Florence Pugh | with Sen. Eric Schmitt & GOP Humiliate Themselves at Train Wreck Jack Smith Hearing: A Closer Look

0:02President Trump claimed that he is the first president in history to not take his salary and added, quote, you got me for nothing. Well, may I say worth every penny.

0:17From 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City, please enjoy this podcast edition of Late Night with Seth Meyers. On today's show, Seth talks to actress Florence Pugh. But first, a closer look.

0:35Senate Republicans humiliated themselves in a train wreck hearing where they tried and failed to catch former special prosecutor Jack Smith in a gotcha moment. For more on this, it's time for a closer look.

0:49No matter your political affiliation, I think we can all agree you gotta have respect for the institution of the U.S. Congress. I mean, these are men and women who have earned our admiration through their exemplary service to our nation. They are the best of us. They make our nation proud. And if you don't believe me, just ask Mitch McConnell. Are you feeling good, Mitch? Looks good. Give us a thumbs up. We do. Actually, maybe don't ask Mitch McConnell. Mitch might not be quite ready for questions, but we here at Late Night wish him a speedy recovery from what looks to be the passage of time. With that said, that does not look like a man who should be going back to work in the Senate.

1:32That looks like Grandpa on his way to the home. Isn't this a cool van, Grandpa? You're going to make so many new friends. They have all the soups you like. That's the expression on your face when they're driving you to the Soylent Green factory for processing. Ooh, some people remember it. By the way, everything I'm saying, the people around Mitch seem to agree with. Remember, this is a man who, this summer, had to hold up a newspaper hostage-style to prove to everyone that he was still alive. This looks like a public interest story about the oldest living newsie. Extra, extra.

2:21Read all about it. Point is, I have deep admiration and respect for the institution of the U.S. Congress, which is why it brings me great pain to tell you that something happened Tuesday in a Senate hearing that might be one of the stupidest and most embarrassing moments in the history of that esteemed body. And remember, this, this other thing, happened just last week. Many airline pilots, flight attendants, and air traffic controllers are part of the furry community. When you walk onto a commercial flight, It's possible that the pilot flying your plane Could have a deranged fetish of dressing up like an animal Dude, real quick and with respect Shut the f*** up We have enough We have enough to worry about when we fly Like, will there be delays?

3:11Are there enough air traffic controllers? Will I be on a flight with a disruptive passenger Who has to be duct taped to his seat While we make an emergency landing? These are real problems And yet you want us to board a flight Worrying that the pilot might be spending his off days Dressing up like an animal and going to conventions With like-minded people that look Rad I'd certainly rather go to work with a Furry than whatever this is He's a burry That's when you cosplay as someone who's about to be buried So So there have been Some less than flattering moments in the recent history of the U.S.

3:54Senate, but I've never seen anything quite as pathetic as what happened on Tuesday when Missouri Senator Eric Schmidt questioned Jack Smith, the former special counsel who led multiple investigations into Donald Trump after his first term. Now, as you might recall, Trump has been obsessed with Jack Smith for years. Deranged Jack Smith, who's a Trump hater and represents all the Trump haters, and he's going wild. He's mean, he's nasty, he's unfair. Deranged Jack Smith. He's the prosecutor. He's a deranged person. Deranged Jack Sixsmith. He's a sick son of a bitch. Deranged Jack Smith, in my opinion, is a criminal.

4:31We have a deranged individual named Jack Smith. He's a deranged dumb guy. He's a dumb son of a bitch. Prosecutor Deranged Jack Smith. He's a crooked guy. Deranged Jack Smith is an animal. Deranged Jack. You know who I'm talking about. Jack Smith. What do you think his name used to be? I don't know. Does anybody have it? Jack Smith. Sounds so innocent. First of all, what do you think his name used to be? I don't know. People call him Jack, probably John. Also, Jack Smith doesn't sound innocent to me at all. It sounds like the name of a down-on-his-luck private investigator who won't talk about his past.

5:10Jack, is it true you used to be on the police force? You don't pay me enough to ask questions I don't want to answer! Also, let's compare how Trump talks about Jack Smith, a decorated career prosecutor who investigated war crimes at The Hague, with what Trump had to say on Tuesday about brutal North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. He happens to be a friend of mine, Kim Jong-un. He's a friend of mine. He likes Trump. Doesn't like a lot of other people. I'm about the only person in the entire world that he likes, and I like him. He probably likes you because when you're together, it's the only time he's not the craziest mother in the room.

