Stephen Presents: Tony Gilroy

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Stephen Presents: Tony Gilroy"

Episode Release Date: July 10, 2025

Introduction

In this engaging episode of The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert, host Stephen Colbert welcomes acclaimed writer and director Tony Gilroy. The conversation delves into Gilroy's extensive career, his pivotal role in the Star Wars universe through the creation of the series Andor, and his experiences in the entertainment industry.

Guest Introduction: Tony Gilroy

Stephen introduces Tony Gilroy, highlighting his impressive portfolio, including his work on films like The Devil's Advocate, The Bourne Identity, and Michael Clayton. Gilroy is also recognized as the creator and executive producer of the Star Wars series Andor.

Discussion on Andor and Its Place in the Star Wars Universe

Stephen expresses his admiration for Andor, mentioning his previous interview with Gilroy and Diego Luna at a Star Wars event. He notes the unique appeal of Andor, which attracts both Star Wars enthusiasts and those who might typically be averse to the franchise.

Stephen Colbert [12:07]: "The incredible thing about it is that it has... It could easily not be a Star Wars story at the same time."

Tony Gilroy explains the deliberate approach taken to make Andor accessible to a broader audience:

Tony Gilroy [12:33]: "You don't have to know anything about Star Wars to watch our show."

He further elaborates on the show's development, emphasizing the effort to balance the interests of Star Wars aficionados with newcomers.

Writing Process and Production Insights

The conversation shifts to Gilroy's writing process for Andor. He describes the commitment required, likening it to the relentless schedule of a dairy farmer:

Tony Gilroy [14:14]: "It's like if you know anybody who worked on a dairy farm, you got a milk house twice a day... You can't miss. You have to go to the barn and do it."

Despite the demanding schedule, Gilroy shares his pride in the efficiency of the show's production, with a remarkable retention rate of shot scenes:

Tony Gilroy [15:27]: "We lost one scene in the entire first 12 episodes, and I don't think we have anything in season two that we shot that we did not use the whole."

Easter Eggs and Cameos

Stephen inquires about hidden references and Easter eggs within Andor. Gilroy reveals a recent discovery by fans identifying a cameo voice role he provided:

Tony Gilroy [16:03]: "I do a lot of other work that doesn't get there beforehand... I found out that the droid... that's him and the audience has identified it."

Additionally, Gilroy mentions his voice cameo in Rogue One, contributing to continuity within the Star Wars narrative.

Impact and Reception

Stephen compliments Gilroy on the critical acclaim and fan reception of Andor, noting its success among both diehard fans and more casual viewers. Gilroy expresses gratitude for the support and shares his enthusiasm for the show's trajectory.

Tony Gilroy [12:35]: "You don't have to know anything about Star Wars to watch our show."

Conclusion

The episode concludes with Stephen and Tony exchanging warm regards, with Stephen reiterating his support for Andor and Tony expressing appreciation for the platform to discuss his work. The conversation provides listeners with a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the making of a Star Wars series that bridges fan expectations with mainstream appeal.

Notable Quotes

• Stephen Colbert [12:07]: "If you like Star Wars, it's a Star Wars story. If you don't like Star Wars, it's not really a Star Wars story. It's just a really good story."

• Tony Gilroy [14:14]: "It's like if you know anybody who worked on a dairy farm, you got a milk house twice a day... You can't miss. You have to go to the barn and do it."

• Tony Gilroy [15:27]: "We lost one scene in the entire first 12 episodes, and I don't think we have anything in season two that we shot that we did not use the whole."

Final Thoughts

This episode offers a compelling look into Tony Gilroy's creative process and his instrumental role in expanding the Star Wars universe. Stephen Colbert's engaging interview style brings to light the dedication and passion behind Andor, making it a must-listen for fans of the series and those interested in the intricacies of television production.

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.

[Becca]

It's a hard nut smooth.

[Stephen Colbert]

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

[Becca]

We can't disparage the nuts. You.

[Stephen Colbert]

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

[Becca]

Don't disparage any flavors.

