The Daily Show: Ears Edition - House Democrats Announce Impeachment Articles as Trump Spins Away | Alfre Woodard & Aldis Hodge

Episode Date: December 11, 2019

President Trump faces articles of impeachment, Lewis Black tackles Christmas-themed pandering to Jewish people, and actors Alfre Woodard and Aldis Hodge discuss "Clemency." Learn more about your ad-c...hoices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Starting point is 00:00:29 Go to AdS Manager. Paramount.com. That's ADS Manager. Paramount. to learn more. Finding great candidates to hire can be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. You might get a lot of resumes, but not tha tha tha tha toip Recruiter. Zip Recruiter finds amazing candidates for you fast. And right now you can try it for free at Zip Recruiter.com. Slip Recruiters' smart technology identifies top talent for your roles quickly. Immediately after you post your job, Zip Recruiters' powerful matching technology starts showing you qualified people for it, and you can use Zip Recruiter's pre-written invite to apply message to personally reach out to your favorite candidates and encourage
Starting point is 00:01:09 them to apply sooner. Ditch the other hiring sites and let Zip Recruiter find what you're looking for, the needle in the haystack. Four out of at this exclusive web address.ziprecruiter.com slash zip. Again that's zip recruiter.com slash zip. Zip recruiter the smartest way to hire. December 10th 2019. From Comedy Central's World News headquarters in New York. This is the Daily Show with Trevor Noah. Ears Edition. Welcome to the Daily Show, everybody. Thank you so much for tuning in. Thank you for coming out. Thank you so much for coming out. Let's do it. Take a seat, take a see, let's make a show.
Starting point is 00:02:08 I'm Trevor Noah. Our guest tonight are part of a powerful new movie about the death penalty in America. Alfred Woodard and Elders Hodge Fantastic movie getting great reviews also on tonight's episode. Louis Black plays Santa Claus. Jesus goes digital and Donald Trump might need to update his LinkedIn. So let's catch up on today's headlines. Let's kick it off with some international news. Coming out of Finland, it's the country that's usually known for lakes, snow, and not being Norway.
Starting point is 00:02:46 But now, they've got a pretty cool claim to fame. Britain's Guardian says a 34-year-old, sauna marine of Finland will become the world's youngest sitting prime minister. Yesterday, Finland's ruling social democratic party voted to name Marine the next prime minister. She's the country's transport minister and the party's vice chairwoman. She's been a lawmaker since 2015. Yes, Finland now has the youngest leader in the world. A 34-year-old woman named Santa Marine. And you know what? It's even more impressive?
Starting point is 00:03:18 Look at the other leaders of Finland's coalition government. Look at that. Five women. Killing the game. In fact, I'm starting to think Finland is secretly that island from Wonder Woman. That's all this is. Also you do realize that's an entire government that Mike Pence can't be in a room with, right? Even more impressive to me is that four of them are under the age of 35, which is wild. Because in America, you can't even be president until you turn 35. Yeah, and if you're in the government, you can just
Starting point is 00:03:48 keep running until you're a thousand. I don't understand why there's no old age limits. Yeah, because think about, you have congressman who can't stay awake. You have a senator who took off glasses he wasn't even wearing. And like, we don't even know how old Mitch Mitch, the the the the the the th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, th. th. th. th. th. th. th. thin, thus, thin, th. thin, thin, thin, you can't thus, you can't th. You can't th. You can't th. You can't th. You can't th. You can't th. You can't th. You can't th. You, you th. You, you th. You, you th. You, th. You, th. You, th. You, th. You, th. You th. You thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, th. You can't thin, th. You can't thin, thin, thin, thin, th. You can't thin, theee. You can't the. You can't the. You can't the. And like, we don't even know how old Mitch McConnell is. You'd have to count the flaps of his necks like the rings of a tree. We don't even know. You know what would be funny when you think about it? It's like, can you imagine if that group of leaders from Finland met with the U.S. leaders?
