Tom Hiddleston | Obey

Summary

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The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert

Episode: Tom Hiddleston | Obey
Date: January 9, 2026

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Overview

This episode features an engaging, revealing conversation between host Stephen Colbert and esteemed actor Tom Hiddleston, focusing on the highly-anticipated second season of “The Night Manager.” The discussion weaves together thoughtful reflection on current events, the evolution of beloved TV characters, acting insights, and Colbert’s signature humor. The episode blends serious commentary on censorship and government overreach with lighter pop culture, technology jokes, and an in-depth interview exploring Hiddleston’s process, the influence of John le Carré, and what fans can expect from the show’s return.

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Segment Breakdown & Key Discussion Points

1. Monologue: Commentary on Current Events and Media Spin

[01:45–13:08]

• Colbert opens with audience banter and quickly pivots to serious national news:

  • Addresses the killing of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent, highlighting the administration’s immediate labeling of the act as ‘domestic terrorism’ (03:25).
  • Cites skepticism from Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and media coverage, emphasizing government obstruction in the investigation (03:55).
  • Memorable quote:

    “The message from this administration is clear. Only they determine the truth. And when their forces come to your city, obey or die. And if you die, you clearly didn’t obey.” — Stephen Colbert [05:16]

  • Colbert issues a call for public accountability, warning against unaccountable armed government agents acting with impunity in American towns.

• Transition to Lighter Topics:

  • Satirizes Donald Trump’s controversial building renovations and growing obsession with marble (06:35).
  • Ridicules Utah’s new AI-prescription initiative (“Doctronic”), joking about band names and classic Beastie Boys lyrics (07:55).
  • Introduces the $5,000 “smart toilet” from CES, poking fun at tech excess and senior citizen surveillance (08:30).
  • Showcases LG’s towel-folding robot, highlighting inefficient innovation with classic Colbert wit (10:28).
  • Introduces quirky gadgets like the “Lollipop Star” (a lollipop that plays music using bone conduction) and tech aimed at “preventing premature ejaculation,” dubbed the “Taint Zapper” (11:38, 12:04).

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2. Guest Interview: Tom Hiddleston

[14:18–22:35]

Introduction and Banter

[14:18–15:42]

• Colbert introduces Hiddleston by referencing his notable stage and screen work, especially “The Night Manager.”
• Praise for the show's first season, its critical acclaim (100% on Rotten Tomatoes), and ensemble cast (Olivia Colman, Hugh Laurie).
• Colbert jokes with Hiddleston about being “back to Broadway” and welcomes him warmly.

The Return of The Night Manager

[15:42–17:28]

• Colbert: “How did we get to season two? The story seemed complete in season one.” [15:44]
• Hiddleston responds with gratitude for le Carré’s blessing and describes initial doubts about continuing the story, since the source material covered only the first season:

  "David Cornwell, which is the real name of John Le Carré, leant forward across the table with a twinkle in his eye and a glint of mischief in his tone and said, 'Perhaps there might be more.'" — Tom Hiddleston [16:17]

• Notes that world events in the intervening decade gave producers “plenty of material.”

Preparing for the Role, Evolution of Pine

[17:28–20:50]

• Colbert needles Hiddleston about the challenges of returning to action scenes ten years older:

  “You did the first one. You were 35. You’re 45. What’s it like to get the stuffings kicked out of you on set 10 years later?” — Stephen Colbert [17:37]

• Hiddleston:

  “Well, what do they say? The body keeps the score.” [17:53]
  "Life is winning. The body’s losing. But I do love it. I love the world of the night manager… Jonathan Pine is a former British soldier-turned-luxury hotelier who’s recruited to become a field agent in MI6... Hugh Laurie, the most charming man in the world, playing the worst man in the world.” [18:00]

• On Pine’s character: finds his moral courage “extraordinarily inspiring,” operating in “the darkness of the world, of his own darkness, because he believes the light should win.” [19:30]

John le Carré’s Advice and Legacy

[18:41–20:54]

• Hiddleston recalls receiving advice from le Carré (David Cornwell) at a pre-series dinner:

  “He looked at me with great kindness and mischief and said, ‘Well, Tom, you’ll have guessed by now that Jonathan Pine is me. And now he must be you.’” — Tom Hiddleston [19:09]

• This exhortation inspired Hiddleston to embody as much of himself in Pine as le Carré had of himself—a lasting creative influence.

