Intro Rewind: Adrien Brody | Celebrity Boss

Summary

The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert

Episode: Intro Rewind: Adrien Brody | Celebrity Boss
Date: December 30, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode features a mix of witty banter, behind-the-scenes insights, and a warm, revealing conversation between Stephen Colbert and his team (primarily Becca), followed by a spotlight interview with Academy Award-winner Adrien Brody. The central through-line is a playful segment called “Celebrity Boss,” where Becca quizzes Colbert about the quirks and realities of being a celebrity. The episode wraps with Adrien Brody discussing his film “The Brutalist” and sharing stories from his life and career.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Banter and "Celebrity Boss" Game

• Start (01:10) – (26:20)
• Main Theme: Becca runs a lighthearted, rapid-fire Q&A, exploring which aspects of Colbert’s life are shaped by fame and which remain relatable.
• Notable Segments:
  • Oscars Quiz and Adrien Brody Anecdote (02:00–05:10):
    • Becca recalls seeing Adrien Brody on the subway, sparking the idea for the segment.
    • Colbert admits, “I love everybody’s work. I just don’t like the who-was-best-better.” (02:44)
  • Haircuts as a Celebrity (05:43):
    • Colbert’s haircut is done at CBS by Fatima, highlighting on-the-job celebrity perks.
  • Grocery Shopping and Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream (06:09–08:44):
    • Colbert discusses checking grocery stores for his own Ben & Jerry’s flavor (“AmeriCone Dream”), sharing he faces his and Fallon’s pints nicely:

      “I’ll make sure the labels are facing properly. And I’ll take a photo and I’ll send it to Fallon.” (06:53)

    • All proceeds go to charity, leading to a staff giveaway:

      “All the money goes to charity... I don’t mind like really shaking my money maker for that ice cream.” (08:00)

  • Resale Shopping (08:53–13:28):
    • Colbert buys unique gifts and art on eBay, sometimes for friends with specific interests, like World War I memorabilia and espresso martini glasses.
    • Colbert’s favorite bargain: a trove of vintage New Yorker cartoons bought on the street in New York, which he had framed and treasures to this day:

      “People go, oh, where’d you get this original Peter Arno? I’m like, it’s not.” (13:21)

  • Restaurants and Sandwiches Named After Celebrities (13:32–19:47):
    • Colbert recounts his photo being on restaurant walls and the tradition of celebrity-named sandwiches.
    • He shares a bit he pitched in 1993:

      “One of the things I pitched was to reunite stars with their sandwiches… we reunite the person not with the owner, we reunite the person with the sandwich.” (14:01)

    • Describes the “Colbert” and “Angry Dwarf” sandwiches, and how ice cream flavor decisions involve family taste-testing.
    • Emotional story about Watchung Deli in New Jersey and the special recipe book they gifted him when they closed.
  • Celebrity Encounters with Dogs (20:00–23:18):
    • Colbert loves greeting dogs but has never noticed dogs recognizing him from television.
    • Charming story of his dog Benny eating Dutch chocolate, leading to a funny encounter at CVS where a fan recognizes Benny, not Colbert.
  • Colbert and Reels/Finsta (23:33–24:23):
    • Colbert admits to having a “finsta” (private Instagram) to lurk anonymously but follows favorite creators from his real show account.
  • Spam Call Tactics (24:44–25:55):
    • Colbert shares his playful approach to spam calls, stringing scammers along:

      “I’ll … say, ‘Oh, no, I really want to…’ and then put the phone down and go about my day.” (24:55)

    • Becca finds it hilarious, loving that spam callers don’t realize it’s the Stephen Colbert.

Memorable Quote:

“Does that make me a bad guy?”
— Stephen Colbert, on intentionally wasting spam callers’ time (25:32)

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2. Stephen Colbert Interviews Adrien Brody

• Start (26:26) – (37:36)
• Main Theme: Colbert and Brody discuss Brody’s new film “The Brutalist,” the personal resonance of its immigrant narrative, and Brody’s artistic journey.
• Notable Segments:
  • Brody’s Family and ‘The Brutalist’ Connection (27:37–29:48):
    • Brody’s mother, Sylvia Plahy, is a Hungarian photographer whose family fled Hungary in 1956.
    • Colbert: "This hits home personally for you in a way I wasn't aware of... Tell the people why."
    • Brody:

      “It’s very personal to me because I am the son of a Hungarian immigrant... It’s a big honor to impart some insight I have into that.”

    • Brody channeled his grandfather’s accent and sensibilities for the role.
  • Hungarian Sensibility & Humor (29:04–29:48):
    • Discusses the Hungarian mix of passion, enthusiasm, and dark humor:

      “You don’t know if it’s a joke or if it is a joke. There’s a lot of truth in it.” — Adrien Brody (29:39)

  • Film Clip (with Guy Pearce) – Brief Context (29:55–31:32):
    • Brody gives background on a touching scene, emphasizing his character's surprise that his European buildings survived World War II.
  • Why Acting? (32:24–33:10):
    • Colbert challenges Brody with the question “Why acting?”
    • Brody jokes:

      “I’m plagiarizing this, but it beats working for a living.” (32:24)

    • On how acting "found" him thanks to his mother, who noticed his gift for storytelling and performing as a kid.
  • Brody’s Family’s Artistic Roots (33:17–34:06):
    • Shares how his grandfather once aspired to act and got fired from a Broadway play for offering unsolicited direction—a tendency Brody admits he inherited.
  • Design Tastes and Film Connections (34:44–37:36):
    • Brody collects unique and meaningful objects from travels—once attempted to buy a train car from “The Darjeeling Limited,” but settled on antique finds like a slot machine.
    • Falls for a "haunted" slot machine, which turned out only to have the seller's phone inside, not a mystical presence.

Memorable Quotes:

“My grandfather’s very pronounced Hungarian accent was something I channeled for this character.”
— Adrien Brody (28:33)

“It beats working for a living.”
— Adrien Brody on acting (32:24)

“I scored. I got a haunted slot machine.”
— Adrien Brody (37:12)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Nonchalance About Awards:

  “I love everybody’s work. I just don’t like the who-was-best-better.”
  — Stephen Colbert (02:44)

• On Charitable Ice Cream Profits:

  “We pull down some duckets off that ice cream man… all that money goes to charity.”
  — Stephen Colbert (07:49–08:00)

• On Family Influence:

  “[My mother] kept me off hanging out on the streets of Queens.”
  — Adrien Brody (33:10)

• On Celebrity Sandwiches:

  “All you want is a sandwich that you would order.”
  — Stephen Colbert (16:54)

• On His Approach to Spam Calls:

  “I just see how long I can get with…”
  — Stephen Colbert (25:19–25:32)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Introduction & Banter: 01:10–02:00
• Oscars Quiz & Adrien Brody Mention: 02:00–05:10
• “Celebrity Boss” Game Begins: 05:11
• Celebrity Haircuts Discussion: 05:43
• Ice Cream and Grocery Stores: 06:09–08:44
• eBay Resale & Bargain Hunting: 08:53–13:28
• Restaurants & Sandwich Stories: 13:32–19:47
• Dog Encounters: 20:00–23:18
• Finsta and Social Media Lurking: 23:33–24:23
• Spam Calls Routine: 24:44–25:55
• Adrien Brody Segment Begins: 26:26
• “The Brutalist” & Family Story: 27:37–29:48
• Hungarian Humor: 29:12–29:48
• Film Clip Context: 29:55–31:32
• Why Acting: 32:24–33:10
• Family’s Art/Acting History: 33:17–34:06
• Design and Collecting Stories: 34:44–37:36

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Tone

The episode is infused with Colbert’s signature warmth, humility, and irreverence, balanced by Becca’s earnest curiosity and Adrien Brody’s openness. The show toggles easily from clever inside baseball to moving personal anecdotes.

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Summary for Non-Listeners

This episode is equal parts playful office confessional and Hollywood spotlight. Becca and Stephen Colbert give listeners a peek into what makes celebrity life uniquely strange—haircuts in the office, seeing your ice cream in every freezer, prank-calling spammers, and the odd validation of sandwiches named in your honor. Adrien Brody’s interview is among the highlights, as he discusses the deep personal ties he feels to his film "The Brutalist" through his family's Hungarian immigrant roots, and reveals a collector’s eye for the unique and uncanny. Whether you want insider anecdotes, affectionate roasting, or reflective celebrity conversations, this episode delivers with wit and heart.

Transcript

[Adrien Brody]

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[Stephen Colbert]

That's a clicktastic inventory.

[Adrien Brody]

And check out the financing options, payments to fit our budget. I mean, that's Clickonomics101. Delivery to our door. Just a hop, skip and a click away. And bot, no better feeling than when everything just clicks.

[Stephen Colbert]

Buy your car today on Carvana.

[Becca]

Delivery fees may apply.

[Stephen Colbert]

Hey, Ryan Reynolds here for Mint Mobile.

[Adrien Brody]

You know one of the perks about.

[Stephen Colbert]

Having four kids that you know about.

[Adrien Brody]

Is actually getting a direct line to the big man up north.

[Stephen Colbert]

And this year he wants you to.

[Adrien Brody]

Know the best gift that you can give someone is the gift of Mint Mobile's unlimited wireless for $15 a month. Now you don't even need to wrap it. Give it a [e-mail] switch.

[Becca]

Upfront payment of $45 for three month plan equivalent to $15 per month. Required new customer offer for first three months only. Speed slow. After 35 gigabytes. If network's busy, taxes and fees extra. See Mintmo.

[Stephen Colbert]

Oh, Becca.

[Becca]

Hi, Stephen.

[Stephen Colbert]

It's Thursday.

[Becca]

It's Thursday.

[Stephen Colbert]

It's getaway day.

[Becca]

It's getaway day on the Late Show. Pod show, if you're listening.

[Stephen Colbert]

Here we are. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. No, I'm jumping all over here. Here we are in our little gray foam booth we constructed when we came in to take over the show ten years ago. Ten years ago.

[Becca]

Ten years ago.

[Stephen Colbert]

You weren't even born then.

[Becca]

No, I am seven years old.

[Adrien Brody]

You look good.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah, well.

[Becca]

Yeah. Good. Yeah, yeah. Season three was great.

[Stephen Colbert]

When did you start?

[Becca]

I started in. I was an intern at the beginning of 2019, and I got hired in the fall of 2019.

[Stephen Colbert]

It's hard to remember a time before Becca.

[Becca]

I know.

[Stephen Colbert]

Well, the bb, the B, The Becca.

[Adrien Brody]

The before Becca.

[Stephen Colbert]

Dark time.

[Becca]

Yeah, exactly.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah.

[Becca]

Okay. Okay. So I have a fun podcast today.

[Stephen Colbert]

Hit me.

[Becca]

That includes a game. So this is. I'll do a quiz for you first of who this is. This person just won the Oscar for Best Actor. Are you an Oscar fan? Do you watch the Oscars?

[Stephen Colbert]

I don't watch the Oscars. I don't watch award shows. No, no, no. Hold on. Okay. What were some of the movies? I saw all of them.

[Becca]

I think this time it was long. This one, this movie and the speech.

[Stephen Colbert]

But was it Oppenheimer guy? Was it Killian or is that the year before?

[Becca]

I think it was the year before.

[Stephen Colbert]

Oh, hold on. Long movie.

[Becca]

And he was on the show in December.

[Stephen Colbert]

And I'm sure I had a great time with him.

[Becca]

You had a great time?

[Stephen Colbert]

Give me a hint. This is terrible.

[Becca]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

I like our show. Our show is arguably one of the crossroads of show business because, you know, you got a book, you got a movie, you got a TV show, you got an axe to grind, Whatever. You come right through the Ed Sullivan Theater. And the fact that I can't. I just don't pay attention to award shows that much. I love everybody's work. I just don't like the who. Who was best better.

