JON, I AM SUPER EXCITED ABOUT OUR FIRST GUEST TONIGHT.
THE GUY DOES NOT DO LATE-NIGHT TV.
HE IS A TWO-TIME OSCAR WINNING ACTOR, HUMANITARIAN, AND
EXPEERENTIAL JOURNALIST.
PLEASE WELCOME THE GREAT SEAN PENN.
♪ ♪ ♪ ( APPLAUSE )
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: ARE YOU GOOD?
ARE YOU GOOD WITH ME CALLING YOU "THE GREAT SEAN PENN."
I DON'T CALL EVERY GUEST THE GREAT.
YOU HAVE TO EARN IT.
BUT YOU REALLY ARE ONE OF OUR GREAT ACTORS.
ARE YOU OKAY WITH BEING CALLED GREAT?
>> I THINK IT'S AN AFFIRMATION OF YOUR DISCERNMENT.
( LAUGHTER ) ( APPLAUSE )
>> Stephen: I JUST WANT TO WARN MY PRODUCERS, I MIGHT NEED
A THESAURUS FOR THIS INTERVIEW.
SEAN PENN, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU DID A LATE NIGHT SHOW.
>> DON'T REMEMBER.
>> Stephen: YOU DON'T REMEMBER.
SO IT COULD BE LAST WEEK OR IT'S JUST BEEN A LONG TIME YOU DON'T
REMEMBER.
>> IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME.
>> Stephen: WELL, THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
IT'S AN HONOR TO HAVE YOU.
>> IT'S AN HONOR TO BE HERE.
>> Stephen: YOU ARE HERE FOR A PURPOSE, THOUGH.
THIS IS NOT JUST HANGOUT TIME.
>> THAT'S RIGHT.
>> Stephen: YOU'RE HERE BECAUSE YOU HAVE A RELATIONSHIP
TO A BOOK THAT'S COMING OUT.
>> CORRECT.
>> Stephen: AND THE BOOK IS CALLED-- IT MIGHT TAKE ME A
SECOND TO DESCRIBE IT HERE.
DO YOU WANT TO JUMP IN AND DESCRIBE IT.
THE BOOK IS CALLED: >> "BOB HONEY WHO JUST DO
STUFF."
ONE MIGHT THINK YOU ARE HERE BECAUSE YOU WROTE IT.
>> NO.
>> Stephen: YOU DID NOT WRITE IT.
>> NO, THIS IS SORT OF AN INTERESTING THING.
>> Stephen: I HOPE SO.
( LAUGHTER ) >> OR IT WILL BE MY LAST TIME ON
LATE NIGHT TV.
>> Stephen: NOT AT ALL.
NOT AT ALL.
THERE ARE A LOVE THINGS WE CAN TALK.
>> IN 1979 I WENT AS A KID TO THIS WRITERS' CONFERENCE IN KEY
WEST, FLORIDA.
AND THIS WRITER, JAMES LEO HURL HE WAS DOING A SEMINAR, AND I
WENT TO THAT.
AFTER EVIDENCE GOING DOWN TO MY ROOM-- I HAD DRIVEN DOWN THERE
FROM LOS ANGELES.
>> Stephen: HOW OLD WERE YOU?
>> I WAS 19.
>> Stephen: OKAY, DIG IT.
>> AND YOU COULD DRINK ON THE COAST AT THAT TIME AT 18.
>> Stephen: IN KEY WEST, YOU CAN DRINK ANY TIME YOU WANT.
>> YOU CAN CAN DO ANYTHING.
SO I WENT TO THE PASSION PIT BAR AT THE LAVENDER FARM.
>> Stephen: THAT SOUNDS MADE UP.
GO AHEAD.
>> THIS IS ALL GOING TO SOUND MADE-UP IS THERE OKAY.
>> LISTEN, IT'S KIND OF LIKE WHAT WE WERE WATCHING IN THE
DEBATES LAST NIGHT?
( LAUGHTER ) ( APPLAUSE )
>> Stephen: THE FACT CHECKERS.
I WANT POLITIFACT FACT CHECKING THIS.
OKAY.
PASSION PIT BAR AT THE FAN DJANGO DWRIL.
>> AT THE LAVENDAR FARM.
THERE WAS A TERRIBLE PIECE OF COMMERCIAL ART.
