MY GUEST TONIGHT IS A FANTASTIC ACTOR YOU KNOW FROM TROPIC

THUNDER, SHERLOCK HOLMES, AND OF COURSE AS IRONMAN.

PLEASE WELCOME TO "A LATE SHOW" ROBERT DOWNEY, JR.

HELLO, ROBERT DOWNEY, JR. >> MR. COLBERT, GOOD LATE

EVENING TO YOU.

>> GOOD EVENING TO SEE YOU TOO.

I'M SO HAPPY TO HAVE YOU ON THE SHOW.

I CAN'T BELIEVE I'VE NEVER HAD A CHANCE TO INTERVIEW YOU BEFORE.

THOUGH WE DID MEET BRIEFLY.

>> AT THE GRAMMYS.

>> Stephen: THAT IS EXACTLY RIGHT, AT THE GRAMMYS.

>> Stephen: I WASN'T A HOST BUT I HAD DONE THE FIRST BIT AND

I AM WALKING BACKSTAGE.

>> YES.

>> Stephen: AND WHO IS WALKING TOWARD ME.

>> LET'S NOT KID OURSELVES.

WE BOTH STOPPED FLAT IN OUR TRACKS, SEPARATED AT BIRTH, LONG

LOST BROTHERS, DOPPELGANGER-- IT WAS LIKE LOOKING IN A MIRROR,

YOU FROZE.

>> Stephen: I AM A FAN, I AM A FAN.

IT WAS LIKE WE-- OH WAIT, ONE OF US HAS TO DIE NOW, THIS IS ONE

OF THOSE CLONE MOVIES, NO, SHOOT HIM, NO, SHOOT HIM.

FOR THE PEOPLE AT HOME WHO DO NOT KNOW HOW SERIOUSLY I TAKE

THIS, IS THAT I HAVE SEVERAL TIMES, I'M A FAN, NOT ONLY OF

YOU IN GENERAL BUT OF COURSE OF YOUR TONY STARK.

THIS IS ME IN 2014, I DID A WHOLE SHOW AS YOU.

AND-- IT FEELS GOOD TO BE ROBERT DOWNEY, JR.

>> OH, I HAVE SEEN THAT, THAT IS PROBABLY-- I HAVE BEEN SENT

CLIPS FROM THAT SO OFTEN.

AND I HAVE SEEN T AND BY THE WAY, WELL DONE.

>> Stephen: THANK YOU, THANK3 YOU VERY MUCH.

I ACTUALLY, I DID IT AGAIN THIS SUMMER.

I ACTUALLY, I DID IT, ONE THIS SUMMER AND YOU PAID ME A GREAT

COMPLIMENT.

THERE I AM AS YOU AGAIN, ACTUALLY DID A LITTLE VIDEO OF

ME IMITATING YOUR TONY.

AND YOU SAID WE WELCOME OUR NEWEST AVENGER WITH OPEN ARMS.

WELL, OPEN ARMS, BUT SIX FEET AWAY.

IS THAT OFFICIAL?

IS THAT OFFICIAL.

I AM AN AVENGER NOW?

>> WELL, I MEAN, IF-- DO YOU WANT TO GET INTO IT, BECAUSE I

HAVE BEEN THINK BEING THIS A LOT.

>> Stephen: I MEAN WHAT ARE THE RESPONSIBILITIES?

>> WELL, HERE IS THE THING, THERE IS AN OPENING, RIGHT, COBY

SMOLDERS PLAYS AGENT HILL, SOMETIMES COMMANDER HILL.

>> Stephen: SURE.

>> I THOUGHT IF HE NEEDED A WEEKEND ASSISTANT, RIGHT, CAP

COLBERT, YOU HAVE A BASEBALL CAP AND WHEN YOU WEAR T YOU PBSSESS

THE SUPERPOWER THAT NO MAN HAS, YOU CAN MULTITASESK AND YOU CAN

TAKE CARE OF ALL HER STUFF.

ANYWAY, I AM-- IT WILL GO UP TO THE TREE.

>> Stephen: JUST ASK, WHATEVER, JUST A WALK-ON,

WHATEVER, I WOULD BE VERY GRATEFUL.

THAT'S FANTASTIC.

NOW IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT, HOW WOULD TONY STARK CURE COVID?

WHAT WOULD HE DO?

>> NANOBOTS, YOU KNOW, THE USUAL STUFF, NANOBOT WAS BORDERS, IT

WOULD BE SOME-- .

>> Stephen: BUT THEN THE NANOBOTS WOULD BECOME SELF-AWARE

BECAUSE YOU PUT AN AI IN THEMING AND HOW DO YOU FIGHT THAT.

>> YOU GOT TO, THAT IS YOU WILLTRON.

