Emma Thompson | Ego Trip

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert

Episode: Emma Thompson | Ego Trip
Date: October 28, 2025
Host: Stephen Colbert
Guest: Emma Thompson

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Overview

This episode of The Late Show Pod Show features a witty, thoughtful conversation between Stephen Colbert and acclaimed actress, writer, and conservationist Emma Thompson. Colbert opens with his signature political and pop culture monologue before delving into a lively, insightful interview with Thompson. They discuss her early days in comedy, her views on AI and writing, personal influences, her latest TV project (Down Cemetery Road), her experiences growing up, and her ongoing work on a musical adaptation of Nanny McPhee. The interview is a delightful mix of humor, candor, and genuine reflection, peppered with memorable anecdotes and heartfelt wisdom.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Colbert’s Monologue: Political Satire and Topical Events

[01:35–13:24]

• Colbert riffs on Donald Trump’s Asia tour, including stops in Japan, South Korea, and Malaysia, lampooning Trump’s reported desire to rekindle his relationship with Kim Jong Un.
  • “That little dance move is called toddler refusing to put on a sweater.” (Colbert, 01:59)
• He satirizes U.S.–China trade drama, the soybean tariff standoff, and government shutdowns affecting military pay.
• Colbert also pokes fun at news of the U.S. government indicting NBA coach Chauncey Billups and others for gambling, making use of plentiful basketball puns.
  • “He will never rebound from this, no matter where he travels, because he has been Kareem Abdul Jabusted.” (Colbert, 15:25)
• Broader themes include hypocrisy in sports betting, government privatization, and eco-concerns regarding drilling in the Arctic.

Emma Thompson Joins: Comedy Roots & Stand-Up Beginnings

[19:30–22:14]

• Thompson shares the story of how she first got paid for comedy at age 25:
  • “It was my 25th birthday, and I was doing standup in the Croydon warehouse... A lot of jokes about Margaret Thatcher and herpes, which were both very big at the time, equally unpleasant and difficult to get rid of.” (Thompson, 21:18)
  • She received 60 pounds (“about $6,000— I don’t know what the exchange rate is”) in cash, in a brown envelope.
• Both Colbert and Thompson express the simple joy and shock of being paid purely for “standing with some words and a microphone and nothing else.” (Thompson, 22:00)

Writing, Technology, and AI: Creativity vs. Automation

[22:15–24:42]

• Discussion about the role of technology in writing and creativity.
• Thompson’s old-school approach: “I write longhand, so I write, like, on legal pads. On a pad, old scripts actually. Because I believe that there is a connection between the brain and the hand.” (Thompson, 22:29)
• Frustration with AI and Microsoft Word’s intrusive “rewrite” features:
  • “I don't need you to rewrite what I've just written. Where you off? Just off. I’m so annoyed.” (Thompson, 23:09)
• Humorous anecdote about her script for Sense and Sensibility almost being lost to a computer glitch, and enlisting Stephen Fry to help her recover it—recovered as “one long sentence.”

Performing Arts & Early Life

[25:05–26:06]

• Thompson recalls her dance background and how, at Cambridge, she had to collect her degree in tap shoes, drawing laughter from Colbert.
• She humorously highlights the “attention-seeking” moment as her tap steps echoed through the marble hall during the ceremony.

Down Cemetery Road: New Series

[26:06–26:31]

• Brief discussion of her new Apple TV+ series, Down Cemetery Road, where she plays Zoe, a private detective rebelling against being “a good girl.”
  • “She decided she doesn't have to be a good girl... I say that.” (Thompson, 26:20–26:30)
• Thompson details the influence of her mother’s Presbyterian strictness, her stealthy moments of rebellion, and the complexities of female emancipation and motherhood.

Musical Adaptation of Nanny McPhee & The Theme of Grief

[27:39–28:46]

