>> be free, buddy. >> way tonight know more about the man. >> whoa, that's a dude there. >> what was he doing? but anyway, i could kind of see how this might, you know, soothe the anxiety a little bit. because you know when you're scrolling it makes it worse. >> right. >> well, it's like fishing without a pole. yourself watching for a fish to arrive and then you hit the doorbell. >> low skill for me. >> and you're helping >> the judge in trump's hush money porn star criminal case has expanded a gag order to include the judge's family. it comes after trump has repeatedly attacked the judge's daughter and made false claims about her on social media. >> but that wasn't the only judge who told trump to keep his mouth shut. >> i want you to be quiet! >> oh, would they like me to be silenced. >> you're a moron. so's your mother. >> your honor. >> stop talking! >> i won't be doing that. >> i'm talking. you're not. >> it's a rigged system.

>> i don't want to hear noise! >> it's a scam. >> you're an idiot. >> bing, bing. >> dingaling aling aling aling. >> bing, bing, bing, bing. >> bop, bop, bop. >> bing, bing, bing. >> ba-da-ba-da-ba-da. >> give me a chance. >> i told you to shut up and listen. >> i can't do that. >> you want me to help you? >> [mumbling] >> that's better. >> announcer: it's "the late show with stephen colbert"! tonight... bond villain! first, stephen welcomes savannah guthrie. and tim blake nelson. featuring louis cato and "the late show" band. and now, live on tape from the ed sullivan theater in new york city, it's stephen colbert! ♪ ♪ >> stephen: hello, my friends.

[cheers and applause] thank you, ladies and gentlemen. please have a seat. thank you so much. mark. thank you, thomas. my darling. welcome. welcome o one and all to "the late show." i am your host, stephen colbert. [cheering] it's a huge day. you can sense the excitement. everybody knows it's a big day here in new york, because it is primary day! which is why all around new york, people are wearing stickers that say "i forgot." of course, i knew it was primary day ever since i read it on the prompter right there. this year, the election is just merely a side show to donald trump's legal problems. and he got plenty of 'em. yesterday, the judge expanded the gag order in trump's hush money case. makes sense. because for me, the order goes: think about trump,

then gag. now, specifically... [retching] specifically the judge expanded the order to bar trump from attacking his family members, because last week, trump went after the judge's daughter on truth social. and he got a lot of heat for this despicable personal attack. so he paused, listened to his critics, and launched another attack on the judge's daughter, this time with photos. first of all, what a tool. second, how does he believe this is in any way gonna help his case? it's like a baseball player walking up to the plate, hitting the umpire in the nuts with his bat, and then saying, "your son is next." the d.a. and the judge are still fair targets for trump but the new order does now cover their families. "challenge accepted.

listen, folks. judge merchan's very over-rated dog was seen digging in the garbage like a dog. people, many people are also saying his cat, mr. whiskers, speaks a language no one has ever heard of before. he's clearly a secret agent for chairman meow." [cheering] i didn't even know i spoke chinese. "look." in expanding the order, the judge cited recent attacks against his daughter, and rejected mr. trump's argument that his statements were "core political speech". yes, donald trump wants us to believe that attacking people's family members is "core political speech." but we know it's not. it's why jfk never said this... >> ask not what your country can do for you. ask why yo mama so fat! >> stephen: yeah.

unbelievable. moving on to his civil fraud case, yesterday, trump put up a $175 million bond so he could appeal his $454 million judgment. he's been searching for weeks for someone to put up the cash, and he finally got a company to agree to do it. knight specialty insurance, which is run by its chairman and four-year-old who freaky-friday'd with a ceo, don hankey. hankey is kind of famous for taking on risky bets. in the insurance world, he's known as the "king of subprime car loans." yes, he's the king now, but one day, the throne will return to its rightful heir, lord floppy noodle. we hail you, lord. hankey explained why he put up the money, saying, "i heard that he needed a loan, and this is what we do." yes, this is what they do. you know their slogan: "turned down by the banky? don't get so cranky. call me, don hankey. you'll say, why thanky!"

