Ben Stiller (Extended) | 'Severance'

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Ben Stiller (Extended) | 'Severance'"

The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert
Episode: Ben Stiller (Extended) | 'Severance'
Release Date: December 28, 2024
Host: Stephen Colbert
Guest: Ben Stiller
Podcast Information:
The Late Show Pod Show delivers the wit, humor, and candid conversations of late-night television straight to listeners. Hosted by Stephen Colbert, the show features celebrity guests, insightful discussions, and engaging monologues. This episode features Ben Stiller, renowned actor and director, delving into his latest project, "Severance," and sharing personal anecdotes.

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1. Warm Welcome and Personal Updates

[00:37] Stephen Colbert:
Stephen Colbert opens the episode by welcoming Ben Stiller, highlighting his impressive filmography including hits like Zoolander, Tropic Thunder, and Escape at Dannemora. Colbert notes Stiller’s directorial role in Severance, which has garnered 14 Emmy nominations, and extends a warm greeting:
"Please welcome back to the Late Show, Ben Stiller. It's lovely to see you again."

[01:03] Ben Stiller:
Ben responds graciously, complimenting Colbert:
"You too."

Family and Summer Activities:
The conversation shifts to Ben’s personal life, where he shares his recent experiences:

[01:24] Stephen Colbert:
"How many kids you got?"

[01:25] Ben Stiller:
"I got two kids. Not really, they're not. My daughter's 20 and my son's 17. And yeah, this summer my daughter got her driver's license and that was a big deal because I helped her learn to drive."

Colbert empathizes, sharing his own experiences teaching his children to drive, leading to a humorous exchange about the challenges and nerve-wracking moments of this rite of passage.

[02:08] Ben Stiller:
Ben recounts teaching his daughter to drive in New York, describing the hectic traffic:
"The west side highway is literally like Mad Max Fury Road... she was doing really well with it. And what really helped her was if we just played her favorite artist on the iPhone and we'd just play Taylor Swift."

He further elaborates on their shared musical interests, especially Taylor Swift’s Folklore album, which provided a calming backdrop during their driving lessons.

[02:42] Stephen Colbert:
Colbert shares his own experience:
"I drove with my daughter and my son from New York to Charleston, South Carolina, where I'm from, for Christmas time, and we listened to Evermore for the entire 14-hour ride."

The hosts bond over the shared experience of teaching their children to drive and the role of music in easing tension during the process.

2. Ben Stiller’s Humanitarian Efforts

[03:36] Stephen Colbert:
Colbert shifts the discussion to Ben’s recent travels:
"You've done some traveling recently. You were in Ukraine this past spring."

[04:02] Ben Stiller:
Ben clarifies his role:
"I was there with the UN refugee agency because I'm a goodwill ambassador and I go and visit places where people are displaced by war."

Meeting with Ukrainian President:
They discuss Ben’s interaction with Ukraine’s President Zelensky:

[04:38] Ben Stiller:
"I was really impressed. He has such an interesting story... and to be able to talk about the refugee issues that they have in the country there, because there's, you know, it's probably the biggest displacement of people since World War II."

[05:09] Stephen Colbert:
Colbert inquires if Ben discussed his movies during the meeting, leading to a heartfelt exchange about mutual support among celebrities:

[05:18] Ben Stiller:
"I did bring that up in the meeting. I said, Adam Sandler wanted me to send his regards... And he said... they tried out 'Hustle,' and he said it was pretty good."

This segment highlights the intersection of Hollywood and humanitarian efforts, showcasing Ben’s commitment beyond the entertainment industry.

3. Exploring "Severance"

Transition to "Severance":
After a brief commercial break, the conversation returns to focus on Severance.

[07:44] Ben Stiller:
Ben responds to congratulations on the show's Emmy nominations:
"Thank you."

[07:51] Stephen Colbert:
Colbert introduces Severance, emphasizing its accolades and teasing potential rewards for a successful interview:
"If this interview goes well, there might be some waffles in it for you."

Insights into "Severance":

[08:04] Ben Stiller:
Ben shares his excitement about the show and his involvement:
"It has to be the next thing. My daughter... it's the greatest television show of all time. I'm so glad I finally watched it. I am absolutely blown away by this show, Ben, about the strangeness of it, the tenderness of it. It's so funny... and it's got this great social commentary about what our work-life balance should be and the sort of false family dynamics of corporations."

Creative Process and Inspiration:
Delving deeper, they discuss the origins and themes of Severance:

[08:40] Ben Stiller:
Ben explains the genesis of the show:
"I got a script about five years ago that was a writing sample by Dan Erickson, who was a writer who was just trying to rake in and get a job in show business. And I read it, and it just jumped off the page... it's happening in a world where these people go to work... they have a chip implanted in their head... they don't know who they are on the outside."

