♪ ♪ ♪
WELCOME BACK. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MY FIRST
GUEST IS AN ACTOR AND DIRECTOR YOU KNOW FROM "DRINKING
BUDDIES," "HOUSE," AND "BOOKSMART."
HER NEW FILM THAT SHE DIRECTED AND STARS IN IS "DON'T WORRY
DARLING." >> BOYS AND THEIR TOYS.
AT LEAST WE KNOW THEY'RE GETTING WORK DONE.
>> WHAT DO YOU THINK THEY'RE REALLY DOING OUT THERE?
>> WHAT DO YOU MEAN? >> I MEAN, I KNOW WHAT THEY SAY
KNOW-- DEVELOPMENT OF PROGRESSIVE MATERIALS.
BUT SOMETIMES PETER INSIGNEUATES THAT THEY'RE ACTUALLY MAKING
WEAPONS AND THAT IT'S ALL HAPPENING UNDERGROUND BECAUSE
FRANKLY I DISCOVERED-- >> HEY.
>> SORRY. >> WE'RE ALL HERE BECAUSE WE
BELIEVE IN THE MISSION. >> YES.
>> WE HAVE JOBS, TOO, THAT ARE JUST AS IMPORTANT, JUST AS
VITAL, WHAT WE DO AT HOME-- SUPPORTING THEM, TAKING CARE OF
THEM. WITHOUT THAT, THEY COULDN'T BE
OUT THERE CHANGING THE WORLD. >> Stephen: PLEASE WELCOME BACK
TO "THE LATE SHOW," OLIVIA WILDE!
♪ IT'S ALL RIGHT ♪
NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN. >> IT'S SO GOOD TO BE HERE.
>> Stephen: IT'S BEEN TOO LONG.
>> I KNOW. >> Stephen: SINCE--
"BOOKSMART." >> Stephen: A YEAR BEFORE
COVID HIT. >> TWEFT YEARS AGO.
>> Stephen: SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
THERE IS NO TIME ANYMORE. >> IT HAS NO MEANING.
>> Stephen: DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN YOU WERE HERE, WE GAVE YOU
A LITTLE DIRECTOR'S CHAIR? >> OF COURSE, IT'S BY MY BED.
>> Stephen: IT'S TO CELEBRATE WHAT AN EXTRAORDINARY FRESHMAN
OFFERING FROM A NEW DIRECTOR THAT WAS.
IT CAME OUT OF THE GATE SO BEAUTIFULLY WITH THAT MOVIE.
>> OH, THANK YOU. >> Stephen: AND I JUST WANTED
TO SAY-- PEOPLE ARE GOING TO HAVE THEIR OWN OPINIONS ABOUT
MOVIES, BUT I WATCHED "DON'T WORRY DARLING," AND I DON'T WANT
TO GIVE ANYTHING AWAY, OBVIOUSLY, BECAUSE THERE'S
SOMETHING TO GIVE AWAY, WHICH I DON'T WANT TO DO.
BUT THE WAY THAT YOU LAY OUT THIS CONCEPT-- WHICH IS A
CONCEPT THAT WE'VE SEEN BEFORE, WHICH IS SORT OF AN UNSETTLING
UTOPIA, YOU KNOW. >> EXACTLY.
>> Stephen: OR A SEDUCTIVE DISTONIA.
>> YES. >> Stephen: YOU DO IT WITH
INTRIGUE. YOU DO IT WITH TENSION.
AND YOU DO IT IN WAYS THAT I HAVEN'T SEEN BEFORE THAT ARE
ALSO FUNNY. FOR INSTANCE, YOUR CHARACTER,
PARTICULARLY, IS VERY FUNNY. >> SHE IS.
>> Stephen: IT'S LAID OUT IN A WAY I HAVEN'T SEEN BEFORE.
IT'S ABSOLUTELY INTRIGUING. MY FIRST REACTION WATCHING THE
MOVIE WAS IT'S NO MISTAKE WHAT YOU DID IN "BOOKSMART."
YOU BELONG IN THAT DIRECTOR'S CHAIR.
AND CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR SECOND FILM.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH, THANK YOU. THAT MEANS A LOT
( APPLAUSE ).
>> THREE YEARS. >> Stephen: THREE YEARS.
THROUGH COVID? >> YES, AND IT WAS A MASSIVE
TEAM EFFORT. THERE WERE SO MANY OF US WHO
CAME TOGETHER AND PUSHED TROUGH, YOU KNOW, CHALLENGE
AFTER CHALLENGE. BUT WE'RE SO PROUD OF IT.
IT'S SO EXCITING. >> Stephen: WELL, AFTER
WORKING FOR THREE YEARS ON SOMETHING LIKE THIS.
>> YES. >> Stephen: IT MUST BE
PARTICULARLY FRUSTRATING TO HAVE PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT A LOT OF
THINGS THAT AREN'T THE FILM ITSELF.
>> OH, ARE THEY. >> Stephen: REALLY?
YOU HAVEN'T HEARD? NO.
THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF TALK. >> YUP.
>> Stephen: THESE ARE THINGS THAT--
>> YEAH. >> Stephen: THE REPORTS OF
FEUD. >> RIGHT.
>> Stephen: PEOPLE ANALYZING BODY LANGUAGE.
PRIVATE MESSAGES BEING RELEASED? >> YES.
>> Stephen: NARRATIVES AND COUNTER-NARRATIVE.
OLIVIA WILDE, IS THERE ANYTHING OR NOTHING IN THAT LIST YOU
WOULD LIKE TO CLEAR UP? >> WELL, YOU KNOW, IT'S KIND
OF-- IT'S INTERESTING. THE WHOLE EXPERIENCE HAS SORT OF
CHANGED MY WAY OF THINKING ABOUT THE INTERNET AND HOW WE CHOOSE
TO INTERACT WITH IT-- OR NOT. BUT, REALLY, IT'S KIND OF
IRONIC, BECAUSE ALL OF THIS IS REALLY WHAT THE FILM'S ABOUT.
THE FILM IS ABOUT THE NARRATIVES WE ARE FED AND WHETHER WE CHOOSE
TO ACCEPT THEM OR QUESTION THEIR SOURCES.
AND AS YOU SAID, THERE WERE PRIVATE MESSAGES THAT WERE
RELEASED WITHOUT CONTEXT TO TRY TO MAKE A SITUATION LOOK LIKE
SOMETHING THAT IT WASN'T. I-- EARLY ON IN THE PROCESS OF
MAKING THE FILM, AS THE DIRECTOR, I TRIED TO MEDIATE,
YOU KNOW, A SITUATION BETWEEN PEOPLE TO TRY TO SEE IF THEY
COULD WORK TOGETHER HAPPILY. ONCE IT BECAME CLEAR THAT IT WAS
NOT A TENABLE WORKING RELATIONSHIP, I WAS GIVEN AN
ULTIMATUM. I CHOSE MY ACTRESS-- WHICH I'M
VERY HAPPY I DID. AT THE TIME WAS I BUMMED THAT WE
WEREN'T ABLE TO MAKE IT WORK? SURE.
DID INFORMATION ABOUT HIM COME TO LIGHT LATER THAT MADE ME
CONFIDENT WE MADE THE RIGHT DECISION?
ABSOLUTELY. >> Stephen: JUST TO BE CLEAR
HERE, DID YOU FIRE SHIA LABOUF. >> WE HAD TO REPLACE SHIA.
HE'S A FANTASTIC ACTOR AND IT DIDN'T WORK.
WHEN HE GAVE ME THE ULTIMATUM HIM OR FLORENCE, I CHOSE
FLORENCE. >> Stephen: ARE YOU, JUST TO
BE CLEAR HERE BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE PARSING.
>> YES. >> Stephen: ARE YOU SAYING--
AND CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, THAT HE WOULDN'T...
DO THE MOVIE IN THE WAY THAT YOU WANTED HIM TO?
>> YEAH. >> Stephen: AND, THEREFORE, HE
HAD TO GO. SO HE CAN SAY HE QUIT, AND YOU
FIRED HIM, AND BOTH OF YOU CAN THINK YOU'RE RIGHT?
>> IT'S A QUESTION OF SEMANTICS. >> Stephen: BUT, HONEST TO
GOD, IS THAT IT? >> YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.
>> Stephen: IT HAS TO BE THIS WAY.
HE SAID, "I CAN'T DO THAT, I'M LEAVING."
AND YOU SAID, "YOU'RE FIRED." >> I SAID, "THAT'S GREAT, YOU GO
AND WE WILL MOVE ON." IT WASN'T GOING TO MOVE FORWARD
IN THE WAY HE WANTED IT TO, SO HE HAD TO LEAVE.
>> Stephen: SO WHO CONTROLS THE NARRATIVE OF THAT STORY?
IS IT THE STAR WHO GETS TO SAY THEY LEFT OR THE DIRECTOR WHO
GETS TO SAY, "YOU'RE FIRED." BECAUSE THAT'S A BIG STRUGOLE
MOVIE SETS. WHO'S IN CONTROL, THE STAR OR
DIRECTOR. OLIVIA WILDE, I ASK YOU.
>> IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME. I THINK EVERY PRODUCTION, THERE
ARE SO MANY PEOPLE WHO ARE IN, WHO ARE OUT IN THE PERIOD OF
TIME LEADING UP TO ANY PRODUCTION.
THERE'S SO MANY PEOPLE WHO ARE IN FOR A PERIOD AND OUT FOR A
PERIOD. AND IT'S ALL A MATTER OF, YOU
KNOW, RESOLVING CONFLICT. AND ANYONE WHO HAS DEALT WITH
CONFLICT KNOWS THERE ARE LEVELS BEFORE THERE IS A CONCLUSION.
IN THIS CASE, EVERYONE IN THE END ENDED UP WHAT THEY WANTED.
HE DIDN'T WANT TO BE PART OF THE PRODUCTION IN THE WAY I LIKE TO
MAKE PRODUCTIONS. SO HE MOVED ON.
HE MOVED ON AND REPLACED HIM AND ENDED UP WITH A CAST THAT I'M SO
PROUD OF WIKH A MOVIE I'M REALLY PROUD ABOUT.
>> Stephen: WE HAVE TO TAKE A QUICK BREAK.
WE'LL BE BACK WITH MORE OLIVIA WILDE.
STICK AROUND.