IT WAS A FIBERGLASS, FULL-SIZE BAR PATRON WITH A GLASS SITTING
IN A SEAT.
AND I WONDERED AT THE TIME LOOKING AT IT-- I MEAN, A
TERRIBLE PIECE OF ART.
AND I WONDERED AT THE TIME LOOKING AT IT, YOU KNOW, WHEN
THE PLACE WAS CROWDED, WERE PEOPLE FRUSTRATED THAT THIS
PIECE OF ART WAS PERMANENTLY EMBEDDED IN THAT SEAT?
( LAUGHTER ) YOU KNOW, MAYBE A DATE HAD TO BE
ON THE OTHER SIDE OF IT.
AND THEN I REALIZED THAT, FIRST THINKING MAYBE IT WAS THE
ALCOHOL.
BUT THIS WAS NOT A COMMERCIAL PIECE OF ART.
IT WAS A HUMAN BEING WITH VERY LITTLE CAPACITY FOR ANIMATION.
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: SO THERE WAS
ACTUALLY A MAN SITTING THERE.
>> IT WAS A MAN IS THERE THAT YOU THOUGHT WAS A HIDEOUS PIECE
OF ART?
( LAUGHTER ).
>> WHICH-- WHICH WAS A FASCINATING THING.
( LAUGHTER ) SO I WENT AND I SIDLED UP NEXT
TO HIM.
WE ENDED UP IN CONVERSATION THAT I QUICKLY HAD TO TRANSLATE FROM
LYRICS TO MELODY BECAUSE I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND A WORD OF WHAT
HE WAS SAYING.
THOUGH IT SOUNDED LIKE INTELLIGENT ENGLISH.
HE WAS SPEAKING A LOT OF ACRONYMS, AND SOME IN METAPHOR,
SLANGS, SCIENTIFIC TERMS.
AND EITHER CASE, MY MOTHER WAS MAKING GREETING CARD THAT WERE
KIND OF INTERESTING AT THE TIME.
AND I BROUGHT UP THAT IN SMALL TALK.
HE GOT FASCINATED BY THAT.
AND I KIND OF THREW HER UNDER THE THE BUS BECAUSE I WANTED TO
GET AWAY FROM THE CONVERSATION BY GIVING HIM HER ADDRESS.
( LAUGHTER ) AND HE COULD CORRESPOND --
>> YOU WERE JUST PIMPING OUT YOUR MOM'S ADDRESS IT TO A GUY
SO HE WOULD STOP TALKING TO YOU EVEN THOUGH YOU APPROACHED HIM?
>> YEAH, I APPROACHED HIM, AND THEN I THOUGHT I'D LIKE TO--
IT'S FASCINATING, BUT I CAN'T BE IMMEDIATELY RESPONSIVE TO THIS.
I NEED TO THINK ABOUT WHAT THIS GUY IS SAYING.
SO ANYWAY, I NEVER HEAR FROM HIM AGAIN.
BUT MY MOTHER HAD CORRESPONDED WITH HIM.
( LAUGHTER ).
>> Stephen: SINCE 1979.
>> NO, THEN.
ASK SHE SOLD HIM ABOUT 500 GREETING CARDS.
>> Stephen: ASK YOUR MOM STILL MAKE GREETING CARDS?
>> NO, SHE STOPPED WITH GREETING CARDS THING, TOO MANY STRANGERS
ASKING FOR THEM.
ANYWAY, SO WHAT HAPPENED THEN, IS, LIKE, MAY, THIS YEAR, MY
MOTHER CALLED, AND SAID THAT A MANILA ENVELOPE, SOMETHING LIKE
FAN MAIL GOT TO HER ADDRESS.
I SAID,"THROW IT AWAY SM.
AND SHE SAID, "WELL, IT SOUNDS LIKE SOMEBODY I REMEMBER.
PAPPY PARIAH."
AND I REMEMBERED THAT NAME.
>> Stephen: RIGHT, IT'S ON THE BOOK RIGHT HERE.
( LAUGHTER ).
>> AND WHAT-- WHAT CAME IN THIS ENVELOPE.
>> Stephen: PAPPY PARIAH, WRITTEN BY PAPPY PARIAH.
>> AND WHAT CAME IN THIS ENVELOPE WAS A MANUSCRIPT WITH A
DEDICATION TO ME SAYING HE WANTED ME TO BE THE EXECUTOR OF
IT.
>> Stephen: IS HE DID DEAD?
>> THIS IS WHAT'S INTERESTING.
NO.
( LAUGHTER ) ( APPLAUSE )
THE-- THE RETURN ADDRESS WAS A LAWYER'S ADDRESS IN THE CAYMEN
ISLANDS.
SO THEN WHAT HAPPENED IS THAT AUDIBLE, YOU KNOW WHO DO KIND OF
BOOK ON TAPE THING FOR AMAZON.
>> SURE, SURE, SURE, DIGITAL BOOKS.
>> THEY CAME INTO THIS THING.
AND HE HAD WANTED ME TO TRY TO GET IT, YOU KNOW, HEARD BEFORE
THE THE ELECTION.
AND THEY CAME IN GREAT, AND IT'S KIND OF --
>> IT'S A QUICK WAY TO PUBLISH.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO ACTUALLY PRINT IT.
YOU JUST DO AN AUDIO BOOK.
>> AND IT'S THE NEW AGE OF LITERATURE.
UP PEOPLE TO HAVE INFORMATION-- I CLEARLY WANT PEOPLE TO HAVE
THIS INFORMATION BECAUSE WHAT I READ WAS SOMETHING I FELT WAS
IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE TO HEAR NOW.
HE DEMANDED IT BE BEFORE THE ELECTION.
>> Stephen: I READ THE BOOK, TOO.
I GOT A SIMILAR-- I GOT A PHONE CALL FROM THE MIDDLE OF THE
NIGHT ON THE FIRST DAY OF MY VACATION IN AUGUST, AND IT WAS,
LIKE, A GRAVELLY VOICE, LOS ANGELES PHONE NUMBER, SOMEBODY
SAID, "WOULD YOU READ THIS BOOK?"
>> RIGHT.
>> Stephen: AND I SAID, "I'D LOVE TO, SEAN."
( LAUGHTER ) ( APPLAUSE )
AND HE GOES-- I DON'T KNOW WHO YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.
I TONIGHT KNOW WHO YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.
AND SO I READ THE BOOK AND IT'S LIKE A BIT OF A MYSTERY,
SOMETHING OF A THRILLER.
THE MAIN CHARACTER, BOB HONEY, WHO JUST DO STUFF, MIGHT BE A
MURDERER, MIGHT BE AN ASSASSIN, MIGHT BE C.I.A., MIGHT BE
INSANE.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: MIGHT BE ONE OF OUR GREATEST LIVING ACTORS.
IS THERE ANYTHING-- IS AND OF THIS BASED ON-- DID PAPPY PARIAH
KNOW YOU WELL ENOUGH THROUGH YOUR MOTHER'S LETTERS THAT ANY
OF THIS REFLECTS YOUR OWN LIFE, SEAN PENN?
>> I LIKE TO THINK THAT IT WILL REFLECT EVERYBODY'S LIFE, OR I
WOULDN'T HAVE WANTED TO SHARE IT.
>> Stephen: BUT NOT EVERYBODY-- BECAUSE THIS
CHARACTER ALSO HAS SPENT TIME, LIKE, IN THE MIDDLE EAST.
THIS CHARACTER HAS ALSO SPENT TIME WITH DRUG LORDS WHO ARE
FASCINATED BY ESCAPE TUNNELS.
( LAUGHTER ) THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS THAT
YOU MIGHT RELATE TO OF THIS MAIN CHARACTER.
>> OH, THERE'S FOE QUESTION I RELATE TO A LOT OF IT.
( LAUGHTER ).
>> Stephen: WELL, I WANT TO GET INTO SOME OF THE THINGS IN
YOUR LIFE THAT MIGHT BE RELEVANT TO THIS BOOK WHEN WE COME BACK.
BUT WE HAVE TO SERVE SOME CORPORATE MASTERS.
ARE YOU DOWN WITH THAT?
>> YES, WHICH IS LARGELY WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT, CORPORATE
MASTERS.
SO LET'S HIT IT.
>> Stephen: WE'LL BOW DOWN TO OUR CORPORATE MASTERS AND BE
RIGHT BACK WITH MORE SEAN PENN.