Stephen Presents: Audra McDonald | Betty Gilpin (Extended)

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert

Episode Title: Stephen Presents: Audra McDonald | Betty Gilpin (Extended)
Release Date: February 13, 2025

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The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert, produced by CBS, continues its tradition of delivering engaging conversations with prominent figures from the entertainment industry. In this episode, released on February 13, 2025, Stephen Colbert and co-host Becca delve into the vibrant world of Broadway, featuring in-depth discussions with legendary Broadway icon Audra McDonald and acclaimed actress Betty Gilpin. This extended episode offers listeners a behind-the-scenes look into their current projects, personal inspirations, and the challenges they face in their dynamic careers.

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Introduction to the Broadway Theme

The episode opens with Stephen Colbert and Becca introducing the central theme: Broadway. The hosts express their admiration for Broadway's rich history and its impact on modern theater and entertainment.

Stephen Colbert emphasizes the universal love for Broadway within the show's team, stating, "Everybody at this show loves Broadway. Like, not just like, the writers love Broadway... Huge Broadway fan" (03:14).

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Interview with Audra McDonald

Audra McDonald, the most awarded performer in Tony history with six Tony Awards across all four acting categories, joins the podcast to discuss her role as Mama Rose in the revival of Gypsy at the Majestic Theater. McDonald's portrayal has been lauded as a transformative take on the classic character, bringing new layers and depth to the role.

Challenges of Portraying Mama Rose

McDonald describes the intensity of embodying Mama Rose, noting, "Mama Rose is the tornado. So she's the one that is constantly whipping up all of the angst and drama and joy and all of it. So it's exhausting" (05:30). She elaborates on the emotional and physical demands of the role, highlighting the character's pivotal position in driving the narrative's conflict and energy.

Personal Inspirations and Character Development

Drawing from her personal life, McDonald shares how her grandmother influences her performance. She incorporates her grandmother's unique humming into a scene, adding authenticity and personal significance: "So I'm scraping the Chinese food off the plates, I go, choo, choo, choo, chew, chew, chew. I do that every night for my nana" (09:58).

Representation and Reframing the Story

McDonald discusses the groundbreaking aspect of the production, being the first Broadway revival where all three leads are Black women. She reflects on how this casting choice adds new layers to the narrative without altering the script:

"There are different layers. There's certain lines that Rose has in the show... Now you can say that as any race, and it means something. Think about that coming out of a black woman's mouth in the 1920s. And it just hits in a different way." (09:03)

Advice for Aspiring Broadway Performers

McDonald offers heartfelt advice to newcomers in the Broadway scene:

"Every audition that you go to be the solution to their problem. Don't try to make them like you. Be the answer to their problem... Be your authentic self. That's what they're looking for." (12:15)

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Interview with Betty Gilpin

Following McDonald's segment, Betty Gilpin, known for her roles in Glow, Gaslit, and the limited series American Primeval, joins the conversation to discuss her latest projects and experiences in the acting world.

Experience on American Primeval

Gilpin provides insights into her role in American Primeval, describing the challenges of shooting in harsh environments:

"We shot in New Mexico, I think, because it looks like so many different states in one state. It was definitely unglamorous in sort of a freeing way. Lots of frozen snot that was authentic. No mascara." (17:03)

Broadway Debut and Transitioning Roles

Gilpin reveals her upcoming Broadway debut, taking over the role of Mary Todd in O Mary at the Lyceum Theater. She shares the emotional significance of this opportunity, especially in connection with her father's Broadway debut:

"I made my Broadway debut at the Lyceum in 1978 as an understudy. He went on one time. So a week from tonight... I will think of my dad having that exact same feeling." (23:43)

Behind the Scenes of Acting

Sharing humorous anecdotes from her work on American Primeval, Gilpin touches upon the unpredictability of filming and the camaraderie among actors:

"Shout out to my stunt girl, Lindy. She is amazing." (18:39)

Navigating Industry Challenges

Discussing the impact of the recent strike, Gilpin talks about the abrupt halt in production and how it affected the shoot:

"I got so pregnant." (19:13) – Gilpin humorously references the unexpected nature of life events intersecting with professional responsibilities.

