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00:05From 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York,
00:09it's Late Night with Seth Meyers.
00:12Tonight, Lisa Kudrow.
00:14Star of The Sheep Detective's actor Nicholas Braun.
00:18An all-new Closer Look.
00:25And now, Seth Meyers.
00:28Good evening, everybody.
00:29I'm Seth Meyers.
00:30It's Late Night.
00:31We hope you're doing well.
00:32And now, if you don't mind, we're going to get to the news.
00:34During an Oval Office event yesterday,
00:37President Trump discussed the upcoming UFC fight
00:39at the White House and told reporters it has,
00:42quote, never happened before.
00:44No kidding.
00:46Nothing you've done as president has happened before.
00:50Do you think when you started selling cologne on your website,
00:53we thought, ah, yes, just like Lincoln?
00:57During an event yesterday honoring military mothers,
01:00President Trump said that drug trafficking by sea
01:03is down 97% and added, quote,
01:06a lot of people say, what do you mean by sea?
01:08Is it sea-like vision or is it C-S-E-A?
01:12A lot of people say that?
01:15Or you said that and someone tried to make you feel better
01:19by saying a lot of people say that?
01:22FBI Director Cash Patel has reportedly been giving
01:25colleagues and civilians personalized bottles
01:27of Woodford Reserve bourbon.
01:29Well, what's left of them?
01:33After publishing a story last month about FBI Director
01:35Cash Patel's alcohol use, The Atlantic Magazine,
01:38released another story yesterday about how Patel
01:40has been gifting personalized bottles of bourbon.
01:43It's a great way to tell your coworkers,
01:44hey, can you keep this in your office?
01:48Free agent quarterback Russell Wilson
01:50is reportedly considering retiring
01:52and becoming an in-studio analyst
01:54or joining the New York Jets.
01:56Well, I'll say this, if you become an analyst,
01:58you'll have a chance to go to the playoffs.
02:08Usually people aren't that touchy in the offseason.
02:11It hasn't even started yet.
02:14The therapy platform Rula announced yesterday
02:16that it's partnering with Van Eluen
02:18to provide people with a free therapy session
02:21plus a scoop of ice cream.
02:22It's just their way of getting you accustomed
02:24to the idea of being manipulated by your therapist.
02:29The retail chain Burlington has announced
02:31that it will open 26 new stores this month
02:33across 20 states,
02:34while Walmart has announced
02:36it will open one store across 20 states.
02:40This Sunday is Mother's Day.
02:42This, according to six voicemails from my mother.
02:46Finally, the pizza chain Papa John's
02:48has announced a new collaboration with Disney
02:50to offer a special Toy Story 5 menu.
02:53Perfect if you want to go to the bathroom and beyond.
02:57And that was the monologue, everybody.
03:00Our show has begun.
03:02We got a great one for you tonight.
03:04You know her from Friends
03:06and Romy and Michelle's high school reunion,
03:08as well as her roles in Easy A and Analyze This.
03:11She is the co-creator, executive producer,
03:12and star of The Comeback,
03:14whose series finale airs Sunday,
03:17May 10th on HBO and HBO Max.
03:18Lisa Kudrow is back on the show.
03:21You know him from Succession,
03:23as well as the film Saturday Night.
03:26Currently, he's starring in The Sheep Detectives,
03:28which is in theaters May 8th.
03:29Nicholas Braun will also be joining us.
03:32But before we get to all that,
03:35gas prices continue to rise
03:37as major companies warn of supply shortages
03:40that could grind the economy to a halt.
03:42But don't worry,
03:42Donald Trump is laser-focused on bringing down prices
03:45and making life more affordable for working Americans.
03:48And I'm just with you.
03:50He's been bragging about acing a dementia test.
03:53For more on this, it's time for A Closer Look.
03:59We all know that if there's one thing
04:01Donald Trump cares about,
04:02it's mental and physical well-being.
04:04I mean, look at him.
04:05The man is a specimen.
04:07He is in peak physical condition.
04:09Wait, sorry.
04:10I'm being told that's the gold statue of Trump
04:12at his golf course.
04:13Can we see the real Trump?
04:14There we go.
04:16The platonic ideal of masculinity.
04:19He has the coloring of Zeus
04:20and the posture of the Michelin Man.
04:23And we all know that in order to take care
04:25of your body,
04:25you must first take care of your mind,
04:27which is why Trump always takes great pains
04:29to let us know his brain be good.
04:33It be good.
04:35In fact, he's bragged about it twice
04:37in just the past week.
04:39Anybody running for president or vice president
04:41should take a cognitive test.
04:44And no president has ever taken one except me.
04:48I've taken three of them,
04:49and I've aced each one.
04:51I took three of them.
04:52Aced all of them, by the way.
04:56You know, I'm the only president,
04:59I'm the only president to take a cognitive test.
05:02Because no one else has had to.
05:06Whatever problems you might have with Barack Obama,
05:08no one ever thought,
05:09are we sure he can identify all three animals
05:13from these drawings?
05:15If anything, Obama's too normal.
05:16Dude's always showing up at basketball games,
05:18making Netflix movies,
05:19singing to children with Zoran Mondani.
05:22I mean, there's no way Trump could sing
05:25the wheels on the bus.
05:26The best you would get is a 15-minute monologue
05:29about how wheels are good again
05:31after four years of bad wheels
05:33during the Biden administration.
05:35Children, I'm not lying,
05:36the wheels were not going round and round
05:39under sleepy Joe Biden,
05:41and the wipers were not going
05:42squish, squish, squish.
05:44I'll tell you that.
05:45But the kids were going,
05:46the babies were going wah, wah, wah.
05:49The babies were sad that NATO
05:51wasn't paying their fair share.
05:54And for anyone thinking,
05:56hey, come on, man,
05:57he wouldn't say anything that dumb,
05:59he's actually said way dumber
06:00when it comes to wheels.
06:02Remember, this is a guy
06:03who thought it was a genius insight
06:05when he once noticed
06:06all the cars in the parking lot
06:08had wheels,
06:09which, in his mind,
06:10justified building a border wall.
06:13They say a wall is medieval.
06:14Well, so is a wheel.
06:16A wheel is older than a wall.
06:19And I looked,
06:20and every single car out there,
06:22even the really expensive ones
06:23that the Secret Service uses,
06:26and believe me, they are expensive.
06:28I said, do they all have wheels?
06:30Yes.
06:30Oh, I thought it was medieval.
06:31Just out of curiosity,
06:34when you asked someone,
06:35do all the cars have wheels,
06:37was that when someone said to you,
06:39hey, you want to take a cognitive test?
06:43You'll be the first president
06:45we can want to.
06:49And I'm sorry,
06:50why would the really expensive cars
06:53be less likely to have wheels?
06:55I mean, imagine if you had
06:57that conversation with a friend.
06:58Like, how worried would you be
07:01about them if you were telling a story
07:03and you said something like,
07:04so I'm in a parking lot full of cars,
07:05and then they interrupted and said,
07:06do they all have wheels?
07:09And you said, yeah.
07:10And then they said,
07:11even the expensive ones?
07:13I mean, the next thing you'd ask them
07:14would be like,
07:15do you by any chance smell burnt toast?
07:18Also, is it just me,
07:19or is Trump making news
07:21by announcing that he's now
07:22taking three cognitive tests?
07:24Because that hasn't always been the number.
07:26I said, let me take the cognitive test,
07:28and I did.
07:29I took two tests, cognitive tests.
07:31I aced them, both of them.
07:32I've taken now three cognitive tests.
07:35I think I know what happened here.
07:36He took the first cognitive test,
07:38and he passed it,
07:38and he thinks that makes him a genius,
07:40so now every time he goes to the doctor,
07:41he offers to take another one.
07:44Let's go again.
07:45If you guys want to know
07:46which one is the camel,
07:47I'm your guy.
07:49I mean, it's already pretty alarming
07:50to find out that the president's doctors
07:51keep giving him cognitive tests,
07:53but his description of the process
07:55is even more concerning.
07:57When I got the score in the test,
07:59the doctor said,
08:01wow, I've never seen...
08:02You know you have five doctors lined up.
08:04They're all over the place.
08:05I'm sorry, so wait a minute.
08:06One doctor said,
08:07I've never seen that,
08:08and suddenly there were five doctors in the room?
08:11Usually that means you're about to have
08:13a disease named after you.
08:16Did you hear about Dorothy?
08:17No, what happened?
08:18They think she has thrombosis.
08:20Seriously, you have five doctors
08:22who are all watching you take a cognitive test,
08:24and you're not concerned.
08:25If I go for a standard physical,
08:26and my doctor calls in a second doctor,
08:29I immediately call my wife to say goodbye.
08:32So please just describe the scene.
08:33When this team of five doctors is watching you,
08:36are they wearing lab coats and standing behind glass?
08:38Do you have electrodes attached to your body?
08:40Are they giving you a puzzle to solve?
08:41Is the other patient in the room a gorilla?
08:45I remember cocoa came up to me,
08:47big cocoa, strong cocoa.
08:50Tears pouring from her big brown eyes
08:52down onto her prominent teats.
08:56And she gave me one of these.
08:58She did this, and then she gave me one of these,
08:59and she gave me one of these.
09:02But I don't speak gorilla,
09:03so I don't know what she meant.
09:05But if it's concerning to you
09:07that the president has now taken three cognitive tests,
09:09surrounded by teams of doctors, don't worry.
09:11He put us at ease with this astute observation.
09:15Drug traffic coming into our country is way down,
09:17and by sea, by sea, by ocean, by the water, you know?
09:23A lot of people say, what do you mean by sea?
09:24Is it sea, like vision?
09:26No, it's the SEA.
09:27F*** off, not one person has said that to you.
09:32Not one person has said, what do you mean by sea?
09:35Mostly because by sea, S-E-E, isn't an expression.
09:39That's not another way to say you saw or recognize someone.
09:43How did you know that was your sweater?
09:45Oh, I recognized it, by sea.
09:50By sea?
09:51When Paul Revere was on his midnight ride shouting,
09:54what if I land two if I see,
09:55there wasn't one Boston ass saying,
09:57what do you mean by sea?
10:00You mean that looking at us?
10:01I'm fine with that.
10:04This is not the first time Trump has noticed
10:06the intricate spelling of a one-syllable word
10:09and thought he was a genius.
10:12You know how you spell us, right?
10:14You spell us, U-S.
10:18I just picked that up.
10:20Has anyone ever thought of that?
10:21I just picked that up.
10:30I don't think any of us had to think of that.
10:34You just picked that up?
10:36Even the kids in the classroom with Obama knew that.
10:39But for some reason,
10:40Trump is just so proud that he knows words,
10:42the same words you learn in kindergarten.
10:45You spell us, U-S.
10:47It's the S-E-A.
10:48Whole milk.
10:51And it's whole with a W.
10:59So Trump clearly cares about mental health,
11:02which is why it's alarming that his health secretary
11:04is trying to make it harder for people
11:05to get access to antidepressants,
11:06although RFK Jr. probably just wants people
11:08to take cognitive tests
11:09to prove their sanity like Trump.
