Ian McKellen (Extended) | File It Away

Summary

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The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert

Episode: Ian McKellen (Extended) | File It Away
Date: February 5, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this engaging episode, Stephen Colbert welcomes legendary actor Sir Ian McKellen for a detailed, often humorous conversation spanning McKellen’s career, theater’s magic, behind-the-scenes tales from iconic films, his return as Gandalf, his role in pioneering “mixed reality” theater, reflections on acting, Shakespeare, and the enduring impact of live performance. The discussion is lively, personal, and frequently punctuated with warmth and wit from both Colbert and McKellen.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Lord of the Rings 25th Anniversary & Gandalf Memories

[14:03]

• Colbert congratulates McKellen and mentions the Lord of the Rings 25th anniversary cover with the original cast.
• They joke about the Elvish “9” tattoos all cast members got, with McKellen quipping:

  “Upside down, which is the way I read it, it spells Gucci.”
  (Ian McKellen, 14:46)

• McKellen sheepishly admits he hadn’t read the books before being offered the role and shares a story about his first dinner with the cast and Peter Jackson, adding:

  “Christopher Lee turned to me during the soup with a dreadful, piercing look... and said to me, ‘I read Lord of the Rings every year. And... I've always thought I should play Gandalf.’”
  (Ian McKellen, 16:10)

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2. Behind the Scenes of Filming

[16:45]

• Describes filming his very first day as Gandalf, then immediately shooting Gandalf the White’s final scene the next, and feeling lost:

  “If you look back at that particular shot, you'll see there is absolutely nothing happening on my face at all. I thought that was the safest thing to do. Do nothing.”
  (Ian McKellen, 17:47)

• Colbert and McKellen laugh about on-set “easter eggs” like Gandalf’s watch inadvertently appearing and McKellen admits to carrying the full works of Tolkien in his robe pocket.

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3. Returning as Gandalf in "The Hunt for Gollum" & Working with Andy Serkis

[18:11]

• McKellen shares excitement about reprising Gandalf, with filming for Andy Serkis’s new LOTR film set for July in New Zealand. He hopes for more indoor scenes given New Zealand’s winter:

  "I'm not sure that I want to be out there in the wind and the rain. But we'll be indoors probably most of the time."
  (Ian McKellen, 18:17)

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4. On Acting, Directors & Learning Lines

[19:13] – [20:24]

• Colbert inquires what McKellen seeks in a director. McKellen humorously laments:

  “Please, will you teach me how to act in front of the camera? And none of them has ever done that, so if you’re willing to... you’re on.”
  (Ian McKellen, 19:27)

• Colbert offers tongue-in-cheek advice:

  “Talk loud and fast and worry about the art later. ...The shortest distance between two points is: learn your lines.”
  (Stephen Colbert, 19:50)

• McKellen admits line learning gets tougher with age:

  “Now I do every play once every two years. It does get more difficult.”
  (Ian McKellen, 20:12)

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5. Back as Magneto & Destroying New Jersey

[20:44]

• On returning as Magneto in “Doomsday”:

  “In this one, I don't think I'm spoiling anything by saying that Magneto destroys New Jersey.”
  (Ian McKellen, 20:54)

• He describes a scene where the director encourages him to look and shout more furiously. McKellen improvises:

  “...shout the worst thing you could possibly think of. So I said, malago!”
  (Ian McKellen, 21:40)

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6. McKellen’s Broadway Debut & First Impressions of New York

[22:13]

• Reminisces about arriving in Times Square in the 1960s, encountering memorable chaos:

  “There was a guy standing by the statue [of George M. Cohan], urinating on it. And I thought, my God, these critics, they get everywhere, don’t they.”
  (Ian McKellen, 22:54)

• Talks about the wildness of old New York and its transformation over time.