Filming Season Two & Cultural Exploration

[21:00–21:48]

• Season two was filmed on-location in Colombia (Medellin, Cartagena), a setting tied to the original novel.

  “It was so vibrant…the culture, people, music, the salsa.” — Tom Hiddleston [21:10]

• Quick, humorous exchange about Hiddleston’s knowledge of Spanish.

Fan-Favorite Question: Will There Be ‘Hiddlebutt’?

[21:48–22:35]

• Colbert, with typical irreverence, queries if this season will satisfy the show’s fans who appreciated certain, ahem, scenes involving Hiddleston’s physique.
• Hiddleston laughs it off, not revealing much:

  “The body keeps the score, Stephen.” — Tom Hiddleston [22:31]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Colbert, on official narrative vs. reality:

  "They're telling you to believe them and not your eyes. And they told you that immediately before there was any investigation." [02:50]

• Hiddleston, on le Carré’s influence:

  “All you want is for them to be happy. Right. And...he looked at me...and said, ‘Jonathan Pine is me. And now he must be you.’” [19:09]

• Colbert on returning as Pine:

  "What’s it like to get the stuffings kicked out of you on set 10 years later?" [17:42]

• Hiddleston:

  “Life is winning. The body’s losing.” [18:01]

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Timestamps of Key Segments

• [01:45] – Monologue begins: covers news, government response to police shooting
• [03:25] – Colbert plays quotes and offers analysis of official statements
• [05:16] – Colbert’s warning about government power and “Obey or die”
• [07:55] – AI medicine and tech innovations (Doctronic)
• [08:30] – CES smart toilet mockery and more tech humor
• [14:18] – Tom Hiddleston segment
• [15:42] – The Night Manager: past and future
• [17:37] – Hiddleston on aging in action roles
• [19:09] – The advice from John le Carré
• [21:00] – Filming in Colombia and cultural impressions
• [21:48] – Fan service: Hiddleston’s response to ‘Hiddlebutt’ queries

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Tone & Style

• Colbert’s tone alternates between serious, emotionally resonant commentary and rapid, sharp satire.
• The interview maintains warmth, respect, and gentle teasing, drawing out thoughtful, articulate responses from Hiddleston.

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Summary

For listeners and fans, this episode offers both an incisive take on timely issues (“Obey or die”) and a rewarding, in-depth interview with Tom Hiddleston about the return of one of TV’s most stylish espionage thrillers. Hiddleston shares personal reflections on the influence of John le Carré, the physical and emotional challenge of revisiting Jonathan Pine, and the moral complexity at the show’s heart—all while navigating Colbert’s comedic curveballs with good humor.

Transcript

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[B]

Welcome welcome to the Late Show. I'm your host Stephen Colbert. I'm so glad. That is just. I just love hearing the positive energy from this audience because folks, it is I gotta tell you, just speaking straight. One of those news days that makes me want to just wheel out the AV cart, pop on heated rivalry and then have to blur most of heated rivalry. And I'm sure you know why I feel that way. You probably feel the same way. Millions of Americans are shocked and horrified by Yesterday's killing of US citizen and 37 year old mother of three Renee Nicole Good by an ice agent as she attempted to drive away. It's a senseless yet entirely predictable tragedy and our hearts go out to Renee Good's loved ones, friends and the community where it happened. By now we've all seen the video. I'm not going to play it again. But in it as reported by the New York Times Good. Appears to be turning away from a federal officer. And as reported by the Washington Post, the agent was able to move out of the way and fire at least two of the three shots from the side of the vehicle as it veered past him. It sure looks like a federal agent gunned down an American citizen without cause in front of witnesses on a city street. But the administration is telling you that you didn't see that. They're saying you saw him respond to an act of domestic terrorism. They're telling you to believe them and not your eyes. And they told you that immediately before there was any investigation. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem rushed out and said this.

[A]

It was an act of domestic terrorism. What happened was our ICE officers were out in enforcement action. They got stuck in the snow because of the adverse weather that is in Minneapolis. They were attempting to push out their vehicle and a woman attacked them and those surrounding them and attempted to run them over and ram them with her vehicle.