11:12The first question is very easy,
11:13and they always show the first question is,
11:16you have a lion, a bear, an alligator,
11:19and a, what's another good, a squirrel, okay?
11:24Which is the squirrel?
11:26The first question is very easy.
11:28It's a lion, a giraffe, a bear, and a shark.
11:32They say, which one is the bear?
11:34Oh, man, when RFK heard that,
11:36his mouth was watering.
11:37That list sounds like the menu
11:39in his favorite restaurant.
11:40I am eating all the animals.
11:43Giraffe meat is high in peptides,
11:45and squirrel meat is high in antitoxics.
11:49Shark meat is high in vitamin A.
11:51That's why I have such beautiful shark eyes.
11:56The point is, Trump cares about mental health,
11:58but he cares about physical health, too,
11:59and he made that clear with a very important
12:02and very normal event at the Oval Office this week.
12:05President Donald Trump is bringing back
12:07the Presidential Physical Fitness Award,
12:09reviving a once-familiar gym class test
12:12for students across America.
12:14He held an event, as you can see at the White House today,
12:16with children and famous athletes.
12:18The White House gets physical.
12:20President Trump brings back
12:21the Presidential Fitness Test Awards,
12:23and he brought out some dance moves.
12:26What do you wanna be?
12:28I'm telling you, I'm telling you, I'm telling you...
12:30I mean, in fairness, that dance is the closest
12:32Trump has ever come to working out.
12:35Makes him look like he's on an imaginary elliptical.
12:41The dancing was harmless.
12:42What might have been a little more concerning
12:44was what Trump chose to discuss with the kids
12:46in the Oval Office.
12:47He could have discussed the importance
12:49of mental and physical health
12:50or the importance of education.
12:52Instead, he thought it was a good time
12:54to discuss, in detail, the war with Iran.
12:57We have to make a journey down to Iran
12:59to take the nuclear weapon.
13:01They would have had a nuclear weapon within two weeks.
13:05Remember, we sent that beautiful B-2 bomber in,
13:08and we blew up their nuclear potential.
13:12It was obliterated.
13:13So we would have had an Iran with a nuclear weapon,
13:19and maybe we wouldn't all be here right now.
13:22I can tell you, the Middle East would have been gone.
13:24Israel would have been gone.
13:25And they would have trained their sights on Europe first,
13:27and then us, because they're sick people.
13:31These are sick people.
13:32And we're not going to let lunatics have a nuclear weapon.
13:36The power of a nuclear weapon is something
13:38I don't even want to talk about.
13:40It's not going to happen.
13:42And we have beaten them badly.
13:45They're talking.
13:47Now they're reduced to little boats
13:49with a machine gun on the front of them,
13:50because they had a Navy of 159 ships.
13:53Every single ship in the first week was, right, Pete?
13:57Every single ship they had is resting underwater, right?
14:03At the bottom of the sea.
14:04They have no Navy.
14:05It's totally wiped out.
14:07Same thing with the Air Force.
14:08So we're doing well.
14:11Yeah.
14:14Yeah, I think we're doing real well.
14:17Those poor kids have never been more bored
14:20by here or by sea.
14:26This is why many families have a rule
14:31that Grandpa's not allowed to babysit.
14:33Yeah, he turned off Paw Patrol
14:35and made him watch Platoon again.
14:36They got to learn!
14:38Seriously, why is he so weird?
14:40I mean, let's compare Trump's behavior
14:42around schoolchildren to Obama and Mom Donnie.
14:45The wheels on the bus go round and round.
14:49They would have had a nuclear weapon
14:50in within two weeks.
14:53Of course, it would be nice
14:54if instead of bragging about dementia tests
14:57and other stuff,
14:58this president spent his time
15:00talking about bringing down prices
15:01and making life more affordable
15:02for working Americans.
15:03But that stuff is boring,
15:04and that's why when it comes to his polling,
15:06he's in a very big...
15:07Hole.
15:11But spelled how?
15:14This has been A Closer Look.
15:19We'll be right back
15:20with Lisa Kudrow, everybody!
15:36Our first guest tonight
15:37is an Emmy award-winning actress.
15:39You know from her iconic roles in Friends
15:41and Romy and Michelle's high school reunion
15:43in addition to her work in web therapy,
15:45Easy A, and Analyze This,
15:47she's the co-creator, executive producer,
15:49and star of The Comeback.
15:50The series finale premieres Sunday,
15:52May 10th, on HBO and HBO Max.
15:53Please welcome back to the show,
15:54Lisa Kudrow, everybody!
16:10Lisa Kudrow!
16:13Hello, Lisa!
16:14I'm so happy you're back!
16:15Yeah, me too, thanks!
16:17This is, uh, I want to talk about The Comeback,
16:19but I heard something recently,
16:20which is you like to go to bed watching a sitcom.
16:23Yes, I want to laugh before I go to bed.
16:25Yes, that's very nice.
16:26I think some people like to, like, you know,
16:27bring down their energy,
16:28but you like to just enjoy, have a party.
16:30Oh, no, that calms you down.
16:31That helps, it calms you down.
16:32Yeah.
16:33But you recently started watching a sitcom
16:36to put yourself to bed at night.
16:37Yeah, that's right.
16:38And what have you moved on to?
16:40I finally, well, I finally finished Friends.
16:43Okay.
16:45So, had you, had you ever watched it?
16:48Did you watch it when it was airing?
16:50Well, the first couple seasons, yeah.
16:52Okay, gotcha.
16:53And then you're busy, and then, and then,
16:55and then, you know, by the end,
16:57I don't even know what the other scenes were.
16:59Right.
16:59You know?
17:00And so, there, it felt like there were episodes
17:03I didn't see.
17:04That's really amazing.