[Stephen Colbert]

I'm not. I am celebrating the pistachio right now. I'm on board. I love pistachios.

[Becca]

I love.

[Stephen Colbert]

I love crushed pistachio. Like a pistachio crusted trout. Oh, unbelievable. Instead of a trout amandine, a trout pistachio. Fantastic. Enough butter? Who cares?

[Becca]

Very good.

[Stephen Colbert]

And I love pistachio ice cream.

[Becca]

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

[Stephen Colbert]

I didn't even know I get them.

[Becca]

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.

[Becca]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

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[Becca]

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.

[Becca]

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.

[Becca]

No, no, no.

[Stephen Colbert]

Bring it on.

[Becca]

Nothing bad to say.

[Stephen Colbert]

Nut me, nut, nut me with nut meat.

[Becca]

We're nut.

[Stephen Colbert]

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

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[Stephen Colbert]

Hi Becca, it's Stephen Colbert.

[Becca]

Hi Stephen, how's it going?

[Stephen Colbert]

Oh, it's going great. I really enjoy these intros. Two weeks of intros in a single shot here. How far into this adventure are we?

[Becca]

We're almost wrapped up. We're on Wednesday night. Wednesday night.

[Stephen Colbert]

Wednesday, Week two. Okay, hit me. What do I need to know about tonight's show?

[Becca]

Tonight's show? This is someone you. This is someone you're Gonna love. You're gonna love. Because you love this show. This is the. A showrunner, creator, head writer, and executive producer.

[Stephen Colbert]

Well, this is. This is. This is. This could only be Andor.

[Becca]

Yes. Yes. This is Tony Gilroy.

[Stephen Colbert]

This could only be Tony Gilroy. Exactly.

[Becca]

This is Andor.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah. Who? In my phone. I know. Tony. I'm very happy to say that Tony and I have become friends. And in my phone, he's listed not as Tony Gilroy, of course.

[Becca]

What is he?

[Stephen Colbert]

Well, but then if I tell you, then I have to change it, because it's so people find my phone. They won't know. Oh, look. Because none of the famous people on my phone are listed as themselves.

[Becca]

It's like password humor. You know, it's like really good jokes that you have in your own little computer.

[Tony Gilroy]

Yes.

[Stephen Colbert]

I'll tell you the old. The only one that I'll tell you is that Conan is listed as pale male.

[Becca]

Amazing. Amazing. That's really good.

[Tony Gilroy]

Yes.

[Becca]

Yeah. Great. Oh, my gosh. And you were great on Conan's Special. I saw the big Mark Twain Award thing.

[Stephen Colbert]

Oh, I haven't seen it. It worked okay.

[Becca]

Yeah. It looks great. It was really nice.

[Stephen Colbert]

It was really special. Really special night. I mean, boy, what a murderer's row of people at that thing. It was really extraordinary.

[Becca]

Was that your first Hot Ones experience?

[Stephen Colbert]

No. I had Sean on this show in year one, and my idea was my idea, my own damn fault. And I had four wings, and those were all pretty bad, but that maxed out a million Scoville units. I did 2.6 million this time across five wings. We went from, like, 87,000 to 2.6 million. And I don't recommend it. I recommend it. And I was gonna go on Hot Ones, and then I went, oh, but we couldn't figure out the date. And then I said, well, would he want to come do this thing at the Kennedy Center? And he said, oh, yeah, that'd be a ton of fun. You know, it was a really lovely night to be there. But then now that I've really done it, I can't possibly do it.

[Becca]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

Cause it's a terrible idea.

[Becca]

Yeah. Oh, gosh.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah. I would recommend anyone do it. Cause I've done it now.

[Becca]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

And that's all I would ever need to do.

[Becca]

Like, bungee jumping.

[Stephen Colbert]

That's it.

[Becca]

Yeah. I ordered some chicken at this place that has spicy chicken, but it was like a weird iPad ordering system. And you choose what kind of sauce you want.

[Stephen Colbert]

Oh, no.

