WE'RE BACK HERE RIGHT THERE. LOOK AT THAT.
IT'S THE HOST OF "WHO'S TALKING TO CHRIS WALLACE?"
CHRIS WALLACE. YOU'VE COVERED POLITICS FOR--
>> YES. >> Stephen: 50 YEARS, LET'S
SAY. >> ROUGHLY.
>> Stephen: ROUGHLY, OKAY. YOU "MEET THE PRESS" TURNED 75
IN NOVEMBER. AND YOU WERE ONE OF ITS ANCHORS.
AND I JUST WANT TO REMIND PEOPLE...
OF...
YOU THOUGHT YOU WERE GOING TO EMBARRASS ME WITH THAT PICTURE.
I THINK SOME OF THEM THINK, "YOU KNOW WHAT?
YES, IT WAS A HELMET HEAD. YES, THE HAIR WAS A LITTLE LONG,
BUT COME ON, GUYS. >> Stephen: THERE'S NOTHING
EMBARRASSING ABOUT THAT PHOTOGRAPH?
>> INTENTALLY, THIS IS A FUNNY THING, THEY SHOWED ME THE
PICTURE BEFOREHAND, YOUR PRODUCERS DID, LOOK AT THE TIES.
THE TIES ARE ALMOST IDENTICAL. >> Stephen: THAT IS THE
CONSISTENCY WE WANT IN A CHRIS WALLACE.
WHO WAS YOUR FAVORITE PERSON TO INTERVIEW IN THAT PERIOD OF TIME
YOU WERE THE HOST, THE MOST MEMORABLE INTERVIEW?
>> WITHOUT ANY QUESTION, IT'S EASY-- RICHARD M. NIXON.
>> Stephen: WOW. >> HE CAME ON IN 1987 OR-- '88,
I THINK. AND IT WAS TOM BROKAW, JOHN
CHANCELLOR AND ME INTERVIEWING RICHARD NIXON.
IT WAS THE FIRST TIME HE'D BEEN ON SINCE BEFORE HE BECAME
PRESIDENT, AND CERTAINLY, OBVIOUSLY, SINCE WATERGATE.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS I'D HEARD AFTERWARDS, WHICH FASCINATED ME,
IS THAT TO PREPARE-- I MEAN, HE'S BEEN THROWN OUT OF OFFICE,
WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO TO HIM-- HE WROTE DOWN EVERY QUESTION HE
THOUGHT WE WOULD ASK AND WROTE OUT ON A LEGAL PAD EVERY ANSWER
TO THE QUESTION AND BASICALLY MEMORIZED IT.
THAT WAS THE KIND OF PRECISION-- I WILL TELL YOU ONE OTHER THING
ABOUT HIM. HE MADE A BUNCH OF PREDICTIONS
ON THAT SHOW. THEY WERE ALL REALLY COVERAGENT.
THEY WERE ALL FASCINATING AND INFORMED.
THEY WERE ALL WRONG. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM.
>> Stephen: DO YOU REMEMBER ANY OF THEM?
LIKE WHAT WAS HE WRONG ABOUT? >> HE WAS WRONG ABOUT A SUPREME
COURT JUSTICE. HE WAS WRONG ABOUT WHO WAS GOING
T WIN THE WORLD SERIES. YOU NAME TRICHARD NIXON WAS
WRONG. BUT HE WAS SMART.
>> Stephen: DID YOU BELIEVE HIM AT THE TIME.
DID YOU GO, THAT GUY KNOWS WHAT HE'S TALKING ABOUT.
>> I DON'T THINK I'D SAY I EVER BELIEVED RICHARD NIXON.
>> Stephen: YOU SPENT 20 YEARS INTERVIEWING POLITICIANS ON YOUR
SUNDAY SHOW. >> YES.
>> Stephen: AND NOW YOU'VE GOT THE NEW SHOW GOING INTO INTO THE
SECOND SEASON ""LOOK WHO'S TALKING TO CHRIS WALLACE."
>> IT'S NOT "LOOK. IT'S "WHO'S TALKING TO CHRIS
WALLACE?" >> Stephen: THERE'S NO LOOK?
>> YOU THINK IT WOULD BE BETTER AS "LOOK WHO'S TALKING TO CHRIS
WALLACE?" >> Stephen: MAYBE.
>> WE'LL PROBABLY SPEND A MILLION DOLLARS ON MARKETING.
ANYWAY, "WHO'S TALKING TO CHRIS WALLACE?"
WE DID 10 WEEKS, 30 GUESTS, AND WE'RE BEGINNING SEASON TWO
TOMORROW WITH JAMES CAMERON, ABOUT AVATAR.
WHAT'S FASCINATING IS IT HAS BECOME A BUSINESS STORY NOW
WHICH IS IS HE GOING TO MAKE ENOUGH MONEY TO MAKE AVATAR 3,
4, AND 5? AND IT LOOKS LIKE HE IS.
>> Stephen: DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH MONEY HE HAS TO MAKE TO
MAKE THE REST? >> HE SAID SOMETHING BETWEEN
$1.5 BILLION-- WHICH HE MADE-- AND $2 BILLION.
>> Stephen: HAVE YOU SEEN THE MOVIE?
>> I HAVE SEEN IT. >> Stephen: WHAT DID YOU
THINK? >> I THOUGHT IT WAS VERY GOOD
AND A LITTLE LONG. >> Stephen: ARE YOU GOING TO
SAY THAT TO HIM? DO YOU SAY THAT TO HIM IN THE
INTERVIEW? >> I HAVE ALREADY INTERVIEWED
HIM. >> Stephen: DID YOU SAY THAT?
>> I SAID HALF OF THAT TO HIM. >> Stephen: CAN I JUST GUESS
WHICH HALF?
>> Stephen: THESE ARE REALLY GOOD GUESTS.
"LOOK WHO'S TALKING TO CHRIS WALLACE."
>> "WHO'S TALKING TO CHRIS WALLACE?"
CAN I BRING SOMETHING UP HERE. >> Stephen: SURE, GO AHEAD.
>> THE LAST TIME I WAS ON THE SHOW IT WAS MARCH 27.
>> Stephen: I REMEMBER IT WELL.
CNN+ STILL EXISTED. THANK YOU, THERE IS THE ONE
VIEWER OF CNN+. IT WAS THE DAY BEFORE THE SHOW
WAS GOING TO DEBUT, AND YOU AND I HAD A CONVERSATION BECAUSE WE
WERE TALKING ABOUT BOOKING AND HOW IMPORTANT IT IS --
>> Stephen: ON AIR WE WERE TALKING?
>> YES, IT EXIST S. >> Stephen: THIS IS ON TAPE.
>> YES. >> AND I SAID, "YOU KNOW WHO I
WOULD REALLY LIKE TO HAVE AS A GUEST, YOU?"
AND YOU SAID, "YOU KNOW WHAT?" AND YOU SHOOK MY HAND," AND
SAID, "IT'S A DEAL." SINCE THEN WE HAVE TALKED TO HIS
IS EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, AND WE KEEP HEARING-- HIS SCHEDULE IS
SUCH. THIS HAS BEEN SINCE LAST MARCH
AND HE CAN'T DO IT. YOU TELL A FEW JOKES, YOU ASK A
FEW QUESTIONS THAT SOMEBODY WROTE OUT FOR YOU, YOUR SCHEDULE
IS SUCH THAT YOU CAN'T COME ON AND DO-- THE BAND!
THE BAND HAS TURNED ON YOU! YOU CAN'T COME ON FOR HALF AN
HOUR TO-- AND I'LL TELL YOU WHAT.
WE WILL CHANGE THE NAME OF THE SHOW TO "LOOK WHO'S TALKING TO
CHRIS WALLACE." >> Stephen: CHRIS, "IT'S A
DEAL!
WORTH. >> Stephen: 100-- YOU BETCHA.
IT'S WHAT I CALL A TV PROMISE, CHRIS.
YOU BETCHA. DID YOU-- NOW, WOULD YOU EVER
WANT TO DO A SUNDAY SHOW AGAIN? BECAUSE YOU WERE SO GOOD AT
DOING THE SUNDAY SHOW. WHY WOULDN'T YOU WANT TO GO BACK
AND DO THAT? YOU GET TO TALK TO THE NEWS
MAKERS AND EVERYTHING? >> BECAUSE, ONE, IT'S SUNDAY
MORNINGS. GETTING UP EARLY, I DID IT FOR
18 YEARS. >> Stephen: OH, YEAH, YOU DO
THAT STUFF LIVE. >> YEAH, YEAH IT'S CALLED NEWS.
>> Stephen: WE PRETAPE. WE PRETAPE.
>> HONESTLY, AFTER 18 YEARS OF DOING IT AND, LIKE, ONE WEEK IT
WOULD BE WHAT HAPPENED IN THE "BUILD BACK BETTER BILL" TODAY
AS OPPOSED TO LAST WEEK, AND INCREMENTAL CHANGE.
>> Stephen: EXACTLY. >> TO BE ABLE TO SIT DOWN WITH A
JAMES CAMERON, "HUGH JACKMAN, JANE FONDA WHO WE'RE GOING TO
DO, YOU KNOW, YOU GET REAL PEOPLE IN REAL MOMENTS, AND YOU
HAVE REAL DISCUSSIONS. AND, YES, OF COURSE, THEY'VE
TALKED TO HIR PUBLICIST, BUT IT DOESN'T SEEM LIKE THEY'RE JUST
FILLED WITH SCRIPTING, TALKING POINTS.
AND THE-- YOU KNOW, AT A CERTAIN POINT, PEOPLE FORGET THE LIGHTS,
AND WE TALK FOR HALF AN HOUR. PEOPLE FORGET THE LIGHTS.
THEY FORGET CAMERAS. AND MAYBE YOU GET A REAL MOMENT.
>> Stephen: WOW. >> LIKE YOU AND I ARE HAVING
RIGHT NOW. >> Stephen: WHAT IS THE FIRST
THING YOU WOULD WANT TO ASK ME IF I CAME ON THE SHOW?
SELL ME. >> WHY THE HELL DID YOU NOT KEEP
YOUR PROMISE FROM LAST MARCH?
A SECOND! I DIDN'T SAY I WOULD COME ON IN
SEASON ONE OR TWO OR THREE OR FOUR.
>> WELL, ARE YOU COMING CAN,s ON SEASON TWO.
>> Stephen: LET'S... LET'S SEE HOW THE SHOW GOES.
I THINK YOU'RE NEVER GOING OFF THE AIR, CHRIS.
I THINK I COULD KEEP THIS PROMISE 10 YEARS FROM NOW.
THAT'S HOW CONFIDENT I AM IN "WHO IS TALKING TO CHRIS
WALLACE." >> YOU GOT THE NAME OF THE SHOW
RIGHT. >> Stephen: IS THAT WHAT IT'S
CALLED? >> YES.
>> Stephen: I DON'T LIKE THAT NAME.
I WILL SEE YOU THERE. WHERE DO YOU GUYS TAPE?
>> WELL, RIGHT DOWN IN HUDSON YARD S.
>> Stephen: OOOH. THAT'S A LONG WAY AWAY.
20 BLOCKS. SEASON TWO OF "WHO'S TALKING TO
CHRIS WALLACE?" STARRING STEPHEN COLBERT, STARTS TOMORROW ON HBO
MAX AND SUNDAY ON CNN.