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Key Highlights and Notable Quotes

1. Audra McDonald on Authenticity:

   "Every audition... Be the answer to their problem. Be your authentic self." (12:15)

2. Betty Gilpin on Broadway Debut:

   "I will think of my dad having that exact same feeling." (23:43)

3. Stephen Colbert on Broadway Enthusiasm:

   "Everybody at this show loves Broadway." (03:14)

4. Audra McDonald on Character Exhaustion:

   "So it's exhausting." (05:30)

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Concluding Thoughts

This episode of The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert offers a rich exploration of Broadway's enduring allure and the personal journeys of two exceptional performers. Audra McDonald's portrayal of Mama Rose in Gypsy and Betty Gilpin's ambitious transition into Broadway with O Mary provide listeners with profound insights into the dedication, passion, and resilience required in the performing arts. Their stories not only highlight their individual talents but also celebrate the evolving landscape of Broadway, embracing diversity and authenticity in storytelling.

Listeners are encouraged to catch Audra McDonald's stirring performance in Gypsy at the Majestic Theater, where the show has been extended through the summer, and to stay tuned for Betty Gilpin's Broadway debut at the Lyceum Theater.

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Additional Information:

• Discount Offer: Late Show Pod Show listeners can use discount code "TLS20” for 20% off all The Late Show with Stephen Colbert products on ParamountShop.com.

• Watch the Show: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert airs weeknights at 11:35/10:35c on CBS or can be streamed on Paramount+.

• Upcoming Productions: The conversation also touches briefly on upcoming projects like the new Star Trek original movie Section 31, set to premiere on January 24 exclusively on Paramount+.

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Timestamps Reference:

• Timestamps are provided in (MM:SS) format within the transcript excerpts to reference notable quotes and segments discussed in the summary.

Transcript

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[Stephen Colbert]

Sound good?

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[Commercial Voice]

I participate in restaurants for a limited time.

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Gather your people. We're gonna need every one of them.

In section 31, a new star Trek original movie on paramount.

Plus, Section 31 is just a place for people to bend their rules.

[Stephen Colbert]

Starfleet is here to make sure no one commits murder.

[Commercial Voice]

What a cute idea. This is chaos. Let's get messy.

Don't miss the worldwide premiere of Star Trek Section 31, streaming January 24, exclusively on Paramount.

[Stephen Colbert]

Hey, everybody. You're listening to the Late Show POD Show. I'm here with Stephen Colbert. You might know him from his work on the Late show with Stephen Colbert. Hi, Stephen.

[Becca]

Hi, Becca.

[Stephen Colbert]

When the show is off for a break, we come into this little podcast studio and we do some intros to some guests that we think the podcast listeners will love to hear, even if they can't get the fresh nightly monologue that they're so used to getting from us.

[Becca]

Farm Fresh talking.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah. And it's been a lot of stuff going on these days, so it's really nice for us to just.

[Becca]

It's been busy. There's been about a full roster of news going on.

[Stephen Colbert]

My head feels full of junk in a fun way.

[Becca]

Is this gonna be another guest we're introducing or is this an act of the show?

[Stephen Colbert]

This is two guests that I have thematically put together.

[Becca]

Thematically put. What's the theme?

[Stephen Colbert]

Broadway. Because we are in a Broadway.

[Becca]

Oh. So is this Lin Manuel Miranda?

[Stephen Colbert]

This is not Lily Manuel we've already put on the podcast.

[Becca]

How about Audra McDonald? Is this Audra?

[Stephen Colbert]

This is Audra McDonald.

[Becca]

Okay. And then. But I have another Broadway somewhere. Yes, another Broadway. Give me a hint about the other Broadway person we're about to hear.

[Stephen Colbert]

This is her first Broadway show, but she's known for other acting feats such as the television show Glow, which I'm a big fan of.

[Becca]

Betty Gilpin is Betty. Be still my heart.

[Stephen Colbert]

I know.

[Becca]

I Know, she's the bee's knees, in my opinion. She's so great. I first saw her as Modine, John Dean's wife, in I forgot what the name of the. It was the Julia Roberts, Sean Penn, Watergate series. I forgot what that was called. And Betty Gilpin's great. She's great in American Gods. She's great in Three Women. She's great. She's just great.

[Stephen Colbert]

She's great. And then when she got this gig to take over for Coal Escola and O Mary, which I've seen. I saw it last year. So good. I was like, oh, man. And she's like, cool, and she's weird, you know, it was like, oh, she has to also be all these other things. And incredibly gorgeous. Very talented. Funny.