Starting point is 00:04:17 It's going to look like they're about trade. And it's like, and we want to talk to you about fixing our VCR. And don't put us in one of those ticky talks that happened to Gladys and now she's viral. All right, moving on to the world of travel. If you've ever felt guilty for taking something from a hotel room, don't stress. Don't stress, because turns out they they they they they they they they've seen a lot worse. Well, ceiling towels is one thing, but mattresses? That's a whole different level. Surveying by Wellness Haven reveals that luxury hotels are dealing with a spike in mattress thieves.
Starting point is 00:04:52 Noting that five star hotels are more likely to see larger items thin than smaller ones. The quality of the hotel determines the variety of items stolen. The higher the rating, the big or the h the h the h the h the h the hhe the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the thease the the the the theckhii, theckhi, they, theiletha teileteilete, the, the, the, theaughea, theaughes, theaseaseaseaseaseaseaseaseaseaseaseaseaseaseaseaseaseaseaseaseasease theasease is is is is is is is is thease is is, the bigger the heist. Five-star hotels are more likely to have mattresses, TVs, and coffee machines stolen, where four-star hotels lose batteries and remotes. Even more surprising, nicer hotels are less likely to report the theft and fear of being connected to a crime. I'm sorry, hold up. Did they say people are stealing mattress?
Starting point is 00:05:22 Who steals a mattress from a... in fact more importantly, how do you steal a mattress from a hotel? What, you disguise it, then just walk up to the front desk like, hi, my wife and I would like to check out? Honey, why don't you go wait in the car? Also, why would you want to steal a mattress from a hotel? It's the filthiest thing in the room. What are you just like, it's not that I can't afford a mattress, I just prefer one with the built-in semen stains.
Starting point is 00:05:50 All right, and finally, have you heard the good news about Jesus? Yeah? Now, have you heard the bad news about Jesus? This might actually be the holy grail of new video games. It's called I am Jesus Christ and it lets gamers play Jesus to heal a blind man, make fish appear in a bucket and end a thunderstorm at the New Testament inspired game has not been released yet but it is expected to launch soon. Okay this this is extremely offensive.
Starting point is 00:06:24 Especially for me someone who has already accepted Super Mario as my video game Okay, this, this is extremely offensive. Especially for me, someone who has already accepted Super Mario as my video game savior. I mean, and I say unto you, it's a me! Look, I'll be honest, I don't want to play a video game about Jesus. However, I do want to play as Jesus in other video games. Think about it. Yeah, when Jesus was alive, he rolled with sinners and prostitutes so he'd kick ass in Grand Theft Auto. He'd be amazing. Or even better, I'd want Jesus to be in Madden as a quarterback. Be like, what's the play Jesus? Hail Mary, same as every play.
Starting point is 00:06:55 Oh, oh, I'd want to play Jesus in mortal combat. Yeah, just ripping out dude spines, then immediately healing them. Reserect him! Oh. Or, or, or, or, or, or, or, or, or, or, them! them! Or, or, or, or, or, or, or, or, or, or, or, or, or, or, or, or, or, or, or, or, or, or, or, or, or, or, or, or, or, or, or, or, or, or, th. Or, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, he, he, he, he, he, he, he, he, he, he. Or, he. Or, th. Or, th. Or, th. Or, th. Or, th. Or, th. Or, th. Or, th. Or, thi. Or, thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. Or, just ripping out dude spines, then immediately healing them. Resurrect him. So look, I don't know about this video game, but if you are gonna play it and you do get stuck, at least we all know the cheat code. It's gonna be up, up, down, left, right, A. B. Starr. That's it. All right, that major milestone in the push to impeach President Trump. So let's catch up on the latest in our ongoing segment, the magical, wonderful road to
Starting point is 00:07:32 impeachment. For months now, Democrats have been inching closer to bringing articles of impeachment probably presidential harassment. For months now, Democrats have been inching closer to bringing articles of impeachment against President Trump. And today, they finally made it official. This is CNN breaking news. In historic Day on Capitol Hill, the House announcing articles of impeachment against
Starting point is 00:07:59 the sitting U.S. President Donald Trump. A president who declares himself above accountability, above the American people, and above Congress's power of impeachment, which is meant to protect against threats to our democratic institutions, is a president who sees himself as above the law. We must be clear, no one, not even the president, is above the law. That's right. The Democrats have officially announced articles of impeachment to show that other than the Steven Seagal,
Starting point is 00:08:32 no one is above the law. And I know this sounds weird, but I'm actually proud of Donald Trump. Yeah, because he's getting impeached, but I didn't think he would make it three years. I'm not going to lie. Like, Trump getting this far into his presidency without being impeached is a lot like when a dog accidentally drives a car into a tree. Yeah, the dog crashed. But he made it like eight blocks.
