WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MY FIRST
GUEST TONIGHT IS AN EMMY-AWARD WINNER YOU KNOW AS SUZANNE
"CRAZY EYES" WARREN IN "ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK."
PLEASE WELCOME, UZO ADUBA!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
( BAND PLAYING ) >> HI!
>> Stephen: WELCOME BACK.
NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
>> THANK YOU.
>> Stephen: FIRST TIME WE HAD YOU ON WAS ABOUT A YEAR AGO.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
YOU HAVE NOW WON TWO EMMYS FOR PLAYING CRAZY EYES
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> CRAZY.
CRAZY.
>> Stephen: CONGRATULATIONS ABOUT THAT.
ARE YOU GETTING TIRED OF THE EMMYS?
THAT OLD THING?
>> THAT OLD THING, YEAH -- LOOK HOW MANY YOU HAVE.
YEAH, IT'S EXCITING EVERY TIME.
OUR SHOW IS SO EXCITING TO DO.
WE ALL HAVE SUCH A GREAT TIME THAT WEEKEND WHEN WE GO OUT
THERE.
>> Stephen: IT'S GREAT IF YOU WIN.
IF YOU DON'T WIN, YOU GO, THIS IS STUPID.
>> NO, NO...
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: BUT IF YOU WIN
IT'S, LIKE, IT'S GOOD TO GET TOGETHER.
IT'S SO IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE EACH OTHER.
IT'S REALLY NICE.
( LAUGHTER ) WELL, SPEAKING OF IMPORTANT WORK
AND BEING RECOGNIZED, WE TALKED ABOUT HOW YOU RAN TRACK FOR B.U.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: AND YOU JUST WENT BACK AND GAVE THE COMMENCEMENT
SPEECH.
>> I DID.
>> Stephen: WHAT AN HONOR.
HOW LONG SINCE YOU GRADUATED?
>> IT'S BEEN 2005.
SO IT'S BEEN SOME TIME.
>> Stephen: YEAH, 12 YEARS.
BUT I HAVE BEEN BACK A FEW TIMES BEFORE THAT, BUT TO GO AND
ACTUALLY BE ABLE TO GIVE THAT SPEECH WAS REALLY OUT OF THIS
WORLD.
>> Stephen: IT'S A TREMENDOUS HONOR.
THE SCHOOL RECOGNIZED YOU AS SOMEBODY THEY WANTED TO BE
ASSOCIATED WITH PUBLICLY AND, HONESTLY, NOT EVERY ALUMNI GETS
THAT.
( LAUGHTER ) YOU HAVE A MESSAGE YOU WANTED TO
KIDS TO GET.
WHAT WAS THE OVERALL MESSAGE?
>> THE THING I THOUGHT WAS MOST IMPORTANT WAS ABOUT FEAR.
YOU KNOW, I REMEMBER SITTING IN THOSE SEATS IN THAT TIME, SUCH A
CRUCIAL TIME AND YOU'RE SO NERVOUS ABOUT SO MANY THINGS
COMING UP IN YOUR LIFE AND I JUST WANTED THEM TO UNDERSTAND
THAT FEAR IS NOT A REAL THING.
IT IS SOMETHING THAT -- >> Stephen: WHAT DO YOU MEAN
FEAR IS NOT A REAL THING?
>> IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE BUILD UP INSIDE OF OURSELVES AND WE
THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT CAN PARALYZE US ESSENTIALLY.
>> Stephen: IT DEFINITELY CAN, YEAH.
>> AND STOP YOU FROM DOING THE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO, AND I
WANT THEM TO KNOW THEY SHOULD NEVER STOP TRYING FOR THINGS,
REACHING FOR THINGS BECAUSE THEY'RE AFRAID.
TAFS A HUGE PART OF THE SPEECH.
AS SCARED AS I WAS TO BE THERE.
>> Stephen: SURE, BECAUSE THERE'S ALL THIS PRESSURE THAT
YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE A GEM OF WISDOM FOR A YOUNGER GENERATION.
THE SPEECH IS KIND OF FOR THE PARENTS, YOU KNOW, WHO HAVE
INVESTED.
>> EXACTLY.
>> Stephen: AND FOR THE KIDS, AND CALMING THEM DOWN IS NOT A
BAD THING TO DO.
THERE ARE SOME THINGS TO BE AFRAID OF, OBVIOUSLY.
>> FOR SURE.
>> Stephen: SHARKS.
NAKES.
>> Stephen: SURE.
F.D.R. DID NOT INCLUDE THAT IN HIS SPEECH.
>> AT ALL.
>> Stephen: FEAR OF SNAKES. AND SHARKS.
I WANT THEM TO KNOW, THERE ARE THINGS TO BE AFRAID OF BUT DON'T
LET THOSE THINGS STOP YOU.
ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU'RE GOING TO INTO THE INDUSTRY OF ACTING AND
MUSIC AND ART -- >> Stephen: WERE YOU TERRIFIED
TO DO WHAT YOU'RE DOING NOW?
THE OLD SAW IS 95% OF PEOPLE WHO ATTEMPT TO BE ACTORS ARE
UNEMPLOYED.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: SO A ONE IN TWENTY CHANCE OF GETTING ANY WORK LET
ALONE THE TWO EMMYS.
HAVE I SCARED YOU IN RETROSPECT?
>> YOU HAVE, YOU'VE SCARED ME INTO WANTING TO GIVE THEM BACK.
( LAUGHTER ) IT WAS SCARY WHEN I FIRST
STARTED.
IT'S LIKE STEPPING INTO THE UNKNOWN.
YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GETTING INTO BECAUSE YOU'VE
NEVER DONE IT BEFORE, BUT IT WAS THE WILLINGNESS TO TRY IS THE
IMPORTANT THING, AND I WAS WILLING TO TRY, AND I JUST
WANTED THESE KIDS TO UNDERSTAND, JUST GO FOR IT DO.
IT FREELY.
I HAD SHOWN UP THERE SCARED TO DEATH.
WHEN I GOT THE EPAIL TO COME AND GIVE THE SPEECH, I WAS
TERRIFIED, YOU KNOW, WHEN IT CAME IN -- WHEN I CAME IN, THEY
WERE, LIKE, WE WOULD LIKE YOU TO BE THE COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER.
>> Stephen: DID YOU GET AN HONORARY DOCTORATE?
>> NO.
>> Stephen: YOU HAVE TO GO BACK.
>> I THINK YOU FORGOT SOMETHING!
EXACTLY.
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: I MAY HAVE THIS
WRONG, BUT YOUR NAME UZO ADUBA MEANS THE ROAD IS GOOD?
>> YES.
>> Stephen: THAT'S A GREAT MESSAGE FOR A COMMENCEMENT
SPEECH.
>> THANK YOU.
>> Stephen: WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO YOU, THE ROAD IS GOOD?
AND DID YOU KNOW YOUR ENTIRE LIFE THAT'S WHAT YOUR NAME
MEANT?
>> YES, IT'S ANY FULL NAME WHICH MEANS THE ROAD IS GOOD.
I GOT IT FOR M FOR MY BIRTHDAY.
( LAUGHTER ) ( APPLAUSE )
AND WHEN MY PARENTS NAMED ME, YOU KNOW, THEY HAD COME TO
AMERICA AND SURVIVED SO MUCH WHICH IS UZO ADUBA, THE JOURNEY
WAS WORTH IT.
AND NOW TRYING IN THIS BUSINESS, AUDITIONING AND A TIME QUITTING
IN MY LIFE, ALL WAS WORTH IT BECAUSE IT ARRIVED AT THIS
MOMENT.
>> Stephen: AUDITIONS AND WORKING YOUR WAY UP IN THIS
BUSINESS, YOU WEREN'T ALWAYS DOING THE SHOWS THAT GOT YOU THE
TWO EMMYS.
WERE THERE EARLY MORE QUESTIONABLE ROLES YOU DID?
BECAUSE I TOOK ANYTHING TO GET IN FRONT OF A CAMERA.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
THE FIRST ACTING JOB I HAD WAS IN MY HIGH SCHOOL PRODUCTION OF
A SECRET GARDEN, I PLAYED A GHOST.
VERY PROUD OF IT.
>> Stephen: DID YOU HAVE LINES?
>> NO, I DID NOT.
BUT I FELT THEM INSIDE.
>> Stephen: IT'S A PLAY ABOUT A GHOST.
>> EXACTLY.
IF I WERE GIVEN THE CHANCE TO SPEAK, THIS IS WHAT I WOULD SAY.
>> Stephen: THE NEW SEASON WAS RELEASED THIS PAST FRIDAY.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: "ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK."
>> YES.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: OKAY.
SEASON 5.
>> SEASON 5.
>> Stephen: WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM THE NEW SEASON?
>> OOH, OKAY.
WE CAN EXPECT NO SPOILERS.
WE CAN EXPECT THE SHOW TAKES PLACE OVER THREE DAYS, WHICH IS
NOT HOW IT'S GONE IN THE PAST.
>> Stephen: THE WHOLE SEASON'S HERE.
>> THE WHOLE SEASON, 72 HOURS, THAT'S THE ENTIRE SHOW.
>> Stephen: LAST SEASON'S SPOILER ENDED WITH THE INMATES
TAKING OVER THE PRISON.
>> THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT.
SO NOW WE PICK UP RIGHT AT THAT MOMENT AND WE SEE THE PRISONERS,
THEY TAKE CONTROL OF THE PRISON, AND THEY'RE IN POWER, AND WE GET
TO SEE WHAT EACH OF THESE WOMEN DO WHEN THEY HAVE POWER OR
BECOME EMPOWERED.
>> Stephen: WE HAVE A CLIP IN HERE.
CAN YOU TELL US WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN IN THIS ONE?
>> THIS CLIP IS ABOUT THE BLUE SKY.
THE SKY THE BLUE.
>> Stephen: THE SKY IS BLUE, JIM.
>> AGAIN, I'D LIKE TO POINT OUT HOW A GOOD NIGHT'S REST MIGHT
SOLVE A MYRIAD OF EMOTIONAL ISSUES!
YOU THINK YOUR FEELINGS ARE REAL, BUT THEY'RE NOT.
TRUST ME.
IT'S, LIKE, THE SKY IS BRING, RIGHT?
BUT WHEN THERE ARE CLOUDS, YOU THINK IT'S GREY, BUT REALLY IT'S
STILL BLUE.
IT HASN'T CHANGED, IT'S JUST COVERED WITH GREY CLOUDS PASSING
BY.
NOW, THE CLOUDS ARE YOUR FEELINGS.
THE SKY IS HOW IT REALLY IS.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: IT'S LOVELY TO SEE
YOU AGAIN.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME.
>> STEPHEN: SEASON 5 OF "ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK" IS STREAMING
NOW ON NETFLIX.
UZO ADUBA, EVERYBODY!