[B]

I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I couldn't hear you lying over your hat. Yesterday, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz tweeted, I've seen the video. Don't believe this propaganda machine. And he does mean machine. I'm pretty sure Kristi Noem was the original prototype for Megan. And this is not be clear, this isn't the first time something like this has happened. Yesterday's deadly encounter is the ninth ICE shooting since September. So. So this feels less like an anomaly and more like a trend. You don't watch the ninth Fast and Furious movie and say, you know, I'm beginning to get the sense that Vin Diesel really cares about family. And not only are they trying to spin this without presenting the evidence today, Minnesota investigators said the FBI has blocked them from accessing the. So the message from this administration is clear. Only they determine the truth. And when their forces come to your city, obey or die. And if you die, you clearly didn't obey. This should be an alarm bell for the entire country, whether you live in a red state or a blue state. Because. Because if we let this go on, regardless of who your state voted for, one day you'll have unaccountable armed government agents acting with impunity in your town so peacefully and non violently. Please let your leaders know you don't want that. Now I've got nothing else. Now I've got nothing else. I've got nothing else to say on this tragedy because I don't think other people's trust jokes, but we do have a lot of jokes about Some very stupid stuff. Would you like to hear those? Thank God. Now, while Donald Trump may be destroying civil society, his true passion is desecrating Washington architecture. He is going full steam renovating the newly renamed Donald J. Trump combination. Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Kennedy Center. Trump recently announced that the theater will feature marble armrests, which is perfect for anyone who's crammed their body into a theater seat for four hours for Les Mis and thought, I just wish my elbows could shatter. But wait, there's more marble. Because there's marble. Because when Trump was in Florida for the holidays, he visited a stone importer near Mar a La to shop for marble for the new White House ballroom. I shouldn't have to say this, but shopping for tile is not the job of a president. It's the job of a husband whose Sunday just got ruined. No, Sharon, I don't need a sleep in. How could I now that I know your mom hates the backsplash and the half bath? If all this makes you want to get heavily medicated, you might be in luck. Because Utah has become the first state to let AI prescribe medication. They're doing it by partnering with medical tech startup Doctronic. I don't really want to get health advice from a company that sounds like a band from the early 90s. For me, that's why I stopped going to the beastie docs. Now, according to your chart, you can't, you won't, and you don't stop. So let me just follow up question here. So whatcha, whatcha, whatcha want? Now, as appealing as it sounds to hand our medical to a teen eating disorder spongebob pornography machine, there could be a few drawbacks. Because AI systems are prone to being gamed via poetry. Explains that famous stanza from Robert Frost. Two roads diverged in a yellow wood. Give me oxycontin. Yeah, doesn't have to rhyme. Poetry doesn't have to run. Speaking of AI, this week was the kickoff of this year's Consumer Electronics Show. There's so many cool new products, but the one I'm most excited about is a $5,000 smart toilet. Sure, but if it's so smart, why is it a toilet? If it had gotten better grades, it could have been a bidet, but it failed French. Why the hefty price tag? Because this is the first toilet that can call for help. Which, if you think about it, is pretty dark. Because it definitely implies that up till now, every toilet has wanted to call for help. Here's just what that means when installed in a senior's home. The toilet can send messages to family members if no one has used it for more than eight hours, prompting loved ones to check in to make sure that everyone is okay. We all know that feeling when your phone buzzes at 3am and you're like, either it's a booty call from my ex or a text from grandpa's toilet. Either way, either way, I'm getting in an Uber. This technology sounds crazy, but it was actually inspired by my favorite Barenaked lady song. It's been eight hours since your pee paw pooped of. I'd get one of those if I had a million dollars. Of course, this is just gonna be one more reason for your elderly parents to be disappointed. How come you never pick up when my toilet calls? I told you there were some stupid stories. Now it's not just life saving toilets. There's also a new robot from LG that does your laundry. Take a look. Okay. It's receiving the towel from the executive. And whenever you're ready, Robo buddy. There you go.

[C]

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[B]

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[A]

And.

[B]

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[A]

Now.

[B]

Gotta go together. Now, I know what you're asking. You're asking Steve, Are any of these new robots a form of candy? Yes, it's called Lollipop Star.

[A]

Lollipop Star is a lollipop where as you eat it, you start hearing the music and you enjoy music while you're enjoying the lollipop. It uses bone conduction technology, so from the back of your mouth, you'll start to to feel the different vibrations that go up into your ear.