5:44I mean, it's really... It's the only time he can use his get-a-load-a-this-guy thumb. Not a good thing if you're the only person a bad person likes. Just replace Kim Jong-un with any other villain, and you'll see how bad it sounds. You know, people don't like when I say this, but Pennywise and I get along very well. I'm the only person in the world. I like him! Trump's been obsessed with Jack Smith for years, which is why Trump's lick spittles in the GOP have made it their life's mission to go after him. During the hearing on Tuesday, Schmidt thought he had a smoking gun. He was trying to paint an elaborate conspiracy tying Smith to Fannie Willis, the Georgia prosecutor who indicted Trump for election meddling in 2023.

6:27Schmidt thought he and his team had found ironclad proof that Smith had traveled to Atlanta during that investigation, which would somehow tie him to Willis, I guess? Did you go to an NBA game between the Golden State Warriors and the Atlanta Hawks on February 3rd, 2024?

6:47I'm sorry, could you say that again? Did you go to an NBA game between the Golden State Warriors and the Atlanta Hawks on February 3rd, 2024? What city would that be in? Atlanta. No. Okay. What would you say if I had a series of text messages from your team that said you were in Atlanta at a Warrior Hawks game on February 3rd, 2024? I don't think you know that we have this stuff. So I'll give you a second to process it so you don't perjure yourself. I think you've already perjured yourself, but... You have weaponized the Department of Justice against political enemies to an extent that has never happened in the history of this country.

7:24You will go down as a total dirtbag. My goodness, this is very hard to follow. It seems as though he's trying to get Smith to admit he went to a basketball game, which means I'm not quite sure what. He's talking like it's a smoking gun when at best it's a banana with a cigarette taped to it. But hey, what do I know? I guess it is perjury if Smith is saying he didn't go to an Atlanta Hawks game and Republicans have proof that he did. Unless, you know, there's a simple explanation that makes Schmidt look like a dip. I recall going to a University of Maryland basketball game where Caitlin Clark was playing.

8:02Right around that time. And the Marshal Service was there with me. You could check if that was the exact date. It was Maryland playing Iowa, I think, February of 2024. But again, you can check that out if that's what we're talking about. Okay, okay. But we're talking about the Hawks. You were at a Hawks game and the Hawks play in Atlanta. You can't spin your way out of this one, deranged Jack Smith. Could it then be that University of Iowa is the Hawkeyes? Could that be it? That might be the confusion over the names of the team, but perhaps you should have looked at it more carefully. Oh!

8:42Oh! Oh, Schmidt! He's like a magician who says, Is this your card and it's just that card that has the rules of poker on it? And then you say, I know you didn't think I had this card, so I'll just give you a minute so you don't perjure yourself. Now, in retrospect, we probably should have known something was wrong when GOP staff members held up a poster board with a text message supposedly proving that Smith was at a Hawks game and then took it down Really fast Before anyone can read it I don't think you know That we have this stuff So I'll give you a second To process it So you don't You know Perjure yourself You just took it down Really quick If I could look at that again Generally speaking When you have actual proof You don't flash it That fast There's a reason You never see that move In a courtroom drama Your honor I have here In my possession A leather glove With the defendants A fingerprints on it Proving That he is without a doubt guilty Are you ready?

9:40There it is Did the jury see that? You want to see it one more time? There it is I'll rest my case But the saga The saga of the poster board Got even dumber When Democrats on the panel asked to see it again And Louisiana Senator John Kennedy Joined in to hold it up for everyone Because he thought it was such an awesome gotcha We couldn't see what it said And I'm a former prosecutor, too, and I have never seen anyone just say, what do you think of this, and put it down.

10:16We need a copy of the actual text. Can you give the witness the courtesy of giving him a copy of that? First of all, you can just feel the exhaustion in Amy Klobuchar's voice. The amount she's probably had to listen to men mansplain sports to her over the years, and now she's at a congressional hearing having to say, There's more than one team with Hawk in the name. Also, the text they chose are so confusing. It doesn't even say Hawks or Atlanta in there. Not only is this not a gun, it's not even a smoking banana. It's a banana wearing a nicotine patch. And Klobuchar was not the only one who was horrified by this pathetic display of stupidity.