Starting point is 00:08:54 That's impressive. I don't even know how he put it into drive. He barely knows letters. Now, there was a big debate the debate the debate the debate the debate the debate the debate the debate the debate the debate the debate the debate the debate the debate the debate the debate the debate the debate the debate the debate the debate the debate the debate big debate within the Democratic Party about how many articles of impeachment to bring against Donald Trump. But in the end, they decided to strike with surgical precision. President Trump, now facing two charges as the top Democrats of the key committees, stood together to announce it all this morning.
Starting point is 00:09:18 Abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Democrats have decided to narrow the scope of impeachment to the two articles of impeachment that they believe are the easiest to prove and backed up by the most evidence. Because we are operating in a universe where Republicans are challenging some of the most basic facts. Democrats want to make this case as airtied as possible. Yes, only two articles of impeachment, abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, which means the Democrats are showing a lot of restraint because, I mean, let's be honest, Trump
Starting point is 00:09:51 has done enough crazy shit to merit 2,000 articles of impeachment. Yeah, there was obstruction of justice from the Mueller report using the presidency to enrich his businesses, the porn star payoffs, flag molestation, the time he looked directly into an eclipse, and of course having Don Jr. I mean, that's impeachment on its own. So, the good news for Trump is that he's only facing two charges. Although in a way, that's also kind of sad for him, because Nixon had three articles brought against him, Bill Clinton had four, and Andrew Johnson had 11, which means Trump will have the smallest impeachment of all time.
Starting point is 00:10:31 You know that's going to make him insecure. It's going to be like, it's not about the size of impeachment. It's about the friction of the conviction. And these impeachment articles could not have come at a worse time for Trump. Because remember how the president's been saying that the whole Russia investigation was a biased conspiracy against him? Well, he demanded that the Justice Department look into the Russia investigation and guess what they found?
Starting point is 00:10:59 tonight the Inspector General's report finally out into the origins of the Russia investigation and the report finding no anti-Trump bias. The Justice Department's Inspector General, revealing there was no evidence of a witch hunt. Determining the FBI had enough evidence to justify the probe at the height of the election. But the Inspector General says FBI officials made serious errors and omissions in applying for surveillance warrants to monitor the communications of a Trump campaign associate, Carter Page. Despite Trump's mocking of FBI agents, he says we're using the Russia probe to defeat him,
Starting point is 00:11:35 the report found an agent who messaged another after Trump won the White House that he was so elated with the election, it was like watching a Super Bowl comeback. Yeah, not great for Donald Trump. The report did find misconduct by some FBI agents, but overall it said that the Russia investigation was justified and there was no anti-Trump bias. So for Trump, this is weird because it was a little bit of what he wanted, but a lot of what he definitely didn't want. It's almost like he opened his presents on Christmas morning, and he got the VR headset he was hoping for, but it only plays videos of his grandparents having sex.
Starting point is 00:12:11 Yeah, that's disappointing. It's so weird that they make that game in the first place. I mean, still more fun than the Jesus game, I'll tell you that much. Not surprisingly, Trump has been taking the bad news better than you'd expect. But maybe that's not because he's taking it at all. The IG report just came out, and I was just briefed on it. It is incredible. Far worse than I would have ever thought possible. This was an overthrow of government. This was an attempted overthrow,
Starting point is 00:12:40 and a lot of people were in on it, and they got caught. They got caught red-handed. Trump is a legend, man. The report came out, and he's just blindly plowing ahead. Like the report says what he wanted it to say. Yeah, because that's not what it said. And he's just like, no, it is what it said. He's like, those people who get dumped and are totally in denial about it. Donald, you're great, but this isn't working. Okay, feel better, I'll see you tomorrow.
