I have to say, after watching Blake,
you made me very nervous.
I nearly ran away.
Why?
I think I own a pair of those things, actually.
Oh.
[LAUGHTER]
Or, well, that's good to know.
Or I think I've at least worn worn them once.
Uh-huh, well, they're good looking.
There's nothing wrong with them.
It's so nice to meet you.
We've never met.
You've worked with Portia before--
Yeah
--in a film, right?
Yeah, I worked with Portia in 2003, in Australia,
with a movie about Frank Sinatra.
Yeah, we watched the film.
We loved the film.
And and Portia said, oh, I know him.
I worked with him before.
It's a great film.
Before we talk about the film, though, it's tradition.
This is your first time on the show.
So we show a shirtless photo.
And we found one from that film.
So we just have to show--
it's just a mandatory.
[LAUGHTER]
[APPLAUSE]
That looks like what Blake was just selling.
Yes, that's what you're talking about.
Thank god it was from years and years ago.
You wouldn't want to see one from last year.
Yeah.
Anyway, we got that one out of the way.
It's tradition.
And I have to do it under law.
[LAUGHTER]
So let's talk about the film.
Let's talk about Boy Erased.
It's an important film for people to see for many reasons.
But explain why.
Well, it's based on a memoir by Garrard Conley.
And he basically was viciously outed at college as gay.
And his dad was a Baptist minister.
He grew up in Arkansas in a Baptist family.
And their solution was that they thought homosexuality
was a sin, and that it was a choice,
and that you could go to a camp to be fixed.
So they sent him to a conversion therapy camp.
And it's the story of how he got there, his time there,
and particularly, his relationship with his parents,
and how that's evolved since.
Yeah.
And how did you hear about the story?
A producer gave me the book.
And I, as a child, was terrified of being sent away
from my parents to an institution.
I'd watch this TV show in Australia
called Prisoner at way too young an age.
And I was terrified that I was going to go to prison.
So I grew up with this fascination of prison.
I went into the book thinking, ah,
I'm going to learn about this type of religious prison.
And I came out of it with this feeling of this story of love,
of this family who--
it was more complicated than just some sort
of vicious facility.
They actually sent him there out of love.
And they realized that what they thought they were doing to help
him was actually hurting him.
So I read the book for different reasons.
Then I wanted to make the movie.
Yeah, well, and it's great.
I'm glad you did.
And you worked with--
I mean, what a great cast.
You have Nicole.
And you have Russell Crowe.
And you have-- it's just about all Australians.
Was there a reason for that?
- Yeah, you just walk down the street.
And you're like, [CLICKING] Nicole, you home?
What are you doing?
You free?
They were the faces that leapt off the family photo
album when I asked Garrard to see photos from that time.
And I was like, oh, no, I'm going to reach out
to Russell and Nicole.
And you've got to understand, growing up
as an actor in Australia, they were my heroes.
I know that you had Nicole on the show like last week.
And that photo that you showed, I watched.
And I had a crush on her during that period.
So imagine going to work, thinking,
now, I have to be your director.
Right, but you don't have red hair anymore.
And it's not curly.
Then were you disappointed?
I was very disappointed.
[LAUGHTER]
Well, the film is great.
And I'm really, really hoping that everyone sees it.
Because it's important.
And I said this to Nicole, it's scary
that this is still legal in 36 states, that this can happen,
and people think that that it's a choice.
So--
Yeah, it's very much still alive.
In fact, this is the 50 bills for 50 states pin, which
I brought one for you, as well.
Oh, thank you.
And it's very much a thing.
I was shocked to learn that it still exists and it's still
happening in Australia and the United States.
And I really do think that it needs to stop.
Yeah, well thank you for being here.
Thank you for making this film.
And it is called Boy Erased.
It's in theaters now.
We'll be right back.