Sigourney Weaver | Disaster of Ceremonies

Summary

---

The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert — Episode Summary

Episode: Sigourney Weaver | Disaster of Ceremonies
Date: December 9, 2025
Host: Stephen Colbert
Guest: Sigourney Weaver

---

Overview

This episode of The Late Show Pod Show blends Stephen Colbert's signature comedic monologue—this time lampooning recent Donald Trump escapades at the Kennedy Center Honors and a fictional FIFA Peace Prize—with a charming, insightful conversation with legendary actress Sigourney Weaver. The show balances sharp political satire, behind-the-scenes Hollywood anecdotes, and warm holiday banter, offering listeners wit, nostalgia, and inspiration.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Monologue: Trump, Awards, and Satire

[04:28–15:35]

• Trump Hosts Kennedy Center Honors

  • Colbert opens with jabs at Donald Trump, comparing his self-importance to someone celebrating a "birthday month" ([04:51]).
  • Mocks Trump's unscripted, meandering remarks about music:

    "What's my favorite thing about music? Probably restaurant. I love when a song has one of those big sizzling appetizer platters..."
    — Stephen Colbert ([06:08])

• Fake/Farcical Honors

  • Highlights Trump's receipt of the FIFA Peace Prize, poking fun at its dubiousness and linking soccer and peace in a tongue-in-cheek way.

  • Compares the award's quality unfavorably:

    "It looks like the poster for a movie called Zombie Planet 3, exclusively on a service called Plumbo, with ads."
    — Stephen Colbert ([11:07])

  • Parodies participation trophy culture, invents the "Stephen Colbert Joke Prize" and feigns surprise at winning it himself ([13:01–13:59]).

• Satirical Takedowns

  • Skewers both Trump’s loose approach to facts ("Jimmy Kimmel has never hosted the Kennedy Center Honors" — [08:23]) and his tone:

    “That man, that is a man who knows how to please a crowd. Am I right? The most miserable, horrible audience in the world.”
    — Stephen Colbert ([07:23])

  • Derides the muddled debate over calling soccer "football" in America:

    "It doesn't need to make sense. This is America. Land of the free, home of the brave, not the land of the sensible."
    — Stephen Colbert ([14:49])

---

Guest Interview: Sigourney Weaver

[17:02–28:17]

Sigourney’s Tour & New Film “Fire and Ash”

• Weaver describes her global promotional tour (New York, London, Mexico City, Paris), and her love for the immersive cinematic experience:

  "I have to say I've seen the movie three times. It's the most amazing experience I've ever had in a theater... I can't wait to see it a fourth time." — Sigourney Weaver ([18:12])

• Colbert agrees the movie is "so immersive," noting others have said "people are going to freak out" ([18:29]).

Holiday Traditions

• Sigourney shares her family’s tradition of hosting a caroling party pre-COVID—piano, songbooks, and 25 carols sung together ([18:49]).
• Playful exchange on carol favorites, with Colbert singing “Good King Wenceslas” and admitting he lacks the range for “O Holy Night” ([19:21–20:01]).

Acting and Avatar’s Motion Capture

• Colbert explores the challenge of playing a 14-year-old Na’vi (Kiri) via motion capture:

  “It’s actually the most actor centric acting you can do in film... It’s just an empty space.... It’s like an early theater rehearsal.... It’s the most free acting I’ve ever gotten to do.”
  — Sigourney Weaver ([20:16])

• She jokes about director James Cameron joining in with a leotard, prompted by Colbert ([21:01]).

Theater Roots and Legendary Mentors

• Colbert highlights Sigourney’s recent West End debut as Prospero in The Tempest ([23:03]).
• Weaver reflects on theatrical full-circle moments at Drury Lane, relating the legacy of John Gielgud:

  "He gave me my first job. I was an understudy for Ingrid Bergman in 'The Constant Wife' and John Gielgud was my director."
  — Sigourney Weaver ([24:12–24:38])

Anecdotes: Ingrid Bergman & Kevin Kline

• Shares funny, tender stories of working with Bergman—her graciousness, and a quirky fixation on height comparison ([24:40–25:36]).
• Tells a prank story about presenting Kevin Kline with a photo album of crew “bored faces” to his Shakespeare recitations on set:

  "He’s such a good sport about it... He loved it."
  — Sigourney Weaver ([26:08–27:10])

Perseverance Through Adversity

• Colbert asks about being labeled “talentless” at Yale Drama. Weaver is forthright:

  "They said you have no talent and you'll never get anywhere. And that's why Sir John Gielgud hiring me meant a lot.”
  — Sigourney Weaver ([27:15–27:31])

• Her resilience:

  “I hung in there just out of spite. I thought it was so irresponsible for teachers… to make everybody feel so bad... To think your job... is to make you give up your dream, I just think is crazy.”
  — Sigourney Weaver ([27:44–28:13])

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Trump’s Awards:

  "He looks like a goblin asking if it's okay to eat a third baby."
  — Stephen Colbert ([12:27])

• On Sigourney’s Early Stage Work:

  "Ingrid Bergman... used to want me to stand back to back with her, to just prove to everybody she was not as tall as I was."
  — Sigourney Weaver ([25:17])

• Overcoming Criticism:

  "I hung in there just out of spite... If someone's job is to make you give up your dream, I just think that's crazy."
  — Sigourney Weaver ([27:44–28:13])

---

Timestamps of Important Segments

• [04:28] – Monologue begins: Trump’s Kennedy Center Honors & satire
• [08:35] – FIFA Peace Prize & fake awards
• [17:02] – Sigourney Weaver segment begins: Avatar, tour, holiday traditions
• [20:13] – Inside the motion capture acting process
• [23:03] – Sigourney’s theater background & John Gielgud
• [24:40] – Ingrid Bergman and “The Constant Wife”
• [25:50] – Kevin Kline and backstage pranks
• [27:14] – Yale Drama School rejection and resilience

---

Tone

• Playful, irreverent, and sharply satirical as Colbert skewers Trump and cultural foibles.
• Warm, nostalgic, and sincere in the conversation with Sigourney Weaver, blending humor with inspiration and gratitude.

---

For listeners:
This episode offers a perfect mix of Colbert’s biting humor and Sigourney Weaver’s heartfelt, hilarious Hollywood stories—along with a few life lessons about persistence and believing in yourself when the world says otherwise. A must-listen for fans of celebrity interviews, behind-the-scenes tales, and political satire.

Transcript

[Stephen Colbert]

Hey, everybody. Stephen Colbert here about to read the copy for our sponsor. This is from our friends at Wonderful Pistachios. And I was the wonderful pistachio spokesman for years. Yeah, I have a real close association with nut meat. Okay. You know what they say when they reach for a snack? Don't hold back. And that's exactly the approach with Wonderful Pistachios. The don't hold back snack. These little wonders are so tasty, it feels like getting away with something. But surprise. Each serving has 6 grams of protein and 0 grams of regret. That's right. No guilt. Just glory, glory in our nuts. Whether it's a satisfying crack of in shell pistachios, and that's capitalized in shell, or the smooth, instant gratification of no shells. No judgment. That's just it. Just eat. No judgment. I take issue with one thing. It's instant gratification. It's super tasty smooth.

[Sidekick/Co-host]

It's a hard nut smooth.

[Stephen Colbert]

Exactly. I mean, even out of the shell, it's still a nut.

[Sidekick/Co-host]

We can't disparage the nuts.

[Stephen Colbert]

You. I'm not disparaging the nut. I'm describing the nut.

[Sidekick/Co-host]

Don't disparage any flavors.

[Stephen Colbert]

I'm not. I am celebrating the pistachio right now. I'm on board. I love pistachios. I love a crushed pistachio. Like a pistachio crusted trout. Oh, unbelievable. Instead of a trout amandine, a trout pistachio. Fantastic. Enough butter?

