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>> Stephen: WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY.
MY FIRST GUESTS TONIGHT ARE A WELSH ICON OF STAGE AND SCREEN
AND A CELEBRATED FRENCH WRITER/DIRECTOR.
THEIR FILM "THE FATHER" IS NOMINATED FOR SIX ACADEMY
AWARDS.
>> WHAT DO YOU DO FOR A LIVING.
OH, I WAS A DANCER.
WERE YOU?
YES.
DAD!
WHAT?
YOU WERE AN ENGINEER.
WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT IT?
YES, TAP DANCING WAS MY SPECIALTY.
>> REALLY?
YOU SEEM SURPRISED.
A LITTLE BIT.
DON'T YOU BELIEVE ME?
OR YOU FIND THAT DIFFICULT TO IMAGINE?
>> OF COURSE.
IT'S JUST I'VE ALWAYS LOVED TAP DANCING.
>> YOU, REALLY?
WOW, I'M STILL GREAT AT IT.
I'LL SHOW YOU.
( LAUGHTER ) JOLLY GOOD!
WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING?
>> I'M SORRY.
SORRY.
>> I KNOW, I KNOW WHO SHE REMINDS ME OF?
>> WHO?
LUCY.
IT WAS LUCY WHEN SHE WAS YOUNGER.
>> LUCY?
YES, MY OTHER DAUGHTER.
THAT'S RIGHT.
THERE'S A RESEMBLANCE, DON'T YOU THINK?
>> MAYBE.
YES, YES, HER UNBEARABLE HABIT OF LAUGHING I HAD YOU
THERE, DIDN'T I?
>> STEPHEN: PLEASE WELCOME TO "A LATE SHOW," SIR ANTHONY
HOPKINS AND FLORIAN ZELLER.
GENTLEMEN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH.
>> Stephen: THE FILM IS NOMINATED FOR SIX ACADEMY
AWARDS.
TONY, THIS IS YOUR SIXTH ACADEMY AWARD FORM NATION, FLORIAN, THIS
IS YOUR FIRST.
I UNDERSTAND YOU ADAPTED "THE FATHER" WITH TONY IN MIND.
WHY TONY FOR THIS PARTICULAR PART AND PERHAPS YOU COULD TELL
THE AUDIENCE SOMETHING ABOUT THE ROLE OF "THE FATHER" "THE
FATHER" IS ABOUT A MAN LOSING HIS BEARINGS, AND IT'S TRUE WHEN
I START DREAMING ABOUT MAKING THAT FILM, BECAUSE EVERYTHING
STARTED WAS A DREAM.
THE ONLY FACE THAT CAME TO MY MIND WAS ANTHONY'S.
SO I WROTE THE SCRIPT WITH HIM IN MIND AND THE REASON IS I
THINK HE IS THE GREATEST LIVING ACTOR AND ALSO BECAUSE I HAVE
THIS INTUITION THAT HE WOULD BE REALLY POWERFUL IN THIS PART,
YOU KNOW, BECAUSE WE KNOW AN ACTOR THROUGH ALL HIS PARTS AND,
TO ME, AT LEAST, ANTHONY WAS THIS MAN, VERY INTELLIGENT,
ALWAYS IN CONTROL, AND I THOUGHT HE WOULD BE EVEN MORE DISTURBING
AND HEARTBREAKING TO SEE THAT MAN PRECISELY LOSING THE
CONTROL, AND, SO -- IT WAS LIKE A DREAM AT FIRST, BUT I WAS
AWARE THAT IT WAS NOT AN EASY DREAM TO FULFILL BECAUSE IT'S MY
FIRST PICTURE PHILLIP AND HE'S SIR ANTHONY HOPKINS.
BUT I WAS, LIKE, IF SOMEONE COMES AND PROVES YOU IT IS NOT
POSSIBLE, IT MEANS THAT POTENTIALLY IT IS.
>> Stephen: FLORIAN POINTS OUT THAT YOU'RE WELL KNOWN FOR BEING
ARE EITHER THE PERSON IN CONTROL OR HAVE GREAT CONTROL OVER
THEMSELVES, YOU KNOW, WHETHER YOU'RE ODEN IN THE MARVEL
MOVIES, OR WHETHER YOU'RE THE CHARACTER WHOSE NAME ESCAPES ME
AT THE MOMENT FROM "REMAINS TO HAVE THE DAY" WHO'S SOMEONE
WHO'S IN CONTROL AND VERY MUCH IN CONTROL OF THEMSELVES.