10:56Check out Republican, Republican Senator Katie Britt, who has done no favors by an MS Now camera while it dawned on her exactly what was happening. I recall going to a University of Maryland basketball game where Caitlin Clark was playing. Right around that time, and the marshal service was there with me. I mean, you don't even need the Curb Your Enthusiasm music. You can just hear it in your head. She looks like she just walked into the Delta Lounge and saw a fox having sex with a wolf. Now, as a normal sane person, you might feel some, you know, vicarious embarrassment just watching all of this, but Schmidt was completely unfazed when confronted after the hearing.

11:35In fact, he laughed it off like his own screw-up was just a funny joke. Who knew Jack Smith was a Caitlin Clark fan? Listen, we had information he was at a basketball game. There was only one NBA game that night at 7.30 tip-off, which was why I asked him if he was in Atlanta. He answered the question. So that's what these hearings are for. You ask questions, you get answers. No, that's not what these hearings are for. You didn't ask a question. You made an accusation. That's a huge difference. If your spouse gets home late from work and you say, were you having an affair with your assistant Wendy?

12:04And they say, no, I was at a Wendy's. You can't turn around and be like, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. Okay, all good. I'm just asking questions. That's what marriage is all about. And yet somehow this wasn't even the only embarrassing line of questioning. From the hearing at another point, Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, or as Mitch McConnell calls him, the kid, thought he'd also cornered Smith about his ties to John Brennan, a former CIA director under Obama, which, again, I don't fully understand, but on top of not making sense, it also backfired. Have you ever received any consultation or counsel by John Brennan, former CIA director, whether during your time as special counsel or otherwise?

12:46If so, when and for what purpose?

12:52I've never met John Brennan. Okay. Have you ever... Well, I guess you've answered my follow-up question.

13:07What was your follow-up question gonna be? From the looks of you, I'm guessing it was, where am I? You guys do any preparation before this hearing? I'd love to see a poster board of your texts with your staff from that morning. Do we have any evidence Smith knew Brennan I can mention in next week's hearing? Hearing is actually today. What?! Seriously, I feel like I'm watching a middle school play. Everyone's forgetting their lines. Pieces of the set are falling down. Senators are standing there in the background like a kid who plays a tree, and Katie Britt looks like every parent in the audience thinking, I'm paying for this school?!

13:43But it kept getting worse. Later in the hearing, South Carolina Senator Darlene Graham, the sister of the late Lindsey Graham, whose seat she is now filling, jumped in for some more fake outrage. The only motivation you had was to take down President Trump and his allies, one by one, before the election. I think you were just trying to bully my brother and other allies of President Trump. You caused my brother and a lot of other senators a lot of stress, and that makes me sick. You should be ashamed of yourself. What a disgrace to our justice system and the Constitution that you would stoop this low.

14:30Shame on you. Shame on you. I haven't been this disgusted since my Meemaw traipsed into the sitting room with her nightgown half open in the middle of my dinner party. People are trying to eat. Nobody wants to see the floor show at the Gray Bush Hotel. Yo, Warhol! But if you thought... But if you thought Republicans couldn't get any more embarrassing during this hearing, think again, because you forgot there's also a guy named Ted Cruz. And, unfortunately, he was there, too. And he decided to level a bizarre accusation at Smith that involved a reference to a fictional character. Javert from Les Mis Would look at you with astonishment Oh man, them good old Texas boys Always referencing Broadway musicals Well, well, well, look who's back in town Feel like I haven't seen you in 525 ,600 minutes And I'm sorry, if Jack Smith is Javert That means Trump is Jean Valjean Which doesn't quite work, you know Because Valjean stole a loaf of bread and Trump stole classified documents he stored in a shower.

15:45By the way, that picture is a smoking gun. Also, Ted Cruz, you're a dork. Can you imagine if a Democrat sounded like this? Mr. Smith, you remind me of Javert from Les Mis, whereas I am like Velma from Chicago. And my colleagues are the Jellicles from Cats. This is a pathetic display, but you guys don't actually care about that. All you care about is generating fever swamp content for your right-wing media boosters, even if it means humiliating yourselves. Do you guys have a humiliation fetish? Because, honestly, that is way, way weirder than being... Part of the furry community. This has been A Closer Look.

16:35Our guest tonight is an Academy Award-nominated actress you know from films such as Little Women, Midsommar, Oppenheimer, Dune Part 2, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. She stars in East of Eden, which premieres on October 1st on Netflix. Please welcome back to the show our friend Florence Pugh, everybody.