[Guest or Additional Commentator]

Who cares?

[Sidekick/Co-host]

Very good.

[Stephen Colbert]

And I love pistachio ice cream.

[Sidekick/Co-host]

Have you had the sea salt and vinegar? Wonderful pistachio. It's delicious.

[Stephen Colbert]

I didn't even know I get them.

[Sidekick/Co-host]

Before the softball games.

[Stephen Colbert]

But that's. You see, it's been a while since I've been the spokesman for wonderful Pistachios. I didn't realize we'd achieved new pistachio technology. Yeah.

[Sidekick/Co-host]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

Wow. Wonderful pistachios has every snack style covered right now. There's an obsession with jalapeno lime. There is an obsession session.

It's almost a disorder. It's spicy, it's zesty. It's basically a flavor roller coaster in a nut.

Snacking on the go. Grab a bag of no shells. Feeling contemplative and want to work for it a little. So earning it, they're saying, if you want to earn your nut, crack open those in shell beauties. Either way, it's snacking like a champ. So the next time hunger strikes, don't hold back. Unless it's a hunger strike, and then it's important that you do because whatever you're doing that for, I'm sure it's a worthwhile cause snack like you mean it with wonderful pistachios. Visit wonderfulpistachios.com to learn more.

[Sidekick/Co-host]

That was a wonderful.

[Stephen Colbert]

I wonder what more there is to learn.

We just told them so much. We just told them so much about pistachios. But evidently there's a whole other world. There's an unexplored vista.

[Sidekick/Co-host]

They got a bunch of flavors. They got dill pickle, jalapeno lime, as we learned, smoky barbecue. There's a lot of different flavors.

[Stephen Colbert]

Wow. And I would not disparage any of them.

[Sidekick/Co-host]

No, no, no.

[Stephen Colbert]

Bring it on.

[Sidekick/Co-host]

Nothing bad to say.

[Stephen Colbert]

Nut me.

[Sidekick/Co-host]

Nut.

[Stephen Colbert]

Nut me with nut meat.

[Sidekick/Co-host]

We're nut.

[Stephen Colbert]

No, we got nothing but nut. Nutty, nutty, nutty, nutty. Talk about.

Talk about, talk about, talk about nutty. Good.

[Sponsor Voiceover]

This holiday season, choose gifts that feel thoughtful and practical with Omaha Steaks. Whether you're hosting or gifting, they deliver the world's best steak experience, and it makes you look like you planned way ahead. They've got USDA certified tender steaks, juicy burgers, comfort meals, and tons more. Gifting Omaha Steaks is honestly one of the easiest wins. Everything arrives beautifully packaged, super convenient, and the quality is unbelievable. Their filet mignons are some of the most tender I've ever had. And the variety means you can personalize every gift. Plus orders placed by 6pm Eastern ship same day. And everything is backed by their 100% guarantee. It's holiday gifting made simple. Save big on gourmet gifts and more holiday favorites with omaha steaks. Visit omaha steaks.com for 50% off site wide during their Sizzle all the Way sale. And for an extra $35 off, use promo code tbone at checkout. Terms apply. See site for detail. That's OmahaSteaks.com, code T bone.

[Stephen Colbert]

Welcome one and all to the Late show. I'm your host, Stephen Colbert, ladies and gentlemen.

That's the spirit.

[Sidekick/Co-host]

That's right.

[Stephen Colbert]

That's the holiday spirit. Folks, you sound in a pretty good mood. I hope you all had a fun weekend, but there is no way you had more fun than Donald Trump because he is that girl from your office who celebrates her birthday month.

And it's four years long now for his first president. Last night he hosted the Kennedy Center Honors. And I got to say, I didn't know if he was there, but Will Smith had the opportunity to do the funniest thing ever.

