>> Stephen: OH, HEY.
WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, YOU KNOW MY GUEST TONIGHT AS AN ACTOR
FROM "HOUSE OF CARDS," "ANT-MAN," AND "BILLIONS."
PLEASE WELCOME COREY STOLL.
♪ ♪ ♪
♪ ♪ ♪ >> Stephen: NICE TO SEE YOU
AGAIN.
THANKS FOR BEING BACK, MAN.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME BACK.
>> Stephen: ALSO NICE TO HAVE A TRUE STAGE ACTOR HERE ON THIS
BROADWAY STAGE OF THE ED SULLIVAN THEATER, A MAN WHO CAN
APPRECIATE A CROWD LIKE THIS.
>> IT REALLY TOUCHES MY HEART.
I HAVEN'T BEEN ON A STAGE IN TWO YEARS, AND IT'S JUST A
BEAUTIFUL, A BEAUTIFUL PLACE TO BE.
>> Stephen: BUT RIGHT BEFORE--
RIGHT BEFORE COVID CLOSED EVERYTHING DOWN, YOU WERE
PLAYING McBETH.
>> INDEED.
>> Stephen: WHERE WERE YOU DOING THIS?
>> AT C.S.C. DOWNTOWN.
>> Stephen: AND CLASSIC SHAKESPEARE.
>> CLASSIC STAGE COMPANY.
>> Stephen: CLASSIC STAGE COMPANY.
YOUR WIFE, WAS PLAYING LADY MACBETH.
HERE YOU GUYS ARE RIGHT THERE.
AND ALL-- THAT'S THE FIRST "AW" THAT LADY MACBETH HAS EVER
GOTTEN.
"AW, SHE'S TELLING HIM TO MURDER THE KING."
WHAT WAS IT LIKE FOR THE TWO OF YOU AS AN ACTUAL HUSBAND AND
WIFE TO PLAY THIS-- I MEAN, NEXT TO ROMEO AND JULIETTE, MAYBE THE
MOST FAMOUS COUPLE IN SHAKESPEARE.
>> YES, AND JUST AS TRAGICALLY.
IT WAS A DELIGHT.
I MEAN THAT "AW" THAT YOU GOT, IT FITS THE WHOLE VIEP OF WHAT
THE EXPERIENCE WAS WHEN WE DID IT.
THERE WAS A LOT OF TREPIDATION AT THE BEGINNING, LIKE, DO WE
WANT TO DO THIS?
DO WE WANT TO BRING THIS KIND OF ENERGY INTO OUR MARRIAGE?
>> Stephen: DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
>> YEAH, WE HAVE A YOUNG BOY.
>> Stephen: OKAY.
>> HE'S SIX NOW, HE WAS FOUR THEN.
>> Stephen: DID HE SEE THE PERFORMANCE?
>> NO, HE CAME-- HE SAW A FIGHT CALL ONCE, WHERE YOU GO THROUGH
ALL THE FIGHTS.
>> Stephen: SURE, SURE.
>> JUST TO MAKE SURE IT'S STILL IN YOUR BODY.
AND HE THOUGHT THAT WAS PRETTY COOL.
>> Stephen: YOU HAVE DONE A FAIR AMOUNT OF SHAKESPEARE.
"JULIUS CAESAR" AND "OTELLO."
WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST ENCOUNTER WITH SHAKESPEARE?
I'M CURIOUS WITH PEOPLE WHO HAVE DONE A FAIR AMOUNT.
WHEN DID YOU FIRST MEET SHAKESPEARE?
>> AS IT WERE?
>> MY DAD WAS A JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL ENGLISH TEACHER GROWING
UP-- WHEN I WAS GROWING UP, NOT WHEN HE WAS GROWING UP.
AND HE WOULD, YOU KNOW, TAKE THE STUDENTS TO ALL THESE GREAT
OFF-BROADWAY PRODUCTIONS AND I WOULD TAG ALONG.
AND, YEAH, EVEN LIKE STARTING AT A REALLY YOUNG AGE, NINE, 10,
SEEING SHAKESPEARE AND NOT GETTING THE-- YOU KNOW, HARDLY
ANY OF IT.
>> Stephen: DO YOU REMEMBER THE FIRST THING YOU SAW?
>> I THINK IT WAS A "HAMLET."
I THINK I WAS LIKE 10, AND "HAMLET" AND THE GHOST, ZERO
BUDGET PRODUCTION, AND THE GHOST WAS A FLASHLIGHT UP AGAINST THE
WALL.
AND I WAS MERMERRIZED.
I THOUGHT IT WAS SUPER COOL.
>> Stephen: YOUR LATEST FILM IS ACTUALLY SHAKESPEARE RELATED,
"WEST SIDE STORY" WHICH IS, OF COURSE, A MODERN TAKE ON "ROMEO
AND JULIETTE."
( APPLAUSE )
WAS THE THIS FIRST TIME YOU WORKED WITH STEPHEN SPIELBERG?
>> YES.
>> Stephen: I HEAR HE'S GOOD.
WHAT WAS THAT EXPERIENCE LIKE?
>> HE'S GOT A FUTURE.
HE'S GOT A FUTURE.
HE-- YOU KNOW, HE IS-- HE LOVES WHAT HE'S DOING, EVERY MOMENT OF
WHAT HE'S DOING WHEN HE'S ON SET.
YOU GET A SENSE THAT HE WOULD-- WOULDN'T RATHER BE ANYWHERE ELSE
IN THE WORLD.
SO IT WAS-- AND THE WHOLE-- I HAD NEVER SEEN AN ENSEMBLE LIKE
THAT.
I COME FROM KNOW-- QUOTE, UNQUOTE-- LEGIT THEATER-- NO
SINGING.
AND I THINK THERE'S A CERTAIN SNOBBERY WITH THAT, AND WE THINK
OF, YOU KNOW, MUSICAL THEATER PEOPLE AS, LIKE, CATTY AND, YOU
KNOW, REALLY COMPETITIVE.
AND IT COULDN'T HAVE BEEN MORE DIFFERENT.
IT WAS THE MOST, LIKE, LOVING, SUPPORTIVE --
>> Stephen: DO YOU SING IN IT?
>> NO!
>> Stephen: REALLY?
>> NO, YOU WOULDN'T WANT TO SEE THAT, NO.
I WISH-- I WISH I COULD ADD VALUE BY SINGING TO THE SHOW,
BUT...
>> Stephen: OKAY, YOU'RE ALSO IN "BILLIONS."
AND YOU PLAY A BILLIONAIRE BANKER.
AND IS IT FUN TO PLAY A BILLIONAIRE?
DO YOU GET NICE CLOTHES?
AND IS IT NICE LOCATIONS AND EVERYTHING?
BECAUSE I IMAGINE IT'S, YOU KNOW, MORE COMFORTABLE THAN
PLAYING A DUSTBOWL OKIE.
>> YEAH, YEAH.
THE CLOTHES ARE INCREDIBLE.
BUT, YOU KNOW, AFTER-- YOU KNOW, WE WERE FILMING AND WE HAD TO
SHUT DOWN FOR THE PANDEMIC, AND THEN WE WAIT AID YEAR --
>> Stephen: HOW FAR WERE YOU INTO THE SEASON?
>> WE WERE ABOUT EIGHT EPISODES IN AND WE HAD ABOUT FOUR LEFT.
AND, YOU KNOW, I HAD BEEN WEARING PAJAMAS,s LIKE THE
REST OF THE WORLD, FOR A SURE.
>> Stephen: SURE, IF YOU'RE LUCKY.
>> AND THEN, YOU KNOW, COMING BACK INTO THESE STRUCTURED SUITS
WAS-- IT WAS A LITTLE-- IT WAS A RUDE AWAKENING.
>> Stephen: WE HAVE A CLIP HERE.
CAN YOU TELL ME WHAT'S HAPPENING?
IT'S YOU AND...
>> PAUL GIAMATTI.
>> Stephen: EXACTLY.
>> WHO PLAYS CHUCK RHOADES, WHO IS THE NEW YORK STATE ATTORNEY
GENERAL.
I THINK IT'S SELF-EXPLANATORY.
I SORT OF BETRAY HIM AT THE END OF THE LAST SEASON, AND I TRY TO
MAKE AMENDZ.
>> Stephen: ALL RIGHT, JIM.
>> SO YOU'VE BECOME A MODERN DAY, LEAVING MATTERS OF STATE
FOR THE PLOW.
>> I REALLY NEEDED A BREAK, A RECHARGE.
>> I IMAGINE YOU FEEL THERE'S UNFINISHED BUSINESS WITH ME.
BUT I'M UNLIKE THE MAN WHO CAME BEFORE ME.
I WILL NEVER GIVE YOU A LEGAL OPENING, BECAUSE I DO NOT BREAK
THE LAW.
>> BILLIONAIRES BREAK THE LAWS OF DECENCY, EVEN WHILE OBEYING
THE LETTER.
>> BY DEFINITION, HAVING THAT MUCH IS CRIMINAL.
>> A POINT MUCH OPEN TO DEBATE.
BUT I CAN BE YOUR ALLY.
>> Stephen: NOW--
FAIRLY RECENTLY-- I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S BEEN ONE YEAR-- FAIRLY
RECENTLY THERE WAS A POWERBALL OUT THERE THAT WAS $600 MILLION.
IT MIGHT STILL-- I DON'T KNOW IF ANYBODY HAS WON IT YET.
DID YOU EVER FANTASIZE ABOUT WINNING THE LOTTERY?
WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITH A BILLION YOURSELF?
>> I'M, LIKE, A VERY BAD FANTASIZER ABOUT GETTING RICH.
WELL, WHENEVER THE LOTTERY GETS REALLY HIGH, I-- I HAVE A LITTLE
MOMENT OF FANTASIZING ABOUT IT.
AND THEN I THINK OH, I'D GET A REALLY NICE APARTMENT, AND I'D,
YOU KNOW, INVITE MY WHOLE FAMILY TO SOME TROPICAL ISLAND.
AND THEN THE SHAME SPIRAL BEGINS AND I THINK ABOUT ALL THE OTHER
PEOPLE THAT SHOULD HAVE THAT MONEY.
AND EVEN THIS JUST EXERCISE IN FANTASY, I-- IT-- I RUIN IT.
( LAUGHTER )
YOU.
>> I KNOW.
DOESN'T THAT SUCK.
>> Stephen: WELL, IN THAT CASE, FOR YOUR OWN SAKE, I HOPE
YOU NEVER GET $1 BILLION.
>> THANK YOU.
>> Stephen: I WOULDN'T WANT YOU TO FEEL THAT.
>> I WOULDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH IT.
>> Stephen: COREY, SO LOVELY TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE SEASON SIX OF "BILLIONS"
PREMIERES JANUARY 23 ON SHOWTIME.
COREY STOLL, EVERYBODY.
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK.