LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MY FIRST GUEST IS A FOUR-TIME ACADEMY
AWARD NOMINEE YOU KNOW FROM "BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN,"
"MANCHESTER BY THE SEA," AND "THE GREATEST SHOWMAN."
PLEASE WELCOME BACK TO "THE LATE SHOW" MICHELLE WILLIAMS!
♪ MICHELLE, MY BELLE, ♪ THESE ARE WORDS THAT GO
TOGETHER WELL, MY MICHELLE ♪ MICHELLE, MY BELLE
THESE ARE WORDS THAT GO TOGETHER WELL ♪
>> Stephen: NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
>> VERY NICE TO SEE YOU.
NOT ON MY TELEVISION.
>> Stephen: NO, I GET TO SEE YOU NOT ON THE MOVIE SCREEN.
WE GOT TO SEE YOU UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL, AND YOU AS YOURSELF,
SPEAKING FROM THE HEART.
>> OH, YES.
>> Stephen: JUST RECENTLY.
BECAUSE WE'RE USED TO SEEING YOU, YOU KNOW, IN ENTERTAINMENT.
BUT YOU WERE GETTING YOUR-- DIPPING YOUR TOE IN SOME
POLITICS.
YOU WERE DOWN IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
HERE YOU ARE RIGHT HERE.
THIS WAS PART OF THE DEMOCRATIC WOMEN'S CAUCUS ON EQUAL PAY DAY.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) YOU'RE UP ON CAPITOL HILL.
WHAT'S THAT LIKE?
I'VE GONE DOWN THERE TO-- TO MAKE LIGHT OF POLITICIANS.
WHAT'S IT LIKE DOWN THERE TO, LIKE, TRY TO GET A MESSAGE
ACROSS ON AN IMPORTANT ISSUE LIKE THIS?
WHAT'S YOUR DAY LIKE?
WHAT DO YOU DO?
>> WELL, IT WAS-- SO I WAS-- SOMETHING HAPPENED TO ME THAT
YOU MIGHT HAVE HEARD ABOUT, WHERE IT CAME TO LIGHT THAT I
WAS PAID-- IT WAS ACTUALLY INCORRECTLY REPORTED.
IT WASN'T $100 A DAY.
IT WAS $80 A DAY, COMPARED TO MY MALE COSTAR WHO MADE $1.5
MILLION.
NOT PER DAY BUT FOR EIGHT DAYS.
>> Stephen: LET ME DO THE MATH.
WHERE'S MY PEN-- THAT'S A DIFFERENCE OF A FEW DOLLARS.
>> IT'S AN EXAMPLE THAT REALLY CAN SPEAK TO, LIKE, THE LARGER
PICTURE.
THE EXAMPLE IS SO STAGGERING BUT IT REALLY HELPS BRING ATTENTION
TO THE PROBLEM THAT SO MANY WOMEN ACROSS SO MANY INDUSTRIES
FACE.
AND I FOUND MYSELF IN THIS SITUATION.
>> AND REALIZED I'M THE ONE HERE WITH A VOICE.
SO I'VE BEEN LEARNING HOW TO USE IT.
AND SO I'VE ALSO BEEN LEARNING HOW TO TAKE THE TRAIN DOWN TO
D.C.
( LAUGHTER ).
>> Stephen: DID YOU-- I UNDERSTAND YOU WROTE YOUR OWN
STATEMENT DOWN THERE.
>> I DID.
I WROTE-- WE HAD JUST FINISHED MAKING THIS TV SHOW, AND IT WAS
MY FIRST WEEK OFF, AND A FRIEND OF MINE SAID, "HEY, IT'S EQUAL
PAY DAY, WILL YOU COME DOWN AND MAKE A SPEECH?"
AND I SAID,"OF COURSE, IT WILL BE MY ABSOLUTE HONOR."
I DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO WRITE A SPEECH, AND I HAD ABSOLUTELY
NOTHING TO SAY AND I KNEW I GOT OFF THE TRAIN AT NOON AND I KNEW
I HAD TO COME UP WITH SOMETHING.