[Becca]

Okay. His movie that he won for was so long, there was an intermission, if you went to go see it in a theater. And it was this past year.

[Stephen Colbert]

Oh, and I love him. It's Adrian.

[Becca]

It's Adrien Brody.

[Stephen Colbert]

I love Adrien Brody. I actually wrote him a letter when he was on Succession.

[Becca]

Oh, yeah, I forgot he was on Succession.

[Stephen Colbert]

He did just like one and a half show arc or something like. Or maybe one show. I had to write him. I was so blown away by it. I just think he's fantastic. And everything he does feels at one at the same time, kind of heightened and real at the same time.

[Becca]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

Brilliant. Brilliant.

[Becca]

Have you ever seen Darjeeling Limited? The Wes Anderson?

[Stephen Colbert]

It is one of the two. It is one of the two Wes Anderson's I haven't seen. I haven't seen that. Nor have I seen French Dispatch.

[Becca]

I haven't seen the French one either. But Darjeeling Limited, one of his earlier ones, literally one of the best male performances I've ever seen. He's so good in it. It's such a sweet movie. Just three brothers on a train. Beautiful.

[Stephen Colbert]

You ever seen him in Predator?

[Becca]

No.

[Stephen Colbert]

Oh, yeah.

[Becca]

Okay, great. I'll check that out.

[Stephen Colbert]

Let's check that out. Yeah.

[Becca]

Okay, here's my story with Adrien Brody. Last week, I'm going home after work. I'm on the E train, right? And I'm getting off my train at the exact door that I need to get off at to get to the right staircase where I do my transfer. You know, I have it all plotted out by now.

[Stephen Colbert]

This isn't your first rodeo.

[Becca]

Getting out right by my door is Adrien Brody. And he's coming in. I'm getting out. And it's not like, oh, that guy looked like Adrien Brody. Oh, he has a hat and, like a mask on. He is full. I am Adrien Brody. No, no disguise. He has, like an impish grin as if he knows.

[Stephen Colbert]

Just shy of wearing a shirt that says, yep, it's Adrien Brody, and he.

[Becca]

Has, like, an impish grin. If he knows he's somewhere he's not meant to be, wondering, will anyone ask him something? You know, but so cool. And I was just like, oh. I didn't say anything. I just keep walking. You know, I don't know him. I don't want to bug this guy, but cool little. I don't see a lot of famous people outside. So it was a cool situation. But it sparked an idea in my head for us today.

[Stephen Colbert]

Great.

[Becca]

Which is that Adrien Brody. I saw him. Seems like a nice guy. Wouldn't bother him on the road. I don't know him.

[Stephen Colbert]

Right.

[Becca]

Don't know what I would ask him. You Steven, my boss?

[Stephen Colbert]

Yes.

[Becca]

We talk all the time.

[Stephen Colbert]

We do, yes.

[Becca]

There are some questions I have that I want to play a little game with you called Celebrity Boss, where I just ask you questions about what experiences you might have that are different from.

[Stephen Colbert]

Mine as being a celebrity.

[Becca]

Yes. And I promise they won't make you uncomfortable. There's no personal information divulged.

[Stephen Colbert]

That's fine. My life's an open book. What do you want?

[Becca]

Okay, great. Okay, first one. And these can be as rapid fire as you want.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yes, sir.

[Becca]

Haircuts. Do you go somewhere or do they come.

[Stephen Colbert]

No, they come here. There's this person who cuts some people's hair at cbs. That's why I have a CVS haircut. Oh, same person who cuts John Dickerson's hair.

[Becca]

Oh, nice.

[Adrien Brody]

Anchor.

[Stephen Colbert]

The co anchor of the CBS Evening News. I might have actually learned about her from him. I don't know. But I need a consistent haircut. So every three weeks, Fatima comes by and she cuts my hair. And she's great.

[Becca]

Awesome. Cool. Okay, next question. Grocery stores.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yes. Love them.

[Becca]

Do you go?

[Stephen Colbert]

Of course. Yeah, I go. I go to Kings. I'm a big Kings man.

[Becca]

Okay. How aware are you of your face being in the freezer?

[Stephen Colbert]

What do you mean?

[Becca]

The ice cream.

[Stephen Colbert]

Oh, that. My face being in the freezer. Oh. I always check.

[Becca]

You always check?

[Stephen Colbert]

Everywhere I go that has Ben and Jerry's. I always check to see whether they have my Ben and Jerry's there. Matter of fact, if I'm on a road trip, like, if I'm driving from Charleston to New York or vice versa, like, at the beginning of the summer, I'll do it in just a few weeks to, like, bring the dog down there. And I'll. If I. If I'm stopping at, like, a. At a convenience store on the way down or a Grocery store. They've got it. And it almost always has me and Fallon.

[Becca]

Oh, yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

And they're next to each other.

[Becca]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

And I'll make sure the labels are facing properly. And I'll take a photo and I'll send it to Fallon. That's kind of how we mark the summers that I always. At the beginning of December, I send a photo of the two. You know, good luck to both of us because this is high ice cream time.

[Becca]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

This is when we start moving pints here.

[Becca]

Oh, sure, sure.

[Stephen Colbert]

Exactly. That's. So we kick off the summer. I always send them a photo of the two. Of the Two of the pints together.

[Becca]

Okay, cool.

[Stephen Colbert]

Now, Kings, which is a great grocery store. I love Kings. They don't carry my ice cream.

[Becca]

No way.

[Stephen Colbert]

I think maybe whoever owns Kings doesn't like me.

[Becca]

I feel like I see it all. Or maybe they're just selling out. Maybe people love your ice cream.

[Stephen Colbert]

No, I've never seen it there.

[Becca]

Whoa.

[Stephen Colbert]

Do you go to King's?

[Becca]

I've never been to King's, but everybody.

[Stephen Colbert]

I see it all over the place. It's a quality ice cream. It's one of their best sellers. And it's one of my favorite things we do. Is that all the money that I get from this. I have the staff giveaway every year at Christmas.

[Becca]

It's the best.

[Stephen Colbert]

It's the best night of the year when I get to read off, like, 125 different charities that are going to get $5,000 a piece because we rake in some. We pull down some duckets off that ice cream man.

[Becca]

Yeah. People.

[Stephen Colbert]

America has dietary issues, and some great charities are benefiting from. So all that money. All that money goes to charity. And so I don't mind pumping it, like, you know, I'm not. I don't mind, like, really shaken my money maker for that ice cream because it's all going to charity. And I don't know why. It's not a Kings. But you know what? I forgive Kings. Everybody's got their opinions. Maybe they don't like my comedy. Maybe it's like they don't like the things I talk about. And I respect. You know, we're all Americans. I respect that. I just want the people who run Kings to know that that money doesn't go to me.

[Becca]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

That money goes to charities. Maybe charities. You care about Kings, So I'm just saying let's talk.

[Becca]

Yeah. Okay, cool. So next question. Resale shopping. I'm assuming you get nice things. You know, you make a good. You can make a good salary. You know, you're a fancy guy.

[Stephen Colbert]

You're asking me if I'm going to pop some tags. I'm asking $20 in my pocket.

[Becca]

I'm asking, do you ever go on ebay and just look for a little tchotchke or like, do you ever go to, like.

[Stephen Colbert]

No. Only I look on ebay for very, very specific things. I want, I want, you know, I found on ebay sometimes, is that I'm looking for art from people who aren't necessarily considered artists or rather aren't considered fine artists. Like, for instance, I want, you know, E. Cummings painted a lot of watercolors, and I love Cummings. So I wanted to. I think I got. I think I got an E. Cummings off of ebay.

[Becca]

Cool.

[Stephen Colbert]

Like an old Eecumings watercolor. And with, with, you know, with papers and stuff like that. I. I'll look for very specific things. Like, I think I've got. I've got a friend who really loves World War I, and so I bought like, a cavalry sword from World War I from him. I recently got a. A Royal Flying Corps. The rush. The. The. The English Royal Flying Corps. A sterling silver bookmark that's emblazoned with a Royal Flying Corps From World War I emblem on it to give to my friend who had done me a wonderful favor. And I know he was. He's kind of obsessed with World War I. And I'm always thinking, what could I possibly get him? Cause he's a man of great means, and this is a guy who has, like, World War I planes. And I went, what could I get him? He doesn't have.

[Becca]

So, yeah, you know, okay, so that's a cool answer, but fancy ebay. You're on ebay, but it's fancy ebay.

[Stephen Colbert]

Well, what's non fancy?

[Becca]

Well, here's my question.

[Stephen Colbert]

I'll tell you what else I got off of ebay.

[Becca]

Okay.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah, I've bought. I bought a series of espresso martini glasses.

[Becca]

Oh, nice.

[Stephen Colbert]

So they're, there's, there's. They have like, you know, they have coffee beans etched on the side and stuff like that.

[Becca]

Oh, yeah, that's really nice.

[Stephen Colbert]

That's. And those were cheap.

[Becca]

Okay. But here's. You were not. You were not born famous. You had some years in Chicago. You had some years in Chicago.

[Stephen Colbert]

I had some. I had some years in New York. I was roughing it too, but go ahead.

[Becca]

But what is, Is there an item you're the proudest of? And I'll give you my example. I once on the side of the road in Ohio, bought a shoe shaped chair for $7. And that is it. You know, it was new to me. I still have it. Of course I do. It's beautiful and it's very comfortable. The slope of the stiletto is very nice for the arch in your back. It's very nice.

[Stephen Colbert]

Oh, that's nice.

[Becca]

Do you have any. Do you have any, like, big bargains or.

[Stephen Colbert]

I was living in New York. I was unemployed. I don't recommend being in a city with a wife who at the time was also unemployed and a baby who refused to get a job and another baby on the way. And I was unemployed. And that is not something I recommend. I'd already done some TV work in New York, but I wasn't established. I wasn't really established. I had some friends, but I didn't really have a support system yet. And I was walking down the street near the Met Museum and there were people selling used books on blankets on the street. And I found a book. I think I bought the book for $10. And it was falling apart. The book was like just coming apart in my hands. But it was a book of Peter Arnault, who was a great New Yorker cartoonist. Peter Arnault cartoons, I think from the 1930s, so the early days, because this is the 100th anniversary of the New Yorker. So in the first 10, 15 years of the New Yorker. And they're great. And they were full, really good quality paper, really good quality prints. And just page after page, like with no text on, only one big New Yorker cartoon on every page and page after page of them. And like, they're good enough prints that they didn't have printing on the back. There was only one sided. And I found like the eight that I loved the most. And I had them framed.

[Becca]

Oh, nice.

[Stephen Colbert]

And I still have four of them.

[Becca]

That's really beautiful.

[Stephen Colbert]

Three of them hang at home.

[Becca]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

And two of them. And one of them is in my office here.

[Becca]

Oh, nice. That's a perfect.

[Stephen Colbert]

And they're all related to, like, high flying, like, rich people in New York behaving badly.

[Becca]

Cool.

[Stephen Colbert]

They're really nice.

[Becca]

Cool. Oh, that's a great treasure. Okay.

[Stephen Colbert]

That's a great treasure. And they cost me, like, with the. And the frames were. Because it was a standard sized paper, the frames were like dime store frames. And we still have them.

[Becca]

Yeah, yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

And so it cost me nothing. And people go, oh, where'd you get this original Peter Arno? I'm like, it's not cool.

[Becca]

Cool. Okay, restaurants here's my question about restaurants.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yes.

[Becca]

How does it work when your photo gets put on the wall? Did they come to you?

[Stephen Colbert]

That's funny.

[Becca]

Has it happened to you? I'm sure it's happened to you.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah, it has. There are some places where my photo's on the wall.

