-I want to shift gears, because based on everything --
-Sure. -[ Laughs ]
[ Laughter and applause ]
-Well, I feel -- there you go. Thank you.
Let's -- because I -- -My Sinéad O'Connor look.
[ Laughter ] This is for the play.
-But this does speak -- -Yes.
-It speaks to the amazing breadth you have as an actor.
Because this play you're doing,
"Angels in America", is a very serious play.
You're playing Roy Cohn... -Yes.
-...who is a real person. -The Dr. Frankenstein to --
-Yeah. -Donald Trump's monster.
-Yeah, he was Donald Trump's lawyer and mentor.
-Lawyer and mentor. -And --
-Yes, he paid him to do all his dirty work,
which, I know, is shocking. -Yeah.
-Donald Trump paying someone -- -To do his dirty work.
-Yeah. -How -- you played this part
before in London. -Yes, seven months I was there.
-Seven months. So -- and how has it been so far?
How has it been returning to it? -It's...let's put it this way,
I've been an actor for 43 years. This is my 21st Broadway show.
And I would say this is probably the greatest ensemble of actors
I've ever worked with. I mean, certainly the play, you know,
is a Pulitzer Prize-winner.
It's incredibly funny and profoundly moving piece.
And it's all centered around Andrew Garfield,
who plays the leading character, Prior Walter.
And he's giving a magnificent performance.
And so I think if people know the play,
you've never quite seen it done like this.
Marianne Elliott is the director.
She did the "War Horse,"
"The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime."
She's an incredibly gifted and inspiring director.
And this is -- if you think you've seen it,
you haven't seen this version,
and it's well worth checking out.
-I can't wait. -It's a magnificent play.
-It really is a magnificent play.
And I really can't wait to see you doing it.
I want to ask about something else that's serious --
-Yeah. -But you actually have
a little history with this as well.
You know, obviously, Harvey Weinstein came up
a little bit last night. -Oh, yeah.
-He's come up a fair amount, as well he should.
You have -- you had had a history with him for years
and you had not gotten along with him for a very long time.
-Well, I'll tell you what happened to Harvey Weinstein.
Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.
[ Laughter ]
I'm putting my glasses back on for this.
-Yeah, yeah, please. -Harvey Weinstein --
in 2000, my publicist called and said,
"Harvey Weinstein would like you to host a fundraiser
for Hillary Clinton." And he said, "you know,
"he produces a lot of movies.
It wouldn't be bad to be on his good side."
-Sure. -So I said, "okay."
And they said, "he wants to pre-screen the jokes,"
because someone else hosted a fundraiser
and said something offensive
and he doesn't want to go through that again.
I said, "okay." But I was working with some
writers from Letterman, actually, and who
I wasn't worried and we weren't going to do anything offensive.
So we never heard from him until the night of the show.
And then about an hour beforehand, he came backstage
and like, Tony Soprano, and was screaming.
You know, "you got to cut this, you got to cut that.
I don't understand this. This sucks."
And I said, "no, it's too late. I can't do that now."
It's -- you know. And as we know --
-Yeah. -Now, he doesn't take no
for an answer easily. -Yeah.
[ Light laughter ] -So -- so...
[ Laughter and applause ] Things got heated.
-Sure. [ Applause ]
-And unpleasantries were exchanged.
And he said, you know, "I'll get someone else to do it."
I said, "fine, I think I saw Regis Philbin out there.
See if he's available." And he started to push me
into a corner and he's screaming at me and it crescendoed with,
"I'll ruin you," he said. "I'll ruin you."
And I said, "you can't hurt me. I don't have a film career."
[ Laughter ]
So the next thing I know,
I'm called up to see Hillary Clinton.
She got out of her coffin. She said --
[ Laughter and applause ]
She says, "listen, you know, I apologize for Harvey.
"But cut these jokes because it'll only -- it'll just make
life easier for all of us." And I said, I gave in,
and I said, okay. So we do the show.
In the middle of the show, I'm supposed to introduce Cher.
So then they come to me and they say,
"Cher is stuck in traffic."
Now when have you last heard that?
[ Laughter ]
When you're doing a show. Cher is stuck in traffic.
They said, "you're going do have to fill." So I go --
-Which is a nightmare for anyone hosting anything.
-Sure. -It's the last thing
you want to hear. -You gotta fill.
-Yeah. -So I went out and I said,
"I'm sorry, ladies and gentlemen,
"Cher, who was supposed to be here,
had to stop to have some emergency plastic surgery."
[ Laughter ] "So in the meantime,
"I'm going to do all the jokes
that Harvey Weinstein made me cut."
[ Laughter and applause ]
[ Cheers and applause ]
"If you find me in the Hudson tomorrow, you'll know why."
[ Laughter ]
-It is so wonderful to see you each and every time you're here.
-Thank you, thank you.
-Give it to for Nathan Lane, everybody.