Tilda Swinton | Stop Spreading The News

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert – Episode Featuring Tilda Swinton | "Stop Spreading The News"

Release Date: January 8, 2025
Guest: Tilda Swinton
Host: Stephen Colbert
Episode Title: Tilda Swinton | Stop Spreading The News

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1. Opening Monologue: Politics and Pop Culture

Timestamp: [00:00 - 03:56]

Stephen Colbert kicks off the episode with his signature humor, sharing a personal anecdote about his father's passion for B2B marketing and return on ad spend (ROAS), eliciting laughter from the audience (00:00). Diving into the current political landscape, Colbert highlights a shift in public interest, noting, “A new poll says that 2/3 of US adults are tuning out political news” (01:04). He humorously critiques the decline in primetime viewership on MSNBC by suggesting, “Steve Kornacki. I think it might be time to ditch the khakis and show a little corn sacky” (01:14).

The conversation takes a satirical turn as Colbert discusses Donald Trump’s proposal to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, musing on the potential cultural and geographical implications (01:30). Transitioning to a heartfelt tribute, Colbert honors the late President Jimmy Carter, recounting his unique milestones such as being the first president born in a hospital and his enduring marriage to Rosalynn Carter (02:30). Colbert shares amusing fictional anecdotes about Carter’s presidency, including a bizarre encounter with a “killer rabbit,” blending humor with genuine respect for Carter’s legacy (03:08).

2. News Segments: Quirky Headlines and Local Heroes

Timestamp: [06:52 - 11:58]

In the news segment, Colbert delivers a humorous report on North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un's decree banning hot dogs, quipping, “UN is making sausage slinging, a serious offense” (07:09). This exaggerated story satirizes international policies and cultural restrictions, adding a layer of comedy to global news.

The episode shifts to a whimsical tale about escaped primates from South Carolina's Alpha Genesis Research facility. Colbert introduces local reporter Caroline Spikes, who provides a mock update on the situation, humorously suggesting that the monkeys have possibly returned home for "monkey holidays" like "Thanksgibbon" and "Baboonica" (08:00). The segment continues with an over-the-top narrative about the monkeys forming a quartet and preparing for a concert, blending absurdity with playful storytelling (09:00). Colbert’s mock-serious tone emphasizes the playful nature of these news segments, keeping listeners entertained with lighthearted content.

3. Interview with Tilda Swinton: New Year Traditions and Cinematic Insights

Timestamp: [11:58 - 24:23]

Introduction: Colbert welcomes Tilda Swinton, an Academy Award-winning actress known for her roles in "Michael Clayton," "Only Lovers Left Alive," and "Doctor Strange," setting the stage for an engaging and intimate conversation (11:58).

New Year’s Traditions: The discussion begins with Swinton sharing Scottish New Year traditions, such as "Hogmanay" and "first footing." Colbert and Swinton exchange humorous banter about the intricacies of these customs, with Swinton explaining, “We have a thing called first footing. I don't think you have first footing here” (14:05). The playful dialogue highlights cultural differences while maintaining a lighthearted atmosphere.

Whiskey and Hospitality: A humorous segment unfolds as Colbert and Swinton engage in a mock-serious conversation about whiskey. Swinton expresses her preference for smelling whiskey over drinking it, leading to a comedic exchange about the nuances of different types of whiskey (14:44). This segment showcases their chemistry and ability to blend humor with genuine interest.

Discussion on "The Room Next Door": Swinton delves into her latest film, "The Room Next Door," describing it as an uplifting story about life and death. She portrays the character Martha, a war correspondent facing terminal cancer, who decides to take control of her own end-of-life journey by enlisting her friend to accompany her (20:12). Swinton emphasizes the film’s central theme: “It's about living, really. Death's not interesting at all. It's the living” (24:23). This profound insight underscores the film’s exploration of mortality and personal agency.