[Becca]

Is it a lot? Do you know? How does it happen? Do they print out a photo?

[Stephen Colbert]

They said, would you sign this photo?

[Becca]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

And then I sign the photo and I say, you're pastrami's the best.

[Becca]

Awesome.

[Stephen Colbert]

Stephen Colbert. Something like that.

[Becca]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

I had a bit that I wanted to do. I believe I pitched this. I believe I pitched this when I tried to be a writer on Conan O' Brien Show.

[Becca]

Oh, cool.

[Stephen Colbert]

Back in 1993. I think that's when he started in 93. And Robert Smogel, who was his first exec, really wanted Conan to hire me to be a writer performer on the show. And Conan did not. He repeatedly did not. Matter of fact, at the Mark Twain Awards, which will come out in May, that's basically all I talk about is the number of times Conan didn't hire me.

[Becca]

So that's coming up.

[Stephen Colbert]

That's coming up, yeah.

[Becca]

Okay, great.

[Stephen Colbert]

And so one of the things I pitched was to reunite stars with their sandwiches is like, go to like, I was in some place and was like, there's like, you know, let's say it's Joe Manganiello, whatever. It was like, your pastrami is the best. And then you go and you talk to the guy at the deli and go, tell me about that photo. How'd that come about? Tell me about the sandwich. What do you remember about the sandwich? And then you talk to the star and you go, here's the photo. Do you remember signing this? What was that about? Talk me through that sandwich. And then we maybe rash em on the sandwich. Like, is this the sandwich you remember? And then you come in and then we reunite the person not with the owner, we reunite the person with the sandwich. And then they say, now, all these years later, would you still say the same thing about this sandwich? I believe that was one of my pitches.

[Becca]

Do you still co sign the sandwich? Endorsed. That's really good.

[Stephen Colbert]

I did not get hired.

[Becca]

That's a really good bit. That's great. Is there a place that you were proud or excited that they would ask, do you remember the first time it happened? Because I'm always like, my dad called.

[Stephen Colbert]

I don't remember. I don't remember. I mean, there's a couple places in. I'm Sorry, go ahead. You were gonna ask something else?

[Becca]

No, I was just gonna say that my dad called me on the phone when a falafel place that our family's been going to for 20 years. He called me on the phone when they didn't have to ask him his name when he was picking up because they recognized him and knew his name was Norm. He called me and he told me that it had happened. Cause he was so excited.

[Stephen Colbert]

There's a bagel place in New Jersey that I really love. And they'll do other things like sandwiches and stuff like that. I usually go in and get, you know, ham, egg and cheese on a kaiser. Just a little mustard, salt and pepper. No ketchup, please.

[Becca]

Nice.

[Stephen Colbert]

Unbelievable. What a great way to start the day. That and a cup of coffee and like maybe a Tropicana orange juice. I know it's all sugar and doesn't matter. I'm trying to recover. And they have a sandwich named after me. They have the Colbert. They have the Colbert, which is pretty good. It's a chicken cutlet sandwich with like arugula and a balsamic dressing and sun dried tomatoes. Pretty good.

[Becca]

And then did you pick that sandwich you made that?

[Stephen Colbert]

They made it and said, what do you think?

[Becca]

Okay.

[Stephen Colbert]

They sent one home with me and goes, we're thinking of Amanda's Colbert. What do you think? And I took it to you and said I would order this.

[Becca]

Cool.

[Stephen Colbert]

This is good. All you want is a sandwich that you would order.

[Becca]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

And by the way, Ben and Jerry's, you know, I got a Bear and Jerry's flavor. They don't say, what kind of ice cream would you like? Yeah, they sent me three choices because they say years go in developing every ice cream. And they sent me three different choices. And they're unmarked pints. They just have numbers written on the outside and on the lid. And I took it home to my kids who were young. I mean, they were little. My. My youngest. How long have I had that? Since I've had it. 18 years. I've had that ice cream.

[Becca]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

So he was five.

[Becca]

Wow. Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

And then Peter was eight and Madeline was 11 or something. And they were. I said, what do you guys think? And they all went, this one. And that was the one that had the fudge covered waffle chunks on vanilla ice cream with a swirl of caramel. And we're like, okay, ice cream cone. It's gonna be a Maracone dream.

[Becca]

Perfect.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah. So that's how that came about.

[Becca]

They're not messing around.

[Stephen Colbert]

But again, you didn't have a choice. You had a choice between. You didn't build it. You had a choice between. And then the other place that I used to have my face up was a signed cover of when I was on cover of Newsweek. They asked me to sign that. And that was a place called Watchung Deli in Monk there, New Jersey.

[Becca]

Were you just telling us about this?

[Stephen Colbert]

They had the greatest sandwich called the Angry Dwarf.

[Becca]

This was a beautiful story about the sandwich.

[Stephen Colbert]

Oh, beautiful. Yeah. The sandwich started and it's a pretty basic sandwich. A Sausalito ham with provolone, sausalito turkey, you know, spicy turkey with provolone, mayonnaise, tomatoes. Oh, onions, thin sliced onion on there and then open face, broiled and then toasty. You know, Quiznos.

[Becca]

Mm.

[Stephen Colbert]

Was not a Quiznos. And they love it so much that they sent some to work for me.

[Becca]

Wow.

[Stephen Colbert]

Like, they would send these sandwiches to work. If they came to show they would bring me an angry dwarf. Like they knew me well enough to, like, bring me an angry dwarf. And then when they shut down right during or right after Covid, they had a rough ride of it. And they gave me a book of all the recipes of all the sandwiches.

[Becca]

It's really beautiful.

[Stephen Colbert]

And I keep it at home. Occasionally I'll bust it open and make myself an angry dwarf or something like that.

[Becca]

What was the story of the name again?

