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  • ♪ ♪ ♪ >> Stephen: WELCOME BACK,

  • LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.

  • MY FIRST GUEST TONIGHT IS A TONY AND EMMY AWARD-WINNING ACTOR YOU

  • KNOW FROM "BOMBSHELL," "THE CROWN," "TERMS OF ENDEARMENT,"

  • AND JUST SO MUCH MORE.

  • PLEASE WELCOME BACK TO "A LATE SHOW" MY FRIEND AND YOURS, JOHN

  • LITHGOW.

  • >> IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU.

  • >> Stephen: IT'S ALWAYS LOVELY TO SEE YOU.

  • SOME GUESTS ARE LIKE A VACATION.

  • THERE'S NO EFFORT.

  • IT'S JUST SITTING DOWN AND CHATTING WITH SOMEONE.

  • THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.

  • >> BUT I WANT YOU ON YOUR GAME.

  • >> Stephen: SORRY, LET ME GET A LITTLE COFFEE.

  • PROFESSIONAL SHOW BUSINESS RIGHT NOW.

  • BEFORE-- BEFORE WE GET ANY FURTHER, AS I SAID IN YOUR

  • INTRO, I NAMED THREE WONDERFUL THINGS THAT YOU HAD DONE AT

  • RANDOM.

  • YOU HAVE SO MANY THINGS ON YOUR C.V. TO PICK FROM.

  • WHAT WOULD YOU PICK FOR YOUR INTRO?

  • WHAT WORKS OF YOURS-- WHAT ROLES YOU'VE PLAYED, WHAT SHOWS YOU'VE

  • BEEN IN WOULD YOU SAY, "THOSE ARE THE DEFINITIVE LITHGOW

  • ROLES?

  • >> YOU KNOW, I WOULD HAVE TO SAY THAT MY PERFORMANCE OF THE

  • CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE OF NEWT GINGRICH ON "THE COLBERT REPORT"

  • SOME YEARS AGO.

  • THAT WOULD HAVE TO BE MY FINEST PERFORMANCE EVER.

  • REMEMBER THAT NIGHT?

  • >> Stephen: I URGE EVERYONE TO GO TO WHATEVER WEB SITE THEY'VE

  • STORED THAT STUFF ON THESE DAYS, AND FIND IT.

  • LITHGOW-GINGRICH.

  • TRULY.

  • >> IT HOLDS UP.

  • IT HOLDS UP.

  • AND I'M STOPPED THREE, FOUR TIMES ON EVERY BLOCK RECALLING

  • THAT PERFORMANCE.

  • >> Stephen: WELL, HOW ABOUT THIS?

  • SO THAT'S WHAT YOU WOULD PICK, AND I DON'T BLAME YOU.

  • WHAT DO PEOPLE-- LIKE, WHEN PEOPLE WALK DOWN THE STREET AND

  • YOU REALIZE OH, THEY RECOGNIZE YOU AND YOU KNOW THEY'RE ABOUT

  • TO COME OVER TO YOU AND SAY I LOVE "X," "Y," OR "Z" WHAT

  • YOU'VE DONE.

  • WHAT DO THEY USUALLY PICK?

  • >> YOU KNOW, IT'S USUALLY THE MOST RECENT.

  • RECENTLY IT'S BEEN A LOT OF "THE CROWN," AND "BOMBSHELL."

  • "THIRD ROCK FROM THE SUN" AND "DEXTER."

  • IF SOMEONE COMES UP TO ME WITH A HAMMER AND WANTS ME TO AUTOGRAPH

  • IT, I KNOW THEY'RE BIG "DEXTER" FANS.

  • >> Stephen: YOU KNOW TO GET AWAY QUICKLY.

  • >> NO, I DUTIFULLY SIGN.

  • >> Stephen: THAT'S NICE.

  • >> THERE ARE A LOT OF AUTOGRAPHED HAMMERS OUT THERE.

  • >> Stephen: I UNDERSTAND-- AND I WAS-- THIS IS ACTUALLY KIND OF

  • A NICE-- NICE THING IS THAT I FOUND OUT THAT YOU'RE MISTAKEN

  • FOR ANOTHER GREAT PERFORMER SOMETIMES.

  • WHO IS THAT?

  • >> YOU KNOW, YES.

  • DON CLEASE.

