( APPLAUSE ) >> James: WELCOME BACK!
WE ARE HERE WITH TARAJI P.
HENSON AND GABRIELLE UNION.
GABRIELLE, LET'S TALK ABOUT HUGE CONGRATS ON THE NEW MEMOIR, "YOU
GOT ANYTHING STRONGER."
IT'S A "NEW YORK TIMES" BEST SELLER, YOUR SECOND MEMOIR.
HUGE CONGRATULATIONS.
TELL US ALL ABOUT IT.
>> OH, MY GOSH, I WANTED TO DO A FOLLOW-UP FROM THE BOOK.
THERE WAS A LOT LEFT OUT BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT TO QUITE SHARE ALL
THAT.
THIS ONE, I LEFT IT OUT, I ACCEPTED MY VULNERABILITY AS MY
SUPERPOWER AND LEFT IT ON THE PAGE.
TO BE ON THE "NEW YORK TIMES" BEST SELLER LIST WEEK ONE AND
COME BACK WEEK TWO AND STILL BE ON THE LIST I HAD NEVER DONE
THAT BEFORE AND THAT JUST FELT AMAZING.
>> James: IT'S SO BRILLIANT.
YOU SPEAK SO HONESTLY.
YOU HAVE SUCH A GREAT WAY OF TELLING STORIES.
THERE'S A GREAT STORY WHERE YOU WENT TO AUDITION FOR THE MATRIX
MOVIES.
>> YEAH.
>> James: TELL US THE STORY.
EXPLAIN HOW IT CAME ABOUT AND HOW YOU PREPARED FOR SUCH A
ROLE.
>> YOU REMEMBER THAT TIME WHERE EVERYONE AND THEIR MOTHER WAS
AUDITIONING FOR THE MATRIX.
>> I WASN'T.
>> James: BECAUSE YOU WERE ALREADY BOOKED.
>> NO, MY AGENTS WERE PLEEP AT THE TIME.
WHICH.
>> WHICH IS WHY SHE HAS DIFFERENT REPRESENTATION AND
SHE'S DOING THE MUPPETS.
( LAUGHTER ) I WENT TO AUDITION AND, TO ME, I
NEEDED TO FEEL LIKE THE MOST POWERFUL WOMAN IN THE WORLD AND
THE MOST BEAUTIFUL AND AMAZING WOMAN IN THE WORLD, SO, OF
COURSE, I WANTED TO CHANNEL JANET JACKSON.
SO I GO TO EXTENSIONS PLUS, WHICH IS LIKE WHERE YOU GOT THE
GOOD, GOOD HAIR.
>> HAIR MECCA.
IT'S THE MECCA OF WEAVES.
YEAH.
SO I WANTED TO GET THE GOOD HAIR, THE JANET HAIR.
>> James: YEAH.
SO I GET THE JANET HAIR FROM THE WEAVE EMPORIUM.
I LITERALLY, LIKE, FIND THE EXACT OUTFIT FROM HER ALBUM
COVER.
I DRAW IN THE DAMN MOLE.
I'M FULLY COMMITTED.
I'M IN THE AUDITION.
I PLAY JANET THE WHOLE TIME, I'M WAITING FOR THE AUDITION, I'M IN
THERE EARLY AND I'M, LIKE, OH, NOBODY'S GOING TO STOP ME!
IN WALKS JANET JACKSON.
( AUDIENCE REACTS ) TO THE SAME AUDITION AND I'M,
LIKE, PLAYING JANET WITH A WEIRD DRAWN-ON MOLE.
AND SHE'S LIKE, FREAKED.
AND NEITHER OF US GOT IT.
I THINK WE CANCELED EACH OTHER OUT.
I'M PRETTY SURE THERE WAS PROBABLY A RESTRAINING ORDER OF
SORTS.
BUT EVENTUALLY, WE END UP MEETING AND I'M, LIKE, I DON'T
WANT TO MEET HER, SHE'S JANET AND I'M A CREEP.
>> James: YEAH.
PERHAPS I HAVE TO MAINTAIN LIKE A 100-YARD RADIUS, I DON'T
KNOW.
BUT I SEE HER AT THE CLUB, WE FIND OUT WE'RE AT THE SAME CLUB.
HER GENTLEMAN CALLER AT THE TIME WAS LIKE, YO, JANET WANTS TO
MEET YOU, COME OVER AND MEET HER.
YOU KNOW, HOW WE ARE WITH JANET.
I START BALLING IN THE CLUB, IS NOT BUBBLES THE WHOLE THING.
>> BECAUSE YOU WERE SUMMONED.
I WAS SUMMONED.
BUT NOW SHE KNOWS I'M A WEIRDO.
SO I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S ABOUT TO HAPPEN IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS
CLUB IN MIAMI AND I GET THERE AND SHE JUMPS UP AND GIVES ME
THIS HUG AND SAYS, I'M SO PROUD OF YOU.
MORE IS NOT BUBBLES.
WHAT?
( LAUGHTER ) BUT NOW WE'RE FRIENDS, BUT,
YEAH.
SO -- >> James: WELL, FRIENDS WITH
JAJANET JACKSON.
SHE'S AMAZING.
HAVE YOU MET ANY OF YOUR HEROES EVER.
>> I GUESS I WOULD SAY FOR THE FIRST TIME FOR ME -- DID YOU SEE
WAITING TO X OUT.
>> YEAH.
THAT'S WHAT MADE ME MOVE TO L.A. I REMEMBER SEEING THOSE
BEAUTIFUL BLACK WOMEN ON THE SCREEN AT THE SAME TIME AND I
WAS LIKE -- I CHOKED.
( COUGHING ) BUT I WAS INSPIRED AND I WANTED
TO DO THAT.
I SAID, I HAVE TO GO TO L.A.
BECAUSE I WANT TO MAKE A LITTLE GIRL FEEL LIKE HOW I FELT,
INSPIRED TO BE, TO DREAM.
MOVED TO L.A., IT WASN'T AS EASY AS I THOUGHT.
YEARS LATER, I BOOKED "BABY BOY."
QUEEN LATIFAH IS NOMINATED -- WAS IT "HAIR SPRAY"?
>> James: "CHICAGO."
"CHICAGO."
AND THESMITHS, WILL AND JADA, THROW HER A PARTY DOWNTOWN AT
SOME BIG WEARHOUSE.
THE ONLY MOVIE I HAVE UNDER MY BELT IS "BABY BOY."
THEY DON'T EVEN KNOW MY NAME.
SO I GET THERE AND I'M, LIKE, EVERYBODY YOU COULD IMAGINE WAS
THERE, BUT I FREAKED OUT WHEN I SAW ANGELA BASSET.
I WAS FROZEN.
A FRIEND OF MINE WAS, LIKE, YOU GOT TO MEET HER.
I SAID, NO, NO.
THEY PUSH ME OVER THERE AND SHE KNOWS EXACTLY WHO I AM.
SHE TAKES ME HAND AND SHE GOES, YOU ARE SUCH A TALENT.
I DON'T REMEMBER ANYTHING ELSE THAT HAPPENED THAT NIGHT.
>> James: YEAH.
ALL I KNOW IS THAT I WAS ORDAINED BY ANGELA BASSET.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> James: PLEASE THANK THE
PHENOMENAL TARAJI P. HENSON, GABRIELLE UNION, WE LOVE THEM SO
MUCH!
STICK AROUND!
JAKE WESLEY ROGERS WHEN WE COME BACK!