[theme music]
ANNOUNCER: Coming to you from New
York City, the only city in America, it's The Daily Show.
Tonight, Election Day is finally
here, America's Black governor, and Thuso Mbedu.
This is The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.
[cheering]
What's going on, everybody? Welcome to The Daily Show.
I'm Trevor Noah.
Thank you so much for tuning in.
Thank you for coming out in person.
Thank you for being here, everybody.
Thank you so much for being here.
This feels amazing. Oh, we're going to have fun.
Take a seat. Take a seat.
We're going to have so much fun.
We have got a packed show tonight
because tonight is the night we've all been waiting for.
That's right.
The new God of War game is coming out.
Yeah!
No, no.
Obviously-- obviously, also, the midterms are here.
So let's get into it, people, and our election night
edition of Votedemic 2022.
[music playing]
All right, tonight is the night, people.
All year long, we've been waiting to find out
if Republicans will take control of Congress
and stop President Biden's agenda,
or if Democrats will keep control of Congress
and somehow stop Biden's agenda.
[laughter]
And it's all led up to today, Election Day,
a great day for democracy and for people
who love waiting in lines.
You know, it's like, ah, another chance
to smell a stranger's hair.
Now you've probably heard it everywhere, you know?
But many people believe this may be the most important
election of our lifetimes.
And, yes, I know.
I know they said that about 2020, right?
I also know that they said it about the 2018 midterms.
And they definitely said it about 2016.
No, which I know makes some people say,
well, clearly, none of these elections
are as important as people say.
They always say it's the most important election.
But maybe-- maybe we're thinking of it wrong.
Maybe everything is getting worse
and worse, which makes every election
more and more important.
And I know I said that, and, like, it sounded good,
but it's not.
I get that.
My inflection didn't match the feeling.
Well, think of it this way.
Think of it this way.
Like, when you're in a car, the brakes are the most important
safety feature, right?
When you're in your driveway, it helps to have brakes.
Yeah, but then when you get on the road,
the brakes become more important.
Yeah, then you're on the freeway,
going 100 miles per hour.
The brakes are even more important.
Then a school bus gets stuck in front of you.
And then you realize that the school bus is full of puppies,
and the puppies are holding the only copy
of Rihanna's new album!
Now the brakes are the most important
brakes of our lifetime!
[crying]
[applause]
Why did I take my brakes for granted?
Now, luckily, many people did feel like this
was an important election.
So all around the country, people
turned up to vote, everywhere from Arizona to Pennsylvania
to Wisconsin to a bunch of states
that the media doesn't even care about.
People cast their votes in this election.
And now that the voting is finished,
there is some good news.
You all voted perfectly, and every problem in America
has been solved.
Congratulations, everyone.
Congratulations.
[cheering] No!
Why you clapping?
Being sarcastic, obviously.
They're still counting the votes.
So we're going to have to wait until tomorrow or two months
from now, depending on how many lawsuits there are.
But right now we've got full team coverage of election
night all around the country.
So let's kick things off with our very own Roy Wood,
Jr., everybody who is live.
[cheering]
Democratic Party headquarters.
Roy, tumultuous time for the Democrats.
What's the mood like over there right now?
It's nervous, Trevor.
The Democrats are not expecting a good outcome tonight.
Chuck Schumer already sweating like Elon Musk looking
at Twitter's balance sheet.
[laughter]
Nancy Pelosi-- Nancy Pelosi pacing so hard,
she already got in her steps for the week.
And Joe Biden, well, he's taking a nap,
but it's a nervous nap, one of them nervous naps,
you know, like when you sleep at the wheel.
[gasps] Arizona.
Well, Roy, you know, if Democrats lose big tonight,
many strategists will suggest that their campaign
messages didn't resonate enough with the voters.
Because they ran on abortion rights and saving democracy.
But it seems like for most voters,
that wasn't a priority.
The Democrats agree with you, Trevor.
That's why tonight they're coming up
with brand new campaign messages
to get voters on their side.
What, tonight?
Don't you think it's a little too late for that?
Everyone's voted already.
There's still people in line in Georgia.
And just wait until they get on Twitter
and see Democrats' new campaign slogan, vote for us
and we'll get rid of Mondays.