This Year's Kennedy center honor ceremony is the very first since Trump installed himself as chair of the Kennedy Center's board.

I kind of agree. It seems like the commander in chief shouldn't have enough time to. Mr. President. Mr. President, Russia has just launched another round of missiles. But first, dress rehearsal for Oklahoma is underway and the blocking is uninspired.

Before last night's ceremony, Trump walked the red carpet and talked about his love of the arts.

[Sigourney Weaver]

You mentioned some of your favorite songs.

[Stephen Colbert]

In your opinion, what makes a song great?

[Guest or Additional Commentator]

Well, it's something that has to be soft and soothing to your ear. I like some songs that other people don't like. You know, you ever hear the expression, that's why they have menus and restaurants. We're all different.

[Stephen Colbert]

The world's stupidest question answered by the world's hungriest man.

What's my favorite thing about music? Probably restaurant. I love. I love. I love when a song has one of those big sizzling appetizer platters for the whole table to share, he don't touch the chorus. It's very.

Can we get some more chips? We still have some more song left.

We don't.

At this point. I don't know how much effort I'm putting into the impression anymore. And I don't care. Now we don't have.

Fire me.

You always care. That's what I love about you. We don't have footage from the ceremony yet because it won't actually air until later this month, but we do have. This is an actual transcript of some of Trump's actual opening monologue to the Kennedy center audience. If there was one thread that connects all of these amazing artists together, it's the word persistence. I can say that with a lot of members of our audience. I know so many of you, and you are persistent. Many of you are miserable, horrible people, but you are persistent. You never give up. Sometimes I wish you'd give up, but you don't.

That man, that is a man who knows how to please a crowd. Am I right? The most miserable, horrible audience in the world.

On Saturday, Trump talked about some of the other people who have hosted the Kennedy Center Honors before him in the past. And he pre complained about how people will judge his hosting.

[Guest or Additional Commentator]

I'm sure they'll give me great reviews. Right? You know, they'll say, he was horrible, he was terrible. It was a horrible situation. No, we'll do fine. I've watched some of the people that host Jimmy Kimmel was horrible. And some of these people. If I can't beat out Jimmy Kimmel. In terms of talent, then I don't think I should be president.

[Stephen Colbert]

You can't, and you shouldn't.

Also.

Just a quick brain check for Grandpa Puddinskull.

I called him. And Jimmy Kimmel has never hosted the Kennedy Center Honors.

But here's the thing I did the three years leading up to Trump becoming president.

Speaking of awards, Trump got a fake one on Friday, because after years of campaigning unsuccessfully for the Nobel Peace Prize, Trump won the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize. Might seem like an odd combination, but I think it's a appropriate. Because when you think peaceful, you think soccer fans.

Later that same day, Trump also received the Hooters National Book Award.

It was.

It was the breast of times.

It was the worst of boobs.

Of course, the FIFA Peace Prize is no Nobel. It's like for Christmas, if you ask your mom for a super Nintendo and she gets you something called Super Retendo. It comes with Super Marion Brothers and Legend of Kelvin.

This Peace Prize was yanked straight from the keister of FIFA President and Mr. Clean's pervert brother.

Johnny Infantino. You can call me a Mr. Dirty, okay?

As president of FIFA, Infantino is the world's top authority in corruption, and he spent the last year sucking up to Trump. So much so that Trump has started recently calling him my boy.

I thought I was your boy. Dad.

Dad. I played soccer, too. Dad. I'm just still waiting for you to pick me up. Dad.

Dad, it's raining.

Dad.

Dad.

Don't forget the orange slices, dad.

Infantino pulled out all the stops for Trump's Big Boy Trophy party, including a performance by what's left of the Village People.

Where are the other half of the lyrics? It reminds me of that Beatles song.

[Sigourney Weaver]

Hey.

