>> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY, WELCOME BACK.
OH, ARE YOU IN FOR A TREAT, FOLKS.
MY FIRST GUEST IS AN ACADEMY AWARD-WINNING ACTRESS YOU KNOW
FROM "MONSTER," "MAD MAX: FURY ROAD," AND "ATOMIC BLONDE."
HER NEW FILM IS "BOMBSHELL."
PLEASE WELCOME BACK TO "THE LATE SHOW," CHARLIZE THERON!
♪ ♪ ♪
>> WOW!
WOW!
OH, MY GOSH!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
THANK YOU.
HI!
I WAS SO SCARED I WAS GOING TO BE A DISAPPOINTMENT!
THIS IS SO LOVELY!
>> Stephen: NO, NO, NO DISAPPOINT TO HAVE CHARLIZE
THERON OUT HERE.
NOW, I KNOW YOU'RE OUT HERE-- WE WERE TALKING ABOUT A BUNCH OF
THINGS, BUT YOU'RE OUT HERE TO TALK ABOUT YOUR NEW FILM
"BOMBSHELL" >> YEAH
>> Stephen: WHICH IS ABOUT BASICALLY THE END OF ROGER
AILES' CAREER AT FOX NEWS AND THE WOMEN WHO STOOD UP TO HIM,
INCLUDING MEGYN KELLY, YOU WHO PLAYED.
CONGRATULATIONS.
I KNOW YOU JUST GOT NOMINATED FOR A GOLDEN GLOBE
>> YEAH >> Stephen: FOR THAT
PERFORMANCE.
AND SAG, AND A SAG AWARD, I THINK.
THAT'S GREAT >> YEAH, YEAH, IT'S REALLY
GREAT.
LISTEN, THE ALTERNATIVE COULD BE SO MUCH WORSE.
BUT THE FACT THAT YOU-- YOU KNOW, YOU DON'T MAKE-- I THINK
THIS JOB IS SO INCREDIBLE, AND I SAY TO MY KIDS EVERY DAY, "FIND
SOMETHING THAT YOU LOVE BECAUSE IT WILL NEVER FEEL LIKE A JOB."
AND THAT TO ME IS THE REWARD.
ALL OF THIS EXTRA STUFF IS SO LOVELY.
BUT THE CAST NOMINATION THAT WE GOT, SAG CAST NOMINATION, WAS
REALLY SPECIAL TO ME BECAUSE THIS IS SUCH AN ENSEMBLE CAST
>> Stephen: AND IT'S AN EXTRAORDINARY ENSEMBLE CAST
>> IT'S AN EXTRAORDINARY ENSEMBLE SO THAT ONE WAS
PARTICULARLY SPECIAL >> Stephen: YOU GOT
PARTICULARLY EXCITE APPROXIMATED FOR THE GOLDEN GLOBE
NOMINATION-- >> THAT WAS THE SAG
>> Stephen: YOU POSTED ONLINE A VIDEO OF YOU REACTING TO IT
>> YEAH >> Stephen: TO FINDING OUT
THAT YOU ALL HAVE BEEN NOMINATED.
>> YEAH >> Stephen: BUT YOU EDITED OUT
OF MIDDLE.
CAN I-- LET ME PLAY-- SHOULD WE EXPLAIN WHAT HAPPENS?
OR SHOULD WE PLAY IT FIRST?
>> I DON'T THINK YOU NEED AN EXPLANATION.
IT'S QUITE SELF-EXPLANATORY.
WE JUST GOT CAST!
YES!
( BLEEP ) I DON'T HAVE-- WE JUST GOT CAST!
>> Stephen: I GUESS-- I GUESS IT DIDN'T NEED AN EXPLANATION
>> I DON'T THINK IT DOES.
I DON'T THINK IT DOES.
OH, BOY.
YES.
NOTE TO SELF, NOTE TO SELF: DON'T SHOOT ANYTHING BEFORE YOU
PUT THE UNDERWEAR ON.
>> Stephen: THAT'S TRUE >> MY MOTHER ALWAYS TOLD ME THAT
( LAUGHTER )
PRODUCER ON THIS MOVIE, AS WELL AS PLAYING MEGYN KELLY IN THIS,
AND AN EXTRAORDINARY PERFORMANCE AS MEGYN KELLY.
I WAS SAYING TO YOU BRIEFLY BACKSTAGE, THERE ARE AMAZING
PERFORMANCES ALL THROUGH IT.
FOR INSTANCE, JOHN LITHGOW AS ROGER AILES
>> HE'S AMAZING >> Stephen: HE'S AMAZING
AILES.
SOMETIMES YOU USE FOOTAGE OF THE ACTUAL ROGER AILES, NEWS ARCHIVE
FOOTAGE >> YEAH
>> Stephen: BUT MOST OF THE TIME IT'S LITHGOW PLAYING HIM.
BUT YOU'RE ALWAYS MEGYN KELLY.
AND YOU LOOK SO MUCH LIKE MEGYN KELLY-- SO HERE'S AN-- HERE'S A
LITTLE INDICATION, AND THIS JUST BEGINS TO CAPTURE HOW MUCH YOU
LOOK LIKE HER HERE.
