-Congratulations on this film. It's really something.
-I know. I know.
-I have so many questions about it,
but I also want to congratulate you on your engagement.
That's very exciting news. -Thank you. Thank you.
[ Cheers and applause ]
-You are very -- You make a very handsome couple.
-Thank you. Thank you. -And do you have plans?
Do you know if you're gonna have a great big wedding?
It is going to be an intimate wedding?
-You know, we're still talking about it.
-Yeah. -We're, like, in no rush.
-That's nice.
-You know, everybody like, "When are you getting married?"
We're like, "We're getting married.
That's the big step." -That's the big step.
I would imagine the other question I have for you is --
a first dance at any wedding -- It was certainly intimidating
at my wedding.
It would be even more intimidating
if I was dancing with someone with your skill set.
If the first dance came up, do you think you would do something
choreographed or would you just say like,
"We're not gonna put that pressure on A-Rod"?
-No, I wouldn't make him do, like, choreography.
I don't know. Maybe I'd choreograph something.
He loves to watch my shows.
Like, he's front and center and, like, cheering me on.
Oh, no, he's the best. He is the best.
And he comes to as many shows as he can.
He's, like, a dream.
And so maybe I'd do something special for him.
-Yeah. Doing something nice for him.
-Yeah, yeah, yeah.
-Do you see him in the audience when you're doing your shows?
-Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah. -And that doesn't throw you?
-No. -Okay.
-He always asks me, because, like,
when he used to play,
he was like, "You know, if I'm in your way, you just tell me.
I'll move, you know, 'cause I know what it is
to be in game time."
You know, I'm like, "No, no. I'm good. I'm good."
-And I also -- I get that he would say that because
there is obviously a great deal of athleticism in your show.
There is a great deal of athleticism in this film,
as well.
-Yes, yes.
-There is a pole dance that you do in this film.
And I want to talk about this in a way that does not --
I want to talk about it in a way
that doesn't make me sound skeevy.
-A technical way?
-I want to say this -- it seemed like
there was a great amount of training that went into it.
-There was. -Yeah.
-There was a great amount of training.
You know, when I first started doing it --
First of all, it's super-difficult.
You have no idea.
And you have to do it in like, really, these shoes,
the stripper shoes.
And you have to do it -- Like, I came into the first rehearsal
and I had, like, sweatpants on and a sweatshirt.
I'm like, "Okay. We're gonna pole-dance.
This is gonna be fun." -Yeah.
-"You know, and this is a skill I'm gonna have after this."
And then she's like, "First of all, take off your clothes."
I was like, "What?"
She was like, "No, you have -- Like, your skin is what
sticks to the pole, that makes you hold on."
And so she was like, "Yeah, just, like, a bra and panties.
We might as well get used to it now."
I was like, "Are you kidding me?"
But I was like, "I guess. Okay, I guess so."
-Yeah. -And there I went.
And, honestly, it was one of the hardest things
that I've ever done.
-It genuine-- Like, you make it look easy,
but, also, you can tell it's very hard.
-It's difficult. -And, also, you mentioned --
-If you go to my YouTube channel,
you can see very awkward moments of me learning the pole.
-Okay. -Yeah.
In fact, more awkward than I would have liked.
I was like -- It was, like, not cute.
-I feel like, right now, no one's watching this anymore,
'cause they all went to your YouTube channel,
but we will -- We are gonna continue the interview
just in case anybody doesn't have a Wi-Fi connection.
But you mentioned, you know, you had to undress, obviously,
when you started rehearsing.
The scene where you're doing it, obviously, those are extras.
I mean, this late in your career,
do you get intimidated to have to go out
and do it in such little amount of clothing?
-So, I've been an actress for a long time.
I've done a lot of movies,
and, you know, I don't get nervous on the set.
I don't.
You know, I'm like, "This is my environment.
This is where I'm in my comfort zone" or whatever.
And I learned to dance and I was ready to go,
and it's like, "Okay, five minutes.
Ready?" "Yes, yes."
Let me put on my dental floss
that I'm gonna wear in this scene."
And I put it on and I'm walking to the stage,
and as I walk in, it was like, you know,
this thing like this.
And it was 300 extras or something.
And I was like, "What am I doing with my life right now?"
You know, I'm an serious actor. Hold on."
And I literally turned to my producing partner, Elaine,
who produced the film with me, and she was like,
"Uh...you good?"
And I was like, "I'm scared. I'm nervous right now."
And she was, like, puzzled.
She never hears that come out of my mouth, especially on the set.
She was like, "You are?"
She was like -- I said, "Yeah, I am."
And she goes, "You got this." I was like, "No, no.
Yeah, no, I got this, but I'm just saying,
you know, like, I'm nervous.
I got to take off my robe. I got to do my whole thing."
But it was -- It was funny, the psychology of it.
The whole thing of getting up there felt like
it must have felt for somebody to get up there
for the first time and do that.
And then I had to -- By the end of it,
I felt like as if I had been doing it for years.
There was an empowerment to it.
I could understand kind of the thought process of the,
you know, people, like, throwing money and grabbing at you.
Like, "Yeah, I'm gonna take all your money."
-I should also --
-I got into it maybe a little too much.
-Yeah. -I was like, "I got this!"
-They had to come to your trailer at the end
to be like, "Hey, we need that money back, actually.
That's prop money." -"We need that for next take."
Yeah.
-I should also point out, I never thought
I needed this in my life, but watching Jennifer Lopez
do a pole dance to Fiona Apple...
-Oh, man.
-For that, I was like, "Well, this just everything
I could have ever asked for."
-I mean, here's the thing.
We were thinking about, like, what song to use,
and I thought, "What about 'Wicked Game'?"
Because the whole thing is kind of like a game,
you know, and the whole movie --
Once you see it, it has a lot of layers to it.
It's pretty cool.
And I was like, "What about 'Wicked Game' for her entrance?"
And the director, Lorene, in her genius, said,
"What about 'Criminal' from Fiona Apple?"
And I was like, "Yes." -Yeah.
"I like it." And it was great. It was great.