WELCOME BACK TO "THE LATE SHOW," EVERYBODY.
MY FIRST GUEST IS AN EMMY AWARD-WINNER YOU KNOW FROM FILMS
LIKE "MANHUNTER," "X2" AND "ZODIAC."
HE CURRENTLY STARS AS PATRIARCH LOGAN ROY IN "SUCCESSION."
>> NOW YOU STEP UP ON TO THE RACK.
I'M GOING TO PULL YOU LIMB FROM LIMB LIKE A PIÑATA AND SEE WHAT
FALLS OUT.
>> OKAY.
SO YOU WANT WHAT?
>> I WANT THE GAME PLAN, WHAT THE TIMETABLE IS.
CAPITAL STRUCTURE, END GAME, WHAT THEY MIGHT ACCEPT, WHAT
THEIR WEAK POINTS ARE.
BUT WE'LL START AT THE START.
WHEN DID THEY APPROACH YOU?
>> UM, WHEN DID THEY APPROACH ME?
>> Stephen: MM-HMM.
DID IT TAKE LONG OR DID YOU OPEN YOUR LEGS ON THE FIRST DATE?
>> Stephen: PLEASE WELCOME BRIAN COX!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ( BAND PLAYING )
>> Stephen: NICE TO HAVE YOU ON.
>> NICE TO BE ON.
>> Stephen: THANK YOU FOR BRINGING -- I THINK YOU BRING A
CERTAIN DIGNITY, A CERTAIN GRAVIDAS TO EVERY ROLE THAT YOU
PLAY.
>> YEAH, IT'S ALL FAKE.
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: YOU PLAYED SOME
REAL HEAVIES IN YOUR TIME.
YOU PLAYED THE GUY WHO MADE JASON BOURNE IN THE JASON
BOURNE.
YOU PLAYED THE GUY WHO MADE WOLVERINE INTO WOLVERINE.
THEN YOU PLAYED RUPERT MURDOCH.
SO DO YOU THINK "SUCCESSION" IS SHAKESPEAREAN BECAUSE I KNOW
YOU'VE DONE QUITE A FEW SHAKESPEARE PLAYS.ño
>> IT HAS VERY STRONG SHAKESPEAREAN ELEMENTS BUT IT'S
LIKE A CHAUCER MORALITY TALE.
THERE'S SORT9 WE LIVE IN LUDICROUS TIMES.
>> Stephen: SURE.
AND I THINK THAT "SUCCESSION" IS A LUDICROUS SHOW FOR
LUDICROUS TIMES.
>> Stephen: RIGHT.
IT'S THE FUNNIEST SADDEST SHOW ON RIGHT NOW.
>> YEAH, EXACTLY.
>> Stephen: IT'S■ FUNNY AND SAD AT THE SAME TIME.
>> AND THAT REFLECTS THE STATE THAT WE'RE IN.
>> Stephen: BECAUSE FAMILIES LIKE THIS ACTUALLY DO CONTROL
OUR MEDIA.
>> THAT'S THE PROBLEM.
THEY DO CONTROL IT.
THEY'RE GETTING OUT OF HAND, AND WE DEMONSTRATE THAT IN OUR SHOW.
>> Stephen: WE HAD ONE OF YOUR CO-STARS NICHOLAS BRAWN WHO
PLAYS COUSIN ED, GREG THE EGG LAST WEEK.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: HE SEEMED A LOT LIKE HIS CHARACTER.
( LAUGHTER ) VERY SWEET, VERY SWEET --
>> I HAD REAL CONFUSION BECAUSE THE FIRST SEASON I USED TO CALL
HIM GREG, BECAUSE I GOT HIS NAME WRONG, BUT THAT WAS PART OF THE
SCRIPT.
THE SECOND SEASON, I KEPT CALLING HIM NICK, WHEN I SHOULD
HAVE BEEN CALLING HIM GREG.
AND THEY SAID, NO, BRIAN, IT'S GREG, NOT NICK.