Exploring Death and Acceptance: Colbert and Swinton engage in a deep conversation about society’s reluctance to discuss death. Swinton articulates the importance of accepting mortality, stating, “The sooner we get the hang of that and really absorb it, the sooner we can really relax around it and live properly” (21:17). Colbert probes further, asking Swinton to conceptualize a "happy death," to which she responds thoughtfully, envisioning a peaceful passing surrounded by loved ones (22:38). Their candid discussion offers listeners a reflective perspective on a universal topic.

Swinton’s Personal Reflections: Swinton shares personal anecdotes and philosophical musings on death and living, highlighting her belief in facing mortality with grace and presence. She concludes that embracing life fully is paramount, reinforcing the film’s message and offering listeners an inspiring takeaway (24:23).

4. Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Timestamp: [24:23 - End]

As the episode winds down, Colbert briefly promotes his upcoming projects and directs listeners to additional content on The Late Show YouTube channel (24:23). The episode closes with a humorous blend of ad snippets interspersed with light-hearted comments from Colbert and Swinton, maintaining the show's signature comedic flair until the very end (25:00).

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Notable Quotes:

• Stephen Colbert: “A new poll says that 2/3 of US adults are tuning out political news” (01:04)
• Stephen Colbert: “President Carter was once menaced by a killer rabbit” (03:08)
• Tilda Swinton: “We have a thing called first footing. I don't think you have first footing here” (14:05)
• Tilda Swinton: “It's about living, really. Death's not interesting at all. It's the living” (24:23)
• Tilda Swinton: “The sooner we get the hang of that and really absorb it, the sooner we can really relax around it and live properly” (21:17)

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Key Takeaways:

• Humorous Political Commentary: Colbert blends humor with sharp political insights, addressing current events and historical reflections with his unique comedic style.

• Whimsical News Segments: The episode features playful and fictionalized news stories that entertain while subtly satirizing real-world issues.

• Thought-Provoking Interview: Tilda Swinton provides a heartfelt and introspective conversation about life, death, and cultural traditions, offering depth alongside the show's humor.

• Engaging Chemistry: The rapport between Colbert and Swinton adds warmth and relatability, making the episode both entertaining and meaningful for listeners.

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This episode of The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert masterfully balances humor, satire, and heartfelt discussions, providing a rich and engaging listening experience. Whether delving into political satire, whimsical news stories, or profound conversations about life and death, Colbert and Swinton deliver content that is both entertaining and thought-provoking.

Transcript

[Stephen Colbert]

My dad works in B2B marketing. He came by my school for career day and said he was a big roas man. Then he told everyone how much he loved calculating his return on ad spend. My friends still laugh at me to this day.

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[Stephen Colbert]

Magnificent.

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[Tilda Swinton]

What a goal. What a player.

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[Tilda Swinton]

The stuff of absolute dreams.

[Stephen Colbert]

Nice to see you all. Welcome to the Late Show. I'm your host, Stephen Colbert. You know, if you watch regularly, then you know that here at the Late show we have a self imposed, ill conceived mandate to every night talk about what people are talking about. The thing is, that was before Trump won reelection. After what people are talking about is that they don't want to talk about what everybody's talking about. In fact, this is true. A new poll says that 2/3 of US adults are tuning out political news, which is just more proof that our politics is something. I don't know what. I've been tuning it out. Democrats are particularly tuned out, which could be why after election night, primetime viewership of MSNBC is down 50. Listen up, MSNBC. You gotta do whatever it takes to get those viewers back. Steve Kornacki. I think it might be time to ditch the khakis and show a little corn sacky, you know, uh, oh, work the touch screen. Still, the guy who isn't president yet is doing everything he can to capture our attention. Today he held a press conference at his hotel home and he said, we're going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. Yeah, yeah. It's going to be a long four years. So now, if I understand this correctly, the Gulf of Mexico will become the Gulf of America. New Mexico will be dry America and Cinco de Mayo will be the 5th of Mayo. With all the horrible people who are going to be coming back into power with him, it's good to remember that decent human beings like Jimmy Carter existed. Jimmy Carter. President Carter, who last Sunday passed away at 100. Was it murder? Probably not. As our oldest Surviving President Carter was a lesson in humility and perseverance. He rose from being a peanut farmer in Plains, Georgia, to become the commander in chief. Let's take a moment right now to remember some of the more colorful details of this man's great life. In 1924, Jimmy Carter became the first US president to be born in a hospital. It's true, before Carter, every single president was hatched. Carter also had one of the greatest love stories in political history. He was married to his wife Rosalynn for 77 years. And it was love. Yeah. Isn't that wonderful?