16:56Hello, friends. Hi, I'm five. I'm so happy to have you back. Congratulations on the show. Thank you. You're a wonderful and an assistant actor, but you were also, excuse me, an executive producer. Yeah, I made some decisions So, I mean, I imagine at this point in your career Like, even when you're not an executive producer Like, people want to hear how you're responding to the material If you have any notes about scenes and stuff But when you're an EP, like, they gotta listen Yeah, and they also have to ask you questions that you have to answer Do you like questions on set? I do I think the best thing about being a part of that process from the beginning Is you really get to make it in the way that you want it to be made and having conversations about cast and what's important to you and also designing what you want the set to feel like, like the vibe of set.

17:44All of these things are a part of conversations that happen for years in advance. And so you just grow with this baby in the most amazing way. Are you good with decisions in real life? It strikes me that you probably are. It depends. It depends. If it's about food, yes. Okay. Yeah. Great. Like, if we went for lunch and you were like, oh, I don't know what I want to eat, I'd be like, okay, done, bish, bosh, bash. Oh, wow. And you would love the bish and the bosh and the bash. Really? Yeah. And I'd be like, I mean, I'd love them all individually, but I've never had the bish and the bosh and the bash together.

18:16You should try it. It's crazy. But I would imagine the way, all right, what about, like, interior design, good or bad? Actually, really good. Yeah. I mean, again, I'm not surprised. Yeah. I love a tile. I love looking at tiles. Are you, do you love a tile? I love a tile. So if I'm like, by the way, if I'm starving because I can't figure out what I want for lunch and I need to pick out a tile, like you're the first call? I'm such a weird friend. I don't know if you're weird or you're essential. You strike me as essential. Yeah. Well, if you ever, ever have to redo your bathroom, you're going to call me.

18:48And if you ever, ever, ever don't know what to eat, you're going to text me the menu. I mean, this is amazing. I mean, I was already a fan, but this is incredible to have you as a resource. You should go on my grave. She enjoyed a bishop, a bishop of ash. and then the tombstone will be tiled. Sounds kind of dirty, actually. Yeah, right. You, it takes place, famously, in California. You filmed in New Zealand, which I imagine was incredible. Amazing. True story that you had, there was this sort of ceremony before you started filming? Oh, my God, it's so beautiful. When you shoot in New Zealand, obviously, lots of the land is owned by tribes.

19:21And on the first day of shooting, we were invited to watch this ceremony where they do the haka and they bless you, essentially, to shoot on their land. And the chief came and there's this beautiful ceremony where you share breath. So you put your forehead to forehead and you both breathe through your nose. And it's essentially like they accept you and welcome you and you accept them and respect them. So we started the shooting schedule with this incredible ceremony. And you cannot start shooting until you finish the ceremony. So you're immediately full of this power and love. And, yeah, it was a very special way to shoot.

20:00And I love New Zealand so much. That's fantastic. And, you know, it's a beautiful film. Sorry, show. But you are, you know, this is a beautiful book as well. You're playing Kathy, who I think for a lot of people who have read the book and experienced it, you know, maybe see it as sort of, you know, an antagonist, a bit of a villainous character. Is it true that you sort of approached it differently and tried to maybe show a little bit more of her than you might have taken away from reading it? Well, we've put everything that's in the book in it. So we're not changing anything. We're not changing her destiny.

20:32We haven't, like, removed some of the awful acts that she does. We're still showing you exactly who she is. But our approach is accepting all that happens to her, not all that she does to other people. And I think through joining her and meeting her and getting to know her with love, we've been able to really understand a lot of what happened to her shaped the woman that she becomes. and having context to everything is so important. And I think it's too easy to just call her a villain or to call her bad or to call her evil. There's a human there that has had destructive things happen to her and she does destructive things to other people.

21:12So I think we've just tried to tell a bigger picture, like a whole picture, rather than just viewing her as a monster. Do you feel, when you have characters that sort of have dark pasts like that and maybe do, you know, sort of, you know, evil or sort of negative acts to other people? Are they easy to leave or do they sort of, can you walk away from them when you wrap? It depends. Some yes, some no. Like, Dani stayed with me for a really long time. For midsummer. Not because she was evil, but because just the, like, we were shooting really heavy stuff daily. Have you ever been invited to, like, a midsummer party afterwards?

21:50Genuinely, because like I every now and then get invited. Could you imagine if someone at that party like comes out of the toilet and they sees me and they're like. Yeah, you're right. I don't die. You know what? You have to not go for other people. It's not even about whether or not you'd enjoy it. Absolutely piss their pants. Yeah, it would be a bummer. If I saw you with flowers in your hair, I'd be like, oh. Oh, get out of the mess, you. I gotta go. No. Yeah, I think it's different. With her, with Kathy, we're dealing with really, like, complicated themes and storylines. And so, yeah, I think she probably was a bit difficult to let go of.

22:30But for all the right reasons, like, I'm playing an abused woman. So, like, I'm not... I'm aware that that's probably going to sit with me for a while. I'm trying to think if there was anything, like, totally bizarre. No, I'd just go home and be like... Prepare for tomorrow. Do whatever you need to do. Whatever you need to do to get ready. I have a lot more to ask you. We'll be right back with more.

22:57Welcome back, everybody. We're here with Florence Pugh. Thank you so much for being here. You've got some very big films coming up. Yeah. And they're coming out. You've got a couple that are coming out on the same day. Yeah. Doom Part 3. Yeah. And then Avengers. Is that how you say it? It's a hell of a schedule, guys. I just feel as though I feel like those movies don't necessarily need my help So I would like to ask about a movie you filmed I don't think they need my help either I think they might be okay I think they'll be alright But you shot a movie with my friend Andy Samberg Called 42.6 Years Written by Seth Reese who's a writer here of the show And Andy, everybody who works with him Is like he's lovely But I as a person who knows him closely Know he's a bad person Yes.

23:41And the reason he's a bad person is he was very cool about my now deceased dog, Frisbee. Have you ever seen Frisbee? And do you know what Frisbee looks like? I haven't, but I've heard the story. Yeah. Yeah. Are you surprised to find out that this man you worked with was like so negative about a living, breathing animal? No, because all he'd do in between takes was just absolutely on your dog. Really? So it wasn't just a bit he was doing on this show. It was the only thing he would talk about. Be like, morning, Florence. Do you want a coffee? Oh my God, I hate that dog. This is jarring to hear.

24:15I can't believe it. Do you know, this is, we have a mummy bob ahead of him. Oh, so handsome. Because he played a very famously on this show. He played a mummy whose doink fell off. Weirdly was ignored in award season for that. You also, congratulations, you were in the Spider-Man film, which was the highest grossing movie of all time.

24:41That's bonkers. Is it a bonker? I mean, that's not bonkers. You know, it deserves it. But it is just, it must just be bonkers. It would have been a part of something like that. It's bonkers. And it's also just such a fun character. You get to be a part of that and you get to play, like, genuinely, like, I mean, a character that has a lot of depth but is genuinely so funny to watch. She's such a fun character to play. And I'm really, I'm just really grateful to Marvel that they've just let me kind of run with who she is and her sense of humor and her quirk. she has so many quirks and that's what's just been so brilliant about joining all of these different stories is like everybody loves the weirdness about her and I love the weirdness about her and I get to say potatoes to Tom Holland and I get to hang out in a bath for a day which is totally bizarre, I've never done that at work I'd be like asking crew members to pass me my coffee and I'd be like oh thank you very much it's so strange Well it Again It all worked out To the benefit of all of us That's fantastic I cannot wait for All your films That are coming Big and small Which one are you going to go to?

25:47I'm going to go to Andy's Because I'm But only to boo And be like No boo He's a bad guy Is that also coming out On the same day As Dune and Avengers? I hope for Andy's sake I hope not But I will say If I have to choose I'm going to go Avengers first And then do But I'll probably do them On the same day Nice. Lunch in between? Yeah, bish, bash, bosh. Bish, bash, and bosh. That's the order to do it. We'll start a tzatziki. Yeah, do we have time to do that and go to the tileries? A hundred percent. All right, great. I look forward to it. Thanks so much for being here, Florence. Thanks for having me, my love.

26:25Late Night with Seth Meyers airs weeknights on NBC at 1235, 1135 Central. Original music on the Late Night podcast is by the HE Band. Don't forget to follow the handle LateNightSeth on social media and tell your friends to subscribe to the Late Night Podcast wherever they get their podcasts.