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♪ HEY, EVERYBODY.
WELCOME BACK TO "A LATE SHOW."
MY FIRST GUEST TONIGHT IS AN EMMY AND TONY AWARD WINNING
ACTOR WHOSE FILMS INCLUDE APOCALYPSE NOW, JOHN WICK AND
THE MATRIX AND JUST FINISHED AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MALL MALCOLM X.
LAURENCE FISHBURNE.
GOOD TO HAVE YOU BACK.
>> GOOD TO BE BACK, STEPHEN, >> Stephen: I HAVE TO ASK YOU
ABOUT THE MOVIE CONTAGION.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: YOU PLAYED THE HEAD OF THE C.D.C. IN THAT.
>> I DID?
>> Stephen: WHEN YOU WERE MAKING THAT MOVIE, DID YOU THINK
TO YOURSELF I SHOULD TRY TO REMEMBER SOME OF THIS STUFF?
>> THE GUY WORKING WITH US, OUR LIAISON AT THE C.D.C. AT THE
TIME, WAS REALLY INSISTENT WE DID REMEMBER THAT STUFF, AND HE
MADE US AWARE OF THE FACT THEY HAVE BEEN DEALING WITH THESE
KINDS OF THINGS ALL THE TIME.
I THINK THEY WERE TRACKING EENLA BACK THEN WHEN WE WERE MAKING
THE MOVIE.
>> Stephen: ARE THERE ANY OF THESE THINGS WHEN COVID REARED
ITS UGLY AND TRAGIC HEAD, DID YOU THINK, OKAY, I ALREADY KNOW
TO WASH MY HANDS, I ALREADY KNOW TO GET A MASK.
DID EVERYTHING SNAP IN?
>> I'M A BIG SCIENCE FICTION FAN.
>> Stephen: OH, GOOD.
AND IT WAS REALLY CLEAR THIS WAS NOT SCIENCE FICTION, THIS
WAS SCIENCE FACT.
SO IT MADE IT CLEAR TO ME THAT IT WAS IMPORTANT TO LISTEN TO
THE SCIENTISTS AND THE PEOPLE THAT KNOW ABOUT THESE KIND OF
DISEASES AND PEMPTION, ET CET ET CETERA.
>> Stephen: I WANT TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT "BLACK-ISH" FOR JUST A
SECOND HERE.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: LAST TIME YOU WERE HERE WE WERE TALKING ABOUT
"BLACK-ISH."
AND NOW THERE'S A THIRD SPINOFF IN THE WORKS AILED "OLD-ISH."
>> YES.
>> Stephen: YOU'RE 59, I'M 56, OLDISH?
>> IF YOU HAVE C.R.S.
>> Stephen: WHAT'S THAT?
CAN'T REMEMBER ( BLEEP ).
OR C.S.S.
>> Stephen: WHAT'S THAT?
CAN'T SEE ( BLEEP ).
IF YOU'RE WEARING COMFORTABLE SHOES.
IF YOU HAVE KIDS TO EXPLAIN BETWEEN BABY AND LIL' BABY, YOU
MIGHT BE OLD-ISH.
>> Stephen: I MIGHT BE.
HOW COMFORTABLE IS YOUR TIRE THESE DAYS.
>> CHECK ME OUT.
>> Stephen: OH, YEAH, NO LACES, BABY.
>> YEAH, MAN.
YOU KNOW, SLIP 'EM ON, SLIP 'EM OFF.
>> Stephen: DON'T HAVE TO LEAN OVER FORT THAT.
>> COMFORT OVER STYLE ANY DAY.
>> Stephen: HOW OFTEN ARE WE WEARING PANTS AT THIS POINT?
>> WE'RE WEARING PANTS.
>> Stephen: THAT'S A HIGH STANDARD, I SUPPOSE.
>> EXACTLY.
>> Stephen: CORONAVIRUS HASP ENDED THE LIVES OF A LOT OF
ACTORS.
I KNOW YOU WERE ABOUT TO OPEN ON BROADWAY IN AMERICAN BUFFALO
WITH SAM ROCKWELL.
>> THAT'S RIGHT.
>> Stephen: HOW CLOSE WERE YOU GUYS TO OPENING BEFORE
CORONAVIRUS SHUT DOWN ALL THE THEATERS.
>> WE WERE 12 DAYS AWAY FROM OUR FIRST PREVIEW.
>> Stephen: SO YOU WERE THERE ESSENTIALLY.
>> ALMOST.
>> Stephen: YOU WERE CLOSE.
VERY CLOSE.
>> Stephen: BOY, THAT IS THEATER INTE INTERRUPTUS.
WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO STAY SHARP?
>> SAM AND I COULD GET TOGETHER TWO OR THREE TIMES A WEEK AND
REHEARSE VIA FACETIME IN ZOOM.
DARN CHRIS WOULD JOIN US.
WE DID THAT TWO MONTHS AFTER WE DID THE SHUTDOWN.
>> Stephen: OH, WOW.
I CAN'T WAIT FOR BROADWAY TO OPEN BACK UP SO I CAN -- SO YOU
CAN BE WITH AN AUDIENCE AGAIN.
>> YES, EXACTLY.
EXACTLY.
>> Stephen: BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU BUT I DIDN'T GO
INTO PERFORMANCE TO BE ALONE.
>> NO.
>> Stephen: I CAN MAKE FACES IN THE MIRROR BY MYSELF.
>> BUT IT'S GOOD PRACTICE.
IT'S A GOOD TIME TO WORK ON YOUR SCHTICK.
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: YOU ALSO, YOU JUST
NARRATED THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MALCOLM X.
THERE'S ACTUALLY VERY FEW AUDIO BOOKS HAVE THEIR OWN BILLBOARDS
AROUND TOWN.
THERE'S A HUGE ONE AT THE MOUTH OF THE LINCOLN TUNNEL.
>> I'VE HEARD.
>> Stephen: AS SOON AS I SAW IT, I WENT, YEAH, THAT MAKES
SENSE, I WANT TO LISTEN TO THAT.
WHAT DO YOU THINK -- I MEAN, IT'S A FAMOUS BIOGRAPHY.
MALCOLM X IS A TOWERING 20 20th CENTURY FIGURE.
WHAT TUNING IS SO VITAL ABOUT HIS STORY RIGHT NOW AND WHAT
STICKS WITH YOU FROM HIS STORY?
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, HE ARRIVED AT THIS PLACE AFTER GOING THROUGH,
YOU KNOW, NUMEROUS REALLY HORRIBLE EXPERIENCES, WHETHER IT
WAS THE DEATH OF HIS FATHER, HIS MOTHER BEING INSTITUTIONALIZED,
HIS FAMILY BEING SEPARATED, BEING INCARCERATED IN PRISON,
BEING A PRISONER, THEN REFORMING AND RESHAPING HIMSELF, BECOMING
THIS HUMANIST PERSON, THIS ACTIVIST, THIS SPOKESMAN FOR
BLACK AMERICANS, IN PARTICULAR, TO, LIKE, REALLY BECOMING, LIKE,
A HUMANIST.
HE HAS THIS GREAT, GREAT QUOTE WHERE HE SAYS, I AM A HUMAN
BEING FIRST, AND THEN I HOPE THAT ONE DAY WE CAN MEET IN THE
LIGHT OF UNDERSTANDING.
THE FAC THAT HE ARRIVED AT THAT, I THINK THAT'S THE MOST
SIGNIFICANT, POWERFUL AND IMPORTANT MESSAGE OF HIS LIFE.
>> Stephen: MM-HMM.
AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, ALSO, BECAUSE OF THE TIME THAT WE'RE
IN NOW, THERE WAS GREAT TURMOIL IN THE 60s WHEN MALCOLM WAS
ALIVE AND DOING HIS WORK, AND THERE'S GREAT TURMOIL NOW IN OUR
COUNTRY, CERTAINLY AROUND RACE AND, YOU KNOW, ECONOMICS,
JUSTICE, ALL KINDS OF THINGS, THE ENVIRONMENT.
I THINK THAT MESSAGE IS REALLY IMPORTANT RIGHT NOW.
>> Stephen: WHAT DO YOU THINK HE WOULD MAKE OF OUR PRESENT --
WELL, OF OUR COUNTRY RIGHT NOW AND OUR WORLD.
>> I THINK OF OUR COUNTRY RIGHT NOW, HE WOULD BE -- I THINK IT'S
TWOFOLD.
I THINK HE WOULD BE GREATLY DISAPPOINTED BUT I THINK HE
WOULD ALSO BE LOOKING FOR, YOU KNOW, THE SILVER LINING IN IT
AND TRYING TO FIGURE OUT, YOU KNOW, WHERE IS -- WHERE IS THE
POSITIVE THAT IS COMING OUT OF ALL OF THIS TURMOIL?
WHAT CAN WE DO THAT'S POSITIVE.
AND I THINK, IN EFFECT, IT WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, THE REALITY THAT
WE HAVE THE POWER TO CHANGE OUR CIRCUMSTANCES BECAUSE WE HAVE
THE POWER OF THE BALLOT, WE HAVE THE POWER OF THE VOTE, AND IF WE
EXERCISE OUR RIGHT TO VOTE, WE CAN CHANGE THIS.
WE CAN CHANGE THE SITUATION OF THE COUNTRY BECAUSE THEN WE CAN
CHANGE POLICY.
IT'S GREAT TO PROTEST, AND IT'S AN IMPORTANT ASPECT OF
EXPRESSING YOURSELF FOR A SOCIETY, AND, YET, WE STILL HAVE
THE RIGHT TO VOTE, AND THAT IS OUR MOST POWERFUL TOOL, I THINK,
AT THE MOMENT.
>> Stephen: LAURENCE, WE HAVE TO TAKE A QUICK BREAK.
STICK AROUND, BACK WITH MORE LAURENCE FISHBURNE.
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