[Tilda Swinton]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

It was love at first sight. The day after Jimmy took Rosalyn on their first date to the movies, he told his mother that he knew he wanted to marry her. Of course, it didn't hurt that they saw the sexiest movie at the time, Abbott and Costello in who's on Top?

[Tilda Swinton]

When.

[Stephen Colbert]

When Carter took the oath of office in 1977, he used the name Jimmy instead of James, becoming the first president to be inaugurated by a nickname. But only because they refused to inaugurate the fourth teen president by his nickname, Franklin Pepperoni Nipples Pierce Carter was also the first presidential candidate to give an interview to Playboy magazine, in which he famously said he'd looked on a lot of women with lust and committed adultery in my heart many times. Shocking words, but not quite as shocking as the centerfold. Carter's presidency was plagued by many challenges. Inflation, the Iran hostage crisis, and most dramatic of all, President Carter was once menaced by a killer rabbit. This is true. Here's what happened. In 1979, Carter was fishing on a pond in Georgia when he spotted an animal swimming toward his boat. That animal, it turned out, was an enraged swamp rabbit that was making strange hissing noises and gnashing its teeth. So Carter dipped a paddle into the water and splashed the oncoming rabbit, driving it to the opposite end of the pond. You can see it all in the classic 1970s Spielberg thriller Pause. That was a long walk is what that was. But we pulled a rabbit out of the hat. President Carter. President Carter went on to redefine the post presidency as a time of service, giving back to the American people and really helping protect voting rights worldwide. But no American hero, of course, can die without Donald Trump making it all about himself. After Carter's death, President Biden ordered federal flags to be flown at half staff for 30 days, which is just traditional. But that means flags will still be lowered during Trump's inauguration, making him big mad. So he truth, nobody wants to see this, and no American can be happy about it. Coincidentally, that is also the title of the Late Show's inauguration coverage. 25 TRUMP IS TRUMP IS so peeved that the death of a former beloved president is getting any notice on his special day that he even falsely accused Democrats of being giddy about the lowered flags. Yes, giddy. Because if there's one feeling associated with death, it's glee. Who can forget this moment from the Lion King.

[Paramount Ad Voice]

Long live the King.

[Tilda Swinton]

Yay.

[Stephen Colbert]

In News Internationale, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un has banned hot dogs. Well, that's it. I will not be visiting North Korea now. UN is making sausage slinging, a serious offense. In fact, people caught selling or cooking hot dogs could face time in the country's labor camps. Instead, Kim is urging people to prepare North Korea's traditional dish. Nothing turning back to domestic affairs Monkeys there's more news about the escaped primates of South Carolina's Alpha Genesis Research facility. This is an OO A update. Welcome. When last we met, Alpha Genesis had stopped providing updates, and it was unknown if any monkeys were still on the loose. Of course, that was back in December, so it's possible that the monkeys had simply gone home for the monkey holidays. Thanksgibbon, chimpmas and of course, the eight miraculous nights of Baboonica. But we here at U are thrilled to announce that thanks to our hard work, other people have done something and the remaining four loose monkeys have been spotted. According to the latest reports, locals have been seeing the monkey quartet together in a tree. Of course, that's where the monkey quartet practices for their upcoming concert. It's a classic monkey quartet. Violin, viola, cello and biting the conductor's face. For more on Alpha Genesis response, we go to our CBS affiliate, wcsc, South Carolina's Monkey News leader, and their lead primate reporter, Caroline Spikes. Caroline has have you been keeping in touch with the CEO Greg Westergaard over the last few weeks?

[Caroline Spikes]

I've been keeping in touch with the CEO Greg Westergaard over the last few weeks. But today he tells me there are four monkeys remaining, and because they appear to be doing well and behaving normally, he's willing to wait before making any decisions to tranquilize them.

[Stephen Colbert]

Thanks, Caroline. Sounds like a very humane response from the CEO. He wants to make sure the monkeys are doing well before he shoots them in the neck and brings them back to the lab to do not as well. But no matter what happens to these monkeys, they're already heroes for those who have needed their community lifted.

[Caroline Spikes]

Caroline Annette Yeomans has decided to use this to her business benefit. She says People from the west coast have ordered her shirts, hats, candles and koozies.

[Tilda Swinton]

Business has really been up. I mean, everybody's wanting shirts. I've shipped them and people are still coming.

[Stephen Colbert]

Good for her. Hopefully that merch is selling way better than their previous T shirts. No monkeys here. But folks, this story has inspired me because it has gone far beyond a mere. Ooh, a update. This is now a monkey merch Portunity. Welcome, shoppers. If you love South Carolina's assortment of monkey approved products, then you're going to love my new low country cookbook. Does this taste monkey? It's got delicious family recipes for every classic monkey dish. Banana bread, banana muffins, and everyone's favorite, biting the conductor's face. We've got a great show for you tonight.

[Tilda Swinton]

Coming up. Tilda Swinton.

[Caroline Spikes]

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[Stephen Colbert]

Roll out.

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[Stephen Colbert]

Okay, stop.

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[Tilda Swinton]

Different character in me.

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[Tilda Swinton]

America has taken his team on his shoulders.

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[Stephen Colbert]

These are the goals that create legends.

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[Stephen Colbert]

Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen. Ladies and gentlemen, my first guest this evening is an Academy award winner. You know, from Michael Clayton, Only Lovers Left Alive and Doctor Strange. She now stars in the room next door.

[Tilda Swinton]

Ingrid, do you think I need to say goodbye to my closest friends? I think you should do whatever you want to do. Just want peace and quiet. Have you thought about how you want to spend your time? And where Is there someplace you'd like to go? Look. Pink snowflakes. There had to be something good about climate change. Well, I've lived to see that.

[Stephen Colbert]

Please welcome back to the Late Show, Tilda Swinton. Hello.

[Tilda Swinton]

Hello. Happy New Year.

[Stephen Colbert]

Happy New Year. Nice to see you again.

[Tilda Swinton]

Very nice. To be here.

[Stephen Colbert]

Now, we don't get a lot of guests from the Scottish Highlands.

[Tilda Swinton]

That's a mistake.

[Stephen Colbert]

No, I think it is. That's on us. And we apologize to all of you. There's more than we Highland Scots. Yeah. I understand there's a couple more of you up there, but you also, you have some very interesting New Year's traditions that we don't have on the side of the pond. I understand there's something called. I'm sure I'm pronouncing this incorrectly. Hogmanay.

[Tilda Swinton]

Well, Hogmanay is New Year.

[Stephen Colbert]

That's what it means.

[Tilda Swinton]

That's what it means. There's a lot of drinking. It has to be said. But that's not. To Scottish people.

[Stephen Colbert]

We got it from you, but we do it now, too.

[Tilda Swinton]

Yeah. You're very welcome.

[Stephen Colbert]

Thank you.

[Tilda Swinton]

We have a thing called first footing. I don't think you have first footing here.

[Stephen Colbert]

No, we don't. No.

[Tilda Swinton]

We have after what we call the bells, which is 12, midnight. Any. And this is. There's a license here, which you have to be a little nervous about. Any dark stranger who comes to your door with a lump of coal in his hand. His hand, actually, I don't know. But let's say his hand could be anybody, I suppose, is allowed in.

[Stephen Colbert]

So after a minute, someone goes, knock, knock, knock. Let me in. I'm a brunette and I've got some anthracite here. And then what happens? Do you.