It's a good one.
Wait, wait, but that's weird.
And also, then doesn't Tuesday just become the new Monday?
How--
No, no, that's not how it works because then Tuesday--
they got other ideas anyway, man.
They got other ideas.
Here's another one the Democrats are promising.
They're promising to make another season of The Office,
and for Black voters, Martin.
[laughter]
And they've got a new tax plan--
pay what you want, and they'll make
it so that everyone's team makes it to the Super Bowl.
What?
OK, all right.
Pay what you want, and everybody's team
make it to the Super Bowl.
That's two policies, Trevor.
But, Roy-- but, Roy, I don't understand.
If everyone's team makes it to the Super
Bowl, then whose team-- - Hold on.
I'm not done with the list.
Here you come with all that damn logic.
How about this one?
Unlimited breadsticks at every restaurant,
even the Chinese ones.
[cheering]
Even a Chinese restaurant, unlimited bread--
they don't even give you breadsticks
at Chinese restaurants.
And-- and-- and look at this list right here, man.
Look-- look at all this stuff, man.
Pumpkin spice lattes year round--
that's for basic bitches like you, Trev.
[laughter]
If none of that works, check this out.
The Democrats-- here's something else
they're promising.
Every Oscars will have a surprise slap.
Don't tell me that won't be exciting.
A surprise slap?
Meryl Streep just hauling off and slapping
Timothée Chalamet.
Just stop it!
You know you want to see that shit.
You want a surprise slap.
Roy, I mean, these sound very exciting, but, I mean,
it seems very desperate from the Democrats.
Well, yeah, that's what I told them.
But they refused to give up.
And now they're talking about forgiving everything--
student loan debt, forgiven.
Gambling debts, forgiven.
You gave an embarrassing best man
speech at your boy's wedding?
Forgiven.
You hear that, Vernon?
You can't be mad at me no more for saying your wife
looked like Shrek.
It is what it is, bro.
[laughter]
Get mad at me.
Why would you say that during a best man speech?
She started it.
I came to that wedding in peace to support them.
She the one who said I got a civil rights hairline.
You don't do that to a man.
[laughter]
You know a man's hair is a line you don't cross, Alicia.
All right, Roy, we're going to talk
to you later about that. Roy Wood, Jr., everybody.
And another thing, let me tell you--
No, no, no.
[cheering]
These promises are weird.
Promises are really weird.
All right, all right, before we cross over
to our next correspondent, we do have a new live projection
coming in, and it's a big one.
In the state of Georgia, the Georgia Senate race,
The Daily Show projects that Herschel
Walker has won 23andMe.
[laughter]
I didn't even realize 23andMe was a thing you could win.
But they just announced it, so good for him, I guess.
Good for him.
He did it.
But, anyway, let's go live now to Michael Kosta, who,
I believe, is coming to us from Election Deniers Headquarters.
That's right, Trevor.
There are so many election deniers running this year
that they have their own headquarters,
where they can watch the results come in.
And, fun fact, the Wi-Fi password
here is HILLARY KILLED JFK AND ALSO IS JFK, all caps.
Wow, OK, so I'm really intrigued.
What's the mood like over there?
Oh, they are having a blast here.
And I'll tell you, one thing they're not denying,
more jello shots.
These people know how to party, Trevor.
Wow.
I mean, I'm assuming election deniers
must be doing well tonight.
Well, they are.
And hundreds of election deniers
ran for office this year, and a lot of them
have already won their races.
I see.
Wait.
These are election deniers.
So I guess they don't think there's
any fraud in their elections.
Well, no, of course not.
They won.
OK, but then what about the election
deniers who didn't win tonight?
Well, obviously, their elections
were stolen, just like Trump's was in 2020
and will be again in 2024 unless he wins, in which case
it was legitimate.
It sounds like these people are just sore losers.
Whoa, whoa.
We do not say that word here, Trevor, OK, especially
not with the hard
R. [laughter]
OK, but, no, Kosta, the reasoning
doesn't make any sense.
No, actually, it's pretty simple.
Let me break it down for you.
OK?
So you see, if they lost, that's because it was rigged.
And you can tell it was rigged because they lost.
