>> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY!
WELCOME BACK!
STAY.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MY NEXT GUEST IS AN ACTOR WHO
PLAYS YOUNG KIRSTEN IN "STATION ELEVEN."
>> FRANK TOLD ME YOUR NICKNAME.
WHAT NICKNAME?
LEAVIN' JEAVIN'.
YOU ARE GETTING SO GOOD.
ARE YOU LEAVIN', JEAVIN'?
NO.
>> Stephen: PLEASE WELCOME TO "THE LATE SHOW," MATILDA LAWLER!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ( BAND PLAYING )
>> Stephen: THERE YOU GO THERE YOU GO.
NICE TO MEET YOU.
>> NICE TO MEET YOU, TOO.
>> Stephen: I REALLY ENJOYED "STATION ELEVEN."
WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO MAKE?
FOR THE PEOPLE WHO HASN'T SEEN IT, AND I RECOMMEND EVERYBODY
DOES, YOUR PERFORMANCE THE EXTRAORDINARY.
>> THANK YOU.
>> Stephen: IT'S ABOUT A PANDEMIC.
>> WELL, IT'S ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS AFTER A PANDEMIC.
>> Stephen: RIGHT, IT'S ABOUT THE RESULTS OF THE PANDEMIC, AND
PEOPLE'S RELATIONSHIPS AND KIND OF THE HOPE AND THE LOVE THEY
FIND IN THE WORLD, AND I'M CURIOUS, WHAT WAS THAT LIKE TO
SHOOT DURING A PANDEMIC?
>> WELL, OBVIOUSLY, IT WAS STRANGE.
LIKE, WE NEVER REALLY EXPECTED TO HAVE AN ACTUAL PANDEMIC GOING
ON.
YEAH.
AND, SO, IT KIND OF LIKE MADE EVERYTHING A LOT MORE REAL.
AND, I DON'T KNOW, IT WAS KIND OF INSANE AT FIRST BUT THEN FOR
SOME REASON IT MADE US ALL FEEL KIND OF COMFORTED FOR SOME
REASON THAT THERE WAS -- ( LAUGHTER )
I KNOW, IT'S WEIRD.
BUT IT FELT COMFORTING TO US THAT THERE WAS THIS STORY THAT
WE COULD COLLABORATE ON AND IT WAS KIND OF, LIKE, REPRESENTING
WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN THE WORLD IN A BEAUTIFUL AND, LIKE, GOOD,
HOPEFUL WAY.
SO I THINK THAT MADE US ALL FEEL PRETTY GOOD.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: IT IS A STRANGELY
HOPEFUL STORY.
YOU ARE PREPARED FOR THE POST-PANDEMIC APOCALYPSE BECAUSE
OF THAT KNIFE WORK YOU WERE DOING IN THE CLIP WE SAW, YOU
PLAY A YOUNG KIRSTEN, AND MACKENZIE DAVIS PLAYS OLDER
KIRSTEN AND I TALKED TO HER ABOUT HER KNIFE WORK AND SHE
SAID SHE HAD TO FAKE IT AND COULDN'T GET I DOWN.
WERE YOU TRAINED TO THROW THE KNIVES?
>> THERE WAS THIS REALLY GOOD GUY WHO WAS A MASTER AT KNIFE
THROWING AND HE COULD JUST THROW A LIFE WHEN SOMEONE WAS ON THE
BOARD, AND HE COULD JUST THROW AROUND, AND HE WAS TEACHING ME.
SO I WAS REALLY NERVOUS BECAUSE I WAS, LIKE, I'M NEVER GOING TO
BE THIS GOOD.
>> Stephen: YOU WEREN'T THROWING AT A PERSON, WERE YOU?
>> NO.
I DIDN'T GET AS GOOD AS HIM, OBVIOUSLY, ACTUALLY, IN THAT
CLIP, I'M THROWING THE KNIFE, BUT IT DIDN'T LAND THERE.