I HAVE WATCHED MEGYN KELLY FOR YEARS
>> DIJUST DRINK YOUR WATER?
I'M SO SORRY >> Stephen: NO, THIS IS YOURS
AND THERE'S TEA FOR YOU >> THAT'S SO NICE.
I'M SO SORRY.
I THOUGHT I WAS DRINKING YOURS >> Stephen: WOULD YOU LIKE
TEA?
BOTH OF THEM ARE YOURS >> SORRY, SORRY, SORRY.
I WAS TRYING TO NOT HAVE YOU GET MY COOTIES
>> Stephen: WOULD YOU LIKE SOME HONEY?
>> I WOULD LOVE SOME HONEY.
ANOTHER THAT'S GOOD.
THANK YOU, STEPHEN >> Stephen: HOW WOULD YOU STIR
THAT?
>> A PEN!
MY FAVORITE WAY TO STIR MY TEA!
HOW DID YOU KNOW!
>> Stephen: IT'S A NEW PEN.
STRAIGHT OUT OF THE BOX >> OH, LET'S SEE HOW THIS IS.
OH, DELICIOUS.
THANK YOU.
>> Stephen: BUT AS I WAS SAYING, WHEN I WATCHED TI'VE
INTERVIEWED HER I HAD DINNER WITH MEGYN KELLY.
THERE WERE TIMES I HAD TO GO, "WAIT, IS THAT CHARLIZE OR IS
THAT MEGYN KELLY >> THAT'S VERY SWEET
>> Stephen: NOT JUST THE LOOK, BUT THE DEMEANOR, THE VOICE.
WAS THAT-- DID YOU HAVE TO PITCH YOUR VOICE DOWN TO HERS?
SHE HAS A BIT OF A MANNERED WAY OF SPEAKING
>> A VERY SPECIFIC WAY OF THINKING.
I HAVE A HUSKY VOICE TONIGHT BECAUSE I'M A LITTLE UNDER THE
WEATHER, BUT IT WAS DEFINITELY A TYPE OF REGISTER TO GET AND SHE
HAS A CADENCE.
AND I DON'T KNOW IF YOU KNOW THIS ABOUT HER, BUT SHE CAN
SPEAK REALLY FAST, REALLY FAST.
IT'S INCREDIBLY IMPRESSIVE WHEN YOU REALLY PAY ATTENTION TO IT
>> Stephen: THAT'S THE NEWS TRAINING, I THINK
>> I'M A VERY LAZY SPEAKER.
SO -- >> Stephen: THAT'S THE FIRST
WORD THAT COMES TO MIND WHEN YOU THINK CHARLIZE THERON "LAZY."
>> LAZY, SLOW SPEAKER >> Stephen: AS ALSO A PRODUCER
OF THIS FILM, WHY WAS THIS AN IMPORTANT STORY TO YOU?
WHY DID YOU WANT TO TELL THIS?
THIS EXISTS BEFORE THE "ME TOO" MOVEMENT.
IT WAS KIND OF LIKE A FORESHADOWING OF SOMETHING TO
COME >> IT REALLY WAS, STEPHEN.
BECAUSE I THINK WE FORGET, NOW THAT WE'VE JUST LIVED IN THIS
TIME FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS, THAT WHEN GRETCHEN CARLSON
STEPPED FORWARD WITH THIS LAWSUIT AT FOX AGAINST ROGER
AILES, THERE REALLY WAS NO MOVEMENT.
THERE WAS NO "TIME'S UP."
THERE WAS NO "ME TOO."
THIS WAS BEFORE HARVEY WEINSTEIN, BEFORE ALL OF THE
NUMEROUS STHARS WE KNOW NOW.
AND SO WHEN WE READ IT AT OUR COMPANY, WE FELT LIKE EVEN
THOUGH IT FELT LIKE-- I SOMETIMES REFER TO IT AS AN
"ORIGIN STORY."
WHICH I HOPE MARVEL FOLK GOES TO SEE IT BECAUSE THEY HEAR "ORIGIN
STORY."
BUT I DO THINK IT IS, IN A WEIRD WAY, IT IS THE CEEND OF-- THEY
WERE THE CATALYST.
THEY BROUGHT US TO THIS PLACE.
AND I THINK THAT THE WOMEN OF FOX AND EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED
THERE JUST LENT ITSELF TO SUCH GREAT STORYTELLING BECAUSE THEY
WERE SUCH AN UNUSUAL CAST OF WOMEN TO BRING FORWARD SUCH AN
IMPORTANT STORY.
YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THOSE WOMEN DON'T LIKE CALLING THEMSELVES
FEMINISTS.
AND, YET -- >> Stephen: VERY POWERFUL
MEDIA FIGURES.
>> YES, MEGYN HATES THE WORD "FEMINIST."
AND HERE THEY ARE.
