-I'm so happy you're here. Here, please, have a seat.
I'm so happy. Happy you're here. Thanks so much for --
Last time I saw you, I was --
I went backstage to say what a great job you did.
-You did. -"To Kill a Mockingbird."
You crushed it. There you are. There we are.
There's a photo of us.
-Remember you know who that is, sir?
-Wait. Don't tell me. Wait.
This is very -- very interesting.
Yes, I do remember who that was. -Come on, come on.
-It was... -Old-school.
-...Gregory Peck's... -That's it.
-...grandson? -And look at him.
-He looks like -- -If there's anyone
who's over 50,
you might remember what Gregory Peck looks like.
He looks just like him. -Yeah.
And he was at "To Kill a Mockingbird."
Did you know he was there when you were --
-No, we didn't. He came backstage.
Glenn Close.
-Oh, Glenn Close. That's right. -This is Glenn Close.
-Glenn Close was there. I mean -- I feel like --
When you're doing the show,
do you find out who is in the audience ever?
Do you like knowing that or you don't like?
-You know, I don't really care. -Yeah!
That's what I'm talking about!
You just go out and you go, "What's up?"
You just crush it anyway. -No.
You're supposed to be so invested in the moment,
in the truth of what you're doing,
which is why I'm a director...
-Yeah! -...that you don't --
You know, actors who get involved in who's out there,
that's a different energy that you don't need
because you need your mind in the moment
of what you're doing because
that's the quickest way to go up, to forget a line,
is to start thinking outside of where you are.
-No. Just be in it. Oh, I love this.
I love getting direction from you. This is awesome.
-I'm going to direct you in something, Jimmy.
-I love it. I would love --
-But it won't be crushing eggs on our head.
[ Laughter ]
-Hey. I got to make a living. Come on.
You know, we had your husband on the show a few months ago,
Samuel L. Jackson, and whose -- We love him.
[ Cheers and applause ]
He's a great guest. Always been great to us.
And he said -- he said to -- to us all
that you were throwing away --
You threw away, like, 500 of his Kangol hats.
-Well, why did he think that was important?
Everybody's purging. Do you know how old we are?
What the heck are you gonna do with 500 Kangol hats?
-Dude, you can't -- -He can't wear them.
He doesn't wear them. He wears them once.
I mean, you give away, and then I end up, like,
packing everything up to, like, take it to a place to see...
A thousand sneakers?
-We didn't get -- -1,000 pair of sneakers.
-We didn't even get into the sneakers.
-We not getting into it now.
[ Laughter ]
I didn't even say it. It just came out of my mouth.
-It just -- "I didn't even say it." Yeah.
What was your first impression of Sam when you --
when you met each other?
-Oh, man. Are you kidding? He was so fine.
Do you remember --
[ Cheers and applause ]
I have to -- I want to --
You know, I talk old-school 'cause I'm 73.
So I think about people who are back --
You know, from back in the day, you think about Linc Hayes.
Clarence Williams III has passed on now, but...
Linc Hayes. Sam looked exactly like Linc Hayes.
He had a huge afro
and these little glasses and he was really tall.
I think he's lost an inch or so, but about --
-"The Mod Squad." -6'4". "Mod Squad."
Looking -- You know what I mean? -Yeah.
-Just down. He was, you know, a brother.
-Yeah, and you were like --
You're like, "Oh, that's -- I think I see something there."
-Well, not quite like that. But --
I said, "I could work with that."
[ Laughter ]
-Yeah.
-It was something.
-And now -- How long has it been?
Been 40? -50...yeah.
-Really? -54 years.
-Wow. Wow.
[ Cheers and applause ]
So -- So you like him.
-That's an -- That's an entire show.
-So you like him. You like him. You like him.
-I like him. -Yeah.
You directed this play right here, "The Piano Lesson."
Congratulations. You're getting rave reviews.
-Thank you.
-Can you explain what the show is about?
-You know, it's -- it's about two --
a brother and a sister who are locked in this battle of legacy
versus a stake in the American dream.
And the whole idea, I hope, that everyone will leave with
is trying to decide either they're Team Bernice,
who wants to keep the legacy and keep the piano
and keep the history of the family...
or Team Boy Willie, who says, "That's going to get us nowhere.
I can go and buy the land, farm the land,
and make something out of that for us and our family
for the next proceeding years."
So that's what it's about.
It's the -- it's the battle for the piano.
-And you're the first female director
to direct an August Wilson play.
-For shame. For shame. Yeah.
[ Cheers and applause ]
For shame.
We're still -- You know, we're still in a struggle
in this country with women to --
for us to own ourselves.
And that's loaded. So, yes.
For us to own our bodies and to own ourselves.
[ Cheers and applause ]
So this -- It's sad that men have been unwilling to share.
But you know what's getting ready to happen.
We're going to turn this thing upside down and you're going to
have to share or move over.
-Yeah. [ Laughs ]
[ Cheers and applause ]
I'm so happy you came on the show tonight,
and you crushed it.
Please come back. And congratulations on the play.
-Thank you for having me. What a great audience.
Thank you...
-Are you kidding me? Latanya Richardson Jackson.
Check out "The Piano Lesson"
through January 15th at the Barrymore Theatre.
We'll be right back with a performance
from Joey Bada$$ with Men I Trust.
Stick around.