[Stephen Colbert]

When it was time for the award, here's what they gave Trump. Wow. It looks like the poster for a movie called Zombie Planet 3, exclusively on a service called Plumbo, with ads. Here's the moment. Infantino presented the award to Trump. Mr. President, this is your prize. This is your Peace Prize.

[Guest or Additional Commentator]

There is also a beautiful medal for.

[Stephen Colbert]

You that you can wear everywhere you want to go.

Call me a boomer, but these participation trophies have gone too far. There is also, Mr. President, here is your trophy. There is also a medallion. There is also a FIFA Peace ribbon, a macaroni necklace, and a lapel sticker that says, ask me about my Peace Prize.

Is Mr. President he scratch and sniff. He smells like a chicken. Naugood, Haikomo Sidice. Naugot.

Naugood. Is he Rob or Naugot?

A daring Photographer captured the moment. Trump got the medal. Dear.

Dear, dear God. He looks like a goblin asking if it's okay to eat a third baby.

Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah.

What's this? What? What? What is this? Oh, my gosh. It's the first annual Stephen Colbert.

Oh, my God. I didn't. I what? I didn't even know. This is Stephen Colbert joke prize. And the winner is. Stephen Colbert.

I didn't know. I did not. How could. I didn't. I didn't. Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.

Now. But this could have gone to any Stephen Colbert. Does it come with a medallion? It. All right.

You'Re over.

After rehearsal. After rehearsal today, we thought, oh, I should win my own award. And then we said, see if they could down props if they could make an award for us. And they said, what about this?

And I said, did you just make that? And they said, no, we made it a long time ago. In case you ever needed to give yourself an award.

That's professionalism.

After all, the peace prize given was over. Trump spoke about the importance of soccer.

[Guest or Additional Commentator]

When you look at what has happened to football in the United States. Again, soccer in the United States, we seem to never call it that because we have a little bit of a conflict with another thing that's called football. But when you think about it, shouldn't it really be called? I mean, this is football. There's no question about it. We have to come up with another name for this.

It really doesn't make sense when you think about it.

[Stephen Colbert]

It doesn't need to make sense. This is America.

It's land of the free, home of the brave, not the land of the sensible. How dare you call soccer football? It's like he's daring MAGA to break up with him. Okay, I'm canceling football. Are they still supporting me? Wow. Okay, we're going. We're going. Metric system. Anything.

Really. Jesus was black. Okay. Is this thing on? Is this. Hello.

This. Hold on.

This.

This smells like Naugut.

We got a great show for you tonight.

[Sidekick/Co-host]

Coming up.

[Sigourney Weaver]

Sigourney Weaver.

[Sidekick/Co-host]

Come to DSW for the shoes. Stay for the fun. Because let's be honest, if shoe shopping isn't fun, are you even doing it right?

[Sigourney Weaver]

So go ahead.

[Sidekick/Co-host]

Try something new. Try something different.

[Sigourney Weaver]

Good different.

[Sidekick/Co-host]

Try something that feels like you, you.

[Sigourney Weaver]

Know, the real you.

[Sidekick/Co-host]

And then definitely brag about it later. Because at dsw, you've got unlimited freedom to play. Find the shoes that get you at prices that get your budget at DSW stores [e-mail] let us surprise you.

[Stephen Colbert]

Hey, Ryan Reynolds here for Mint Mobile. You know, one of the perks about having four kids that you know about is actually getting a direct line to the big man up north. And this year he wants you to 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 try. @mintmobile.com Switch upfront payment of $45 for.

[Sidekick/Co-host]

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 mintmobile.com.

[Stephen Colbert]

Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen, folks. My first guest tonight is an actress, you know, from iconic movie franchises like Alien, Ghostbusters and Avatar. She now returns in Fire and Ash.

[Sigourney Weaver]

When I can connect again someday.

Whenever I can be your guide in the spirit world.

[Stephen Colbert]

Well, can I just go now?

[Sigourney Weaver]

No, not without me. A sky person can't just show up, freak out. The ancestors.

They're starting to arrive for the calf communion.

