>> seth: le carre. >> am i fan? yes, i am.ccess to it was through "tinker tailor soldier spy." >> seth: yeah. >> i picked it off my dad's bookshelf when i was 17. and i loved the series without it getting to film. although, i haven't read as much as i think you have. or as hugh laurie has, who plays our villain. >> seth: yes. and he's a fantastic villain. it's a really fun role for you. >> yeah. >> seth: but now, john le carre actually was -- does a cameo in the series. yes? he has a part? >> yes, he does. >> seth: so, you had to act with the author of the source material, is that intimidating? >> i mean, terrifying. >> seth: yes. >> i mean, the most terrifying thing you can imagine. >> seth: when he first sees you, you must feel like he's sizing you up. >> yeah. >> seth: thinking, no. >> i didn't quite see this face. [ light laughter ] saw someone else. >> seth: i saw eyes and a nose and a mouth. but none of them were those. >> it was someone more like seth meyers. >> seth: yeah, exactly. probably. >> it was -- he was -- ther

>>tu it's john le carre. i'm not gonna tell him to stop. >> seth: it should be noted for those who have never been on set, usually if an extra doesn't do what you want you immediately get rid of them? >> yes. >> seth: so, it's only when it's the author that you go, let's give the extra -- let's let him control the scene. >> control the scene. so, we spent an hour. it was actually great fun. he was really very spontaneous, very in the moment as you would appreciate. >> seth: i heard you did some work as a night manager at a hotel. >> seth: yeah. >> a place called the rosewood hotel in london. you know it? >> seth: i don't know it. >> it's just a very swish hotel in central london. fascinating, really. >> seth: working as the night shift? >> yeah, because it's like theater. it's like there's a sort of stage where the magic happens and there's a backstage. where people are running around. it's like french farce, and sort of carrying silver trays, and trying to keep things moving smoothly. >> seth: does it make y

i absolutely-- i devoured every le carre book. principally, of course, the book is about the cold war, the smiley novels. and then 1990 came. the wall was pulled down, and i, and i suppose a lot of other people, too, imagined if spies were now out of work, then possibly spy writers would also be redundant and i worried that le carre probably would not-- he would have to hang up whatever spy writers would hang up. tied in a ribbon. i happen to know he writes longhand. >> glor: does he really? >> he's old school. >> glor: how about that. >> much to my delight, not only had me equaled-- he found a subject that was equal to the incredibly high stakes of the cold war. he had actually found something, if, any exceeded those stakes because the international arms trade is a truly dark and-- these are dark and complicated waters. >> glor: he changed with the times. you also had to change with the times to update this story for modern times, and it begins in-- in cairo, egypt, just a few years ago. but you have been trying to bring this par

jeff: before we talk about richard roper, john le carre -- this novel in particular.ugh: these are the holy texts of my childhood, particularly my teen years. particularly the books about the cold war. and then 1990 came, the wall came down and i and others imagined that the spies are now out of work and possibly spied writers would also be redundant. i worried that he would have to hang up his typewriter ribbon. i happen to know he writes longhand. he is old school. but, much to my delight, not only had he found a subject that was equal to the high stakes of the cold war, he found something that if anything exceeded those stakes. because the international arms trade is a truly dark -- these are dark and complicated waters. jeff: he changed with the times and you did as well to update the story for modern times. it begins in cairo, egypt of few years ago. you have been trying to bring this particular novel to some sort of screen forever. hugh: i have. i read it as soon as it came out. it was probably literally warm. i remember it very clearly. i got to the end of chap