♪ >> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY!

WE'RE BACK WITH MERYL STREEP.

DID YOU LIKE BEING OUT THERE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE OCEAN, BECAUSE

THIS IS, WHAT IS IT -- ACTUALLY, YOUR CHARACTER TALKS ABOUT THIS,

IT'S NOT A CRUISE, IT'S A CROSSING.

>> IT'S A CROSSING.

>> Stephen: NEW YORK TO SOUTHAMPTON.

IT ACTUALLY SOUNDS KIND OF ATTRACTIVE.

>> WELL, IT IS A CROSSING.

I MEAN, THAT'S A METAPHOR FOR THE WHOLE FILM AND WHAT IT'S

SORT OF ABOUT.

IT'S SORT OF -- YES, AIMING AT ITS SEND.

SO, I HAD DONE IT WHEN I WAS FIRST MARRIED.

MAYBE THEY STILL DO THIS, THEY DO OFFER YOU, IF YOU HAVE A FILM

OR SOMETHING, IF YOU COME AND SHOW IT AND TALK ABOUT IT,

THEY'LL GIVE YOU A LITTLE STATE ROOM, AND, SO, WE DID THAT WHEN

I WAS FIRST MARRIED, AND IT WAS REALLY FUN.

BUT YOU -- BUT THIS ONE IS SO HUGE THAT PEOPLE DIDN'T KNOW WE

WERE MAKING A FILM.

I MEAN, THERE WERE LITTLE SIGNS SAYING A FILM IS BEING MADE, BUT

IT'S JUST SODERBERGH WITH THIS LITTLE BITTY CAMERA.

>> Stephen: OF COURSE.

I WAS THINKING IN MY MIND THIS IS YOUR SET, BUT IT'S NOT, THEY

ACTUALLY HAVE REGULAR PAYING CUSTOMERS.

DID ANYBODY SNAP THEIR HEAD AROUND?

>> NO, I DON'T THINK SO.

>> Stephen: YOU'RE NOT AS ATTRACTIVE AS A MIDNIGHT SHRIMP

BUFFET BECAUSE I KNOW PEOPLE JUST EAT FROM HELL TO BREAKFAST

ON THESE BOATS, RIGHT?

>> WELL, THEY EAT AND THEY GAMBLE AND THEY DANCE AND IT'S

PRETTY -- THE GREATEST THING IS REALLY THAT MOMENT IN THE MIDDLE

OF THE OCEAN, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, YOU GO OUT ON THE

DECK, AND YOU'RE SO FAR FROM EVERYTHING.

IN FACT, THEY TELL YOU WHEN YOU FIRST GET ON, THERE'S A POINT

WHERE, IF ANYTHING TERRIBLE HAPPENS, NOBODY COULD REALLY GET

THERE IN TIME, YOU KNOW, THERE'S NO WAY TO LAND OR ANYTHING,

SO -- >> Stephen: WOW.

AND YOU HAVE THAT FEELING, YOU KNOW, OF PEOPLE NAVIGATING

BY CELESTIAL NAVIGATION.

I WAS THINKING ABOUT PEOPLE MAKING THAT CROSSING UNDER THE

MOST HORRIBLE CIRCUMSTANCES, EVERYONE, THE SLAVE SHIPS AND

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN GOING BACK AND FORTH TO THE COURT OF LOUIE

WHATEVER, AND I JUST THOUGHT, WOW...

IT REALLY IS AWE-INSPIRING TO SEE THE NIGHT SKY WITH

ABSOLUTELY NO AMBIENT LIGHT.

>> Stephen: CAN YOU SET THE CLIP UP FOR OUR AUDIENCE?

>> THIS IS THE VERY FIRST -- THIS IS THE VERY FIRST NIGHT ON

THE SHIP, WHERE WE'RE JUST GETTING TOGETHER AND SETTING UP

WHAT EVERYBODY CAN EXPECT, AND THEY'VE ALL AGREED TO COME.

THESE ARE MY COLLEGE ROOMMATES.

THEY'VE AGREED TO COME FOR DIFFERENT REASONS, AND THAT SORT

OF BECOMES APPARENT.

>> Stephen: JIM?

HERE'S TO PICKING UP THE CONVERSATION THAT WE LEFT OFF,

YOU KNOW, AND HERE'S TO MAYBE RECONNECTING THE GANG OF THREE

WE USED TO BE.

>> CHEERS.

YEAH, THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

HAVE A GOOD ONE.

GOOD NIGHT.