[Becca]

I didn't notice.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah. But, yeah, so I'd be interested. You know, I don't see that many Broadway shows.

[Becca]

Glow.

[Stephen Colbert]

Glow is so good. I'm a huge fan of Glow. So good. Marc Maron, great, great cast there. But everybody at this show loves Broadway. Like, not just like, the writers love Broadway. We got, like, K.R. washington, writer assistant, goes to Broadway shows all the time. Adam Wager in the control room. Huge Broadway fan. Mark McKenna, like, everybody loves Broadway. I don't know that much about Broadway. I'm not seeing it.

So you don't.

[Becca]

You don't go to Broadway? I mean, it's expensive.

[Stephen Colbert]

I suppose it's expensive, but, you know, I don't. I get Rush tickets and that kind of thing. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But no one's doubting that you have a good job, but you're a big Broadway buff.

[Becca]

I love Broadway.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah, yeah. Have you seen any good shows lately?

[Becca]

I mean, name some Broadway shows and I'll tell you.

[Stephen Colbert]

Well, we got. See, this is not gonna be spongebob Musical, I think, is up there. Yeah, I saw it.

Fantastic.

[Becca]

It changed my life. It's why I wanted to act. Yeah, I saw the spongebob musical and I said, I want. I see me up there.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah. That's true art.

[Becca]

I'm a more plague. I love certain musicals a lot, but I'm more of a Broadway play. Love Broadway plays.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah. Yeah. Great. Well, we got two fantastic folks here that are. That you can see on the Broadway stages right now. So go check out o'mary Go check out Gypsy. If you're not in town, plan a trip. Be a tourist in Times Square. They have a good time. So come on down to New York Town. This is Audrey McDonald and Betty Gilpin on the Late Showpod Show.

[Becca]

Welcome back Everybody. Ladies and gentlemen, my next guest tonight has won an Emmy, two Grammys, and is the most awarded performer in Tony history with six Tony awards in all four acting categories. She now stars as Mama Rose in Gypsy. Please welcome back to the Late Show, Audra McDonald. Hi.

[Audra McDonald]

Good night.

[Becca]

Nice to see you again.

[Audra McDonald]

Good to see you.

[Becca]

You are starring. Here we go. As Mama Rose in the revival of Gypsy. It's at the Majestic Theater. That is. That's a lot to take on. It has been called the King Lear of musical theater.

[Audra McDonald]

Yes.

[Becca]

Not just because of the conflict between the parent and the child, but it is a big role to take on. Well, what's it like to play Mama Rose?

[Audra McDonald]

You know, a lot of times when you do shows, a lot of times your character's getting swept up in something. But Mama Rose, like getting swept up in a tornado or something. Instead of Dorothy getting swept up in the tornado. Mama Rose is the tornado. So she's the one that is constantly whipping up all of the angst and drama and joy and all of it. So it's exhausting.

[Becca]

So you have to be the tornado on stage. You know, not just acting, but singing. What do you do with all that adrenaline? At the end of the day, I.

[Audra McDonald]

Have a really hard time going to sleep at night. When I get home, I have a really, really hard time. So I've done this thing where I get home, and if I haven't, like, grabbed a Reese's peanut butter cup, I try not to, but it happens from time to time. I get on my phone and I wait. Cause I'm up so late that I wait for the New York Times puzzle games to, like, flip over to the next day.

[Becca]

To the next day. Yeah.

[Audra McDonald]

So that I could do the connections.

[Becca]

Oh, sure.

[Audra McDonald]

Or spelling bee or wordle. Or one of those. I'm trying to get them.

[Becca]

Mini crosswalk.

[Angel Reese]

Wait a minute.

[Stephen Colbert]

Wait.

[Becca]

What are your rules?

[Audra McDonald]

Yesterday I got.

[Stephen Colbert]

Wait.

[Audra McDonald]

I just have to show off. Yesterday I got word. That's never happened in my life.

[Becca]

Wow. Two this morning.

[Audra McDonald]

I've had two this morning. Very big.

[Becca]

And I do it against my wife. Obviously, Evie and I are in competition.

[Audra McDonald]

Well, of course.

[Becca]

Yes, Exactly. That sets the tone for the whole day. Who's in control? Who's the lord of the house? Based on how many guesses in wordle.

[Audra McDonald]

Yes. Yes.

[Becca]

And just how furious connections makes her.

[Audra McDonald]

Yes. And I agree. I agree. There are some days where I just think who. Who hurt connections, who made them so.

[Becca]

That they want to pass on the.

[Stephen Colbert]

Cycle of abuse that way.

[Becca]

Yeah. Do you have Any self, self imposed rules. Like, okay, I have to do connections with like, no mulligans or anything?

[Audra McDonald]

Well, with connections, I immediately press a shuffle. The minute I turn it on, I go shuffle, shuffle, shuffle. I don't want them to sort of.

[Becca]

Oh, they're trying to throw you.

[Audra McDonald]

Yeah. So I immediately shuffle, shuffle, shuffle, shuffle, shuffle.

[Becca]

Exactly.

[Audra McDonald]

Now I look at it, right? These are important things.

[Becca]

This is not your first time in Gypsy. No, I understand. A long time ago, you played another.

[Audra McDonald]

Yes, yes. When I was 10 years old in Fresno, California. I. Fresno. I. I played one of Uncle Jocko's kids where I wore a Viking helmet and a breastplate and a big spear, and I sang a little bit of the Valkyries.

[Commercial Voice]

So.

[Becca]

But as you're 10 years old in Gypsy, did you look at Mama Rose and go, I should do that? That should be me.

[Audra McDonald]

No.

[Becca]

Wait till they all see.

[Audra McDonald]

No, no.

[Becca]

Come on.

[Audra McDonald]

No. I swear, I had never really thought about playing Mama Rose. It was never a role.

[Becca]

What inspired this, you know, it's crazy.

[Audra McDonald]

What ended up inspiring is a very dear, dear friend of mine who's just passed away. An incredible actor, Broadway actor, Mr. Gavin Creel. And he passed away this past fall. Very dear friend of mine and of our family. He would come to Thanksgiving a lot at our house, and he came to Thanksgiving one year about eight years ago, and he said, honey, I need to talk to you about something. I need to talk to you about something. I need to talk to you something. So he dragged me into our garage after dinner and said, you need to play Mama Rose. You need to do it. It needs to be a black woman and it needs to be you, honey. You just have to figure out a way to do it. You have to do it. And I just sort of went, what? Huh? Okay, that's interesting. Yeah, maybe I could do that. And that set the ball rolling.

[Becca]

Well, now, this is the first production. This is the first time that all three leads are black women.

[Audra McDonald]

Yes.

[Becca]

How does that. How does that reframe the story for you?

[Audra McDonald]

You know, I'll say, first off, we have not changed a single solitary line of dialogue. We've not changed one lyric. We have not changed anything about the show. It just hits differently. There are different layers. There's certain lines that Rose has in the show. One line is, she says, you know why I did it, Why I did it for you. Speaking about why she did it for a kid, she said, because I was born too soon and got started too late. Now you can say that as any race, and it means something. Think about that coming out of a black woman's mouth in the 1920s. And it just. It just hits in a different way. So there's just layers there.

[Becca]

When you were on for Lady Day at the Emerson Bar and Grill, you said that that performance was inspired by your grandmother's voice or like you used some of your grandmother's voices.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yes.

[Becca]

Does your grandmother show up in Mama Rose?

[Audra McDonald]

Yes, Nana shows up in Mama Rose. There's one particular section in the show where Rose is gathering together leftover Chinese food. And in the script it says Rose is cheerfully humming as she sort of scrapes the food off the plates. And my grandmother, when she would hum, which was all the time, she would do this song that I don't know existed, but for her was always choo, choo, choo, choo, choo. So as I'm scraping the Chinese food off the plates, I go, choo, choo, choo, chew, chew, chew. I do that every night for my nana. So Nana's a gypsy.

[Becca]

That's a nice little wink. It's about mother daughter relationships to a great degree. You have two daughters?

[Audra McDonald]

I do.

[Becca]

Have they come. What do they think?

[Audra McDonald]

Well, my oldest daughter is 23 and she came. She's come twice and she loved it and was very moved. And I have an eight year old.

[Stephen Colbert]

It's very different.

[Becca]

Nice spread.

[Audra McDonald]

Yeah, nice spread. I don't even want to talk about. It was a big surprise.

[Becca]

What a wonderful surprise.