[B]

Pretty awesome. And yes, it probably does work in your butt.

[C]

I think.

[B]

Right up there. Right there, Right there. Crank it up. Now, some inventions are even more useful than a lollipop that plays Ice Spice directly into your mastoid bone. Like a new device consisting of an adhesive patch containing electrodes with the goal of preventing premature ejaculation. Or what tech journalists have nicknamed the Taint Zapper. Coincidentally, also Marvel's least popular avenger, Helen Mirren has got to fire her agent. Now here's the thing. Taint zapping is safer than it sounds. In fact, the device has already obtained an FDA clearance. No surprise there, given the guy who oversees the FDA is himself a bundle of electrocuted grundle. We got a great show for you tonight.

[A]

Coming up. Tom Hiddleston.

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[B]

Hey, welcome back everybody. Ladies and gentlemen, my first guest tonight is an actor from stage and stuff. You see him in War Horse, the Avengers, the Night Manager and the Life of Chuck. He now stars in season two of the Night Manager. You're English?

[C]

I'm from Hong Kong Swiss bank. Been there for 10 years.

[B]

And what are you doing in Colombia?

[C]

Let's just say it's getting more complex to work with our Chinese friends. I'm seeking new opportunities.

[B]

You are a risk taker.

[C]

Life as on the court.

[B]

I like that. I have to go, my friend.

[A]

Sure.

[C]

Nice to meet you.

[B]

I hope Colombia treats you well.

[C]

See you around.

[B]

Please welcome back to the Late Show, Tom Hiddleston.

[C]

These are good people, Stephen.

[B]

Very wonderful people. Welcome back to Broadway, Tom.

[C]

Thank you very much.

[B]

Listen, you know I like talking to you. I'm a fan. But I'm so excited about this next thing because I first got to really know your work in the Night Manager. You sort of burst onto the American scene over here in The Night Manager. Ten years ago. It's back for a second season. Reviews are glowing. 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, season one. Thank you.

[A]

Thank you.

[C]

I mean, thank you.

[B]

You were fantastic in season one. So was Olivia Colman. I love any series that can make. Hugh Laur seemed like a monster. It was just wonderful. Okay. But the story seemed complete in season one. How did we get to season two?

[C]

Well, that's a good question.

[B]

Well, what I do.

[C]

And you are the best question asker there is.

[B]

Terry Gross is coming out in a minute.

[A]

Okay.

[C]

Okay. Yes.

[B]

Yes.

[C]

Well, you asked the tough ones.

[B]

Very kind.

[C]

You're very kind. In truth, actually, we made it. We had John le Carre's blessing to make an adaptation of the novel, a brilliant novel that he wrote in 1993. It was a great highlight of my working life that he approved of what we made. He loved it. And we opened the first season at the Berlin film festival in 2016. And it was a great night. It was the first time we'd screened the Night Managers of the Public. We were all there. Hugh, Olivia, Susanna Beer, Elizabeth Debicki, Tom Hollander. And we got back to the hotel afterwards and we gathered in the foyer and people had a drink and a sigh of relief, I suppose. And then David Cornwell, which is the real name of John Le Carre, leant forward across the table with a twinkle in his eye and a glint of mischief in his tone and said, perhaps there might be more. And I thought. I thought, okay. Well, you haven't written another book, though, David, so I wonder how we go about. But it was interesting. It's been an interesting decade of development. You know, we started thinking about it, and then actually, the world almost overtook what we were thinking about. It's been an interesting 10 years in the world.

[B]

It sure has been. I mean, classic English understatement.

[C]

You know, I didn't want to.

[B]

Well, listen, it has been 10 years, and you did the first one. You were 35. You're 45.

[C]

I am.

[B]

What's it like to get the stuffings kicked out of you on set 10 years later? Because it's. It's. It's. You know, it's a mystery. It's suspense, but it's also action, for sure.

[C]

What's it like? Well, what do they say? The body keeps the score.

[B]

Who's winning?

