Werner Herzog Guest Starred On "The Simpsons" | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend

It's fascinating because. you've done this. very intense and and beloved work and. you explore these intense themes, but. because of your fame and notoriety, you're also being asked. uh to do. these other side projects which. are very popular in popular culture. You've been. a guest on The Simpsons. Yes. Uh more. than once. Mandalorian.

you're in The Mandalorian. Yes, Jack. Reacher, Parks and Recreation. Yeah. And. I'm curious where you've. how you. reconcile because it's such a chasm. between. being in Peru, your life threatened by a madman trying. to make this magnum opus, and then. you're on the set of The Simpsons, or. you're with Baby Yoda on The. Mandalorian. What Is Is it uh. It must be quite.

fascinating to imagine the trips you've. taken in your life. Sure, yes, and it's. I do not want to miss any of that. because I found The Simpsons very. fascinating, intelligent, and and a lot of anarchy in. it. Mhm. And when I was invited to speak a. role, I immediately said, "Do they. speak?" I cannot believe that. I thought. they were only like comic strips printed. in newspapers. I'd never seen it. And I think Matt Groening, who started.

it, he said to me, "Don't Don't you know. since 24 years we are on on TV station. One of the most popular TV shows of all. time around the world. did not know that that it existed. So that I I. I I asked. I asked for DVD to show me a little bit. so that I could see how I hear how. cartoonish the voices would be. Yeah. They actually sent a few of them to me.

and and they said, "You don't need to be. cartoonish. Just speak with your accent. It's wild enough. Yes. Wild enough for us. So and I I acknowledged, yes, and I. really really enjoyed it. And I could it. I'm good at that and and in Jack Reacher. I. There are bad guys. They open fire. They. have huge assault rifles. They swear. They shout. They yell at you. They have. fist fights. I'm the epicenter of of of evil.

I have very few fingers left. I ate them. in a gulag to avoid being sent to a to a. a lead mine and lose my life there. And. I'm blind in. I have one one blind eye and I only have. my voice to spread terror and a calm. voice. And one of the villains, the sub villain, who made a mistake, I tell him, "You can.

get away with it if you're really. determined not to do that again. You. have to eat your fingers as I do it as I. did it.". Yeah. And he tries and tries and I very. calmly encourage him. I say, "That was. That was already good. You I know you. can do it. Just try harder." And and. it's so frightening that uh. when um. the film was out uh. friends of my wife in Paris, they called friends. They said, "Lena,

are you married to that man? You know You know we are only one night. flight away from you. We can give you. shelter.". So I I knew I was good. And that's that's my best my best. reward. Did you the the the The. Mandalorian, there's so much secrecy. around that shoot. There's so much so no. one can know what's going to happen and. how did you.

What was that experience like for you? Well, secrecy went so far that. I had to sign a contract for a film. Huckleberry Finn, not Mandalorian. They misnamed it. were had your costumes. You couldn't. leave the studio unless you put the big. tunic all over you and you were not. allowed to speak about what was going on. inside. So I understand that because. it's such a worldwide phenomenon and. fans were lurking outside the hedges.

with their with their little cameras and. trying to uh snap a few photos. So um. but but the experience was was very very. interesting because Jon Favreau, who is. uh. uh. mastermind behind all this, he invited. me. I was always invited. I never. competed for any part. I never was in. any audition. And he apparently loves my.

films and loves my writings. And he. wanted. to make me as a person visible for a. larger audience in the world. That's a. guy who did all these things. And you. see we we are speaking about my films. and my acting, but. equally important I think is writing. From the very very beginning I've been a. writer and I started out writing when. when I was 15, 16 and I published my. first books.

uh decades ago in the early 70s. And. they are still. constantly being reprinted reprinted and. uh. I keep saying and it's basically to deaf. ears and it will fall on deaf ears ears. ears well. But time is on my side. I keep saying um. the written things, my books, my prose, my poetry, with all probability will. have a longer life than my films. I will.

be remembered for my writings, not so much for my films. I I can. I I wouldn't say that that would fall on. deaf ears here because I think. yes, the films I think and and no one. can say. No one can really say, but. No, no, I think. the medium of the medium the medium of. film can change so much that things can. go in and out of popularity, but you. write beautifully. You You are You are a. terrific uh and disciplined writer and.

your writing's very. lyrical and I think that. that can travel through all kinds of. changes in how people experience. entertainment probably more safely and. durably than maybe film can. So I think. that's possible. Books are more durable than movies. That's a strange thing, but it's it's. it's a fact. You can. you can see it.

One of the most popular TV shows. around the world. I did I did not know that. that it existed. I asked. I asked for DVD to show me a little bit. so that I could see how I hear how. cartoonish the voices would be. Yeah.

They actually sent a few of them to me. and and they said, "You don't need to be. cartoonish. Just speak with your accent. It's wild enough. Yes. Wild enough for us. So and I I acknowledged, yes, and I. really really enjoyed it. And I could it. I'm good at that and and in Jack Reacher. I. There are bad guys. They open fire. They. have huge assault rifles. They swear. They shout. They yell at you. They have. fist fights. I'm the epicenter of of of.

evil. I have very few fingers left. I. ate them in a gulag to avoid being sent. to a to a. a lead mine and lose my life there. And. I'm blind in. I have one one blind eye and I only have. my voice to spread terror and a calm. voice. And one of the villains, the sub villain, who made a mistake, I.

tell him, "You can get away with it if. you're really determined not to do that. again. You have to eat your fingers as I. do it as I did it.". Yeah. And he tries and tries and I very. calmly encourage him. I say, "That was. That was already good. You I know you. can do it. Just try harder." And and. it's so frightening that uh. when um. the film was out uh. friends of my wife in Paris,

they called friends. They said, "Lena, are you married to that man? You know You know we are only one night. flight away from you. We can give you. shelter.". So I I knew I was good. And that's that's my best my best. reward. Did you the the the The. Mandalorian, there's so much secrecy. around that shoot. There's so much so no. one can know what's going to happen and.

how did you. What was that experience like for you? Well, secrecy went so far that. I had to sign a contract for a film. Huckleberry Finn, not Mandalorian. They misnamed it. And you were had your costumes. You. couldn't leave the studio unless you put. the big tunic all over you and you were. not allowed to speak about what was. going on inside. So I understand that. because it's such a.