New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern took some time from her busy schedule while in New York City for the UN General Assembly to drop by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Wednesday. Their conversation started with Ardern flexing her diplomatic muscle by bobbing and weaving her way through Colbert’s questions regarding the incident where world leaders laughed at Donald Trump after he said that his administration "has accomplished more than almost any administration in the history of our country."
"Are you trying to create a diplomatic incident here, right now?," Ardern asked, laughing. Colbert pressed on with questions about her experience throughout the incident, and they concluded that the audience laughed on two separate occasions—after Trump made that ridiculously absurd statement, and when he followed that up by saying that he didn’t expect to be laughed at. Ardern calmly maintained that she simply "observed" when the laughter occurred.
Colbert eventually got to the topic he wanted to discuss: hobbits. New Zealand was featured throughout the Lord of the Rings series, and when he broached the subject and how it related to her, Ardern was quick to reveal that she once auditioned for a part, but didn’t get it. "I do find it slightly offensive that everyone thinks that every New Zealander starred in either Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit, "she said. "Some of us auditioned but weren’t successful, OK? That’s all I’m going to say."
Ardern didn’t let the missed opportunity get the best of her. She only went on to become the youngest female world leader at 38. Everything worked out just fine.
