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-[ Gasps ]
[ Train whistle blowing ]
[ Heart beating ]
[ Groaning ]
[ Clock ticking ]
[ Click, ticking stops ]
-Welcome back to "Late Night." We're here with Joel Edgerton.
Obviously, this is a television show,
but as the clip would prove to anybody
or anyone who's watched it, it's so beautifully cinematic.
Did you even feel like you were making a TV show
or just feel like a big, long movie?
-It felt like, you know, with Barry Jenkins at the helm
and James Laxton shooting it,
that it was like a 10-hour movie that we were making.
-Did you -- I mean, obviously, you play a bad guy in this film,
but, yet, I heard it was a role that you
sort of talked to Barry about wanting.
Do you like the challenge of playing a villain?
-Look, for years, I have been running around saying,
"I really want to play villains,"
and I don't necessarily think I'm any good at it.
You know, the idea as an actor is that
it's always going to be more fun to play a villain.
And I heard about this project
and basically stalked Barry about it.
And then I read the book, and it's so --
The character I play, anyway, not necessarily the show
in its entirety, but the character I play
is so evil and dark that I started to go,
"Was this the right -- Should I have stalked him
before understanding what the material was?"
Because it's a pretty heavy character.
-Barry is a film director. You're also a film director.
Yet, you sort of went up and introduced yourself to Barry
with the hopes of getting cast.
Does that work with you?
Do people ever, like, sidle up to Joel Edgerton and say
they want to do your next project?
-Look, I like ambitious people. You know what I mean?
Like, there's -- You know,
there's a time and a place for it.
I don't know that I picked the right time and place,
like, an evening event in Toronto,
a couple of maybe vodkas under my belt.
But, you know,
passion and ambition, I think, are great traits.
And, you know, it's good to put yourself
in a vulnerable position and tell someone
that you really like their work.
And, you know, you've got to give it a crack.
Crikey.
-Do you feel like, you know, as someone who does
you know, both direct and act, do you feel like
when you work with different directors you respect,
you're always sort of taking things with you
for the next time you go behind the camera?
-Yeah. Look, I think being on set
is like a place to learn from...
As an actor, I learn from directors I work with.
As an actor, I learn from other actors I work with.
And, for example, in this show, I think it's also important
to understand that you can learn from children.
I have this incredible relationship in the show
with a young actor called Chase W. Dillon,
who plays Homer,
and you can learn a lot from children.
I mean, if you keep your eyes and your ears open,
you can steal from anybody.
[ Laughter ]
-Colson Whitehead -- -Looking at you, Seth.
-[ Laughs ]
Colson, who's been on our show and, you know, obviously
is brilliant, and I know, from Barry, he visited set.
What's it like when someone, you know,
who creates the source material
comes on while you're doing the adaptation?
-When Colson came on set, it was --
For me, it felt like the C.E.O. had entered the building.
There was an incredible amount of respect, appreciation
for what he'd created that allowed us all,
hundreds of people, to be there,
and a desire to want him to feel good about everything,
like the sets, the costume.
And particularly for me, I'm like,
"Do I fill the shoes of the character
that you created in your own private space?"
So it felt like, you know --
It felt like a good, cool C.E.O. had entered the building.
-Alright, now, I need to ask you this
just because I know you're back in Australia.
How long has it been since you were at the beach?
-Two days. -Okay.
-Yeah, no, like, I go for a swim or a surf most days,
but I have been a little bit busy lately.
-Yeah. Fatherhood will do that.
It will take away -- It will cut into your beach time.
-It's about three minutes that way on foot.
And I have a garage full of surfboards.
Listen, man, we're very lucky here in Australia.
-Yeah. -We're able to move around.
The country's handled it very well,
and we feel very blessed.
And for that reason, we're allowed to go and mingle
at the beach and go to restaurants and stuff.
So, you know, we're very lucky.
-Well, I'm very happy to hear that.
Please continue to enjoy it all safely.
Congrats again on fatherhood,
and it's always so nice to see you, buddy.
-You too, mate. It's always good to see you.
Thank you. Thank you.
-You're very welcome.
"The Underground Railroad"
is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.