[laughter]
Yeah, but-- but, Michael, that's circular logic.
Well, it's actually more of an oval if you ask me, so--
OK, how do they know the election
they won wasn't rigged?
Well, that's easy.
Because they won, so it's fair.
It's all over here on this other oval, OK?
And-- and now that they've won, they
can change the voting laws.
You know, purge the voter rolls,
throw out ballots they don't like,
give themselves the power to overturn results,
so they never lose again.
Wait, wait-- but that's rigging
the election so they win.
What are you not understanding?
OK?
If they win, that means it wasn't rigged.
Do they not have ovals in Africa?
I mean--
We have ovals, Kosta.
This is about logic.
It doesn't seem like a democracy to me.
Look, I'd love to keep explaining it to you,
but I got to go.
Everyone's heading over to the Capitol
to celebrate-- or to storm it.
We'll see when we get there.
You be careful out there, Kosta.
Michael Kosta, everybody.
[cheering]
This is a really stressful election.
All right.
Before we get to our next correspondent,
we have some more results coming in.
Our analysts have crunched all the numbers,
and we can confirm that that 5 bucks you donated
didn't do shit.
For more results, let's throw it
over to Dulcé Sloan in the 2022 election center right now.
Hey, hey.
[cheering]
TREVOR NOAH: Dulcé, it's really crazy.
What can you tell us about this 2022 election?
2022?
No, I'm at 2024 election center, baby.
Come on.
Look at this.
See where I'm at.
You know what I'm doing.
2024?
Yeah, the presidential election.
We got to move on.
2022 it's old news, OK?
That shit is over.
It's literally not over.
All right?
I want to know who won tonight's races.
You want to know who won tonight's races.
Then Google it.
Ugh.
[laughter]
What are you here for?
Listen, I'm here to wildly speculate
about who might win next time.
It's called the news.
[laughter]
[cheering]
[harmonizing] The news.
Fine, I'll play along.
What data can you give us about the 2024 presidential race?
What?
Whose data?
What are we-- [laughs] it's way too early for that.
This is my favorite part of the race, where you could
just get on TV and gossip.
Yes!
Now I don't gossip.
I'm a good Christian woman.
But, like, did you hear Trump called Ron DeSantis a bitch?
[laughter]
And Joe Biden says he's running again,
but I heard he died three months ago.
[laughter]
Why are you groaning?
This is all--
If the man met Jesus, the man met Jesus.
What are you upset about?
[applause]
Now, listen, listen, listen--
you can't forget about the wild card in this race, Oprah.
[laughter]
Wait, wait, wait.
Are you saying Oprah is running?
She didn't say she's not.
So as far as I'm concerned, she is.
Dulcé, come on.
This is what people hate about the political media.
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.
I'm not forcing anybody to watch.
If you don't like it, you can turn off your damn TV.
TREVOR NOAH: Enough with the speculation.
Dulcé Sloan, everybody.
This is too much gossip and speculation, and no.
[cheering]
None of that.
OK, now, as you know, many news organizations did
their own exit polling today.
So we sent Desi Lydic out to some polling
locations in New York City for some exit polls of our own.
And let's see how that turned out.
Hi, I'm Desi Lydic here outside the polls
on Election Day.
I would be inside voting, but I've got one
too many felony convictions.
So, instead, I'm doing some exit polling.
I'm just doing a little bit of exit polling.
Can I ask you a few questions? - Sure.
Great.
Did you base your decision to exit based
on a sign above the door that said exit or just,
like, a gut decision?
Huh?
Did you just exit the polls?
We did.
Yes, we did.
DESI LYDIC: Thank you for your time.
[laughter]
What was your exit experience like?
The last two questions on the ballot
were all about things we would vote yes or no
for to include for New York.
And one of them was about having values for the city.
And I thought-- - [stammers]
OK.
I don't want to know what's on the ballot--
- That's fine. - --or how you voted.
I'm more interested in exiting.
Like, what was your exiting experience like?
Was there an exit sign over the door?
I didn't even notice.
Didn't notice.
Were you paying attention to anything important?
Yeah, I was paying attention to the voting.
What direction do you think we're headed in?
The way things are looking, it's very frightening.
