>> Stephen: WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY.
FOLKS, YOU KNOW MY NEXT GUEST IS THE STAR OF 24 LEGACY AND AS
DR. DRE AND STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON.
PLEASE WELCOME COREE HAWKINS.
YES, YES.
>> Stephen: THIS IS ONE OF THOSE HAPPY GUEST CROSSOVERS
WHERE I FOUND OUT THAT YOU KNEW THIS CAT BEFORE I DID.
>> THAT'S RIGHT.
>> Stephen: BECAUSE YOU WENT TO JULY YARD.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: YOU ARE A LITTLE BIT YOUNGER THAN JON.
>> A LITTLE BIT.
>> Stephen: WHAT DID YOU KNOW ABOUT HIM.
>> HE'S A GENIUS IOUS, MAN, ARE YOU A LUCKY GUY FOR HAVING HIM
ON.
>> HEY, MY MAN.
>> IT'S BEEN SO LONG.
>> >> Jon: GOOD TO SEE YOU, MAN.
>> OH MAN.
ALL THOSE CATS, MAN, I KNOW A LOT OF THOSE CATS.
I'M A HUGE JAZZ FAN.
AT JULY YARD, YOU ARE LUCKY TO BE AT JULY YARD BECAUSE ARE YOU
SURROUNDED BY SO MANY TALENTED ARTISTS.
AND I REMEMBER WHEN I FIRST GOT THERE, YOU KNOW, YOU HEAR JAZZ
IN THE HALLWAYS AND ALL OF A SUDDEN YOU KNOW, A LITTLE JAM
SESSION WILL BREAK OUT AND YOU THINK YOU KNOW HOW TO SING, YOU
KNOW WHAT I MEAN, YOU JOIN IN AND STUFF LIKE THAT.
BUT IT WAS GREAT, MAN, IT WAS GREAT.
I'M PROUD OF YOU.
>> Stephen: WELL, I'M SURE THERE MUS BE A SORT OF SENSE HOW
DO I GET IN HERE, DO I BELONG HERE.
WHAT ABOUT THE PROCESS OF GETTING IN.
THAT MUST BE PRETTY INTENSE WHEN YOU ARE TRYING TO AUDITION TO BE
IN JULY YARD.
>>-- JUILLARD.
>> THEY ONLY TAKE ABOUT 18 PEOPLE IN THE DRAMA DIVISION.
AND YOU KNOW, THOUSANDS AUDITION EACH YEAR.
SO I REMEMBER I DIDN'T AUDITION STRAIGHT OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL.
I WAS, YOU KNOW, I'M JUST GOING TO GO TO CALIFORNIA AND TRY MY
LUCK.
AND THEN I WANTED TO GET BACK TO THE EAST COAST BECAUSE I'M AN
EAST COAST DUDE.
SO I REMEMBER-- AND I REMEMBER YOU KNOW JUST THINKING I WANT TO
GO TO JUILLIARD I WANT THAT STRUCTURE, AND RIGOR AND
CLASSICAL FOUNDATION.
AND I REMEMBER FLYING UP TO SAN FRANCISCO.
I SAVED UP ALL MY MONEY.
I WAS BROKE AS A JOKE.
I SAVED UP ALL MY MONEY, FLEW UP TO SAN FRANCISCO TO AUDITIONMENT
AND THIS MONOLOGUE, I HAD IT PREPAREDMENT I MEAN HI BEEN WORK
ON THIS MONOLOGUE SINCE I WAS A KID.
FROM JAMES BALDWIN'S-- AND I REMEMBER WALKING IN, JAMES
BALDWIN FANS, OKAY, ALL RIGHT.
I REMEMBER WALKING INTO THE ROOM, GETTING DOWN ON MY KNEES
AND I WAS LIKE ALL RIGHT, THIS IS IT.
I'M ABOUT TO ACT MY BEHIND OFF.
THEY ABOUT TO ACCEPT ME INTO JUILLIARD AND COMPLETELY BLANKED
ON THE MONOLOGUE.
>> Stephen: SO THEY SAID ANY TIME ARE YOU READY, AND YOU HAD
NOTHING.
>> NOTHING CAME OUT.
I WAS SITTING LITERALLY ON THE FLOOR LIKE THIS AND I WAS LIKE.
YOU KNOW THAT MOMENT WHERE EVERYTHING FLASHES BEFORE YOUR
EYES.
>> Stephen: THAT IS NORMALLY DEATH.
>> I WAS PRETTY CLOSE TO IT.
IT WAS VERY STRANGE.
AND-- .
>> Stephen: WHERE ARE YOU FROM, WHERE DID YOU GROW UP.
>> D.C. .
>> Stephen: OKAY, YEAH, YEAH, IN THE CITY ITSELF.
>> D.C., HOMETOWN SOUTHEAST D.C., I GREW UP BORN AND RAISED
AND MOVED OUT TO MARYLAND.
>> Stephen: SO HOW DID YOU FIRST START TO PERFORM?
LIKE DID YOU DO PLAYS AS A KID AND THAT KIND OF STUFF.
>> I ACTUALLY STARTED SINGING.
THAT WAS KIND OF LIKE MY FIRST LOVE WAS SINGING IN THE CHURCH.
MY GRANDMA USED TO BRING ME TO CHURCH, YOU KNOW, BACK AND
FORTH.
I WAS LIKE HER TAPE RECORDER, ALMOST.
LIKE BACK IN THE DAY.
SHE WAS THE CHOIR DIRECTOR TOO, SO I WOULD HAVE TO SIT ON THE
FRONT PE-WS AND LISTEN TO EVERYBODY, ALL THESE OLD PEOPLE
SING.
AND WE WOULD GO HOME AND SHE WOULD, YOU KNOW, SHE WOULD
FORGET, SOMETIMES FORGET THE MELODIES OR LITTLE THINGS THAT
WASN'T ON THE TAPE.
AND I WOULD START SINGING THEM.
AND AND SHE WOULD JUST KIND OF-- THAT IS WHEN SHE NOTICED.
THEN FROM THERE SHALL-- .
>> Stephen: WERE YOU LITERALLY THE LIVING TAPE RECORDER FOR
HER.
>> BASICALLY, FOR MY GRANDMA.
SHE WOULD PUT A STRAP ON ME AND TOOK ME AROUND.
>> Stephen: IS YOUR GRANDMOTHER STILL WITH US.
>> YES, YES, I'M BRINGING HER ACTUALLY UP TO THE TONYS
ACTUALLY COMING UP.
>> Stephen: WELL, THAT'S A NICE DATE FOR YOUR GRANDMA.
SPEAKING OF WHICH, I MET YOU TWO OR THREE WEEKS AGO, SOMETHING
LIKE THAT.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: A MET GALA.
>> THAT WAS FUN.
>> Stephen: AND THEN THE NEXT MORNING YOU FOUND OUT THAT YOU
WERE NOMINATED FOR LEAD ACTOR IN A PLAY.
(APPLAUSE) FOR SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: CONGRATULATIONS.
>> THANK YOU.
>> Stephen: FIRST OF ALL WHAT AN EXTRAORDINARY ROLE TO PLAY.
>> THANK YOU, MAN.
IT'S SUCH A-- IT'S A BLESSING AND AN HONOR TO KIND OF BE ABLE
TO COME BACK TO MY ROOTING.
AFTER I GRADUATED, THAT WAS WHAT I KNEW I WANTED TO DO WAS
THEATER.
YOU KNOW, DID A LITTLE FILM AND TV HERE AND THERE BUT COMING
BACK TO BROADWAY AND COMING BACK TO BROADWAY WITH THIS PLAY.
I KNOW ALISON WAS ON AND-- AND JOHN BENJAMIN HICKEY AND THIS
INCREDIBLE CHARACTER WRITTEN BY JOHN, IT IS A JOY, MAN.
>> Stephen: HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE NOMINATED?
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, THE MET BALL WAS FUN, IT WAS THE NIGHT BEFORE
AND EVERYBODY CAME KEPT COMING UP AND GOOD LUCKK GOOD LUCK.
AND I'M LIKE I AM GOING TO TRY NOT BE HUNGOVER FOR THE SHOW.
I THOUGHT THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT GOOD LUCK FOR TOMORROW
NIGHT, FOR THE SHOW.
I DIDN'T REALIZE THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT THE NOMINATION.
ONE THING LEAD TO ANOTHER, I WOKE UP AT LIKE NOON THE NEXT
DAY.
MY PHONE WAS LIKE VIBRATE ON THE FLOOR AND I FOUND OUT FROM MY
FRIENDS, YOU KNOW, THAT I WAS NOMINATED.
>> Stephen: NOW I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU ARE-- , NOW AS I SAID,
YOU IN 24 LEGACY ON FOXMENT AND YOUR MOM IS A COP, RIGHT?
>> YEAH, SHE SERVED ON THE FORCE FOR ABOUT 28 YEARS.
IN WASHINGTON D.C.
(APPLAUSE).
>> Stephen: GET ANY ADVICE FROM HER?
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: OF HOW TO BE AN OFFICER WITH A BEAT.
>> HOW TO KEEP THE PEACE, SHE ACTUALLY-- MY PRODUCERS FOUND
OUT THAT SHE WAS A COP.
AND THEY WERE LIKE WOULDN'T IT BE FUNNY IF YOUR MOM, BECAUSE
THE SHOW IS SET IN D.C..
WOULDN'T IT BE FUN IN YOUR MOM PLAYED A COP IN D.C..
I WAS LIKE YEAH, THAT WOULD BE FUNNY, SHE WAS JOKING ABOUT IT,
AND SHE ENDED UP DOWN IN ATLANTA ON MY FIRST DAY, SHE HAD A
TRAILER BIGGER THAN MINE.
PEOPLE RUNNING UP TO HER.
>> Stephen: THAT'S COOL.
YOU GOT TO BE NICE TO MOM.
>> YEAH, SHE DESERVES IT, MAN.
>> Stephen: LOVELY TO MEET YOU.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
CONGRATULATIONS.
>> APPRECIATE IT.
>> Stephen: YOU CAN SEE COREY IN SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION ON
BROADWAY AND AT THE TONYS.
JUNE 11th ON CBS.
COREY HAWKINS, EVERYBODY.