( APPLAUSE ).
>> Stephen: HEY, EVERYTHING, WE'RE RIGHT HERE.
WE'RE HAVING A GREAT CONVERSATION.
I HOPE IT STAYS THAT WAY.
WELCOME BACK.
WE'RE HERE WITH AMERICA'S SWEETHEART, MICHAEL KEATON.
THE NEW PROJECT, CALLED "DOPESICK," WHICH YOU-- YOU STAR
IN.
YOU'RE ALSO EXECUTIVE PRODUCING.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: AND IT'S ON HULU.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: IT'S ABOUT THE OPIOID CRISIS AND HOW IT AFFECTS
THIS ONE TOWN AND YOU PLAY A DOCTOR WITHIN THE TOWN.
>> WELL, IT'S NOT JUST THE TOWN, IT'S THE REGIONS.
IT'S THE COUNTRY.
IT'S EVERYTHING.
AND, YEAH, IT'S BASED ON THIS BOOK "DOPESICK," BY BETH MACY.
A GREAT BOOK, AND A LITTLE DEPRESSING.
BUT EYE-OPENING, TO SAY THE LEAST.
AND THERE WAS-- IT'S A LIMITED SERIES, EIGHT EPISODES.
AND IT'S ALSO ABOUT HOW PURDUE PHARMA AND THE SACKLER FAMILY
WHO-- SO, YEAH, IT'S REALLY GOOD.
I GOTTA SAY, BARRY LEVINSON DIRECTED THE FIRST TWO EPISODES.
AND I HAD NEVER WORKED WITH HIM, BUT I REALLY LIKE HIM A LOT.
AND WE TALKED ABOUT DOING STUFF TOGETHER.
IT'S-- IT'S TOUGH, YOU KNOW.
IT'S BRUTAL.
AND, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY-- EVERYBODY HAS A CONNECTION WITH
IT NOW, BY NOW.
YOU KNOW SOMEBODY -- >> Stephen: PRETTY MUCH
EVERYBODY IN THE UNITED STATES KNOWS SOMEBODY OR KNOWS SOMEBODY
WHO KNOWS SOMEBODY.
>> IT'S ON HULU, IT'S GOOD, IT'S REALLY, REALLY GOOD.
>> Stephen: WE HAVE A CLIP WHERE YOU'RE GIVING TESTIMONY.
CAN YOU TELL US WHAT IT IS?
>> I DON'T KNOW WHAT CLIP IT IS.
>> DR. FINNIX.
>> OXYCONTINENTIN.
>> SO JUST TO BE CLEAR YOU'RE BLAME NUMEROUS DEATHS IN YOUR
TOWN ON ONE MEDICATION?
>> YES, I AM.
>> AND ARE YOU THE INDIVIDUAL THAT PRESCRIBED THIS MEDICATION?
>> YES, SIR.
I DID.
>> Stephen: YEAH.
( APPLAUSE )
WHAT'S-- SO, A LOT OF LAUGHS, OBVIOUSLY.
>> Stephen: YES, YES, YES.
>> NO, IT'S REALLY GOOD.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO SAY ABOUT IT.
>> Stephen: DID PURDUE KNOW IT WAS ADDICTIVE?
>> WELL, I MEAN, THERE'S CURRENTLY A LAWSUITS GOING ON
RIGHT NOW THAT-- AND IT'S IN FLUX FOR A MINUTE, AND I CAN'T
QUITE GET INTO THAT.
BUT IF YOU ASK ME, OF COURSE THEY DID.
YEAH, THEY DID -- >> Stephen: BUT THEY TOLD
DOCTORS IT WASN'T, RIGHT?
>> YES, THEY BASICALLY SOLD IT BY SAYING IT'S NOT--
TECHNICALLY, THEY PROBABLY WORDED THINGS IN A WAY WHERE YOU
COULD SAY, "WELL, THEY REALLY SAY THIS.
THEY DIDN'T REALLY SAY THAT."
BUT, YES, THEY KNEW, AND THAT WAS THE IDEA.
THEY SAW-- THEY SAW-- THEY KNEW IT COULD BE A GOLD MINE.
