>> Stephen: WELCOME BACK, FOLKS!
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MY NEXT GUEST TONIGHT IS A TWO-TIME TONY
WINNER WHO WON THE GOLDEN TICKET THIS YEAR TO PLAY WILLY WONKA ON
BROADWAY.
PLEASE WELCOME, CHRISTIAN BORLE!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ( BAND PLAYING )
>> HI.
>> Stephen: NOW, I HAVE JUST MET YOU BACKSTAGE, I'VE SEEN YOU
BEFORE BUT NEVER WITH NO HAIR ON TOP OF YOUR HEAD.
IS THIS JUST FOR WILLIE?
>> NO, THIS IS PERSONAL.
THIS IS MY WAY OF LETTING THE WORLD KNOW I AM AN AVID READER
OF BREITBART NEWS.
>> Stephen: I DON'T UNDERSTAND...
>> NO, IT'S FOR MY WIG.
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: OH, IT WAS A
SKINHEAD REFERENCE.
I LOVE THE SKINHEAD REFERENCE.
( LAUGHTER ) YOU HAVE A GOOD,
SYMMETRICAL-SHAPED HEAD WITHOUT SCARS ON IT.
WHOA!
CAN WE GET A SHOT OF THAT?
WHAT'S THIS HERE?
IS THAT WHERE THEY PUT THE CHIP IN?
>> I DON'T HAVE TO MEMPLEZ LINES.
>> Stephen: IS THAT FROM YOUR STREET FIGHTING DAYS?
>> MIKEY IN NURSERY SCHOOL BRUSHED ME OFF A FORT.
NO, HE SAID, AND CRACKED ME HEAD OPEN.
GRADUATED FROM HIGH SCHOOL WITH HIM.
IT WAS AN AWKWARD GRADUATION.
>> Stephen: DID MIKEY GET HIS?
HE WILL.
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: WOW.
I'M VERY CLOSE TO STEVE BANNON.
>> Stephen: YOU HAVE A LONG BROADWAY CAREER TWO, TONIES, BY
THE WAY.
>> VERY EXCITED.
( PIANO RIFF ) >> Stephen: IS IT TRUE YOU
STARTED YOUR PERFORMING CAREER HERE IN THE CITY AS AN ELF AT
MACY'S AT CHRISTMASTIME?
>> VERY TRUE.
>> Stephen: WHAT IS THAT HELL LIKE?
>> WELL YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE SEDARISS.
>> Stephen: IS THAT TRUE TO LIFE?
>> VERBATIM WHAT THE EXPERIENCE WAS LIKE.
IT WAS A LIVE ROLLER COAST SNORE DID YOU HAVE TO HAVE A CHARACTER
AS YOUR ELF?
>> WE GOT TO NAME OURSELVES, AND I CHOSE FOR SOME RANDOM REASON
SWIFTIE THE ELF.
>> Stephen: SWIFTIE THE ELF.
SOUNDS LIKE HE'S IN THE MOB.
( LAUGHTER ) GOING TO STICK A PIN WITH A
SHIV.
SWIFTIE THE ELF.
SO WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO DO WITH THE CHILDREN?
>> THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT TASKS THE ELVES HAVE.
YOU CAN EITHER BE A CASHIER ELF, OR YOU CAN BE THE MAGIC TREE
ELF, OR THE SANTA ELF WHICH TAKES THE PHOTOGRAPHS.
MY FAVORITE WAS THE CASHIER ELF.
>> Stephen: DID IT HELP WITH YOU TO DEAL WITH SCREAMING
CHILDREN TO PREPARE YOURSELF TO BE A PERFORMER ON BROAD WAY?
>> DOING WILLY WONKA, YES, IT DID.
I HAVE TO TELL YOU, AROUND CHRISTMASTIME, YOU SEE SOME OF
THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THINGS AND YOU ALSO SEE SOME OF THE MOST
HEARTBREAKING THINGS IN THAT ROOM WITH SANTA.
WHEN HE SAYS, WHAT DO YOU WANT FOR CHRISTMAS?
AND THEY SAY, I JUST WANT MY FATHER BACK.
AND ANOTHER ONE COMES IN AND SAYS, I WANT THIS AND THAT, WHAT
ARE YOU GOING TO GIVE ME?!
