your whole scheme wide-open and tell your mom you haven't actually been at your drug rehab this whole time. - but this isn't fair! - deal, druggie. - [muffled] - and here he is, kenny mccormick! [squishing] we can watch him on the monitors. how you doing in there, kenny? - that's my boy. - good-bye, chad. - we'll be wanting a refund, naturally. - naturally. - good-bye, alice. - good-bye. thank you. - oh, don't thank us. we failed you. - 65, 66, 67... - wait a second. this isn't right. - hmm? - hmm? - it's time for me to be responsible for my own actions. mom, dad, we've been eating candy this whole time. eric cartman's been sneaking in junk food. - eh, shut up, you heif, chad. - no, he's right. the counselors been doing a good job. we've just been cheating. kids: yeah. - i believe i can lose the weight with exercise and proper diet. i don't want to make excuses no more.

- me neither! all: yeah! - if you take us back, we promise we won't cheat. - well, it's all right with me. parents? - well, what the heck? maybe when you're all done, you can teach me a thing or two, huh, son? - you know, you guys are right. i'm sick of being the fat kid too. i've been making excuses all my life, but i know deep down that if i took responsibility and really tried hard, if we all try together, we really can lose the weight! - oh, no, not you. you're not welcome here anymore. all: yeah! - what? - buh-bye. [kids cheering] - well, screw you, fat-asses! [sobbing] all: 4, 3, 2, 1! - he did it! come on out, kenny. you made it six hours, kenny. come on out of there. ms. crabtree, maybe you could give him a little push. - [grunting] [all groaning] all: ew! - he's dead.

the pressure must have killed him. - i told you i was a tight virgin flower! - oh, my god! they killed kenny...sort of. - yeah, they kind of killed kenny's...look-alike. you bastards! - well, he gave his life for our amusement. one little boy who dared to be different: let us never forget kenny mccormick. who is that? - ♪ a prostitute is someone who would love you ♪ ♪ no matter who you are or what you look like ♪ yes, it's true, children. ♪ that's not why you pay a prostitute ♪ ♪ no, you don't pay for her to stay ♪ >> trevor: hay, what's going on, everybody. welcome to "the daily social distancing show." i'm trevor noah. today is wednesday, the 16th of december, which means christmas

is now only nine days away, which means it might be too late to get your christmas gifts delivered, but not too late to take whatever amazon has delivered to your neighbor's stoop. "suprise, grandma! i know how much you've wanted this!" "a replacement door handle for a laundry machine?" "yep! merry christmas!" anyway, coming up on tonight's show: tom cruise doesn't want your corona, florida doesn't want donald trump! plus, james cordon and tessa thompson are joining me on the show! so let's do this, people! welcome to "the daily social distancing show." >> announcer: from trevor's couch in new york city to your couch somewhere in the world, this is "the daily social distancing show," with trevor noah." >> trevor: let's kick things off with the british royal family. a.k.a., england's 1,200-year genetics experiment. when prince harry and meghan markle quit the family business a year ago, many people wondered why they would leave an institution with such awesome wealth and prestige. but now, it looks like they've

found something almost as good: podcasting. >> britain's prince harry and his wife, meghan, are becoming podcasters. in an audio announcement, the couple said that they will host and produce podcasts for spotify in conjunction with their company, archewell audio. spotify says the couple's first podcast will be a holiday special this month featuring stories of hope and compassion to celebrate the new year. the first complete series is expected next year. ( laughing ) >> trevor: yo, guys, meghan markle has completely flipped the royal family on its head. five years ago, they were like, "meghan markle is now the duchess of sussex and must be addressed as such!" now they're like, "prince harry is offering 20% off casper mattresses with promo code blueblood2020." but still, guys, podcasting! it's good to see that, even though they've left the royal family, harry and meghan are carrying on the tradition of not having real jobs. nah, i'm joking, no hate. i'm glad that harry is living his best life now. and it's going to be so hilarious when he explains this

