>> Stephen: AMAZING AS ALWAYS. >> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY.
WELCOME BACK. MY FIRST GUEST TONIGHT IS THE
EMMY AND TONY AWARD-WINNING ACTOR YOU KNOW AND LOVE FROM
"TERMS OF ENDEARMENT," AND SO "THE CROWN," "BOMBSHELL," MUCH
PLEASE WELCOME BACK TO "THE MORE. LATE
SHOW," JOHN LITHGOW! (APPLAUSE)
WONDERFUL TO SEE YOU. >> GREAT TO BE BACK.
>> Stephen: WE JUST HAD RUDY GIULIANI OUT HERE, DID YOU RUN
INTO HIM BACKSTAGE. >> YOU KNOW, IT IS AMAZING,
EVERY TIME I'VE BEEN HERE HE HAS BEEN IN ITS NEXT DRESSING ROOM.
>> Stephen: INCREDIBLE. SEEMS TO BE A SUPERFAN OF
YOURSES. >> I'M A MAGNET.
>> Stephen: IT'S ALWAYS WONDERFUL TO SEE YOU.
WE'RE SO LUCKY TO HAVE YOU SO MANY TIMES OVER THE YEARS.
>> IT HAS BEEN GREAT. >> Stephen: THANK YOU SO MUCH
FOR BEING SUMP A FREAK GUEST. >> YOU KNOW, IT IS A FUN-- A
>> ST A FUNNY THING, I FEEL FREQUENT GUEST. LIKE
WE HAVE BEEN OLD FRIENDS AND EVERY WORD WE HAVE SAID TO EACH
OTHER HAS BEEN WRITTEN BY MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF PEOPLE.
>> Stephen: ARE YOU ONE OF MY FAVORITE PEOPLE I HAVE HAD ON.
I FEEL LIKE LIKE I'M SITTING WITH A BUDDY AND IT IS ALL
DOCUMENTED. >> BUT DO I HAVE A TERRIFYING
FANTASY OF YOU AND I ACTUALLY HAVING LUNCH ALONE TOGETHER AND
DISCOVERING THAT WE DON'T REALLY LIKE EACH OTHER.
IT'S LIKE WHERE IS ALL THE LAUGHTER.
>> Stephen: ONLY ONE WAY TO FIND OUT.
FELL YOU WHAT, LUNCH ALONE TOGETHER BUT WE'LL SET UP A
CAMERA. >> EXACTLY.
>> Stephen: AND WE'LL BE ON OUR BEST BEHAVIOR.
>> WE'LL BE RECORDED EARLIER. >> Stephen: RIGHT.
YES. I AM A FAN NOT ONLY OF YOUR
ACTING. BUT YOUR WRITING, YOUR POETRY,
YOUR MUSIC. I'VE GOT YOUR ALBUMS.
>> YES, YES. >> Stephen: IF THAT WASN'T
ENOUGH, ALL THOSE THINGS TO YOUR CEDITY, NOW YOU ARE ADDING
DIRECTOR. YOU ARE DIRECTING DOUG
McGRATH'S ONE MAN SHOW, EVERYTHING'S FINE, AT THE
DARRELL ROTH HERE IN NEW YORK CITY.
>> YES, YES. (APPLAUSE).
>> Stephen: HERE IS THE THING I FIND SURPRISING.
THIS IS YOUR FIRST TIME DIRECTING IN 45 YEARS.
>> THAT'S RIGHT. >> Stephen: WHY, YOU DID
DIRECT BEFORE. >> I ACTUALLY STARTED OUT MORE
AS A DIRECTOR THAN AN ACTOR. >> Stephen: WHAT HAPPENED?
WHAT-- WPSZ I FINALLY BECAME A SUCCESSFUL ACTOR AND IT DAWNED
ON ME THAT I LIKE ACTING LOT MORE THAN DIRECTING.
WORRYING ALL THE TIME UNTIL DIRECTING ARE YOU JUST IT'S ACTUALLY
YOU'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR ABOUT DONE. 50
PEOPLE, MINIMUM, WHEREAS AN ACTOR IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR
ANYTHING AT ALL. >> Stephen: AND YOU ONLY GET
APPLAUSE IF ARE YOU LUCKY YOU GET APPLAUSE ON OPENING NIGHT
AND THAT'S IT. >> PEOPLE DON'T EVEN KNOW WHO
YOU ARE. AND IF YOU SHOW UP, TWO WEEKS
AFTER THE OPENING NIGHT W NOTES, THEY PAY ABSOLUTELY NO
ATTENTION. YOU'RE OLD HISTORY, YOU KNOW.
AND I KNOW THAT FEELING IT'S OURS NOW. BECAUSE
I'M AN ACTOR. >> Stephen: WHAT DO YOU LIKE
ABOUT DIRECTING? >> WELL, I DO LOVE ACTORS.
ACTORS. I DO FEEL THAT AS AN I LOVE ACTING AND I LOVE ACTOR, I DO
HAVE ONE THER WAY TO GUIDE THEM AND HELP THEM.
>> Stephen: YOU'VE BEEN THROUGH IT.
>> I'VE BEEN THROUGH IT I MEAN IT'S AN INTERESTING THING.
BY NOW I'VE WORKED WITH AT LEAST 200 DIRECTORS.
DIRECTORS TEND TO HAVE ONLY WORKED WITH ONE, HIMSELF OR
HERSELF. AND THEREFORE YOU KNOW BY NOW
I'M A CONNOISSEUR. I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PICK AND
CHOOSE WHAT I LIKE. >> Stephen: DIFFERENT
DIRECTORS HAD DIFFERENT STYLES. IS THERE, I'M NOT GOING TO ASK
YOU TO NAME YOUR FAVORITE DIRECTOR UNLESS YOU WANT TO.
>> THERE HAVE BEEN SO MANY GREAT DIRECTORS AND AN AWFUL LOT OF
TOTAL TURDS. (LAUGHTER).
>> Stephen: DO GO ON. >> THEY'RE THE ONES I WON'T
NAME. >> Stephen: IS THERE A
FAVORITE NOTE THAT YOU'VE GOTTEN?
>> YOU KNOW, I THINK MY FAVORITE NOTE CAME FROM A YOUNG DIRECTOR
DIRECTEDDED A BEAUTIFUL LITTLE NAMED IRIS AXEE WHO FILM I DID A
FEW YEARS AGO CALLED LOVE IS STRANGE.
AND HIS CONSTANT NOTES TO BOTH OF US WAS NOW NO ACTING.
AND AT FIRST FRED AND I WHO ARE BOTH COMPLETELY EXCESSIVE
THEATER ACTORS, OUR RESPONSE IS WELL WHAT DO YOU THINK WE DO?
BUT VERY SOON IT DAWNED ON ME JUST WHAT HE WAS AFTER.
UNELABORATED, HONEST AND I MEAN IT WAS THE MOST SIMPLE
ACTING I THINK I'VE EVER DONE. ONE OF MY FAVORITE PERFORMANCES.
>> Stephen: WE HAVE TO TAKE A QUICK BREAK, BUT STICK AROUND
BECAUSE WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH MORE MR. JOHN LITHGOW, EVERYBODY
.