AND YOU SEE IT ALL SNIEM NOT SURE MY HEART WON'T BE BROKEN
NOW.
>> THEN MY WORK IS DONE.
>> Stephen: WHEN WE WERE DOING RESEARCH ON YOU, WHEN YOU SEARCH
FOR CHRISTIAN BORLE ON GOOGLE, IT AUTO COMPLETES.
YOU ARE NOT THE FIRST CHOICE.
THE FIRST CHOIRS GOOGLE GIVES YOU IS CHRISTIAN BORLE ARMS.
WHY ARE YOU SO JACKED?
WHY DO YOU HAVE THE HUGE GUNS?
IS THAT COMMON FOR BROADWAY?
>> NO, ACTUALLY, IT'S BECAUSE I HAD STOPPED DOING BROADWAY AND I
WAS DOING A TV SHOW CALLED SMASHED WHICH WAS VERY EXCITING
TO DO, BUT YOU DON'T GET AS MUCH EXERCISE ON TV AS THE STAGE,
PLUS THERE'S THE KRAFT SERVICES AND THEY FEED YOU SO WELL.
>> Stephen: THE JELLY BEANS.
YEAH.
AND I WASN'T GETTING ANY EXERCISE SO I JOINED THE CLOSEST
GYM AND MET THIS INCREDIBLE TRAINER MATT AND I HAVE BEEN
WORKING WITH HIM FIVE YEARS AND WE HAVE BEEN JUST BEEN GOING A
LITTLE CRAZY.
>> Stephen: WHEN YOU WERE WORKING OUT, YOU WERE, LIKE, I'M
COMING FOR YOU, MIKEY.
PAYBACK TIME.
UNBELIEVABLE.
( APPLAUSE ) OBVIOUSLY, PLAYING WILLY WONKA,
YOU'RE IN BIG SHOES.
GENE WILDER, JOHNNY DEPP.
GENE WILDER HAD THE FAMOUS FLIP HE ADDED, THE SOMERSAULT, WHEN
YOU FIRST MEET WILLY WONKA.
ARE YOU DOING THE FLIP?
>> I KIND OF WANT TO KEEP ATE SECRET -- NO, I'M NOT DOING THE
FLIP.
WE DID DEBATE IT.
I THINK THERE ARE OTHER WAYS WE ARE TRYING TO SUBVERT AUDIENCE'S
EXPECTATIONS.
EVERYBODY BRILLS THEIR OWN EXPERIENCE WITH IT AND THERE ARE
CERTAIN THINGS THEY WANT TO SEE, SO WE HAVE BEEN KIND OF
THREADING THE NEEDLE, WHAT DO WE GIVE THEM WHARGTS DO WE NOT, AND
I THINK WITH WE FOUND A CREDIBLE ALTERNATIVE TO FLIP.
>> Stephen: IN THE STORY, IT'S KIND OF A WEIRD, DISTURBING
STORY.
LIKE A LOT OF CHILDREN'S STORES.
DO YOU THINK HE LIKED CHILDREN?
BECAUSE KIDS ARE, LIKE, GETTING KILLED IN THIS THING.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: THEY GET TURNED INTO BIG BLUEBERRIES AND PUT
INTO A TV FOREVER.
>> AND THERE IS ONE PARTICULAR DEMISE IN OUR SHOW THAT I THINK
IS SHOCKING FOR CHILDREN AND ADULTS ALIKE, WHICH I'LL SAY,
ONE HAS AN EXPERIENCE WITH A SQUIRREL.
I THINK HE GAVE CHILDREN A GREAT GIFT WHICH IS WRITING DARK,
TWISTED, SCARY THINGS FOR THEM TO EXPERIENCE REAL FEAR AND
TERROR BUT IN THE SAFETY OF A BOOK AND SO PARENTS CAN READ A
BOOK AND HAVE TEX PERSONS OF BEING HORRIFIED AND NOW THEY'RE
OKAY IN THE END.
>> Stephen: NOW WE GET THAT EXPERIENCE WATCHING THE NEWS.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: CHRISTIAN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
"CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY" OPENS ON BROADWAY
APRIL 23rd!
CHRISTIAN BORLE, EVERYBODY!