[Tilda Swinton]

Whiskey.

[Stephen Colbert]

Whiskey. More whiskey. Wow. Wow.

[Tilda Swinton]

It's called Highland hospitality.

[Stephen Colbert]

Wow.

[Tilda Swinton]

Wow.

[Stephen Colbert]

Do you enjoy a dram?

[Tilda Swinton]

A tiny dram? What I really love doing with whiskey is smelling it. Oh, smelling whiskey is the best. I mean, I don't know. I'm not so much of a drinker, but to smell it.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah, sure. Would you like to smell some whiskey?

[Tilda Swinton]

Have you got some.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah. Yeah, sure.

[Tilda Swinton]

Really? What have you got in there? Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

Now, this isn't. We don't. I don't. I don't enjoy scotch, unfortunately, but I have American whiskey.

[Tilda Swinton]

But we're talking about. We're not talking about Scotch. You know that Scotch is not whiskey.

[Stephen Colbert]

I did not know that.

[Tilda Swinton]

Scotch is blend.

[Stephen Colbert]

Okay.

[Tilda Swinton]

We're going to be a snob, and we might as well be because it's New Year.

[Stephen Colbert]

Sure.

[Tilda Swinton]

Malt whiskey, single malt. That's what we're talking about. Have you got anything single malt in there?

[Stephen Colbert]

Well, this is a very good American bourbon.

[Tilda Swinton]

Well, okay.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah, it's a very good. It's hard to get that.

[Tilda Swinton]

You know what? Okay.

[Stephen Colbert]

Okay.

[Tilda Swinton]

Here we go.

[Stephen Colbert]

It'll I mean, I've also got, like, Cuban rum.

[Tilda Swinton]

Well, that's a whole nother story.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah, exactly. But this is exactly.

[Tilda Swinton]

This is very nice.

[Stephen Colbert]

This is very.

[Tilda Swinton]

Here's the thing about Scotland. I have. You've been to Scotland?

[Stephen Colbert]

I have, yeah.

[Tilda Swinton]

Have you been to the Highlands in the summer?

[Stephen Colbert]

No.

[Tilda Swinton]

Go to the Highlands in the summer. And it rains occasionally in Scotland, as you might have heard. There's a legend that it rains.

[Stephen Colbert]

Sure, sure, sure.

[Tilda Swinton]

And in. In the heat when the. When the rain, like, comes off the land, it smells like this.

[Stephen Colbert]

Wow.

[Tilda Swinton]

You could probably get drunk just smelling the peat. Isn't that lovely?

[Stephen Colbert]

That's gorgeous.

[Tilda Swinton]

I'm gonna drink that.

[Stephen Colbert]

I might just. See ya. There you go.

[Tilda Swinton]

Slangeva.

[Stephen Colbert]

Slangeva.

[Tilda Swinton]

Slangeva.

[Caroline Spikes]

Good health.

[Stephen Colbert]

Good deal. So hug money. No. Now, we just saw a clip of your new film, the Room Next Door.

[Tilda Swinton]

Yes.

[Stephen Colbert]

For which your performance received a Golden Globe nomination.

[Tilda Swinton]

Yeah. Very proud.

[Stephen Colbert]

I, being a lowly late night host, I've never been to the Golden Globes or the Oscars. We only do the Emmys. Do you enjoy the getting all sparkly? And here you are looking just absolutely lovely and elegant right there. How was the evening for you? Is this an idea? Like, are you getting excited? Is this a fun thing?

[Tilda Swinton]

It's. It's. Fun's not quite the right word. I mean, it is fun, but it's, you know, it's a big office party. Right. It's a massive office party. But I don't work at that office, but I'm, you know, But I'm like the person who once delivered a package, so I get invited somehow.

[Stephen Colbert]

Sure. You occasionally deliver packages.

[Tilda Swinton]

Really, really happy to go.

[Stephen Colbert]

Oh, wow.

[Tilda Swinton]

Really happy to be invited.

[Stephen Colbert]

You like the parties and that kind of stuff?

