>> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY, WELCOME BACK.
FOLKS, YOU KNOW, I'M SO GLAD YOU GUYS ARE HERE TONIGHT, AND I'M
NOT GIVING ANY SECRETS AWAY WHEN I SAY I LOVE DOING THIS SHOW.
BUT, OBVIOUSLY, I CAN'T DO IT ALONE.
I TRIED ONE TIME, AND IT TURNS OUT MY ARMS AREN'T LONG ENOUGH
TO OPERATE THE CAMERAS FROM HERE.
SO, TONIGHT, WE WANTED TO INTRODUCE YOU TO SOME OF THE
PEOPLE BEHIND THE SCENES OF THE SHOW.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) IN OUR SEGMENT, "LATE SHOW
BACKSTAGE PASS."
>> EVERYONE HERE AT THE LATE SHOW WORKS SO HARD, BUT NO ONE
WORKS HARDER THAN STEPHEN.
( CHEERS )
A WEEK-- WELL, ONE HOUR A NIGHT, MINUS COMMERCIALS.
STILL, THAT'S, LIKE, 42 MINUTES OF BONE-CRUSHING WORK.
A SCHEDULE LIKE THAT IS BOUND TO TAKE A TOLL.
WE THOUGHT OF GUEST HOSTS.
STEPHEN HAD A SHORT LIST OF CELEBRITIES HE FELT HE HAD A
SIMILAR VIBE WITH.
THE ROCK.
DWAYNE JOHNSON.
TONY SHALHOUB.
UNFORTUNATELY, THEY ALL SAID NO.
SO NOW WHENEVER STEPHEN IS SICK, WE SIMPLY REPLACE HIM WITH A
FULLY RENDERED C.G.I. VERSION OF HIMSELF.
>> FIRST WE HAD TO BUILD THE DIGITAL MODEL OF STEPHEN'S
APPEARANCE.
WE BEGAN WITH A 3D WIRE FRAME, THEN BUILT STEPHEN'S SKELETON.
THEN FOR FUN WE MADE THE SKELETON DANCE.
THEN WE MADE THE MODEL ANATOMICALLY CORRECT AND STEPHEN
INSISTED ON A TROPICAL VERSION AND THE FINAL 3D MODEL.
>> IT WAS A MATTER OF FINDING AN ACTOR CAPABLE OF CAPTURING THE
ESSENCE OF STEPHEN COLBERT.
AND FOR SOME REASON, TONY SHALHOUB SAID YES THIS TIME.
>> I'M STEPHEN COLBERT.
PLAYING A DIGITAL VERSION OF A LATE-NIGHT HOST HAS LONG BEEN A
DREAM OF MINE.
I LOVE WHAT OTHER ACTORS HAVE BROUGHT TO THE ROLE-- ESPECIALLY
STEPHEN COLBERT, VERY CONVINCING.
BUT I FEEL THERE IS A LOT OF UNEXPLORED EMOTIONAL TERRAIN.
WHAT IF INSTEAD OF JUST GOING FOR LAUGHS I TRY TO MAKE THE
AUDIENCE CRY.
>> IT'S A COMEDY.
>> YES, SO, HOW ABOUT I'M TELLING JOKES, BUT I'M CRYING.
>> NO CRYING.
>> I'M CRYING.
>> NO CRYING.
>> I'M JUST CRYING ON THE INSIDE.
>> FINE.
WHATEVER.
>> I LIKE TO APPROACH MY CHARACTERS BY FINDING THEIR
ANIMAL ESSENCE.
I TRIED OUT A VARIETY OF ANIMALS FOR THE STEPHEN COLBERT
CHARACTER.
AAAAHHH!
BUT IN THE END, THE ONE THAT WORKS BEST WAS A SORT OF VERY
EVOLVED MALE APE.
SO PRETTY MUCH JUST A GUY, I GUESS.
>> I'M NOT GOING TO SAY IT'S BEEN PERFECT.
EARLY ON, THERE WERE SOME OCCASIONAL GLITCHES.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
PERFECTED, NOW WE CAN RUN ALL THIS RAW DATA THROUGH OUR
SOFTWARE, AND CREATE C.G.I.
STEVE NEN REAL TIME.
>> I DON'T KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS.
ARE YOU FEEDING CHICKENS?
ARE YOU-- ARE YOU DEALING BLACK JACK?
OH, I KNOW.
YOU'RE SPREADING (BLEEP).
( LAUGHTER ) ( APPLAUSE )
>> NOW IT'S SEAMLESS.
NO ONE EVEN KNEW STEPHEN WASN'T THERE FOR THE JAMIE FOXX
INTERVIEW.
>> YOU'VE SEEN THIS.
A LOT OF COMEDIANS BECOME...
>> IN FACT, NOW EVEN IF A GUEST IS SIR, WE CAN REPLACE THEM
USING SIMILAR TECHNOLOGY.
>> I SAW IT.
I THINK PEOPLE ARE GOING TO LOVE IT.
>> YEAH.
>> SO WHAT WERE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THAT YOU ENCOUNTERED
WHILE FILMING?
( LAUGHTER )
RIGHT, FOLKS?
>> Stephen: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME.
>> SO THAT'S HOW WE DO IT.
>> AND I'M DOING MY JOB RIGHT, NO ONE CAN EVEN TELL IT'S ME.
THERE ARE MOMENTS WHEN I FEEL LIKE I AM STEPHEN COLBERT.
AND THEN I REMEMBER, HE COULDN'T HAVE PLAYED MONK.
NO WAY.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
TONY SHALHOUB AND OUR ENTIRE C.G.I. DEPARTMENT.
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH COMEDIAN SAMANTHA RUDDY.