>> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY, WELCOME BACK.
FOLKS, MY NEXT GUEST IS THE GOLDEN GLOBE-WINNING STAR OF
"LUTHER," "THE AFFAIR," AND BROADWAY'S "KING LEAR."
HER LATEST ROLE IS IN THE PBS MINISERIES "MRS. WILSON."
PLEASE WELCOME RUTH WILSON.
♪ ♪ ♪
>> Stephen: NICE TO SEE YOU.
>> NICE TO SEE YOU.
THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME BACK.
>> Stephen: HOW YOU HAVE BEEN?
>> I'VE BEEN VERY WELL, VERY BUSY.
>> Stephen: YES, I KNOW, I KNOW.
YOU'RE NOT ONLY HAVE THE NEW TELEVISION SHOW "MRS. WILSON"
BUT NOW YOU ARE ON BROADWAY.
>> I AM.
>> Stephen: IN "KING LEAR" RIGHT THERE AT THE COURT THEATER
WITH GLENDA JACKSON.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: OKAY, NOW--
>> YUP, YUP.
>> Stephen: WELL, YOU KNOW, WE KNOW YOU FROM TELEVISION AND
FILMS AND THERE'S NO LIVE AUDIENCE THERE.
>> NO.
>> Stephen: FOR THAT, GENERALLY SPEAKING.
THERE IS TONIGHT, BUT GENERALLY SPEAKING YOU DON'T HAVE THAT.
WHAT IS IT LIKE FOR YOU TO BE ON STAGE WITH SORT OF THE ENERGY
AND THE HUBBUB OF THE AUDIENCE?
BECAUSE THAT-- THAT'S A DIFFERENT VIBE.
>> I LOVE IT.
IT'S MY FAVORITE FORM OF-- FAVORITE MEDIUM IS TO BE ON
STAGE.
>> Stephen: RIGHT.
>> BECAUSE I LOVE INTERACTING WITH THE AUDIENCE-- SOMETIMES
NOT SO MUCH.
BUT WHEN THEY COUGH TOO MUCH, WHICH HAPPENS.
"STOP COUGHING OR TAKE SOME SWEETS" TO THE AUDIENCE.
YOU KNOW, SUCK ON SOME LEMON SHERPERTS OR SOMETHING.
>> Stephen: HAVE THEY EVER INTERRUPTED YOUR PERFORMANCE?
>> I HAD ONE-- ONE IN-- WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT?
LEMON SH SHERBET.
I DID ONE.
I DID "HEADER" A FEW YEARS AGO AT THE NATIONAL THEATER.
IT WAS FIVE MINUTES BEFORE THE END-- IF YOU DON'T KNOW THE
SHOW, SHE PUTS A BULLET IN HER OWN HEAD AT THE END.
IT'S BUILDING UP -- >> Stephen: SPOILER ALERT.
SPOILER ALERT.
>> IT'S A BIG MOMENT, VERY DRAMATIC.
A LOT OF TENSION BUILDING UP TO THIS, YOU KNOW.
I WAS BUILDING UP THE LAST, YOU KNOW, FIVE MINUTES.
AND OF COURSE I WAS ON THE FLOOR ON ALL FOURS, I HAD JUST BEEN
SPLAFTERRED WITH SOMETHING THAT LOOKED LIKE BLOOD, VERY
DRAMATIC.
AND YOU HEAR A KERFUFFLE WAS GOING ON.
AND SOMEONE CALLS OUT FOR A DOCTOR.
"IS THERE A DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE?"
THE TYPICAL.
I WAS LIKE, "NO!
SHE'S FINE.
I'M SURE SHE'S NOT DYING.
IT'S GOING TO BE FINE.
JUST GET ON WITH THE PERFORMANCE!
SHUT UP!" SHE WAS FINE.
SHE FAINTED, BUT THEY STILL HAD TO PUT THE HOUSE LIGHTS UP.
I WAS ON ALL FOURS JUST TRYING TO MAINTAIN THE SCENE.
BUT I -- >> Stephen: SO YOU STAYED ON
STAGE-- >> I STAYED ON STAGE.
I WAS TRYING-- TELLING EVERYONE ALL THE OTHER ACTORS ON THE
STAGE, "LET'S JUST KEEP GOING.
JUST IGNORE THEM."
( LAUGHTER ).
>> Stephen: SO YOU WERE IMPROVISE BE IBSEN THE WHOLE
TIME?
>> MORE JUST A SILENT AWKWARDNESS ON STAGE AS I WAS
JUST-- I DON'T KNOW.
I WAS JUST TRYING TO HOLD THE ENERGY.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT MEANT.