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7. "Anarch": Mixed Reality Theater

[23:43]

• Explains the concept:

  “You put on a pair of glasses... and in front of you are four chairs that weren’t there when you didn’t have them on. ...These four characters talk directly to you. And you would swear they were real people...but you can’t [touch them], because they’re not there.”
  (Ian McKellen, 24:08)

• Emphasizes the “direct communication” with the audience despite the virtual format, calling the experience extraordinary:

  “I don’t know whether it’s the future, but it’s certainly not the past.”
  (Ian McKellen, 25:04)

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8. Reflections on Live Theater & Acting

[25:20]

• McKellen says every new role might be his last and cherishes the connection of live theater:

  “There is a collective happening: I speak, you listen, you laugh, you cry, you’re moved, you’re stimulated in some way... and if it works, you never forget it.”
  (Ian McKellen, 25:45)

• Shares memories of his first stage experiences, from Peter Pan as a boy to amateur Shakespeare in the north of England:

  “I was only three years old, but I clapped away and I’ve been clapping ever since.”
  (Ian McKellen, 27:36)

• Discusses the unique thrill of backstage versus the stage:

  “It was a thrill just standing there in the wings, knowing that here, there was a show going on... Where is that line?”
  (Ian McKellen, 28:34)

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9. Colbert on the Magic and Community of Theater

[30:09]

• Colbert reminisces about his own love for simply being present in a theater, advising young performers:

  “There’s a place for you in show business, but it may not be where you think it is. ...The goal was to stay in that building. Theater needs everything and show business needs everything that humans do.”
  (Stephen Colbert, 30:09-31:00)

• McKellen echoes:

  “Everyone’s in the show and it is happening now.”
  (Ian McKellen, 31:05)

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10. AI, Live Performance, and Human Connection

[31:24]

• Both discuss their faith that live art will have renewed value in the era of AI-generated entertainment:

  “I think there’s going to be a little bit of a spring back to wanting to go see something live, so that you know, that’s a real human saying real human words to another human.”
  (Stephen Colbert, 31:24)

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11. McKellen’s Advice for Young Actors & audiences

[31:48]

• Shares an anecdote about teaching young performers in Chicago, using lyrics from “Some Enchanted Evening” to stress the importance of being present and attentive in life and theater:

  “Not if you’re on your phone, you won’t.”
  (Ian McKellen, 32:54)

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12. Premiering a Shakespeare Role & Reciting a Lost Monologue

[33:34]

• Colbert highlights that McKellen is among the few living actors to have "originated" a role in Shakespeare—Sir Thomas More—in 1964, reciting a humanitarian, anti-xenophobic speech handwritten by Shakespeare himself.
• McKellen delivers the speech passionately ([35:03-39:05]), emphasizing the humanity and relevance of Shakespeare’s words on immigration and tolerance, explaining its historical context.

Notable Quote from the speech ([38:20]):

“Imagine that you see the wretched strangers, their babies at their backs, with their poor luggage plodding to the ports and coasts for transportation, and that you sit as kings in your desires... What would you think to be thus used? This is the strangers’ case. And this your mountainous inhumanity.”
(Sir Ian McKellen, reciting Shakespeare, 38:20)

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Memorable Moments & Quotes

• On the Elvish Tattoo:

  “Upside down, it spells Gucci.” (Ian McKellen, 14:46)

• On old New York critics:

  “These critics, they get everywhere, don’t they.” (Ian McKellen, 22:54)

• On acting and theater:

  “There is a collective happening...and if it works, you never forget it.” (Ian McKellen, 25:45)

• On the line between backstage and stage:

  “It was a thrill just standing there in the wings... Where is that line?” (Ian McKellen, 28:34)

• Colbert’s advice to young artists:

  “There’s a place for you in show business, but it may not be where you think it is.” (Stephen Colbert, 30:09)

• On the value of live performance:

  “This is not recorded for you. No. This is it.” (Ian McKellen, 31:11)

• Shakespeare’s wisdom on immigration and empathy:

  “Would you be pleased to find a nation of such barbarous temper... What would you think to be thus used? This is the strangers’ case... And this your mountainous inhumanity.” (Sir Ian McKellen, reciting Shakespeare, 38:20)

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Timestamps: Important Segments

• 13:28 — Ian McKellen joins the show
• 14:03-15:05 — LOTR memories and cast camaraderie
• 16:57-17:50 — Filming first and last LOTR scenes
• 18:11-18:37 — Discussing reprising Gandalf & filming plans
• 19:13-20:24 — Directors, learning lines, acting advice
• 20:44-21:59 — Magneto’s new film and villain antics
• 22:13-23:13 — Broadway debut and NYC reminiscence
• 23:43-25:10 — Mixed reality theater (“Anarch”) explained
• 25:20-28:44 — Reflections on acting and theater
• 30:09-31:24 — The role of community and belonging in theater
• 33:34-39:05 — Premiering a Shakespeare role and reciting the "strangers' case" monologue

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Conclusion

This episode stands out for its honest, funny, and deeply human exchange between two lovers of the stage. Sir Ian McKellen offers both a masterclass in acting and a moving reminder of the communal magic of live theater, while Stephen Colbert provides thoughtful prompts and shares his own reverence for the craft. Their conversation is not just a journey through McKellen’s legacy, but a powerful antidote to cynicism—reaffirming art’s power to illuminate and bind us together.

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Transcript

[A]

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[B]

Why have I asked my electrician I found on Angie.com to bury my pet hamster? I was so moved by how carefully he buried my electrical wires. I knew I could trust him to bury my sweet nibbles after his untimely end.

[C]

This is very strange, Angie. The one you trust to find the ones you trust. Find pros for all your home [e-mail].

[B]

Welcome one and all. Thank you very much. You're very kind. Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the Late Show. I'm your host, Stephen Colbert. Ladies and gentlemen, friends and neighbors. Tonight. Tonight folks, we start our Wednesday show with more news about the Epstein files, which feels particularly disturbing on hump day. Trump. I told you disturbance. Trump is so eager for all of this to go away. Here's what he said yesterday when he was asked about Epstein in the Oval Office.

[C]

I think it's really time for the country to get onto something else. Really now that nothing came out about me.

[B]

But I think it's time now for.

[C]

The country to maybe get onto something else.

[B]

Yes sir. I think it's time to turn the page. Unfortunately, you're on the next page too. You're like on 5,000 of the pages, right? But sure, let's talk about something different. Something meaningless, you know, something fun like Pokemon. Did you know that Pikachu can only evolve with a thunderstone? And that he is also in the Epstein files? Not as much as Donald Trump is. But still, when it comes to Jeffrey's creepy pals, we gotta catch em all. Trump's really? Trump really wants us to stop talking about his former best friend's international sex crime documents. Which is why when CNN's Kaitlan Collins followed up on that initial question, he did this. What would you say to the survivors.

[A]

Who feel like they haven't gotten justice?

[B]

The worst reporter no one to see.

[C]

CNN has no ratings because of people like you. You know, she's a young woman. I don't think I've ever seen you smile.

[B]

I'VE known you for 10 years.

[C]

I don't think I've ever seen a smile like this.

[A]

Well, I'm asking you about survivors of Jeffrey Epstein's.

[B]

You know why you're not smiling?

[C]

Because you know you're not telling the truth and you're, you're a very dishonest organization and they should be ashamed of you.

[B]

Not only is that disgusting and misogynistic, but it's also a bit of a tell. Mr. President, what do you say to your accusations that you mistreat women? That girl's fugly and I hate her. Today, Vice President Vance was asked about Trump's comments. She's asking a question. The President says, why don't you ever smile?

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And it's actually like, so perceptive. He's got a point. No, folks, he's got a point. It is perceptive of the President to recognize that when he's in the room, women don't smile, No matter what Trump wants. It's a little hard to look away from an international sex trafficking conspiracy featuring the stars of the 80s 90s and today, like one text chain about Trump's former impeachment lawyer, Alan Dershowitz. Seen here after winning a contest for eating the most egg salad, Dershowitz is the subject of a particularly catty exchange between Jeff Epstein and Woody Allen. Woody writes, did you happen to read the Alan Dershowitz article in the New York Times? Epstein replied, yes, it's always only Alan for Alan. Woody Allen wrote back, exactly. I thought he came off as an adding. He's the biggest self promoter I've ever met. It's, it's quite laughable how desperate he is. Also the biggest name dropper. It makes me shudder. It's so embarrassing. He, he has no shame. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to lunch with my daughter.

[C]

Wife.

[B]

Was Woody Allen just here? That was such a flawless impression. Now, here's the curious thing. I got a little curious and did a little searching to see if I was in the files, and unfortunately I am because one of Epstein's associates was a fan of my old show, the Colbert Report, particularly of my explanation of massive anonymous campaign coffers known as Super PACs. In an email asking Epstein to donate to a candidate that person wrote, nobody explains it better than Stephen Colbert. It's really funny. Think Jeffrey will enjoy watching?

[C]

Well.

