Jon Stewart: "Axis of Evil" is reductive, ignorance-based shit
Jon Stewart on 'Rosewater,' Springsteen and 'Sexual Tension' With Bill O'Reilly
The 'Daily Show' host on directing his first film, Colbert and the right-wing TV machine
By Andy Greene | November 11, 2014
Jon Stewart has a week off from The Daily Show, but as he walks into a tiny conference room at the show's midtown Manhattan headquarters late on a Monday afternoon, it's clear he's completely exhausted. He slumps in a chair and admits he's spent the entire day doing press for his new movie, Rosewater, and is beginning to grow hoarse. But he's determined to promote his passion project, and soon enough he perks up. Writing and directing Rosewater is unlike anything Stewart has attempted in his career. It's the true story of Maziar Bahari, an Iranian Newsweek reporter, who was interviewed by Daily Show correspondent Jason Jones in 2009. During the show, Bahari joked around that he was a spy; the Iranian government didn't see the humor and believed Bahari was working for the CIA. He was detained and tortured for 118 days by the police in Iran.
You happened to be in the Middle East at a time when much of the region started to go up in flames.
Was there a time when the region wasn't going up in flames? Did I miss something?
Fair point, but it's been particularly bad the past year.
Yeah. We'd get notices under the door from the embassy saying, "We urge all Americans not to gather in large groups or make yourself noticeable." I learned a lot over there. We are, to them, one large bloc of truck-driving cowboy yahoos that like to drop bombs on people. It's two-dimensional on both sides. You know, "Axis of Evil" is as reductive as "Death to America." It's all the same shit. It's ignorance-based. What I will say is that the presence of evil is rare. Malevolence is a relatively rare occurrence. General ignorance is a widespread epidemic.
http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/features/jon-stewart-rosewater-springsteen-sexual-tension-with-bill-oreilly-20141111?page=2
