HE STARS IN THE NEW MINI SERIES,
"THE COMEY RULE," AS JIM COMEY,
OF COURSE, AIRING NOW ON
SHOWTIME.
SO I WATCHED THIS.
I WAS SO CAPTIVATED BY YOUR
PERFORMANCE.
IT IS SO SMART, IT IS SO SUBTLE,
IT IS SO FAITHFUL TO THE FACTS.
YOU’RE GETTING -- THOSE ARE THE
REVIEWS COMING IN FROM A LOT OF
THE PLAYERS.
I JUST HAD ONE OF THEM ON, PETE
STRZOK.
BUT I WONDER WHAT IT IS LIKE.
I GOT TO MEET YOU WHEN YOU WERE
ON BROADWAY IN "TO KILL A
MOCKINGBIRD."
NO ONE WHO LIVED THOSE EXACT
EVENTS COULD WATCH IT AND TEXT
YOU OR CALL YOU.
WHAT IS IT LIKE TO PLAY PEOPLE
WHO ARE STILL VERY MUCH IN THE
ARENA?
>> WELL, YOU -- YOU CERTAINLY
ACKNOWLEDGE IT AND THEN YOU BAIL
ON IT, BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO TREAT
IT LIKE ANY OTHER JOB.
AND IT HELPED ME THAT AS ATTICUS
FINCH, I WAS GOING UP AGAINST
THE GHOST OF GREGORY PECK, WHICH
IS AS REAL IF NOT WORSE THAN
COMEY.
SO THEN TO GO RIGHT FROM THAT
INTO "THE COMEY RULE," I KNEW
EVENTUALLY I WOULD MEET HIM.
I DIDN’T MEET HIM BEFOREHAND.
I HAD THE BOOK, I HAD THE AUDIO
BOOK OF JIM READING IT, I HAD
YOUTUBE, EVEN ON THE KOLBERT
SHOW, YOU GOT TO SEE HIS SENSE
OF HUMOR.
SO I HAD PLENTY GOING IN.
E-MAILED HIM IN "THE END OF
MOCKINGBIRD," I SAID, I’M IN NEW
YORK, YOU KNOW WHERE TO FIND ME.
HE SAID, THANKS, BUT HE DIDN’T
COME UP.
AND I DIDN’T WANT TO IMPOSE.
I DIDN’T WANT TO GO DOWN TO HIS
HOUSE.
BUT THEN YOU GOT A JOB TO DO.
AND AT THE END OF THE DAY,
YOU’RE NOT DOING IT FOR HIM,
YOU’RE DOING IT FOR PEOPLE WHO
WANT TO KNOW WHAT HE WAS
THINKING.
AND IT’S A BONUS IF HE LIKES IT.
BUT, YOU KNOW, IT’S NOT LIKE
WE’RE GOING TO RESHOOT IT IF HE
DOESN’T.
SO YOU TRY TO DO A REAL
AUTHENTIC PORTRAYAL AND
CERTAINLY I HAD THE BOOK TO GO
FROM.
>> WELL, LOOK, IT IS -- IT IS A
PRODUCTION AND IT IS ART, BUT IT
ALSO HAS A PURPOSE.
AND I KNOW BILLY RAY AND THE
PRODUCER AND WRITER AND YOU FELT
STRONGLY THAT IT COME OUT BEFORE
THE ELECTION.
EXPLAIN THAT?
>> THAT WAS THE DEAL.
THAT WAS WHAT WE WERE PITCHED
AND WHY WE ALL JUMPED ONBOARD.
WE WANT TO BE PART OF THE
CONVERSATION.
WE KNOW ONE PART OF THE STORY
AND THAT’S TRUMP.
WELL, COMEY’S A LIAR.
AND THERE’S ANOTHER SIDE.
AND THIS IS THAT.
AND CERTAINLY BEFORE AN
ELECTION, YOU MIGHT WANT TO HEAR
THAT OTHER SIDE TO BE MORE
INFORMED THAN PERHAPS ALL OF US
WERE IN OCTOBER OF 2016.
SO IT WAS IMPORTANT TO BILLY, IT
WAS IMPORTANT TO ME THAT THAT
BE -- THAT IT COME OUT BEFORE
THE ELECTION AND WHEN IT WASN’T
GOING TO BE COMING OUT BEFORE
THE ELECTION, THAT, YOU KNOW,
THAT WAS UNACCEPTABLE.
>> WHAT IS IT EABOUT THE COMEY
STORY THAT IS SO IMPORTANT TO
THE TRUMP STORY?
BECAUSE I FEEL THAT THE COMEY
STORY IS SO CENTRAL TO THE TRUMP
STORY.
TO ME, IT’S WHERE TRUMP MOST
BLATANTLY ASKS THE FBI TO SERVE
HIM AND NOT THE COUNTRY.
THE COUNTRY’S PREEMINENT LAW
ENFORCEMENT AGENCY IS SUPPOSED
TO CATCH BAD GUYS, PROTECT THE
HOMELAND FROM TERRORISTS, FROM
MASS SHOOTINGS, FROM THREATS.
DONALD TRUMP, WHAT, 40 DAYS IN,
30 DAYS IN, ASKS JIM COMEY TO
TURN IT IN A TOTALLY DIFFERENT
DIRECTION, SO IT SERVES
BASICALLY AS TRUMP’S SECRET
POLICE.
DROP POLITICAL INVESTIGATIONS
INTO MIKE FLYNN, PROTECT HIM, BE
LOYAL TO HIM?
HOW DOES THAT STORY BEING TOLD?
I MEAN, WHAT TO YOU IS SO
IMPORTANT ABOUT THAT STORY BEING
TOLD HERE IN THE FINAL 35 DAYS
BEFORE AN ELECTION?
>> ONE OF THE THINGS THAT STRUCK
ME AND THE CONTRAST BETWEEN HOW
JIM COMEY AND DONALD TRUMP.
YOU HAVE HONESTY, DECENCY, AND A
RESPECT FOR THE RULE OF LAW ON
ONE SIDE AND YOU HAVE THE
OPPOSITE OF THAT ON THE OTHER.
AND WE’RE SO POLITICALLY
POLARIZED.
WE DON’T KNOW WHAT’S TRUE
ANYMORE.
WHAT GIULIANI TOLD US, TRUTH
ISN’T TRUTH.
WE’RE ALL CONFUSED, ESPECIALLY
OUT IN THE MIDWEST WHERE WE’RE
GOING, WHO’S TELLING THE TRUTH?
AND IT’S NICE TO SEE, AND I
THINK THE SHOW REMINDS US OF,
HERE’S AN HONEST, DECENT GUY.
YOU MAY NOT LIKE WHAT HE DID,
BUT YOU NEED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT
WHY HE DID IT BEFORE YOU START,
YOU KNOW, VILIFYING HIM AGAIN.
THERE WERE REASONS.
THERE WAS ROCK AND A HARD PLACE
AND HE WAS TRYING TO HANG ON TO
THE SACREDNESS OF THE RULE OF
LAW, OF THE INSTITUTIONS THAT
MAKE AMERICA WHAT IT IS, TO
RIGHT, TO TRUTH, TO FACTS, TO
JUSTICE.
THOSE ARE ALL THINGS THAT
THEY’RE BIGGER THAN JIM COMEY.
AND HE REVERES THEM.
AND PEOPLE THINK OF HIM AS A
SELF-RIGHTEOUS OR A BOY SCOUT.
YOU KNOW, THAT’S A GUY WHO
BELIEVES IN THOSE THINGS AND
WILL MAKE DECISIONS BASED ON
THOSE THINGS.
AND NOWHERE IN THERE IS HOW THE
POLITICAL LEFT FEELS ABOUT IT OR
HOW THE POLITICAL RIGHT FEELS
ABOUT IT.
AND I -- I THINK WE NEED TO BE
REMINDED OF THAT GOING INTO THIS
ELECTION, BECAUSE I THINK ON THE
BALLOT, FORGET LEFT/RIGHT, ON
THE BALLOT, DO YOU BELIEVE IN
HONESTY OR DISHONESTY?
DO YOU BELIEVE IN DECENCY OR
INDECENCY?
DO YOU BELIEVE IN TELLING THE
TRUTH OR LYING?
VOTE.
AND "THE COMEY RULE" IS AN