THIS STORY ABOUT A MAN WHO HAS A PROFOUND DEMENTIA THE AUDIENCE
GETS TO EXPERIENCE THROUGH HIS EXPERIENCE IS QUITE THE
OPPOSITE.
WHAT IS IT LIKE FOR YOU AS A PERFORMER TO PLAY SOMEONE WHO
HAS A SENSE OF STATUS AND CONTROL AND DIGNITY AND, YET,
IT'S CONSTANTLY BEING UNDERMINED BY THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF HIS OWN
PERCEPTION?
>> WELL, IT'S QUITE EASY.
YOU KNOW, I HAVE BEEN DOING THIS FOR A LONG TIME NOW OFF
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: SO EVERY PART JUST
ROLLS OFF YOUR TONGUE IS WHAT YOU'RE SAYING?
>> IT TAKES A LOT OF PREPARATION.
I'M NOT A METHOD ACTOR AS SUCH, I DON'T HAVE TO SIT IN A CORNER
THINKING ABOUT IT.
BUT I DO STUDY THE SCRIPT CAREFULLY AND I GO THROUGH IT
AND I FEED MY BRAIN WITH IT, I LEARN THE LINES.
THAT IS CONTROL.
BECAUSE IT'S LIKE GETTING IN THE CAR AND DRIVING WHEN YOU DON'T
KNOW HOW TO DRIVE.
YOU'RE ALL THE WAY OVER THE FREEWAY, YOU KILL PEOPLE.
SO WHAT I DO IS I CONTROL MY END OF IT, FEED MY BRAIN WITH THE
STORY LINE, AND CHRISTOPHER HAMPTON'S SCRIPT, AND, YOU KNOW,
FLORIAN'S ORIGINAL PLAY IS LIKE A ROAD MAP, SO I FOLLOW THE
DIRECTIONS TO HAVE THE ROAD MAP.
IT MAKES IT REALLY EASY.
MAY NOT SEEM LIKE IT.
MAY SEEM I'M BEING FALSELY MODEST, BUT IT ISN'T ONCE YOU
KNOW THE TECHNIQUE.
THE TECHNIQUE IS MISTRUSTED IN AMERICA, ESPECIALLY THE ACTOR'S
STUDIO, THOUGH GREAT RESPECT TO THEM.
BUT I DO BELIEVE YOU HAVE TO BE IN CHARGE ALL THE TIME, AND THEN
THE INFORMATION I'VE GOT IN MY BRAIN TAKES OVER.
>> Stephen: ONE TO HAVE THE THINGS THAT'S MOST BEAUTIFUL
ABOUT THE FILM TO ME, AND MY CARDS ON THE TABLE, I THINK --
AND YOU CAN TAKE THIS AS YOU WILL -- I THINK THAT THIS IS THE
GREATEST PERFORMANCE OF YOUR CAREER, AND IT MIGHT BE THE
GREATEST PERFORMANCE I'VE EVER SEEN AN ACTOR COMMIT TO FILM.
THAT IS MY IMMEDIATE REACTION AFTER I SAW THE FILM.
IT'S ABSOLUTELY HEARTBREAKING, BUT SO BEAUTIFULLY RENDERED, NOT
ONLY THROUGH YOUR PERFORMANCE BUT THROUGH THE WRITING AND THE
DIRECTING, FLORIAN, THAT I'M REMINDED VITALLY OF, YOU KNOW,
THE OLD -- OF SAYING BY TERRENCE, WHICH IS I AM HUMAN,
NOTHING HUMAN IS FOREIGN TO ME, AND YOU EXPERIENCE THIS DEMENTIA
THROUGH THE PERSON OF TONY, WHICH IS ALSO THE CHARACTER'S
NAME, AND IT'S A STRANGELY ENTERTAINING FILM AS WELL AS
BEING A HEARTBREAKING ONE.
YOU WANT TO KNOW HIS PERCEPTION AND HOW IT TURNS OUT.
WHAT WAS YOUR INTENTION IN TELLING THIS STORY?
BECAUSE I'M LEFT GRATEFUL FOR THE FILM, EVEN THOUGH I'M HEART
BROKEN.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SAYING THIS.
THE FIRST IDEA WAS TO PUT THE AUDIENCE IN THIS UNIQUE
POSITION, AS YOU SAID, TO GO THROUGH A LABYRINTH AS IF YOU
WERE IN ANTHONY'S MIND, YOU KNOW, AND TO QUESTION EVERYTHING
YOU ARE SEEING AND IN ORDER TO, YOU KNOW, I WANTED "THE FATHER"
TO NOT ONLY BE A STORY BUT AN EXPERIENCE OR THE EXPERIENCE OF
WHAT IT COULD MEAN TO LOSE EVERYTHING INCLUDING YOUR OWN
BEARINGS, AS A VIEWER.
