Conan Was Intimidated By David Oyelowo’s Gravitas | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend

hi my name is David O yowo and I feel. winningest about being colan O'Brien's. friend winningest yeah you win you beat. everyone I've just always wanted to use. that word in a. sentence they they use it in sports a. lot and I thought where will I get to. use that that phrase it's certainly the. most winningest version of this we've. ever had oh it really is and uh I will. take it I thank you so much please do. and it's funny um the first time you've. been on the show sever times on The Late.

Night show and remember the first time. you came on I was a bit intimidated oh. and I'm being honest because you're such. a superb uh actor and you you. have such a great acting chops and I. just thought this is a very serious man. and I need gravitas is probably the word. you're looking for yes I I know I know. although I call it gravitus and uh but I. I had this I've been I've B feeling of.

like I've got to get you know my game. together and I need to be uh make sure. that I and then uh you came out and you. were immediately just so hilarious and. Charming that uh this is a lot of. pressure now Cody oh yes yes well I'm. saying it all went away that was just. the first time I met you right first and. and then I don't know what happened. after that you just been a. complet then I was thinking like Conan. you've been here before because I've. talked to some been lucky enough to talk. to some great actors in my day who are. also so very funny I always find it it.

angers me somewhat It's like because I. think how can you have both like all. I've got is I think I'm kind of funny. and then that's my excuse for not being. able to act my way out of a paper bag. and here you are Shakespearean. accomplished actor and you're one of the. funnier people I've talked to well thank. you I appreciate that a lot you are a a. very um statuesque man I mean even just. greeting you just now I mean you you. that's usually what people say about. blonde women in 19 you're also very.

voluptuous how I think of you as as a. blond statu as woman. um but no you have a certain presence. gra you you know so you you you have. some intimidation factor I have a. presence but kind of a creepy presence. wouldn't you say something a little bit. you know what and and it's no no jump in. on right on wow you just agreed right. away you're like you're not only a great. actor but you're funny and he's like. well you're tall.

something you had nothing to do with. you're you're tall and not unwoman. likee well I think we're off on a really. good yes thank you for the. interpretation there that that was. beautiful I want to talk about uh your. new show and there's so many things to. discuss uh first of all I was just I was. nervous for you when I heard that you. were going to play uh Cory elanus oh yes. uh and I know that you have you're a. Shakespearean trained actor but I think. in my my nightmare and you're playing it.

where where's the production going to be. done at the National Theater in London. oh my God my nightmare would. entail uh being in a Shakespearean play. playing the main role because my whole. life is I don't know what to do here so. I'll make it up you can't do that in. cor you can't start to say well. anyway so what's going on here and you. see what's in the paper yesterday you. can't and if you do I think uh they're. going to turn on you pretty quickly you. know what I actually have that.

experience I did a Shakespeare play at. the Royal Shakespeare company and I just. had one of those moments where all the. lines went out of my head oh my I and um. and the weirdest thing you can make it. up actually U not with much success but. uh but I found my I just I the words. went out of my and I found myself saying. sheeps and goats what what role is this. I I I literally is Anthony and Cleopatra. mm and um sheeps and goats is not.

something that gives your acting partner. anywhere to. go and um the blank expression came back. and you know what was so awful that I. did I just exited the stage oh how. terrible screwed them twice it's so bad. it is one of the things I'm the most. ashamed of I love recreating this. because you blank on your lines and. you're up there and and this is the. worst place to butcher Shakespeare yeah.

this is the you're in the it was in. Stratford upon aen at the Royal. Shakespeare company the ghost of. Shakespeare is there watching and. um he's there every night just heckling. and some sheeps and go and some yeah but. to just to be there and to shout sheeps. and goats and then turn on your heels. and stride out. literally really bad really bad now you. have me thinking what Shakespeare's. Expressions go what his ghost must have. been looking like at that point bloody.

actors yeah exactly badass or maybe. Shakespeare's like I should have worked. that in it works sheeps and goats works. oh so poetic of me you have such a. fascinating story because you were born. in Nigeria moved to England but then. moved back to Nigeria is that what. happened born in the UK moved to Nigeria. for about 6 years then moved back to the. UK mhm um yeah and uh yeah born in. Oxford moved to London then to Nigeria.

formative years of of my life spent in. Nigeria from age of 6 to 13 um and then. Born Into You know an immigrant family. immigrant parents who For Whom the Arts. was just not on the docket there's the. Immigrant experience of you must climb. the ladder legitimacy and then you're. telling them I have an idea I'll put on. costumes and pretend to be literally I. remember saying to my dad that I I was.

thinking of being an actor and he said. why do you want to go and be with all. these. promiscuous cut. Jesters oh would he be proud of you now. right this this c. o here I am with the ultimate coer um. that is fantastic that he had that. attitude and and if I'm correct he's. royalty yeah yeah yeah yeah his his. father was the the king of aart of.

Nigeria called hour so yeah the idea of. me becoming a promiscuous Court Jester. was very very very low on the Royal. Ambitions my family had for me so how. did you convince them was there a. turning point where your father looked. at you and said I get it yes and and. ironically and beautifully it was tied. to royalty yet again uh after that. season believe it or not after I had. said uh sheeps and goats um I was. invited back to to the uh uh Royal.

Shakespeare company to play Henry V 6. and in Henry VI 6 it's Parts one two and. three and on a Saturday we would perform. all three plays in a day we would start. at 10:30 in the morning and finish at. 10:30 at night now my dad he's he's no. longer with us but when he was with us. he uh was someone who quite easily would. fall asleep in the middle of a three. minute dualog between actors you gave. him a warm room a nice comfy seat and. he's out so my wife was sat next to him.

on this Saturday um where he was there. to watch all 12 hours of Henry V 6 part. 1 2 and three she was armed with mints. her shoulder to jab him in the ribs the. whole thing he stayed awake for the. entire thing and he came on the night. that then Prince Charles also came for. all the performances so you're talking. about a man who came to the UK in the. 60s dealt with unbelievable racism the.

notion of of any black person playing. the king of England was so impossible. and I I remember him coming to the stage. door afterwards and and the phrase he. said to me is I cannot believe they. allowed a black man to play the king of. England and it is my. son and uh that was the moment that was. the turning point and that's the Point. Beyond which he became my my number one.

fan until his passing it was a truly. beautiful thing I mean it's it's tingly. getting all tingly but just the. the I can only imagine I mean I can't. imagine but uh what your father what. your family encountered when they come. to a very different England in the 60s. and then to. see this come about to see I just it's. unbelievable. kind of it's mindboggling yeah it it is.

and it and it was and uh you know it's. it's it's one of the most beautiful. things my my dad was a a a mini cab. driver in uh in London and uh years. after my my that that moment at the. Royal Shakespeare company I've now moved. to LA and I'm getting to be in movies. and I could always tell when he had a. passenger in the car cuz he would go ah. David are you doing that movie with Tom.

crew and and I we. go I would go daddy who's in the car ah. nobody's in the car uh have you met. Steven spe. buger I am not making this up I am not. making this up the the worst and the. background hey you missed my. house exactly exactly. Daddy please.

Focus the the the the the one that I. will never forget is when he when he. goes uh H David where is it you live in. LA is it Beverly. his and I said Sherman Oaks yes that is. it B his I was. like okay sorry whoever's in the car. also you can imagine the person in the. car thinking what maybe or or this could. all be. it's not it's it's not proven I mean.

this could be a Madman just calling. anyone at random is exactly what they. are thinking they are thinking I want a. refund I'm giving this guy the worst. review um because that was exactly how. he would he would scream uh uh at me on. speaker phone with these poor people. just wanting to get from A to B.