>> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY, WELCOME BACK!
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MY FIRST GUEST TONIGHT IS AN EMMY
AWARD-WINNING ACTRESS YOU KNOW FROM "BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN," "MY
WEEK WITH MARILYN," AND "FOSSE/VERDON."
SHE NOW STARS IN THE NEW STEVEN SPIELBERG MOVIE "THE
FABELMANS." PLEASE WELCOME BACK TO "THE LATE
SHOW," MICHELLE WILLIAMS. ♪ ♪ ♪
( APPLAUSE )
>> WHAT NICE FRIEND YOU HAVE. >> Stephen: I DO.
I HAVE SOME LOVELY FRIENDS I'VE INVITED IN JUST FOR THIS
EVENING. I HAVEN'T SEEN YOU SINCE BEFORE
THE PANDEMIC, APRIL, 2019, FOR "FOSSE/VERDON."
WICH YOU WON THE EMMY FOR. CONGRATULATIONS FOR THAT.
( APPLAUSE )
>> THANK YOU. >> Stephen: SUCH A WONDERFUL
SHOW. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT.
>> THANK YOU, THANK YOU SO MUCH. >> Stephen: YOU HAVE ANOTHER
PROJECT. YOU'VE HAD TWO CHILDREN, BOTH
DURING THE PANDEMIC. >> TWO KIDS IN ONE PANDEMIC.
>> Stephen: EXACTLY. THAT IS EFFICIENT.
GOOD FOR YOU. GOOD FOR YOU.
IS IT-- HOW-- HOW ARE THEY DOING?
EVERYBODY IS GOOD? >> YEAH, EVERYBODY IS GOOD,
HAPPY, HEALTHY. I HAVE A TWO-YEAR-OLD, MY 17, MY
TWO, AND MY SIX WEEK. >> Stephen: SIX-WEEK-OLD.
THAT'S EXTRAORDINARY.
SO YOU'RE NOT SLEEPING AT ALL RIGHT NOW.
>> NO, WE'RE NOT SLEEPING. THE TEEN KEEPS US UP LATE AND
THE BABIES GET US UP EARLY. SO, WE'RE NOT SLEEPING BUT --
>> Stephen: ANYTHING NEW ABOUT NUMBER THREE FOR YOU?
>> THAT THERE ARE NO PICTURES OF THE BABY.
YOU KNOW, IT'S YOUR THIRD BABY SO YOU'RE NOT REALLY PUTTING ON
THE CUTE CLOTHES AND DRESSING UP AND HAVING A PHOTO SHOOT.
YOU'RE JUST... YOU KNOW.
>> Stephen: GETTING IT DONE. >> GETTING IT DONE.
>> Stephen: OUR THIRD, A BOY, OUR THIRD, WHEN HE WAS, I DON'T
KNOW, SIX OR SEVEN YEARS OLD, HE GOES, "I'D LIKE TO GO TO A ZOO
SOME DAY." AND WE SAID, "OH, YOU'VE BEEN TO
THE ZOO." AND HE SAID, "I HAVE NEVER BEEN
TO THE ZOO." AND WE SAID, "OH, DAMN, THESE
THE THIRD ONE." WE SAID, WE DID THAT WITH THE
FIRST ONES. YOU'LL BE FINE.
IT'S ANIMALS, IT SMELLS BAD, IT'S KIND OF SAD."
WHAT ABOUT BABIES DURING COVID? DID THAT HELP-- THERE'S A
NESTING INSTINCT ANYWAY. DID IT HELP TO SORT OF HAVE TO
BE AWAY FROM OTHER PEOPLE? >> YEAH, IT'S A GREAT TIME TO
HAVE A BABY. I MEAN, ONE THAT REALLY LIVENS
UP A QUARANTINE. YOU DROP A BABY IN, AND NOBODY
WANTS TO COME OVER. NOBODY WANTS TO SEE THE BABY.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO FEED PEOPLE. YOU DON'T HAVE TO PRETEND TO BE
ABLE TO CARRY ON A CONVERSATION. YOU CAN JUST, LIKE, STARE AT
YOUR BABY. >> Stephen: AM I MAYBE,
TOTALLY, OVER HARD TO TELL, NO ONE IS TALKING TO US ABOUT IT
ANY MORE, THE THIRD BABY-- IS THE BABY IN QUARANTINE?
>> THE BABY IS BASICALLY IN QUARANTINE.
WE STILL WEAR MASKS. I DON'T KNOW IF ANYBODY ELSE--
WELL, YOU'RE ALL MASKED.
COMPLICATED. >> I SHOULD HAVE BROUGHT THE
BABY! >> Stephen: NO, IF YOU NEED A
LITTLE OUTFIT, WE'VE GOT YOU A LITTLE-- A LITTLE "LATE SHOW"
ONESY RIGHT HERE. >> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
>> Stephen: I HOPE IT'S THE RIGHT SIZE.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH. >> Stephen: YOU'VE ALSO GOT A
NEW MOVIE CALLED "THE FABELMANS," DIRECTED BY STEVEN
SPIELBERG. THAT'S ONE OF THE FEW GREAT
PLEASURES IN LIFE THAT YOU CAN'T BUY-- GETTING A CALL FROM STEVEN
SPIELBERG SAYING, "DO YOU WANT TO BE IN MY MOVIE?"