Starting point is 00:13:06 No, no, you don't understand. It's over, Donald. Love you too, babe. And look, we all know Trump didn't read the actual report. I mean, his advisors can't get him to read reports. They probably just gave him some of the bullet the bullet the bullet the bullet the bullet the bullet the bullet the bullet the bullet the bullet the bullet the bullet the bullet the bullet the bullet points on a Denny's placemat. But even if he did read it, even if he did read it, it wouldn't matter. Yeah, because Trump always creates his own reality, no matter what the facts say. So even if he does get impeached and somehow gets removed from office, there's a good chance
Starting point is 00:13:36 Trump will just ignore it and keep being president. They'll walk in like, Mr. President, the votes are in, and I'm sorry, you have to leave the White House. It's over. He'll be like, all right, love you too, babe. See tomorrow. We'll be right back. Finding great candidates to hire can be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. You might get a lot of resumes, but not enough candidates with the right skills or experience. But not with Zip Recruiter. Zip Recruiter finds amazing candidates for you fast. And right now you can try it for free, Zip Recruiter's powerful matching technology starts showing you qualified people for it, and you can use Zip Recruiter's pre-written invite to apply message to personally reach out to your favorite candidates and
Starting point is 00:14:35 encourage them to apply sooner. Ditch the other hiring sites and let Zip Recruiter find what you're looking for, the needle in the haystack. Four out of five to to to to to to to to to to to to to the to the to the the to the to the the the the t. the the t. t. the tipters. t. t. t. tipreter. ttae, ttae, the the the tape, tap. the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the, the, the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the t. tip. the tip. tip. tip. tip. tip. tip, tip, tip, tip, tip, tip, tip, tip, tip, tip, tip, tip, tip, tip, tip, tip, tip, tip, the needle in the haystack. Four out of five employers who post on Zip Recruiter get a quality candidate within the first day. Try it for free at this exclusive web address, zip recruiter.com slash zip. Again that zip recruiter.com slash zip. Zip recruiter, the smartest way to hire. It's been said that nice skies finish last. But is that really true? I'm Tim Harford, host of the Cautioncacacacacacacacacaca Caution caution caution caution caution caution caution caution caution caution caution caution caution caution caution caution caution caution caution caution caution caution caution caution caution caution caution caution caution caution caution caution caution caution caution caution caution caution caution caution caution caution caution cautioned th. th. But is that really true? I'm Tim Harford, host of The Cautionary Tales podcast, and I'm exploring that very question. Join me for my new miniseries on the Art of Fairness. We'll travel from New York to Tahiti to India on a quest to learn how to succeed
Starting point is 00:15:24 without being a jerk. We'll examine stories of villains undone by their villainy and monstrous self-devaring egos, and we'll delve into the extraordinary power of decency. We'll face mutiny on the vast Pacific Ocean, blaze a trail with a pioneering skyscraper, and dare to confront a formidable empire. The art of fairness on cautionary tales.
Starting point is 00:15:50 Listen on the IHart radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hey everybody, John Stewart here. I am here to tell you about my new podcast, The Weekly Show, coming out every Thursday. We're going to be talking about the election. Earnings calls. What are they talking about on these earnings calls? We're going to be talking about ingredient-to-bread ratio on sandwiches. I know you have a lot of options as far as podcasts go, but how many of them come out on Thursday? Listen to the weekly show with John Stewart,
Starting point is 00:16:25 wherever you get your podcast. Welcome back to the daily show. When a news story falls through the cracks, Lewis Black catches it for a segment we call back in black. It's just a couple of more weeks until Christmas, when Christians celebrate the birth of Santa. Meanwhile, us Jews are celebrating a real miracle, some lamp oil that lasted longer than we thought, because if there's one thing we Jews love, it's a bargain. But for some reason, Christians are now trying to include us in their holiday season, and it's not making any sense.
Starting point is 00:17:14 Hallmark Christmas movies have been a staple for the channel for years. Now they're debuting to Hallmark Hanukkah movies. As the Washington Post reports, there's just one problem. Neither movie is a Hanukkah movie. There are Christmas movies with Jewish characters. Joel, Brooke. In holiday date, a woman hires a Jewish actor to pose as her boyfriend and join her at her family's house for Christmas. But the family grow suspicious about whether he knows how to celebrate. Oh, you're not sure if Jews know how to celebrate Christmas? You mean that holiday that gets jammed down our throat every year?