THE FILM IS LIKE A PUZZLE AND YOU HAVE TO PLAY WITH ALL THE
PIECES TO HAVE THE PUZZLE TO TRY TO MAKE IT MEANINGFUL TO
UNDERSTAND WHAT IS GOING ON AND WHAT IS REAL AND NOT REAL, AND
TO ME IT'S TO PUT YOURSELF IN AN ACTING POSITION, NOT TO WATCH A
STORY BEING TOLD BUT REALLY TO BE PART OF THE NARRATIVE.
>> Stephen: TONY, IN WHAT WAYS IS THIS ROLE MEANINGFUL TO YOU
AS SOMEONE WHO YOU HAVE YOUR OWN FACULTIES, YOUR ARTIST AND
TECHNIQUE YOU'RE STILL A MASTER AND COMMAND OF, BUT TO CONSIDER
THE THOUGHT OF LOSING THAT CONTROL?
>> WELL, IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S BEYOND OUR CONTROL IN A LIMITED
WAY, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE NO CONTROL AT ALL IN THE BIGGER
SENSE.
WE CAN NEVER PREDICT WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN.
AND FOR ME, AGAIN, GOING BACK TO THE SCRIPT THAT'S SO EASY TO
PLAY, BUT THE CONTROL, FROM AN ACTOR'S POINT OF VIEW, IS
ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY, AND, YOU KNOW, SUBS STANISLAVSKI INTESTED
THE TECHNIQUES AND KNOWLEDGE ALL THE TIME.
I'VE KNOWN HIM SINCE ABOUT THREE YEARS OF AGE.
SO I'VE LEARNED ENOUGH TO KNOW THINGS ARE FRAGILE, AND I CAN'T
MOVE AS FAST AS I USED TO, BUT I KEEP MY MIND ACTIVE BY LEARNING
THE LINES, PLAYING THE PIANO, KEEPING ACTIVE ALL THE TIME AND
ENJOYING EVERY DAY OF MY LIFE.
TO ANSWER THE QUESTION, MY PARENTS DIDN'T DIE OF DEMENTIA,
BUT I REMEMBER MY FATHER SUFFERING TOWARD THE END.
HE DIED SLOWLY OVER A PERIOD OF NINE MONTHS FROM HEART DISEASE,
AND I KNOW HE WOULD BECOME IRASCIBLE AND OF COURSE HE WAS
FRIGHTENED.
HE WENT INTO A COMA SLIGHTLY FOR ABOUT A DAY, AND THEN HE DIED.
IT WAS A LONG TIME AGO, 40, ALMOST 50, LONG, LONG TIME AGO.
AND I REMEMBER THAT MOMENT.
AND WHEN HE WAS DEAD, I THOUGHT, THAT'S IT.
I LOOKED AT MYSELF AND I THOUGHT, YOU'RE NOT SO HOT
EITHER BECAUSE WE'RE ALL GOING TO GO.
AND I THINK WHAT APPEALS TO ME NOW AT THIS TIME IN MY LIFE IS
THAT WE COME SCREAMING INTO THIS WORLD FROM DARKNESS.
WE GO THROUGH LIFE AND WE THINK WHAT IS IT ALL ABOUT, IS THERE
ANY PURPOSE?
WHAT IS THE MEANING OF IT?
WE KNOW AS WE'RE COMING TO AN END THAT WE GO SCREAMING BACK
INTO THE DARKNESS FROM WHICH WE CAME AND NO MATTER HOW MUCH WE
DENY IT IT'S THERE ALL THE TIME.
SO THAT ENRICHES ME AS AN ACTOR, KNOWING THAT.
SO THE EMOTIONS ARE PRETTY RAW NOW, I TEND TO WEEP AT THE
SMALLEST THING, BUT I ENJOYED THIS SO MUCH BECAUSE IT'S AN
EXPLORATION OF MYSTERY OF LIFE, THE SHEER MYSTERY, THE GREAT
TERRIBLE BEAUTY OF LIFE AND HOW IT JUST GRADUALLY SLIPS AWAY
AND, YOU KNOW, AND IT'S AWESOME, AND I'M IN AWE OF THIS, TO BEGIN
AN OPPORTUNITY TO PLAY A MAN LIKE THIS WHO'S LOSING ALL HIS
MARBLES.
ONE THING THAT CAME OUT OF MY CHILDHOOD, I WAS ALWAYS OBSESSED
WITH THE WIND AND RAIN AND THE LEAVES IN THE TREES.