WE GET JAMES SPADER.

JAMES SPADER IS GOING TO CURE COVID.

AND WE BOTH KNOW IT.

>> Stephen: SURE BUT IT IS HIS CHARACTER FROM THE BLACK LIST

THAT DOES IT, CUZ THAT GUY-- COVID IS NOT GOING TO MISS

WITH HIM.

>> IF HE WAS WEARING A CAP, NOW WE HAVE CROSSOVER DREAMS.

I'M PITCHING YOU AND SPADER AS ALTERNATES ON COBY SMOLDERS

DESK.

RIGHT.

>> Jon: CROSSPLATFORM SYNERGY.

THAT IS WHAT THIS-- NOW YOU, FOR ANYONE OUT THERE WHO HASN'T SEEN

"END GAME" SPOILER ALERT, TONY STARK STAVE SAICHS THE WORLD AND

THE UNIVERSAL, REALLY.

AND NOW DON'T MAKE ME CRY.

DON'T MAKE ME CRY.

I JUST WATCHED IT LAST WEEKEND.

AND WATERWORKS.

I CAN'T HELP IT.

I CAN'T HELP IT.

IT IT TRULY IS, I CAN'T BELIEVE WHAT A TOWERING ACHIEVEMENT

THOSE TEN YEARS, HOWEVER, THE THOUSAND MOVIES BUT TEN YEARS.

>> IT IS 20 SOMETHING FILMS OVER A DECADE.

BUT THAT IS THE THING, AND THE GLORY OF IT IT, IS IT REALLY IS

THE FIRST TIME THAT YOU HAVE BEEN ABLE TO BUILD UP AN

EXPECTATION OVER A DECADE WITH AN AUDIENCE THAT IS ALSO GROWING

UP WITH THE PROPERTY.

I MEAN YOU KNOW STAR WARS, THEY HAD A BIG GAP, AND SO THEY HAD

SOME CATCHING UP TO DO.

AND THEN AND NOW THEY ARE KIND OF IN A GREAT PLACE.

BUT IT IS JUST THAT SWEET BUTTON.

BUT I WILL TELL YOU, WHAT DO THEY SAY, HAIR CLUB PRESIDENT

BUT ALSO A MEMBER.

THE GREATEST THING FOR ME, BECAUSE AS A FELLOW, I LOVE THIS

STUFF.

I GEEK OUT OVER IT.

WAS I GOT TO EXPERIENCE IT BY PLAYING IT, YOU KNOW.

>> Stephen: UH-HUH.

>> AND IT WAS JUST UNFORGETTABLE.

>> Stephen: WELL NOW, YOU ARE ATTEMPTING TO SAVER THE WORLD IN

REALITY.

YOU HAVE CREATED SOMETHING CALLED THE FOOTPRINT COALITION.

WHAT IS THAT?

WHAT ARE YOU HOPING TO DO WITH IT?

>> WELL, IN SHORT, IMAGINE A TRIPTIC, THREE PICTURES, ONE IS

A NONPROFIT WHICH IS FOR GRANT MAKING AND RESEARCH.

A MEDIA VEHICLE IN THE CENTER WHICH IS JUST SAYING THAT WE CAN

SUPERCHARGE OUR EFFORTS BY DOING CONTENT ABOUT EMERGING

TECHNOLOGIES.

AND THEN MOST RECENTLY AT DAVOS WE LAUNCHED SEVERAL FUNDS THE

FAT PRINT COALITION VENTURES WHICH IS A WAY TO SHOW THAT OUR

SKIN IS IN IT AND HELP SCALE TECHNOLOGIES FOR THESE EMERGING

>> Stephen: HAVE I NEVER BEEN TO DAVOS, IS IT NICE?

>> NEITHER HAVE I BUT I PUT A WATERCOLOR OF A CHALET NEXT TO

ME.

I WOULD LIKE TO GO NEXT YEAR.

>> Stephen: I WOULD LIKE TO GO ANYWHERE NEXT YEAR.

>> NEXT YEAR I'M GOING TO DAVOS AS COLBERT AND I WILL EXACT MY

REVENGE.

TELL YOU WHAT YOU THINK.

>> Stephen: YOU SENT ME SOME THINGS ASSOCIATED WITH YOUR NEW

VENTURE.

I GOT A COUPLE OF THINGS HERE.

I KNOW WHAT THIS IS, THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST-- SUBSTANCES IN THE

WORLD RIGHT HERE.

THIS IS TOILET PAPER.

I KNOW WHAT YOU DO WITH THIS.

THIS IS CALLED CLOUD PAPER.