[Becca]

And the last option is SOS And I used to be a waitress in Chicago, like waitress at like a Mexican restaurant with tacos. And SOS always meant sauce on side and so.

[Stephen Colbert]

But instead it was emergency beacon hot sauce.

[Becca]

There literally is a waiver on the window of this restaurant saying if you order the SOS we are not responsible for any, like, physical damage that is caused by how hot the sauce is.

[Stephen Colbert]

And.

[Becca]

And it's the kind of chicken that's like it's fried into it. So it's not even that wet looking.

[Stephen Colbert]

Sure. It's like that Nashville hot chicken. But yeah, yeah.

[Becca]

So I see it and I think this is a plain chicken tender and they forgot the sauce. I take a normal big bite of it after I like swam at the pool. So I was like really hungry. The pain that I felt is like nothing I've never had.

[Stephen Colbert]

How long ago was this?

[Becca]

This was last summer. And just the. I ran to the grocery store, got like a bucket of milk and my.

[Stephen Colbert]

It's ice cream. Ice cream is really ice cream.

[Becca]

Cool.

[Stephen Colbert]

And you want cold, you want fat, and you want sugar.

[Becca]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

And so vanilla ice cream is the way to go. Oh, Just a little tip for everybody out there. It's vanilla ice cream is the way to go.

[Becca]

Okay, great. Yeah, well, I'll do that next time.

[Stephen Colbert]

So was this all just leading up to something? How did we get on the hot ones?

[Becca]

We were talking about. We were talking about Conan. Because of your phone.

[Stephen Colbert]

Oh, sure, sure, sure, sure. Pale mail. Tony Gilroy. Tony Gilroy.

[Becca]

Also in your phone.

[Stephen Colbert]

Fantastic.

[Becca]

Yeah, great.

[Stephen Colbert]

He is Luthen.

[Becca]

I'm sorry, who's Luthen?

[Stephen Colbert]

You haven't seen Andor I haven't yet.

[Becca]

I'm so sorry.

[Stephen Colbert]

You're so failing me.

[Becca]

I know, I know.

[Stephen Colbert]

You didn't see hot, you didn't see Slow Horses.

[Becca]

I gotta catch up. I'm gonna catch up this break. This is my chance. I'm gonna catch up to all the wrecks.

[Stephen Colbert]

And here's the thing. If you like Star wars, it's a Star wars story. If you don't like Star wars, it's not really a Star wars story. It's just a really good story.

[Becca]

Yeah, okay.

[Stephen Colbert]

You gotta start with season one.

[Becca]

Okay, great. I will. I promise you that.

[Stephen Colbert]

Anyway, highly recommend andor this is Tony Gilroy. Any Emmy voters listening?

[Becca]

Here we are.

[Stephen Colbert]

Let's just throw Tony some love.

[Becca]

Yeah, great.

[Stephen Colbert]

Let's do that. Let's do it.

[Becca]

Let's juice it.

[Tony Gilroy]

Juice it.

[Stephen Colbert]

Ladies and gentlemen, my next guest is Peabody award winning writer and director whose films include the Devil's Advocate The Bourne Identity and Michael Clayton. He is also the creator and executive producer of Star wars series Andor.

[Tony Gilroy]

Cylinder.

[Becca]

I can't speak right now.

[Tony Gilroy]

I was in Gorman yesterday.

[Stephen Colbert]

I saw everything in the plaza. I've made my statement.

[Tony Gilroy]

No, we need to speak.

[Stephen Colbert]

I have friends everywhere.

[Tony Gilroy]

Please.

[Stephen Colbert]

Welcome to the Late Show, Tony Gilroy.

[Tony Gilroy]

Okay.

[Stephen Colbert]

There you go.

[Tony Gilroy]

Oh, my God.

[Stephen Colbert]

Hey. Good to see you, Tony. It's always nice to see you.

[Tony Gilroy]

Yep.

