>> Stephen: WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY!
FOLKS, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MY NEXT GUEST IS A BRILLIANT ACTOR
YOU KNOW FROM "KINKY BOOTS," "12 YEARS A SLAVE," AND "DOCTOR
STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS."
HE NOW STARS IN "THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH."
>> YOU'RE A DINOSAUR.
>> EXCUSE ME.
>> IT'S A GOOD THING.
JUSTIN HAS A CHILD WHO QUITE BRILLIANTLY ANNOUNCED THAT
EVERYONE ON EARTH IS EITHER AN ALIEN OR A DINOSAUR.
IF YOU'RE A DINOSAUR, YOU'VE BEEN ON THE PLANET FOR A LONG,
LONG TIME, LIVED MANY LIVES.
YOU ARE WISE, VERY TOUGH, YOU KNOW THE TERRAIN, YOU KNOW HOW
TO SURVIVE.
ALIEN, ESSENTIALLY, JUST ARRI ARRIVED, DOESN'T HAVE ANY OF
THAT.
BUT DOES HAVE PERSPECTIVE.
>> AND YOU ARE?
>> AN ALIEN.
>> Stephen: PLEASE WELCOME TO "THE LATE SHOW," CHIWETEL
EJIOFOR!
♪ ♪ ♪
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
HERE.
>> REAL PLEASURE, REAL PLEASURE TO BE HERE.
>> Stephen: NICE TO HAVE YOU ON.
YOU STAR IN "THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH."
AND PEOPLE MAY KNOW THIS AS A FILM SOME 45 YEARS AGO WITH
DAVID BOWIE, WHO PLAYS AN ALIEN WHO COMES TO THE PLANET.
THIS ISN'T A REMAKE, RIGHT?
>> NO, THIS IS-- THIS IS A SEQUEL OF SORTS, YOU KNOW, THIS
IS 40 YEARS AFTER THE EVENTS OF THE FILM, "THE MAN WHO FELL TO
EARTH."
AND SO, IT JUST PICKS UP THE STORY, EXPANDS THESE CHARACTERS
AND CARRIES ON TELLING THIS KIND OF REMARKABLE TELL OF-- YOU
KNOW, THIS IS ANOTHER ANTHEAN, AND I'M AN ANTHEANPLAYING
FARADAY.
AND IT PICKS UP FARADAY'S STORY AS HE COMES TO EARTH.
>> Stephen: HOW DO YOU PREPARE AS AN ACTOR TO PLAY AS A PERSON
WHO HAS NO KNOWLEDGE OF HUMAN EXISTENCE?
HOW DO YOU GET THE BACK STORY ON A LITERAL ALIEN?
>> IT'S INTERESTING BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN'T REALLY-- YOU
CAN'T-- OBVIOUSLY, YOU CAN'T BASE IT ON ANYTHING IN A WAY.
YOU'VE GOT TO FIND YOUR OWN-- YOU CAN ONLY PLAY YOUR OWN
ALIEN, YOU KNOW, IS THE THING.
( LAUGHTER ).
>> Stephen: SURE.
>> SO YOU'VE KIND OF GOT TO-- YOU'VE KIND OF GOT TO FIND YOUR
INNER ALIEN.
>> Stephen: I CAN IMAGINE SOMETIMES IN MY LIFE WHEN I FELT
LIKE AN ALIEN.
>> EXACTLY.
>> Stephen: HAVE YOU FELT LIKE AN ALIEN?
>> TOTALLY.
I THINK THAT'S THE THING THAT YOU FIND-- I THINK EVERYBODY
HAS.
EVERYBODY HAS HAD THOSE MOMENTS WHEN YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'RE ON THE
OUTSIDE LOOKING IN TO A CIRCUMSTANCE.
AND THOSE CAN BE LARGE ISSUES.
YOU KNOW, MY FAMILY IMMIGRATED TO THE U.K. FROM NIGERIA, IN
THAT KIND OF CONTEXT, ONE CAN VERY EASILY UNDERSTAND THE IDEAS
OF BEING ALIEN, FINDING YOUR FEET IN A NEW PLACE.
BUT I THINK IT'S LIKE THE FIRST DAY AT SCHOOL.
WE ALL HAVE THESE EXPERIENCE WHERE'S WE FELT THIS WAY, AND
IT'S FOR ME TRYING TO PLAY THIS PART WAS REALLY TO LOOK AT THOSE
EXPERIENCES, UNDERSTAND THEM SORT OF INTERNALLY.
AND THEN JUST TRY AND BE FREE WITH IT, YOU KNOW, JUST TRY AND
REALLY PLAY WHAT THOSE EMOTIONS MIGHT LEAD TO, WHAT THOSE
FEELINGS MIGHT BE.
>> Stephen: YOU STARTED PERFORMING AT A PRETTY YOUNG
AGE, RIGHT, I UNDERSTAND, 12, 13, SOMETHING LIKE THAT?
>> ABOUT 13, YEAH.
>> Stephen: I USED TO BE AN ACTOR, AS OPPOSED TO WHATEVER
THIS IS.
( LAUGHTER )
AND I LOVED BEING ON STAGE BECAUSE IT FELT LIKE HOME WHEN
THE WORLD DIDN'T FEEL LIKE HOME IN MANY WAYS.