>> Stephen: SO THE CLOSEUP IS SOMEBODY ELSE THROWING IT?
>> IT WAS PROBABLY SOMEONE ELSE THROWING IT.
>> Stephen: KIRSTEN IS IN THE STORY, IN BOTH THE SERIES, AND
THERE'S A BOOK THAT IT'S BASED ON.
KIRSTEN'S SORT OF HAPPY PLACE, HER SAFE PLACE IS A GRAPHIC
NOVEL CALLED STATION ELEVEN.
DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING LIKE THAT?
DO YOU ACTUALLY HAVE A REAL THING?
FOR ME, I HAVE T "THE LORD OF TE RINGS," AT MY AGE.
I STILL GO TO "THE LORD OF THE RINGS" ALL THE TIME.
WHAT ELSE YOUR STATION ELEVEN?
>> I FEEL LIKE MAYBE A HUNGER GAMES?
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: YOU READ IT A FEW
TIMES?
>> I'VE READ THEM, LIKE, THREE TIMES, WATCHED THE MOVIES A
BUNCH.
I KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT THEM.
I JUST DID A SCHOOL PROJECT ON THE HUNGER GAMES.
>> Stephen: OH, YEAH?
AND IT WAS LIKE A PRESENTATION.
>> Stephen: MM-HMM.
AND IT WAS ACTUALLY REALLY NERVE RACKING FOR ME BECAUSE --
>> Stephen: WELL, YOU'RE A PERFORMER.
WHY WOULD A PRESENTATION BE NERVE RACKING FOR YOU?
>> WELL, IT'S WEIRD BECAUSE, LIKE, WITH PEOPLE I KNOW, MY
CLASSMATES, I WAS PRESENTING TO THEM, WITH PEOPLE I KNOW, I'M
TERRIBLE AT PRESENTING, AND I GET SO NERVOUS BECAUSE I KNOW
THEM AND I'M, LIKE, I'M GOING TO HAVE TO TALK TO YOU AFTER THIS.
SO I CAN'T MESS UP.
>> Stephen: BUT A BROADWAY AUDIENCE --
>> BUT A BROADWAY AUDIENCE, IT'S, LIKE, I DON'T KNOW MOST OF
THE PEOPLE IN THE AUDIENCE AND I MIGHT NOT HAVE TO SEE YOU EVER
AGAIN, SO IT'S NOT AS NERVE RACKING.
>> Stephen: NO, I UNDERSTAND.
I HOPE I NEVER SEE ANY OF THESE PEOPLE AGAIN.
( APPLAUSE ) NOW, BOTH YOUR PARENTS ARE
ACTORS.
HAVE THEY GIVEN YOU KNOW ADVICE ON HOW TO ACT?
>> YEAH.
THEY'VE HELPED ME A LOT, ESPECIALLY MY DAD.
LIKE, I LOVE MY MOM AND SHE'S GREAT, BUT MY DAD KIND OF TAKES
THE REINS FOR COACHING ME IN ACTING.
HE'S REALLY HELPFUL.
HE'S KIND OF TAUGHT ME EVERYTHING -- ALMOST EVERYTHING
I KNOW.
ACTUALLY, THAT'S NOT TRUE.
I'VE HAD A LOT OF PEOPLE HELP ME.
BUT HE'S AMAZING.
HE'S IN THE AUDIENCE SOMEWHERE.
>> Stephen: SO YOU WILL SEE HIM AGAIN.
>> I'LL SEE HIM AGAIN, YEAH.
>> Stephen: WELL, IT WAS LOVELY TO MEET YOU, MATILDA.
>> YOU, TOO.
>> Stephen: CONGRATULATIONS ON SUCH A WONDERFUL SHOW.
>> THANK YOU.
>> Stephen: "STATION ELEVEN" IS AVAILABLE
NOW ON HBO MAX.
MATILDA LAWLER, EVERYBODY!
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK.