NOW, THANK YOU BOTH SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE, ANSEL, I'M A HUGE
FAN OF YOURS, YOU STARTED ACTING WHEN YOU WERE VERY YOUNG.
WHAT WAS THE MOMENT YOU WANTED TO BE AN ACTOR.
>> I GREW UP IN, NOT, AND MY PARENTS TOOK ME TO SEE OKLAHOMA
WHEN I WAS FOUR YEARS OLD. EVERYTHING'S GIANT WHEN YOU'RE
FOUR, AND THERE WAS A GUY WITH A LASSO IN THE SHOW WHO SINGS A
SONG, HE DANCES WITH THE LASSO WHILE HE'S SINGING THE SONG, AND
SOMETHING ABOUT IT JUST MADE ME, LIKE, THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO BE,
THAT'S WHO I WANT TO BE, AND FROM THEN ON, MY PARENTS GAVE ME
A SOUND TRACK TO OKLAHOMA, "LES MISERABLES," "WEST SIDE
STORY," P "FIDDLER ON THE ROOF," AND AT THANKSGIVING DINNER, I
SANG "IF I WERE A RICH MAN," WALKING AROUND THE TABLE, YOU
KNOW, AND SQUAWKING LIKE A PEACOCK!
YOU KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT. ( LAUGHTER )
>> James: WHEN DID YOU START BECOMING INTERESTED IN BECOMING
A PERFORMER? >> I THINK THAT THERE HAS ALWAYS
BEEN SOMEBODY INSIDE OF ME THAT JUST WANTED TO PERFORM, I MEAN,
LOOK AT MY WEARING THIS OUTFIT. BUT I GREW UP IN CALIFORNIA.
I DIDN'T GROW UP IN A HOLLYWOOD FAMILY.
NOBODY WAS AN ACTOR OR PERFORMER IN MY FAMILY PROFESSIONALLY, BUT
I ACTUALLY REMEMBER THIS THING, AND I DON'T KNOW WHY I WANT TO
BRING UP THIS DETAIL THAT I WAS SITTING ON THE TOILET WHEN THIS
THING HAPPENED, BUT I WAS SIX, I REMEMBER BEING SIX AND I
REMEMBER SITTING ON THE TOILET LIKE -- I DON'T KNOW WHY DO I
TALK ABOUT THIS? WHEN YOU'RE LITTLE SOMETIMES --
>> James: I'M SO NERVOUS ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE ABOUT TO SAY.
>> ME, TOO! I JUST REMEMBER MY MOM WAS IN
THE KITCHEN AND I WAS JUST SITTING THERE AND I WAS LIKE,
MOM! AND SHE WAS, LIKE, WHAT?
AND I WAS, LIKE, I NEED AN AGENT.
AND IT'S ONE OF MY EARLIEST MEMORIES.
>> James: AT AGE SIX? YEAH.
>> James: HOW DID YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT AN AGENT WAS?
>> I DON'T KNOW. I DON'T KNOW.
I WAS A PRECOCIOUS KID AND, YEAH, I JUST REMEMBER ASKING
HER, AND SHE WAS, LIKE, HU? LIKE, NO.
>> James: ANSEL, I'M SO EXCITED FOR THIS FILM,
CONGRATULATIONS ON "WEST SIDE STORY."
>> THANK YOU. THE REVIEWS ARE I THINK
CREDIBLE. THE PREMIERE AT LINCOLN CENTER.
HOUSE OF IT WATCHING THE MOVIE IN THE THEATER.
>> IT WAS SO SURREAL. WE WORKED ON THIS MOVIE FOR SO
LONG. IT'S SUCH A BIG ENSEMBLE.
THERE'S JETS AND SHARKS AND LEONARD BERNSTEIN'S FAMILY WAS
THERE AND, YOU KNOW, JUSTIN PECK WAS THERE.
IT WAS JUST LIKE CRAZY ENERGY. PEOPLE WERE WHOOPING AND
HOLLERING AT EVERYTHING THEY SAW ON THE SCREEN.
THEY WERE SO EXCITED AND WE'RE JUST SO PROUD OF THE MOVIE.
OH, AND STEPHEN SPEILBERG CAME OUT, AND WHEN HE CAME OUT AND
GAVE SUCH A GREAT SPEECH, THAT GUY IS AN AMAZING LEADER AND
PUBLIC SPEAKER AND EVERYONE JUST WENT NUTS, AND I'VE SEEN IT NOW
THREE TIMES. I'M GOING TO SEE IT AGAIN
TONIGHT, AND I, LIKE -- I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE IT AGAIN.
>> James: YOU SAW IT LAST NIGHT?
>> I SAW IT LAST NIGHT AND I WAS FLOORED AND YOU WERE ABSOLUTELY
INCREDIBLE. >> THANK YOU.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> James: I'M BEYOND EXCITED
TO SEE IT. OBVIOUSLY, THE LATE GREAT
STEPHEN SONDHEIM IS THE LYRICIST OF THE SHOW, WAS HE INVOLVED IN
THE MAKING OF THIS MOVIE? DID YOU GET TO MEET HIM?
DID YOU SPEND ANY TIME WITH HIM? >> YEAH, WE GOT TO MEET HIM.
HE CAME AND GRACED US WITH HIS PRESENCE.
WE WERE SO EXCITED WHEN HE CAME. I REMEMBER ASKING HIM, YOU KNOW,
HOW DO YOU WRITE YOUR SONGS? AND HE SAID, IT'S ALL ABOUT THE
MOST SIMPLE LYRIC THAT GIVES THE BIGGEST MESSAGE.
WHAT'S INTERESTING ABOUT THAT IS THAT WE WERE THEN -- HE WAS IN
THE RECORDING SESSIONS, AND I MEAN IT WAS A LITTLE
INTIMIDATING BECAUSE HERE'S STEPHEN SPEILBERG, STEPHEN
SONDHEIM, LEONARD BERNSTEIN WHO WROTE THE MUSIC, HIS ESTATE, HIS
FAMILY WAS THERE, AND I'M, YOU KNOW, SIN SINGING THE SONG, ANDI
CAN SEE THROUGH THE WINDOW IN THE RECORDING BOOTH ALL OF THESE
FACES, AND I WAS INTIM DADE THAT DAY, TO BE HONEST.
OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, WHO WOULDN'T BE?
AND AT THE END OF THAT SESSION, SOMEHOW I ENDED UP JUST RIDING
IN THE ELEVATOR JUST ME AND STEPHEN SONDHEIM, AND THE
SESSION DIDN'T GO TOO WELL, AND SONDHEIM TURNED TO ME AND SIMPLY
SAID, THE MOST IMPORTANT THING A YOUNG PERFORMER CAN HAVE IS
CONFIDENCE, AND THEN TURNED AWAY.
THAT'S ALL HE SAID. AND I KIND OF, YOU KNOW, SAID --
WE GOT OUT OF THE ELEVATOR AND I SAID TO HIM, GREAT TO SEE YOU,
AND HAVE A NICE DAY. AND HE KIND OF LOOKED AT ME AND
SAID, THINK ABOUT WHAT I SAID. ( LAUGHTER )
HE DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING ELSE AND HE GOT IN THE CAR AND I HAD MY
HANDS IN MY POCKET AND THOUGHT, DAMN.
BUT THEN I TOOK MY HEAD HIGH AND THOUGHT, YEAH, THAT'S ALL I'VE
GOT TO DO IS BE CONFIDENT. I'M THE KID SINGING FIDDLER ON
THE ROOF AS A KID. NO CARES IN THE WORLD.
AND REALLY, BEING ON THAT SET, EVERYBODY WAS HAVING A TIME OF
THEIR LIVES. IT WAS A DREAM PRODUCTION,
AMAZING DANCERS, AMAZING SINGERS.
SO IT'S JUST AN HONOR TO HAVE BEEN IN IT, AND THAT WAS GREAT
ADVICE FROM THE LEGEND STEPHEN SONDHEIM WHO I WAS SO LUCKY TO
HAVE WORKED WITH.