[Tilda Swinton]

Yeah, very funny.

[Stephen Colbert]

Parties. Yeah. Favorite fun party.

[Tilda Swinton]

There was a very, very funny moment. Well, I found it. We found it funny. My sort of gang and I found it funny. I went to a party. There are parties around the Globes. They're probably around the Emmys as well.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah, sure.

[Tilda Swinton]

Sort of like cluster parties. I don't know. You may be the nicer.

[Stephen Colbert]

I don't know.

[Tilda Swinton]

I bet.

[Stephen Colbert]

Movies, tv.

[Tilda Swinton]

Well, now stop it. And we went to one of these parties before, whatever it was, the Globes. And you come at the party and you've had maybe a sniff of whiskey, and there are people outside with cameras and lights and they ask you questions and they very often ask you what are your favorite movies? What are your favorite performances? And this particular year, I hadn't really seen anything. And so I Said off the cuff that my favorite film of the year, and you may agree with this, was Tears on a Napkin with the incomparable Curtsy Thrust, who gave the performance of her life. And there was also a great favorite thwack, exclamation mark, which was musical with flange placket. And I just went on with a list of these completely fictional films and the next day we went to another party and we came out and I kind of started again and the person who was interviewing me said, oh yeah, I heard, I. I hear Curtsy is just incomparable searing performance.

[Stephen Colbert]

Wow.

[Tilda Swinton]

So that's that.

[Stephen Colbert]

I've missed. Thwack.

[Tilda Swinton]

Yeah, Thwack. I think.

[Stephen Colbert]

Flange.

[Tilda Swinton]

Flange Plackett. Flange placket.

[Stephen Colbert]

Searing is great.

[Tilda Swinton]

Searing. Searing, that's the word.

[Stephen Colbert]

I love that. There's nothing like a good lie for fun.

[Tilda Swinton]

A good searing performance.

[Stephen Colbert]

Do you always tell the truth in your biography or do you ever make up things about you?

[Tilda Swinton]

My biography.

[Stephen Colbert]

Like when people say like, well, like a bio.

[Tilda Swinton]

What have you done?

[Stephen Colbert]

The bio that goes into like a playbill or like your personal bio that gets sent out like a publish. Do you ever lie in that?

[Tilda Swinton]

Do you know, I've never thought of lying. It's quite a good idea.

[Stephen Colbert]

I used to lie in mine all the time. My old ones, if you find them, listen. Anywhere says that I started off as an ice dancer in something called the Frozen Peaches, which was a Georgia based ice dancing company that recreated civil war battles, stuff like that. Had a great time.

[Tilda Swinton]

Next year the movie and then you'll get to go to the Golden Globes.

[Stephen Colbert]

We have to take a quick break. We'll be right back with more Tilda Swinton, everybody. We're back with Tilda Swinton. This is directed this film, Pedro Almaldovo. Yes. And it is. It's his first English feature.

[Tilda Swinton]

Yes.

[Stephen Colbert]

Can you tell us a little bit what it's about and who you play?

[Tilda Swinton]

It is about a woman who I play called Martha, who was a war correspondent and who has stage four terminal cancer and is facing the end and decides that she wants to take her own life. She wants to face her living end with it in her own hands. She wants to be self determined. To the Wire and she asks her friend, played by Julianne Moore, to be her mate, to accompany her and to be in the room next door. It's about that. It's got some laughs in it, but it's truly uplifting. I think I'm not alone in thinking that it's about living.

[Stephen Colbert]

Let's go into that for a second. Because people don't want to talk about death. People are not that thrilled to even think about grief, you know, the result of the death. But it can be uplifting to consider it. Why do you think people. Why do you think people don't want to talk about death? It might seem like a simple question, but I'm just curious what your thoughts are.