[Stephen Colbert]

Oh, the Angry Dwarf was. There was some very kind of rude kid, very pushy kid who would come in and say, I want this, I want this, I want that. And so they go, that's the Angry Dwarfs here again. And so for this kid who would demand this particular sandwich, they named it the Angry Dwarf.

[Becca]

Yeah. Yeah. Fun fact. My friend Ben grew up in Montclair. Loved that deli.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah, you talked to him about it.

[Becca]

They had a sandwich called Ben Special.

[Stephen Colbert]

Oh, really?

[Becca]

His band name. He named his band after that sandwich because it's his name and he loved the sandwich.

[Stephen Colbert]

Do they name the sandwich for him or just. He shared the name.

[Becca]

He shared the name and liked the sandwich.

[Stephen Colbert]

So it's called Ben Specials Band.

[Becca]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

Where are they? Where are they?

[Becca]

They're on the Spotify. They're in the Brooklyn. They're a great band. Great band. Really.

[Stephen Colbert]

Well, Ben Specials should get to know Evil Twin, My son's band.

[Becca]

Oh, yeah, there you go. Get on a bill. But anyways, sandwich stories. Okay, wait, next thing. Last one.

[Stephen Colbert]

My favorite, favorite game we've played on.

[Becca]

This so far, Dogs on the Street. Have you ever met one that seemed like they knew who you were. Dogs are watching TV. Dogs. That TV's on.

[Stephen Colbert]

No.

[Becca]

Do you greet dogs on the street?

[Stephen Colbert]

Oh, I love greeting dogs on the street.

[Becca]

Okay, good.

[Stephen Colbert]

Maybe in a doorway on the street, the person's busy, you don't want to get in the way of their dog. Yeah, but anywhere that's the dog's at, in a moment of hiatus.

[Becca]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

You know, if the dog is going someplace with their master, I don't want to, I don't want to interrupt because I don't want anybody messing with my dog. But if we're, you know, stoplight, crosswalk, doorway, whatever moment, just a moment of hiatus, I'd love to engage with the dog.

[Becca]

Okay, great. Great to know.

[Stephen Colbert]

Okay. So dogs recognizing dogs. Dogs recognizing you, Benny. My niece, the wonderful Lucy.

[Becca]

Oh, love Lucy.

[Stephen Colbert]

Lucy stayed with us. She had been over in Europe visiting some friends in Amsterdam. What we didn't know is that she brought us back as a present a bunch of a really good Dutch chocolate. Like some dark chocolate, some milk chocolate. Beautiful gifts, but big, like those big, like kind of 20 ounce bars, like really, really big bars. Benny ate three of them.

[Becca]

Oh, no.

[Stephen Colbert]

And dogs can't candle chocolate poison for them. It was really, really bad. And it was two European dark chocolate bars and then a European milk chocolate barka that is full cacao, that'll put you down. And we freaked out. She wasn't thinking through. It was in her luggage. Her luggage was open. And it was his damn fault. He went rooting through her luggage because he smelled food. And so I'm like, I'm getting hydrogen peroxide in him to get him to vomit. And I'm just walking him around New York and I actually, when I went to go get the hydrogen peroxide, I had to go down to a 24 hour CVS that was near us. And I walk into the CVS and here I am. It's summertime, I'm hot, I'm wearing shorts, I'm raggedy old T shirt, baseball cap. And I got my dog who's kind of going like, you know, he's not looking his best.

[Becca]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

And I get the hydrogen peroxide and I put it on the counter. And the woman immediately knows, like, oh, the dog doesn't like that. But there's a woman behind me and she goes, oh, hi. And I'm like, oh, I whatever. And I turn around and she's leaning down and she's talking to Benny and she's going, hi, Benny. She knows Benny.

[Becca]

And she was talking to Benny, she.

[Stephen Colbert]

Was talking to Benny. That's really nice because of the times we've talked about Benny on the show.

[Becca]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

Or maybe she saw him on Doggest or whatever like that, and she was kind of like. She gave me, like, a minute of attention, like, hey, nice to meet you. Oh, ja. Benny. Like, she was all very Benny. And that kind of. I think that pulled him back. I think the attention pulled him back because he never. I got that hydrogen peroxide in him. He never threw up and he was fine. At a certain point, he goes, can we. Because it's late at this point, he's like, can we just go to bed? I'm gonna be fine. I don't know what y' all are worried about. And sure enough, he was absolutely fine.

[Becca]

Yeah. What a trip.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah. He had a racing heartbeat, but that was about it.

[Becca]

Yeah. Wow. That's really a good story. It's kind of nice, you know. Oh, sure. Hi.

[Stephen Colbert]

Oh, thank you. Oh, you're talking to the dog.

[Becca]

Yeah. I mean, I say hi to dogs on the street that are walking. Their owners sometimes think I'm talking to them, but I make sure to make eye contact at the dog, who I'm more excited to see. Okay, this is my last question. Reels. You enjoy reels?

[Stephen Colbert]

I enjoy. Yes, I do. Yeah.

[Becca]

I assume this is through a finstagram. Do you have, like, a fake private account or are you on the, like, Stephen Colbert check account?

[Stephen Colbert]

This is. This is. This is a private account.

[Becca]

Okay. So my question about this is, do you enjoy the sort of anonymity that a private account brings you, or do you ever find someone who's like, this person's so funny, they're doing bits on these reels. I'm gonna go over to my main account and just say, haha, from Stephen Colbert or something like that, you know, do you ever.

[Stephen Colbert]

I'll go follow them on my actual account.

[Becca]

Oh, nice. Okay.

[Stephen Colbert]

I don't follow anyone on my finsta.

[Becca]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

And I'll follow them on my real account. And then some people will go like, oh, hey. They'll recognize because it's the show account.

[Becca]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

Oh, hey, thanks for following. Oh, great. Thanks. I really love your music or whatever it is.

[Becca]

That's it. Yeah. Nice, nice. But the finsta is nice. The fins is a nice way for you to lurk, like any other Internet lurker, you know? Yeah, it's nice. Anonymity there. Cool. No one will ever find it. Okay. And then this is just more of a comment I want to make about the biggest thing I've noticed about you. My Celebrity boss is the way you handle spam phone calls. And I love it.

[Stephen Colbert]

Well, I do two ways.

[Becca]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

One is to say, like, pronto.

[Becca]

Mm.

[Stephen Colbert]

You know, I just. I'll. I'll answer them and just pretend like I can't speak English. A lot of fun.

[Becca]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

And. And the other thing is, I'll say, oh, no, I really want to. Oh, that sounds fascinating. No, no, no. I really do need that product, whatever it is. And they go, hold on one second. I just got. I just got something in the oven. Hold on one second, I'll be right back. And then. And I'll put the phone down, and then I'll go about my day. I'll occasionally walk by and go, I'm sorry, I just had. There was someone at the door.

[Adrien Brody]

Like that.

[Stephen Colbert]

And then I'll pick it up and go, I'm sorry, are you still there? And they'll go, yeah, we're still here. Can we. Okay. So I wanted to talk to you about, like, your car insurance. Like, oh, damn it. I'm sorry. The baby. I'm sorry, I gotta get the baby. Whatever. Like that. And I just see how long I can get with.

[Becca]

Wow, I love that.

[Stephen Colbert]

Am I a bad guy? Does that make me a bad guy?

[Becca]

No, it's not. It's fun. Everybody has fun with spam phone calls, and they don't. They have no idea who you are. That's why I think it's so fun that they could be getting pranked by someone. They have no idea. It's Stephen Colbert. I love that. Yeah, it's really good. It's a good bit. Anyways, those are my questions. Those are my questions.

[Adrien Brody]

Did I win?

[Becca]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. The sandwich. The sandwich stuff. That was a great story. I didn't expect you to already have thought of the bit there, but great. Well, we have Adrien Brody on the podcast.

[Stephen Colbert]

We're still on that episode.

[Becca]

Yeah, yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

This is a long intro, Celebrity.

[Becca]

I couldn't.

[Stephen Colbert]

This might be a longer intro than the actual interview you're about to hear.

[Becca]

Yeah, that's possible.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah.

[Becca]

But.

[Stephen Colbert]

But we're fascinating too. We don't have Oscars.

[Becca]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. We got a lot of other stuff going for us, and we have a good time. All right, well, thanks. Thanks for answering my questions.

[Stephen Colbert]

Have a great break.

[Becca]

Have a great break.

[Stephen Colbert]

Bye.

[Becca]

Bye, Stephen.

[Stephen Colbert]

Welcome back, everybod. Ladies and gentlemen, my first guest this evening is an Academy Award winning actor, you know, from the Grand Budapest Hotel, Succession and the Pianist and so much more. His latest film is the Brutalist. Please welcome Back to the Late Show, Adrien Brody. Love it.

[Adrien Brody]

You guys are a great audience. You guys are a great audience.

[Stephen Colbert]

This is so nice to see you again.

[Adrien Brody]

Thank you.

[Stephen Colbert]

Did you park your motorcycle out front?

[Becca]

Yeah.

[Adrien Brody]

No.

[Stephen Colbert]

What gang are we in now? Adrian?

[Adrien Brody]

I didn't ride.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah, exactly. Nice to see you again.

[Adrien Brody]

Lovely to see you. Thank you.

[Stephen Colbert]

The new film, the Brutalist is already getting extraordinary reviews. I cannot wait to see it. Even I feel like. I feel like the trailer deserves an award at this point. It's so beautiful. It looks like a work of such soaring artistic and emotional ambition. It's about an architect named Laszlo Toth, who's a Hungarian who comes to the United States escaping the war torn Europe and finding his way in this new country. The difficulty of that, and I understand this hits home personally for you in a way that I wasn't aware of. Tell the people why.

[Adrien Brody]

Yes, very much so. I mean, some of you may know my mother is a wonderful photographer, very well respected photographer named Sylvia Plahy. And she is a Hungarian born artist. And she and my grandparents fled Hungary in 1956 during the revolution. And so her journey and you know, the struggles and sacrifices along the way of that immigrant experience is very personal to me because I am the son of a Hungarian immigrant. So it's a big honor for me to impart some of the insight I have into that. And then I think speaks to many people of all backgrounds. And it's part of what shapes this wonderful nation.

[Stephen Colbert]

Pardon me for asking. Your mother's still with us.

[Adrien Brody]

Yes.

[Stephen Colbert]

And did you discuss this role with her? Did you talk about this?

[Adrien Brody]

Oh, yes. Oh, yes. And she's been a guiding light for this. And my grandfather in particular, who's. Whose very pronounced Hungarian accent was something I channeled for this character. We worked very hard with a dialect coach. But I found truth in that. It was so intimate for my whole youth of what I grew up around. Not just the voice, but a certain Hungarian sensibility.

[Stephen Colbert]

How would you describe. I have a couple of friends I know from Hungary. How would you describe the Hungarian sensibility?

[Adrien Brody]

They're wonderfully enthusiastic and passionate and somewhat outspoken. And it's a good quality. It's kind of like if you know New Yorkers and you know, New Yorkers are similar in that respect, I think. But if you're not familiar with it, it's sometimes, you know, you don't know if it's a joke or if it is a joke. There's a lot of truth in it.

[Stephen Colbert]

Dark humor.

[Adrien Brody]

They don't really hide that and then they say it was a joke. And there's a lot of truth in that. Grandma.

[Stephen Colbert]

We have a clip here that we want to show. What do we need to know about this? It's you and Guy Pearce. Yes.

[Adrien Brody]

So this is a moment where Lazlo Toth, my character, comes to America, and he had done a project to renovate Guy's character's library in his home and had been kicked out in a fury. And now Van Buren, Guy's character, comes to find him, and he does a little research on Laszlo, and he discovers all of these buildings that he had created back in Europe. And Laszlo is amazed that they still exist because his understanding was that most would have been demolished during the Nazi occupation.

[Stephen Colbert]

Jim.

[Adrien Brody]

These are yours?

[Stephen Colbert]

Yes.

[Adrien Brody]

All of them?

[Stephen Colbert]

Yes.

[Adrien Brody]

I'm sorry.

[Stephen Colbert]

Have I upset you? No.

[Adrien Brody]

Not at all. Did not realize these images were still available. Much less of any consequence. May I keep these?

[Stephen Colbert]

Of course you may. They're very artistic. It's so beautiful. We have to take a quick break right here. We'll be right back with more Adrien Brody. Adrien Brody, at one point in the movie, your character Lazlo Toth is asked, why architecture? Adrien Brody, why acting? You know the old joke about, like, writing about music is like dancing about architecture. You're a painter. Paint me. About acting, why acting?

[Adrien Brody]

I'm plagiarizing this, but it beats working for a living. It didn't occur to me before you.

[Stephen Colbert]

Asked me the question.

[Adrien Brody]

I mean, I am so grateful to have found acting and for acting to have found me. And I do owe that to my mother as well. She had an assignment to photograph in acting school when I was a boy and saw that I. I love people and study people and human individuality and would always kind of tell stories and recreate things. And so she just saw that I had. It would be a right. A good fit for me. And it also kept me off hanging out on the streets of Queens.

[Stephen Colbert]

So now, anybody else in your family, like any. Are you descended from actors? Anybody?

[Adrien Brody]

No. Although my grandf aspired to be an actor here.

[Stephen Colbert]

I mean, Hungarian grandfather.

[Adrien Brody]

My Hungarian grandfather, yes. My mother's father. We're very similar in a lot of ways. I mean, he. He got a. He got a job as a kind of tertiary role in a play on Broadway. Absorbed to the Greek. It's my. Is my understanding. And he was required to dance and. Which I don't think he was a great dancer and. But there was a moment where the director had made some choices and my grandfather piped up and told him how he thinks he should do it.

[Stephen Colbert]

Which.

[Adrien Brody]

I can relate to. My boy grandfather got fired, so there went his acting dreams. There you go.

[Stephen Colbert]

There you go. Do you do that, too?

[Adrien Brody]

I do tend to do that. I try to bite my. Maybe it's the Hungarian in me, but I tend to. It's my humble opinion, but I think you might want to put the camera over, maybe come a little closer.

[Stephen Colbert]

You know, Wes Anderson. Does everything have to be symmetrical?

[Adrien Brody]

No, definitely not. I mean, most directors I've worked with do not need symmetry. Fortunately for me, and for the kind of movies we make. But.

[Stephen Colbert]

Well, much like your character, you have an interest in design and restoration. If we were to drop in to your crib, what would be the design aesthetic that we would experience?

[Adrien Brody]

I have a pretty eclectic taste. I do like to integrate things that have moved me or that I've found along the way in my travels. I don't want to digress from this too much, but when I made the Darjeeling Limited with Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson and I envisioned. I tried to figure out how I could buy one of the train cars that we shot in to ship it home and put in the countryside. And I thought it would be an amazing thing. And it was such an enormous cost. Right.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah.

[Adrien Brody]

To ship alone a train car. So I ended up not doing it. But then I went to Owen Wilson's house and he just asked for a door. And it is so freaking beautiful on his wall. It's a work of art. And I was so mad that my vision is so big. But I tend to find things that are unique, that are fun in the house. And I went antique shopping in the countryside and I found this beautiful old slot machine. Nice antique slot machine. One armed bandit. Yeah, One arm bandit. And not that I'm a huge gambler, but I thought it just looked nice.

[Stephen Colbert]

Sure, sure.

[Adrien Brody]

And it was so beautiful. I bought it, we loaded it in the hatch, and I'm driving home and. You guys remember that movie Big? I think most of you weren't born yet, but. Yeah, Zoltar. Exactly, Zoltar. I auditioned to play him in that movie. I was a child actor and I auditioned to play Tom Hanks as a boy, but I didn't get the role.

[Stephen Colbert]

Anyhow, would have been a good movie.

[Adrien Brody]

If only they had hired me.

[Stephen Colbert]

Exactly.

[Adrien Brody]

Would have been. It would have been better for me, for sure. Anyhow, we're driving home and this eerie kind of mystical music starts emanating from this unplugged slot machine in the hatchback. And it starts playing very. And it's playing and playing. And I'm like, I scored. I got a haunted slot machine. I scored. I mean, I thought, this is gonna be amazing. I don't know what would. And I bring it home and I'm trying to understand what maybe there's some battery that remained.

[Stephen Colbert]

This is old.

[Adrien Brody]

I didn't. And I got it home. And it turns out the poor woman who sold it to me had opened it up to show me how it worked and how the mechanism worked. And she forgot her cell phone, frantically calling for me to pick up. I was so disappointed.

[Stephen Colbert]

Well, Adrian, lovely to see you again. Thank you so much for being here. 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.

[Adrien Brody]

This is the table, the one with the view. This is how you reserve exclusive tables with Chase Sapphire Reserve. This is your name on the list. This is the chef sending you something he didn't put on the menu. This is 3 times points on dining with Chase Sapphire reserve and a $300 dining credit that covered the citrus pavlova and drinks and the thing you didn't think you liked until you tasted it. Chase Sapphire Reserve now even more rewarding.

[Stephen Colbert]

Learn [e-mail] Sapphire Reserve cards issued by JP Morgan, Chase bank and a member FDIC subject to credit approval.

[Becca]

Can you believe it's finally Christmas? We waited forever to sing this song.

[Adrien Brody]

The paw patrol is on a roll to the North Pole. Until it all goes downhill, Christmas is mine.

[Becca]

Oh, no. Santa needs our help.

[Adrien Brody]

Can these paws save Santa Claus?

[Becca]

We're not gonna let Santa down on our watch.

[Adrien Brody]

Find out in the brand new special of Paw Patrol Christmas, now streaming on Paramount plus.