• Thompson discusses her long-term project: writing a musical adaptation of Nanny McPhee (in progress for eight years).
• She shares the realization that the show is, at its heart, about grief:
  • “I realized it was about grief. And you speak so beautifully to grief. And my grandmother once said this fantastic thing. She said, your heart's no good as a heart until it’s been broken at least ten times because it’s the scarring that makes you stronger and makes the muscles stronger. And so one of our major songs is just called Patchwork Heart.” (Thompson, 27:55–28:38)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “A lot of jokes about Margaret Thatcher and herpes, which were both very big at the time, equally unpleasant and difficult to get rid of.”
  – Emma Thompson (21:18)
• “I believe that there is a connection between the brain and the hand.”
  – Emma Thompson (22:29)
• “I don't need you to rewrite what I've just written. Where you off? Just off. I’m so annoyed.”
  – Emma Thompson on AI’s interference (23:09)
• “Your heart's no good as a heart until it’s been broken at least ten times because it’s the scarring that makes you stronger.”
  – Emma Thompson, citing her grandmother (28:08)
• “She knows nothing at all about my life to date. She’s 93 and still thinks that... I make tea. I’ve never had a drink.”
  – Emma Thompson on her mother's ideas about her (27:10)
• “You speak so beautifully to grief.”
  – Emma Thompson to Stephen Colbert (28:24)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Opening Monologue, Trump Satire: 01:35–07:52
• NBA Gambling Scandal: 13:24–16:46
• Emma Thompson Segment Begins: 19:30
  • Early Comedy Career: 21:00
  • Discussion of Technology & AI: 22:15
  • Sense and Sensibility Anecdote: 23:30
  • Performing Arts/Dance Anecdotes: 25:05
  • Down Cemetery Road & “Being a good girl”: 26:06
  • Musical (Nanny McPhee) & Theme of Grief: 27:39

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Tone & Atmosphere

The episode is a masterclass in blending sharp political satire with warm, deeply personal conversation. Colbert’s irreverent wit sets the stage for Thompson’s lively presence and candid storytelling. Their mutual respect and good humor shine through, creating a playful yet thoughtful dialogue. Thompson’s anecdotes add a sense of intimacy and reflection, while Colbert’s sharp interjections maintain the show’s spirited, fast-paced energy.

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Conclusion

This episode is a gem for fans of clever conversation and authentic entertainment. Emma Thompson’s stories of creative persistence, combined with her philosophical musings on technology, writing, and grief, offer depth and relatability. Colbert’s comedic framing and rapport amplify the episode’s charm, resulting in a memorable and heartening listen.

Recommended for: Fans of comedy, the performing arts, thoughtful reflection, and anyone navigating the intersection between creativity and technology.

Transcript

[Stephen Colbert]

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[Commercial Announcer]

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[Stephen Colbert]

Welcome. It's very kind. What a lovely way to start the day. Welcome one and all to the Late Show. I'm your host, Stephen Colbert. Steve, all that joy. I'm not surprised. It was a beautiful day here in America because Donald Trump is out of the country and he's on what we call it. He's on a field trip. He's on a field trip to Asia. He's going to tear down the Great Wall, put up a ballroom over there. Where is he? Making stops in Japan, South Korea and Malaysia, where he started the trip this weekend and where the New York Times says he leaned into showmanship. Okay, let's see what the New York Times considers the old razzle daz. Oh, come on. He's ever the showman. That little dance move is called toddler refusing to put on a sweater. No, no, no, no. I know we've moved on. I know we've moved on. It's how long ago was the last election? But everyone thought Joe Biden Was too old for a second term. And maybe he was. But never once during his presidency did I have to show a video of him shuffling and swinging his fists like a low battery Chuck E. Cheese robot. He was just stock still the whole time, staring at a ghost of a dog. No one could see one. Leader Trump is not scheduled to meet is his old buddy, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, who he was asked about.

[Commercial Announcer]

Would you extend your trip in Asia in order to meet with him?

[Stephen Colbert]

Well, I hadn't thought of it. Yeah, he hadn't thought of it. Hasn't thought of Kim Jong Un at all. Really? Here's all the other times on the trip he wasn't thinking about him. Well, I would if he would contact him and yeah, I do. If you want to put out the word, I'm open to it. He knows I'm coming and he would. Yeah, I'd be open to it 100%. I would love to see him if he wants to. If he even gets this message. I'd love to meet with him if he'd like to meet. I got a long group with Kim Jong Un. I liked him. He liked me. If he wants to meet, I'll be in South Korea.

[Emma Thompson]

Dude, dude.

[Stephen Colbert]

Attempt to chill, okay? If Kim wants to meet, I'll be in South Korea. It doesn't matter to me. Do you think he'd get my message? Did he get the message? Is he watching this? I don't care if he does. Should I text him now? No, it's too soon, right? I'm going to text him again. I'm going to text him again. But I'm going to keep it cool. Keep it Cash. I love you. I won't. I'll send it. I'll send it now. I won't send it again. Trump's next stop is Japan, where the hand can be used like a knife. He arrived today, but the new Prime Minister has a plan to win him over. She's going to gift him a gold golf ball. It is so sad to see how easy it is to butter up the President of the United States. Okay, quick. Trump's visiting. What are we going to give him this time? Gold burger? Gold tv? Have we tried spray painting a woman gold? We did. And she died because she couldn't sweat. Okay, that's out. Fun fact. The new Prime Minister of Japan is actually the first female leader of that country. Her name is Sanae Takaichi. Her name is Sanae Takeichi and she's a heavy metal drummer who reportedly idolizes Iron Maiden. And then they'll have plenty to talk about because Donald Trump knows Deep Purple like the back of his hand. During his Asia tour, Trump will also be meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping to lower the temperature after he threatened 100% tariffs on China. There's already been a bit of progress ahead of the summit. Chinese and US Officials have tentatively agreed to avert the massive tariffs. That's a relief for me because all my monologue jokes are designed in America, but they're assembled. They're assembled in Guangdong. It's just we're trying to lose so much money. And the big sticking point in the trade war is that the US Grows a ton of soybeans. And after Trump threatened his tariffs to retaliate, China stopped buying soybeans from America. Standoff over soybeans. It's a tofude. Are we still cancelled? Are we still cancelled? Are we extra cancelled? Let's check the bean receipts. China went from spending $12.6 billion on soybeans last year to this year spending $0. That is a huge hit for America's farmers. And it explains the updated jingle. We are farmers. Bum, bum, bum. I sold my teeth. Yeah, get a good price. Hard times. You can get a good price for those on the black market. One person who's talking up a potential soybean deal is Treasury Secretary Scott Besant, seen here both ordering and being a flat white Besant. Besant or besent? Besant. Besant. It's Besant Best sent one on the Sunday shows and assured the American soybean farmer that he personally feels their pain. Well, Martha, in case you don't know it, I'm actually a soybean farmer, so I have felt this pain too. Yes, I, Scott Besant. I'm a soybean farmer. These are my Brooks Brothers three piece overalls. And uh, oh, time to feed the chickens there.

[Emma Thompson]

Soup.

[Stephen Colbert]

Do you feed the noodles directly to the chicken? That's how it gets in the soup. One assumes. To be clear, farmer Scott here is actually a former hedge fund manager worth $600 million, but he happens to own soybean farmland in North Dakota, which he rents to real farmers.

[Commercial Announcer]

Hey.

[Stephen Colbert]

Scott, if something happens on your property, that doesn't mean you do it. Otherwise Airbnb hosts would all have to introduce themselves as porn stars. That's what they're doing. All of them.

[Commercial Announcer]

Everyone.

[Stephen Colbert]

Trump's also trying to work out a deal for the US sale of Chinese owned TikTok. And Besant had an interesting way of describing how that'll go. We reached a final deal on TikTok. I believe that as of today, all the details are ironed out and that will be for the two leaders to consummate that transaction on Thursday. In Korea, the two presidents will begin with oral agreements before really banging out the details until they both scream yes, yes, yes. And then roll over and look at their phones while feeling an emptiness that's akin to homesickness. Now, is that gone? Did I black out? How deeply in character was I? Well, the president is out of town. Congress is doing what they do, which is nothing because the government shutdown has entered its fourth week with no end in sight. And you know, the longer it goes, the more used to having no government we get, and then the less likely it is to ever end. And the shutdown is now affecting military pay. So on Friday, an anonymous donor gave $130 million to pay troops during the shutdown. And I know that sounds nice, I get it. But I don't like the idea of the armed forces having a private sponsor. I don't want our next invasion to be codenamed Operation Chile's new El Diablo Triple Dipper rib tips. Can you stand the heat? In other news, the administration just announced that Trump will open the pristine Alaskan wilderness to drilling. No, no, please, just leave Mother Nature alone. She's not even your type. She's like 4 billion years old. The land in question is the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, a critical habitat for polar bears, caribou's and migratory birds. Man, I feel so bad for the caribou and the polar bears, but not you migratory birds. It's right there in your name. Go somewhere else. You always leave when it gets cold anyway. Oh, we'll be back in the spring. Really? Maybe I won't be here when you get back. What about my winter? Where do I go? As one expert put it, one of the worst things you can do for polar bears is to industrialize their habitat. That study from the New England Journal of Ways to with polar bears. We got a great show for you tonight.

[Commercial Announcer]

More Late show poncho after this.

[Stephen Colbert]

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[Stephen Colbert]

Folks, if you watch the news, you know there's a shocking story from the world of sport. The US Government has charged an NBA coach and two players in gambling schemes. The accused are Portland Trailblazers coach Chauncey Billups, retired player Damon Jones and Miami Heat point guard Terry Rozier. Federal officials alleged that people close to Rozier placed more than $200,000 in wagers on Rozier's under statistics after he told them he planned to leave the game early with a supposed injury. That is terrible. You can't fake an injury. This isn't soccer. Rosier's arrest was announced by NYPD Commissioner Jessica Titch. The first case, Operation Nothing But Bet, exposed a gambling ring built around professional basketball. As the NBA season tips off, his career is already benched. Now I'm glad they were caught in everything, but do we need all the basketball wordplay? Law enforcement double teamed him. He will never rebound from this no matter where he travels, because he has been Kareem Abdul Jabusted. Did I get through that? Did I find my way through that? Made my way through the thing. These charges are shocking. How shocking. That's shocking. This is how shocking they are. Did not expect, did not expect him to show up. Now Kash Patel, the FBI director, said this about the there is no room for any type of criminal behavior, be it on the World's largest stage. Or in the back rooms of tiny parlors where guard games are being plugged. The world's largest stage. They're gambling at the Tonys now. In addition to sharing secrets with gamblers, Billups and Jones are accused of participating in rigged poker games that used high tech devices, including an x ray table that could read cards face down. Players grew suspicious when they saw the dealer was wearing a lead lined apron from the dentist's office. Authorities say scheme also used electronic chip trays that secretly recorded cards with hidden cameras and playing cards with markers visible only to players wearing special contact lenses or sunglasses. Well, we here at Lecho Labs have acquired the X ray glasses technology from a high tech firm called Back of the Comic book. Okay, let's try this. They're very powerful. They're very powerful. I do it here.

[Emma Thompson]

Over here.

[Stephen Colbert]

Here we go. Okay. Okay, I can see that it's the Queen of Hearts and she ain't wearing no underw. Sorry, your majesty. The poker games were held with the support of the mafia, including the Bonanno, Gambino, Genovese and Lucchese organized crime families. You know what's funny about those guys? Nothing. You know who's got two thumbs and wants to keep them? This fella. They're businessmen. Is that a crime now? It is. Okay, move on. Some of the muscle who also acted as players had names like the Wrestler, Flapper Poker and Albanian Bruce. Just a little pro tip. If you're in a situation with a guy whose nickname includes an eastern European country, get out of there. Hey, folks, welcome to Applebee's. I'll be your server tonight. Bosnian Karl. Over the last few years, gambling sponsorships have become pervasive in all sports. As ESPN's Mike Greenberg explained, it was something that networks like ESPN would stay far away from. Those days are obviously long behind us. Yeah, they are long behind you. Because in the corner of the screen, while he was saying all that, an ad for ESPN. Beth. New players bet $10, get $100 in bonus bets. The thing he's criticizing about is sponsoring him to criticize it. I haven't seen anything that hypocritical since the old drug ad. This is your brain. This is your brain on drugs. Sponsored by Heroin. Heroin. Yum Yum plays heroin responsibly. We'll be right back with Emma Thompson, everybody.

[Commercial Announcer]

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[Emma Thompson]

Out how to unsubscribe.

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[Stephen Colbert]

Hey, welcome back, everybody. Ladies and gentlemen, my first guest tonight is a treasure. She's a dame, an actress, a writer, a conservationist, an Academy Award winner, and truly one of the best representation of our species. She now stars in the series Down Cemetery Road. You thinking what I'm thinking?

[Emma Thompson]

Well, if you're thinking what is my husband doing? Sat on his ass listening to local news reports while he could be out collecting debts for jobs he hasn't been paid for, then yeah, I am, which is spooky. Actually, what I was thinking was this.

[Stephen Colbert]

House explosion could be a bit of a cash cow.

[Emma Thompson]

In what way exactly?

[Stephen Colbert]

Well, due diligence.

[Emma Thompson]

Maybe the gas company didn't do it. Maybe this case could go all the way to the top. Well, maybe sort of all the way to the middle. The bottom of the middle.

[Stephen Colbert]

Middle of the bottom.

[Emma Thompson]

So, no.

[Stephen Colbert]

Anyway, I might do a bit of sniffing around.

[Emma Thompson]

Oh, God. When did you last sniff around? These spring.

[Stephen Colbert]

Please welcome back to the Late Show. Emma Thompson. Please refresh yourself. Hydrate, stay hydrated.

[Emma Thompson]

Oh, God.

[Stephen Colbert]

You know, I'm a fan of yours. I'm such an enormous fan of yours, of your comedy chops and all your chops, your lamb chops. And I was just curious, when did you. Do you remember the first time you got paid to be funny?

[Emma Thompson]

Oh, I do, actually, intensely. Because it was my 25th birthday and I was doing stand up in the Croydon warehouse.

[Stephen Colbert]

Never go, where's Croydon?

[Emma Thompson]

Croydon, you don't need to know. And it was a lot of jokes about Margaret Thatcher and herpes, which were both very big at the time, equally unpleasant and difficult to get rid of. And I got paid 60 quid pounds, which is about $6,000. I don't know what the Exchange rate is in my hand.

[Stephen Colbert]

Cash.

[Emma Thompson]

Cash.

[Stephen Colbert]

Oh, I love that.

[Emma Thompson]

In a brown envelope.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah, yeah. Same thing for me, first time I ever got paid to do comedy was at Second City. It was a Monday night show and we split the house. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. It was great. And back in the green room, where they give you the green baby.

[Emma Thompson]

Yeah. And then you go, this money came out of me standing with some words and a microphone and nothing else. And it was such an amazing feeling. And then I became an actor. So, you know.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah.

[Emma Thompson]

What happened.

[Stephen Colbert]

As a writer? What's your relationship with. With technology? How do you feel about the coming AI Revolution? Because a lot of. A lot of creators are worried about it.

[Emma Thompson]

Intense irritation. I cannot tell you. I cannot begin to tell you, because I write longhand, so I write, like, on legal pads. On a pad, On a pad. Old scripts, actually. Because I believe that there is a connection between the brain and the hand. And I think There's a real.

[Stephen Colbert]

100%.

[Emma Thompson]

Yeah, for sure.

[Stephen Colbert]

If I have to memorize a part.

[Emma Thompson]

Yeah, yeah. You write it out.

[Stephen Colbert]

I'll get it.

[Emma Thompson]

So it's very important to me that. And then when I've written something, I will put it into a Word document. And recently, the Word document is constantly saying, would you like me to rewrite that for you? And so I end up just getting. I don't need you to rewrite what I've just written. Where you off? Just off. I'm so annoyed.

[Stephen Colbert]

Have you thought about showing your computer your screenwriting Oscar? Because you did win.

[Emma Thompson]

You didn't win. I don't think that it would care. Oh, no.

[Stephen Colbert]

Oh, no.

[Emma Thompson]

But you know what I mean. I remember once, yonks ago, when I was finishing Sense and Sensibility on the computer. Yonks. Yonks.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yonks ago.

[Emma Thompson]

Meaning, you know, I don't know where that comes from. But anyway, I had one of those big old square computers which were a little bit more friendly, and I came back from the loo, literally, to find that it had changed the entire script into sort of hieroglyphs. It had completely gone. The script. So I panicked. And in my dressing gown, I got in a taxi and I went to, you know Stephen Fries.

[Stephen Colbert]

I know Stephen.

[Commercial Announcer]

Yeah.

[Emma Thompson]

So Stephen's. And I said, you have to help me. I haven't got a copy. You have to help me.

[Stephen Colbert]

Of the script of Sensibility. Of the script of Sensibility, for which you eventually won the Oscar.

[Emma Thompson]

Yes, yes. And Steven spent. He said, oh, it'll be fine. He was. You know, he thought it Would. It took him eight hours and it came out in one long sentence and I had to re. You know, it was as though the computer had taken it and hidden it behind the wainscoting, you know, and like just really done it on purpose.

[Stephen Colbert]

Very few late night shows have the word yonks and Wayne Scotting wainscoting in the same. Same story. But that's the. That's the classic.

[Emma Thompson]

I'm so proud you got a Dane.

[Commercial Announcer]

I'm so proud of you.

[Emma Thompson]

Wow.

[Stephen Colbert]

Let's take a quick break. We'll be right back with more Emma Thompson, everybody. Hey, everybody. We're back with the wonderful and talented Emma Thompson. We were cutting a rug over there.

[Emma Thompson]

We always cut a rug.

[Stephen Colbert]

Do you always do. Did you dance? You danced professionally a little bit, didn't you? This is you.