Starting point is 00:17:52 The second Halloween ends, I can't even buy a cup of coffee that doesn't look like it fell out of Santa's ass. Trust me, Jews know how Christmas works. It's not like we're going to walk into your Christmas party and say, Oh my God, it's a tree. Indoorors. Call a lumberjack! I don't want a holiday movie where a Jewish person learns about Christmas. I want a movie where a Christian has to learn about Hanukkah. A night one, we get socks.
Starting point is 00:18:26 A night two, a notebook. A night three, a pen and pencil set. It's a back-to-school holiday. But if you thought a fake Hanukkah movie was tone-death, put this in your stocking and stuff it. Online retail giant Amazon just pulled several controversial Christmas items from its website. The items including Christmas ornaments, bottle openers, and mouse pads depict the Auschwitz concentration camp. Amazon says all of the products in question have been removed, adding that all sellers
Starting point is 00:18:58 must follow our selling guidelines. And Auschwitz Christmas ornament, look I know we say to never forget, but when you're decorating a tree you can take the night off. This is crazy. Christmas has nothing to do with the Holocaust. Santa's list and Schindler's list are very different lists. But, but if you have to think of the Jews at Christmas, why not get them a little something to show you care? Like this guy.
Starting point is 00:19:34 Last week we told you about a controversial auction of Nazi memorabilia in Germany and knew this morning a Swiss businessman purchased many of the items, including Adolf Hitler's top hat, he said in order to keep them out of the hands of neo-Nazis, Abdelah Chetilas said he will donate the items to a Jewish group. He said he paid more than $600,000 at the Munich auction last week. I appreciate the gesture, but who cares if a neo-Nazi gets their hands on Hitler's top hat. It's not like the hat the hat the hat the hat is the hat is the hat is the hat is the hat is the hat is the hat is the the the the the th th th th th thi thi thi thi th hands on Hitler's top hat. It's not like the hat will magically turn them into a super Nazi. All you get is a skinhead who looks like
Starting point is 00:20:10 Mr. Peanut. And giving Hitler's hat to a Jewish group isn't going to do anything. They're just going to take turns shitting in it. Although come to think of it, that sounds like a pretty good Hanukkah to me. We thought Hitler's hat could only hold one third, but it held eight. What a mitzvah! And by the way, are we sure this is real? We've all seen pictures of Hitler, and he's never wearing a top hat. Personally, I think this was just a scam to get people to buy fake Hitler stuff. And that's the kind of scam I want to get in on. So, hey, neo-Nazis, perhaps I could interest you in Hitler's Ninja.
Starting point is 00:20:54 That's right. That wasn't a mustache on Adolf's lip. That was residue from a delicious kale smoothie. Act now, and I'll even throw in Mussolini's fidget spinner. Trevor? Lewis Black everyone. We'll be right back. Finding great candidates to hire can be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. You might get a lot of resumes, but not enough candidates with the right skills or experience. But not with zipip Recruiter. Zip Recruiter finds amazing candidates for you fast. And right now you can try it for free, at Zip Recruiter's smart technology identifies top talent for your roles quickly.
Starting point is 00:21:37 Immediately after you post your job, Zip Recruiters powerful matching technology starts showing you qualified people for it, and you can use Zip Recruiter's pre-written invite to apply message to personally reach out to your favorite candidates and encourage them to apply sooner. Ditch the other hiring sites and let Zip Recruiter find what you're looking for, the needle in the haystack. Four out of five employers who post on Zip Recruiter get a quality candidate within the first day. Try it for free at this exclusive web address, ziprecruter.com slash zip. Again, that's zip recruiter.com slash zip. Zip recruiter, the smartest way to hire.
Starting point is 00:22:13 It's been said that nice guys finish last. But is that really true? I'm Tim Harford, host of the Cautionary Tales podcast. And I'm exploring that very question. Join me for my new miniseries on the Art of Fairness. We'll travel from New York to Tahiti to India on a quest to learn how to succeed without being a jerk. We'll examine stories of villains undone by their villainy and monstrous self-devaring
Starting point is 00:22:46 egos and will delve into the extraordinary power of decency. We'll face mutiny on the vast Pacific Ocean, blaze a trail with a pioneering skyscraper and dare to confront a formidable empire. The art of fairness on cautionary tales. Listen on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hey everybody, John Stewart here. I am here to tell you about my new podcast, the weekly show, it's going to be coming out every Thursday. So exciting. You'll be saying to yourself, TGID.
Starting point is 00:23:27 Thank God it's Thursday. We're going to be talking about all the things that hopefully obsess you in the same way that they obsess me. The election. Economics. Earnings calls. What are they talking about on these earnings calls? We're going to be talking about ingredient to bread ratio on sandwiches. And I know that I listed that fourth, but in importance, it's probably second. I know you have a lot of options as far as podcasts go, but how many of them come out on Thursday? I mean, talk about innovative. Listen to the weekly show with My guests tonight are award-winning actors who star as a prison warden and a death throw
Starting point is 00:24:26 inmate in the new film Clemency. Please welcome, Alfa Woodard and Elders Hodge. Welcome to the Daily Show. First of all, congratulations on being part of a film that is being lauded by critics and fans alike as one of the best films that they've had the opportunity to see. Not everyone has had a chance to see it yet, obviously, but it is a really powerful story. We've seen stories about prisons. We've seen stories about wardens. Very few tales have touched people in this way because clemency is a story where you play a warden who has the task of executing people who have been sentenced to death. And in this story we see an interesting side of it and that is the emotional toll it takes on the wardens as well as the prisoners.
Starting point is 00:25:40 That's a powerful different way to tell the story. What attracted you to being a part of this film to tell that story? I am a woman of a certain age. I'm in my six decade. I'm educated and I've been an activist since I was a teenager. And I had never heard of this dilemma. I didn't know those people. I didn't know the, I didn't know the, I didn't know the people. I didn't know the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the tea. I. I. I. I. I was. I was. I'm. I'm. I'm. I tea. tea. tea. tea. tea. tea. I teenager. And I had never heard of this dilemma. I didn't know those people. I didn't know the degree of PTSD that is suffered by people that are charged, that we charge with carrying out state-sponsored executions. And I figured if I didn't know the vast majority of people didn't know, and that's the very
Starting point is 00:26:21 reason you want to tell a story. It seems contrary to what people would want want to to the to to their to tell a story. It seems contrary to what people would want to talk about, you know, because many times people will go, let's talk about the prisoners who are, you know, sentenced to death and some of them wrongly executed, but people will be like, the execution itself is wrong. It's rare to tell a story where you humanize the warden as well, that's the their their their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their is, their. their is, their is, their is, their is, their is, their is, their. their. their, their, their, their, their, their. their. their, their. their, their. their, their. their, their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. tape. tape. tape. tape. tapen, tapen, tapen, tape. tape. tape. tauuuuuoooomoomorrow. ta. ta. ta. ta. ta. ta. te. te. te. te. te. te. t of the story to tell. Why do you think that that was important? Well, because when it comes to capital punishment, I believe as a society, we're to a degree pacified by the idea of murder under the guise of justice, right? We rarely take into account the causality. We rarely take into account the effects of those who have to do this and dignify the people that they're doing it too. As we see through the relationship between Bernardine
Starting point is 00:27:07 and my character Anthony Woods, who's on his way out, possibly he's actively trying to gain clemency, but we see that tumultuous relationship happen between the two of these people as they are trying to find dignity and real value in this situation and I think for us, it's great to know that side of things because as a community this is something we are all actively complicit in and we need to understand our real responsibility when it comes to the idea of capital punishment. It's interesting that you say that especially the part about your character's building
Starting point is 00:27:38 a connection. Because at the end of the day, it's still human beings. And we like to forget that, but they are human beings, the the their, their, their, their, the day, it's still human beings on either end. You know, and we like to forget that, but they are human beings. And in many cases, you forget that there is a connection, a strange connection, between wardens and prisoners where, in many ways, they're housed in the same jail. When telling the story, how important was it for you to try and humanize and also empathize with somebody that most of society the the the the somebody who is you know the head of a prison. Well you know any character that that I turn into a human being and stand up and I then I bring their voice forward they're all human beings no matter what a person has done. Anything that any human being is capable of, we're all capable of, high and
Starting point is 00:28:25 low. And so as the actor, you don't pass judgment. You don't bring your opinions, the way you talk, the way you move. Your job is to get yourself out of the way and find the way that that person looks out on the world. So it is, I need to find that woman's reality. Nobody wakes up in the morning and say, you, I'm I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I'm I I'm I'm I I'm I'm th. I'm thi I need to find that woman's reality. Nobody wakes up in the morning and say, I'm gonna be an asshole today. Everybody thinks, look, everybody thinks, you know, I can fix this. I know how to make this run smoothly. And so your job is always to find the human being.
Starting point is 00:28:58 It actually is a very intimate relationship between the person charged. First of all, you're gonna be there 10 to 20 to to to to the a to to their to their to to their to their their to be a to be a to be a to be their their the person charged. First of all, you're going to be there 10 to 20 years exhausting exhausting appeals. So essentially, not only the warden, but the major and all the other people there, one day they have to put their co-worker to death, because they're the only people, they're on a row isolated together for all that time. It's interesting that you say it that way, because, you know, studies have shown, and you really delve into that in the film, and it's shown in a beautiful way through the director's lens, that there's a PTSD that wardens actually suffer, especially the people who deal
Starting point is 00:29:38 with death row specifically. And I mean, that's a weird thing for society to accept, but it hurts not not just the the the the thi not just thi not just thi not thi not thi not thi not thi not thus thus thus thus thus thus thus thus thus thus thia thia thia thia thia thia' thea thiolomea' theat's thoes, tho-a tho-a tho-a tho-a tho-a thoes thoes thoes the the the the the, thi, thi, thia thi, thi, thi, the the the the the the the the the the the the the they's the the the the the thea theanananananananananananananananananananananan.. thea'ea'ea'ea'ea'ea'ea thea thea the weird thing for society to accept but it's it hurts not just the person who is executed and their family and people who know them but it also actually hurts the person who is tasked with taking their life. Exactly I mean look our writer director Shinoya Chuku she executed that brilliantly because this is something we get to see from a really nuanced perspective an intimate perspective like you said from a humane point of view where you th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, th, th, th, the the the the th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thro, throoooooooooooooiii. throoiiiiiiiiiiiiii. throoooooe, th said, from a humane point of view, where you can actually see somebody have hopes and dreams and a want for something more, but they're stuck in this position
Starting point is 00:30:12 and they have to do what they're charged with doing. Right. Such is the case again with, you know, my character, Anthony, who is the prisoner, and he's just seeking to be seen as a human being. So, at the the the the the the the th th, at th, at th, at th, at th, at th, th, th, th, th, th, th, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, tho, tho, tho, thi, thi., thoomorrow, tooomorrow, thoomorrow, thoomorrow, thoomomorrow, tho, tho, tho, tho, thi...... thi.. thi... thi.. thi. thi. thi. thi. th. thi. thi. th. thi. toe, thi. toe, toe, thi. toe, toe, too, too, too, too, toe. toe. toe. toea. toean. toeananananananananananananananananananananananananananananananananan seen as a human being. So, you know, at this point in the film, he's been in prison for about 15 years, so you get to peel back some of those years between the relationship, between the warden and my, you know,
Starting point is 00:30:31 and Anthony, and it's really something that allows you, as an audience member to think about things at a completely new way, and that's what I love about it. thought. When you were playing the warden, I know you get into your characters, I know you inhabit a different world. What was the most surprising thing you discovered about the world of wardens, specifically women who are tasked with being wardens in American prisons? I met three wardens and a deputy warden. They were all sisters, black women. It surprised me, first of all, that women would be wardens. I learned that they came to it from from from from from from from from, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, th.ea, their, their, th.eaugh, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, the all, that women would be wardens. I learned that they came to it from the mental health field.