THEY WERE ALREADY, YOU KNOW, BILLIONAIRES, BUT THEY KNEW THIS
WAS A GOLD MINE.
THIS WAS A GAME CHANGER FOR THEM.
>> Stephen: AND EVEN THOUGH THERE HAVE BEEN JUDGMENTS
AGAINST THEM, IT'S A DROP IN THE BUCKET OF THE MONEY THEY MADE.
>> YES, NOTHING, NOTHING, RIGHT.
CORRECT.
AND SO, AND NOW, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN-- DON'T HOLD ME TO
THIS-- BUT-- DON'T ALSO HOLD ME TO THE TATTOO ON MIKE PENCE'S
BACK.
( LAUGHTER )
YOU-- THEY-- THE VERDICT WAS WE'LL SETTLE IF WE ARE IMMUNE
FROM ANY OTHER LAWSUITS IN THIS AREA, AND IT LOOKED LIKE IT WAS
GOING TO HAPPEN.
AND IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, I'M NOT SURE, I THINK IT GOT TO A
CERTAIN LEVEL, AND A JUDGE SAID, MAYBE NOT.
WAIT A MINUTE, THAT MIGHT NOT BE TRUE.
>> Stephen: THAT SOUNDS LIKE TOO SWEET OF A DEAL.
>> YEAH, THAT SOUNDS LIKE TOO SWEET OF A DEAL.
NONETHELESS, THE DAMAGE DONE WON'T BE MUCH.
YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?
>> Stephen: COMPARED TO THE DAMAGE THEY DID WITH THEIR
DRUGS.
>> AND IT'S EXPONENTIAL.
THAT KIND OF STUFF-- I HAVE A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP TO IT.
YOU PROBABLY KNOW SOMEBODY WHO KNOWS SOMEBODY WHO KNOWS
SOMEBODY.
>> Stephen: HAVE YOU EVER HAD ANY OF THE OXYCONTIN-- OXY
PRODUCTS PRESCRIBED TO YOU?
>> I DON'T TAKE STUFF.
I RIDE IT OUT.
IF IF I HAVE AN OPERATION, I'LL TAKE A LOT OF HEAVY, HEAVY
ADVIL.
BUT I GET REALLY DEPRESSED, FRANKLY, IF I TAKE THOSE THINGS.
I DON'T DO THEM.
I CAN'T DO IT.
BUT IT'S-- THEY HAND THEM OUT LIKE CANDY.
BUT WE'RE SPECIFICALLY TALKING NOW ABOUT PURDUE PHARMA,
SACKLERS, AND-- AND THIS REGION IN THIS STORY, BUT IT REALLY
REPRESENTS-- YOU KNOW, IT'S THE MICRO OF THE MACRO.
YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?
WHEN I DID "CLEAN AND SOBER," WHAT I REALLY REALIZED IS, FIRST
OF ALL, IT'S A DISEASE.
YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, TO LOOK DOWN UPON PEOPLE WHO ARE ADDICTED TO
ANYTHING, IT'S A DISEASE.
I THINK WE ALL-- HOPEFULLY WE ALL KNOW THAT BY NOW.
BUT WHAT I LEARNED IN "CLEAN AND SOBER" WAS I JUST KIND OF GOT
LUCKY I THINK.
YOU KNOW, I JUST EITHER DIDN'T GET THAT GENE OR SOMEWHERE IN MY
HEAD SOMETHING CLICKED AT THE RIGHT TIME.
BECAUSE I WAS AROUND-- I'VE SEEN A LOT OF STUFF, YOU KNOW.
A LOT OF STUFF.
AND FOR WHATEVER REASON YOU AND I GO, "OKAY, DODGED THAT ONE."
>> Stephen: YES.
>> BUT WE'RE FORTUNATE, REALLY.
>> Stephen: RIGHT, THERE BUT FOR THE GRACE OF GOD.
>> THERE BUT FOR THE GRACE OF GOD.
>> SANT FRANCIS.
>> Stephen: MICHAEL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
( APPLAUSE ) ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
"DOPESICK" PREMIERES OCTOBER 13 ON HULU.
IT'S MICHAEL KEATON, EVERYBODY!
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH A PERFORMANCE BY ZAC BROWN BAND.