THERE WAS ONE LINE, THE WIND AND THE RAIN, BUT THAT HAUNTS ME.
THE WIND AND THE RAIN, BECAUSE IT RAINS EVERY DAY.
THERE'S SOMETHING SO FRAGRANT ABOUT MORTALITY, IT WILL COME.
AND THAT IS HAUNTING FOR ME.
IT'S BEAUTIFUL IN A WAY BECAUSE, FINALLY, YOU THINK, WELL, THIS
MAY BE A DREAM.
WHAT IS THIS ALL ABOUT?
IT'S A WONDERFUL SENSE OF AWE.
>> Stephen: WELL, SPEAKING OF SHAKESPEARE, WHEN THE FILM WAS
OVER, I WAS REMINDED OF SONS HAIR, SONS TEETH, SONS
EVERYTHING AND AT THE END OF THIS FILM, YOU ARE STILL LEFT
WITH THE LOVE THAT THE DAUGHTER HAS FOR THE FATHER AND THE NEED
FOR LOVE THAT THE FATHER HAS, ESPECIALLY AT THE END.
THAT KEEN NEED FOR LOVE AT ALL TIMES.
SO WHEN EVERYTHING ELSE IS GONE, ALL IS LEFT IS THE LOVE AND THE
NEED FOR LOVE.
>> THAT'S IT.
>> Stephen: THIS IS YOUR LATEST FILM, BUT YOUR FIRST FILM
WAS THE LION IN WINTER.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: HOW DID YOU GET THAT JOB?
I UNDERSTAND THAT PETER O'TOOLE KIND OF MADE YOU TAKE THE JOB.
>> HE CAME TO THE DRESSING ROOM OF THE THEATER.
I WAS PLAYING IN THE PRODUCTION OF THE THREE SISTERS.
HE CAME TO THE DOOR AND PETER WAS THERE WITH HIS IRISH GREEN
CAP AND HAD HAD A FEW TO DRINK AND SAID WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE IN
A FILM WITH ME WITH KATE IN IT?
I SAID YES.
HE SAID MEET ME TOMORROW.
I MET HIM AND WE DID A SCREEN TEST.
SO HE WAS THERE OFF CAMERA READING KATHARINE HEPBURN'S
LINES, IN CHELSEA PARK GARDENS OF ALL PLACES, AND HE SAID, YOU
GOT THE PART.
SO HE STARTED, 1967, ALMOST 53 YEARS AGO.
SO I STARTED WITH THIS EXTRAORDINARY ACTOR, PETER
O'TOOLE.
I HAD SEEN HIM ETEN YEARS BEFORE AND LOOKED BACK AND HE WAS
ELECTRIFYING, GREAT ACTOR.
AND TO MEET HER, SHE WAS STARTING OUT.
SHE WAS TOUGH AND WONDERFUL, A WONDERFUL WOMAN.
I WAS YOUNG, I WAS 29, AND I HAD CONFIDENCE, I WAS BULLISH AND
TOUGH.
WE DID ONE SCENE AND I HAD THAT KIND OF CONFIDENCE, AND, SO, WE
DID THE SCENE IN REHEARSAL AND AT THE END OF IT, SHE'D SAID,
LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING, YOU DON'T HAVE TO ACT BECAUSE YOU'VE
GOT A GOOD HEAD AND A GOOD SHOULDERS AND GOOD VOICE, JUST
SPEAK THE LINES, AND WATCH SPENCER TRACY IN BOGART AND
LEARN HOW TO DO IT.
JUST SPEAK THE LINES.
AND THAT WAS THE BEST ADD VIOLENCE.
>> Stephen: DIDN'T SHE SAY NEVER TURN YOUR BACK TO THE
CAMERA.
>> YEAH, DON'T TURN THE BACK OF YOUR HEAD TO THE CAMERA BECAUSE
I'LL STEAL THE SCENE FROM YOU, I'LL PROBABLY DO THAT ANYWAY,
BUT, DARLING, GIVE YOURSELF A BREAK.
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: I REALLY HOPE THAT
I CAN TALK TO BOTH OF YOU GENTLEMEN AGAIN.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE, BEST OF LUCK.
ENJOY YOURSELF HOPEFULLY THIS WEEKEND AT THE OSCARS, AND THANK
YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR BEAUTIFUL FILM AND YOUR EXPLORATION OF OUR
HUMANITY.
"THE FATHER" IS IN THEATERS AND ON DEMAND NOW.
SIR ANTHONY HOPKINS AND FLORIAN ZELLER, EVERYBODY.
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH SENATOR MAZIE HIRONO.
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