Yearling calves and reef babies together having the first bond with Ava. It'll be so beautiful.

[Stephen Colbert]

Please welcome back to THE Late show. Sigourney Weaver.

[Sigourney Weaver]

Hey.

[Stephen Colbert]

So nice to see you.

[Sigourney Weaver]

What fun you must have every night.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah. Isn't this lovely? So great to catch you in the middle of a massive tour for this movie. Right. So you're here in New York. Where do you go after this?

[Sigourney Weaver]

I go to London. I go to Mexico City.

[Sidekick/Co-host]

City.

[Sigourney Weaver]

We just came from Paris. We come back to New York to do some stuff. And I mean, I have to say I've seen the movie three times. It's the most amazing experience I've ever had in a theater. And I'm not just saying that. I can't wait to see it a fourth time.

[Stephen Colbert]

And, you know, I know a couple of people who've seen it that say people are going to freak out. It's so immersive.

[Sigourney Weaver]

I mean, it's a long movie, but it never feels long. I'm like, oh, it's over.

[Stephen Colbert]

Do you have to do this thing through Christmas or are you on the road for the holidays?

[Sigourney Weaver]

Yeah, I get to come back.

[Sidekick/Co-host]

Oh, that's nice.

[Sigourney Weaver]

Get to come back. Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

Do you have favorite Christmas traditions?

[Sigourney Weaver]

Well, actually, we usually give a caroling party inside our house.

[Stephen Colbert]

Oh, that. Somebody plays the piano and that sort of thing.

[Sigourney Weaver]

Yes, we have someone playing the piano and we all have books. And we just sing through about 25 carols.

[Stephen Colbert]

Wow.

[Sigourney Weaver]

And it's.

[Stephen Colbert]

Is that here in New York or in Las Vegas?

[Sigourney Weaver]

It's here in New York.

[Stephen Colbert]

And when am I invited?

[Sigourney Weaver]

Well, we've actually stopped since COVID Oh.

[Stephen Colbert]

You can come to my caroling party if you want.

[Sigourney Weaver]

What's your favorite carol prob.

[Stephen Colbert]

Well, there's so many good ones. I know there's so many good ones. I mean, I like oh Holy Night, but I don't have the range because it gets pretty high there toward the end. It's hard to be a good King Wenceslas. Cause it's a good story.

[Sigourney Weaver]

Good King Wenceslaslaus.

[Stephen Colbert]

Look down on the feast of Stephen where the slow lay roundabout, Deep and crisp and even. Brightly shone the moon that night, though the frost was cruel when a poor man came inside carrying winter fuel.

You play Kiri in the movie, a Na' Vi who is 14 years old. How do you do that? Because this is not. This is not. This is very important. This is not animation to which you're doing a voice.

[Sigourney Weaver]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

This is motion capture. This is a performance.

[Sigourney Weaver]

Exactly. It's actually the most actor centric acting you can do in film because there really are. There are just some recording cameras, but all the lights, action, different angles, all that stuff is. We don't use. It's just an empty space. And we come in our little black leotards and all we do is work on the scene with Jim Cameron right there, figuring out what it is and then just trying everything. And so it's like an early theater rehearsal.

[Sidekick/Co-host]

Wow.

[Sigourney Weaver]

It's the most free acting I've ever gotten to do. I think that's why I'm able to kind of go back to my obnoxious 14 year old self.

[Stephen Colbert]

Is Jim Cameron in a leotard as well?

[Sigourney Weaver]

No, but I'll suggest it.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yes, exactly. We have to take a quick break. We'll be right back with more Sigourney Weaver. Everybody.