to the queen. ( queen ) "so, what is it that you, do exactly?" ( harry ) "what is it you do exactly?" ( queen ) "ah, touche." let's move on to a story out of russia, you know, where even the dolls crawl inside of each other for warmth. you may remember that over the summer, one of vladimir putin's top critics, alexei navalny, was poisoned and nearly killed. well, now investigators working with cnn have tracked down the russian agents they say carried out the crime-- and not only that, a cnn reporter actually confronted one of them at home. >> investigation by the group bellingcat and cnn has uncovered evidence that russia's security service, the f.s.b., formed an elite team specializing in nerve agents that followed and trailed opposition leader alexei navalny for years. >> so we're here now at the home of one of the f.s.b. team, and we're going to see if he has anything to say to us. we enter a rundown apartment building on the outskirts

of moscow, where operative oleg tayakin lives. ( speaking russian ) my name is clarissa ward. i work for cnn. can i ask you a couple of questions? ( speaking russian ) was it your team that poisoned navalny, please? do you have any comment? he doesn't seem to want to talk to us. >> trevor: whoo! this reporter is the most stone- cold gangster i've ever seen, and not just because she's in a russian winter with no hat or gloves. she's tracked down a russian assassin people, assassin. "sir? sir? if you won't answer me, is there another assassin i can speak to?" this is the kind of reporting cnn needs to do more of! i don't want to see chris cuomo interviewing ten people in a box. i want to see chris cuomo breaking down kim jong-un's

door! ( chris cuomo ) "yo, who gave you that dumb-ass haircut? tell the people! who gave you that dumb-ass haircut!" she was even roasting his apartment! although, she is right: that apartment was trash. spy movies have given me a totally wrong idea of how government assassins live. james bond wouldn't be seducing anybody if he lived in that apartment. ( bond girl ) no, mr. bond, i will not be giving you the secret code. your kitchen is a hotplate, bitch. moving on to the coronavirus pandemic. it's the other reason you can't get into the club. even though vaccines are starting to roll out, we can still save tens of thousands of lives by wearing masks and social distancing until everyone has immunity. so, please, remind all your friends and co-workers about this. although, there's reminding and then there's whatever tom cruise did. >> tom cruise reportedly let his covid concerns be heard loud and clear while filming the new "mission: impossible" movie in england. in an audio obtained from "the sun" tabloid, which has not been authenticated by abc news, cruise was reportedly furious

with staffers for ignoring safety protocols. >> i don't ever want to say it again, ever! and if you don't do it, you're fired. and if i see you do it again, you're (bleep) gone. and if anyone on this crew does it, that's it! and you, too! and you, too. and you! don't you ever (bleep) do it again! >> work on the film had to be shut down in october when 12 staffers tested positive. >> trevor: whooo-weee! tom cruise is pissed. and some people are saying this is a bad look for tom cruise, but i disagree. because, yeah, he's mad, but it's for a good cause. it's like getting recorded screaming, "you guys are in big trouble if we don't get these toys to the children's hospital! i want to see happy kids, or you'll never work in this town again!" you're angry, but for the right reason. but for real, if anything, this should teach people just how serious this corona shit is, because, remember, tom cruise is usually not scared of anything.

this dude hangs off the side of a plane like it was any other tuesday. he's even brave enough to put his dirty shoes on a black woman's couch! so the fact that even he's worried about covid is a reminder that no one is immune from this virus. well, almost no one. >> the pandemic will not stop santa claus. that's the word from the world health organization. >> w.h.o.'s top experts addressed concerns about santa's health during a news briefing at their headquarters in switzerland. they want children everywhere to know that santa claus is immune to coronavirus. >> yeah. >> a number of world leaders have relaxed quarantine measures so that santa can enter the air space and deliver gifts on christmas eve. >> trevor: now, that is great news. santa claus is immune from coronavirus, and chlamydia. oh, just corona? not-- oh. not chlamydia at all? oh. i don't know if we should be celebrating this.

santa is immune because he's patient zero. think about it: this all started last winter, right around the time santa goes everywhere around the world? i see what you did, santa claus! you owe the bats an apology! either way, i know this is nice for kids, but isn't it risky for the world health organization to be saying this? because adults are listening, too, and they're not great at telling fact from fiction, either. you can't be like, "the coronavirus is very real, and you need to take it seriously, but it doesn't effect santa claus!" but i guess it is cute that the w.h.o. went out of its way to ease kids' minds like this. i just wish they didn't follow up by saying the easter bunny's got colon cancer. ooof! but let's move on to the other pandemic that seems impossible to completely get rid of-- donald j. trump. he has just about one month left in his presidency, but in between twitter meltdowns and golf games, trump has been hard at work trying to secure his legacy. and today, he checked off one of the most important things on his presidential to-do list. >> the department of energy

rolling back water flow restrictions on shower heads and other appliances. it comes after president trump complained about low-flow shower heads and toilets. >> as you go into the shower right, and, you turn on the water-- drip. drip. drip. i call the guy, "is there something wrong with this?" "no, sir, it is just the restrictor. >> up until now, shower heads were not allowed to use more than 2.5 gallons of water per minute. the revised policy says each nozzle can now use that amount. environmental groups are calling on president-elect joe biden to go back to the old regulations once he takes office. >> trevor: now that's what you need from a president. yeah, the country is struggling and people are dying everywhere because of ineptitude, but at the end of the day, you can shower two minutes quicker because that soap comes right off. my man. now, because this law is about conserving water, i wouldn't be surprised if joe biden reversed this policy. and i think it would be funny if joe biden put the water restrictors back on while trump

is in the shower. that would be amazing. "i said certified freak, seven days a week. whaaaa? what happened to the water in where's the water? i can't be wet ass without the water?" so now the only question is where will trump be enjoying all his high-pressure showers after january 20? because he's not going to be in the white house, and it turns out, his neighbors at the "southern white house" don't want him there, either. >> trump's neighbors in florida are bracing for the possibility he just might spend his post-white house days right there alongside them. tonight, "the washington post" is reporting that some of the neighbors down in mar-a-lago want the city of palm beach to prevent trump from settling down there. they argue he signed away his legal right to live there full time back in the '90s when the resort was originally converted from a private residence to a private club. >> it's well known that back in 1993, trump's lawyer testified

before the town council saying that trump would not be living on premises. so there's that. >> trevor: okay, that is a low blow. do you know how crushing it must be for florida to reject you as a citizen? "look, we'll take the guy that kick-boxes alligators, but donald trump guy is just too much." although, trump is probably going to fight this. i mean, who cares what his lawyer in 1993 said? i don't know who it was, but if he was trump's lawyer, then by now, he's either serving a life sentence or he's devolved into a mutant man-bat. but, from the bottom of my heart, poor trump, man. new york doesn't want him, mar-a-lago doesn't want him. the only places that would take him are states he wants nothing to do with. i mean, if he actually tried to live in the heartland, he'd be on a flight to saudi arabia the next day. "this is my kind of place! everything is covered in gold, and all the reporters are so polite. how did they enforce that? so great. so cool."

of course, before trump moves anywhere else, someone has to tell him that he needs to get his ass out of the white house. someone needs to tell him he's out of the job, which he's clearly reluctant to accept. the question is who is good at getting rid of someone? who is good at telling someone that your job no longer is? turns out we know exactly the right person for this job. >> so, you took a beating. and it's impossible that that happened. there is something wrong. i'll tell you what's wrong: voter fraud. so how come the other team was so much better than you? they used the pandemic, sometimes referred to as "the china virus," where it originated, as an excuse to mail out tens of millions of ballots. it's sort of a disaster. don't take offense. i mean, everyone hates you. i have a lot of friends in detroit. joe biden can't be president. we're talking about hundreds of thousands of votes but everybody

has said that he's a good leader. nobody said that about you. many very smart people have congratulated me on all we've done. it's over. don't you think it's over. this election was rigged. everybody knows it. you've both come a long way. somebody has to go. somebody has to go right now. you've done pretty well and, yet, you've always been a loser. as far as i'm concerned. you've lost all the time. i don't mind if i lose an election, but i want to lose an election fair and square. you're fired. that was good, right? >> yeah. >> i loved it. >> all right. >> trevor: all lright, we're going to take a quick break, but when we come back, desi lydic will be spending christmas with fox news. and we've god james cordon and tessa thompson still coming up on the show. don't go away.

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♪ ♪ light it up like dynamite ♪ (this is ah) ♪ light it up like dynamite ♪ so watch me light the fire and set the night alight (alright) ♪ ♪ shining through the city... how much you want for her? this child is not for sale.

you can't have her! johanna! she ain't worth dying for. i'm taking her home. ♪ ♪ with and eve and adam ♪ you get up and at 'em ♪ ♪ i'm ♪ ♪ oh, crossin' all your borders ♪ ♪ freein' freein' all the smalls ♪ ♪

>> trevor: welcome back to "the daily social distancing show." throughout the quarantine, desi lydic has been checking in with her family over video chat, and we've learned that a lot of her family are fox news hosts. well, yesterday, desi tried to bring them all together for a family christmas party. check it out. >> hi, family! so nice to see you all. >> good evening, everybody. >> can you hear me? can you hear me? >> we can hear you. >> merry christmas. >> merry christmas! thank you all for coming to the virtual holiday party.

hi, uncle rudy. it's desi, actually. and it's 8:00 at night. but it's so nice to see you all, even it is over zoom. i know it's, like, half as much fun. >> i heard other people say 70%, which a lot of folks i know thought was high. >> yeah. so how is everyone? cousin bryan, how are you? okay... how about everyone else? hey, how was your december? >> nearly a month after the election, thousands of votes remain uncounted. >> 1,500 votes from people who are dead? >> there are enough illegal immigrants that voted that would change the course of the election. >> no, guys, i told you already, no politics at christmas. now, let's get into the gifts. santa sent your gifts already, so i want to know if you got them. uncle rudy, how do you like your new briefcase? >> i think it's a very good case. >> wonderful. cousin laura, i sent you something over e-mail. did you get it? >> i saw the gift card stuff. >> yes, it's a gift card for an online liquor store.

>> i love this. >> you're getting a head start. it isn't a holiday party if cousin laura isn't hitting the pepperment schnapps. >> you raise a great point. >> what was the funny dance you did one year? >> joey kangaroo. >> yes, the kangaroo dance. so good! >> yeah, we've replaced religion with some weird kind of witchcraft. and it's worrisome. >> cousin tucker! it's christmas! come off it for one day! did you even get me anything? >> he spent three years and found nothing! >> okay, you know what? that's fine. i don't even care that no one got me a gift. all i care about is seeing my family. ( doorbell ) speaking of which, aunt jeanine is joining. >> for shame. >> uncle lou, i know you and aunt jeanine are separated, but can you please just try to get along for one day? it's christmas. >> none have been successful so far. will this one be different? >> we're also talking about

family harassment. >> stop. we have to give them a chance, all right. i'm going to let her in. i'm sure she's in the christmas spirit. >> surprise, surprise! >> why this is being tolerated is beyond me. >> hey, don't give me this nonsense. >> come on, you two, stop it. it's christmas! uncle lou, why don't you try saying something nice to aunt jeanine. >> he has the power to do it. why won't he do it? >> okay, well, then why don't you say something nice about uncle lou. >> we're not going to do it. >> this breaks my heart. i mean, how did it get this bad between you two. >> explain your relationship to couples out there whose problems pale in comparison to yours. >> okay, aunt jeanine. take a deep breath. why don't you try not talking for a minute. >> i think that would be a grand idea for every american. >> all right, uncle lou, don't you start. >> do you think that she's on to something? >> this is ridiculous! >> never-ending harassment.

>> how exactly did that happen? i think we know. >> i have no idea? >> of course we know! they've hated each other for 45 years but sms christmas zoom so you all need to shut up because this is going to be ( bleep ) magical! i mean, doesn't anyone know what christmas zoom is all about? >> this time of year is usually filled with christmas parties, bustling restaurants, trips to visit loved ones. this happens all over the country. but, of course, because of covid, for most of us, nothing seems the same. and more americans are on edge. >> yes, cousin laura. she's-- she's right. we are on edge. you know, because we don't have each other. just have this stupid virus. >> this virus, she said, came from a government lab in china. >> and you don't hear the-- quote-- experts talking about it enough. >> you know what? forget it. i'm muting you all, except for you, cousin bryan. i'm going to drink. ( bleep ) christmas. >> hi, everybody. hope you're having a great

night. i hope it gets better. >> trevor: you did your best, desi. all right, when we come back, i'll be talking to james corden. and later on, tessa thompson is still joining us on the show. don't go away. ♪ to defeat your opponent, ♪ you must become your opponent. ♪ what's your wild rabbit? ♪

♪ ♪ with and eve and adam ♪ you get up and at 'em ♪ ♪ i'm ♪ ♪ oh, crossin' all your borders ♪ ♪ freein' freein' all the smalls ♪ ♪ been there, done that. twice your cousin. from boston. karen, i'm just gonna say what everyone here is thinking. you look smokin. total smokeshow. and they never did find his finger. they had to close the pool for like an hour. ♪ i brought a date. name's sam. dig in. love is like boston lager. rich, complex and it's over too soon. right, chrissy? oh my god. ♪

dreya! hey! how are you so good at this? relax. get into it! aw, yeah! i've got it! rated everyone.

this is an ad for a chip we don't need a logo. it's the three-sided crunch. you know, that cheesy, spicy, crispy-crunchy, flavor packed bodega snack that rhymes with. i need those. an ad with no logo? it's another level. daily social distancing show." earlier today, i spoke with acclaimed actor and host of "the late late show," james corden. we talked about what it's been like making his show during the pandemic and his new netflix movie starring alongside meryl

streep. >> oh, yeah, what about this girl? oh, my gosh, check this out. >> what girl? >> it's all over twitter! she's from edgewater, indiana. she's a lesbian. she wanted to take her girlfriend to the high school prom! and the p.t.a. went ape shit and they canceled it? >> they canceled prom? are they allowed to do that? >> no. >> this pisses me off! >> we have got to go down there and raise holy hell. >> we will be the biggest thing to happen in indiana since... whatever's happened in indiana. >> trevor: james cordon, welcome to "the daily social distancing show." >> i'm so happy to be here. i feel like-- i feel like i've been living in your apartment now for months. and i'm very, very happy to now just be invited in, in this conversation. i'm very happy to be here. >> trevor: i also feel like you've been living here, and you've been behind on rent for about eight months, james. that's what i feel like. >> i think your show would be far worse if i was behind on the rent. how is everything? >> trevor: oh, man.

i feel like you're tricking me into an interview about me. you have a desk-- i'm interviewing you, james cordon. >> i thought it would be the back-and-forth. >> trevor: no. tell me about your life. i love how you have created a sense of normal in california. i know you can drive into a studio, and i see how you spaced things out. i love how you created a semblance-- what is it like in the studio because you don't have your audience? >> we really changed the whole set around. where i sit now is where the audience normally sits to watch the show. >> trevor: oh, okay. >> and everybody sits over there. i have to say i sort of-- i've become so used to it, i've really enjoyed the whole sort of freedom of... of reimagining the show in a new way. you know, i've really found it quite... i found it quite freeing, actually, the notion of now it feels like we're just a group of friends that people can check in

with when they want to, you know. and that's quite a nice way to do it. >> trevor: one thing i always loved about you is your character performances. you are a-- i'll call you like a theater nerd. like, you're a theater nerd pup love being on stage. you love being in character. >> for sure. >> trevor: i found now your show feels like a mini theater performance in a way. i feel like i'm watching a theater show of a late-night show which is the most fun thing i have ever seen. sometimes you'll be shitting on your camera guys and they'll say something bag to you. do you think you guys have developed more of a camaraderie during this time? >> without question, without question. it really, really has brought everybody together-- you know, so many of us are still distant. i mean, i haven't seen almost all of our writers since, kind of, march, you know, in the flefn. >> trevor: right, right. >> but there's been a real sense was-- a great sense of gratitude in the-- i've always considered it a privilege to get to go to

work every day and do a show. like, that's never been lost on me. >> trevor: right, right, right. >> but in this moment now, i think everybody feels like, well, look, we're-- we're working, and that puts us in the luckiest 5% of people. >> trevor: yeah. >> and if we can try and have fun while we're doing it, that will be great. but i've never felt such a sense of camaraderie on the show really than in the past few months we have been doing it. because in a way we have had to make our own fun. normally in the show we're in the car singing with people or trying to put on a musical in the ( crosstalk ) none of those things we can do in the moment. really, we thought in this room we'll try to have a good time. and if people would like to join us on it, that's great. but we'll be here anyway, you know. contactually, we're obliedged to. so that's what we'll do. >> trevor: your brand-new film on netflix, "the prom." i had to pause it a few times because i was very uncomfortable because it's like all these

people dancing and touching each other and speaking close-- like, it's very non-coronavirus time. and i felt triggered. i felt triggered-- many, many times i had to pause. but you shot this movie, and what i loved about the film was at first i was like, wait, what's going on here? because this is meryl streep and james cordon. but, like, they're being very weird right now. and then i realized that the whole play is-- it's a really beautiful, almost satirical take on celebrities and on broadway and on, like, people on the coast who think they're superior to people in the middle of america. and it's this fun story where you and meryl streep play these actors who are so used to being self-absorbed and in yourselves and succeeding, and then you hit failure head on for the first time. tell me what it was like making this movie. because you filmed it before coronavirus? and then you had to come back and finish it during coronavirus. >> well, i actually shot all of my stuff before it shut down. the film is an adaptation of a

show that was on broadway about two years ago, 18 months ago. and i saw the show, and it's a-- it's a joyous sort of big, silly musical, really, that then becomes about something very, very real. and i love those moment where's it pokes fun at the... at sort of faux activism, you know. >> trevor: yes, yes. >> i think those bits are really, are really great fun. and meryl streep and i play tw two... broadway stars, myself a lesser broadway star than her, who have devoted their entire lives to the theater. and it starts in this big sort of broad world of new york. and basically they hear a story about a girl in indiana who has been told she can't attend her prom because she's gay. and they think if we go down there and we get involved, we'll look so woke, people will think that we're good people, and that will get us back on top again.

and then it really becomes about-- it's a-- it's a film about acceptance, really. it's a film about the notion that love is love and all of our hearts beat the same. and i'm very, very proud to be part of it. i really am. it was the a joy to make. and i'm so thrilled so many people are enjoying it, you know,. >> trevor: well, i'll tell you this, man. it's fun seeing the two of you interact on screen. it's fun seeing people hold hands and kiss. it's a-- it's a fun celebration of broadway, which we all hope will come back, you know, seeing the explosion of celebrations. and it was cool seeing you, you know, away from the desk. i hope to see more of you. thank you so much for joining me on the show. >> i can just tell you, i have to say this, i have to say this because if i don't i'll get in trouble-- you're already aware of this that my father is obsessed with you, and i haven't spoken to him in a week, and he called me today because he realized that i was on the show. and the only reason he called me

was to send you his love. he had nothing else to say to me. nothing else at all. not, "how are the kid? is everyone safe?" he said, "please send trevor my love." and i said, "will do." and then he went, "trevor is doing the grammys." and i said, "i know." and he went, "he will be the best host of that show they could ever find." and i said, "dad, you met trevor in new york when i was hosting the agreements" he said, "i know. it was the highlight of the night." if i don't pass on his love, i'll get another phone call. >> trevor: tell him i said hi, james. always fun having him. always fun. ( laughing ) oh, man, i miss him, man. i miss him. tell him i said hi for real. >> i will, bless you, trevor. >> trevor: thank you so much. >."the late late show" airs weeknights on cbs, and "the prom" is available on netflix. all right, stick around, because when we come back, tess

thompson talk about her legendary face masks. you don't want to mis

congratulating you. you have the coolest face mask collection i have ever seen. you've got, like, crystals on some. you've got like-- they've got bedazzles. how many face masks do you have? >> i-- i haven't counted. i have a growing collection, and i started making them-- i'll count and get back to you. but i definitely have upward of

at least, i would say, 25. easily 25. because i started making them. i, like, have been benas ling n95s, and yeah, perfected it. and my friend gloria has made a bunch with me. >> trevor: you are as at home in major bloc busters, like a marvel franchise, whether "thor" or "avengers" than you are in the most intimate indie films-- "sorry to bother." anything we see you in it it feels like you're at home. i feel like your new film is no different. it's a departure from what we may see you in, but at the same time, it feels completely authentic to who you are. before we get into the movie, i'd love to know how you pick these roles? >> a couple of things. i feel like i look for something that scares me. somcate that i'm frightened or mildly terrified that i cannot. i feel like that's exciting, an exciting place of creation. and i also think about a lot about where have we not been?

where have we not seen black people, people of color, in certain spaces? like, how do we get us there? i think a lot about how have we not been seen in the past? why don't we exist in the future enough? and those kind of things compel me into different genre pockets. because sometimes if you change just who the protagonist is, that changes the aperture in a way that can be really political and interesting. >> trevor: it really is. i mean, "sylvie's love" is no different. when i forward heard of the movie, i was like, okay, this movie takes place in the 1950s and it's probably going to be about the civil rights. and it was a beautiful surprise because, yes, it exists in that world, but it's a story of two people falling in love. it's love during one hot summer, and a part of it felt like it-- like you were attracted to the story because of the music. i know that you love music. i know that you love jazz music. tell me how important the music is in this story.

>> it's huge because for me it was basically a love letter to music. and eugene ashe, all these fantastic songs written into the script. when the script was sent to me, that's what i did. i immediately-- any time a song would come on, i'd press "play" on the song and i'd read the script through with that soundtrack. so it was really, like, an immersive, sonic experience for me. and then, you know, not for nothing, my favorite love song of all time is nancy wilson's "how glad i am." nancy wilson is a big sort of touchstone in this film. music is paramount for me. i use in my work. i use it in my life. this whole quarantine has been a lot of muc. >> trevor: i will say what i really enjoyed in the film, one of the things i enjoyed was nnamdi's character. you've got this big human being who is the softest, most romantic, just gentle-- it-- like the paradox of the character was something that i

didn't expect. why do you think he was the perfect person to partner with in telling the story? >> in general, i think what's exciting about these characters and feels kind of modern about them is they're trying to upend their own ideas of gender. for example, sylvia is this career woman who says to this man-- and, you know, in the 60s-- yet request why don't you let me be the bread winner so you can follow your dream. and i think it's particularly compelling to me at a time when we are still trying to upend our ideas around gender and be the fullest expression of ourselves and not feel boxed in by what society at large tells us we ought to be because of our gender presentation. so i found that really inspiring. and i think for nnamdi-- it's funny, because he likes to pretend that it's just, like, sublime acting, which of course it is. he spent a year learning to play saxophone, but i also think he's a bit of a softy and so this role gave him the opportunity to

access that. and i hope his n.f.l. brothers take a cue. >> trevor: what i also appreciate in the movie was how your character-- and you really portrayed this well-- is how she-- she's pushing against a world that is constantly telling her that she cannot be. and i felt like that's what tessa thompson does in real life. you know, you've been someone who has been really vocal about how hollywood needs to change, how women need to be given opportunities to direct more films. first of all, do you think hollywood is doing enough, now that people are speak up? and, secondly, why do you think it's so important to have women at the helm of telling these stories? >> something they found really excitinexciting about "sylvie's" is inside of it, you see this young, would-be producer who swams that that's impossible for her, and she is given an opportunity by another woman of color. and i think certainly in my own trajectory, i can trace every pivotal moment in my career to a person of color or a woman, and in some cases, both.

and i think that really points to the necessity that we need to be in those positions of power, of hiring power. and when we're there, it can't be enough that we're there. we have to make sure tharg folks can be in the room with us. it's not enough to just be in proximity to power. we also have to possess it. and some of that has to do with making our own institutions and our own place where's we can flourish. and i think that's something that i am seeing. there are all of these friends of mine creating their own companies and doing it their own way, and really thinking not just about opportunity, but about ownership. and that to me is the most exciting thing i see happening inside of this industry. it will, literally, eventually change the face of hollywood. but in terms of inclusion, that's not something that happens by mistake. which is why i advocate for things like the 4% challenge. you have to make it a mandate, i think, at the studio level. and, you know, to me, that will be the real marker of change is when we can make those systemic

changes that are, you know, written and actionable. >> trevor: well, you're doing an amazing job. i loved watching you in this film because, i don't know, it was nice to see human beings loving each other during this time. >> isn't that nice! >> trevor: it was. it was a wonderful feeling. it really was. i loved the music. i loved the feel and the vibe. it was great to watch a period piece like this. i have never seen anything like this or it's been an extremely long time. thank you very much for your art as always, and thank you for joining me on the show. >> thank you so much for having me. it's always such a pleasure. >> take care, tessa. >> you, too. >> trevor: don't forget, "sylvie's love" premieres december 23 on amazon prime video. okay, we're going to take a quick break, but we'll be right back after this.