[Stephen Colbert]

You know, I'm such an enormous fan of Andor and your work in general, but Andor that I was able. I was really happy to interview both you and Diego Luna, who plays Cassian Andor, for those who don't know, at a Star wars event, you know, about a month ago. And you did the nicest thing. Everybody, you know, everybody should send a thank you note. But you sent me a thank you note in Elvish, and I think that means we're melon. We're melon now. And thank you for that. I understand you brought me a little present here.

[Tony Gilroy]

I did, man. You know, I have friends everywhere is kind of the code word in the. You know, for people to identify their. It's a spy thing, so.

[Stephen Colbert]

Okay, sure.

[Tony Gilroy]

People have started printing these shirts. I don't think it's official. It's probably bootleg, but. Okay, so you're in, man.

[Stephen Colbert]

We are engaging.

[Tony Gilroy]

Wait a second.

[Stephen Colbert]

You just made me an accomplice in copyright infringement against Disney.

[Tony Gilroy]

You know, I think there's enough else going on that you can.

[Stephen Colbert]

Oh, I don't know. All right.

[Tony Gilroy]

What a newsday, man.

[Stephen Colbert]

It was. It was kind of fun. You know, we got.

[Tony Gilroy]

I just want to say, I got here and it was an hour before and the story just broke. And I knew that you guys were. Your writers are incredible, man.

[Stephen Colbert]

They are.

[Tony Gilroy]

Yeah. Wow. Yeah. Wow.

[Stephen Colbert]

We whipped them with wire.

[Tony Gilroy]

Wow, man.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah.

[Tony Gilroy]

Really cool.

[Stephen Colbert]

That was Turn and Burn. That was old school. So, as I said, I'm a huge fan of Andor. I didn't actually know you wrote it, by the way. I don't know if I ever told you this. When the first season came out, I wasn't looking at the credits because I got to it late. So I was just going from one to one. It was like streaming one to one. And the very last episode, it just goes, Tony Gilroy. I went, of course. It's the Michael Clayton guy. Of course. I love this.

[Tony Gilroy]

Yeah. Because he's doing Star wars now.

[Stephen Colbert]

He is.

[Tony Gilroy]

That makes so much sense.

[Stephen Colbert]

But here's the thing, is that you did this amazing thing, is that you've Got this show that is loved by the Star wars diehards, but also attracts sort of the people who are Star wars averse who aren't that into it. That's a neat trick.

[Tony Gilroy]

How did you actually been trying to work that? I mean, that other audience was there for us right away, but it's been a mixed bag trying to. I mean, it's been a mixed bag trying to get that other audience to watch the show. There are people.

[Stephen Colbert]

I mean, the ones that don't watch the show.

[Tony Gilroy]

I mean, the show is made by. Half the people that make the show are, you know, Star wars nerds on a. That's a broad spectrum. And the other half of the show is made by people that I really had to spend a half an hour convincing them that it would be okay and they could come on Star wars because they didn't want to. And the audience is kind of like that. I think we've turned a corner on that. But that's been our big. Yeah, you don't have to know anything about Star wars to watch our show.

[Stephen Colbert]

No, the incredible thing about it is that it has. There are no lightsabers.

[Tony Gilroy]

No.

[Stephen Colbert]

There's like, very little mention of the Force. There's no Darth Vader. And yet you get all the enjoyment of the alien worlds and the different societies and the stakes of the Star wars universe because it's all leading up to Rogue One and, spoiler, Death Star. But it's almost. It could easily not be a Star wars story at the same time.

[Tony Gilroy]

When I came on in the very beginning, before I signed on, there's a. You know, you have to think of the Star wars as sort of the Roman Catholic Church and there's a Vatican and there's a curia, and there's people that are experts. And I called out, there's a guy who's out there, Pablo Hidalgo. And I said, how many people in that galaxy, of all the billions of beings, how many know about the Force? Well, nobody. How many know. Have ever seen a lightsaber? Well, probably very few. How many people know the royal family that you've been making the movies about? Nobody. So it's like it was a wide open. It was a wide open canvas.

[Stephen Colbert]

Five and a half years to write.

[Tony Gilroy]

Yeah, I've been on this for a long time.

[Stephen Colbert]

And Andor was. How long ago did you write?

[Tony Gilroy]

I mean, Rogue Andor.

[Stephen Colbert]

I mean, I'm sorry, Rogue One.

[Tony Gilroy]

Rogue One was 10. There was a gap in between.

[Stephen Colbert]

Okay, but still, 10 years of your life.

[Tony Gilroy]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

On this one thing. And this is. What did it feel like to write, like, the final page of Andor.

[Tony Gilroy]

Oh, my God. The final. Final. The final. Oh. I mean, if you had asked me a year beforehand, I would have said, some point in March, I'm gonna. My life is gonna change. I mean, that was an epic change in my life when I didn't have. You have to think of it like a dairy farm, really. It's like if you know anybody who worked on a dairy farm, you got a milk house twice a day. You can't miss. It doesn't matter if your leg is broken or if you're sick. You have to go to the barn and do it. And the show was like that for me. I had to keep feeding the show every single day. And we. 2,500 people in Pinewood and big epic thing, and you can't get sick. You can't mess up.

[Stephen Colbert]

Let me follow that dairy metaphor for.

[Tony Gilroy]

Just a second here.

[Stephen Colbert]

So you're milking the cows every day. What's the ratio of milk to how much you're serving the public? How much you serve?

[Tony Gilroy]

The amount of work that I do beforehand that gets there is probably a really. I do a lot of other work that doesn't get there beforehand. But I will say that of what we shoot, when we finally get down to it and we get to it, I would say our ratio of the show is better than anybody. We lost one scene in the entire first 12 episodes, and I don't think we have anything in season two that we shot that we did not use the whole. We use the whole thing.

[Stephen Colbert]

No. Use all the cow.

[Tony Gilroy]

Yeah. No really efficient stuff.

[Stephen Colbert]

That's a lot of cheese. Any Easter eggs that were in there that the audience caught that you even missed?

[Tony Gilroy]

I heard one, like, three days ago. I found out that I was out with Alan Tudyk, who plays K2, so. And it turns out that the droid. That's the KX unit that's in the Gorman Massacre, who does some different things, and it turns out that that's him and the audience has identified it. And I said, I was at Industrial Light and Magic, and he goes, did you guys put that in? And they go, yeah. And, like, I did not know that. So, yeah, I think there's probably a lot of things I've missed in there.

[Stephen Colbert]

You got a cameo in a couple of things. You got a cameo in Michael Clay do. And in the first season of Andor. Are you. Are you.

[Tony Gilroy]

I'm a voice.

[Stephen Colbert]

You're a voice in this.

[Tony Gilroy]

I. In Rogue One. We were shooting something and you have to do lines to feed actors. And so I did this really melodramatic dispatcher on the. On the tarmac of Y. Of Yavin.

[Stephen Colbert]

Can you give me a taste?

[Tony Gilroy]

Oh, Rogue One. There is no Rogue One. You know, one of, one of those kind of things. Huh?

[Stephen Colbert]

Oh, you're the guy who actually says.

[Tony Gilroy]

Are you, are you the guy who goes like, give.

[Stephen Colbert]

What's your call sign?

[Tony Gilroy]

Yes. And it was like. And I was always going to be replaced. And it was always. I was told it was gonna be replaced. My brother is the, you know, the grand poobah of all things editorial. And I get to the mix and no, oh, no, we're leaving it. We like it. We don't want to do anything else and everybody likes it, but it'll be fine. So then when we come back, we're trying to have consistency because we're walking into Rogue One. Yes. You gotta do it again.

[Stephen Colbert]

Well, Tony, good to see you.

[Tony Gilroy]

All right. Thank you so much. That's it.

[Stephen Colbert]

I thought so. Andor is streaming now on Disney plus. Tony Gilroy, everybody. Thank you for listening to the Late Show POD show with Stephen Colbert. Just one more thing. If you want to see more of me, come to The Late Show YouTube channel for more clips and exclusives.

[Unknown]

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