THEY CATAPULT US INTO THIS MOMENT WHERE WE'RE HAVING A
SERIOUS CONVERSATION ABOUT THE NUANCE AND GRAY OF SHARMTS
>> Stephen: DID YOU HAVE A CHANCE TO TALK TO ANY OF THE
WOMEN INVOLVED, GRETCHEN CARLSON OR MEGYN KELLY HERSELF?
>> YOU KNOW, GRETCHEN CARLSON HAS AN N.D.A., AND SHE'S
BASICALLY MUZZLED.
SHE CAN'T TALK ABOUT HER STORY.
>> Stephen: THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY IT'S SO GREAT TO SEE
NICOLE KIDMAN PLAY HER.
YOU GET TO HEAR GRETCHEN CARLSON TELL HER STORY.
GRETCHEN IN HER REAL LIFE CAN'T >> IT'S ALSO REALLY PAINFUL
BECAUSE YOU KIND OF JUST GO, "WHY CAN THIS WOMAN NOT TELL HER
STORY?" WHY ARE WE STILL PUTTING ALL
THESE MECHANISMS IN PLACE THAT ARE STILL PROTECTING PREDATORS,
AND THESE MEN IN POWER WHO ARE, OBVIOUSLY, ABUSING THEIR POWER.
THAT'S REALLY WHAT THESE N.D.A.s ARE DOING.
I'M IN COMPLETE SUPPORT OF HER TRYING TO GET HER VOICE BACK AND
HAVING HER STORY BE TOLD.
BUT IT WAS A CHEEKY WAY OF US SAYING, "YOU STILL CAN'T SILENCE
US ALL" SOMEHOW--
( APPLAUSE )
A CLIP HERE.
CAN YOU DESCRIBE WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?
YOU'RE IN A SOUND BOOTH >> YEAH, THIS IS A BIG MOMENT
WHERE MEGYN KELLY TOOK ABOUT TWO WEEKS TO JOIN THE CARLSON
LAWSUIT, AND THE REASON WAS BECAUSE SHE WAS CEEND OF A ROCK
STAR AT THE TIME AT FOX.
SHE WAS NEGOTIATING ONE OF THE BIGGEST CONTRACTS THERE.
AND SHE HAD A MORAL DILEMMA.
SHE REALLY LIKED ROGER AILES, BECAUSE HE WAS INCREDIBLY
HELPFUL TO HER CAREER.
BUT SHE ALSO FEARED WHAT I THINK SO MANY WOMEN FEAR WHICH IS THAT
YOU'RE GOING TO GET OSTRACIZED AND THAT YOU'RE GOING TO GET
PUNISHED AND THAT YOU'RE GOING TO LOSE EVERYTHING YOU WORKED SO
HARD TO ACHIEVE.
THIS IS A SCENE WHERE SHE FINALLY ACKNOWLEDGES TO ONE OF
HER COLLEAGUES THAT SHE WAS SEXUALLY HARASSED BY ROGER AILES
10 YEARS AGO AND SHE DOESN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT.
>> Stephen: JIM >> I WON'T CALL YOU A FEMINIST.
BUT SAY THERE'S A SPECTRUM.
ARE YOU-- >> ROGER HARASSED ME.
10 YEARS AGO.
I TURNED DOWN A LAW FIRM PARTNERSHIP FOR AN ENTRY-LEVEL
JOB HERE AT FOX.
ROGER WOULD CALL ME UP TO NEW YORK.
I WANTED HIS HELP.
>> DID YOU... COANYTHING?
>> NO.
>> WILL YOU TALK?
MEGYN?
>> I DON'T KNOW.
I DON'T KNOW
( CHEERS )
>> SO, SHE FINALLY-- SHE POSTED SOMETHING LAST WEEKEND ABOUT
SAYING THAT SHE SAW IT WITH PEOPLE-- I'M ASSUMING PEOPLE
THAT ARE CLOSE TO HER AND THAT IT WAS INCREDIBLY EMOTIONAL FOR
HER.
AND THAT-- YEAH, I MEAN, LISTEN, I HAVE GREAT EMPATHY.
WE HAVE A LOT OF DIFFERENCES, BUT I ULTIMATELY, I HAVE TO
ACKNOWLEDGE THAT WHAT THESE WOMEN DID WAS JUST INCREDIBLE
FOR THIS MOVEMENT.
AND THE MORE WE HEAR THESE STORIES, THE BETTER WE ARE OFF
NOT GETTING INTO THIS COMPLACENCY AGAIN.
SO I'M-- I'M REALLY GRATEFUL.
I HOPE THIS-- I WISH THIS NEVER HAPPENED TO THEM.
BUT I'M GREATFUL THAT WE-- YOU KNOW, THAT WE CAN TELL THIS
STORY.
>> Stephen: WELL, IT'S A REALLY INCREDIBLE MOVIE.
AND FULL OF TREMENDOUS PERFORMANCES.
SO THANK YOU FOR THE STORY THAT YOU'RE TELLING HERE AND TO THOSE
WOMEN FOR STANDING UP.
WE HAVE TO TAKE A QUICK BREAK, BUT IF YOU CAN STICK AROUND, YOU
STICK AROUND, TOO, BECAUSE WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH MORE THERK
EVERYBODY ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )