WELCOME BACK!
MY NEXT GUEST IS AN ACTRESS AND FILMMAKER WHO CURRENTLY STARS IN
THE CBS SITCOM "LIFE IN PIECES."
>> NOW WE HAVE A WEEKLY BRUNCH AND MOVIE NIGHT.
WE DIDN'T EVEN TAKE LARK OUT OF HER BABY SEAT.
>> I HAVE LITERALLY SEEN CONJOINED TWINS SPEND LESS TIME
TOGETHER THAN THIS FAMILY.
>> IS IT & NOW THAT I'VE SEEN YOUR REACTION, IT'S SICKENING.
>> YEAH, BUT ISN'T IT-- ISN'T IT KIND OF SWEET, HOW MUCH THEY
LOVE EACH OTHER?
BECAUSE I DON'T THINK IT IS.
>> NO, NO.
YOU KNOW WHAT THIS IS ABOUT?
IT'S ABOUT BOUNDARIES.
BECAUSE IF WE DON'T FIGHT THIS NOW, WE'RE GOING TO BE OVER HERE
EVERY SINGLE NIGHT, AND WE'RE NOT EVEN BLOOD RELATED.
>> Stephen: PLEASE WELCOME ZOE LISTER-JONES.
♪ ♪ ♪
>> THANK YOU!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: PLEASE.
>> THANK YOU!
>> Stephen: I LIKE THOSE SHOES.
>> THANK YOU.
>> Stephen: YEAH THEY'RE ATTENTION-GETTERS.
>> YEAH, THEY'RE UNDERSTATED.
YEAH.
>> Stephen: WELL, I THOUGHT RIGHT BEFORE YOU CAME OUT HERE
THAT THIS WOULD BE THE FIRST TIME I MET YOU, BUT I WAS
INFORMED BY ONE OF MY PRODUCERS THAT WE HAVE MET BEFORE.
WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?
THIS IS YOU AND ME AND YOUR TV HUBBY, COLIN HANKS.
>> THAT'S RIGHT, YEAH.
WELL, OUR SHOWS LAUNCHED THE SAME YEAR ON CBS.
>> Stephen: OH, THAT'S RIGHT.
>> AND SO THIS WAS, LIKE, A PRESS PARTY.
AND I WAS FANNING OUT SO HARD OVER YOU BEING THERE, AND SO I
FORCED COLIN TO INTRODUCE ME TO YOU.
AND HE BEGRUDGINGLY DID SO.
AND THEN I FORCED US ALL TO TAKE A PICTURE.
( LAUGHTER ).
>> Stephen: IT'S A GOOD PICTURE.
>> IT'S VERY GOOD, YEAH!
I HAVE, LIKE, A GO-TO INSTAGRAM FACE THAT'S MUCH MORE LIKE A--
KIND OF LIKE SEXY CORPSE.
IT'S JUST, LIKE, VERY SORT OF VACANT.
AND IN THIS I'M THRILLED.
>> Stephen: YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY-- YOU'RE-- YOU'RE
SHOCKED.
>> YEAH.
( LAUGHTER ).
>> Stephen: WE MAKE A CUTE THRUPLE.
>> WE'RE CBS' KARDASHIANS.
>> Stephen: WHICH ONE AM I?
( LAUGHTER ) ZOE LISTER-JONES, THAT'S KIND OF
A FUN HYPHENATED LAST NAME.
>> Stephen: YEAH.
>> WHERE DID THE LISTER-JONES COME FROM?
>> IT'S EACH OF MY PARENTS' NAMES.
MY MOM IS LISTER AND MY DAD IS JONES, AND, YOU KNOW, THEY WERE
JUST SUBVERTING THE PATRIARCHAL SYSTEM.
>> Stephen: LIKE YOU DO.
>> JUST CASUALLY, WHEN YOU HAVE A FIRSTBORN.
AND, YEAH, I LOVE IT.
I MEAN IT'S-- YOU KNOW, IT GETS TO BE KIND OF A NIGHTMARE WHEN
IT COMES TO, LIKE, PICKING UP PRESCRIPTION S.
>> Stephen: BECAUSE YTHEY DON'T KNOW HOW IT'S FILED?
>> YEAH, BECAUSE ALPHABETIZATION...
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: YOU MADE IT.
>> ALPHABETIZATION IS DIFFICULT.
THEY ALWAYS WANT TO KNOW WHICH ONE IT IS UNDER.
>> Stephen: WHICH ONE SHOULD IT BE LISTED UNDER LISTER OR
JONES?
>> I LET THE PEOPLE DECIDE.
I GENERALLY THINK IT SHOULD BE UNDER "L."
>> Stephen: WHAT ABOUT ZOE?
>> WELL, ZOE, MY MOM ACTUALLY-- I HAD A DIFFERENT NAME FOR THE
FIRST 10 DAYS OF MY LIFE.
>> Stephen: NOW, WHY WOULD THAT BE?
>> SO MY MOM STUDIED KABALA-- >> Stephen: OH, SHE'S AN
ALCHEMIST.
>> IT'S LIKE JEWISH MYSTICISM.
>> Stephen: SURE.
>> AND THERE'S A TRADITION WHERE YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO NAME YOUR
KID A TERRIBLE, CRAEP NAME FOR THE FIRST 10 DAYS OF ITS LIFE
THAT, LIKE, YOU KNOW, THE EVIL SPIRITS PASS IT BY.
>> Stephen: I DON'T-- I DON'T ACTUALLY KNOW.
( LAUGHTER ).
>> IT'S BASED IN-- YEAH, YEAH.
>> Stephen: IF IT'S A BAD NAME, THE EVIL SPIRITS G, WE
DON'T WANT ANYTHING TO DO WITH THAT."
>> "THAT'S A STINKER."
>> Stephen: "WE'RE LOOKING FOR A REALLY PRETTY NAME, LIKE
CHERYL."
>> EXACTLY.
SO SHE NAMED ME DIRT PAN.
( LAUGHTER ) WHICH-- NOT LIKE-- NOT EVEN DUST
PAN, WHICH IS WHAT THAT THING IS THAT YOU SWEEP, BUT JUST A
RECEPTACLE FOR DIRT.
>> Stephen: BECAUSE A DUST PAN IS SOMETHING YOU SWEEP UP, AND
THEN YOU KIND OF SWEEP IT OUT.
BUT A DIRT PAN, I JUST PICTURE, LIKE, AN OLD PAN WITH DIRT IN
IT.
>> YEAH, YEAH.
>> Stephen: DID YOU ASK WHY SHE CHOSE DIRT PAN FOR YOUR
NAME?
>> WE HAVEN'T GOTTEN TO THAT YET.
NO, I DON'T KNOW WHY.
I THINK SHE JUST THOUGHT THAT WAS THE MOST GARBAGE NAME SHE
COULD GIVE ME.
LISTEN, I'M HERE TO TELL THEISTIC SO IT WORKED.
CLEARLY--
>> Stephen: THAT'S GOOD.
>> THOSE EVIL SPIRITS JUST -- >> Stephen: SOUND WISDOM.
SOUND WISDOM.
>> SCIENTIFICALLY BASED, YEAH.
>> Stephen: YOU DID A MOVIE THAT CAME OUT LAST YEAR CALLED
"BAND-AID" WHICH YOU WROTE AND DIRECTED AS WELL.
>> DI.
>> Stephen: IT'S ABOUT A HUSBAND AND WIFE WORKING OUT
THEIR PROBLEMS THROUGH THEIR BAND, RIGHT?
>> YEAH, IT'S ABOUT A HUSBAND AND WIFE WHO CAN'T STOP FIGHTING
SO THEY TURN ALL THEIR FIGHTS INTO SONGS AND START A BAND.
>> Stephen: IT WAS FRED ARMSON.
>> FRED ARMSON IS OUR WEIRD NEIGHBOR AND HE STARTS PLAYING
DRUMS.
>> Stephen: NOT ONLY DID YOU DIRECT AND WRITE THIS, BUT MY
UNDERSTANDING, EVERY SINGLE PERSON, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF
THE MALE ACT ORGANIZE EVERY PERSON WHO WORKED ON THIS IN ANY
CAST WAS A WOMAN ON THIS.
>> YEAH, YEAH.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) THANKS.
>> Stephen: HOW DID THAT CHANGE-- YEAH I HAVE NEVER
WORKED ON SOMETHING THAT WAS ENTIRELY WOMAN.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: I HAVE WORKED ON THINGS THAT WERE ENTIRELY MEN,
SADLY.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: HOW DID THAT CHANGE THE VIBE?
>> IT WAS JUST LIKE GENERALLY AWESOME.
( APPLAUSE ).
>> YEAH, YOU KNOW, I HAD-- I HAD WITNESSED SUCH A SEVERE
UNDER-REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN ON FILM AND TV CREWS, AND SO I WAS
FINALLY IN A POSITION TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.
AND IT WAS JUST A VERY COOL, CALM, RELAXED, COMMUNICATIVE,
EFFICIENT VIBE.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT.
( APPLAUSE ) AND --
>> Stephen: MAYBE-- MAYBE-- >> THANK YOU.
>> Stephen: MAYBE FOR THE GOVERNMENT AS WELL WOULD BE
NICE.
>> SURE, YEAH!
I SAY-- I SAY ACROSS ALL INDUSTRIES.
I THINK, YOU KNOW, IN INDUSTRIES THAT ARE SO MALE DOMINATED, SUCH
AS OURSELVES, THERE'S A LOT OF CONVERSATION AROUND INEQUITY,
BUT THERE'S SORT OF A QUESTION ABOUT HOW TO ACTUALLY EFFECT
CHANGE.
AND I KNEW THAT IF I DIDN'T SET THE STANDARD OF HIRING ALL
WOMEN, I WOULD KIND OF FALL VICTIM TO THE SAME TRAPS THAT A
LOT OF PRODUCTIONS FALL INTO, WHICH IS THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE
LOOKING FOR THE PERSON WITH THE MOST EXPERIENCE OR PEOPLE WHO
YOU HAVE WORKING RELATIONSHIPS, AND BECAUSE THE SYSTEM IS KIND
OF SO BROKEN, YOU TEND TO JUST KEEP HIRING THE SAME DUDE S.
>> Stephen: WELL, HAVE YOU DONE ANY OTHER ALL-FEMALE
PROJECTS?
>> NOT YET-- OH, ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW WHAT?
WE ACTUALLY SHOT A MUSIC VIDEO FOR OUR BAND, AND I HIRED AN
ALL-FEMALE CREW FOR THE MUSIC VIDEO.
YEAH, YEAH.
>> Stephen: THAT'S COOL.
LOVELY TO MEET YOU.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
>> Stephen: "LIFE IN PIECES" AIRS THURSDAYS, ONLY ON CBS.
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH SUPERSTAR LEXICOGRAPHER,
JOHN McWHORTER.