[B]

Well, there's no such thing as bad publicity. Just, just look at our new Times Square billboard, the Late Show. It's really funny. Think Jeffrey will enjoy watching. But these files contain the names of folks even important to me than me, because Epstein also name dropped Bilbo Baggins, and at one point, he compared himself to Gandalf. All right, that is disgusting. In the immortal words of Gandalf, the eat, you dead pervert. It sounds prettier and elvish. Oh, hey, remember our government's unfettered cruelty to immigrants. Well, you're not the only one upset about it. So is a guy from Chicago named Pope Leo XIV seen here. Seen here in a White Sox hat, proving he is a man of infinite faith. Dupontiff has described Trump's treatment of migrants as extremely disrespectful and has reiterated the Catholic belief that every Christian will ultimately be judged on how they welcomed the foreigner. Yes, The Bible. Yes, the Bible calls all of us to welcome the foreigner. As it is written, I want to know what love is. I want you to show me. Republicans. Republicans like to claim Jesus is their guy, which is why yesterday, his Eminence Mike Johnson tried to correct the Pope on the Bible. No, Mike, Mike, don't go there. That's like trying to correct me on the Lord of the Rings. Did I write it?

[C]

No.

[B]

Do I consider myself its spiritual emissary on earth?

[C]

You bet.

[B]

You're Tom Bombadil. I do. Okay, so you claim. You claim to know more about the Bible than the Pope. Do you also claim to poop in the woods? More than a bear. Then go for it, buddy. Immigration is not something that's frowned upon in scripture. But what's also important in the Bible is that assimilation is expected and anticipated and proper. When someone comes into your country, comes into your nation, they do not have the right to change its laws or to change a society. They're expected to assimilate. Exactly. We must all assimilate. Which is why Johnson gave that answer in perfect Ojibwe. Johnson eventually got down to chapter and verse Romans 12. You want to do this? No, not really, but go ahead. Romans 13 says that the civil authorities are God's agents of wrath to bring punishment upon the wrongdoer. And it says if you do right, you have no fear of the civil authorities. But those civil authorities are necessary. Okay, technically, he's right. Romans 13 does say that, because it's St. Paul's letter to the Romans trying to work within the system so Nero would stop killing everybody who had just joined the brand new religion. But Paul bending the knee to the Romans didn't help him at all. He was arrested at least three times, and then they chopped his head off. But I guess they were just God's agents of wrath. Right, Mike? You want to do this, buddy? Let's do this, bucko. I did not suffer through a thousand hours of acoustic folk mass for nothing. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed up be thy name. And listen up. Listen up. I'd say Romans 13 is also an interesting Bible passage just to be able to pluck from your memory, Mike. According to one American history Professor, there are two dominant places in American history where Romans 13 is invoked. One is during the American Revolution when it was used by loyalists who opposed the Revolution. The other is in the 1840s and 50s when it was invoked by defenders of slavery. Not great company. Mr. Speaker, you really listen. You really don't want to be on the side with the bad guys in every single Ken Burns documentary. If this was the one on baseball. If this was the one on baseball, Mike Johnson would be rain. But you know. You know what? You know what? I'm angry. You know what? This is all. So let's keep it light. You guys want to hear a riddle? What's black and white and dead all over the Washington Post? Because today the WaPo cut a third of its staff. And you know, you know, this is bad because rather than read that headline from the Washington Post, I pulled it from Philadelphia's ABC6 Action News.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

No pressure, ABC6 Action News. But from here on out, it's just you and the New York Times. I cannot believe we're losing a pillar of journalism in the middle of a constitutional crisis. These layoffs might be the worst decision Jeff Bezos has ever. Okay, maybe the second worst decision Jeff Bezos has ever made. Now, reportedly, Bezos lackey executive editor Matt Murray told staff members the company had lost too much money for too long, thanks to declining audiences and sagging subscriptions. I would tell you more of what he said, but it was behind the paywall and Daddy, don't play like that. Reporters. Or unhappily, reportedly, because the Atlantic summed up the whole thing by calling it the murder of the Washington Post. Yeah, their masthead used to say, democracy dies in darkness, but now it's just democracy. Die, die, die. We got a great show for you tonight.

[C]

Coming up.

[A]

Ian McKellen.

[B]

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[B]

Ladies and gentlemen, my guest tonight is a stage and screen legend you've known as Hamlet, Prospero Magneto, and of course he now stars in a new play called Anarch. Please welcome back to the Late Show. Ian McKellen. How lovely to see you again, Ian. Doing well, I hope. That's for you. Yes, sir, that's for you. This is mine.

[C]

Gin.

[B]

Yes, yes, exactly. The Beefeater. Just as you asked.

[A]

No.

[B]

Before we get to anything else, Happy this year's 25th anniversary of the greatest trilogy of all time. To celebrate, you recently got together with the hobbits for an Empire magazine cover.

[C]

Yes.

[B]

And did you get together to compare how your tattoos have aged? Because you all have the elvish 9 tattoo on your shoulder right there.

[C]

Yes. And I only see it upside down, you know.

[B]

Oh, yes.

[C]

And although the right way up, it spells 9 for the fellowship in Elvish. What would that word be?

[B]

9O. I don't know. I don't know. What?

[C]

9O'. Clock.

[B]

Have I called you out there? Yeah. Do you know what the word nine is in Elvish?

[C]

No. Ha. But upside down, which is the way I read it, it spells Gucci.

[B]

The father The Son, the House of Gucci. All right, now, will you start this very quickly here? I understand you hadn't read the books.

[C]

No, I was rather ashamed that I hadn't. I didn't really know what they were talking about when they came to ask me to be in it. And there wasn't a script to read there, just a few designs for the scenery and so on. Of course, ever since, members of the family and friends and total strangers come up to me and tell me that they have, like you read the books. And some even boast. I read Lord of the Rings every year. Are you one of those?

[B]

Every year would be a little light.

[C]

All right. Well, on my first day in Wellington in New Zealand I was taken out to dinner by Peter Jackson who, you know, is a very sociable fellow. And that's where I met for the first time the four adorable Hobbits.

[B]

Sure, yeah.

[C]

And the glamorous three, Aragorn, Boromir and Legolas. And a rival wizard was sitting next to me at supper Christopher Carandini Lee veteran of 200 movies in 10 of which he played Dracula. Yes. And during the soup, he turned to me with a dreadful, piercing look in those dark eyes as if he was contemplating a virgin neck and he said to me, I read Lord of the Rings every year. And then the Killer. I've always thought I should play Gandalf.

[B]

That's a fine how do you do?

[C]

But he was a very nice man indeed, and I think that was a joke. But maybe not.

[B]

Maybe not. I understand, looking back, that first day on set was a rather unusual scene for you to shoot on the first day.

[C]

Well, it was the very first scene of my character arriving in Hobbiton with the hat which kept blowing off and had to be fixed with a piece of elastic, which I hope you didn't see, but that was fine. But the next day, I was filming the very last scene of the third movie by which time I was Gandalf the White, about whom I knew very little.

[B]

And you're leaving.

[C]

And I'm leaving these four small people. And I said to Peter Jackson, do I know these guys? He said. He said, yes. I said, do I like them? He said, yes, yes, you've been through quite a lot with them. So I looked at them rather benignly. But if you look back at that particular shot you'll see there is absolutely nothing happening on my face at all. I thought that was the safest thing to do. Do nothing.

[B]

We could just project onto you and.

[C]

You can project what you want.

[B]

Well, you fooled us good. Now, I was so happy to hear that you're gonna be reprising the role of Gandalf in the Hunt for Gollum, which is the next film Andy Serkis is directing. I know that you really can't tell us anything about the story. I understand that, but can you. Can you tell us when you start filming?

[C]

I think in July, which is unfortunate because it's winter down there in New Zealand, and I'm not sure that I want to be out there in the wind and the rain. But we'll be indoors probably most of the time. Yes. On the. The pointy hat and the. The beard.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

And the nose. Sure. And the eyebrows. Yes. And the mustache. Oh, dear. And the gloves, I dare say. I don't know. Yes.

[B]

Have you seen the photos that people have. Have sort of caught you wearing things that are not canon? Like there's a moment when you're fighting in Minas Tirith, you look, you've got your watch on. And there's another moment. I think it's in Helms Deeper.

[C]

Look down. You've got.

[B]

Got, like, trainers on. You've got sneakers on.