[Sidekick/Co-host]

Just got a new puppy or kitten. Congrats. But also, yikes. Between crates, beds, toys, treats, and those first few vet visits, you've probably already dropped a small fortune. Which is where Lemonade Pet Insurance comes in. It helps cover version of vet costs so you can focus on what's best for your new pet. The coverage is customizable, sign up is quick and easy, and your claims are handled in as little as three seconds. Lemonade offers a package specifically for puppies and kittens. Get a'llemonade.com pet your future self will thank you. Your pet Won't. They don't know what insurance is. Hiring isn't just about finding someone willing to take the job. It's about getting the right person with the right background who can move your business forward and to find candidates who match what you're looking for. Trust Indeed. Sponsored Jobs Stop struggling to get your job Post even seen on other sites. Give your job the best chance to be seen with Indeed's sponsored jobs. They help you stand out and hire quality candidates who can drive the results you need. Sponsored Jobs Boost your post for quality candidates so you can reach the exact people you want faster. Join the 1.6 million companies that sponsor their jobs with Indeed. Spend more time interviewing candidates who check all your boxes. Less stress, less time, more results. Now with Indeed Sponsored Jobs. And listeners of this show will get a $75 sponsored job credit to help get your job the premium status it deserves. @ Indeed.com listen. Just go to Indeed.com listen right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Indeed.com listen. Terms and conditions apply. Hiring. Do it the right way with.

[Stephen Colbert]

Indeed.

Hey, we're back with Sigourney Weaver, everybody, star of Avatar, Fire and Ash. Now, since the last time we saw you, you made your West End debut playing Prospero in the.

[Sigourney Weaver]

Tempest.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yes. What a fantastic part. First of all, we are such things that dreams are made on. I understand it was full circle for.

[Sidekick/Co-host]

You. That's.

[Sigourney Weaver]

Right. I was in the Drury Lane Theater, which is a 400-year-old theater on the West End. It's so beautiful. It's the most beautiful theater. It's all red velvet, and.

It has been used for musicals since 1957 because it's such a huge house. And the person who. So I was. I was offered Prospero by Jamie Lloyd to bring Shakespeare back to the Drury Lane. Playing Prospero and the Tempest and the person who did it in 1957, the last production of Shakespeare there, was Sir John Gielgud, and he gave me my first.

[Stephen Colbert]

Job. Gielgud hired you for your first.

[Sigourney Weaver]

Job?

[Stephen Colbert]

Yes.

In London or New.

[Sigourney Weaver]

York? In New.

[Stephen Colbert]

York. What did Gielgud hire you.

[Sigourney Weaver]

For? Well, Ingrid Bergman was doing a play called the Constant Wife by Somerset Maugham, and we were going to rehearse in New York and then do a huge tour ending on Broadway. And I was in.

[Stephen Colbert]

Understudy. Wow, you've got great stories. John Gielgud was your.

[Sigourney Weaver]

Director?

[Stephen Colbert]

Yes. And Ingrid Bergman. What's Bergman.

[Sigourney Weaver]

Like? She is a dream. Honestly. She was the kindest most gracious woman. I used to sort of be slightly bad because I was also the assistant stage manager. And every night I'd knock on her door and I'd say, hello, Ms. Bergman, do you have any valuables? And she would say, oh, but do you know, I always give my valuables to Ruth, who's sort of her coach companion. And I said, oh, that's right. Well, see you later. I close the door. But I feel so lucky because she. She used to also want me to stand back to back with her, to just prove to everybody that she was not as tall as I was. That meant a lot to her, that one inch, you.

[Stephen Colbert]

Know. Wow. I didn't think of her as a tall.

[Sigourney Weaver]

Person. She was about five.

[Stephen Colbert]

Nine.

[Sigourney Weaver]

Wow. Yeah. Well, she'd be happy you didn't think of her as a tall person because she didn't want to be thought of as a.

[Stephen Colbert]

Person. And all I would want to do in my life is make Ingrid Bergman.

[Sigourney Weaver]

Happy. Me.

[Stephen Colbert]

Too. You've worked with some extraordinary performers. Besides that, I. Kevin Kline is one of my favorite performers, and you have worked with him. What is he? What's he.

