Mandy Patinkin’s[1] continued interview with Stephen Colbert, seen on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”[2]
SC: Now, you’re famous for you preparation, and did you do, like, a ride-along with any CIA directors? Because I know you narrated the Spy Masters. Did you get to know any of the people who actually had the role that Saul Berenson has?
MP: Yes, I have. And I know one very well. And the writers and Claire and myself go every year in January and we sit with all the heads of national security, CIA and other security forces, White House, etc., and they come in for two-hours at a time, three-days straight, and ten-hour days, with lunch and breakfast. And they unload everything to us. We’re actually asking them what are you most frightened of, what concerns you the most.
SC: And do these conversations calm you down, Mandy Patinkin, or do they frighten you?
MP: They frighten you, and it’s more information than any human being needs to know. And let me add a couple of things about fear—(looking directly at the studio audience) which we are all dealing with, all over the world—fear is a very healthy thing to have. No one can get away without it. You gotta have fear to run out of a burning building. But—to fear monger, and this fear mongering and hatred that’s going on by people running for president of the United States is so misguided. It is important that we open up our arms and our hearts to refugees that are fleeing a horrifying situation. (Applause)
SC: I understand you went down to Greece when you guys were on break [from filming] to actually help some of the Syrian refugees.
MP: Yes, I did. I finished [filming]—and I’ve been living in this fictional world, and let me just say—[redacted for brevity] I went to Greece, and I met some of these extraordinary families. I met the people in Greece who opened their arms and their homes and hotels to these people—500,000 refugees that have come across since the beginning of this crisis. And then, when we got back here, [we] called the International Rescue Committee. There are 24 or 26 all around the country. Find out where some Syrian refugees are in your neighborhood. We have found a family in Elizabeth, NJ. We’re meeting them, we’re taking them around New York. We’ve given them clothes. We’ve asked them what they need. And you can do it, too. (Applause) And I guarantee you, please believe me! I guarantee, when you meet these families, these women and children, you won’t be afraid. You will not be afraid, and I just ask all of us to remember something. When I was growing up in the 50s, everyone was terrified of atomic bombs. Everyone. Well, atomic bombs are still here—more than you ever imagined. And—no one’s thinking about it anymore, because Humanity has taken over, and Humanity is a good thing—when it’s exercised. And I ask people to exercise their Humanity, oh, more than they’ve ever imagined. Use your imagination on how you can make the world a better place—and “bomb” all of these marginalized people with “Opportunity” and with everything that I’ve said. And, I guarantee you, no one’s tried it, so they (can’t) say it wouldn’t work. And if we can make life good for all of those people, than I believe people will stop thinking that the “West” is so evil. (Applause)
SC: My second question is… (Loud laughter and applause)
MP: (Laughing and slapping his knee over and over)
SC: Merry Christmas!MP: Merry Christmas! (Hearty hand-shake to prolonged applause)
SC: Mandy Patinkin stars in Showtime’s “Homeland” which has its season finale this Sunday at 9 p.m.
Let’s exercise our Humanity, like Mandy Patinkin pleads us to do—both here at home and wherever we can help. Let us welcome the marginalized people here, in our homeland, where, together with them, we can all live safely and in peace.
Light a candle for peace and pass it on!
Image: “Candle”[3]
[1] Current star of “Homeland” and veteran star stage, screen and TV (“The Princess Bride,” “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” “Criminal Minds,” etc.)
[2] See Xfiniti for “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” 12/18/15
[3] Found online in the public domain by author Bangin, see: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Candle.jpg