don, good luck with the case about the porn star spanky. [cheers and applause] between the $175 million trump put up in this case and the $91 million in the e. jean carroll case, trump somehow still posted way less money this week than he lost on wall street. because reportedly, truth social just lost $4 billion in value in one week. [cheers and applause] wow. i am actually surprised that truth social had value. the downturn happened after truth social posted a loss of $58 million in 2023. coincidentally, trump has just announced the release of the $58 million "kid rock ba-wida-ba, da-bang, da-bang bible." it's got the old testament, the new testament,

the declaration of independence, and kid rock's family recipe for crystal meth. ba-wida-ba? okay. it's not getting much better any time soon. this morning, the stock opened at 48 bucks, which was a 39% plunge from the stock's high of $79.38 on march 26th. truly an historic failure. no one has seen a loss this big since the trump taj mahal, trump plaza hotel, trump steaks, trump airlines, trump university, and trump comma eric. total loss. total write-off. can't get insurance. of course, trump has another way to hoover up some money. he put his cronies in charge of the rnc, including his daughter-in-law and 50-foot woman holding a giant novelty check, lara trump. lara isn't just a bad fundraiser, she's also a terrible musician.

you see, last year, she released a cover of tom petty's "i won't back down" that hit number one on billboard's hot 100 ways to torture tom petty's ghost. well, last week, lara dropped a new single. obviously, this is just bait to get folks like me to talk about her singing career on tv, and i refuse to miss my chance. hit it, jim! ♪ don't think just jump ♪ >> stephen: okay, that's enough. that's just fine, jim. 'cause just four words in, i think i'm ready to jump. now, contrary to the will of god, and the geneva convention, there's more. ♪ talking to that little girl riding on the pegasus ♪ ♪ in this hurricane life you still gotta ♪ spread your wings and fly ♪

>> stephen: let me see if i've got this straight. the little girl is riding on a pegasus in a hurricane, and she also has her own wings that she will use to fly off the pegasus and then later jump. it's that sort of crystal clear metaphor you get on a song that is credited to four lyricists. one to write the song, the other three to look up what time the bank opens so they can run and cash their checks. that song is titled "anything is possible." and you know, it's true. anything is possible. for instance, it's possible to have a voice even auto-tune can't fix. lara's song may be rough, but at least it had brilliant marketing, because she dropped the new music on the same day as beyonce. [laughter] so sad. so sad that beyonce released country music on the same day that country music was strangled to death. there's hope for anyone at mar-a-lago forced to listen to that song, because yesterday, the florida supreme court

approved a ballot measure to legalize recreational pot. that's right. [cheers and applause] floridians out there tonight. florida could soon have legal pot. which is why i want to issue a psa to floridians. 'sup, florida? i know smoking the reefdoobs might sound "cool" and "jazz," but before you're gonna legalize weed, i just hope you're prepared to spend a lot of time laughing with your friends. florida may be getting high, but deustchland beat them to the pipe, because yesterday, recreational cannabis became legal in germany. good for them. [applause] but maybe they should've done it sooner. imagine how the world would have better if they'd done it in the 1930s. "we could annex the sudetenland or we could just blitzkreig the cinnabon."

this makes germany the biggest e.u. country to legalize marijuana possession. personally, i feel bad for amsterdam. up till now, they were europe's pot dealer. you had to go to go all the way to their place, pretend to care about their canals -- oh, it's like a road, but it's wet, yeah -- and then say "look, man, i've been here for an hou. can you give me the weed?" germans rang in the news at midnight on monday, with thousands lighting celebratory joints at the brandenburg gate. it's the very first time it hasn't been terrifying to see a big group of germans gathered together to "burn down." health minister karl lauterbach also celebrated the new law, saying "cannabis use already existed yesterday. now it's exiting the taboo zone." of course, "the taboo zone", also berlin's number one nightclub for group sex and angular dancing. we go to make the disco!