I SAID, HE'S SO LIKE THE CHARACTER, I CAN'T TELL THE
DIFFERENCE.
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: PLEASE TELL ME
YOU'RE NOTHING LIKE LOGAN ROY.
>> UM...
( LAUGHTER ) ( APPLAUSE )
>> Stephen: DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING IN COMMON WITH THIS
MEDIA MOGUL?
>> JUST CONTEMPT.
( LAUGHTER ) NO, NO, NOT REALLY.
NO, I HAVE NOTHING IN COMMON.
IT'S A COMPLETE CREATION, YOU KNOW.
>> Stephen: I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU'RE FROM DUNDEE.
>> I AM FROM DUNDEE.
>> Stephen: SCOTLAND, AND SO IS HE.
>> WELL, YES, EXCEPT HE WASN'T ORIGINALLY.
>> Stephen: OH, YOUR CHARACTER WASN'T ORIGINALLY FROM DUNDEE.
>> NO, HE WAS ORIGINALLY÷ñ FROM QUEBEC IN CANADA.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) YES, QUEBEC IN CANADA, AND WHAT
HAPPENED WAS, IT WAS VERY FUNNY, WHAT HAPPENED WAS IN THE NINTH
EPISODE OF THE FIRST SERIES, WE HAD ALREADY DONE THE PILOT, AND
IN THE PILOT PETER FREEDMAN DOES MY BIRTHDAY, AND HE SAYS BORN IN
QUEBEC, CANADA.
AND HE CAME BACK AND SAID THIS IS THE NINTH EPISODE, THEY'VE
CHANGED YOUR BIRTH PLACE.
I SAID WHAT DO YOU MEAN?
HE SAID, WELL, YOU'RE BORN SOMEWHERE ELSE.
I DID SOME DUBBING, AND HE WENT TO HIS DEVICE AND SAID, HERE WE
ARE, DUNDEE, SCOTLAND.
AND I SAID, BUT THAT'S WHERE I'M FROM.
( LAUGHTER ) HE SAID, YEAH.
AND I WENT TO JESSE AND I SAID, WHAT DO YOU MEAN?
WHY IN THE NINTH EPISODE ARE YOU SUDDENLY MAKING ME FROM DUNDEE,
SCOTLAND?
OH, WE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE A NICE LITTLE SURPRISE FOR YOU.
I SAID, WELL, IT CERTAINLY IS.
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: IT MAKES REFERENCE
TO FAMILIES.
ANY MEMBER OF THIS FAMILY COME UP TO YOU AND SAY I DO OR DO NOT
LIKE HOW I'M PORTRAYED.
HAVE THEY SEEN THEMSELVES IN THIS?
>> A FUNNY STORY, I SPEND SOME OF MY TIME IN LONDON, I LIVE IN
PRIMROSE HILL.
THERE ARE LOVELY CAFES THERE.
I WAS HAVING MY COFFEE SITTING THERE, AND A GUY FROM BEHIND
SAID, WE'RE LOVING YOUR SHOW.
I SAID, OH, AND I TURNED AND I SAID, OH, THANK YOU.
HE SAID, NO, IT'S REALLY -- IT'S REALLY GOOD.
IT'S REALLY INTERESTING.
I SAID, OH, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.
HE SAID, YEAH, EVEN MY WIFE THINKS IT'S GOOD.
MY WIFE LIKES IT.
I SAID, I'M HAPPY YOUR WIFE LIKES IT.
HE SAID, YEAH, SHE FOUND IT DIFFICULT AS TIMES, AND I'M
HOPING THAT YOU'RE GOING TO GO EASY ON THAT CHARACTER.
I SAID WHAT CHARACTER?
WELL, THE CHARACTER TO HAVE THE DAUGHTER.
I SAID, WELL, WHO IS YOUR WIFE?
HE SAID, ELIZABETH MURDOCH.
( AUDIENCE REACTS ) >> Stephen: SO SHE SEES7sñ
HERSELF.