>> Stephen: HOW LONG DID IT FAKE FOR THE E.M.T.s.
>> THE STAGE MANAGER HAD TO COME ON AND SAY, "RUTH GET UP.
WE'RE GETTING OFF STAGE.
SOMEONE HAD TO BE ESCORTED OUT OF THE BUILDING BECAUSE THEY
FAINTED" AND THEN WE HAD TO GO BACK ON
AND GET BACK ON ALL FOURS WHERE WE LEFT OFF.
WE HAD FIVE MINUTES TO GET AUDIENCE BACK.
THE TENSION TO BLOW MY HEAD OFF.
>> Stephen: HOW DID YOU RAMP THEM BACK UP AGAIN?
"OKAY, REMEMBER BEFORE, I WAS REALLY UNHAPPY.
ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN."
>> "I GOT BLOOD ON ME.
I'M ABOUT TO SORT OF KILL MYSELF."
>> Stephen: YOU HAVE THIS FASCINATING NEW TV SHOW CALLED
"MRS. WILSON.
OF.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: THIS IS AN AMAZING STSH.
IT'S ALMOST UNBELIEVABLE.
IT'S AN ACTUAL FAMILY STORY OF YOURS.
WHO IS MRS. WILSON?
>> SHE'S MY GRANDMOTHER.
>> Stephen: AND WHAT HAPPENED?
>> SO IT TURNS OUT-- SHE THOUGHT SHE WAS HAPPY MARRIED TO THIS
MYSTERIOUS MAN SHE MET IN MI-5.
>> Stephen: SHE WAS A SPY.
>> SHE WASN'T A SPY.
SHE WAS A SECRETARY WHO WORKED MI-5 DURING THE WAR.
HE WAS A SPY.
AND WHEN HE DIED OF A HEART ATTACK IN HER HOUSE, SHE WENT
THROUGH HIS DOCUMENTS AND REALIZED THAT SHE WAS ONE OF
FOUR WIVES.
AND HE HAD KIDS WITH ALL OF THEM.
AND THEY NEVER KNEW ABOUT EACH OTHER.
AND, I MEAN, THEY-- YES.
IT'S A MAD STORY.
AND WE DIDN'T REALLY FIND OUT THE TRUTH OF THIS UNTIL 10 YEARS
AGO, THE FULL EXTENT OF THE STORY.
SO MY DAD'S RECENTLY FOUND ALL THESE HALF-SIBLINGS, AND --
>> Stephen: HAVE YOU GUYS GOTTEN TOGETHER?
>> YEAH, WE HAD A BIG RUN-- OR UNION, MAYBE.
( LAUGHTER )
"DAUGHTER OF."
IT WAS HILARIOUS.
QUITE FUNNY.
>> Stephen: HAVE YOU LEARNED ANYTHING ABOUT YOUR GRANDFATHER
HIMSELF ABOUT HOW THIS HAPPENED, LIKE HOW HE WORKED THIS OUT?
>> YEAH, SO WE'VE SINCE GONE TO A GUY CALLED TIM CROOK, APTLY
NAMED.
HE'S BEEN INVESTIGATING MY GRANDFATHER, AND FOUND OUT THAT
HE WORKED FOR MI-5, AND MI-6 AND WAS IN INDIA FOR EIGHT YEARS AND
WROTE 23 SPY NOVELS WHICH WERE ALL PUBLISHED.
AND HE-- WE DON'T KNOW-- WE STILL DON'T KNOW THE TRUTH.
MI-5 AND MI-6 WON'T RELEASE ALL RECORDS.
>> Stephen: COULD THERE BE MORE FAMILIES OUT THERE?
>> THERE COULD BE.
I THOUGHT THE DRAMA MIGHT BRING THEM, YOU KNOW, KIND OF COME OUT
OF THE WOODWORK, BUT IT HASN'T YET HAPPENED.
>> Stephen: WOW.
>> I HOPE NOP.
WE'VE GOT ENOUGH.
>> Stephen: YOU HAVE EVER-- >> ENOUGH WILSONS.
>> Stephen: HAD YOU MET ANY OF YOUR DISTANT RELATIVES WITHOUT
KNOWING?
>> NO.
>> Stephen: OKAY.
>> BUT THAT'S THE FEAR, YOU MARRY ONE, ISN'T IT-- OR
SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
YEAH, YEAH, YEAH.
>> Stephen: WELL, I LOOK FORWARD TO IT.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
"MRS. WILSON"-- TRUE STORY-- IS ON PBS.
AND THAT'S RUTH WILSON, EVERYBODY.
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH REPRESENTATIVE ILHAN OMAR