yeah, yeah, yeah1 you've never been? downstairs, knock. in biblical plague news, scientists are predicting that this spring, trillions of cicadas will descend on the u.s. in the biggest bug emergence in centuries. it's a nearly unprecedented event in entomological history, or as one trillion cicadas might say... [crackling] [applause] the sound guys love me. this year will be even buggier than ever, because the cycles of 13- and 17-year cicada broods will overlap. why cycles of that amount of time specifically? well, researchers suggests periodical cicadas are less likely to be killed by predators that have 2- or 3-year life

cycles by emerging on these prime-numbered years. to which math teachers everywhere said, "i guess prime numbers aren't so lame after all. what's your favorite class now? still recess? okay." as to the where of it all, while the two broods will span parts of 17 states, they'll overlap in a small portion of illinois, around chicago. it's a phenomenon known as "daaaaa bugs." we got a great show for you tonight! my guests are the "today show's" savannah guthrie and actor tim blake nelson. but when we come back, you won't believe the hottest new youth trend. come on back. ♪ ♪ >> announcer: "the late show with stephen colbert" sponsore by allstate.

you're in good hands.

it's your time to cache in... so don't just play... stay at northern california's premier casino resort. book your getaway now... ...at cachecreek.com. ♪ ♪ >> stephen: whoo! louis cato and the late show band. mr. jon lampley on vocals tonight. [cheers and applause]

louis. oh, my friend, louis. >> louis: my friend, stephen. >> stephen: we have two lovely guests tonight. from "the today show" on the nbc network, savannah guthrie is here. she's got a lovely book. "mostly what god does." we'll get to that in a little bit. one of my favorite actors tim blake nelson will be out here. he's got a new book called "city of blows." folks, i'm sure it comes as no surprise that i like to stay current on what the youths are up to. unfortunately, these days, it's mostly tweeting that i look "mid." but there's a hot new youth trend sweeping the youngs, and i'll tell you all about it in my segment, "that's yeet. dabbin' on fleek, fam!" now, actually, i've just been informed that we've been doing this segment for so long that every word in that title is now out of date, so "that's yeet dabbin' on fleek, fam" is being brought into 2024 and rebranded as... "that's gyat. spill the tea, babygirl, skibidi toilet!"

don't know what any of that means. now, the word on young people's minds is... "words." because gen z is bringing back reading. [cheers and applause] that's great. that's great. i was not aware that reading ever stopped. it says right here on the teleprompter i'm reading. now, apparently, a viral corner of tiktok called "booktok" has made reading cool again. as one bookfluencer described it, "i think people my age are craving something more authentic. what's more real than books?" exactly. what could be more real than this wardrobe that contains a door into a magical land, where time stops and there's a lion who's also jesus? you know, real. but young people's "novel" obsession, ha ha, might be less about the reading and more about looking like you're reading, 'cause for single men "hot guy books" are the hot new accessory.

here's the deal. if guys carrying around books is hot now, a lot of people better apologize to this guy. it's gonna be okay, buddy. just not, like, for 44 years. guys are even using books on the dating apps, where men are ditching selfies with puppies to pose with female-coded books. you hear that, guys? no more tigers, no more fish. the hot tinder pic now is showing the ladies you caught a really big "are you there, god? it's me, margaret." gen z and millennial women are also getting booky wit' it. kendall jenner recently posted this picture of her reading on the beach, and this one with a joan didion book. is this how the kids are reading now? on all fours? "hey, can i read your copy of 'odyssey'? "sure! assume the position." in fact, according to a recent study, both men and women find

reading to be the biggest "green flag" behavior. well, as a lifelong bookworm, and a lover of books on tape -- so i'm also a bit of a tapeworm -- i am so excited that the younger generations are falling in love with the written word. here to explain this literary youth trend is my writer and board-certified young person, eliana kwartler. eliana kwartler, everybody. eliana. eliana. hi >> eliana: hi, steve! or as they say in books, "hi, steve, she said." >> stephen: eliana, you're young. >> eliana: and single! >> stephen: i've heard that. so tell me, what is the book that all the kids are into? >> eliana: great question, steve. books slap. and the hot book that we kiddies simply can't help but stan is "war and peace." >> stephen: really, tolstoy? that's impressive. what do you think of it? >> eliana: well, obviously i loved the war.

