OUR NEXT GUEST IS A MULTI-TALENTED, TONY AWARD
WINNING ACTOR YOU KNOW FROM "MASTERS OF SEX," "KINKY BOOTS,"
AND "YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU."
SHE STARS IN THE NEW CBS SITCOM, "B POSITIVE."
WHAT A DELIGHT TO WELCOME TO THE SHOW, ANNALEIGH ASHFORD!
SHE'S HERE ON THIS HERE SHOW, CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?
ANNALEIGH, I'M SUCH A HUGE FAN OF YOURS.
I'M SO HAPPY YOU'RE HERE.
WE MET BRIEFLY ONCE.
DO YOU REMEMBER?
>> I DO REMEMBER.
IT WAS AT A FOOD TABLE AT A WEIRD PARTY WE BOTH WANTED TO
LEAVE.
YOU WANTED TO GO HOME TO YOUR KIDS.
THAT'S WHERE YOU WILL FIND ME.
AND I WAS, LIKE, YOU ARE SO GOOD AT ACTING AND SINGING AND ALL
THE THINGS.
YOU ARE SO GOOD AT EVERYTHING.
>> James: WELL, YOU'RE A FINE ONE TO TALK.
NOW, I HAVE BEEN TOLD YOU HAVE A THEORY ABOUT HOW SOMEHOW YOU AND
I MIGHT BE RELATED.
I'M INTRIGUED BY THIS.
HOW SO?
>> WELL, I DID MY 23 AND ME, AND I WAS EXPECTING TO HAVE A LITTLE
BIT OF MAGIC FROM EVERY CONTINENT, AND, UNFORTUNATELY --
WELL, FORTUNATELY, I'M REALLY BRITISH, I'M JUST REALLY REALLY
BRITISH.
SO THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT WE COULD BE FIFTH COUSINS ONCE
REMOVED.
I DON'T KNOW.
IT'S POSSIBLE.
>> James: I FEEL IT.
I ACTUALLY FELT LIKE SOMEBODY FROM MY FAMILY HAD -- I FELT A
CHANGE IN LOS ANGELES, AND THAT COULD HAVE BEEN YOUR ARRIVAL
HERE.
WHO KNOWS, BECAUSE, OBVIOUSLY, YOU MOVED -- WHEN DID YOU MOVE
TO L.A. FROM BROOKLYN?
>> WELL, WE WERE IN BROOKLYN DURING THE VERY TERRIBLE SAD
TIMES AT THE BEGINNING TO HAVE THE PANDEMIC, SO WE WERE IN OUR
ONE-BEDROOM APARTMENT WITH OUR SWEET LITTLE THREE I CAN'T FEEL
YEAR OLD.
WE WOULD GO ON SCOOTER RUNS TO THE GUANNIS CANAL WHICH SOWFNEDZ
BEAUTIFUL BUT IT'S REALLY JUST A RIVER IN BROOKLYN FULL OF TRASH.
SO WE WOULD PUT ON OUR MASKS AND GO ON SCOOTER RUNS TO THE CANAL.
SO WE MOVED TO L.A. THIS SUMMER AND WE'RE, LIKE, THIS IS SO
LUXURIOUS, WE HAVE A LITTLE BACK PATIO AND WE DON'T NEED TO VISIT
THE RIVER OF TRASH.
BUT WE MISS BROOKLYN AND THE RIVER OF TRASH.
>> James: WELL, I THINK IT REALLY SUITS YOU ON BOTH COASTS
OF AMERICA.
I FIRST BECAME AWARE OF YOU FROM MUSICAL THEATER ON BROADWAY
WHERE I'D SEEN YOUENO SHOWS AND THINGS AND KIND OF INSTANTLY HAD
THE FEELING THAT THIS PERSON'S INCREDIBLY TALENTED.
WHERE DID YOU FIRST DISCOVER YOUR LOVE OF MUSICAL THEATER?
>> WELL, I KIND OF CAN'T REMEMBER A TIME NOT LOVING
SINGING AND STORYTELLING AT THE SAME TIME, YOU KNOW, IT'S A
COMBO THAT'S FUN TO DO TOGETHER, AND THEN I REALIZED THAT I HAD A
SPECIAL LOVE FOR MUSICAL THEATER, WHEN EVERYBODY ELSE'S
FAVORITE SINGER WAS BRITNEY SPEARS AND THEN THEY'D ASK ME
WHO MY FAVORITE SINGER WAS AND I WOULD BE, LIKE, WELL, IT'S A
THREE-WAY TIE BETWEEN LIZA AND BARBARA AND JUDY.
AND THEY'RE, WHAT?
NO ONE KNEW WHO I WAS TALKING ABOUT.
I FELT LIKE AN OLD SOUL.
SOMETHING WAS HAPPENING HERE.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU GUYS HAD IN THE U.K. BUT WE HAD
BLOCKBUSTERS.
DO YOU GUYS HAVE BLOCKBUSTER?
>> James: BLOCKBUSTER VIDEO.
DID YOU HAVE IT IN THE U.K.
>> James: WHAT A DIFFERENCE, YEAH.
>> ANYWAY, SO I WOULD RENT "ALL THAT JAZZ" OVER AND OVER AGAIN,
AND DURING THE SEXY PARTS JUST CLOSE MY EYES.
I RENTED IT SO MANY TIMES THAT I WORE OUT THE BLOCKBUSTER VIDEO
COPY OF "ALL THAT JAZZ."
SO I THINK THAT WANT SAYS A LOT ABOUT MY CHILDHOOD.
>> James: WAS ANYONE ELSE IN YOUR FAMILY INTERESTED IN THE
THEATER?
>> MY MOM IS AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL GYM TEACHER, SO, NO.
SHE STILL TEACHES -- SHE STILL, THIS YEAR, HAS BEEN DOING A LOT
REMOTE TEACHING OF GYM, SENDING A LOT OF VIDEO YOGA CLASSES AND
VIDEO BALL THROWING, HELPING HER EDIT HER VIDEOS AND ADD MUSIC TO
THEM.
BUT, NO, SHE REALLY WANTED ME TO BE AN ATHLETE, AND I REALLY
DIDN'T.
I WAS IN KIDS' CROSS COUNTRY AND TRACK WHEN I WAS A LITTLE GIRL,
WHEN I WAS LIKE SEVEN.
AND I RAN THE 400-METER DASH AND IT WAS MY LAST RACE BECAUSE AT
THE END OF THE RACE EVERYBODY HAD PASSED ME AND I WAS SO FAR
BEHIND THAT THE CROWD STARTED CHEERING FOR ME WHICH IS WHAT
THEY DO WHEN YOU'RE PAINFULLY LAST IN A RACE.
BUT I DIDN'T KNOW THAT SO I WAVED THEM BECAUSE I THOUGHT
THEY WERE CLAPPING FOR ME.
MY MOM KNEW IT WAS TIME.
>> James: I WANT TO CONGRATULATE YOU ON YOUR
BRILLIANT SITCOM B-POSITIVE.
EXPLAIN WHAT IT'S ABOUT AND WHO YOU PLAY.
>> IT'S ABOUT THIS GUY DREW WHO NEEDS A KID MY AND FINDS UT IN
THE MOST UNLIKELY OF PLACES.
ONE OF HIS POLLED FRIENDS FROM HIGH SCHOOL, THIS GIRL GINA, ME,
WHO'S VERY WILD AND MESSY AND SLOPPY, AND DREW PLAYED BY THE
BRILLIANT THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH WHO IS SO DELICIOUS, HE IS REALLY
WALKING THE STRAIGHT LINE.
HE IS LIKING HIS HOUSE TO BE CLEAN AND TIDY AND I COME IN
KIND OF LIKE A HURRICANE.
SO HE HAS TO SAVE ME BEFORE I CAN SAVE HIM.
SO WE HAVE A GOOD TIME.
>> James: WELL, YOU ARE SO BRILLIANT IN THIS SHOW, AND I'M
SO THRILLED THAT IT'S THE MASSIVE SUCCESS THAT IT'S BEEN
ON THIS NETWORK.
LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT A CLIP FROM BE POSITIVE 8:30 ON CBS AND CBS
ALL ACCESS.
>> YOU THINK THEY'RE GOING TO SAY I'M CRAZY!
MMM!
MAYBE I'M GOING TO CHANGE THEIR MINDS.
MAYBE THEY'RE GOING TO BE LIKE, OOOH, WE KIND OF LOVE KIDNEYS
WHEN THEY COME FROM NUTTY BITCHES.
>> MAYBE DON'T USE THE TERM NUTTY BITCHUPS AT THE
EVALUATION.
DESCRIBE YOURSELF AS MORE SPONTANEOUS, ECCENTRIC, YOU ARE
UNABASHEDLY YOURSELF.
>> SOUNDS LIKE A PERFUME -- GINA, UNABASHEDLY -- HERSELF...
NO...
YES...
NO...
I CAN'T...