>> LET'S DO IT TOGETHER IT IS TREEFREE IT IS MADE FROM BAMBOO,

BAMBOO ABSORBS MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF CARBON DURING ITS GROWTH AND

IT GENERATES AT MINIMUM 30% LESS GREENHOUSE GASES.

AND I WILL TELL YOU SOMETHING, MY MRS.-- ISN'T THAT NICE.

>> Stephen: THIS ISN'T NORMAL-- THIS IS NORMALLY WHERE

I PUT IT TOO, IT'S VERY-- OH, YEAH.

>> IT SMELLS GOOD, IT'S SOFT TO THE TOUCH.

THIS IS THE THING, YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE TO SACRIFICE QUALITY FOR

SUSTAIN ABILITY AND THEY REALLY FIGURED IT OUT.

>> Stephen: IT IS INCREDIBLY COMFORTABLE.

THIS LOOKS LIKE I COULD MAKE COCOA WITH THIS, WHAT IS THAT?

>> WELL, THAT IS AN INSECT-BASED PREMIUM PROTEIN, MOLETOR, MALE

WORM LARVAE, THIS IS FOR FERTILIZER AND AS YOU HAVE

THERE, THIS IS A POWDER-DERIVED FROM THE MEALWORM AND AN INSECT

PROTEIN, JUST APPROVED BY THE EU FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION.

>> Stephen: YOU'RE NOT JUST GETTING ME TO EAT DIRT, ARE YOU?

>> NO, MAN, I WOULDN'T PLAY YOU, BRO.

WE'RE LIKE ONE ENTITY NOW.

>> Stephen: IF THIS IS PROTEIN T IS ESSENTIALLY TASTELESS, JUST

A PROTEIN SUPPLEMENT, I COULD PUT THIS IN A SMOOTH

YEAR-- SMOOTHIE OR SOMETHING.

>> I'M TELLING YOU, YEP, AND YOU WILL BE MAKING ALL KINDS OF

STUFF OUT OF IT.

AND BY THE WAY, THE MAKING OF IT IS SEVERELY REDUCING THE AMOUNT

OF EMISSIONS IT TAKES.

IT IS A INNOVATION JUST IN, WE'RE DOING SOMETHING

INCORRECTLY, IF WE MAKE THIS SWITCH IT IS A HUGE, HUGE

INTERVENTION.

>> Stephen: WELL, CONGRATULATIONS.

HOW, HOW DID YOU FIRST GET INVOLVED IN LIKE CARING ABOUT

THINGS?

BECAUSE YOU ARE FROM HOLLYWOOD.

ARE YOU NOT SUPPOSED TO CARE ABOUT ANYTHING BUT YOURSELF.

ISN'T THAT THE TAKE ON YOU GUYS?

>> YEAH, YOU'RE RIGHT.

AND LOOK, THERE'S SOME TRUTH TO THAT.

HERE IS MY-- HERE IS MY THUMBNAIL, I'M 11, THERE IS THE

ICE STORMS, I'M IN CONNECTICUT.

IT SEEMED ODD AND OUT OF PLACE FOR MY CHILDHOOD.

I WENT TO LOS ANGELES, DESCENDED INTO A BOWL OF ORANGE SMOKE

BECAUSE OF THE SMOG.

EPA WAS UP AND RUNNINGNESS DIDN'T SEEM TO BE WORKING, I HAD

BEEN WATCHING THOSE COMMERCIALS LIKE THE CRYING NATIVE AMERICAN

INDIAN IN NEW YORK, AND GIVE A HOOT, DON'T POLLUTE, AND THEN BY

THE '90S OUT WEST I'M NOTICING IT LOOKS LIKE THEY'VE DONE SOME

GOOD.

AND I GO THERE IT IS, WE FIXED IT.

AND DESCENDED UP MY OWN SPHINCTER FOR SEVERAL DECADES OR

ASCENDED AS THE CASE MAY BE.

>> Stephen: SURE.

>> AND TO BE HONEST WITH YOU, THIS IS THE GREAT THING ABOUT

THE M.C. U, PLAYING SOMEONE WHO HAS TO SOLVE AND DEAL WITH

EXISTENTIAL CRISES WITH TECHNOLOGY, TO BE ABLE TO THEN

TRANSLATE THAT AND HAVE JUST A LITTLE BIT OF CREDIBILITY BASED

ON MY GENUINE INTEREST, IT JUST FEELS LIKE THE FUTURE.

>> Stephen: WE HAVE TO TAKE A LITTLE BIT OF A BREAK.

BUT STICK AROUND, EVERYBODY, WHEN WE COME BACK, THERE'S MORE

ROBERT DOWNEY, JR., THAT IS THE NICE THING, THERE IS ALWAYS A

LITTLE MORE.