  • I WISH I HAD A NICKEL FOR EVERY TIME.

  • AND JON APPEARED ON "THIRD ROCK FROM THE SON" WITH US, AS MY

  • DOPPELGANGER.

  • SO IT HAPPENS.

  • THAT'S EXPLAINABLE.

  • >> Stephen: IT'S A COMPLIMENT.

  • >> WHEN THEY ASK FOR MY AUTOGRAPH, I DUTIFULLY SIGN.

  • >> Stephen: YOU SIGN JOHN CLEASE?

  • >> YOU KNOW, WHAT ELSE AM I GOING TO SIGN, STEPHEN.

  • >> Stephen: TO YOU AFFECT A BRITISH ACCENT FOR THIS?

  • >> NO, IF I HAVE TO EXPLAIN EVERYTHING, IT PROLONGS THE

  • INTERACTION.

  • SO-- ANYWAY, I'M A HUGE FAN OF JOHN CLEASE.

  • SO I TAKE IT AS AN ENORMOUS COMPLIMENT.

  • >> Stephen: YOU KNOW, I WANT TO HAVE DIFFERENT WITH YOU,

  • LITHGOW.

  • WE'VE GOT TO HAVE DINNER.

  • WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IT FOR MANY YEARS.

  • >> WE HAVE.

  • >> Stephen: MY WIFE AND YOUR WIFE AND ALL GO TO DINNER.

  • I HAD DINNER WITH CLEASE, RCENTLY.

  • >> DID YOU.

  • >> Stephen: IT WAS A HUGE THRILL FOR ME.

  • A LOVELY GUY.

  • H BOUGHT A VERY EXPENSIVE BOTTLE OF WHITE WINE, AND IT WAS

  • VERY LOVELY, AND NOW I HAVE TO COMPARE DINNER.

  • I HAVE TO COMPARE MY CLEASES.

  • >> YOU MIGHT GET CONFUSED.

  • WE'RE OFTEN MISTAKEN FOR EACH OTHER.

  • >> Stephen: YOU HAVE A NEW BOOK HERE.

  • "TRUMPTY DUMPTY WANTED A CROWN."

  • VERSES FOR A DESPOTIC AGE.

  • IT CAME OUT YESTERDAY.

  • YOU WROTE IT AND ILLUSTRATED.

  • WHEN DID YOU FIRST START WRITING POETRY?

  • >> OH, I-- AS A MATTER OF FACT, I-- BY AN AMAZING COINCIDENCE,

  • JUST LIKE A WEEK OR TWO AGO, LIKE, A BEST FRIEND OF MY OLDER

  • SISTER, TWO YEARS OLDER THAN I, A WOMAN NAMED JESSICA ANDREWS.

  • SHE SENT ME, AFTER ALL THESE YEARS, A PHOTOCOPY OF A PAGE

  • FROM HER AUTOGRAPH BOOK FROM 1955, WHICH I HAD SIGNED FOR

  • HER.

  • AND JUST FOR THE OCCASION -- >> Stephen: SHE KNEW-- SHE

  • KNEW YOU WERE GOING TO BE SO GREAT BACK THEN SHE ASKED YOU TO

  • SIGN HER AUTOGRAPH BOOK.

  • >> SHE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT I WAS GOING TO DO.

  • >> Stephen: DID YOU SIGN IT JOHN CLEASE?

  • >> YOU KNOW, I DNGT THINK OF IT AT THE TIME.

  • I WAS NINE YEARS OLD.

  • I WROTE, "JESSICA, COKE AND BOTTLES, JELLY AND JARS, FACES

  • LIKE YOURS COME FROM MARS.

  • JOHN LITHGOW."

  • TURNS OUT, THIS WAS THE BEGINNING OF MY CAREER AS A

  • POEET.

  • THIS IS A CLASSIC DOCUMENT.

  • >> Stephen: NICELY DONE.

  • THAT'S A COLLECTOR'S ITEM.

  • >> AND NOT A BAD POEM, I MIGHT ADD.

  • >> Stephen: NOT AT ALL.

  • NOW, YOU-- YOU DID SOMETHING THAT VERY FEW AUTHORS DO.

  • I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU HAVE BROUGHT A CLIP OF YOUR BOOK.

  • AND I'M NOT SURE HOW THAT WORKS.

  • >> YES.

  • >> Stephen: WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU HAVE A CLIP OF THE BOOK?

  • >> YOU KNOW, NOT MANY AUTHORS HAVE A CLIP OF THEIR BOOK, BUT

  • THIS IS THE COVID ERA.

  • YOU CAN'T DO A BOOK TOUR.

  • SO I-- A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO, I THOUGHT OF A BRIGHT IDEA.

  • I CALLED ON MY DIRECTOR FRIEND TIM VAN PATTEN.

  • HE-- HE CALLED UP THESE THREE BRILLIANT YOUNG GUYS HE WORKS

  • WITH AND CREATED SOMETHING CALLED TRYPTIC STUDIO.

  • I CALLED UP 19 OF MY ABSOLUTELY TERRIFIC ACTOR FRIENDS, AND A

  • COUPLE OF POLITICO JOURNALISTS, TOO, EVEN AN EPIDEMIOLOGIST.

  • I ASKED THEM TO RECORD A SINGLE POEM OF MINE, JUST AS WE'RE

  • RECORDING NOW, IN THEIR LIVING ROOM, ON THEIR iPHONE, AND

  • SEND THEM IN TO THESE CRYPTIC STUDIO GUYS.

  • AMONG ALL OF US WE HAVE SPUN TOGETHER 21 LITTLE TWO-MINUTE

  • VIDEOS OF MY POEMS, INCLUDING MY ILLUSTRATIONS BROUGHT TO LIFE

  • WITH VERY SIMPLE ANIMATION.

  • AND WE'RE ROLLING THEM OUT, LIKE, ONCE EVERY FOUR, FIVE

  • DAYS.

  • >> Stephen: WHAT'S THE CLIP WE'RE ABOUT TO SEE?

  • >> YOU'RE ABOUT TO SEE THE GREAT MERYL STREEP READING FROM MY

  • POEM "THE TOREYS" OR "THE TIGER KING."

  • IT'S AN ALLEGORY OF DONALD TRUMP.

  • YOU'LL SEE.

  • >> HAVING CRAVE EDGE FAILED TO DERAIL OR UNHORSE HIM, THE

  • TOREYS WERE FINALLY FORCED TO ENDORSE HIM.

  • DESPITE HOW HE MADE THEM ALL TREMBLE AND COWER, THEY DECIDED

  • AT LAST THEY WOULD RIDE HIM TO POWER.

  • CIVILLY JUSTICE AND REASON TOOK WING AS DUMPTY WAS CROWNED THE

  • SUPREME TIGER KING.

  • THEN WITH MURDEROUS APPETITE SAVAGE AND HEARTY, HE ATE EVERY

  • SOUL IN THE GRAND TOREY PARTY.

  • >> PRETTY COOL, RIGHT?

  • >> Stephen: THAT IS FANTASTIC.

  • THAT IS FANTASTIC.

  • NOT EVERYBODY CAN CALL IN A FAVOR FROM MERYL STREEP.

  • NICELY DONE.

  • >> MERRILL AND SAM CLOSE, AND SAM JACKSON, WHOOPIE GOLDBERG.

  • IT'S THIS MARVELOUS BUNCH OF PEOPLE.

  • >> Stephen: DID YOU NOT-- DID YOU NOT-- I DIDN'T-- I MUST HAVE

  • GOTTEN GOTTEN LOST IN THE E-MAIL.

  • I NEVER GOT THE REQUEST.

  • >> YOU WERE-- THIS IS GOSPEL TRUTH.

  • YOU WERE ON OUR LIST, BUT I WAS A LITTLE AFRAID YOU WOULD BE

  • ANXIOUS ABOUT CONFLICT OF INTEREST.

  • ( LAUGHS ) I DON'T KNOW WHY.

  • >> Stephen: I'M SUCH A STRONG SUPPORTER OF THE PRESIDENT.

  • I UNDERSTAND.

  • THANK YOU FOR BEING SO SENSITIVE.

  • I UNDERSTAND YOU HAVE BEEN DOING SOMETHING DURING QUARANTINE.

  • YOU HAVE BEEN WORKING AT SOMETHING YOU CAN ALREADY DO BUT

  • HAVE BECOME THE MASTER OF IT.

  • SPEED SKETCHING.

  • WHAT IS SPEED SKETCHING?