>> I REASSURED, KEITH TYSON, AN ARTIST/AGENT, I SAID, REALLY,
IT'S NOTHING LIKE ELIZABETH MURDOCH.
AH-HA.
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: NOW I UNDERSTAND
THAT THE VERY FIRST READ-THROUGH OF THE SCRIPT IN 2016 HAPPENED
ON AN INTERESTING >> YES, IT TID.
>> Stephen: WHEN WAS THE FIRST READ THROUGH?
>> IT WAS ELECTION NIGHT.
THIS ELECTION NIGHT.
>> Stephen: NOVEMBER 8th, 2016.
>> YEAH, I SORT OF BLOTTED IT FROM MY MEMORY.
>> Stephen: YES.
IT WAS VERY BIZARRE.
AS I SAY, THE SHOW IS LUDICROUS, AND IT SEEMED TO ME THAT THAT
NIGHT WE ENTERED A NEW AGE OF LUDICROUSNESS.
>> Stephen: THE NEW TIME LINE.
THE NEW TIME LINE, AND I THOUGHT, WELL, THIS IS VERY APT,
THIS IS WHAT OUR SHOW IS ABOUT AND IT SEEMS TO BE PERFECTLY
APT.
I WASN'T TOO HAPPY ABOUT THE ELECTION.
WAS ANYBODY?
>> Stephen: I DON'T THINK HE WAS.
>> WELL, NO, I DON'T THINK HE WAS.
>> Stephen: I THINK HE WAS SHOCKED.
>> I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANYBODY MORE SURPRISED -- OH, I WON, OH,
DEAR!
>> Stephen: I HAVE TO LIVE IN THIS DUMP?
UNBELIEVABLE!
( LAUGHTER ) YOU HAVE DUAL CITIZENSHIP.
>> I DO.
>> Stephen: SO YOU GET TO VOTE IN OUR NEXT ELECTION.
DO YOU LIKE ANYBODY?
>> YEAH, I LIKE ELIZABETH WARREN.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: YOU WANT SOMEBODY
WITH A PLAN.
YOU WANT SOMEBODY WITH A PLAN.
AND YOU ALSO HAVE AN INTIMATE KNOWLEDGE, NOW, OF ONE OF OUR
GREAT PRESIDENTS OF THE 20t 20th CENTURY, YOU ARE IN THE
VIVIAN BEAUMONT THEATER, THE GREAT SOCIETY, YOU'RE PLAYING
L.B.J.
>> I AM.
>> Stephen: WHAT IS THAT LIKE?
WELL, IT'S -- >> Stephen: HE'S A LARGER THAN
LIFE FIGURE.
>> HE'S A LARGER THAN LIFE FIGURE, AND IT'S INTERESTING, I
HAVE BEEN WATCHING THE L.B.J.
TAPES, THE DOCUMENTARIES ON HIS RECORDINGS THAT HE MADE --
>> Stephen: SURE.
-- AND THERE IS SOMETHING QUITE TRAGIC ABOUT HIM, YOU
KNOW, THE FACT THAT HE DID GET THROUGH MEDICARE FOR OLD PEOPLE,
HE DID GET THROUGH CIVIL RIGHTS, YOU KNOW, HE DID AN
EXTRAORDINARY AMOUNT, A REMARKABLE, REMARKABLE MAN, BUT
HE ALSO HAD THE VIETNAM WAR, AND THE VIETNAM WAR WAS REALLY HIS
ACHILLES HEEL AND SORT OF DESTROYED HIM BECAUSE I THINK HE
REALIZED THAT HE COULDN'T GO ON AS PRESIDENT BECAUSE HE COULDN'T
CONTROL THE VIETNAM WAR, IT JUST WAS GETTING CRAZIER AND CRAZIER
AND CRAZIER.
>> Stephen: BRIAN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
>> MY PLEASURE.
>> Stephen: "SUCCESSION," SEASON TWO STARTS THIS SUNDAY ON
H.B.O., AND SOON, "THE GREAT SOCIETY."
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK...