Wendie, good to see you.
>> Thank you!
Thank you!
>> You work with so many great
comics, of course, but I've got
to ask, how was your experience
with Betty white in "Hot in
Cleveland"?
>> You know, you get these gifts
every now and then, and we're so
lucky.
The people who get to do what
they do, it's all good.
But being with someone of
Betty's stature and stage in
life, it kind of changed my life
because she turned 90 on that
show and I turned 60 on that
show, and she made me realize
that there was a whole third act
ahead of me.
>> Oh, yeah.
>> And it was such a different
way to look at becoming a mature
actress, which you know,
sometimes can be a little
daunting.
>> Yeah, but there's a whole
other space to occupy.
>> A whole other space to
occupy, and particularly if you
embrace it.
And I started to think about the
older women I look up to and who
have inspired me and
acknowledging the fact that I'm
still a work in progress and a
complete idiot about so many
things still, but --
>> We all are.
>> That is inspirational.
Very cool.
>> And,a good thing to remember
because it makes you sort of pay
attention to people around you.
I learn as much from young
people as they learn from me, so
it.
>> And that can apply to whether
you're an actress or not.
That can apply, you know what I
mean?
>> Just in life.
Those who sort of stay open to
learning from other people, I
think that's what keeps you
young at heart.
>> There it is.
>> Good, solid advice right
there.
>> Yeah.
>> Is it true that you
auditioned for "Cheers"?
>> Yeah.
>> Seriously?
>> Probably everybody else in
New York at the time.
Yeah.
Yeah, I thought, well, that
would be fun, I think.
>> Right?
>> To replace Shelly.
Or was it for Shelly's part?
It might have been actually at
the beginning.
I don't know.
It was the same year --
>> Kirstie alley --
>> I think I also auditioned for
"Charlie's angels" and other
things and kept thinking maybe
it's because I don't have big
enough boobs, I don't know.
I don't know.
But clearly, my path was a
different one and I followed it
down the river.
>> You've managed to do just
fine right there.
And personally, too, I know
you've been with your husband
like what, 25 years?
>> Oh, it's almost 30.
>> Oh, wow!
>> Yeah.
Yeah.
>> That's great.
Romantic.
And I heard how you two met is
sort of --
>> We met in a dump in Tijuana.
>> Did you really, literally a
dump?
>> I highly recommend you go to
Tijuana and visit the dump.
No, we went --
>> Wait, what's the back story
there?
>> Never know who you'll meet.
>> Maybe your husband.
>> I was supposed to go with a
friend who invited me to come
down.
It was like a habitat for
humanity thing.
We went down to build houses for
poor families.
>> Oh, that's cool.
>> Who had lost everything in a
flood.
And we were building on this old
dumping site.
And the first night, I met
someone over the vegetarian
spaghetti sauce and thought,
well, he's an interesting
character.
And that night, we were sleeping
out in a field in sleeping
bags --
>> Oh, wow.
>> And I went out to pee in the
field, and I went behind what I
thought was a rock, but it was
his sleeping bag.
[ Laughter ]
>> So, you -- got it.
>> And that's how we met.
>> That's how y'all met?
>> Yeah.
>> Love it.
Love at first pee.
Squirt.
>> I guess I was marking my territory.
>> There you go.
>> Yeah, literally.
>> There you go!
>> You know, once you go there,
it's all up.
There's nowhere to go but up.
>> And every trip since then has
been a move up.
I just said, can we go to Europe
or something?
>> That's awesome.
I now you do a lot of work for
animals as well, right?
>> Yeah, yeah.
I've been involved with the
humane society for a very long
time and was their spokesperson
for quite a while.
And lately I've been supporting
this group called return to
freedom that rescues wild
horses, because they are
gathering them up very quickly
and we're losing them, our last
remaining wild horses on our
public lands.
So, netta Dimaio with return to
freedom has been such a champion
and has two big sanctuaries for
wild horses.
We adopted two of their mustang
young'uns, and we have a ranch
here.
And they're just such an
amazing --
>> Animal.
>> -- Gift to live with, yeah.
You learn so much from --
>> I love horseback riding.
>> The spirit.
There's a spirit in them.
>> We have two other horses that
are domesticated, but the wild
ones have this kind of curiosity
that you don't find in every
creature.
And it just reminds you of how
valuable and how irreplaceable
the world is.
You know, when you think about
what's going on now in
Australia, it is so
heartbreaking.
They now estimate it's like a
billion animals have been lost.
>> I know.
>> In that fire.
And we have to protect as much
as we can, you know, all living
things on this planet.
>> You're right.
>> And we have so much work to
do in that area.
>> Ironically -- and there's no
correlation, but your new show
is called "The Owl House"
>> That was a really interesting
segue and good way to get out of
a sad story.
>> Thank you for --
>> You've earned it today!
Earned it today.
>> We want to make sure with you
get to your new show.
>> I'm a total believer we need
levity and humor or we're not
going to get through this.
But yeah, this is a really cool
little cartoon.
That's me.
And I just love her.
Look at her hair.
>> How did you get revolved with
it?
>> And I have a buck tooth,
which is one of my favorite
things.
>> The animation is cool.
What is the premise?
>> The premise is there's a
young girl who's kind of a misfit.
She's kind of a nerd and doesn't
get along with everybody.
She's not cool or anything, but
she's got her own voice, listen
to her own kind of inner thing.
And she somehow goes down a
rabbit hole and ends up in this
land of the boiling isles.
And I am the owl lady down
there, and I take her under my
wing.
And she wants to learn magic
from me.
And she decides after a while,
instead of going back up where
she's a misfit, she can be down
here with really cool misfits
that take her in and, like, make
her one of their own.
So, it's all about kind of
celebrating the things that make
us unique and then finding a
crew that you can hook into, and
then you each just make each
other better.
>> And we all want to learn a
little magic from you.
I mean, let's just be real.
Let's just be real.
[ Applause ]
>> Come on, now.
Make sure you check out "The owl
house" on Disney channel Friday.
>>> Yes.