-Why are you the district attorney?
Or are you just the illusion of the district attorney?
-'Cause I'm the hero of that story.
And as long as people still believe in justice
and there's a system in place that looks like it works,
I'm doing what the city pays me to do.
-[ Exhales sharply ]
Who the [bleep] wants to be any part of that?
-Welcome back to "Late Night." [ Cheers and applause ]
That was a clip from "Perry Mason,"
starring this guy, Matthew Rhys.
Now, I do have "Perry Mason" questions,
but we mentioned your boat, Rarebit.
And this is -- you are --
Again, this speaks to the kind of guest you are.
You have brought two foods.
Because rarebit I know to be a food, and I am --
But yet I don't know what it is.
-Right. So, sorry. I should have qualified.
There is a traditional Welsh dish called Welsh rarebit,
which is basically cheese on toast.
Which speaks to the kind of culinary,
you know, prowess that I have. [ Laughter ]
That's about the sum total of it.
-And you make -- you do make this
for your guests on your boat.
-So I came up with this ingenious idea
that what I should do when I'm aboard
is prepare them small Welsh rarebits,
which is just toasted bread, cheese.
I have -- There is no oven or grill
or broiler, anything, so I use a blowtorch on --
[ Laughter ]
On a wooden boat. -It's a wooden boat, yeah.
I wanted to clarify that. -Yeah.
[ Laughter ]
-So they must be very excited when they see an actor,
not a sailor or a captain. -No, no.
Like, I tell people, "Look, I've played a sailor.
I've played a chef. It's like...
[ Light laughter ] How badly can this go?
I just think it adds to the drama.
I think it adds to the drama of it all.
-Give us a sense of what they're seeing.
-So what I do -- So, in fairness,
your show, I don't think, trusted me
with the kind of blowtorch that I use.
-Okay. -Mine's bigger, obviously.
[ Laughter ]
So I -- I have to make it quickly.
Therefore, I use a large blowtorch.
And I think it adds to the drama.
'Cause you see them going, "Will we make it home alive?"
-Yeah. [ Laughter ]
-It's like, even I say, "I don't know.
Let's see how it goes.
Do you like cheese and toasted bread?"
So all I -- -It is a funny thing
to risk your life for. -It is.
But, basically, this is the sped-up version
we've done for you. -Yeah.
-So all I'm doing, although this isn't --
The boat version -- right? -- 'cause it's always rockin',
so choppy, it's like that. [ Laughter ]
-Right. Yeah, yeah, I wouldn't want to see that.
-You're kind of doing that.
[ Cheers and applause ]
-And, also, it should be noted, this is you making it
on the boat, and that's a real beard
you had for a while there. -It's a fake beard.
I put on the wig and the beard 'cause I'm like,
"Arr! Welcome to the boat!"
[ Laughter ]
And they're like, "We can see the glue.
It doesn't work."
So, basically, that's all I do.
And then I offer up showbiz tales
and all sorts and try and wake them up for the end.
-You said -- [ Laughter ]
You said the boat is from the '30s.
On "Perry Mason," you were on a '30s motorcycle.
-I was. -And this is practical.
You're riding this motorcycle. -It is practical.
However, on the first day, they say, "Come do your trial --
you know, your training on the Harley-Davidson."
And then the guy who -- "Right, this is how you start it.
You turn this, you pull that, you push this.
Wait for that to kick in.
Now push that, pull that again, and you're off."
And I was like... [ Laughter ]
And the producer saw the wild-eyed panic
in my eyes and went, "Okay.
We need a montage to do just the starting of the motorbike."
Told the action guy vehicle,
"Turn it into an electric bike in a week."
-Yeah. -So it kind of split --
A number of people who, when we were shooting outside,
would come out and say, "Oh, my God.
Is this a 1933 Harley?" They're like, "It is."
They're like, "Why can't we hear it?"
And I'd say, [weakly] "It's an electric bike now."
[ Laughter ]
And it would split. 50% of these predominantly men
of a certain age would go, "That's incredible.
You've turned it into an electric bike,"
and 50% would say, "That's disgusting,
what you've done to that hog." [ Laughter ]
-I would say, like, yeah. -I get it.
-This, though, there's no shortcut with horses.
-There was no shortcuts. -Now, this is you on a horse.
-That's me on a horse. -That's you on a horse.
-There's no CGI. [ Cheers and applause ]
-Can I ask why -- -No saddle in that picture.
-Look at that! No saddle.
-Yeah, yeah. -It's interesting
'cause saddles -- you would think you'd need
a saddle for safety.
You're doing no saddle, but you are wearing a mask.
[ Laughter ]
-The horse was an anti-vaxxer.
-Oh. [ Laughter ]
Or had COVID.
I couldn't understand what he was trying to say.
-Right, right, right. It's very hard.
It's hard. -It's hard.
It's hard for them. -Now, did you have any
previous experience on a horse, because this looks terrifying.
-I actually did, and I did that slightly foolish thing.
The writers very kindly said,
"Is there anything you want to do in a scene?"
And I was like, "I love riding horses."
But they put me on a scene where the horse rears.
I was like, "I don't like horses that rear."
I like riding -- riding them. -Yeah.
-But it was a -- I loved it.
I bonded with the horse. -Well, there you go.
And you guys will probably work together again.
-I hope so. -Now, you've talked in the past,
again, one of my all-time favorite shows
where you met your partner, Keri.
-Yeah. -And by the way, you guys,
congratulations. "Cocaine Bear."
Unbelievable. -Amazing. Yeah.
Yes. [ Cheers and applause ]
-The two of you collaborating again.
And also with Margo Martindale from "The Americans."
-It was an "Americans" reunion. We loved it.
But congratulations, Elizabeth Banks,
who pulled that incredible movie off.
-It's a delight. It's the kind of movie
that people want to go see in theaters again,
and we just need more and more of those.
-I say yes. -But "The Americans,"
you were very honest, which I appreciated,
that it was a very complicated plot.
And, you know, there was a lot of subterfuge
and a lot of people pretending. And you just straight-up
admitted to us you could never follow it.
-I had the entire production team, the entire writing staff.
I still was like, "I have no idea what's going on."
[ Laughter ]
I freely admit I'm not the sharpest tool in the box.
I'm probably the biggest tool in the wardrobe.
But I'm like, "This is so complicated.
I have no idea what's going on." -Look, some people
can follow plots, and some people are leek eaters.
-I like to think I'm the Everyman.
I'm like, "Look, if I understand it, we're golden."
If not --" And everyone will be going,
"We all understand it except you."
And I'm like, "All right."
I'm thinking for the other... half?
-Because "Perry Mason" -- now it's "Perry Mason."
It's a courtroom drama. It's, you know, legal maneuvers.
Are you the same?
-I had no idea what was going on.
-Yeah. -I was forever going,
"Who is he?" [ Laughter ]
He's like, "That's the guy you're defending!"
I was like, "What? I thought I was defending the other guy."
"That's his brother!" I was like, "oh, my God."
This is -- My head is spinning.
-You're a fantastic actor
because you come off so sharp on camera.
-That's where my acting --
that's where the acting comes in.
-Yeah. Unbelievable.
[ Applause ] -Unbelievable.
-Well, I really -- you know, I know you're a busy man
and, you know, scheduling is always an issue.
But, man, we should make St. David's a tradition here.
-Bring back day drinking.
We'll do it on March the 1st. -Oh, there you go.
Day drinking with a Welsh theme. [ Cheers and applause ]
Matthew Rhys! Second season of "Perry Mason"
premieres March 6th on HBO and HBO Max.
We'll be right back with Francia Raisa.