[C]

Well, if people look closely at the movies, they would have realized that in my voluminous gown. Yes. I had a pocket to put the complete works of Tolkien, which I always referred to each day before shooting a particular scene.

[B]

Did you really have the books on you?

[C]

Yes. And you can. You can quite clearly see the outline of a book as I'm going along.

[B]

That's all right there. Andy Serkis is directing a new film. What do you look for in a director? Because I'm looking for a new gig. And if I were to direct you as. What are you looking. What are you looking for from a director?

[C]

I would ask you what I have asked every film director I've ever worked with. Please, will you teach me how to act in front of the camera? And none of them has ever done that, so if you're willing to. You're on. Ready?

[B]

Here, I got it for you.

[C]

Ready?

[B]

I got two pieces of advice for you. One is talk loud and fast and worry about the art later.

[C]

Yes.

[B]

And the second one is the shortest distance between 2 points is. Learn your lines.

[C]

Ah, yes.

[B]

Are you a quick study?

[C]

Oh, no, not anymore. I used to be. I can't remember having to learn lines when I used to do a different play every two weeks. But now I do every play once every two years. It does get more difficult.

[B]

You're not only going back to Gandalf, you also are going to go Back as Magneto in Doomsday. So that's fun. You get to be, like, the good guy and the bad guy. You get the hot side hot. And the cool side, cool.

[C]

Now, I don't always understand the story of these movies that I'm in.

[B]

Neither do I, but it doesn't really matter.

[C]

But in this one, I don't think I'm spoiling anything by saying that Magneto destroys New Jersey.

[B]

New Jersey.

[C]

I'm sorry about that. New Jersey. Oh, wow. My fault. So I'm standing up, pretending to do that, and the wind is blowing in my hair, and. And I'm putting on a fierce look, and I'm trying to be magnetic. And the director of the loudspeaker says, ian, look more furious. He then said. He said, shout something. I said, what do I shout? He said, shout the worst thing you could possibly think of. So I said, malago, Will I be allowed back in the country?

[B]

Will you be allowed back in the country?

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

No. No guarantees. I don't think I'm the right person to ask for that. Next. Next year will be the 60th anniversary of your Broadway debut in the play the Promise.

[C]

That's right.

[B]

Okay. So I'm curious. What were your first impressions? I can't believe it had taken that long for you to get to Broadway. What were your first impressions of coming to New York and doing a play?

[C]

Well, I was so excited. I was met by my agent at what is now jfk. And we drove in a taxi into Times Square. And at that time, the traffic moved around Times Square in both directions. Motor cars. But in the middle, there's a statue to George M. Cohen, one of the great heroes of Broadway. And there was a guy standing by the statue, urinating on it. And I thought, my God, these critics, they get everywhere. Don't they.

[B]

Now?

[C]

So it was a wild. It was a wild place. You didn't go down 42nd Street. You peeped down. Because you knew there were terrible things going on down there.

[B]

Unless you wanted to be part of the terrible thing.

[C]

Unless you wanted to.

[B]

And then you went down 42nd Street.

[C]

And I don't know that it's improved by being so respectable. You can't even smoke now in Times Square.

[B]

You can't?

[C]

No. Wow. Yeah.

[B]

Cigarettes, anything. If you think people aren't smoking in New York, you need to get out more, because I get a contact. Halloween. Getting out of the car, going to the cab. Okay, so you're now starring in a play called Anarch, which is called a mixed reality play. What Is that different from a film or a play?

[C]

Oh, in every possible way. You sit in a room with a lot of other people as members of an audience, but you're by yourself in your seat and you put on a pair of glasses, not unlike these. I mean, perfectly ordinary glasses. They seem to be. You pop them on. Oh. Oh. And in front of you are four chairs that weren't there when you didn't have them on. And the lights go down and into these four chairs come four people, one of whom is me. And the play starts and these four characters talk directly to you. And you would swear that they were real people, they really were there, and that you could touch them, but you can't, because they're not there. But it's not like watching a film. They're not on a screen. There's no AI involved. It's just a technique that allows. I can't describe it any more than that. We look as if we're really there. And what's marvellous about it is that what I like most about live theatre is the direct communication with the audience. They know I'm here, you're there, and there's only a bit of space between us. In this case, I'm not there, but I'm even more real than if I were on a stage in front of you. I can't explain any more than that. The script's written by Simon Stevens, who is one of the great playwrights in United Kingdom at the moment. It lasts just about an hour, and I don't know whether it's the future, but it's certainly not the past. It's extraordinary.

