>> Stephen: I GUESSED RIGHT. WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MY FIRST GUEST THIS EVENING
IS AN ACTOR YOU KNOW FROM SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE MOVIES,
INCLUDING "RESERVOIR DOGS," "THE BIG LEBOWSKI,"
AND "THE DEATH OF STALIN." HE HAS JUST DIRECTED A NEW FILM
CALLED "THE LISTENER." PLEASE WELCOME BACK TO THE
"LATE SHOW," STEVE BUSCEMI. [CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
HI, STEVE. >> Steve: HI, STEVE.
>> Stephen: THANKS FOR COMING BACK.
ALWAYS LOVELY TO TALK TO YOU. TO BE TOO GOOD TO BE HERE.
TO BE ON YOUR FRIEND TIM BLAKE NELSON WAS ON THE OTHER NIGHT.
WHAT COMES TO MIND WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT HIM.
>> Steve: I FIRST WORKED WITH HIM OVER 20 YEARS AGO.
HE'S A BRILLIANT WRITER AND DIRECTOR, HE DID A MOVIE CALLED
"THE GRAY ZONE" ABOUT THE HOLOCAUST AND AUSCHWITZ.
WE WERE FILMING IN BULGARIA. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN THERE?
>> Stephen: I'VE NEVER BEEN TO BULGARIA.
LOVELY? >> Steve: IT IS.
WE WERE IN SOFIA MOST ABOUT THE COUNTRYSIDE IS BEAUTIFUL.
THE CREWS WERE GREAT AND THE PEOPLE WERE GREAT.
SOMETIMES WHEN I GO TO A PLACE LIKE THAT I WONDER IF I'M GOING
TO BE RECOGNIZED OR NOT. HOW BIG AM I IN BULGARIA?
PRETTY MUCH, I PRETTY MUCH WASN'T.
ONE DAY I'M WALKING AROUND AND THIS GROUP OF TEENAGERS,
TEENAGERS WERE FOLLOWING ME AND I THOUGHT OH OH.
THESE YOUNG KIDS ARE HIP. THEY KNOW ME.
ONE OF THEM STOPPED ME AND THEY SAID, ARE YOU MARC ANTHONY?
>> Stephen: THE LATIN HEARTTHROB SINGER MARC ANTHONY?
J.LO'S EX-HUSBAND MARC ANTHONY. >> Steve: YEAH.
>> Stephen: DO YOU GET THAT A LOT.
>> Steve: FIRST TIME. I'VE GOTTEN WILLEM DAFOE, JOHN
WATERS, THAT I UNDERSTAND. I DIDN'T GET IT.
I HAD TO BREAK IT TO THEM THAT I WASN'T.
THEY WALKED AWAY DISAPPOINTED. WHEN I GOT BACK TO NEW YORK I
WENT TO MY LOCAL COFFEE PLACE IN BROOKLYN AND THERE WAS A NEW GUY
WORKING THERE, I GIVE YOU MY ORDER AND HE LOOKS AT ME AND HE
SAYS, HAS ANYONE EVER TOLD YOU YOU LOOK LIKE MARC ANTHONY?
THIS IS TRUE. I SAID WAIT A MINUTE.
I SAID YOU KNOW WHAT, I WAS JUST IN BULGARIA AND THESE KIDS
THOUGHT I LOOKED LIKE MARC ANTHONY AND HE LOOKS AT ME AND
HE GOES, "I'M FROM BULGARIA." GO FIGURE.
I DON'T UNDERSTAND IT. >> Stephen: YEAR CONSIDERED
ONE OF THE GREAT CHARACTER ACTORS BUT YOU'VE ALSO BEEN THE
BIG LEAD. HER YOURS TO LEAD IN "BOARDWALK
EMPIRE" ON HBO. HOW, MAESTRO, HOW I ASK IS IT
DIFFERENT PLAYING A LEADING MAN AS OPPOSED TO A SUPPORTING ROLE?
>> Steve: THE WORK THAT I PUT INTO IT IS THE SAME.
SHOW LIKE THAT, I MEAN, IT REALLY WAS AN ENSEMBLE.
EVEN THOUGH MY CHARACTER WAS THE LEAD, I REALLY FELT LIKE IT WAS
A TEAM EFFORT. THAT'S WHAT I REALLY ENJOY,
WORKING WITH OTHER ACTORS. BUT I'VE LEARNED, YOU KNOW, LIKE
FOR MY CAREER, IT'S IMPORTANT TO GET ROLES THAT MEAN SOMETHING TO
THIS STORY. THIS WAY YOU DON'T GET CUT OUT.
>> Stephen: [LAUGHS] HAVE YOU BEEN CUT OUT A LOT?
>> Steve: ANY PERIOD OF A YEAR AND HAVE COME I I WAS, THREE
MOVIES. "THE GRIFTERS."
ONE BY WOODY ALLEN, "ALICE." AT ONE BY GUS VAN SANT "EVEN
COWGIRLS GET THE BLUES." THEY WERE SUPPORTING ROLES.
THEY WERE LIKE ONE OR TWO SCENES EACH PUT IN THE END I GUESS THEY
WEREN'T AS IMPORTANT TO THE STORY.
>> Stephen: YOU SHOT IT. >> Steve: I SHOWED UP FOR WORK
AND GOT PAID AND THEY CUT ME OUT.
>> Stephen: DO YOU KNOW WHO THEY WOULD NOT HAVE CUT OUT?
MARC ANTHONY. >> Steve: THAT'S RIGHT.
>> Stephen: HE WOULDN'T HAVE PUT UP WITH THAT.
>> Stephen: BUT THEN I LEARNED ALL RIGHT, TRY TO GET PARTS
WHERE YOUR CHARACTER IS IMPORTANT TO THE STORY AND THEN
AFTER A WHILE I JUST TRIED TO GET PARTS WHERE I WASN'T KILLED.
>> Stephen: THAT'S ANOTHER GOOD ONE.
IT'S WRITTEN IT THAT YOU'RE KILLED, YOU KNOW YOU'RE GETTING
CUT. >> Steve: WELL, YEAH.
WHEN I GOT "BOARDWALK." THE CHARACTER WAS BASED ON A
REAL GUY NUCKY THOMPSON. I DID THE RESEARCH.
HE LIVED A LONG LIFE. I'LL BE OKAY.
I SEE THE NAME THAT THEY CHANGED TO NOKIA THOMPSON.
THEY FICTIONALIZE THE CHARACTER. I GOT WORRIED.
>> Stephen: THIS IS YOUR CHARACTER "ROCK HOLLAND."
EVERYONE HAD A DIFFERENT TAGLINE.
>> Steve: BRUCE'S WAS HEATED FOR THE HONOR.
LIV TYLER DID FOR LOVE. BEN AFFLECK.
WILL PATTON. AND THEN IT WAS ME.
IT WAS ROCK HOUND. HE DID IT FOR THE MONEY.
>> Stephen: IT'S HONEST. >> Steve: AT THE TIME I HAD
ONLY DONE PRETTY MUCH INDEPENDENT FILMS.
THERE WAS EVEN A WEBSITE THAT SAID I WAS THE INDY KING.
SO I WAS A LITTLE -- YOU KNOW LIKE OH, WOW.
THAT'S A LITTLE TOO ON THE NOSE. DID IT FOR THE MONEY?
THEY HAVE THESE POSTERS OF EACH CHARACTER THAT THEY PUT UP AND I
ACTUALLY CALLED MY MANAGER AND I SAID, COULD YOU ASK THEM NOT TO
PUT THEM UP IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD? I DON'T WANT TO BE WALKING MY
SON TO SCHOOL AND SEEING MY FACE ON A BUS SAYING "HE DID IT FOR
THE MONEY." >> Stephen: [LAUGHS]
>> Steve: THE STUDIO HEAD SAID TO MY MANAGER.
THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I'VE EVER GOTTEN A REQUEST FROM AN ACTOR
NOT TO BE ON THE POSTER OR NOT TO HAVE HIS POSTER UP.
>> Stephen: DID THEY TAKE IT DOWN?
>> Steve: THEY DIDN'T PUT UP IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD.
>> Stephen: THAT'S NICE. THAT'S VERY PLEASANT.
HE RECENTLY DID SOMETHING BUT I KNOW IT WAS FUN BECAUSE I DID IT
MANY YEARS AGO. YOU WERE A GUEST ON "CURB YOUR
ENTHUSIASM." THERE YOU ARE.
THAT'S YOU AND LARRY DAVID AND THE LATE GREAT RICHARD LEWIS IN
THAT SCENE. I HAD A BRIEF BUT FUN PART.
>> Steve: I REMEMBER. >> Stephen: WHAT WAS YOUR
EXPERIENCE LIKE? >> Steve: I LOVED IT.
I'VE BEEN WATCHING THE SHOW FROM THE BEGINNING.
AS YOU KNOW, THERE'S NO REAL SCRIPT.
IT'S JUST AN OUTLINE. >> Stephen: A PIECE OF PAPER
THAT SAID THIS IS WHAT YOUR CHARACTER WILL OR WILL NOT DO.
>> Steve: YEAH. AND SO I KNEW THE STORY.
THERE WERE CERTAIN THINGS WE HAD TO HIT BUT OTHERWISE YOU'RE JUST
IMPROVISING. FOR ME, IT'S ALWAYS SO SURREAL
WHEN YOU COME ONTO A SHOW THAT YOU KNOW SO WELL AND LOVE AND
THEN YOU'RE IN IT. IT'S LIKE BEING IN A DREAM.
LARRY DAVID I LOVE. TO WORK WITH RICHARD LEWIS TOO.
I TOLD RICHARD, I WAS ONCE BOOKED ON DAVID LETTERMAN.
I DIDN'T MAKE IT ON. THEY CAME TO THE DRESSING ROOM
AND VERY SOLEMN, THEY SAID WE ARE SORRY.
YOU'RE NOT GETTING ON TONIGHT. RICHARD LEWIS RAN TOO LONG.
SO I GOT TO SHARE THAT WITH HIM. HE WAS HORRIFIED.
[LAUGHTER] BUT YEAH, IT'S THE BEST SHOW AND
I HAVE TO THANK SUSIE FOR GETTING ME ON THE SHOW.
WE WERE AT A NEW YEAR'S PARTY TOGETHER I WAS TRYING TO BE
SUBTLE ABOUT IT. SAYING SO, THIS IS THE LAST
SEASON? SHE SAYS, WAIT A MINUTE, YOU'VE
NEVER BEEN ON THE SHOW. AND I WENT, I KNOW.
WHY? WHY DO YOU ASK?
SHE GOT ME ON THE SHOW. SHE CALLED LARRY AND THE
PRODUCERS AND LO AND BEHOLD SHE GOT ME ARM.
>> Stephen: WE HAVE TO TAKE A QUICK BREAK BUT STICK AROUND.
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH MORE STEVE BUSCEMI, EVERYBODY.