STEVE BUSCEMI.
HE'S ON THE SHOW TONIGHT!
THERE HE IS!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) HOW ARE YOU, STEVE?
>> I'M GOOD.
HOW ARE YOU, JAMES?
>> James: I'M VERY WELL.
I'M SO HAPPY THAT YOU'RE HERE.
I'M GOING TO SAY SOMETHING NOW AND I WANT YOU TO KNOW I DO NOT
SAY THIS HEIGHT LIE, BUT I'M GOING TO SAY IT BECAUSE I
BELIEVE IT, STEVE BUSCEMI, NATIONAL TREASURE.
( APPLAUSE ) YEAH, I DO.
IT'S TRUE, STEVE.
I TELL YOU SOMETHING YOU NEVER WILL HEAR, YOU KNOW WHO I DON'T
LIKE?
STEVE BUSCEMI.
( LAUGHTER ) SO MY FIRST QUESTION, STEVE, IS
WHAT DOES THAT FEEL LIKE?
( LAUGHTER ) >> I FEEL THE LOVE, AND IT FEELS
GOOD.
IT FEELS GOOD.
>> James: WHAT I LOVE ABOUT YOUR CAREER, STEPHEN, AND I'VE
TOLD YOU PERSONALLY AND I'LL TELL ANYONE WHO LISTENS, I'M
BEYOND A FAN OF YOUR ENTIRE CAREER, AND I THINK THE THING I
LOVE ABOUT THE CHOICES YOU'VE MADE IS YOU NEVER QUITE KNOW
WHERE YOU'RE GOING TO SHOW UP IN THINGS.
LIKE, HERE THIS IS YOU IN PULP FICTION, WHICH IS NOW IN THE
MIDDLE IS BUDDY HOLLY.
WHEN YOU WERE SHOOTING THIS, DID YOU KNOW THAT YOU WERE PART OF
SOMETHING SO SPECIAL AND SO ICONIC?
>> WELL, YEAH.
I MEAN, YOU KNOW, I READ THE SCRIPT EARLY ON AND I THOUGHT IT
WAS PHENOMENAL.
HE ASKED ME IF I WOULD PLAY THIS, YOU KNOW, JUST ONE SCENE,
AND I SAID, OF COURSE.
AND WHAT I THOUGHT WAS COOL ABOUT IT, I DON'T KNOW IF
ANYBODY ELSE THINKS ABOUT THIS, BUT BECAUSE MY CHARACTER OF
MR. PINK IN RESERVOIR DOGS WAS SUCH A CHEAP SKATE AND HE DIDN'T
LIKE TO TIP, I THOUGHT IT WAS, YOU KNOW, POETIC JUSTICE THAT MY
NEXT FILM WITH QUINTIN, THAT I PLAY A WAITER.
I EVEN LIKE TO THINK MR. PINK GOT AWAY SOMEHOW IN RESERVOIR
DOGS AND IS HIDING OUT AS A WAITER AND PROBABLY GETS TIPPED
TERRIBLY, AND THAT'S HIS FATE, YOU KNOW.
>> James: I LOVE IT.
IT'S SO GREAT.
THE BAR WAS FULL OF DIFFERENT IMPERSONATORS, WASN'T IT?
>> THEY MOSTLY HAD REAL IMPERSONATORS WHO WOULD PLAY THE
WAITERS AND WAITRESSES, EXCEPT ME, YOU KNOW.
BUT THAT WAS KIND OF THE JOKE, THAT I'M PLAYING BUDDY HOLLY.
BUT NOT EVERYBODY KNEW THAT, AND ONE OF THE BACKGROUND PEOPLE
CAME UP TO ME AND SAID, CAN I ASK YOU A QUESTION?
I SAID, SURE.
SHE JUST HAD THIS SAD LOOK ON HER FACE, CONCERNED, AND SHE
SAID, WHY BUDDY HOLLY?
YOU'RE NOT VERY GOOD AT IT.
( LAUGHTER ) I DIDN'T NOPE WHAT TO SAY, YOU
KNOW.
>> James: THAT'S FANTASTIC.
NOW, ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY, YOU KNOW, IT'S A BEAUTIFUL THING TO
SEE FAMILIES STARTING TO REUNITE AND GET BACK TOGETHER.
I KNOW YOU RECENTLY SAW YOUR MOTHER IN PERSON FOR THE FIRST
TIME TOGETHER.
THAT MUST HAVE BEEN AN INCREDIBLY MOVING MOMENT.
>> I LOVED IT BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE WENT THROUGH PRACTICALLY A
YEAR OF, YOU KNOW, KIND OF TALKING THROUGH, LIKE, THE LOBBY
WINDOW.
>> James: WOW.
UST FOR, LIKE, A FEW MINUTES AT A TIME.
SO WHEN I WAS -- YOU KNOW, WE WERE FINALLY ABLE TO SEE HER IN
HER ROOM, SHE'S IN AN ASSISTED LIVING FACILITY, AND THEY'VE
DONE A GREAT JOB, YOU KNOW, PROTECTING EVERYBODY, BUT IT WAS
SO HEART WARMING TO SEE HER AND I WAS SO EXCITED AND I WAS IN
HER ROOM AND I SWEAR, IN LESS THAN FOUR MINUTES, SHE SAID,
WANT TO PLAY CARDS?
SHE LOVES TO PLAY 500 RUMMY.
THAT'S ALL SHE'S BEEN DREAMING ABOUT.
AND, YOU KNOW, I WAS A LITTLE CONCERNED BECAUSE SHE'S BEEN ON
HER OWN, ISOLATED, YOU KNOW, AND I JUST -- AND I JUST GET WORRIED
SO MUCH ABOUT HER.
AND BUT AS SOON AS WE SAT DOWN TO PLAY CARDS, IT WAS AS IF WE
HADN'T STOPPED, AND SHE KICKED MY ASS.
( LAUGHTER ) SHE ALWAYS DOES.
SHE JUST IS SO GOOD AT IT.
TO ME, THAT'S AN INDICATOR OF SHE'S OKAY.
>> James: OH, THAT'S GREAT.
TELL ME, YOU GREW UP ON LONG ISLAND, WHICH ISN'T A PLACE
THAT I'M OVERLY FAMILIAR WITH, AND YOU WENT ON TO BECOME A
FIREFIGHTER ENGINE 55 IN NEW YORK, SO I THINK IT'S IN
LITTLE ITALY, RIGHT.
>> YES.
>> James: YOU MUST GET AN INCREDIBLE RECEPTION FROM
FIREFIGHTERS WHEREVER YOU ARE, WHEREVER YOU'RE FEELING.
IS THAT RIGHT?
>> WELL, YES AND NO.
I MEAN, THEY JUST TREAT ME LIKE ANYBODY ELSE, AND MAYBE THEY
MISTREAT ME EVEN A LITTLE BIT MORE.
>> James: RIGHT.
UST TO BRING ME DOWN TO EARTH.
LIKE, I REMEMBER THEY HAD AN EVENT, AND THEY WERE ALL AT THIS
BAR, TONY'S BAR ON MULBERRY STREET.
I THINK, COINCIDENTALLY, THAT NIGHT THEY WERE SHOWING A RERUN
ON THE TV OF "THE SOPRANOS" EPISODE -- SPOILER ALERT FOR
THOSE WHO WASN'T SEEN THE SOPRANOS -- WHEN MY THAT'S
CORRECT GETS KILLED BY TONY SOPRANO, AND THEY ALL START
CHEERING.
( LAUGHTER ) THEY THOUGHTS IT WAS THE
GREATEST THING.
SO THAT'S HOW THEY TREAT ME, BUT I REALLY WOULDN'T HAVE IT ANY
OTHER WAY.
>> James: YOU'RE STILL INVOLVED WITH LOTS OF
ORGANIZATIONS FOR FIREFIGHTERS.
>> YEAH, WELL, THE MAIN ONE I WORK WITH IS AN ORGANIZATION
CALLED FRIENDS OF FIREFIGHTERS, AND IT WAS STARTED BY MY FRIEND
NANCY CARBONE AFTER 9/11.
WHAT THEY DO IS THEY PROVIDE FREE MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES,
THERAPY, COUNSELING, TO THE WHOLE FIREFIGHTING COMMUNITY.
SO WE'RE JUST COMING OUT OF, YOU KNOW, A TOUGH YEAR OF COVID THAT
WAS REALLY STRESSFUL ON FIRST RESPONDERS, AND NOW IT'S THE
20th ANNIVERSARY OF 9/11, AND THAT IS GOING TO BE A TRIGGER
FOR A LOT OF THEM.
SO I THINK THEY -- THEY NEED HELP MORE THAN EVER.
YOU KNOW, FIREFIGHTERS ARE GREAT AT HELPING OTHER PEOPLE.
THEY'RE NOT ALWAYS ADEPT AT, YOU KNOW, ASKING FOR HELP OR EVEN
KNOWING THAT THEY NEED HELP, YOU KNOW.
>> James: YEAH.
SO, IF YOUR VIEWERS ARE INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE
ABOUT IT, THEY CAN GO TO FRIENDS OF FIREFIGHTERS.org AND DONATE
IF THEY CAN BECAUSE THIS YEAR IS, YOU KNOW, WITH THE 9/11
ANNIVERSARY COMING UP, IT'S JUST GOING TO BE IN THE AIR MORE.
>> James: THAT'S AN AMAZING THING.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING THAT.
I'M SURE IT'S GOING TO MEAN A GREAT DEAL TO SO MANY PEOPLE AND
THEIR FAMILIES.
LET'S TALK ABOUT MIRACLE WORKERS, OREGON TRAIL.
NOW, EVERY SEASON OF THE SHOW HAS A COMPLETELY NEW STORY LINE,
WHICH I PERSONALLY LOVE.
TALK TO US ABOUT THIS SEASON AND WHO YOU'RE PLAYING THIS YEAR.
>> WELL, I'M EXCITED THAT WE HAVE A THIRD SEASON BECAUSE I
THINK MAYBE IT WAS A LITTLE CONFUSING TO PEOPLE WHO SAW THE
FIRST TWO SEASONS, AND THE FIRST SEASON I PLAY GOD AND HEAVEN AND
DANIAL RADCLIFF PLAYS AN ANGEL.
THE SECOND SEASON I'M A ( BLEEP ) SHOVELER.
YOU KNOW, I THINK PEOPLE MAY HAVE BEEN CONFUSED, LIKE WHY IS
GOD NOW SHOVELING ( BLEEP ).
SO NOW THE THIRD SEASON, IT WILL BE MORE CLEAR THAT IT'S AN
ANTHOLOGY SHOW.
SO THIS SEASON IT'S A WESTERN.
DANIEL PLAYS A PASTOR IN A SMALL MIDWESTERN TOWN WHO WANTS TO,
YOU KNOW, GET THE TOWN OF MOSTLY FARMERS TO OREGON, BUT HE NEEDS
SOMEBODY TO LEAD THE WAY.
I PLAY THIS OUTLAW WHO JUST KIND OF SHOWS UP HALF DEAD ONE DAY.
I HAVE BEEN SHOT AND LEFT FOR DEAD BY MY OWN GANG, WHICH ALSO
INCLUDES MY DAUGHTER.
AND, SO, I'M JUST REALLY HIDING FROM THE LAW, AND, SO, I KIND
OF, YOU KNOW, LIE AND TELL THEM THAT I'M A FRONTIERSMAN JUST SO
THEY'LL TAKE ME ALONG SO I CAN HIDE FROM THE LAW, AND THAT'S
THE PREMISE.
IT'S A LOT OF FUN.
IT'S A GREAT CAST.
WE HAVE THE SAME CAST.
>> James: YEAH.
I LOVE IT.
>> James: IT'S SUCH A GREAT PROGRAM.
I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE IT.