but also, like, do not sleep on the "and peace." >> stephen: okay. but what... what do you like about it? i mean, it's pretty heavy stuff. >> eliana: it is really heavy. it made my arms look so toned when i posed with it for my tinder profile. >> stephen: eliana, that's kendall jenner. >> eliana: no. that's me, steve. remember? single me? >> stephen: oh, right. did you just buy "war and peace" so you could take pictures with it on the beach? >> eliana: um, no, professor. i also took pictures with it on a ski slope and on the marquee of the beautiful ed sullivan theater! >> stephen: eliana, are you even reading this? eliana! this is just a hollowed out book with your phone in it. >> eliana: no spoilers! >> stephen: are you just using books to try to find a date? >> eliana: no, steve! i'm also using "the late show." why do you think i'm out here?

it's a real green flag to be kind to the elderly. do you need me to help you sort your medicines, sir? >> stephen: no, i need you to focus! >> eliana: i'd love to... on whether anyone in the audience is hot and single. >> stephen: you cannot hit on my audience! >> eliana: you're right. you're right. that would be unprofessional. hot singles should just scan this qr code. [laughter] >> stephen: can we please talk about reading? >> eliana: right! reading! i love reading. i never knew about it before. >> stephen: you went to yale. >> eliana: so did brett kavanaugh. you think that bitch can read? >> stephen: okay, it's a fair point. eliana, do you have even a single thing to tell me about young people and books? >> eliana: i do, steve. for as leo tolstoy famously wrote in "war and peace" "the strongest of all

warriors"... >> stephen: you did read it. >> eliana: should scan this qr code. the stronger the better. kind of like to be carried around. i really need this, steve! >> stephen: my writer, eliana kwartler. we'll be right back with savannah guthrie. the right age for neutrogena® retinol? that's whenever you want it to be. it has derm-proven retinol that targets vital cell turnover, evens skin tone, and smooths fine lines. with visible results in just one week. neutrogena® retinol [♪♪] did you know, there's a way to cut your dishwashing time by 50%? try dawn powerwash dish spray. it removes 99% of grease and grime in half the time. dawn powerwash has 3 cleaning boosters not found in traditional dish soaps that remove food and grease 5 times faster. and, because it cleans so well

you can replace multiple cleaning products for counters, stoves, and even laundry stains. try dawn powerwash dish spray. brand power, helping you buy better. we really don't want people to think of feeding food like ours is spoiling their dogs. good, real food is simple. it looks like food, it smells like food, it's what dogs are supposed to be eating. ♪ ♪ limu emu ♪ ♪ and doug ♪ hello, ghostbusters. it's doug... ... of doug and limu. we help people customize and save hundreds on car insurance with liberty mutual. anyway, we got a bit of a situation here. ♪♪ uh-huh. uh-huh. ♪♪

[ metal groans] sure, i can hold. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty liberty liberty liberty ♪ ghostbusters: frozen empire. in theaters now. at tj maxx, you can afford to turn your closet into a place of endless expression. with the quality, styles, and prices you love. ♪♪

♪ ♪ >> stephen: hey, welcome back, everybody. ladies and gentlemen, my first guest is the co-anchor of the "today show" and nbc's chief legal correspondent. she's now written a new book called "mostly what god does." please welcome to "the late show," savannah guthrie. ♪ ♪ [cheers and applause] lovely. that's a lovely first bring. thank you for being here. >> savannah: thank you for having me. i'm so delighted i didn't trip. i was a little nervous. >> stephen: millions of people know you, have seen human daily on "the today show." i recently learned that your first tv gig was not as

successful. >> savannah: he didn't go as& planned. i started in butte, montana. i grew up in tucson, arizona. i never lived away from home and after i graduated from college i got a job in the television market in butte, montana, one of the smallest markets in the country. i was hired sight unseen for the tidy sum of $13,000 a year. this was 25 years ago. i brought all my stuff up there, i was my own camera person, my own editor. i would love the stuff around i was excited because it was my big break. i was butte, montana,'s diane sawyer. >> stephen: you have been called. >> savannah: for ten days when they called a staff meeting which was like for people in the newsroom because it was so small and they close the station. >> stephen: so you didn't lose your job. everyone lost their job. >> savannah: offered ko of us, yes, and the newsroom. i was devastated. it's kind of as crappy is that job was i was so lucky to get

it. i thought maybe this is that, i'm not going to do it. i drove home, tragically and i started sending tapes around again and moved up getting another job and local news. a short 25 years later, here we are. >> stephen: one of the big stories about nbc and about nbc news recently was the hiring of and firing of ronna mcdaniel. it used to be head of the rnc. my question for you is why did you, savannah guthrie, personally make that decision to hire her? i want you to answer for your crimes. why did you think that was the best idea? >> savannah: i'm glad you have given me this platform hey let me see if i can make this as boring as possible. this answer. i do still work there, you know that, right? do you have any openings around here? i mean, look, it was an unpleasant few days in our network. >> stephen: did you know this was going to happen? >> savannah: absolutely not. >> stephen: no company-wide email site heads-up we're going to announce this?

>> no, i knew nothing about it. the bosses made the decision, reversed the decision, acknowledge the mistake and weú. at their own thing i'll say about it is number one i didn't have anything to do with it. but look, i think the instinct to try to have a diversity of opinions and a diversity of perspectives and voices as we cover an election is the right instinct. and it's complex and it's made more complex by the politics that we have right now. but i went to law school. in law school, we learned that if you didn't engage the counter argument, if you didn't know what all sides were saying, your own position was quite weak. so i feel that particularly in mainstream media, we need to include an array of voices. but there's a line in the line is truth. the line is facts. the line is you have to be someone upholding our democracy. that is to me where the line is. [cheers and applause] >> stephen: i don't know about

you but i mean, i'm not a journalist but i've been making jokes about this kind of stuff since 2000. this is the seventh presidential election that i've gone through. are you always excited for the primaries? you get to meet all these new characters and there is all the surprises. in this state or that caucus or something and this year, i know you have to report it like you don't know but it's kind of a fee to complete what's going to happen. >> savannah: do you think so? you know who's going to win the election? >> stephen: no, the primaries. >> savannah: i was like wow him he should tell everyone if you know. >> stephen: i get excited for the primaries. >> savannah: we didn't get a primary where there was a tight race and you wondered who was going to prevail. have an incumbent president on the other side and that's not expected that it would be a contested primary now we have this rematch pretty slick hollywood they just keep rebooting. we are getting the sequel. the sequel most americans didn't want but here we are. it's a rematch but we can't treat it like a reply or have an arrogance that we know exactly

how it will go. that the same forces will be at play. the world has changed in four years. i think as reporters we have to cover it with curiosity, with curiosity about real humans. frankly, if you are talking heads would be a good thing. more reporting, more policy, more substance, that would be a good thing. i know these are idyllic notions but i still have them, stephen. >> stephen: that's wonderful. we have to take a quick break but don't go anywhere. we'll be right back with more savannah guthrie, everybody. stick around. ooking.com there are so many tina feys i could be. so i hired body doubles to help me out. splurgy tina loves a hotel near rodeo drive. oh tina! wild tina booked a farm stay to ride this horse. glenn close?! with millions of possibilities you can book whoever you want to be.

that's my line! booking.com booking.yeah no two bodies are the same. some pads, never got that message. but, always flexfoam did! it protects against different flows for up to zero leaks. and it flexes to fit all bodies, for up to zero feel. feel it yourself with always flexfoam. [pickleballers volleying] here we go. [pop] (♪♪) game time. (♪♪) (♪♪) [ ♪ "baby, i'm a star" by prince ♪ ] ♪ hey, look me over ♪ yes! ♪ tell me, do you like what you see ♪ ♪ baby, i'm a star ♪ ♪ yeah. oh ♪

you wanna know how i get this glow? i get ready with new olay indulgent moisture body wash. it smells amazing and gives my skin over the top moisture. from dull to visibly glowing in 14 days.

♪♪ see the difference with olay.

>> stephen: hey, everybody. we are back with the author of "mostly what god does," savannah guthrie. why write a book about god? why was this something -- i'm sure you've had many opportunities to write books. why was this important for you to do? there is a book about gone already. i do know if you've read it. it's very good. >> savannah: it's for sale, yes. >> stephen: this is -- hold on. this one. this one is cheaper. >> savannah: you know the truth is i didn't really want to write a book at all and i certainly didn't want to write a book about god but what's interesting is that my faith is really important to me, as i understand it is to you too. it's something that really throws me and excites me and i'm passionate about and when i was given the chance i couldn't say

no right away. because i felt like i had something good to see about god and i just wanted to say it. the book is called "mostly what god does" and the rest of the sentence is "mostly what god does is love you." talk about idealistic notions. build also radical and transformative if actually believed. >> stephen: how do you feel that in your life? sometimes that's a difficult thing for people to feel. even people who love god may not feel god's love in return. they may feel it's unrequited. >> savannah: absolutely. so many of us, we ask ourselves, am i a good person? have i made bad decisions? is god the scolding father figure? some taskmaster or someone waiting to rain down calamity on me if i don't do everything right? the god that i know that i think is the god that exists is the one that loves us in spite of all that. it's hard to believe that sometimes. we live in a world that invites cynicism and despair and i tried really hard not to ignore those

questions. because they have been real in my life. i'm not a theologian. i'm not a biblical scholar. i did go to vacation bible school and church camp. oh, yeah. that's my credential. what i learned about god happen mostly when i made mistakes. mostly from the disasters of my own making. mostly from being a real person with feet burning on the pavement, not being some great success and certainly no model or example of piety. >> stephen: i want to ask you about this chapter, page 75. the name of the chapter is "spooning with god." [laughter] the obvious question here is god the big spoon or the little spoon? >> savannah: stephen, you'll have to buy the book but he's a smuggler. the funny thing about this book, that chapter, it's all about this idea of trying to find rest in peace in prayer or meditation or whatever it is, something that's almost impossible for me to do.

it may surprise you to know that i don't have a restful mind and i don't have a quiet voice. so the notion that you're going to sit there and wait for some reflection or to try to be in the presence of god does not come naturally to me. so i write about trying to create a visual, like hey, maybe it's me and god and we are like sitting on the sofa and maybe our elbows are touching.& i'm like no, that's like an awkward first date. then i tried to visualize maybe if we just are laying here and then god is right there and then i'm like, i don't want to spoon with god. that's what it's really about. how can we put our minds at rest? i've lost you, have a nine. >> stephen: i don't want to spoon with god. what if i fart? >> savannah: he loves you. even that. if he wants to spoon with us.

>> stephen: savanna, lovely to see you. the book "mostly what god does" is available now. savannah guthrie, everybody. we'll be right back with actor and author tim blake nelson. ♪♪ john sugar. sugar: private investigator. ♪ and the sky is gray ♪ my granddaughter vanished. jonathan siegel: i need you to find her. sugar, i don't like this case for you. [gun cocking] there's more to you than meets the eye. is there? melanie mackintosh: you have secrets. they need you to stop looking. who's "they"? ♪ yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ california dreamin' ♪ ♪ if you're living with hiv, imagine being good to go without daily hiv pills. good to go off the grid. good to go nonstop. with cabenuva, there's no pausing for daily hiv pills. for adults who are undetectable,

cabenuva is the only complete, long-acting hiv treatment you can get every other month. it's two injections from a healthcare provider. just 6 times a year. don't receive cabenuva if you're allergic to its ingredients or if you're taking certain medicines which may interact with cabenuva. serious side effects include allergic reactions, post-injection reactions, liver problems, and depression. if you have a rash and other allergic reaction symptoms, stop cabenuva and get medical help right away. tell your doctor if you have liver or kidney problems, mental health concerns, and if you are pregnant, breastfeeding or considering pregnancy. some of the most common side effects include injection-site reactions, fever, and tiredness. with cabenuva, you're good to go. ask your doctor about switching. zyrtec allergy relief works fast and lasts a full 24 hours so dave can be the... deliverer of dance. ok, dave! let's be more than our allergies. zeize the day with zyrtec. marshalls buyers have a very particular set of skills.

♪♪ they can hunt down the latest trends. double denim is back. so chic. ♪♪ and take quality very, very seriously. ♪♪ ceramic. they're highly trained, deal making professionals. who travel far and wide to hustle the best of the best for you. we get the deals, you get the good stuff. marshalls. my frequent heartburn had me taking antacid after antacid all day long but with prilosec otc just one pill a day blocks heartburn for a full 24 hours. for one and done heartburn relief, prilosec otc. one pill a day, 24 hours, zero heartburn.

♪ ♪ [cheers and applause]

>> stephen: welcome back, everybody. ladies and gentlemen, my next guest this evening is that guy who's great in all those movies, including "holes," "o brother, where art thou?," and "the ballad of buster scruggs." his novel, "city of blows," is out now in paperback. please welcome to "the late show," tim blake nelson. [cheers and applause] ♪ ♪ welcome. >> tim: thank you so much. >> stephen: nice to have you on. >> tim: it's a pleasure. >> stephen: i'm a longtime fan. can't believe this is the first time i've had a chance to talk to you. >> tim: yeah. there are all those times you asked me i couldn't make it. [laughter] no. it's amazing to be here. >> stephen: you've said that you don't think that you are what people think of when they

think of an actor. what do you mean by that? you've been in many movies. you are what i think of when i think of as an actor, an actor i really like. why is it hard for you to believe that this is your life? >> tim: i guess i've always been puzzled by it. you know i always had a shallow, i suppose, perspective on what makes an actor and who should be an actor and hood audience wants to see. >> stephen: and everybody has to look like cary grant? >> tim: yeah, something like that. it never really computed for me that normal looking people or perhaps abnormal looking people belonged on screen. and that people wanted to see idealized versions of what a human being might be. and it's strange because i always loved the character

actors, like edward g robinson and walter houston and lee van cleave, ernest borgnine. these actors were always really my favorite actors growing up. even still i would get a look at myself early on when i would audition for television, and i see myself in the monitor and just think "oh, no. that's not. that's not going to work." >> stephen: has that changed? >> tim: yeah? it's change somewhat because i came to understand that you need that guy who's next to the guy. [laughter] [applause] >> stephen: isn't fun? is it fun to be the guy next to the guy? >> tim: yeah and ultimately that's more what i wanted to be because i get to grow ridiculous beards like this. yeah, it's for a part i'm about

to play. and i guess, you know, i am what a generous person would call interesting looking. >> stephen: you have been referred to as one of the great character actors, whatever that means. here's some of the characters that you played and people have loved. here you are as delmar in "oh brother where art thou? was quote my kids love that one. there you are as dr. polansky in "holes." richard show in "lincoln" and you can't forget buster scruggs right there. what does character actor mean to you. >> tim: you know, i think you have to juxtapose it. i guess they say the opposite of a character actor is either a lead which applies to both theater and film, or a

movie star which is of course only applies to film. i think that the difference largely is, for a movie star, as any actor in movies, you are freighted with all the rules that have come before you and your advantaged by that so if you go to see a tom cruise movie or a george clooney movie or a brad pitt movie, you want some of that brad pitt. >> stephen: you sure do. >> tim: and that's great. and what's amazing about those guys is that they been able to bring something that is utterly unique about each one of them into these movie star char characters. and it's this wonderful combination of the brad pittness of the character and whatever wr the particulars of that character demand. whereas i think with a character

actor, you want more to disappear into a role and foreground a little bit less of yourself. i've always been really interested in that, in addition to the fact that i really didn't have a choice. being a foreshortened gargoyle. there you go. >> stephen: you've written your first novel now available in paperback called "city of blows." out today in paperback. the book, there's a story of hollywood and some of the rougher sides of it. you talk about people who are, you are involving people who might have their own echoes in the reality of hollywood, some bad eggs out there. who are the greatest eggs you've ever worked with? who are the people you highly recommend. you work with incredible directors. your own son. your own son right here. i believe this is your son.

henry nelson and the film you shot with him called "asleep in my palm." >> tim: yeah. henry and i made this movie "asleep in my palm" which is out right now. [applause] i guess all those guys you mentioned, terrence malik, steven spielberg, the coen brothers, guillermo del toro. these are incredibly generous people. i would say for me personally the most influential in terms of just extraordinary human beings have been the coens. they are extraordinary people both together and as indiv individuals. and what's most impacted me directly in my life and also indirectly is just their generosity. and you can see it in their

movies. they do more than what is necessary to tell a story al always. they give you more in production design, in the editing, in the music. it's always so beautifully and luxuriously curated by them in such a complete way. and then if you think of the actors to whom they've given careers, single-handedly almost, i am one. frances mcdormand, holly hunter. [applause] steve buscemi, john tutorial. scale what's your favorite coen brothers movie? there is a right answer. >> tim: i love "miller's crossing." >> stephen: that's the right answer. that's my favorite. the first film that i've bought

for myself was "miller's crossing." >> tim: why pty dilemma? >> stephen: it's a love story about two men and what it means to love someone and that love may not be what that person wants you to be but there is no purity to tom's love that i find incredibly moving and as good as any love story i've ever seen and you rarely see that between two men. >> tim: that's a fantastic answer. [applause] and now that's going to be my answer. because it's much more interesting than mine. i like the philosophy of it. through all he has and then he just puts that hat down, which has been this really violent metaphor throughout the entire movie and he puts that hat down and he's going to face his future on my love i love about their movies is mets with their heroes do whether it's a comedy

or drama. whether it's a nora thriller. or a story about lou and davis. it's always about people buffeted by these unprintable forces who are just going to put their head down and move forward and it's so gorgeously put forward in "miller's crossing." but i still like your answer better. >> stephen: wonderful to have you on. thank you so much. his novel "city of blows" is available in paperback now. tim blake nelson, everybody. we'll be right back. - temperatures cooling down as we head into the weekend and stronger onshore...

ah, i stepped off the coast again. - the winds are really picking up. - fog spreading farther inland. - and in the north bay, you're gonna get soaked. (water splashing) - [narrator] presenting the bay area's only virtual weather studio. next level weather. - as i lift this, you can actually see... - [narrator] on kpix and pix+. (wind blowing) it's that real. (water splashing) - let's move on to the seven-day now.

( ♪♪ ) you made a cow! actually it's a piggy bank.

my inspiration to start saving. how about a more solid way to save? i'm listening. well, bmo helps get your savings habit into shape with a cash reward, every month you save. both: cash reward? and there's a cash bonus when you open a new checking account to get you started. wow. anything you can't do? ( ♪♪ ) mugs. ♪ bmo ♪

>> stephen: that's it for "the late show." tune in tomorrow when my guests will be gillian anderson and sonequa martin-green. now stick around for "after midnight" with taylor tomlinson. good night! ♪ ♪ >> taylor: i'm taylor tomlinson and this is "after midnight". in the