[Emma Thompson]

It actually is me.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah, that's you. For me and my girl. 985. Look at that height. Are you guys flying on wires? But seriously, that's so beautiful. You look so relaxed in midair.

[Emma Thompson]

We so weren't. Did you.

[Stephen Colbert]

Oh, did you train?

[Emma Thompson]

Yeah, I didn't train, but I didn't.

[Stephen Colbert]

You went to Cambridge? Did you major in dance?

[Emma Thompson]

No, you can't. You can't.

[Stephen Colbert]

There. I was joshing.

[Emma Thompson]

I know. I realized joshing. Wayne Scotting. No, I. I studied English literature, but for some reason or other, when I got my degree, I didn't have any black shoes at all. You have to wear black to get your degree. And I only had tap shoes and the degree. The hall where you get your degree has got marble floors. So it was just this little. And I thought. I don't want you to talk about attention seeking.

[Stephen Colbert]

You have a new Apple TV series Down Cemetery Road. You play Zoe or Zoe?

[Emma Thompson]

Zoe.

[Stephen Colbert]

Zoe. Okay. You're a private detective. Okay. Who decided she doesn't have to be a good girl? Yes is what it says here.

[Emma Thompson]

Yes, that's what I said.

[Stephen Colbert]

That's what I mean.

[Emma Thompson]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

It says you say that.

[Emma Thompson]

Oh, it says, I said that.

[Stephen Colbert]

It says you say decided she doesn't have to be a good girl.

[Emma Thompson]

Oh, yeah. Oh, I say that.

[Stephen Colbert]

Were you told to be a good girl growing up?

[Emma Thompson]

Oh, yes.

[Stephen Colbert]

Who talked you out of that? When was your fall from grace?

[Emma Thompson]

Oh, there were so many. Oh, yes. And some of them were gorgeous. My mom was a very good, proper person, but she was also an actor, so she worked. And so therefore, I suppose I learned about women's emancipation from motherhood and just having to be a wife at home from her, which was very Useful. But she did have the morality of. I mean, she was very, very Presbyterian and Scottish and I was supposed to be very, very good, so I just didn't tell her anything. She knows nothing at all about my life to date. She's 93 and still thinks that, you know, I make tea. I've never had a drink and.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah, we actually have to go. No, this is it. That was it.

[Emma Thompson]

That's it.

[Stephen Colbert]

That was beyond the time that we had for this. But I don't ever want.

[Emma Thompson]

I was this old age.

[Stephen Colbert]

Let's talk about. What do you want to do here? What do we want to talk about? You're also working on a musical version of Nanny McPhee.

[Emma Thompson]

Mm. Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

Well, I'm glad we got to that.

[Emma Thompson]

Hi.

[Stephen Colbert]

I'm glad we got to that.

[Emma Thompson]

Ok.

[Stephen Colbert]

Thank you. Have you written musicals before?

[Emma Thompson]

No. No, I haven't. No, I haven't, but.

[Stephen Colbert]

Must be hard.

[Emma Thompson]

It is. It's really hard. We've been working on it for eight years and as I know, it's just. Oh, God. But I worked out. I didn't realize what it was about until quite recently. I realized it was about grief. And you speak so beautifully to grief. And my grandmother once said this fantastic thing. She said, your heart's no good as a heart until it's been broken at least 10 times because it's the scarring that makes you stronger and makes the muscles stronger. And so one of our major songs is just called Patchwork Heart. And I thought I would tell you that because that's lovely. It's nice and I know you'd understand.

[Stephen Colbert]

That's beautiful.

[Emma Thompson]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

Grief makes you more human.

[Emma Thompson]

It does. It does.

[Stephen Colbert]

You understand other people better.

[Emma Thompson]

Exactly.

[Stephen Colbert]

So this is so lovely to see you.

[Emma Thompson]

It's so nice to see you.

[Stephen Colbert]

The series Down Cemetery Road premieres on Apple TV this Wednesday. Emma Thompson, everybody. 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. This October, Pluto TV has all the scares, all for free with fan favorite horror movies like Paranormal Activity, the ring, scream and 28 days later. Pluto TV stream now pay never. Tulsa is my home now. Academy Award nominee Sylvester Stallone stars in the Paramount plus original series, Tulsa King. This distillery is a very interesting business and we gotta know the enemy from Taylor Sheridan, co creator of Landman. What are you saying? I'm over at. If you think you're gonna take me out, it's going to be really difficult Tulsa King New season now streaming exclusively on Paramount plus.