FOLKS, MY FIRST GUEST TONIGHT IS AN ACADEMY AWARD-WINNING ACTOR
YOU KNOW FROM "BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY" AND "MR. ROBOT."
PLEASE WELCOME BACK TO "THE LATE SHOW" RAMI MALEK!
♪ ♪ ♪
>> Stephen: NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
>> OH, WOW!
THAT'S SO KIND OF YOU.
THAT'S EXTRAORDINARY.
>> Stephen: HELLO.
NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
>> IT'S A PRESSURE AND A PRIVILEGE, MY MAN.
>> Stephen: FOR ME, FOR ME IT IS, TOO, BECAUSE SINCE THE LAST
TIME YOU WERE HERE, YOU WON THE OSCAR PLAYING FREDDIE MERCURY.
AND CONGRATULATIONS.
INCREDIBLE PERFORMANCE.
, A BEAUTIFUL PERFORMANCE.
( APPLAUSE )
TALKED AT A CHRISTMAS PARTY OR SOMETHING.
YOU WERE HAVING A PARTY ON ONE SIDE OF THE BUILDING, AND WE
WERE HAVING A SHOW PARTY, AND WE MET IN THE HALL BAY, A
BREEZEWAY, AND I ASKED, "WHAT'S IT LIKE TO PLAY FREDDIE?"
"IT'S A CHALLENGE."
>> IT WAS.
ONE OF THE GREATEST CHALLENGES OF MY LIFE, AND ABSOLUTELY ONE
OF THE MOST REWARDING AS WELL.
>> Stephen: WELL, I'M VERY HAPPY FOR YOU.
( APPLAUSE ).
>> STOP!
STOP!
NO, GO!
>> Stephen: GET IT WHILE YOU CAN, BABY.
>> ALL RIGHT.
>> Stephen: DO YOU STILL KEEP IN TOUCH WITH THE GUYS FROM
QUEEN?
>> YES, VERY MUCH SO, ACTUALLY.
I WAS WITH-- WE WERE TOGETHER, JON BATISTE.
WERE WE NOT?
>> Jon: WE WERE, WE WERE.
>> Stephen: WHERE WAS THIS?
>> AT THE GLOBAL CITIZEN FEST.
>> Stephen: THIS WEEKEND IN CENTRAL PARK.
>> AND I GOT TO OPEN UP FOR THEM.
AND I WAS BACKSTAGE IN THEIR DRESSING ROOM, AND THEY SAID,
"HEY, RAMI, HOW ABOUT YOU WALK OUT WITH US BACKSTAGE."
SO I DID THE WALK -- >> Stephen: THAT'S NICE.
>> ...THAT FREDDIE WOULD DO IN THE PAST THAT I STUDIED FOR--
FOR A YEAR OVER AND OVER.
I SAW HIM DO IT SO MANY TIMES WITH THEM.
IT WAS THE GREATEST HONOR AND PRIVILEGE TO DO THAT WITH THEM
AND BE A PART OF THEIR LIVES.
( APPLAUSE )
>> Stephen: WELL YOU-- >> YOU WERE EXTRAORDINARY, BY
THE WAY.
>> Stephen: OH, THEY KILLED IT.
THEY ABSOLUTELY KILLED IT.
( APPLAUSE )
REALLY INTERESTING JOB YOU'RE DOING RIGHT NOW.
I DON'T THINK I'M GIVING ANYTHING AWAY WHEN I SAY THAT
YOU ARE THE VILLAIN IN THE NEW JAMES BOND MOVIE OPPOSITE--
( APPLAUSE )
>> YES.
>> Stephen: I THINK YOU WOULD BE A GOOD VILLAIN.
>> I HOPE SO, YEAH.
>> Stephen: AND I LIKE YOU.
I LIKE YOU.
>> YES...
>> Stephen: BUT AS "ESQUIRE" CALLED YOU, "ALL HAIL RAMI
MALEK, OVERLORD OF DARKNESS."
( LAUGHTER ).
>> I JUST SAW THIS.