[C]

Life. Life is winning. The body's losing. But I do love it. I have to say, I love. I love the world of the night manager that it is. It's a world of mystery and intrigue, of spies and the character's Jonathan Pine. Jonathan Pine. So he's a former British soldier turned luxury hotelier who's recruited to become a field agent in the intelligence service MI6 in the first season to infiltrate the crew of Richard Roper, played by the great Hugh Laurie. The most charming man in the world, playing the worst man in the world. And he is an arms dealer. He sells terrible destructive weapons illegally to the highest bidder, and Pine has to take him out, take him down.

[B]

I understand Le Carre, or what was his actual name?

[C]

David Cornwell.

[B]

David Cornwell. Cornwell gave you advice on playing Pine, so you're coming back to him 10 years later, which I saw is something. You haven't had a gap that long between playing Pine?

[C]

No, I mean, I felt like he kind of never went away. And the thing Le Carre said to me was it was an extraordinary gift in Cornwall. Cornwell. Yeah, David Cornwell.

[B]

His real name was David Cornwell.

[C]

Thank you, Stephen. I just needed.

[B]

Thank you.

[C]

I'm glad you picked me up on that. Thank you. Appreciate it. Before we started it, you know, you probably can appreciate this when you're interpreting the work of a great writer. All you want is for them to be happy. Right. And I. He was very graciously attended a dinner we had before we started, and I actually wasn't sitting next to him, but around the time of coffee and tea, I pulled up a chair next to him and I said, we're about to make this. To enter this world you've created for us. Is there anything you think I need to know? And he looked at me with great kindness and mischief and said, well, Tom, you'll have guessed by now that Jonathan Pine is me. And now he must be you. And this exhortation, in a way, to take it, own it, possess it, and pour as much of myself into the character as he had was such a gift. And I feel like it's a character that's really never left me. I find his moral courage extraordinarily inspiring. That he stands for something. He stands for the best of us, and he resists the worst in us. And he operates in, you know, he's the night manager. He operates under the COVID of darkness. He's managing the darkness of the world, of his own darkness, because he believes that the light should win. And there's a curiosity about the truth, which Le Carre is absolutely Le Carre, that he had this sort of searching, yearning, curiosity to find some unassailable, uncorruptible truth about the world and about human beings. And he poured all of that into pine. And I think that rubbed off on me.

[B]

Well, the first time. Thank you.

[A]

Thank you.

[B]

Sounds like a great part to play.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

The first time. Much like the first season, second was shot around the world. Where did you get to go?

[C]

We got to go to Colombia.

[B]

I've never been.

[C]

Yeah, it's amazing. Recommend the amazing place. Yeah, it was. Well, the book is actually set in Colombia, so we went back to that and that country off the coast of the Caribbean in South America. And we shot in Medellin in Cartagena. And it's so vibrant and so the culture, the people, the music, the salsa.

[B]

I know that you speak a bunch of different languages. Do you? Spriykanzi. Espanol.

[C]

Oui. Japal Espanola. Occasion. Elemente.

[B]

Don't. D'. Estelle.

[C]

Biblioteca. La biblioteca.

[B]

But you speak Spanish. I couldn't agree more. I think I mentioned this one of the last times you were on here in season one. We got to see some hiddlebutt and I was just curious. I was. Don't look embarrassed. Come on, you're an actor. We're all adults. I'm just curious. You're one of the executive producers of this season, right?

[C]

I am.

[B]

So are you giving the people what they want? Will we see a little. Will we see a little bit of the old English countryside? The manor house, as it were?

[C]

Anything. What can I say?

[B]

Uh huh.

[C]

The body keeps the score. Stephen.

[B]

Tom, thanks so much for being here. Thank you. Season two of the Night Manager premieres this Sunday on Prime Video. Is Tom Hiddleston, 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. Sunday, the NFL postseason is on cbs. It's win or go home in the wild card round. And you can count on a duel between two of the league's most dynamic QBs. When Josh Allen and the Bills go on the road to face Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars, kiss him goodbye. Touchdown. It all begins at noon eastern with the NFL. Today, the NFL playoffs are on CBS and streaming on Paramount. It is my great honor to welcome you all to Starfleet Academy. There's never been a better time to enroll in Star Trek. It's our job to prepare you for the unimaginable. To the night Cadet. In high pressure situations, positive reinforcement is.

[A]

Crucial to one's success. You're doing a great job.

[B]

This is what we train for these friends of mine. They all live for something bigger than themselves. And then it starts. Starfleet Academy new series, streaming January 15th on Paramount Plus.