[B]

Well, it sounds fascinating. The play deals with themes of death and the afterlife.

[C]

Yes.

[B]

And you've said that every role you take on these days, you keep in mind that it could possibly be your last role. And I'm curious how, like this far into your career, as opposed to, say, 60 years ago, when you were performing, how does it change your. Does that in any way change your approach to a role?

[C]

There's nothing I enjoy more than acting. Not so much in movies, but in the theatre. And there you are, where I have so often sat myself, because I go to the theatre all the time. But there we are, we're in the same room, the same space, and something happens. There is a collective happening. I speak, you listen, you laugh, you cry, you're moved, you're stimulated in some way, and at the end of the evening, turn to a total stranger next to you and say, well, what did you think of the show? And if it's worked, if it works, you never forget it. And I want to go on being part of that as long as I can as an audience and as a performer. And so although I made five movies last year, I think this year I'm going to be more involved with live performance.

[B]

Do you remember the first play you saw or your earliest memory of going to the live theater?

[C]

Oh, I'm not. The first Shakespeare saw was Macbeth, done by some amateurs in the north of England. First play I saw was Peter Pan. Will there be a real crocodile? Will they really fly? Well, we'll have to wait and see. Trouble was, I. I could see them and I could see the wires. It was.

[B]

And where did that go from? Oh, this is something I enjoy to something. This is something I must do.

[C]

Well, it was the thrill of going to Peter Pan eventually. I mean, when Peter Pan said, do you believe in fairies? Yes. I was only three years old, but I clapped away and I've been clapping ever since. We had to leave early to get the train back home and we were pushing along the seats there and we've got to the door that I look back at the stage, Neverland. And at the back there was nothing but starlight, lights in the black curtain. And I can remember saying to myself, I'm coming back, I want more of this. But it wasn't about me being on the stage.

[B]

No.

[C]

I wanted to find out, how do you make starlight? Where do the wires go? And that's why I became an amateur actor, was to get on stage, to find out what it was like to be backstage. And I still find the same. It was a thrill just standing there in the wings there, knowing that here there was a show going on there. There's not a show going on. Where is that line?

[B]

I know the tension, sort of the hot and the cold, the two sort of thermoclines between those two is a wonderful kind of exquisite tension. But get to popping back forth.

[C]

And here you are in a bit of live theater. Yes. And as much fun as it is watching your show as I do night after night, and thank God, If I want to know the truth about what's going on in American politics, I watch the Stephen Kolber shot. But tonight I am here. Well, it's actually happening. And this is live theatre that you're doing. Sure.

[B]

And live music.

[C]

And live music. Thank goodness. It happens that a lot of people are going to watch it because it's being televised. But we all have this secret. We were here.

[B]

We were here. I don't know. I love your. I love the description. I love the description of yourself as that little boy who wanted to. Who saw those lights and wanted to be back not on stage, but in this theater. I tell young performers sometimes, or just people who want to. Who interns here, I'll often say to them, I said, I have some good news for you. There's a place for you in show business, but it may not be where you think it is.

[C]

No.

[B]

If you want to be. When I was younger, if I could go in a theater, even if the theater was empty, I like to go into the theater and just sit down and be in the theater. I felt held by it. I felt safe in there, or rather not safe, but I felt like I belonged. Even if we were going to try something dangerous, I felt like there was a storm going on outside. But this was a safe harbor where all of us were going to do something together. Even if I tore the tickets or painted the sets or did the sound or swept up, I would do anything when I was a young man to just be in that theater every night. And by hook or by crook, this is what I ended up doing. But the goal was to stay in that building. And I tell young people, have that in your heart. Want to go help that thing. Because theater needs everything and show business needs everything that humans do. So we can reflect what humans do.

[C]

Yes.

[B]

You know, you can paint the sets, you can drive the van, you can pay the checks, anything.

[C]

Everyone's in the show and it is happening now.

[B]

Yes.

[C]

This is not recorded for you. No. This is it. No.

[B]

He's real.

[C]

You're real. I'm real. He's real. They're real.