I'M CURIOUS HOW IT FELT TO YOU AT THAT AGE WHEN CERTAINLY GOING
INTO YOUR TEENAGED YEARS, MANY PEOPLE FEEL DISCONNECTED FROM
THEIR FRIENDS AND ANXIOUS AND NOT KNOWING WHAT'S HAPPENING TO
THEMSELVES AND THEIR PLACE IN THE WORLD.
WHAT DID IT PROVIDE YOU?
>> WELL, IT WAS AN EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF SELF-EXPRESSION, YOU
KNOW.
THE FREEDOM OF SELF EXPRESSION WITHOUT FEAR OF EXPOSURE --
>> Stephen: SAY THAT AGAIN ONE MORE TIME.
>> THE FREEDOM OF SELF-EXPRESSION WITHOUT THE FEAR
OF EXPOSURE.
.>> Stephen: THAT'S BEAUTIFULLY PARSED.
GIVE SOMEONE A MASK AND THEY CAN SHOW YOU THEIR REAL FACE.
>> EXACTLY.
THAT'S HOW I CAME TO IT.
WHEN I WAS AT SCHOOL WE HAD A GREAT THEATER, THE EDWARD ALAIN
THEATER, AND I NEVER WENT TO IT.
I JUST NEVER WENT.
AND WE WERE DOING A SHAKESPEARE PLAY IN ENGLISH CLASS, WE WERE
DOING "HENRY IV PART ONE" AND I FOUND MYSELF INTRIGUED BY IT.
I TURN AND SORT OF DRAWN TO THIS IDEA, AND THAT'S WHEN I THOUGHT,
YOU KNOW, I WONDER WHAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT, WHAT THIS POETRY,
WHAT THIS MEANING IS ALL ABOUT.
I WENT TO THE THEATER AND THEY WERE AUDITIONS FOR "MEASURE FOR
MEASURE, "AND I DECIDED TO DO THAT, AND THAT'S WHEN I STARTED
WORKING AS AN ACTOR-- WELL, DOING PLAYS.
I SUPPOSE WORKING AS AN ACTOR CAME LATER, BUT THAT'S WHEN I
FELL IN LOVE WITH IT, WITH THE IDEA OF EXPRESSING MYSELF, OF
THE FREEDOM TO DO THAT.
>> Stephen: I LOVE THE TERM "WET WEDNESDAY."
IT SOUNDS LIKE THE BRITISH VERSION OF A TACO TUESDAY.
>> I THINK IT MIGHT BE THE BRITISH VERSION.
>> Stephen: YOU'RE ALSO, YOU'RE ALSO-- YOU'RE KNOWN FOR
SHAKESPEARE.
YOU WON AN OLIVIER AWARD FOR PLAYING "OTELLO."
BUT YOU'RE ALSO IN THE MARVEL UNIVERSE.
I'M JUST CURIOUS WHAT SHAKESPEARE PLAY YOU THINK WOULD
BEST TRANSLATE TO THE MCU?
>> THAT'S A VERY GOOD QUESTION.
>> Stephen: THAT'S ALL I DO.
THAT'S ALL I DO.
>> THAT'S A VERY GOOD QUESTION.
ALL DAY, EVERY DAY.
>> Stephen: ALL GOOD QUESTIONS.
>> I THINK THAT THERE'S SO MUCH SHAKESPEARE IN THE MCU, LAY IT
IN THERE THE TEXT TO IT, A RUGGED, SHAKESPEAREAN FEEL TO IT
I THINK SOMETIMES, ALL OF THE THE KIND OF CONFLICTS AND THE
BIG SORT OF DRAMAS AND THE FANTASY OF IT ALL.
>> Stephen: AND MANICURED BEARDS AND CAPES.
>> OF COURSE.
SO I THINK THERE ARE SO MANY OF THEM.
I REMEMBER SEEING "BLACK PANTHER" AND THINKING THERE ARE
ALL THE REFERENCES TO HAMLET AND THE RELATIONSHIP TO HIS FATHER
AND THE KINGDOM -- >> Stephen: YOU WERE THE GHOST
OF HIS FATHER.
>> EXACTLY.
I THINK GOING FURTHER INTO THE-- I KNOW, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE--
SOME OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE GOES INTO THE KIND OF FANTASIES THAT
WOULD BE LIKE "A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM" SORT OF AREA,
REALLY PUSHING THAT KIND OF ETHEREAL, MAGICAL REALM OF IT
ALL WOULD BE -- >> Stephen: HERE'S MY PITCH.
>> OKAY.
>> Stephen: "THE TEMPTEST," OKAY, BECAUSE WHO IS PROSPERO,
OTHER THAN THE SORCER SUPREME?
>> THAT'S GENIUS.
>> Stephen: THERE ARE FIGHTS, THERE ARE STORMS.
>> IT MIGHT BE WHAT I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR ALL THIS TIME.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ).
>> Stephen: JUST SOME OF MY IDEAS ARE FROM STEPHEN COLBERT.
THAT'S ALL I ASK FOR.
NEW EPISODES OF "THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH" ARE AVAILABLE
SUNDAYS ON SHOWTIME.
CHIWETEL EJIOFOR, EVERYBODY!
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH A PERFORMANCE BY KURT VILE.