THANK YOU.

>> GOOD NIGHT.

HEY, BERT, YOU WANT TO GO HAVE A DRINK LATER?

>> NO, I CAN'T.

>> Stephen: YOU ALSO HAVE ANOTHER FILM OUT RIGHT NOW

CALLED "THE PROM" ADAPTED FROM THE 2018 BROADWAY MUSICAL.

YOU PLAY A WOMAN NAMED DEDeALLEN AND YOU DESCRIBE

HER, FOR CBS I'LL SAY A BIG A-HOLE, AND YOU TRIED VERY HARD

TO BRING THAT PART OF ME FORWARD.

HOW FAR DID YOU HAVE TO REACH FOR THAT PART OF YOU?

I'M AFRAID IF I DID THAT I'D GET OUT THE SPADE AND GO, ALL RIGHT,

I'M ALREADY THERE.

IT'S A LITTLE FRIGHTENING TO REACH FOR THAT IN CASE IT'S TOO

EASY.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE'S A BIG -- >> WELL, SHE SAYS -- SHE'S

SOMEONE -- OH, SHE'S VERY DEAR, YOU KNOW, SHE'S A DIVA.

>> Stephen: SHE'S A HUGE STAGE PRESENCE, FOR THE PEOPLE WHO

DON'T KNOW.

>> SHE'S A HUGE PRESENCE, A BIG BROADWAY STAR, AND PROBABLY PAST

HER SELL-BY DATE, AND KIND OF SUSPECTS THAT THAT'S TRUE, AND

SHE'S PULLED UP EVERYTHING THAT YOU CAN PULL UP AND SHE'S, YOU

KNOW, HAD THE BUNIONS CUT OFF AND SHE'S REALLY TRIED, AND

EVERYTHING'S GOING, AND, ANYWAY, IN A LAST-DITCH EFFORT TO REVIVE

HER FLAGGING CREEK, SHE AND HER FRIENDS CONTRIVE THIS SCHEME TO

HELP, IN SOME WAY, MAKE A BIG SOCIAL STATEMENT AND GET SOME

GOOD PUBLICITY FOR ONCE BECAUSE, REALLY, THEIR CAREERS ARE

FLAGGING.

>> Stephen: IT'S SORT OF BASED AROUND A HIGH SCHOOL PROM.

DID YOU GO TO PROM?

DO YOU REMEMBER YOUR PROM?

>> SURE.

I WENT TO SIX PROMISE, I THINK.

>> Stephen: SIX?

WAIT A SECOND, SIX PROMISE?

HOW LONG WERE YOU IN HIGH SCH SCHOOL?

>> IS THAT -- TWO EACH YEAR FOR --

>> Stephen: OH, OKAY.

FOR A FEW YEARS.

ANYWAY -- BECAUSE THEY HAVE THE JUNIOR PROM, THE SENIOR PROM,

EVERYBODY HAS TO GO TO EVERYTHING.

>> Stephen: MM-HMM.

I WENT TO PROM, MY FIRST PROM WHEN I WAS 14, AND I WENT WITH A

SENIOR TO THE SENIOR PROM.

I CAN'T BELIEVE MY FATHER LET ME DO THIS.

>> Stephen: I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT EITHER.

>> WITH A BIG FOOTBALL PLAYER.

SO, ANYWAY, I WENT, I HAD A LITTLE DRESS THAT MY MOTHER HAD

MADE, AND IT HAD LITTLE SPAGHETTI STRAPS -- PEOPLE DON'T

EVEN KNOW WHAT THOSE ARE ANYMORE, BUT THEY ARE STRAPS AS

THIN AS SPA GETY.

I TOOK THE PICTURES WITH MY PARENTS AND WALKED OUT TO THE

CAR AND SAT DOWN IN THE CAR AND BOTH OF THEM POPPED OFF.

AND I REALLY DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO HOLD THIS DRESS UP

WITH WITHOUT THE SPAGHETTI, SO I SPENT THE WHOLE PROM LIKE, YOU

KNOW, DANCING, HOLDING THE THING UP WITH MY -- BUT, YOU KNOW, IT

WAS THE FIRST OF MANY WARDROBE MALFUNCTIONS IN MY LIFE.

>> Stephen: I HAVE TO TAKE A QUICK BREAK.

WHEN WE COME BACK, I'LL ASK MERYL ABOUT HER APPEARANCE IN

OBAMA'S NEW BOOK.

I'M NOT SURE IF SHE KNOWS.

STICK AROUND.