Starting point is 00:31:06 They come to it from social work. And it's always a revelation, and you live for revelations, to be able to see a side of an issue that you're on the absolute polar opposite of. And to be able to understand that person. You may not agree, but everybody's got a role to play in life. I mean, that's what a society is. So to be able to understand, you know what? That's the person I want is my commander,
Starting point is 00:31:38 because they're not gonna blink. They're not gonna breach protocol because one stitch dropped, the whole fabric might fall apart. So to be able to understand to understand to understand to understand to understand to understand to understand to understand to understand to understand to understand to understand to understand to be a a to be able to be able to be able to be able to be able to be able to be able to be able to be able to be able to be able to be able to be able to be able to be able to understand to understand to be able to be able to be able to be able to be able to be able to be able to be a to be a to, to, to, to, the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the thoea.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a. toea.a. toea. to. toea. to. to. the th. the the whole fabric might fall apart. So to be able to understand a woman that could say, no, you can't go to your mama's funeral. Now what do you want to eat for your last meal? And to be able to understand that. Did you see any of the toll that it took on them as real human beings? Did they share any of those stories with you?
Starting point is 00:32:02 They did it just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just the way the way. the way. the way. the way. the way. the and they did it just the way Bernardine talks. We have the luxury of emotion, especially us as artists, and especially us as Americans. Americans always talk about how they feel. I feel. How do you feel? But there is a place in America where people cannot show their feelings. And they still experience them, but they have a completely different way of showing compassion.
Starting point is 00:32:31 The incarcerated can't cry, can't yell, and the incarcerators cannot cry and can't yell. I think it's important for us to bring that into the conversation when we're deciding how we feel about capital punishment. It's interesting because it always sounds like there are two people who are imprisoned in a strange way. It's not just the prisoner, but it's also the guard. And all this, in the story, we see your character, you know, not just trying to show their humanity, your humanity as the character, but we also see, you see the humanity, the humanity, the person. to, the, the, the, th, the, th, th. I, th. I, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, they, they, they, they, they, their, their, their, their, they, their, their, the, the, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is.... And, is, is, is, is, is. And, is, is. And, is. And, is. And, is, is. And, is. And, is. And, is. And, is. they. they. they. they. they. they. they. they. they. they. they. they. they. they. they. they. they. they. they. they. they. the the person who's keeping you in prison and it's and it's their job. You spent a lot of time in a prison cell for this you know you're sitting there and there's moments where it's camera yeah there's a lot of moments where you're just in a real jail cell just just sitting there. Is there a part of you that goes like this is this makes me uncomfortable this
Starting point is 00:33:19 this experience a little too real as an idea as a concept because because because lot of people don't realize what a jail cell actually is. Yeah, and given the past few roles, I've been in jail quite a bit. Very familiar. We actually shot in a real jail. There was one time where the cell closed and the button didn't work to open it up. So your boy was stuck for a little bit. It's cool. They got it open. So your boy was stuck for a little bit. It's cool. They got it open.
Starting point is 00:33:46 But you know, it makes you think differently. No, for me, oddly enough with my relationship with my craft, I choose to be a part of projects that I'm ambitious about when it comes to the potential for their positivity. So with this, the harder it got for the character, the more excited I got because I knew that the world was going to be able to get a completely different view, a perspective of what these real men and women go through on a daily basis. So I was really, it does hit you, it is polarizing to a degree,
Starting point is 00:34:14 but at the same time, I say I'm doing my work and to a degree. Hopefully I'm working in my purpose, which which which which which which which which which which which which which which which which which which thak, which, which th situations and have to feel it and go through it because that's the art I want to give to people. I think you've both done an amazing job. Thank you so much for being on the show. Thank you. Thank you for telling the story. Cherency will be in selecti at December 27th.
Starting point is 00:34:34 You make sure you go and watch it. Alfred Wood on Eldon, Sajah, everybody. The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Ears Edition. Watch the Daily Show weeknights at 11, 10 Central on Comedy Central and the Comedy Central Act. Watch full episodes and videos at the Daily Show. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and subscribe to the Daily Show on YouTube for exclusive content and more. This has been a Comedy Central podcast. If you're listening to this ad, it's no accident unless you forgot to hit Skip.
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