Podcast Summary: The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert

Episode: Kate Winslet (Extended) | Face Value

Date: December 12, 2025
Guest: Kate Winslet
Main Theme: A heartfelt and often hilarious conversation with Kate Winslet, who discusses her holiday traditions, her debut as a film director with her son’s script, working with Helen Mirren, and fond memories from Sense and Sensibility. Includes signature Colbert political satire and a peek at Winslet’s life and career.

Episode Overview

This episode of The Late Show Pod Show blends Colbert’s sharp political satire with a warm, genuine, and frequently funny interview with Kate Winslet. The conversation delves into holiday preparations, the joys and challenges of family filmmaking, working with legendary actors, and revisiting Winslet’s early career—all while maintaining the playful and affectionate rapport fans love.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Political Satire & Opening Monologue (03:00–13:00)

• Trump’s Hand in All Things

  • Colbert opens with his trademark political humor, riffing on Donald Trump’s latest schemes, including the fictional "Trump Gold Card" for wealthy immigrants and his face replacing landmarks on park passes and coins.
  • Memorable banter about Trump’s excessive branding:
    “This is a major update to the passes, which used to feature, like, a cool lizard or a glorious pink bird or a stunning canyon or this beautiful mountain. Ah, put them away.” (04:22)

• AI in Advertising

  • Colbert jokes about AI product placement in TV, poking fun at how intrusive and seamless ad integration has become in entertainment.

2. Kate Winslet Joins: Holiday Traditions & Banter (14:46–19:40)

• Holiday Prep in the UK

  • Kate shares her uniquely British holiday tree selection experience, involving FaceTime calls with friends to “size” the tree using people for scale.
    “His wife, Rachel, she's little, so she'll just do the size. Then he's making his poor wife stand for scale.” (16:00)

• Debate: Christmas Tree Lights—Top Down or Bottom Up?

  • A lively, comedic argument ensues about the “right” way to string lights on a Christmas tree.
    • Kate: “I actually start from the bottom.” (17:48)
    • Stephen: “That’s wrong. That is wrong.” (17:50)
    • Kate’s logic: “Because it's closest to the plug socket, Stephen. And they go in the direction.” (17:53)
  • Both agree decorating can be a battle, with Kate confessing to being “very territorial” about the process.

• Nitpicky Tree Perfection

  • Kate’s obsession with light reflections off baubles delivers a relatable glimpse into her personality:
    “I try and drag the fairy light and position it so that it's reflecting a bit off the golden baubles...I move the light to the bauble, not the bauble to the light.” (19:26)

3. Filmmaking & Family: Kate Winslet on Directing ‘Goodbye June’ (19:40–25:01)

• How the Film Came to Be

  • Winslet reveals the film is a true family affair: her son, Joe, wrote the screenplay as a college project at age 19—Kate instantly decided it needed to be a movie. “I read it, and...I said, well, you've written a movie and we're gonna make it.” (20:08)

• On Directing for the First Time

  • Initial plans to just act and produce turned into Kate directing the film out of passion for the story and her son’s work:
    “I realized, oh, I think I'm supposed to be directing this, and we can't let it go. And so I did.” (21:27)

• Synopsis: Goodbye June

  • A British family drama set at Christmas, blending humor with pathos, focusing on grown siblings coming together as their mother nears the end of her life.
    “It's funny and it's touching...much more a story about life...and family and love.” (22:17)

• Dream Cast

  • Helen Mirren (June, the matriarch), Timothy Spall, Toni Collette, Andrea Riseborough—and Winslet herself.

• Notable Clip Discussion

  • Winslet introduces a touching scene:
    Kate: “Maybe if I'm lucky I'll come back as snow and then I'll see you all at Christmas.” (23:13)

4. Directing Legends & On-Set Innovations (24:09–28:28)

• Working with Helen Mirren

  • Winslet admits she found directing Mirren manageable, thanks to their similar styles preferring practicality over fuss:
    “She just needed practical noise, that's all she wanted.” (24:09)
  • On overcoming nerves:
    “What is the one thing I do not have time for? And that was fear. So I just thought, I gotta leave that at the door, put my big girl undies on and get on with it.” (24:15)

• Innovations on Set

  • Kate changed the usually cluttered film set, hiding mics and cameras for authentic performances:
    “All the sound was captured in a very sort of hidden way...the space was empty or I had locked off cameras with crew leaving the room.” (27:33)

• Do It Again?

  • “I so want to do it again. I never wanted it to finish. It was just a complete joy.” (28:30)

5. Kate Winslet on Early Career: Sense and Sensibility (29:02–29:57)

• 30th Anniversary Reflections
  • Winslet, age 19 at the time, remembers feeling honored but intimidated by the company of titans like Alan Rickman and Emma Thompson.
    “Emma Thompson...really wanted to take care of me. And we did quite a few of these types of dinners...it was her trying to put me at my ease in a space with all these utterly terrifying actors.” (29:20)
  • On acting with Alan Rickman:
    “He was very easy to fall in love with, let me tell you.” (29:57)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Directing Fearlessly:
  “Put my big girl undies on and get on with it.” – Kate Winslet (24:15)
• On Family Collaboration:
  “You’ve written a movie and we’re gonna make it.” – Kate Winslet, to her son (20:08)
• On Tree Decorating:
  “You do not have enough slightly. Always get injured putting up trees.” – Kate Winslet (17:25)
• On Creating a Relaxed Set:
  “It meant that the space was empty or I had locked off cameras with crew leaving the room and just having the actors be entirely alone in those spaces.” – Kate Winslet (27:33)
• On Young Kate at Dinner:
  “I sort of look like all three of my children squished into one little face.” – Kate Winslet (29:20)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 03:00–13:00: Colbert’s monologue/political satire & AI ad jokes
• 14:46–19:40: Winslet & Colbert holiday traditions, Christmas tree debate
• 19:40–25:01: Goodbye June: film origins, family collaboration, synopsis, working with Helen Mirren
• 25:01–28:44: Winslet’s directorial philosophy and on-set changes
• 29:02–29:57: Retrospective: Sense and Sensibility memories

Tone & Atmosphere

• Playful, warm, and witty with moments of genuine affection and gratitude.
• Mix of cheeky humor (Colbert’s monologue and tree debate) and emotional candor (Winslet on family, filmmaking, and early career).
• A sense of celebration of Kate Winslet’s evolving career and personal journey, with both host and guest sharing admiration and laughter.

Recommended for:
Anyone interested in the intersection of comedy, film, creativity, and authentic celebrity storytelling—especially fans of Kate Winslet or those curious about the making of Goodbye June.

Skip: Ads, sponsor mentions, and product placements (timestamps excluded above).