Oh, I'm sorry.
I don't mean as a country.
I just mean in terms of where the door is.
The door looks like it's leading
in the wrong direction, away from democracy.
No, I mean, like, literally, I'm asking
literally about the door.
Like, do you open it with your hand?
Do you have to get a butt push?
The door is open.
The exit door is open.
Thank you.
I mean, is it that hard to talk about doors?
Well, yes--
Why is it so hard to just talk about doors?
Well, yes, because you think there's some symbolism
attached to the--
to the idea of the door.
No, there's no-- no, I don't-- no symbolism.
I'm done with symbolism.
What color was the paint in there?
Are we talking eggshell or more of an off white?
[laughs] It was-- it was eggshell, but lot of reds.
But, you know, this isn't really how exit polls work.
I mean, I have a 13-year-old here,
and I'm teaching him the whole civic process.
- Oh, no, I know. - You know that.
I know what exit polls are.
I just cannot talk about these candidates
for one more second.
Yeah, I hear you.
It's not really about exits or doors.
No, I know what exit polling is.
It's just that the midterms stress me
out so much that I want to talk about literally anything else.
Like, this morning I woke up in a cold sweat
screaming, Lee Zeldin!
I think the economy is also very important.
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la.
I don't want to hear about that.
Just what did the door handle look like?
You're a coordinator.
Yes.
Oh, just the man I'm looking for.
I'm doing some exit polling.
Can you talk to me about the design of the exits?
Right.
Basically, the exits are--
we have a front exit so people could come in the building.
Also, the people that are handicapped or whatever
can still come out the same way they went in.
Oh, got it.
OK, so the front entrance is also--
- Handicap exit. - --used as an exit.
Yes.
This is just the information I was looking for.
Finally, someone who can give me the answers that I want.
Thank you.
This is just what I wanted to talk about today.
[applause]
I've got to go.
OK, go quickly because I don't like goodbyes.
I hate seeing it leave, but I love watching you go.
Not like a pervy way, just like an exiting poll way.
[cheering]
Thank you so much for that, Desi.
I feel like that was a complete waste of time.
All right, we need to take a break right now.
But when we come back, we're going
to be taking a look at America's entire history
of Black governors.
That's right, all four of them, so stick around.
[cheering]
[somber music]
WOLF BLITZER: CNN projects the Democrats
will retain their majority.
And CNN can now project that Barack Obama, 47 years old,
will become the president.
CNN projects Donald Trump wins the presidency.
Bernie Sanders, not-- not-- not happening right now.
There is a difference between these two candidates
of only 16,000 votes.
Oh, look at this.
It just changed.
We have a key race alert right now.
Too early to call, too early to call in North Carolina.
Too early to call in Ohio.
We're going to go live to Ohio and get
ready to party blog style.
You've never seen anything like this.
[dramatic music]
Hi. Wolf.
All right, big round of applause.
We did it.
We've done something, a hologram.
We've beamed you in.
All right, watch this.
You see what's going on.
Check out these little guys.
Imagine they're Iowa Republicans.
Drump-- Donald Trump. JOHN KING: And you get--
WOLF BLITZER: Just changed again.
It's only 11,000 vote lead.
Just now it changed.
JOHN KING: Math on your feet, I like this, Wolf.
WOLF BLITZER: Yeah.
JOHN KING: We have a living abacus right here.
I'm enjoying your company.
Stay as long as you want.
We've been spending a lot of quality time
together over here. - What day is it?
WOLF BLITZER: I don't know. [laughter]
It's a little intense.
JOHN KING: You know--
[somber music]
[cheering]
Welcome back to The Daily Show.
Tonight the people of Maryland elected Westmore as America's
newest Black governor.
And he joins as the latest member of a very small group.
For more, we turn to Roy Wood, Jr.
in another episode of CP Time.
[music playing]
Well, hello.
Welcome to CP Time, the only show that's for the culture.
Today, we'll be discussing the history of Black governors.
And I know when you think of governors,
you think of old, white men in big mansions
with the top hat and that weird monocle.
Just wear some glasses, Governor.
You can afford the frames.
But, in fact, America has a history
of unknown but meaningful Black governors,
like PBS Pinchback, America's first Black governor
and the only politician in US history
brought to you by viewers like you.
Pinchback was born in Georgia to a Black slave mother
and a white plantation owner, who emancipated
his baby mama, which would have made for one
hell of a Maury episode.
During his life, Pinchback, who could pass as a white man
of Latin descent, leaned into his Blackness, something that
is known today as Drakeing.
Pinchback got involved in politics
and rose to the third highest office in the state
of Louisiana, which is pro tem of the Senate, not,
as some people believe, the football coach of LSU.
Then in 1872, after the lieutenant governor
died, and the governor was impeached,
Pinchback became governor.
Because sometimes the best way for Black people to take power
is to just wait for somebody else to die.
[clears throat] Kamala.
Pinchback would unfortunately only
hold the office for 35 days.
But during that brief stint, he enacted
10 laws, proving it's not about how long you last, fellas.
It's about how efficient you are when you in there!
And don't let anybody tell you otherwise,
which brings us to our sponsor, gas station
sexual enhancement pills.
I don't know how they work.
I don't know what's in them.
But I do know they make my chest hurt.
After PBS Pinchback's governorship,
America would not see another Black
person serve in that role for over 100 years.
That man would be Douglas Wilder.
Wilder grew up in the segregated South of the 1930s.
During his time at Virginia's Union University,
he experienced so much racism working at a diner,
he considered poisoning white people's
salads, which may sound harsh.
But if you order a salad at a diner,
you deserve to be poisoned.
After graduating, Wilder was drafted into the army
and served in the Korean War.
He would go on to win the Bronze Star for his heroism
during the Battle of Pork Chop Hill.
Now Pork Chop Hill, that's what you want
to order at a diner, a whole big pile of pork chops
sauteed in butter and garlic, and there's just the gravy--
delicious.
Wilder returned to Virginia and got into politics.
After serving in the Virginia Senate, in 1989,
he became the first Black person ever
elected governor of Virginia.
And he owed it all to his campaign slogan--
don't make me poison your salads.
Moving on, our next Black governor is Deval Patrick.
Patrick was raised by a single mother on Chicago's South Side
after his father, a jazz musician, left his family.
Because everybody knows that jazz is all about the kids
you don't raise.
After graduating from Harvard Law School,
Deval spent the early '80s working as a lawyer
for the NAACP.
During that time, he sued then Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton
and impressed him so much during the case,
Clinton later hired him, which I get.
You ever get your ass beat by somebody playing
pickup basketball so bad, you be like, yo,
you got to be on my team?
And then he hates playing with you because you've got
a busted knee and a bad heart.
And you won't stop slapping people's asses because that's
what we did back in the day.
It was nothing sexual about that, Carl!
Call me back, Carl.
Let's ball.
Anyway, after serving in President Clinton's Justice
Department, Deval spent some time
working in the private sector before returning to politics.
And in 2006, Deval became the first Black governor
of Massachusetts, succeeding the whitest governor
of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney.
It was like going from watching Frasier to the BET Awards.
It's jarring.
Moving on to our final governor, David Paterson,
who was not only New York's first Black governor, but also
the first blind governor in American history.
He was like a political Stevie Wonder
if you're one of those people who actually believe
that Stevie Wonder's blind.
I know you can see, Stevie.
I was at the concert in '78, and you
turned and ran from me.
I want my money, mother-mother-[bleep]..
In 2008, then Lieutenant Governor Paterson
took over the governorship from Eliot Spitzer
after Spitzer was disgraced from having numerous affairs
with high-end escorts.
But once Paterson took office, he
proved that Black governors could
also be plagued with scandals.
A previous affair with a coworker came to light.
He was accused of giving Jay-Z a sweetheart investment deal.
He was fined for unlawfully accepting
Yankees World Series tickets.
All in all, he was having a pretty good time as governor.
But that's all the Black governors
we have time to discuss today.
The-- there are no more Black governors?
That was all the Black governors?
Damn.
Black people have produced less governors
than Predator movies.
That tells me two things--
one, America must do better, and, two, I
need to watch Predator again.
That was a damn good movie.
This has been CP Time.
And, remember, we're for the culture.
[music playing]
Gas station six pill kicking in.
Jimmy, bring me my defibrillator.
[cheering]
Thank you so much for that, Roy.
All right, stay tuned because when we come back,
the star of The Woman King, Thuso Mbedu,
will be joining me right here on the show.
You don't want to miss it.
[cheering]
[applause]
Welcome back to The Daily Show.
My guest tonight is an award-winning actor
who currently stars alongside Viola Davis
in the critically-acclaimed film, The Woman King, which
is in theaters right now.
I have watched soldiers die because they
did not have discipline.
Their easy life did not prepare them for--
I did not have an easy life!
--prison life here as an Agojie!
(VOICE BREAKING) I did not have an easy life.
Please, I want to be with the others.
I want to fight for my king.
Your tears mean nothing.
To be a warrior, you must kill your tears.
Please welcome my fellow South African, Thuso Mbedu.
[applause, cheering]
[chatter]
Hi.
Thuso Mbedu, welcome to The Daily Show.
Oh!
I'm excited to be here.
TREVOR NOAH: I'm excited to have you here.
This is so amazing. - My goodness.
South African. South African.
Huh? Huh?
Look at this.
- [laughs]
And not just a South African, a South
African who is absolutely crushing
it in everything that you do.
Congratulations. - Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you.
Right?
Congratulations on The Woman King.
I mean, everyone-- critics, 90%-something,
93% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Everybody talks about it, raves about it.
It's not an easy film to watch--
Yeah.
--again.
And it feels like you have this knack for not just acting
but portraying a person, a moment, and a feeling
in time that makes people feel-- like, what--
do you do that on purpose?
Not the acting part, but do you choose a role because you go,
I'm going to make people cry with this one.
Not cry.
[laughter]
That's funny because I'm always--
like, back home in South Africa,
that's what I was known for.
And so I am actively resisting roles that I, as a character,
would have to cry.
And in this one, I loved the fact
that Viola's character tells my character
that you do not cry--
Right.
--in this space.
Absolutely loved it because then
it means I don't have to cry.
[chuckles]
[laughter]
But then, you know, the movie then
tells us that what Viola was telling my character
is not necessarily true.
TREVOR NOAH: Right.
Because taking away her tears means stripping her
of her humanity ultimately.
So-- but, yeah, I choose projects that I feel
will have some sort of impact.
We're not following the money.
We're following purpose.
We're following changing people's lives.
I did drama in high school and in university
because I wanted to use acting as a tool for social change.
- I love that. - So-- yeah.
I love it.
Because people take for granted how much it shapes culture,
how it influences--
Yeah.
--how we see the world and what we do in it.
This is also a great opportunity
for me and-- for you.
And you seized it because you kick ass in this movie.
Literally.
Thuso, like, you--
you fight.
Yes.
And you-- I want to know how many martial
arts did you study for that?
You got to go and--
what was it, like--
Bruh, it was a lot.
[laughter]
It was a lot.
There was a range of different things.
I got cast I think like April-ish.
Preproduction training was starting in July.
So I put myself through Muay Thai between--
- Yes, yes. - Yeah, because I--
Yeah.
So you're doing Muay Thai-- actually,
you're hitting yourself with weapons.
- [laughs] - There's a video on Thuso.
You should check it out if it's still on your social media.
It hurts!
It's amazing because you show us the progression.
Yes.
So, obviously, in the movie, it's just you like kick ass,
pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop.
And then you play the video where you start off
and it's like, aha, aha, aha, aha, aha.
Actually, yeah.
It's basically you beating yourself in the beginning.
Why would you put yourself through that?
You know you can use a stunt double, right?
Oh. OK, wait.
Gina, our director, does not believe in stunt doubles.
Wow!
Yes.
Number one-- and so part of my audition for the movie
was going through a physical and fitness
test to determine--
TREVOR NOAH: Wow!
--whether I'd be able to do my own stunts or not.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Woo! - Yes.
So that means-- like, you know how to fight now.
I like to believe so.
[laughs]
I would like to believe so too.
You can fight. - I don't know.
I don't know.
We have "action" and "cut" in a movie.
In real life? - No.
I think you can fight.
I think-- I also learned from talking to some of the people
who were involved in the movie that you--
this is one of my favorite stories from the film.
Everyone had to do--
I think it was two hours of training.
Oh, yeah.
Two hours of training.
You then said, "No.
I would like to do three hours."
An extra hour. Yeah.
- OK. - Mm-hmm.
Naturally.
But then because of that, the director
was like, that's actually a great idea.
Everyone should do three hours.
[laughter] - It was my bad.
It really, really, really, really--
- Come on now, Mbedu. - No, man.
Guys, no understand.
It was-- we're all new to stunts and action.
And I have great confidence in the amount of time
that I put into my acting and to the research
and the conversations and the rehearsals.
And so let's say my acting is up here.
I needed my stunts to be at least in the vicinity.
And so that means extra time.
TREVOR NOAH: Yeah, but then you became that kid in class.
I remember in school--
and you know the kids I'm talking about.
You became that kid in class where sometimes a lesson
would end, and then the teacher would be like, OK,
everybody go.
And then there's that kid that goes like, sir,
you didn't give us homework.
[laughter]
Everyone got an extra hour.
I mean, it came out great in the movie.
But there must have been a moment where people were like,
Thuso Mbedu.
Viola, yeah, was very much, Thuso, come on.
[laughs]
Before I let you go, I want to talk about the projects
that you're embarking on now.
Because it's one thing to perform
in front of the camera.
It's another to cement yourself in an industry.
But you've really jumped from strength to strength.
You've got an entire production deal with Paramount+ now where
you're going to be working on your own productions,
which I know you're really passionate about.
Yes.
I'd love to know what you would dream of creating.
If you could-- not the specific stories, but what
are you trying to create in the world
where you are the teller of the story versus just the person
who's in it?
I think more than anything, you know,
I want to create the stories that are innately in us.
Because growing up and being in this industry, one,
you believe that you can be anything
until you get to the industry and they tell you no,
you can't.
And so, what are those stories?
Like, with the Paramount+ deal, we're specifically focusing
on health, climate, and equity as part of their social
impact initiative--
Right.
--and taking that to South Africa and Africa.
And so those are stories that will
transform people's thinking.
Because from my understanding and from what I've experienced
back home is, they're vary keen on commissioning projects that
will encourage destructive behavior,
but aren't necessarily teaching people
how to transform and empower their lives.
Wow.
And so if we can come with those stories
that are both entertaining and teaching people
to do better and be better, then
I'm all the happier for it. - Excellent.
Because otherwise why are we doing this?
- I like that. - You know?
Yeah. - Yeah.
I really like that. Congratulations.
Thank you.
It's been beautiful to watch your journey.
I've seen you act and do the best and just kick ass.
I've seen you kick ass in all martial arts including
yourself and the other people.
[laughs]
I truly believe-- and I don't think I'll be wrong on this--
you're going to kick ass in everything--
your production company-- - Thank you.
--with the work you're doing in South Africa, everything
you do going forward.
Thank you so much for joining me on the show.
- Thank you. - Wonderful seeing you again.
- Always good. - Absolute pleasure.
- Thank you. - Thuso Mbedu, everybody.
[applause] All right.
We're going to take a quick break,
but we'll be right back after this.
[chatter]
[applause, cheering]
[cheering]
Well, that's our show for tonight.
Thank you so much for tuning in.
But before we go-- before we go,
the polls are almost closed.
So it's a little late to sign up
to be a poll worker this year.
But, remember, new poll workers will
always be needed to help keep America's
democracy functioning.
So why not go to powerthepolls.org to learn
more and sign up and help.
Until next time, stay safe out there.
And, remember, if you voted today,
everything that happens from now on is your fault.
Now here it is, your Moment of Zen.
I'm a combat veteran.
I actually fought in countries so that they would
have the right to vote freely.
And that's being threatened.
I just feel the issue of abortion
is foremost in my mind.
I don't care about the economy or inflation.
Inflation is already there all the time.
I think Black folks realized at the last presidential
election, the strength and the value of our vote
and turned out in overwhelming numbers.
And that reversed a lot of things around here.
So we realized that our vote has value.
And our vote is our voice, and that if we want to be heard,
we have to vote.