>> I STILL FEEL LIKE I'M HAVING AN OUT-OF-BODY EXPERIENCE.
LIKE, I'M IN A MOVIE WITH STEVEN SPIELBERG?
NO. BUT IT'S TRUE.
YEAH. I GUESS I MADE A MOVIE WITH
STEVEN SPIELBERG. >> Stephen: THAT'S WHAT IT
SAYS ON THE CARD RIGHT HERE.
WHAT IS "THE FABELMANS" ABOUT? >> IT'S ABOUT HIS FAMILY.
IT'S ABOUT HIS LIFE. BOOTS HIS CHILDHOOD, AND I'M HIS
MOMMA. >> Stephen: YOU'RE MITZI.
>> Stephen: YOU'RE MITZI. TWO-PARTER-- WHAT'S SHE LIKE?
AND, I MEAN, I SUPPOSE THIS IS BASED-- I DON'T KNOW HOW CLOSE
IT IS BASED ON HIS MOTHER, BUT TO YOU, WHAT IS SHE LIKE?
AND HOW DO YOU PREPARE FOR THAT ROLE?
>> WELL, THERE'S SO MUCH-- I MEAN, HE'S BEEN SHOOTING FOOTAGE
OF HIS FAMILY SINCE HE WAS A KID, SO THERE'S SO MUCH
BEAUTIFUL DOCUMENTATION OF HIS CHILDHOOD.
>> Stephen: FAMOUSLY, HAS SO MANY SUPER 8 MOVIES.
>> SO MANY SUPER 8 MOVIES, SO MANY BEAUTIFUL PHOTOS.
AND HE HAD AN EXTRAORDINARY CHILDHOOD.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE PHOTOS, THEY'RE SO EVOCATIVE AND SHE WAS
A LARGER-THAN-LIFE PERSON AND SHE COMES THROUGH IN EVERYTHING
YOU SEE, EVERYTHING YOU LISTEN TO, SHE HAD THIS INCREDIBLE
LAUGH THAT WAS SORT OF LIKE A-- KIND OF LIKE MY TOUCHSTONE FOR
THE PART. THE THING I WOULD LISTEN TO
BEFORE EVERY TAKE, WAS JUST THIS GUIDE TRACK OF HER LAUGHING OVER
THE YEARS. YEAH.
>> Stephen: AND SHE WAS AN ARTIST IN HER OWN RIGHT.
SHE WAS AN ASPIRING ARTIST. >> SHE WAS A REALLY ACCOMPLISHED
PIANIST, AND PUT THAT DOWN TO RAISE FOUR CHILDREN BUT HER
ENTIRE LIFE WAS KIND OF A WORK OF ART AND SHE PASSED IT ON TO
HER KIDS. >> Stephen: WE HAVE A CLIP
HERE WHERE MITZI IS PRESENTING TO HER SON, SAMMIE, IN THIS
CASE, A MOVIE CAMERA, AND IN SOME WAYS, IT FEELS LIKE PASSING
ON, LIKE, A BENEDICTION, TO GO, YOU KNOW, MAKE SOME ART.
>> SHE SAW IT IN HIM. SHE SAW-- SHE SAW IT BEFORE
ANYBODY ELSE DID. AND SHE-- IT'S A TRUE STORY, SHE
GAVE HIM HIS FIRST CAMERA. >> Stephen: JIM.
>> SAMMY. WE'RE GOING TO USE DADDY'S
CAMERA TO FILM IT. ONLY CRASH THE TERRAIN ONCE,
OKAY? THEN AFTER WE GET THE FILM
DEVELOPED, YOU CAN WATCH IT CRASH OVER AND OVER TILL IT'S
NOT SO SCARY ANYMORE. AND YOUR REAL TRAIN WILL NEVER
GET BROKEN. ONE MORE THING, DARLING.
LET'S NOT TELL YOUR FATHER. IT WILL BE OUR SECRET MOVIE,
JUST YOURS AND MINE. OKAY?
>> OKAY.
DON'T MIND ME ASKING, WHO WAS THAT PERSON FOR YOU IN YOUR LIFE
WHO SAW THE TALENT IN YOU AND CULTIVATED THAT AND ENDORSED
THAT FOR YOU? >> GOSH, I THINK ABOUT THIS
PERSON A LOT, ACTUALLY. IT WAS MARYBETH PEELE, WHO
PLAYED GRAMS ON "DAWSON'S CREEK."
SHE WAS, LIKE, MY ONSCREEN GRANDMA, BUT SHE WAS MY
REAL-LIFE MAMA. I'M HAPPY TO BE ABLE TO SAY
THAT. I THINK ABOUT HER ALL THE TIME,
AND EVERY CHANCE I GET IT'S JUST SO NICE TO REMEMBER HER AND TO
TALK ABOUT HER. >> Stephen: WE HAVE TO TAKE A
LITTLE BIT OF A BREAK. BUT WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH
MORE MICHELLE WILLIAMS, EVERYBODY.
STICK AROUND.