17:05And you said you finished it, which is great.
17:06That means you enjoyed it?
17:08Oh, yeah.
17:09No, I did.
17:11Well, again, you're the one who's saying, like,
17:13after two seasons, I stopped watching
17:14when you were making it.
17:16Yeah, you're right.
17:16Yeah.
17:17But I, like, I mean, again, I think it's,
17:19I mean, it holds up so well.
17:21To the point that I was telling,
17:22I remember we were on a flight, my wife and I,
17:24and she was watching old Friends,
17:27and I was, like, watching a movie,
17:28and I realized at one point, like, she's like,
17:30if you want to watch Friends, just watch it,
17:32because I was just watching without sound.
17:34I was watching Friends without sound,
17:37and it was just still funny to me.
17:39Yeah.
17:39Like, how just, you guys were also in the pocket.
17:42Yeah.
17:43It's true.
17:43That's me, too, watching it.
17:45Just absolutely everyone is making me laugh my head off.
17:49Also, it's really funny to watch without sound,
17:51because, like, there's a long, I mean,
17:52the audience reacts so hard to certain jokes
17:55that you guys are just fully just, like,
17:56standing, waiting.
17:58Yes.
17:59Until you can talk again.
18:00Trying to live a life in the scene, right?
18:03It must have made it very hard.
18:05Freeze.
18:08Now, Friends was a show where you worked very hard.
18:11Yes.
18:12It came out, one season would come out a year,
18:15and then later, now you're doing the comeback,
18:17and you're like, we're just going to do one every 10 years.
18:20You're like, I don't want that pace anymore.
18:22This is one of the craziest shows.
18:23We had your co-star, Dan, on.
18:25So this is a show that you have done,
18:27this is the third season,
18:28and it has been 20 years since the premiere.
18:30It's really, like, I mean...
18:31More than 20.
18:32It's unbelievable.
18:33I know.
18:34But this is a character Valerie Cherish,
18:36which in, I guess, 2005, when it premiered,
18:38is that right?
18:38Am I getting the year right?
18:39Yes, it did, 2005.
18:40So this is about, like, a former star
18:41who was adjoining the cast of a reality show,
18:45and the observation was...
18:46Or a cast of a sitcom.
18:47Right, that they were making a reality show.
18:49Right, she had an audition for a sitcom,
18:51and she was doing this reality show,
18:53and she didn't realize that if you don't get the sitcom,
18:56you don't get the reality show.
18:57It's a companion thing.
18:59But you guys, at the time, in 2005,
19:01made the observation that, like, reality shows
19:03was what everybody was worried about.
19:04Well, yes!
19:05And then you could also see,
19:07I don't know if you remember,
19:08or were out of college,
19:11in 2005...
19:12I was, I was, yeah.
19:13Okay.
19:14But a lot of, you know,
19:16they weren't doing as many overall deals for writers,
19:19and there were fewer sitcoms starting to...
19:22You know what I mean?
19:23Yes, it was sort of the decline of, like,
19:25that big pilot season where everybody was trying
19:27to make 20 shows a year.
19:28Yes.
19:28And because, and there, 2004,
19:31it was the wild, wild west with reality shows,
19:34and there were no housewives yet.
19:36Right.
19:36But there was a time when there were no housewives.
19:42For young people, it's haunting to know.
19:44I know.
19:45There was a period of time in American history
19:46where we did not have...
19:47It's true.
19:48Don't ask how we got along.
19:50You know.
19:52We managed.
19:52May have been listening to radio.
19:54But, um, may have been.
19:57May as well have been.
19:57God damn it.
19:59You know what?
20:00We'll go back.
20:00Take two.
20:01Social media.
20:01We'll re-record.
20:02Yeah, you can re-record.
20:04Anyway, uh, so mad at myself.
20:07Yeah, for your grammar.
20:08Yeah.
20:09Valerie Cherish, I did not know,
20:11was originally a character you developed at the Groundlings.
20:14It was that kind of actor.
20:16No, it was, yeah, very self-important, phony.
20:19Yeah.
20:19You know, it was called
20:21your favorite actress on a talk show.
20:22And what was the observation?
20:25What would your favorite actress on a talk show do
20:27that you had observed as being phony?
20:29Well, there are different things,
20:30but one of them that just made me laugh hard
20:33was her plea to the audience.
20:35Okay.
20:36You know, just to, you know,
20:37because, you know, what's really important to me now
20:40is saving the planet.
20:42You know?
20:43Please, please, please.
20:46Save the planet, people.
20:48As a favor to me.
20:50I'll love you for it.
20:51I really will.
20:52You know, as if.
20:54Yeah.
20:54And then, um, Valerie Cherish,
20:56like, she became this, like,
20:58you know, and again,
20:58like, reality was the observation now.
21:00And then in this season,
21:01like, it's AI,
21:02which is, people are talking about AI,
21:04you know, in our industry,
21:05I think, in the same way
21:06they talked about reality.
21:08Television.
21:09An extinction event, potentially.
21:10But did you know when you realized, like,
21:12oh, AI, were you,
21:14did you at least observe, like,
21:16oh, this is a reason to bring Valerie back
21:17and have something new to say?
21:18Yeah.
21:18Exactly.
21:19Michael Patrick King,
21:20we had talked about different things,
21:21and he said,
21:23okay, she's on,
21:25she's finally offered the lead
21:27in a multi-camera sitcom,
21:29but it's the first one written by AI.
21:32Right.
21:32And I went, yes, of course.
21:34She would throw herself into that.
21:37She's been a fantastic vessel
21:38to show us the changes in our industry.
21:40Yeah.
21:41The show has.
21:42It's really amazing.
21:43Because we got canceled.
21:44Yeah.
21:44All those years ago.
21:46That's amazing.
21:46And then invited back for one season.
21:48Ten years later.
21:49I like it takes you guys, like,
21:50ten years to percolate the perfect idea,
21:52but you've done it again.
21:53We did, but this is the last time now.
21:55Well, you say that.
21:57I say it, and I mean it.
21:58Well,
22:00I will write that down
22:01on a piece of paper
22:02and see you in ten years.
22:04I have more to ask you.
22:07With Lisa.
22:13Val, I'm so, so sorry
22:15I broke your Emmy.
22:16Oh, my God!
22:18Oh, my God!
22:19I wish I was dead.
22:20I wish I was dead.
22:21I should be f***ed.
22:22I should be dead like my brother.
22:25Hey!
22:25Look at me.
22:26Look at me.
22:26Look at me.
22:27Okay?
22:28Shh.
22:29All right.
22:30Now, it broke.
22:32It's fine.
22:33Okay?
22:33Stop.
22:34It's just a talisman.
22:36Okay?
22:37And it served its purpose.
22:39The night I won that,
22:41my husband and I got back together.
22:44Okay?
22:44We both showed up
22:46for a dear friend in the hospital.
22:48And it taught me
22:49what's really important,
22:52and that's relationships.
22:54I found someone who can fix it.
22:55Someone can fix it?
22:56Okay, it's getting fixed.
22:58So.
23:00Welcome back.
23:01We're here with Lisa Cujo.
23:02That was a clip from The Comeback.
23:06Fantastic cast.
23:07Yeah.
23:08Fantastic group of actors.
23:10It was Matt Cook.
23:10He's so good.
23:11He's very funny.
23:13Your son also was in the show this year.
23:16Julian.
23:17Here he is.
23:17He plays somebody on the tech side.
23:19Evan, the A.I.
23:21And how was it?
23:23I mean, do you have to
23:24kind of separate yourself from,
23:25I mean, assuming the mother-son relationship
23:27is not a healthy one to have on set.
23:29You have to be two actors.
23:30No, no.
23:30I was pretty great at that.
23:32Because he was, well, he was really good.
23:34It was Evan.
23:35Except there was one time
23:36where I was just really tired.
23:38I mean, Valerie's in every scene.
23:41Yeah, of course.
23:41Big mistake.
23:42Total mistake.
23:43And so I was just really tired
23:45and walked into the cast.
23:46You know, there's cast waiting rooms now.
23:48And on the couch, I saw my son
23:51and just went, oh, yeah.
23:53Oh, family, that's great.
23:54I mean, oh, thank God.
23:55And just sort of walked over
23:56and crawled on him on the couch
23:58and just went, oh, oh.
24:02I hadn't told anyone that my son
24:07was on the show.
24:08Right.
24:09So a couple of these actors
24:11that I'd been working with and knew
24:12definitely went,
24:15what's happening?
24:16Yeah.
24:17Yeah.
24:18Like, I hope she doesn't come over to me.
24:20Yeah.
24:21Probably.
24:22I would imagine.
24:22And I mean, like, then you're like,
24:24I mean, you hope they don't go straight to HR
24:26and be like.
24:27Yeah, no, no.
24:28Yeah, yeah, yeah.
24:28Nobody was like, boundaries were crossed.
24:30Yeah, that's her son.
24:31Oh, that's your son.
24:32And my son was like, okay, all right.
24:37All right?
24:38Yeah.
24:39We mentioned The Groundlings,
24:42which is incredible, you know,
24:43sketchy improv theater in L.A.
24:44You were pointed to The Groundlings
24:46by the great John Lovitz.
24:48Yes, my brother's best friend.
24:50So growing up, John Lovitz was always there.
24:53And so did he sort of know
24:54that it was something you wanted to do
24:55and he said, oh, you should go check out The Groundlings?
24:57Kind of.
24:58I wanted to when I was a kid.
24:59Yeah.
25:00And in junior high and I wrote sketches and stuff.
25:02And then I threw it all, set it aside.
25:05Yeah.
25:05But then after college, I decided, okay,
25:08and I called John and I said,
25:09I want to be an actor.
25:10He went, great.
25:11Isn't that nice?
25:12Yes.
25:13Oh, great.
25:14Okay.
25:14Well, listen, okay.
25:16I took a lot of crappy acting classes and stuff.
25:19So go to The Groundlings, all right?
25:21The Groundlings, you got to learn improv
25:22and that's where you got to go.
25:24Yeah.
25:25That was really great.
25:26Yeah.
25:26You also, as a young actor, met Conan O'Brien.
25:30Oh, right.
25:31Because I called The Groundlings
25:32and they said, yeah, well, sure.
25:35You can take classes here.
25:37When's the last time you performed?
25:38And I said, junior high.
25:39Great.
25:39We're going to send you to this again, somewhere else.
25:43Oh, so they were like, we're going to make you wait.
25:45We would like you to do some, like, preparatory stuff.
25:46Take some classes.
25:47Yeah.
25:47And that's where you met Conan?
25:49Yeah.
25:49The second class.
25:50Because I went to the first class
25:52and was so mortified at what it was
25:56and thought, oh, no, maybe I can't be an actor.
25:58Yeah.
25:59Because, you know, they do, like, space ball
26:02and then be angry.
26:03And everyone's, you know, just going,
26:06and I went, no, I can't do that.
26:09I don't know.
26:10And so...
26:11Because, again, you're a college graduate.
26:12You had studied biology at Vassar.
26:15So, like, you had a degree for, like, another thing
26:17and now you're playing Invisible Catch.
26:19Right.
26:20Yeah.
26:20That's what I'm saying.
26:21So I could get you saying, like,
26:23I think this might not be the best use of my biology degree.
26:26Well, no, I wasn't.
26:29It had eventually turned out to be.
26:30It turned out to be.
26:31But, I mean, I was just so embarrassed.
26:34Yeah.
26:35For everybody and myself.
26:38And Cynthia Segetti's great teacher kept yelling,
26:41commit, commit!
26:42And I don't know what I...
26:44I'm here.
26:45Aren't I committed?
26:45I don't know what that means.
26:47And so, second class, I dragged myself.
26:50I almost didn't go.
26:52And I just got there late and just watched
26:54and, oh, there's a new guy there.
26:56He's, like, you know, 6'5", whatever, his red hair.
27:00And he's doing lift-a-disc
27:03and the emotional adjustments.
27:04But he's not embarrassing.
27:06He's just being whatever, like, a little angry.
27:12And he was good.
27:13And she said, great commitment, Conan.
27:17Great commitment.
27:18And I went, okay.
27:19I don't know what name she just said
27:21because I've never heard it before.
27:22But, yes, that's what it is.
27:25And I just made a beeline for him.
27:27It's incredible to see somebody.
27:29Yeah, who can do it
27:30and then make you believe you can do it, too.
27:32He also...
27:33This is his audition for when he auditioned for Late Night.
27:36Right.
27:37And legend has it, you helped him pick out his jacket.
27:42I went shopping with him.
27:43Wow.
27:43Yeah, we were close friends.
27:44And so you both were like this one.
27:50Yeah.
27:51It'll stand out.
27:52Never seen anyone who had a white jacket.
27:54By the way, that paid off as well.
27:55I also knew it won't matter what you wear.
27:58Yeah, you're totally right.
28:00Because you're going to do this.
28:01Yeah.
28:02Well, you were right.
28:03And I'm glad.
28:04John Lovitz was right as well.
28:06And I'm so glad you got pointed to the groundlings.
28:07And I'm so glad you're here today.
28:08It's so wonderful to see you again.
28:09Me too, see?
28:10You guys, Felicia Cudrow, everybody.
28:12The series finale of The Comeback.
28:14Although, I don't really buy it.
28:16Premieres Sunday, May 10th on HBO and HBO Max.
28:18We'll be right back with Nicholas Braun.
28:29Our next guest is an Emmy-nominated actor.
28:32You know from his work as Cousin Greg on Succession,
28:34as well as the film Saturday Night.
28:36He stars in The Sheep Detectives,
28:38which is in theaters May 8th.
28:40Let's take a look.
28:41Who's this?
28:42His name's George Hardy.
28:44He's a shepherd.
28:45What happened?
28:46Probably a heart attack.
28:47Not much of a story for you, I'm afraid.
28:51Unless there's anything out of the ordinary, right?
28:53Nope.
28:54I've looked everywhere.
28:55Around the caravan.
28:59Underneath the caravan.
29:00What about inside the caravan?
29:07Worth a shot.
29:09Please welcome to the show,
29:11Nicholas Braun, everybody.
29:25Welcome.
29:26All right.
29:27I'm so, so happy you're here.
29:29And some congratulations are in order.
29:32You did a British accent in a movie,
29:35and the British press, notoriously hard,
29:38has approved.
29:40Apparently they have.
29:41Can I read a couple of quotes?
29:43This is from The Guardian.
29:45A perfectly decent Brit accent
29:49and performed with a plum.
29:53A plum means...
29:55They like it.
29:55Let's just make sure we know what a plum means.
29:58I think it's like skill.
30:00It was very...
30:01A flair, a little bit of flair.
30:03They were very, very happy about it.
30:04I mean, the clip there doesn't quite, I think,
30:06show what's the most unique thing about this film,
30:08which is, this is about a group of sheep
30:11who are trying to solve the murder of their shepherd.
30:15Correct.
30:16Yeah.
30:17And they kind of need to,
30:19because your police officer character,
30:20as we did see in the clip,
30:21is maybe not up to the task.
30:23No, he's not ready to solve a murder.
30:25He's not ready to use a taser.
30:27Yeah.
30:28So, yeah, he's not equipped.
30:30He's not prepared for this.
30:32He needs animals.
30:32And so, these are sheep detectives.
30:36But they're, I mean, a little bit sad.
30:38You did not get to actually work with real sheep.
30:40No, no.
30:41The only sheep were sheep that were in pastures afar.
30:45Yeah.
30:46A plum.
30:48Yeah, no, it's one of those words you can use for anything.
30:50For sure.
30:51So, yeah, the sheep were around.
30:53They were very aplomb.
30:56And so, yeah, we didn't have real sheep.
30:58We had stuffed animals.
30:59We had cardboard.
31:02Hugh had a puppeteer.
31:03We didn't get the puppeteer guy,
31:04but Hugh had, like, an amazing puppeteer.
31:05This is Hugh Jackman.
31:06Oh, because he had to act with, like,
31:08he had to do more acting with the sheep.
31:10Yes.
31:10Here you are with some of your cardboard cutouts.
31:12I will say this.
31:14My crew.
31:15That's your crew.
31:16This is a very, I mean, I would have,
31:18I'd buy that's a real sheep.
31:19Totally.
31:20Yeah.
31:20Totally.
31:21Those are soulful eyes.
31:22Yeah, they got the eyes, right?
31:24Yeah.
31:24You mentioned Hugh Jackman, Emma Thompson,
31:27a couple of legends.
31:28How was your first day?
31:30It's not like, look, you've worked with legends,
31:32but, like, those two, you know,
31:33they kind of stand out.
31:34Definitely.
31:36You know, Hugh Jackman,
31:37I've been watching for so long,
31:40and, you know, I was like, okay,
31:42in the movie, you'll see,
31:43we are in a scene together.
31:45Yep.
31:46We had lines in the script.
31:48We shot lines together.
31:50I said words to him.
31:51Yep.
31:53And, but in the first take,
31:54I was like, man, I was like,
31:56Hugh's about to come up to me.
31:58He's about to come up to me,
31:59and we're going to have this exchange.
32:00Yeah.
32:01Okay.
32:02And I look up at him.
32:03I'm in a church pew.
32:04Spoiler, there's a church.
32:07I'm in the pew, and I'm looking up,
32:09and Hugh comes up to me.
32:10I'm like, man, there he is.
32:12That's Hugh's face.
32:14Hugh Jackman standing in front of me.
32:17Oh, I have lines.
32:19Oh, yeah.
32:20And in British.
32:21I have to speak in a British accent.
32:22Yeah, but there he is, you know.
32:24He is.
32:25It's kind of awesome.
32:26I mean, he's striking.
32:27The most exciting thing about Hugh Jackman
32:29is he looks exactly like Hugh Jackman.
32:31That's it.
32:31That's it.
32:32You kind of can't believe it.
32:33There it is.
32:34Whoa.
32:34Yeah, yeah.
32:35It's the re-you do.
32:37I'm feeling that right now, too, about you.
32:39I'm feeling it about you.
32:40Yeah.
32:40I'm feeling it about you.
32:41There he is.
32:41That's really him.
32:44I had a...
32:47A very fun moment.
32:48We were talking about it backstage.
32:49I did not realize who you were talking to,
32:51but I was with my kids and walking to New York,
32:54and I heard your voice.
32:55Mm-hmm.
32:56And I was like, wait a second.
32:57I know that voice.
32:58And I turned, and you were having a conversation
32:59with an older gentleman who struck me as like...
33:02I was like, who?
33:03Nicholas Braun's got like a cool, older friend.
33:06Because that guy like has style and seemed to be like,
33:08really just like giving you a great anecdote.
33:10And then it turns out that was your dad.
33:13You were just like walking around New York, just like...
33:15He's just got that vibe.
33:16He's got a vibe.
33:17He's just sort of, yeah, he's sort of hunched over,
33:19sort of talks to the ground when he talks to you.
33:21Yeah.
33:22And, yeah, he's got...
33:23I mean, he's an actor as well.
33:25Right.
33:27So, yeah, I guess he's got that old actor vibe.
33:30And a New Yorker.
33:31And a New Yorker, for sure.
33:32He was a graphic designer,
33:33and then he got into acting later.
33:37But, like, that was right when you were, like,
33:38becoming like a child actor, correct?
33:40Yeah, so he was a famous record album designer,
33:43and he designed the Rolling Stones' tongue.
33:46That's a fantastic...
33:47I mean, my God, very lead.
33:48Him and Andy Warhol.
33:50That's a really good...
33:51He's going to love that applause.
33:53Yeah.
33:54He is going to love that you guys just applauded.
33:56By the way, like, I know that he ended up being your dad,
33:58but, like, he was acting...
34:00What he was like on the street
34:02was a guy who created the tongue.
34:03You know, now I'm like, oh, so I was right.
34:06Okay, okay, okay.
34:06You know what I mean?
34:06Like, I was both wrong and right at the same time.
34:09He had legend vibes, but you didn't know exactly from what...
34:11Yeah, I didn't know what the legend was from.
34:12Yes, yes.
34:14But, yeah, so he started acting at 55 years old.
34:17That's fantastic.
34:18Yeah, and I was six.
34:19Okay.
34:20And so were you guys...
34:21Now, obviously, you're not going out for the same parts.
34:23No, no, no, no.
34:25I have a huge range, though, but I can't...
34:28Do you feel like, looking back,
34:29were you tall as a six-year-old?
34:31Could you have played eight?
34:33I was, like, 90th percentile.
34:35Yeah.
34:36I was tall, but no facial hair yet.
34:40Right.
34:41But he and I...
34:42So I quickly fell in love with it,
34:45and he and I would coach each other on auditions.
34:49I mean, we would look in the back of backstage newspaper.
34:52I don't know if you guys know what this is,
34:53but it's a New York theater, you know, acting stage newspaper,
34:58and I don't even know if it exists anymore.
35:00But in the back, there were open calls.
35:02And so he and I would write postcards to casting directors
35:06or call them up, I guess, at the time.
35:07Yeah.
35:08And try to get in for these open calls.
35:10And he'd be like, I've, you know...
35:12Later, it was like,
35:13I've got an audition for Law & SVU.
35:15Do you want to help me prep?
35:17And, like, vice versa.
35:18And, like, he did SVU, and I did SVU.
35:20And so it was pretty cool.
35:21That's really cool.
35:22Yeah, yeah.
35:23And then you guys did a couple of short films together.
35:25We did.
35:26Yeah.
35:27My first acting jobs, I think, were these two.
35:29And what were...
35:29There's two of them.
35:31Please describe titles and plots
35:33of your two short films if you do that.
35:35Cool.
35:35Yeah, yeah.
35:36So, um...
35:37So the first...
35:39The first is Rocky and Pop's Search for the Holy Mackerel.
35:43Okay, great.
35:45That's a gripping title.
35:47I'm in.
35:47Perfect title.
35:48Yeah.
35:48Um, sort of a gross, weird, alcoholic grandfather
35:54takes his grandson to go fishing.
35:56Got it.
35:57And they don't catch fish.
35:58Great.
36:00Yeah.
36:00Okay.
36:01That's kind of it.
36:02There's not a third act to it, really.
36:03Yeah, I got you.
36:04That's, you know, it's a short film.
36:05It's very hard to have three acts in a short film.
36:07Totally.
36:07It's two really good ones.
36:09Oh, yeah.
36:11Um, and then the other film, film, nice.
36:14I'm calling it a film.
36:16Not even short.
36:16Um, the other one was actually a parody trailer.
36:21It was called The Sick Sense.
36:24S-I-C-K.
36:26Yes.
36:26Yeah, okay, The Sick Sense.
36:27It was a parody of the film, The Sixth Sense.
36:29Yeah, great.
36:30And so, in The Sixth Sense,
36:34Haley Joel Osment's character,
36:36who I played the version of,
36:38his whole thing is, I see dead people.
36:41Right.
36:41In The Sixth Sense,
36:44I said,
36:46I see dead people's asses.
36:50Oh.
36:51I see dead people's asses.
36:54Oh.
36:55And so, my character was,
36:57character.
37:00I,
37:00I would, um,
37:04it was a great trailer.
37:05Yeah.
37:06And, and, and I remember being,
37:09like, there were these guys,
37:12like, on nooses,
37:12hanging from nooses.
37:13Like, I walked into a room,
37:14it's like, everyone's on nooses,
37:16hanging, you know.
37:17Uh, and they,
37:19but they spin around,
37:20and they'd show their asses.
37:24Or walk into a room,
37:25and a ghost is there,
37:26but their ass up.
37:27And I was, like,
37:28eight years old.
37:31And I'm the star of
37:32the dead people's asses.
37:34And is the idea
37:35that that's even more haunting,
37:36because you're not only
37:37just seeing dead people,
37:38you have the added, like,
37:40trauma of also seeing asses.
37:41All different shapes
37:42and sizes.
37:43Yeah.
37:44And they don't get better looking
37:45the longer you're dead.
37:47No.
37:47Yeah.
37:48They're really pale.
37:48They say the ass is one
37:49of the first things to go.
37:51Looks-wise.
37:52Yeah, yeah, yeah.
37:53Well, the ass excretes something,
37:55right, when we,
37:55when you die.
37:57Look, this is just real life.
37:59If you guys don't know this,
38:00like, we can't help you.
38:01You're learning about real life.
38:03You were, you did an
38:05off-Broadway show.
38:06Yes.
38:07In New York City.
38:08And I'm wondering if you're,
38:10if any members of your
38:11Succession family,
38:12your Succession cast,
38:13came and saw you perform.
38:15They did.
38:16They did.
38:16Sarah Snook came early on,
38:18which was awesome.
38:19And then Brian Cox came.
38:22Yep.
38:24Brian, honestly,
38:25I came off stage
38:26and I came out to the theater
38:28and Brian hugged me so tight
38:31and he whispered in my ear,
38:33I'm so proud of you.
38:36And I was like,
38:37I think he actually respects me
38:41now.
38:41For the first time.
38:42For the first time.
38:43I'm like,
38:43I think as Greg,
38:44he thought I was good
38:45and he sees me on stage
38:48and he's like,
38:49I've never heard him talk that way.
38:51Yeah.
38:51Whispering in my ear.
38:53It is funny.
38:53I'm so,
38:54I love you, Nicholas.
38:56It is weird when people
38:58say something
38:58that makes you realize,
39:00like both you're like,
39:01that's so nice.
39:02And also you retroactively
39:03realize what they've thought
39:04of you until that moment.
39:05Yeah.
39:06Like when someone comes up
39:07and is like,
39:08you can act.
39:09Totally.
39:10Huh.
39:11Cool.
39:11Been doing it a while.
39:12Yeah.
39:13Weird that you're just
39:14coming to that conclusion.
39:16Yeah.
39:17But it's a shame on him
39:18for not noticing.
39:19But you know.
39:20No, and I'm exaggerating.
39:21Yeah.
39:21We are,
39:22I love him.
39:23We love each other.
39:23And you want Brian Cox
39:24to be the last guy
39:25to give it up.
39:27Totally.
39:28Well, you have to earn it.
39:29Yeah.
39:30And I do think for a while
39:31I was trying to get it.
39:32So, you do one play, guys.
39:35That's it.
39:35And then Brian Cox.
39:36You got him.
39:37And almost every play
39:38he's waiting at the stage doors
39:40to give you a big old hug.
39:41Yes.
39:41Yeah.
39:41Everyone's plays.
39:43Everyone's plays.
39:43Some of the theaters
39:44have pictures.
39:44Do not admit.
39:47Brian's nearby
39:47waiting to hug you.
39:50Which we want.
39:51Hi, Brian.
39:52Hi, Brian.
39:53Congrats on the movie.
39:54Thanks so much for being here.
39:54Please come back soon, man.
39:55Such a pleasure.
39:57Nicholas Braun over
39:57to the Chief Detectives
39:58in theaters May 8th.
40:07Come join the audience
40:08at Late Night
40:09live in Studio 8G.
40:10For tickets,
40:11head over to
40:11LateNightSethTickets.com.
40:13Follow us at
40:14Late Night Seth
40:14on all social media platforms.
40:16Subscribe to
40:17Late Night Seth
40:18on YouTube.
40:19Find us online
40:20at LateNightSeth.com.
40:22And subscribe to
40:23the Late Night Podcast
40:24featuring a closer look,
40:25guest interviews,
40:26and more.
40:27Available wherever you
40:28listen to podcasts.
40:36I want to thank my guest,
40:37Lisa Kudrow,
40:38Nicholas Braun,
40:39everybody.
40:40Head over to YouTube now
40:41for an all-new corrections.
40:42Thanks for watching.
40:42I love you.
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