He elaborates on the metaphorical aspects of the show, relating it to broader life experiences and the nature of work.

Casting and Character Development:

[10:32] Stephen Colbert:
Colbert praises Adam Scott’s performance:
"And I thought of Adam Scott right off the bat that he would just be amazing as Mark, the main character."

[10:33] Ben Stiller:
Ben agrees, highlighting Scott’s versatility:
"He's so funny. And he has this other side to him because he gets to play two sides of the character... the guy on the inside and the guy on the outside."

4. Career Growth and Creative Evolution

[11:48] Stephen Colbert:
Colbert offers a heartfelt reflection on Ben’s career growth, referencing earlier works like Secret Life of Walter Mitty and contrasting them with Severance:
"You've done this extraordinary thing at this stage of your career to, like, grow the palette of your work in such an extraordinary way... you've grown so enormously... that I can't help but be happy for an artist to find this new set of gears."

[11:51] Ben Stiller:
Ben modestly responds, discussing the continuous journey of creative expression:
"The creative process is... always trying to get closer to expressing ourselves and trying to find, you know, who you are in the work that you do."

He emphasizes the personal connection and life experiences that influence his projects, highlighting a shift towards more introspective and meaningful storytelling.

5. Interactive Experiences and Fan Engagement

[12:35] Stephen Colbert:
Colbert inquires about interactive fan experiences related to Severance:
"Is it true I heard that out at Comic Con there was something called the severance experience where you could actually have the experience of being in the office."

[12:48] Ben Stiller:
Ben confirms and describes the Severance activation at Comic Con:
"We had an activation at Comic Con... you could go to work at Lumen... awaken as your innie on the table... go into the break room... end up at MDR and you have a music dance experience."

He humorously notes the forgetfulness imposed by the show's premise:
"You probably wouldn't remember because you get severed at the end and you forget."

This segment showcases the show's immersive fan engagement strategies, blending narrative elements with real-world interactions.

6. Closing Remarks and Final Banter

[13:36] Stephen Colbert:
As the interview wraps up, Colbert thanks Ben for his time and participation:
"Ben, thanks so much for being here. Thanks for having me. Lovely to see you."

[13:39] Ben Stiller:
Ben reciprocates the sentiment:
"Great to see you."

[13:41] Stephen Colbert:
Colbert reminds listeners where to watch Severance:
"Severance is on Apple TV."

Ads and Sign-Off:
The episode concludes with a brief advertisement mentioning Justin Hartley's shows on Paramount, interspersed with humorous comments from Ben about drinking to risks:
"Nothing good comes without risks. I would drink to that."

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Ben Stiller on Teaching to Drive:
  "[02:08]... the west side highway is literally like Mad Max Fury Road."

• Stephen Colbert on 'Severance' Listening Experience:
  "[03:08]... I listened to Evermore for the entire 14-hour ride."

• Ben Stiller on Creative Process:
  "[12:04]... stories in them, I think, are somehow more connected to my life experience or my, you know, how I feel as a person."

• Stephen Colbert on 'Severance' Experience at Comic Con:
  "[12:35]... you could actually have the experience of being in the office."

Conclusion

This episode of The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert offers a multifaceted glimpse into Ben Stiller’s personal life, humanitarian efforts, and creative ventures. Through engaging dialogue, Colbert and Stiller explore the nuances of balancing family, career, and social responsibilities. The in-depth discussion of Severance provides listeners with insights into the show's themes, production, and cultural impact, all while maintaining a lighthearted and personable tone. Whether you're a fan of Ben Stiller’s work or interested in the creative processes behind acclaimed television, this episode delivers a rich and entertaining experience.

Transcript

[Stephen Colbert]

This episode is brought to you by Hay Day. Looking to escape all the festive chaos, turn holiday hecticness into harmony with Hay Day, the mobile game that helps you harvest calm one crop at a time. Reclaim your me time. Relax, decorate and enjoy farming bliss as you tend to your animals and harvest crops as part of a welcoming, stress free community. Join over 20 million players. Just tap or click on the banner now to download Hay Day for free. Today it's the Late Show Poncho with Stephen Colbert.

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the Late show already in progress. Folks, my first guest tonight is an actor and director, you know, from Zoolander, Tropic Thunder, and Escape at Dannemora. He now directs and produces Severance, which is nominated for 14 Emmy Awards. Please welcome back to the Late Show, Ben Stiller. It's lovely to see you again.

[Ben Stiller]

You too.

[Stephen Colbert]

Well, Covid seems to have treated you well. You look fantastic.

[Ben Stiller]

Thank you. Thanks. I was just. Yeah, I was a little.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah.

[Ben Stiller]

Thank you.

[Stephen Colbert]

So how has your summer been?

[Ben Stiller]

It's been good.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah.

[Ben Stiller]

You know, I was just hanging out with the family, so. And having. I was supposed to work on something this summer that didn't happen, so I've had a lot of great, great family time. It's been amazing.

[Stephen Colbert]

How many kids you got?

[Ben Stiller]

I got two kids. Not really, they're not. My daughter's 20 and my son's 17. And yeah, this summer my daughter got her driver's license and that was a big deal because I helped her learn to drive.

[Stephen Colbert]

Wow. Yeah, I've been there. I taught the kids to drive in our family. It's so nerve wracking.

[Ben Stiller]

It is nerve wracking, but it's kind of like a nice familial sort of tradition thing too. Like, my dad taught me to drive and. And yeah. And it's always like, you know, it could go bad at any time.

[Stephen Colbert]

Were you good about it? Because I was terrible about it.

[Ben Stiller]

I mean, I try to just be calm, you know. The thing is, we were in New York and she wanted to get a lot of hours in. She was sort of cramming because she wanted in New York.

[Stephen Colbert]

You taught her to drive in in New York?

[Ben Stiller]

Yes. Like, wow.

[Stephen Colbert]

Why don't you just teach her to drive in Rome?

[Ben Stiller]

Well, it's not that far off. I mean, the west side highway is literally like Mad Max Fury Road. It's to teach a person to drive on. What is this? Me? No, it's craz. And there's like cabs, like jump over you to get to the 125th street exit. And she's in that. And she was doing really well with it. And what really helped her was if we just played her favorite artist on the iPhone and we'd just play Taylor Swift. So we just drive and play Taylor Swift. And I was a fan, but I think now I'm total swifty.

[Stephen Colbert]

Sure.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

You're the demo. Yeah, that's the demo right there.

[Ben Stiller]

Because, you know, you get deep into it. And we got into the later stuff. Folklore. Evermore folklore about Cardigan, Betty and August all being about the same love triangle, but from different points of view, obviously. Yeah. And the characters are named after Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively's kids. You knew that.

[Stephen Colbert]

Sure. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Ben Stiller]

And then the all too well, 10 minute Taylor's version from the vault.

[Stephen Colbert]

Sure. I drove with my daughter and my son from New York to Charleston, South Carolina, where I'm from, for Christmas time, and we listened to Evermore for the entire 14 hour ride.

[Ben Stiller]

You did.

[Stephen Colbert]

Totally worth it.

[Ben Stiller]

Totally worth it. Yeah. Right? You get into the mindset.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah. I'll just be muttering those lyrics on my deathbed.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

But it's nice to hear you were good about it. You didn't freak out or anything.

[Ben Stiller]

No, no. It would calm her and it would calm me. And then she passed her test. You know, it's hard because they have to do parallel parking.

[Stephen Colbert]

Everyone has to do parallel parking.

[Ben Stiller]

But now you have help because you have the monitor in the car. Most cars. Right.

[Stephen Colbert]

So it's easy.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah, but back in the old days, we had to.

[Stephen Colbert]

No, we had to do a blindfold.

[Ben Stiller]

Right? Yeah. Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

Well, it was like Spartacus. They were spinning blades in the car. Yeah.

[Ben Stiller]

It's an intense thing. So I was really happy that she passed.

[Stephen Colbert]

You've done some traveling recently. You were in Ukraine this past spring.

[Ben Stiller]

Is that what it was actually like about, I don't know, maybe six weeks ago.

[Stephen Colbert]

Not that long ago. Okay. And you got a chance to meet this fellow?

[Ben Stiller]

Yes.

[Stephen Colbert]

When you're over there. And how long did you get to spend with him?

[Ben Stiller]

We spent about 45 minutes together. Yeah. I was there with the UN refugee agency because I'm a goodwill ambassador and I go and visit places where people are displaced by war.

[Stephen Colbert]

You're not just knocking on doors and going, hey, Ben Stiller, I want to meet you.

[Ben Stiller]

No. Yeah. And I wasn't offering military advice or anything.

[Stephen Colbert]

What was your impression of the gentleman?

[Ben Stiller]

I was really impressed. I mean, you know, he has such an interesting story, you know, where he comes from as an actor and that he Actually was in a show where he played the president of the country.

[Stephen Colbert]

Right.

[Ben Stiller]

And then has risen to this occasion. And, you know, it's a very obviously serious situation. And to be able to talk about the refugee issues that they have in the country there, because there's, you know, it's probably the biggest displacement of people since World War II. I think maybe about 12 million people in that country have been displaced. So it's a lot that they're dealing with right now.

[Stephen Colbert]

Did he mention any of your movies?

[Ben Stiller]

Well, I'm not going to ask him when I go to meet the president of Ukraine about my movies.

[Stephen Colbert]

I am so sorry what's happening to your country. I want to do everything. We can help. Did you by any chance see Zula?

[Ben Stiller]

Exactly. But I did tell Adam Sandler that I was going, and Sandler, he's a big Zelensky fan. And so I did bring that up in the meeting. I said, Adam Sandler wanted me to send his regards. And he said that late one night when his team had been working all day, and he said it was literally 1:00 in the morning, they all were really exhausted and they needed a break. He pulled out his phone and he got onto Netflix and he scrolled through for new movies that they could just watch to just like, get a break from it. And they got to Hustle, and then they tried out Hustle.

[Stephen Colbert]

Wow.

[Ben Stiller]

And he said it was pretty good.

[Stephen Colbert]

It's not a bad review.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

Much has been made. As you were mentioning before, that he started off as a comedic actor.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

Does politics interest you at all? Would you be at all interested? Because you seem like a perfectly intelligent, likable person. How do you think you would do in the same situation? Joe Wallace?

[Ben Stiller]

How about that? Joe's point.

[Stephen Colbert]

Joe Walsh is all for you.

[Ben Stiller]

No, man. Gosh.

[Stephen Colbert]

Vice President Stiller Walsh, I'm all for you. He's got the experience.

[Ben Stiller]

Rock and roll ticket.

[Stephen Colbert]

You've got the drive.

[Ben Stiller]

No, I wish, like, someone like John Stewart would run. I think he's. I think what he's been doing recently.

[Stephen Colbert]

Has been a pretty impressive job. Yeah. I wouldn't want it from my friend just because as the President of the United States, you have to make decisions like go drone those people. And that's a difficult thing. I don't think I would.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah, I know.

[Stephen Colbert]

I have to make that decision or want my friend to make that decision.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah, I know. It's a whole other world. And, you know, and just feeling that, like in talking with Zelensky, you just feel that that weight, you know, and it's nothing really funny about it. Nope. So, no, I don't want to go to holiday.

[Stephen Colbert]

We have to take a quick break. But when I come back, I will ask Ben Stiller about finding new gears as an artist. Stick around. Hey, everybody. We're back here with Mr. Ben Stiller. Let's dive into severance.

[Ben Stiller]

Okay.

[Stephen Colbert]

All right. So Zuccheer is an Apple TV. 14 Emmy nominations. Congratulations. That's wonderful.

[Ben Stiller]

Thank you.

[Stephen Colbert]

Including. Including best director for you. Congratulation. If this interview goes well, there might be some waffles in it for you.

[Ben Stiller]

Sweet.

[Stephen Colbert]

All right.

[Ben Stiller]

Waffles.

[Stephen Colbert]

People don't know what that means. Okay. Everybody I knew was like, have to watch this show. I was just busy guy. Like, it has to be the next thing. My daughter, the one I taught to drive. Dad, it's the greatest television show of all time. I'm so glad I finally watched it. I am absolutely blown away by this show, Belle, about the strangeness of it, the tenderness of it. It's so funny. At the same time, it's got this great social commentary about what our work life balance should be and the sort of false family dynamics of corporations. How did it come to you? What did you think when you first heard this idea?

[Ben Stiller]

Well, I got a script about five years ago that was a writing sample by Dan Erickson, who was a writer who was just trying to rake in and get a job in show business. And I read it, and it was just. To me, it just jumped off the page. You know, it's kind of rooted in these workplace comedies like the Office or Office Space or this comedy genre. I think that's developed over the last 20 years or so, whatever that we have. And this banter that, you know, Parks and Rec, that kind of vibe. But yet it's happening in a world where these people go to work. They have a chip implanted in their head. When they go to work, they don't know who they are on the outside. They don't remember anything about their life. When they leave work, they don't remember what happened at work. So they're like talking and kind of having this kind of workplace interaction. But then they don't know what they're doing, why they're there, or who they are. And that was interesting to me. And I thought that's sort of like a weird metaphor for life.

[Stephen Colbert]

Did that resonate in your work at all? Because, I mean, certainly working in production can be completely obsessive.

[Ben Stiller]

Well, I think I'm lucky in that I love doing What I do, and I love to go to work, and it's. You know, I enjoy it, even. It can be hard sometimes. I think it's, you know, that thing of going to a job where you just don't connect with it at all. And you're having to spend hours and hours of your life in this reality that I think is really what Dan was tapping into, because Dan worked at a door factory for years, and he had this idea when he was working at a door factory, and he's thinking, I just. I hate working at a door factory.

[Stephen Colbert]

I can imagine after a while you would hate doors.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah. Every time you have to just touch a knob. So anyway, he came up with this idea, and it just jumped off the page, and then it took a number of years to get it on the air. But I always felt it had a unique tone to it and thought of Adam Scott right off the bat that he would just be amazing as Mark, the main character.

[Stephen Colbert]

And you were right.

[Ben Stiller]

Well, I mean, he's just incredible. He's so funny. And he has this other side to him because he gets to play two sides of the character. The guy on the inside and the guy on the outside, and they're both in different places in their life.

[Stephen Colbert]

Well, I wanted to say something that I hope is in any way meaningful to you is that I remember watching Secret Life of Walter Mitte, your film from 2013, and it was a very interesting film. You had already had a tremendous career up till that. Just absolutely brilliant work, which, you know, I'm a fan of. And then when I saw that, I thought, oh, this is really a. And I could be totally wrong. Well, this is about Ben. This is about Ben wanting that beautiful thing or that perfect moment or that sort of that expansion of their world. And with Escape it down to Mora, and with this movie, you have done this extraordinary thing at this stage of your career to, like, grow the palette of your work in such an extraordinary way that I watched Severance, and I turned to Ev and I said, I'm so happy for him. Like, the guy in Secret Life of Walter Mittegro got that. Got that moment. This is. You've. You've grown so enormously, even though you were always so accomplished, that I can't help but be happy for an artist to find this new set of gears.

[Ben Stiller]

Wow. Thank you.

[Stephen Colbert]

Does that mean. Is that meaningful? Like, does that. Do you feel that at all?

[Ben Stiller]

No, I don't connect with that at all. But no.

[Stephen Colbert]

I mean, who am I to say that to Ben Stiller? But really, I'm so happy for him.

[Ben Stiller]

I mean, you know, look, the creative process is. I think we're always trying to get closer to expressing ourselves and trying to find, you know, who you are in the work that you do. So weirdly not. I mean, you know, because I haven't been acting for a while, somehow by connecting with these different projects, the stories in them, I think, for me, are somehow more connected to my life experience or my, you know, how I feel as a person. And also just things I want to watch, too, as an audience. But thank you, man. That's very nice.

[Stephen Colbert]

Thank you for being able to see all these things. Thank you. I got a question. Is it true I heard that out at Comic Con there was something called the severance experience where you could actually have the experience of being in the office.

[Ben Stiller]

Yes.

[Stephen Colbert]

And one of the things you could do was be on the desk. Like, people start at conference table out there. Yes.

[Ben Stiller]

We had an activ. It's called an activation at Comic Con. I'd never been to Comic Con before. I know. You were at Comic Con, right? Yeah, yeah. And we did a panel, and then they set up a whole experience where you could go to work at Lumen. You could basically be awakened as your innie on the table and then go through and go into the break room. The break room in the show is not a really great place to go. Sure. And then you end up at MDR and you have a music dance experience at the end with Mr. Milchick, who puts on some music, and you get to rock out. Yeah. It was.

[Stephen Colbert]

I wish I had time to go.

[Ben Stiller]

It was. Yeah. You probably wouldn't remember because you get severed at the end and you forget.

[Stephen Colbert]

That's right. Ben, thanks so much for being here. Thanks for having me. Lovely to see you.

[Ben Stiller]

Great to see you.

[Stephen Colbert]

Severance is on Apple tv. Thank you for listening to the late show pod show with Stephen Colbert. Just one more thing. If you want to see more of me, come to The Late Show YouTube channel for more clips and exclusives.

[Justin Hartley]

Now streaming on Paramount.

[Ben Stiller]

Plus, what's your job?

[Justin Hartley]

When people go missing, I get hired.

[Stephen Colbert]

To help find them.

[Justin Hartley]

Catch up now on Trekker. I'm here to help the CBS original series that critics are calling a breakout hit.

[Ben Stiller]

Nothing good comes without risks. I would drink to that.

[Justin Hartley]

Justin Hartley stars.

[Stephen Colbert]

Hold on.

[Ben Stiller]

Did you say Arrow Run.

[Stephen Colbert]

That's a new one.

[Justin Hartley]

Coulter in the CBS original tracker. Catch up on the latest episodes now on Paramount.