>> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY!
WELCOME BACK!
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MY NEXT GUEST IS A HOLLYWOOD
DIRECTOR BEST KNOWN FOR DIRECTING SEASON THREE EPISODE
17 OF "THE OFFICE." PLEASE WELCOME, J.J. ABRAMS!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ( BAND PLAYING )
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: THERE ARE A LOT OF
GREAT DIRECTORS OUT THERE, EVEN FOR PEOPLE WHO KNOW THEIR NAMES,
THERE ARE VERY FEW WHO GET STANDING OVATIONS.
>> THAT'S CRAZY.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
>> Stephen: YOU'RE A LOVELY MAN, J.J. ABRAMS.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
( APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: LAST TIME YOU WERE
HERE, I ASKED YOU ABOUT THE NEW "STAR WARS" FILMS "THE RISE OF
SKYWALKER," WE DIDN'T KNOW THE TITLE OF IT AT THE TIME.
AND I SAID WHAT'S THE STATUS ON IT AND YOU COULDN'T TELL ME
ANYTHING AT THE TIME AND YOU SAID WE HAVE A SCRIPT.
>> THAT WAS A BIG DEAL FOR US.
>> Stephen: DID YOU SHOOT THAT SCRIPT?
>> WE SORT OF -- YEAH, WE DID.
>> Stephen: OKAY.
YOU KNOW, BUT AS YOU GO ALONG, YOU GET A BETTER IDEA AND
YOU THINK, LET'S ADJUST THIS AND THAT, BUT WE DID SHOOT THE
SCRIPT.
>> Stephen: AND DO WE HAVE A MOVIE?
IS IT LOCKED?
>> YES.
>> Stephen: REALLY?
YES.
>> Stephen: CONGRATULATIONS.
DO YOU GET TO GO TO SLEEP NOW?
>> IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE SHOW.
WE LOCKED YESTERDAY.
>> Stephen: SO YOU'RE JUST FRESH OFF THE LOCK.
>> I FROM FLOWN FROM LOCKING THE THING TO THE EAST COAST TO SEE
YOU, ONCE AGAIN.
>> Stephen: THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
I'M HONORED.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> THANK YOU.
>> Stephen: I'M GOING TO ASK YOU A QUESTION THAT JIMMY KIMMEL
ASKED YOU ABOUT THE LAST "STAR WARS" MOVIE YOU DIRECTED FOUR
YEARS AGO.
WHAT'S THE FIRST WORD SAID IN THE MOVIE?
>> I WILL HAVE NO CONTEXT.
>> Stephen: I DON'T CARE.
( LAUGHTER ) >> HERE IT GOES.
READY?
NOT IN THE CRAWL -- >> Stephen: SPOKEN, NOT THIS.
NOT THAT.
AT.
>> Stephen: WOW!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) LET THE THEORIES BE SPAWNED.
>> AND THERE ARE SIX OR SEVEN WORDS THAT FOLLOW.
>> Stephen: HERE IS MY THEORY.
AT.
IT IS SOMEONE -- ACTUALLY, IT'S NOT ONE OF OUR MAIN CHARACTERS,
IT'S A NEW CHARACTER WE HAVEN'T SEEN BEFORE DESCRIBING SOMETHING
THAT'S HAPPENED BEFORE SETTING UP THE MOMENT WE'RE ABOUT THE
SEE IN VOICEOVER.
>> OKAY.
>> Stephen: I'M SO RIGHT.
I'M 100% RIGHT.
( LAUGHTER ) OKAY.
YOU'RE ENDING WITH THIS FILM THE SKYWALKER SAGA.
WAS IT HARDER TO END OR REBOOT?
>> WE ALWAYS LOOK AT IT AS A CONTINUATION OF WHAT CAME
BEFORE.
IN OUR MINDS, IT WASN'T REALLY A REBOOT.
IT WAS -- >> Stephen: AN INVIGORATION.
IT WAS LIKE CHAPTER 7, 8 AND 9, SORT OF ONE BOOK.
ENDING IS MUCH, MUCH, MUCH HARDER.
IT'S SO HARD TO END.
>> Stephen: ANYTHING.
WELL, IT'S A VERY -- IT'S A HUGE RESPONSIBILITY.
IT HAS TO WORK ON ITS OWN FOR THE MOVIE, IT'S THE END OF THE
TRILOGY, IT'S THE END OF THREE TRILOGIES.
FOR SOME PEOPLE, IT'S LIKE A RELIGION.
SO TO DO SOMETHING -- TO DO SERVICE TO THAT STORY, TO END IT
WELL, TO TELL A STORY THAT IS EPIC AND ALSO FUNNY AND ALSO
INTIMATE, THERE WERE SO MANY ISSUES AND THINGS AND --
>> Stephen: DID YOU EVER THINK I CAN'T DO THIS?
>> I THINK EVERY DAY THERE WAS A MOMENT OF, OH, GOD, YOU KNOW.
BUT THE TRUTH, IS AS CHALLENGING AS IT WAS, THIS HAS BY FAR BEEN
THE MOST REWARDING AND EXCITING EXPERIENCE THAT I'VE EVER HAD
PROFESSIONALLY.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: I READ -- THEY'RE
APPLAUDING YOUR CHALLENGING EXPERIENCE.
HOW NICE.
I READ LIEU COZ INTENDED FOR THE THIRD TRILOGY SERIES TO BE
LEIA'S STORY.
>> I'M NOT SURE THAT'S ENTIRELY THE CASE.
>> Stephen: BUT I READ IT.
OH.
FAKE NEWS.
( LAUGHTER ) BUT BECAUSE OF CARRIE'S
PASSING -- I KNEW HER FOR A WHILE BEFORE WE DID EPISODE 7.
>> Stephen: HERE'S A LOVELY PICTURE OF THE TWO OF YOU
TOGETHER.
>> SHE WAS THE GREATEST.
WE KNEW THERE WAS NO WAY WE COULD FINISH THIS SKYWALKER SAGA
WITHOUT LEIA, IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE, AND WE KNEW WE NEVER WOULD WANT
TO DO A DIGITAL LEIA, AND, WE, OF COURSE, COULDN'T RECAST IT.
AND THEN I REMEMBERED WE HAD SCENES WE HADN'T USED BECAUSE IT
DIDN'T WORK IN THE MOVIE.
AND WEIRDLY, THOSE SCENES WERE MATERIAL THAT WE 100% REALIZED
COULD BE USED TO TELL HER STORY IN THIS FILM.
SO EVERY TIME YOU'RE SEEING LEIA THIS SCENES WITH CHARACTERS,
IT'S CARRIE IN THIS MOVIE, AND I STILL CAN'T QUITE BELIEVE THAT
SHE'S GONE BECAUSE WE HAVE BEEN WORKING ON THESE SCENES AND
EDITORIAL, AND SHE'S AS THERE AS ANYONE.
IT'S REALLY UNCANNY.
>> Stephen: I UNDERSTAND THAT, IN HER BOOK, SHE MAKES AN ODD
REFERENCE TO SOMETHING THAT ACTUALLY HADN'T HAPPENED BY THE
TIME OF HER DEATH.
>> I WASN'T SUPPOSED TO WORK ON THIS FILM, AND SHE PASSED AWAY
BEFORE THE LAST LAST JEDI WAS RELEASED.
SHE HAD A BOOK CALLED THE PRINCESS DIARY AND SHE SAID
THANKS TO J.J. ABRAMS FOR PUTTING UP WITH ME TWICE.
AND I NEVER HAD WORKED WITH HER BEFORE AND I WASN'T SUPPOSED TO
DIRECT EPISODE 9, AND IT WAS A VERY CARRIE THING TO WRITE
SOMETHING LIKE THAT AND TO SOMEHOW KNOW, IT'S REALLY
STRANGE.
( AUDIENCE REACTS ) >> Stephen: WELL, TELL ME
WHERE -- DO YOU SHOOT THIS IN JORDAN?
>> SOME OF IT IS IN THE JORDAN, THE DESERT SCENES.
>> Stephen: I HEARD YOU WENT OUT TO THE DESERT IN JORDAN, AND
THEN OUT IN THE DESERT WHERE YOU ACTUALLY BUILT THIS LITTLE TOWN
IN THE DESERT, YOU USE BLUE SCREEN OR GREEN SCREEN OUT IN
THE DESERT.
>> MM-HMM.
WHY NOT JUST USE THE DESERT IF YOU'RE GOING TO GO OUT TO THE
DESERT?
>> FOR SOME OF THE SHOTS, IT JUST WASN'T THE RIGHT DESERT,
STEPHEN.
NO, NO, THE SCENE -- AND I ACTUALLY BROUGHT A CLIP AND
THERE SOME OF IT IS SOMETHING YOU WILL SEE NOW, SOME OF THE
SHOTS THAT WE NEEDED TO GET REQUIRED CERTAIN MOVEMENT THAT
WAS A PHYSICAL IMPOSSIBILITY TO DO, BUT THE LIGHT IN THE DESERT
WAS -- LIKE, IF WE HAD SHOT THAT EXACT SAME THING ANYWHERE ELSE,
IT WOULDN'T HAVE MATCHED WITH ANY OTHER SCENE.
SO WE SHOT SOME SCENE.
SO WHEN WE STARTED SHOOTING IN JORDAN, THE FIRST FOUR DAYS, WE
WERE LITERALLY IN THIS SORT OF BLUE KIND OF COVE THAT WE
CREATED, AND WE'D, LIKE, LOOK PAST THE BLUE AND IT WAS THE
MOST GLORIOUS DESERT WE'D EVER SEEN AND WE'RE, LIKE, WE'RE
INSANE, IT WAS NUTS.
EVERY SEGMENT HAS TO TALK ABOUT ISLAND.
CAN WE TALK ABOUT ROBERT DE NIRO FOR A SECOND?
ROBERT DE NIRO WAS HERE.
>> RIGHT THERE.
YOU CAN FEEL IT.
>> I CAN'T BELIEVE IT.
ROBERT DE NIRO.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) BUT, ANYWAY, WHEN YOU SEE THE
WORK THAT THEY DID AND OUR VISUAL EFFECTS SUPERVISOR, WHO
WAS EXTRAORDINARY, WE ALL KNEW THIS WOULD MAKE IT LOOK BETTER
AND, HE'S RIGHT, IT DOES.
>> Stephen: I HOPE YOU DON'T HAVE ANYTHING MORE IMPORTANT TO
DO BECAUSE WE HAVE TO TAKE A LITTLE COMMERCIAL BREAK BUT
STICK AROUND AND WHEN WE COME BACK I'LL ASK J.J. FAN
QUESTIONS.
STICK AROUND.