A few days before the big night of the Oscars, as part of the customary red carpet rollout held at the Dolby Theatre at Los Angeles, renowned American host Conan O’Brien delivered remarks about this year’s Academy Awards ceremony.

The statements were made to Greek journalist George Satsidis, who has been covering the events surrounding the event in Hollywood for years.

During the Hollywood Boulevard debate, O’Brien was asked if he planned to comment in his opening monologue on developments in the Middle East and the tension surrounding Iran.

The American host responded in his usual sarcastic style, saying: “I use what’s going on in the news to get people to watch the Oscars,” while adding self-deprecatingly that “for a comedian to do that is probably a new level of falling off the wagon.”

Then, when asked to comment on Greece, O’Brien humorously referred to elements of Greek culture that he is familiar with.

He spoke of the “amazing baklava” and made reference to Anthony Quinn and the iconic film Zorba the Greek, which remains one of the country’s most recognizable cinematic symbols abroad.

The remarks came just days before the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awards ceremony, where Conan O’Brien is expected to take the stage as a presenter for the second year in a row.