[B]

And I think that's the good news. I think that's one of the good news of sort of the coming AI revolution is that I think there's going to be a little bit of a spring back to wanting to go see something live so that, you know, that's a real human saying real human words to another human, written by a human about what it's like to be human for other humans.

[C]

I was just in Chicago and doing a fundraiser for the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, and I met some kids down, did a little show for them. And I said, look, before you go, can I just tell you that there was a song written by Rogers and Hammerstein. Incidentally, this theatre where we are now was built. Did you know, by Oscar Hammerstein. Yeah. And the song goes. Some enchanted evening. You may see a stranger. You may see a stranger Across a crowded room and Somehow you know. You know even then that somehow you'll meet her again and again. Not if you're on your phone, you won't.

[B]

We've got to go here in just a moment. But before you go, I want to talk to you about Shakespeare, because you're, in my light, the greatest Shakespearean actor that I've ever seen. Sorry, Derek Jacoby. Sorry, Mark Rylance, Sorry, Judi Dench. It's this guy. But as the goat of Shakespeare, one of the reasons why you've got this remarkable career, one of the things that's a highlight of his career is that. And explain to me what this means. You are one of the only living actors who has premiered a Shakespearean role. You originated the role.

[C]

I did.

[B]

What was that? And how. You look fantastic for 400.

[C]

Shakespeare wrote many plays, 37 of them by himself. But he also contributed to other people's shows. And one of the speeches he wrote for a play called Thomas More has been preserved. And it's the only sample of his actual handwriting of some of the words of a play by him. And it's not in the Folger Library, it's in the British Library. You can see it. It's on display there in London. And it happened that the play was never performed during Shakespeare's lifetime because it was thought to be a bit seditious. It had its actual premiere on stage in 1964. It was the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's birth. And I played Thomas More. So you are looking at a man. Who created a part by William Shakespeare.

[B]

So this is handwritten. They know this is his handwriting. Of this monologue that you did of.

[C]

A speech you probably don't know, but you ought to know because it's a wonderful speech. I don't know that speech.

[B]

So would you mind. Would you mind doing it for us?

[C]

No, I wouldn't. I wouldn't mind, because you'll enjoy it. All right. Live theater.

[B]

Yes. What's the setting? What's it take place in the play?

[C]

It's all happening 400 years ago. And in London, there's a riot happening. There's a mob out here in the streets and they're complaining about the presence of strangers in London, by which they mean the recent immigrants who've arrived there. And they're shouting the odds and complaining and saying that the immigrants should be sent back home wherever they came from. And the authorities send out this young lawyer, Thomas More, to put down the riot, which he does in two ways. One, by saying that you can't riot like this. It's against the law, so shut up, be quiet. And also being by Shakespeare with an appeal to their humanity. So in order to set it up, we really need somebody to shout that the strangers should be removed. Could someone do that, grab them? Removed and grant that this your noise hath chid down all the majesty of England. Imagine that you see the wretched strangers, their babies at their backs, with their poor luggage plodding to the ports and coasts for transportation, and that you sit as kings in your desires, authority quite silenced by your brawl, and you in rough of your opinions clothed. What had you got? What? I'll tell you. You had taught how insolence and strong hands should prevail, how order should be quelled. And by this pattern not one of you should live an aged man. For other ruffians, as their fancies wrought with self same hand, self reason and self right, would shark on you. And men, like ravenous fishes, feed on one another. You'll put down strangers, kill them, cut their throats, possess their houses. O, desperate as you are, wash your foul minds with tears. And those same hands that you like rebels, lift against the peace, lift up for peace. And your unreverent knees, make them your feet to kneel, to be forgiven. And say, now the king, as he is clement, if the offender mourn, should so much come too short of your great trespasses but to banish you. Whither would you go? What country by the nature of your era should give you harbor? Go you to France or Flanders, to any German province, Spain or Portugal, anywhere that not adheres to England? Why you must needs be strangers? Would you be pleased to find a nation of such barbarous temper that breaking out in hideous violence would not afford you an abroad on earth, whet their detested knives against your throats, spurn you like dogs and like as if that God owned not, nor made not you, nor that the elements were not all appropriate to your comforts, but chartered unto them. What would you think to be thus used? This is the strangest case. And this your mountainess inhumanity. William Shakespeare 400 years ago.

[B]

Tickets to Anarch are available now in the town. 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, exclusives.

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