[Sigourney Weaver]

Like?

Well, he's so talented, but he is a devil. You know, He's a.

[Stephen Colbert]

Devil. He's the devil.

[Sigourney Weaver]

Okay. Yeah. I mean, I once said to him how wonderful he was in Dave, and he said, well, I do get to play opposite my favorite performer myself.

Yeah. So, actually, I think it was on Dave that we did this rather evil thing to him because he was going to do a whole Shakespeare evening to open the new Kevin Klein Theater in, I think it's Kansas City. And so during the shoot, I got, you know, he was. You know, he would practice, you.

[Stephen Colbert]

Know, he'd be spouting Shakespeare, like, randomly around.

[Sidekick/Co-host]

Set.

[Sigourney Weaver]

Yeah. Just between setups and stuff. And there would always be crew around, and I'd come around with a camera, and I'd just say, oh, Kevin, let me just get this. And I would have told all the crew behind them to go, kind of.

And so at the end, we gave him this huge book that the art department had made. Kevin Klein reads Shakespeare. And you opened it up, and it was one photograph after another of everyone going, you know. And I had. I have to say, he's such a good sport about.

[Stephen Colbert]

It. He loves it. Oh, he loved.

[Sigourney Weaver]

It. He loved.

[Stephen Colbert]

It. You went to the Yale School of Drama.

[Sigourney Weaver]

Right? I.

[Stephen Colbert]

Did. And my understanding is that you were told there in no uncertain terms that you were.

[Sigourney Weaver]

Talentless. Yes. They said you have no talent and you'll never get anywhere. And that's why Sir John Gielgud hiring me meant a.

[Stephen Colbert]

Lot.

What gave you the.

I mean, that can be very dispiriting. What gave you the oomph to go.

[Sponsor Voiceover]

On?

[Sigourney Weaver]

Yes. I think I had a nervous breakdown.

[Stephen Colbert]

Actually. Oh, did you.

[Sigourney Weaver]

Really? But I kept it short, you.

[Stephen Colbert]

Know.

[Sigourney Weaver]

Okay. No, but I think I hung in there just out of spite. I thought it was so irresponsible for teachers at an art school to make everybody feel so bad because I wasn't the only person they made feel bad. But to. To think your job when you've already gotten in a school that only takes one out of 500 people or something, that they think it's their job to make you give up your dream, I just think is.

[Stephen Colbert]

Crazy. Well, I'm so glad you.

[Sigourney Weaver]

Didn'T. Me.

[Stephen Colbert]

Too. Sigourney, lovely to see you again. Merry Christmas.

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.

[Sidekick/Co-host]

Exclusives.

Make their holiday unforgettable with a gift that says it all from Pandora Jewelry. A gift that tells a story and shows you know theirs that doesn't just sparkle but speaks. This season, give a gift that's perfectly theirs. Whether you're shopping for a shiny surprise for your significant other, matching bracelets to celebrate your friendship, or a heartfelt gift for a family member, Say more this holiday season with pandora. [e-mail] or your local Pandora.

[Stephen Colbert]

Store. Guess who's coming to the big screen? I don't know, Patrick. It's me, SpongeBob. And they're going where they've never gone before. I'm taking you to the underworld. Underwear. Underwear in a cinematic event that will change you.

[Sigourney Weaver]

Forever.

[Stephen Colbert]

Forever.

[Sigourney Weaver]

Forever.

[Sidekick/Co-host]

Forever. Forever.

[Stephen Colbert]

Forever.

[Guest or Additional Commentator]

Forever.

[Stephen Colbert]

Forever.

[Guest or Additional Commentator]

Forever.

[Sidekick/Co-host]

Forever.

[Guest or Additional Commentator]

Forever.

[Sigourney Weaver]

Forever. And.

[Stephen Colbert]

More. Forever. SpongeBob Movie Search for SquarePants. R PG parental guidance suggested only in theaters December 19th. Get tickets now.