SENT
OUT TO INTERROGATE HIM. THEY HAVE THIS NOW NOTORIOUS
FOUR DAYS OF INTERVIEWS. 3 MINUTES WHICH GETS LOST WHEN
THEY GO TO THE WINDOW. THEY OPEN THE WINDOW ON THE
BEIRUT STREET. THERE ARE NO TRANSCRIPTS OF THIS
3 MINUTES AND NO ONE KNOWS WHAT WAS SAID IN THOSE 3 MINUTES.
ALL THEY DO KNOW IS THAT THE NEXT DAY, KIM PHILBY WAS ON A
BOAT HEADING TO MOSCOW. THERE IS INTRIGUE FOR MANY YEARS
ABOUT ELLIOTT'S PART IN KIM PHILBY'S DEFECTION
EFFECTIVELY. HE WASN'T BROUGHT BACK.
HE WASN'T TRIED, EXECUTED, WHATEVER, IN A COURT OF LAW OR
PUBLIC OPINION. EFFECTIVELY HE SORT OF ROTTED
HIS LIVER AND VODKA IN MOSCOW. >> Stephen: WE HAVE A CLIP.
WHAT ARE WE ABOUT TO SEE? >> Damian: OKAY.
>> Stephen: NO. WHAT ARE WE ABOUT TO SEE?
>> Damian: STEVE, IT'S NOT WORKING.
SORRY, OKAY. >> Stephen: WE DON'T HAVE TO
SET IT UP. HAVE YOU SEEN YOUR OWN SHOW?
DO YOU KNOW? >> Damian: I ONLY WATCH THINGS
I AM IN. THIS IS THE DEBRIEFING SCENE
WHEN ELLIOT COMES BACK UNDER SUSPICION.
HE IS DEBRIEFED BY AN AM I FIVE AGENT PLAYED BY THE DUTIFUL,
BRILLIANT ANNA MAXWELL MARTIN. LET'S HOPE IT IS THAT SCENE.
>> MR. ELLIOTT. I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND WHY YOU
MIGHT NEED A MOMENT OR TWO TO BREAK THE ICE.
BELIEVE ME, I DO. WOULD YOU MIND IF WE NOW
CONSIDER BROKEN? >> THE WORD ESCAPE WAS SUGGESTED
KIM PHILBY WAS IN SOME SORT OF CUSTODY WHICH HE WAS NOW BUT I
DO UNDERSTAND THE DRIVE OF YOUR QUESTION AND THE ANSWER IS THIS,
I SIMPLY DIDN'T THINK AND RUN. I WAS OFFERING HIM COMPLETE
IMMUNITY AND SECRECY WITH A NICE RETIREMENT IN THE COUNTRY WITH
HIS WIFE AND CHILDREN FOR A FULL CONFESSION OF EVERYTHING HE EVER
DID FOR THE KGB. I DIDN'T THINK FOR A MOMENT THAT
HE WOULD CHOOSE RUSSIA OVER TH THAT.
[APPLAUSE] >> Stephen: DO YOU THINK YOU'D
BE A GOOD SPY? >> Damian: NO.
>> Stephen: WHY NOT? I DON'T THINK YOU WOULD EITHER.
I'VE GOT TO MY THEORIES. >> Damian: THAT WAS KIND OF
LIKE A SET UP. YOU HAVE THE ANSWER ALREADY.
>> Stephen: I HAD A THEORY. WHY DON'T YOU THINK YOU'D BE A
GOOD SPY? >> Damian: UHH.
>> Stephen: IF IT'S MY REASON, I CAN SEE WHY YOU'RE HESITANT TO
ANSWER. CAN I TELL YOU MY RECENT FIRST?
>> Damian: YOUR REASON IS ALREADY SOUNDING MORE EXCITING
THAN MINE. >> Stephen: MY REASON IS THAT
A SPY SHOULD BE BORING, AND YOU'RE INTERESTING.
>> Damian: AWW. >> Stephen: A SPY SHOULD NOT
BE MEMORABLE. A SPY WOULD NOT DO THAT.
A SPY DOES NOT RUB THEIR OWN NIPPLE IN PUBLIC.
>> Damian: YOU DON'T KNOW THAT I DON'T HAVE A COUNTER AGENT OUT
THERE RIGHT NOW RUBBING THEIR NIPPLE BACK TO ME RIGHT NOW.
>> Stephen: THIS IS TRUE. IT IS ALL SPY CRAFT ALL THE
TIME. WHAT WAS YOUR REASON FOR NOT
BEING A SPY? >> Damian: I THINK THAT THAT
LIFE OF SECRECY, THEY LOVE THAT CULTURE OF SECRECY.
IT'S A SORT OF AN ELITE WAY TO LIVE BECAUSE YOU KNOW THAT YOU
ARE IN A VERY SMALL ELITE OF PEOPLE WHO DO WHAT YOU DO.
NOBODY ELSE K KNOWS WHAT YOU DO AND IN THE EXAMPLE OF
KIM PHILBY, HE WAS DOUBLE-CROSSING EVERYBODY.
HE WAS IN AN ELITE OF ONE. I THINK THAT ABSOLUTELY DROVE
HIS EGO, HIS NARCISSISM. I THINK HE LOVED THAT.
I'M NOT SAYING I'M NOT EGOTISTICAL OR NARCISSISTIC.
BECAUSE I AM BOTH. BUT I THINK IT WOULD DESTROY YOU
IN THE END, HAVING TO MAINTAIN THAT LEVEL OF SECRECY, THAT
DOUBLE LIFE OVER A LONG PERIOD OF TIME.
>> Stephen: WE HAVE TO TAKE A QUICK BREAK BUT WE'LL BE RIGHT
BACK WITH MORE DAMIAN LEWIS, EVERYBODY.