[Audra McDonald]

Incredible, incredible surprise. And her name is Sally. I was nervous about what she would think of the show. And so on opening night, you know, in my mind, I'm thinking, oh, gosh. So Sally's there, Sally's watching the show and what's she thinking? How's she feeling? And then my husband came back, and then especially when we get to Rose's turn, which is very emotional, and Rose is basically having a breakdown. She's having a mental breakdown through song, you know, and it could be really hard to watch. And so I wondered what Sally was thinking. So my husband came back and I said, you know, what'd she think? He said, oh, well, she loved the little strippers when they were doing the Gotta have a gimmick number. And she loved that. I was like, great. Said, how'd she do? During Rose's turn? How'd she do? And he said, oh, she was sleep. Sleep knocked out. So I bored her. I just bored her to sleep. So that's.

[Becca]

She can listen to the cast recording. She'll get it later.

[Audra McDonald]

Yes, yes.

[Stephen Colbert]

Okay.

[Becca]

So, you know, you are as I said, you are the most Tony decorated performer in history. I'm sure there were people along the way I'm sure there were people along the way who gave you some advice. Some of it good, some of it bad. I'm sure there's a young lady in the audience who just moved to New York who asked me a question before the show. She's come here. She wants to be in musical theater.

[Audra McDonald]

Yeah.

[Becca]

What advice do you have for somebody who just metaphorically got off the bus in New York?

[Audra McDonald]

Where is she?

[Becca]

She's. See this. There she is right there. Hi.

[Audra McDonald]

What I would say to you what I would say to you every audition that you go to be the solution to their problem. Don't try to make them like you. Be the answer to their problem. Their problem is who's going to play this part. Which means be yourself. Be your authentic self. That's what they're looking for. That's what they have not seen. Be that.

[Becca]

She said. She said. So lovely to see you. Thank you so much for being here. Thank you so much. Gypsy is now on Broadway at the Majestic Theater and has been extended through the summer. Audra McDonald, everybody. We'll be right back with Betty Gilpin.

[Betty Gilpin]

I can say to my new Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, hey, find a keto friendly restaurant nearby and text it to Beth and Steve. And it does without me lifting a finger so I can get in more squats anywhere I can. 1, 2, 3.

[Becca]

Will that be cash or credit?

[Stephen Colbert]

Credit.

[Commercial Voice]

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On January 24, Academy Award winner Michelle Yeoh takes command.

Gather your people. We're gonna need every one of them.

In Section 31, a new Star Trek original movie on Paramount.

Plus, Section 31 is just a place for people to bend the rules.

[Stephen Colbert]

Starfleet is here to make sure no one commits murder.

[Commercial Voice]

What a cute idea, dear. This is chaos. Let's get messy.

Don't miss the worldwide premiere of Star Trek Section 31, streaming January 24th, exclusively on Paramount Plus.

[Becca]

Welcome back, everybody. Ladies and gentlemen, you know my next guest from such series as Glow, Gaslit and Three Women. She now stars in the new limited series American Primeval.

[Stephen Colbert]

Look at me.

[Becca]

Listen.

[Stephen Colbert]

This is $1,500. This is yours if you take us to Croak Springs. Whatever good you think you are doing by bringing him back, you are wrong. He will die the Only hope he has is to reach his father. Lies. I'm just trying to protect myself.

[Commercial Voice]

Lied to me again.

[Becca]

I will take your life. Do you understand?

[Stephen Colbert]

Yes.

[Commercial Voice]

Do you?

[Stephen Colbert]

Yes, I do.

[Commercial Voice]

Good.

[Stephen Colbert]

How do I know you won't just take it and write off?

[Audra McDonald]

You don't.

[Becca]

Please. Welcome back to the Late Show, Betty Gilpin. Hello.

[Stephen Colbert]

Hi.

[Becca]

Hi. Nice to see you again.

[Stephen Colbert]

Nice to see you always.

[Becca]

Lovely to talk to you. Lovely to talk to. We just saw a bit of the new series there. American Primeval. Yeah, it looks wild. It's the Wild west, therefore it makes sense. Who do you play and what's it about?

[Stephen Colbert]

I know this. I play Sarah.

[Becca]

You didn't know that was going to be a test?

[Stephen Colbert]

No, I didn't yet realize we'd be talking. I play Sarah. And it's set in 1857 in what is now Wyoming and Nebraska and Colorado. Just the untouched west at that time. And that particular scene, Peter Berg is the director. And the shoot, Friday Night Lights. Yes, yes. And the shoot was wild and unpredictable, like the West. And that particular scene, I wasn't even supposed to work that day. That take, I was at my chair eating M and Ms, like, looking at my phone. He was like, gilpin, get in here. We're doing your scene. So during that take, I have, like crinkling M and Ms. In my pocket and my phone is ringing.

[Becca]

But you were cold on your lines already.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yes. Yeah, yeah. Always off book.

[Becca]

You're always off book. Ok. Yeah, nerd, me too. That's what the prompters are for.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah. Great.

[Becca]

Now, one of the reasons I love working here at the Ed Sullivan or, like, doing studio work the way I do is that I know where I'm going every day. And it's warm or it's cold in here, but it's dry at least.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yes.

[Becca]

That really looks. That looks like even just shooting, that was roughing it. Is that movie magic or were you really cold and wet most of the time?

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah. Yeah. I mean. Yeah, we shot in New Mexico, I think, because looks like so many different states in one state. It was definitely unglamorous in sort of a freeing way. Lots of frozen snot that was authentic. No mascara. Yeah, it was.

[Becca]

Wow. The west really was wild. No mascara.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah, I know. It was insane. I mean, you know. Yeah, we weren't in a controlled sound stage, but, you know, we're still validation hungry actors. And I got cookies and compliments whenever I requested them, which is, you know, hourly.

[Becca]

That's a rider on the contract. Now, you ride a horse a lot in this?

[Stephen Colbert]

Yes.

[Becca]

Okay. Did you go into it as a horseman or a horsewoman? Like, are you a gifted rider?

[Stephen Colbert]

I mean, I thought I was. I called my mom and I was like, mom, I'm getting back on a horse. And she was like, what do you mean back on a horse? Well, I'm basically an Olympic rider in my memory. I was like vaulting over redwoods. She was like, we paid a stone teenager to walk you around a sedated pony in a circle a few times while I went to the grocery store. Once I was like, oh, well, I told a team of people who just cast me in a year long shoot about horses that I was an accomplished rider. But yeah, we did.

[Becca]

Did you train up for it?

[Stephen Colbert]

We did. We did a month of cowboy camp.

[Becca]

That sounds fun.

[Stephen Colbert]

It was so much fun. We were each paired with our stunt person and I think we all actors thought we looked really cool on the horses. But even from a football field away, you could tell, like, oh, that's the stunt person on the horse who's been riding since they were three. And that's the actor, the stunt person. When they ride a horse, it's so beautiful. They look like they're like having sex with the ocean. And the actor. The actor looks like they're having sex with a Subaru Outback. It's not good looking. Yeah. Shout out to my stunt girl, Lindy.

[Becca]

She is amazing.

[Stephen Colbert]

She is.

[Becca]

Also shout out to Subaru drivers.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yes. Yeah.

[Becca]

If they're watching. No judgment. No judgment. Love is love.

[Stephen Colbert]

Absolutely, absolutely.

[Becca]

So the strike hit in the middle of this.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah.

[Becca]

So there we are. You know, no one works for how long. How long were you actually? How long had you shot before the strike hit?

[Stephen Colbert]

I think we'd shot for seven months and then the strike shut us down for six or whatever. Yeah, something like that. And in that time I got so pregnant.

[Becca]

You got extra pregnant?

[Stephen Colbert]

I got so very pregnant. And yeah. Netflix was so excited.

[Becca]

Did they just shoot you from the neck up when you came back?

[Stephen Colbert]

I came back like a boat person.

[Becca]

Are you pregnant in that shot?

[Stephen Colbert]

In that one? I'm not. I think in the first, basically for like 20% of the show, you can see my jawline, like go out like a mating lizard just like every once in a while and just do that. Like Jurassic Park.

[Becca]

Like a lizard mating with a Subaru.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yes. Yeah, yeah. Love is love. Yes. Yeah. So I'm sure that my daughter, who is now eight months, will watch that someday and be like, you put me in that. It's the most violent Insane show.

[Becca]

Did you ride pregnant?

[Stephen Colbert]

Well, I wanted to. Cause they assured me during cowboy camp, I was pretty nervous. And someone was like, oh, these are movie horses. They can do anything. Because they told us, like, as long as you stay calm on the horse. And of course, every scene is me being like, no. So, yeah, when I came back six months pregnant, I was like, I'm fine. This is a movie horse. And the same person was like, what are you talking about? I was like, you told me. He was like, oh, yeah, that's not a real thing. Ok. So they gave me a robot horse with no legs. And it just.

[Becca]

They gave you a robot horse?

[Stephen Colbert]

It's a robot horse. It's the most picture, the most terrifying thing you can come up with and then triple it. It's just the most terrifying thing you've ever seen. Yeah.

[Becca]

Did it look like a horse or did it look like a robot?

[Stephen Colbert]

It looked like a horse with no legs on, like a metal pole. Like a stripper robot horse. You know, why?

[Becca]

What would. It would just be in the background or you'd be sitting on it to pretend to be riding. Is that what it is?

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah. It was just kind of there as a threat, watching every scene. It also came to set on days where we didn't need it. It was kind of like no one asked it to my stage mom.

[Becca]

It would just show up.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah, it was just there.

[Becca]

Does it still follow you around sometimes, Right here. Did you bond with your. Some people bond with their horse and have a really close, affectionate relationship after a while.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah. Shout out to dollar and Rio my horses. I mean. Yeah, we all bonded on the set. We were basically together for a year in this sort of wild wilderness circus together. And one time I got a stye in my eye and we couldn't film a scene. And then another actor got a stye in his eye. And I went up to the set Medicine, who looked like a haunted fisherman in the most wonderful way. Like Clint Eastwood in a bucket hat. Just like the coolest guy ever. And I was like, why do we keep getting styes? And he goes, the cloud. I was like, the cloud. He goes, look around you. The horses. We've been breathing in their fecal cloud for six months. I was like. And he goes, do not eat on set. And then we both looked down at the sandwich that I was like. I look around like. Like, everyone's eating. Everyone's touching their eyes. Makeup is, like, touching up my. I mean, it's. Yeah. So I was in a fecal cloud. So anyone used, like, John Wayne. Fecal cloud. Anyone who's filming in horses is. Yeah. In a fecal cloud.

[Becca]

Well, this is very exciting. You are in when? In a week.

[Stephen Colbert]

In a week from today. Yep.

[Becca]

You are making your Broadway debut. You're taking over the role of Mary Todd from Cole Escola.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yes.

[Becca]

In O Mary. How did this come about?

[Stephen Colbert]

I do not really understand. I was filming a miniseries this past summer about a different president who was assassinated in the 1800s, James Garfield, and playing his first lady. And I was literally sitting in a set of the Oval Office dressed as a first lady, sitting across from a Lincoln bust. And I got a text from my agent saying, would you be interested in stepping in for Cole as Mary Todd? And I looked up and made eye contact with the Lincoln bust and just started sobbing. And so the person next to me, with no context, just saw me, like, doing the crossword and then seeing Lincoln and be like, oh.

[Becca]

Well, I understand debuting at the Lyceum Theater has great meaning for you because your dad. How so?

[Stephen Colbert]

So both of my parents are actors and did mostly stage when I was growing up. And I basically grew up in a stage manager's booth, you know, memorizing their lines and everyone else's lines and giving everyone notes and. Yeah, just like any helpful 8 year old would. And I called my dad to tell him, you know, while I've done lots of off Broadway, I've never done Broadway. And I called my dad to tell him and there was a pause and he was like, what theater? I said, the Lyceum. And he said, I made my Broadway debut at the Lyceum in 1978 as an understudy. He went on one time. So a week from tonight, when I'm making my Broadway debut, when I am absolutely. Puke will be here, tears will be here, throat will be non existent. I will think of my dad having that exact same feeling in 1978, and hopefully my blood pressure will go down a little bit.

[Becca]

That's beautiful.

[Stephen Colbert]

Betty.

[Becca]

Thank you so much for being here.

[Audra McDonald]

Thank you.

[Stephen Colbert]

Thank you so much.

[Becca]

Break a leg.

[Audra McDonald]

Thank you.

[Stephen Colbert]

Thanks.

[Becca]

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.

[Commercial Voice]

On January 24, Academy Award winner Michelle Yeoh takes command.

Gather your people. We're gonna need every one of them.

In Section 31, a new Star Trek original movie on Paramount.

Section 31 is just a place for people to bend the rules.

[Stephen Colbert]

Starfleet is here to make sure no one commits murder.

[Commercial Voice]

What a cute idea. This is chaos. Let's get messy.

Don't miss the worldwide premiere of Star Section 31, streaming January 24, exclusively on Paramount.