As you know, we met each other at an improv class,
and this is one of those crazy closing the circle moments.
God.
Because we're wrapping things up here at TBS.
And I'm getting nostalgic about all kinds of things
that I've been involved with over the years.
Like one of the really precious memories of mine is deciding
when I first came out here to LA, '85
that I wanted to do improv and start trying to perform.
And so I scoured around.
I found that there was a class here at this theater.
[Lisa] Yeah.
And I went there and it was one of those classes.
It was taught by Cynthia Szigeti.
You'd put money in the jar when you came in.
I came into this class, and one of the first people I saw
was you in the class
This is how we met. Yep.
And I immediately identified you
as someone really special and someone really hilarious
and talented who was going to do big things.
And the room where we met is right there
across the little courtyard.
And I thought it might be fun.
Have you been back to that room?
No! Yeah.
So I thought it might be fun here at the end of the segment
if we would just walk over and check out
sort of where we met, and this is an inspirational message
to everybody who's in a little improv class.
I swear to God, this is how you do it.
You go there and you meet amazing people
whether it's an acting class, an improv class,
or doing standup in a club, that's where you meet people
and you're young and you have dreams
and it can really work out pretty beautifully.
So want to go check it out? Yes!
Let's go.
We never hung out in this courtyard
'cause this was not where we went.
No, but I think there was a gate.
I don't remember even being allowed in this courtyard.
Yeah, I don't think we were allowed in here.
What would happen is we'd come here
and we'd hang out right here in this alley.
Yeah.
And how many people were in the class?
Like 10 or more. There was like 10
or maybe 12 people in the class and we would hang out.
And I would smoke. You would smoke.
That's right, and then we would go in here
when it was class time. Yeah.
Or if you were late, you didn't have time to hang out here
and you just- You just went right in.
Which probably goes without saying.
Like me, that was me.
And then so what do you remember?
I remember we all sat in chairs here.
[Lisa] Yeah.
That's a bar now, but that's where the stage was.
And our teacher was Cynthia Szigeti,
brilliant improv teacher.
And she sat here smoking the whole time
and then yelling "Commit, bigger!"
But the best laugh in the world, too.
Great laugh.
Like, when you knew you were doing something right.
And he, she was blown away with you always.
Oh.
Well, and I said this before a lot of times.
I hope it's not boring. No.
But I almost, my first class he wasn't in it yet.
And I thought, I don't think this is for me.
She keeps saying, "Commit!"
And people would just get like, you know, bigger.
And I thought, eh, it's not for me.
I don't think I can do this. Right, right.
This was maybe a bad career choice.
But I made myself come back the next week and I was late.
And I sat there. Mm-hmm.
'Cause you all were already on stage.
And she had you do space ball and everyone-
Oh, that's right.
You have to pretend to lift an invisible disc, yeah.
That's lift a disk, but space ball.
Space ball, yeah. And people were like,
(groaning) and then Conan was just throwing it
better than what I just did and she goes, "Good commitment!"
So much better.
And I went, that's commitment!
Oh, I can do that.
He didn't make a fool of himself.
Right. He just really did it.
Which is ironic 'cause then I went on (laughs)
to make a career out of making a fool of myself.
Well, we all did. But intentionally.
But yeah, it was really magical.
And the reason I like to bring this up is,
you know, people forget.
They look at you now and they think,
well, how would I ever get there, that's impossible.
And I'd just like to try and remind people, we were 22.
Yeah. And we were in this room.
This was the money where you'd put cash,
like $20 or whatever it was in a jar.
I don't remember that.
I remember writing checks for- Oh, I gave her cash.
For more money and yeah.
Yeah, yeah, I don't even think I had a checkbook.
(Lisa laughing) But anyway, we gave her money
and then we would sit here and we would do this improv class
and then you and I would say, "Let's go get coffee."
And we would talk about, we want to do
these really big things and have a big career.
And a lot of people, whatever,
our waitress must have thought,
well, they're deluded and insane.
(laughs) 'Cause I am a working actress.
(laughs) Exactly. Here you go. (laughs)
It's what many of them end up doing,
but it was really, I don't know, I'm very fortunate.
I'm really happy that I know you.
Yeah, me too. It's been a blessing.
Me, too.
Been a million blessings in my life.
But I get very sentimental when I come in here.
Me, too. It's really cool.
We've never been here together before now.
Yeah, since 1987. I mean since then, sorry.
'86, something like that. Yeah.
That's crazy. But I'm sorry 'cause this,
I had to put this here.
Why do I say I'm sorry for absolutely everything?
And Conan was sitting there. Yep.
And people are up there, you know, just figuring it out.
And they're not great, perfect, or brilliant.
Yeah, this is nice.
I'm really glad we came back here.
This is nice. This is really sweet.
Yeah. Yeah, I don't know,
just keep flogging away at those dreams, I say.
Yeah.
'Cause look, it's really cool.
You don't know who you're gonna meet next.
You don't know, you don't know.
At a class or anywhere.
Just like you were saying, you have no idea.
Yeah, yeah.
No, I have to say something else important in case
they think, it's not like we helped each other
professionally at all. Right, exactly.
I tried to stop you, I tried to stop "Friends."
Well, that's another book. I tried to crush it,
make sure that it didn't exist.
But you couldn't.
Couldn't, it got too big too fast. (laughs)
But, if I can finish my point.
Sorry. Of what's inspiring
is that who Conan was for me figuring this out,
taking my classes, you know, as an actor-performer
you're finding your voice, right?
You're honing in on, what's your take?
What's your comedic voice?
And when you have someone that you feel like they get you
and you can play and riff.
Riff is a word you can say now.
Safely, yeah, feel like you're-
Safely with someone and that's how you find it.
I mean, that's how you zero in on it.
Mostly everything I do is stolen from Conan.
(Conan laughs) Kinda.
Yeah, sure, yeah, okay. No, I think I did
take on some of your sense of humor
and then filter it through me. We all do.
We all influence each other. Yeah.
It's like music, that's how it works.
Yeah. We all pick up
little things from each other.
And you pick your influencers.
Yeah, exactly. Yeah.
But I would like a piece
of whatever you've earned at "Friends."
You've already got it, I thought.
No, no, I want more. Well...
60%. No.
(Conan laughing) (Conan claps hands)