I JUST SAW THIS.
I MEAN -- >> Stephen: DO YOU LIKE THAT
"BRINGER OF SHADOWS," THEY CALL YOU.
>> IT'S GOOD.
LOOK, YOU WEAR LEATHER PANTS, AND SUDDENLY YOU'RE SATAN.
( LAUGHTER )
YOU-- CAN YOU TELL US ANYTHING-- WHAT'S IT LIKE DOING SCENES WITH
DANIEL CRAIG?
HAD YOU WORKED WITH HIM BEFORE?
>> NO, AND I WAS VERY MUCH LOOKING FORWARD TO IT.
HE'S MY FAVORITE BOND, IF I CAN SAY THAT WITHOUT --
>> Stephen: SURE, WHY NOT?
>> YEAH, WHY NOT?
( APPLAUSE )
VERY COMPLICATED SCENE, AND WE WERE REHEARSING FOR IT WITH OUR
TERRIFIC DIRECTOR, AND WE WERE SITTING AT A TABLE OVER HOURS
JUST BATTING ABOUT IDEAS BACK AND FORTH.
AND WE FINALLY CRACKED THIS REALLY CHALLENGING SCENE.
AND, YOU KNOW, HE GRABBED ME, PICKED ME UP, AND I CAN'T TELL
WHO INITIATED THE NEXT MOMENT, IF IT WAS HIM OR I, BUT...
( LAUGHTER ) A KISS TRANSPIRED BETWEEN THE
TWO OF US.
( LAUGHTER )
INITIATED IT.
( LAUGHTER )
>> Stephen: SURE.
WAS IT WELCOME?
>> YES, VERY MUCH SO.
>> Stephen: I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE.
I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE.
>> AND I TOOK A MOMENT, CAUGHT MY BREATH, AND I LOOKED OUT AND
SAID, "SO DOES THIS MAKE ME A BOND GIRL?"
( LAUGHTER ) ( APPLAUSE )
>> Stephen: CONGRATULATIONS!
CONGRATULATIONS!
>> THE VILLAIN...
>> Stephen: NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE.
>> NO.
>> Stephen: NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE.
>> NO, DOUBLE DUTY.
>> Stephen: SO WE'RE IN THE FINAL SEASON OF "MR. ROBOT NOW."
>> YES.
>> Stephen: WHAT DID YOU THINK WHEN YOU GOT THIS JOB HOW MANY
YEARS AGO?
FIVE YEARS AGO.
EXTRAORDINARY.
I THINK IT'S A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT TYPE OF TELEVISION
SHOW THAN EVER CAME ALONG BEFORE.
YOU ARE IN THE MIND OF A-- SORT OF A DISAFFECTED, DETACHED, VERY
INTROVERTED CHARACTER MOST OF THE TIME.
AND WE ARE YOUR CHARACTER'S CONFIDANT FOR MOST OF IT.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: WHAT HAS THIS BEEN LIKE TO PLAY THIS CHARACTER FOR
YOU?
>> IT WAS REVOLUTIONARY FOR ME IN A NUMBER OF WAYS.
BUT I THINK REVOLUTIONARY FOR THE WORLD.
I-- FOR AS MUCH AS-- EVERY-- EVERY TIME I GOT TO TRAVEL FOR
"BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY," AND I THINK I CIRCLED THE EARTH-- MY MILES
SAID ABOUT THREE OR FOUR TIMES LAST YEAR-- EVERYWHERE I STOPPED
THERE, WOULD BE SO MANY YOUNG KIDS THAT WERE AS APPRECIATIVE
OF THE STORY OF FREDDIE AS THEY ARE OF ELLIOT-- DISAFFECTED,
DISENFRANCHISED, WANTING A VOICE, COMPLICATED HUMAN BEINGS
WHO WANTED TO SPEAK OUT, HAVE THEIR VOICES HEARD, AND DOUGH
SOMETHING INCREDIBLY POWERFUL THAT THEY KNEW THEY HAD WITHIN
THEMSELVES.
SO TO BE A PART OF THESE MOVEMENTS, BY PLAYING THESE
CHARACTERS IS ABSOLUTELY EXTRAORDINARY.
AND IT IS SOMETHING THAT WILL LAST MY ENTIRE LIFE.
I'M INCREDIBLY PROUD.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: WE HAVE A CLIP
HERE-- WE HAVE A CLIP HERE.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: DO YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON IN THIS CLIP?
>> WELL, I DO KNOW.
>> Stephen: DO YOU WANT TO TELL US?
>> YES, I DO.
YOU KNOW, I DIDN'T GET TO SHARE AS MANY SCENES AS I WOULD HAVE
LOVED TO LAST YEAR WITH CHRISTIAN SLATER, AND WE ARE
BACK AT IT FIERCELY IN A SHOWDOWN WITH OUR ARCHNEMESIS,
WHITE ROSE.
WITHOUT FURGS ADO.
>> YOU'RE LETTING YOUR FEELINGS CLOUD YOUR JUDGMENT.
>> MY FEEL SNTION SEE WHAT'S GOING ON OUT THERE?
PEOPLE ARE ALREADY FORGETTING ABOUT FIVE-NINE, THE CYBER
BOMBINGS.
THEY'RE BUYING THEIR E-COIN DISCOUNTED STOCKING STUFFERS AND
CHRISTMAS HAMS, AND THEY'RE GOING TO FORGET.
AND I DON'T BLAME THEM.
THEY'RE EXHAUSTED.
I'M EXHAUSTED.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
FEELING.
>> YEAH, I THINK IT MIGHT-- YEAH.
IT'S UP THERE WITH ANYTHING THEY COULD-- I LOVED OUR FIRST
SEASON.
I THINK FOR ME THAT WAS MY FAVORITE SEASON.
AND I THINK THIS IS EQUAL TO IT OR BETTER.
SO IT'S A GREAT WAY TO END IT.
IT'S BITTERSWEET.
BUT, YEAH.
>> Stephen: YEAH.
THAT FEELING THAT YOUR CHARACTER IS DESCRIBING THERE, THE SENSE
OF BEING EXHAUSTED, YOU KNOW.
THAT REALLY IS KIND OF A REAL FEELING IN THE WORLD RIGHT NOW.
THAT'S THE ODD THING ABOUT THE SHOW, IT'S SO HEIGHTENED IN SOME
WAY, EASTERLY CORP AND IT FEELS REAL ON A LOT OF LEVELS.
DOES IT EVER WORRY-- DOES THE SHOW EVER WORRY YOU HOW TRUE TO
LIFE THE EMOTIONAL LIFE THE CHARACTERS ARE GIVEN HOW CRAZY
OUR WORLD IS NOW?
>> YEAH, IT DID EXCEPTIONALLY SO.
WHEN I FIRST STARTED I ACTUALLY WOULD GO UP TO SHOW'S CREATOR
AND SAY I DON'T THINK THIS IS POSSIBLE.
I REALLY THINK THIS IS A STRETCH.
AND AFTER THE FIRST COUPLE OF SEASONS, I SAID,," LISTEN, MAN,
LET IT RIP, BECAUSE ARE YOU PROCLAIMING WHAT THE FUTURE
MIGHT END UP BEING."
AND IT DOES FEEL THAT WAY.
>> Stephen: YOU DIRECTED HIM.
>> I'M EXHAUSTED.
YOU'RE EXHAUSTED.
WE'RE ALL A BIT EXHAUSTED.
BUT WE HAVE THE POWER TO FIGHT BACK, AND WE CAN CONTINUE TO AND
WE WILL.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: THANK YOU, RAMI.
>> THANK YOU.
>> Stephen: GOOD TO SEE YOU.
THE FINAL SEASON OF "MR. ROBOT" PREMIERES THIS SUNDAY.
RAMI MALEK, EVERYBODY!
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH THE CREATOR OF "TRANSPARENT,"
JILL SOLOWAY.