[Tilda Swinton]

It's the question because it seems such a waste to me, because it is the deal. We all know it. However, we may tell ourselves stories that it's only unlucky people who die or unlucky people who lose people. It's not the case. And it's coming. And the sooner we get the hang of that and really absorb it, the sooner we can really relax around it and live properly. And there's a moment in this film where Martha says, I think I deserve a good death. And I believe this is really a statement that we all deserve. And we all deserve to look for that and to plan for it even. How is our life going to be worth it? Because it's coming. I think any time spent looking for a good end, which might mean planning it for decades, like not being unhappy, for example.

[Stephen Colbert]

You know, there's a patron saint of a happy death. And I'm curious whether you got a plan for a happy death. Like, what would. I'm not asking you to die or to embrace it.

[Tilda Swinton]

You know, I might.

[Stephen Colbert]

You might. You might someday. But you are famous, so it's less likely. Jimmy, you know, not gonna happen at a party, even.

[Tilda Swinton]

Jimmy Carter.

[Stephen Colbert]

That's true.

[Tilda Swinton]

Rest in peace, even.

[Stephen Colbert]

True. Yeah. But what is a happy death? Like, this saint died because he was surrounded. It's just St. Joseph, Mary's on one side and Jesus is on the other when he dies. That's why it's a happy death. Can you think of a happy death for yourself?

[Tilda Swinton]

I love that thought. I've always thought I would like to arrange my children on one side and my sweetheart around the top and some dogs around the bottom and just. That would be a happy death. But you know what?

[Stephen Colbert]

And just evaporate and just evaporate. That'd be nice if that's what it feels like. Evaporating. Yeah.

[Tilda Swinton]

This might be there.

[Stephen Colbert]

I hope death smells like this.

[Tilda Swinton]

It might. Yes, it might.

[Stephen Colbert]

I would go toward the light.

[Tilda Swinton]

But the thing is that we all know that death can be really gnarly and really painful. And we sitting around feeling helpless when our friends and loved ones are going through that experience is really tough. And sometimes People find it very difficult to actually look at it. This film is about not looking away. Both Martha, who's in the hot seat, who's on her way out, is looking it in the face, and she asks her friend to do the same. And that's a great thing. That's a great thing to do for someone to go, I will be your witness, and I will be here, and I will not try and mess with it, because I know I can't. And you don't have to be alone. That's something we can all do for people. And I've been in that situation many times in my life. It's a graceful thing for me. It's a privilege to be able to say that. And I've learned from the people that I've been around when they've been dismounting, that to look it in the face is the best way not to be frightened. Because it's all about living, really. Death's not interesting at all. It's the living Slange bar.

[Stephen Colbert]

The Room Next Door is in select theaters now and will be nationwide on January 17th. Tilda Swinton, 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.

[Paramount Ad Voice]

Now streaming on Paramount. Plus, what's your job?

[Tilda Swinton]

When people go missing, I get hired.

[Stephen Colbert]

To help find them.

[Paramount Ad Voice]

Catch up now on Tracker. I'm here to help the CBS original series that critics are calling a breakout hit.

[Tilda Swinton]

Nothing good comes without risks. I will drink to that.

[Paramount Ad Voice]

Justin Hartley star.

[Stephen Colbert]

Hold on. Did you say Arrow Run?

[Tilda Swinton]

That's a new one.

[Paramount Ad Voice]

Coulter in the CBS original Tracker. Catch up on the latest episodes now on Paramount.

[Caroline Spikes]

I don't want to get promoted.

[Stephen Colbert]

I want to stay charmingly insubordinate.

[Tilda Swinton]

Flameler.

[Stephen Colbert]

I'm okay.

[Paramount Ad Voice]

Now streaming.

[Stephen Colbert]

Let's do this. Am I catching it?

[Paramount Ad Voice]

Prepare for an adventure.

[Stephen Colbert]

I know these guys.

[Caroline Spikes]

They're super nice.

[Stephen Colbert]

Hey, what's up, man?

[Paramount Ad Voice]

Man, five seasons in the making.

[Stephen Colbert]

Damn it. This is terrible. This keeps getting cooler by the second.

[Paramount Ad Voice]

Star Trek lower decks. Final season, now streaming.