THE FIRST HOUR WAS PAINFUL AND I KNEW THE CLOCK WAS TICKING.
LIKE ANYTHING, IF YOU SIT THERE LONG ENOUGH AND THINK ABOUT IT
SOMETHING GOOD WILL HAPPEN.
>> Stephen: THAT'S HOW LINCOLN WROTE HIS GETTYSBURG ADDRESS,
WAS ON THE TRAIN, DIDN'T HAVE A SPEECH, AND NOW IT'S HISTORY.
LAST NIGHT WAS THE PREMIERE OF YOUR NEW SHOW-- HERE ARE YOU AT
THE PREMIERE-- WITH BOB FOSSE AND GWEN VERDON'S DAUGHTER, AND
THE SHOW IS "FOSSE/VERDON."
NOW, MOST PEOPLE ARE FAMILIAR WITH BOB FOSSE, THE GREAT SORT
OF CHOREOGRAPHER, DANCER IN HIS OWN RIGHT, BUT CHOREOGRAPHER AND
DIRECTOR.
BUT PEOPLE KNOW A LOT LESS ABOUT FOSSE'S WIFE AT ONE TIME,
CREATIVE PARTNER, CREATIVE MUSE, GWEN VERDON.
TELL ME ABOUT HER LIFE AND WHAT THEIR PARTNERSHIP WAS LIKE.
>> SO, ACTUALLY, WHEN THEY MET, THEY WERE-- THEIR POSITIONS WERE
FLEET COMPLETELY DIFFERENT.
SHE WAS-- SHE WAS A BROADWAY STAR.
SHE WAS CONSIDERED THE GREATEST DANCER OF HER TIME-- STILL
CONSIDERED THE GREATEST BROADWAY DANCER OF ALL TIME.
AND HE WAS A FAILED ACTOR.
AND SHE GAVE HIM A SHOT AS A CHOREOGRAPHER.
SHE GOT HIM HIREDAISE DIRECTOR.
AND SHE WAS SORT OF HIS BEHIND-THE-SCENES FIXER FOR
MANY, MANY YEARS, UNCREDITED FIXER.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THE SHOW IS HOPING TO DO IS TO
ACKNOWLEDGE HER CONTRIBUTION TO HIS ART, AND, ALSO, TO HELP
PEOPLE PRONOUNCE HER NAME CORRECTLY, WHEN YOU DID.
AND I'D LIKE TO THANK YOU.
>> Stephen: HOW DO PEOPLE SAY IT?
>> VERY-DONE.
>> Stephen: DID YOU KNOW MUCH ABOUT HER BEFORE YOU PLAYED HER?
>> I WAS FAMILIAR WITH HER IN A VERY KIND OF DILETANTE SORT OF
WAY, AND NOW I'M SO FAMILIAR WITH HER, THAT I MISS HER.
YEAH.
>> Stephen: YOU DANCED ON BROADWAY YOURSELF.
>> JUST AROUND THE CORNER FROM HERE.
>> Stephen: RIGHT, IN "CABARET," AT STUDIO.
IT MUST HAVE BEEN DAUNTING TO PLAY ONE OF THE GREATEST
BROADWAY DANCEERCE OF ALL TIME.
>> IT REALLY IS.
IT'S, YOU KNOW, I WAS GOING TO SAY THEY'RE BIG SHOES TO FILL.
BUT ACTUALLY, WE WERE THE SAME SIZE.
( LAUGHTER ).
>> Stephen: OH, THAT'S NICE.
>> YES.
NICOLE GAVE ME A PAIR OF HER SHOES, AND THEY FIT LIKE A
GLOVE.
>> Stephen: WELL, YOU ALSO PLAY HER OVER FIVE DECADES, FOUR
DECADES.
>> WE SPAN TIME, YEAH.
WE SPAN A LOT OF TIME.
WE GO FROM 30 TO 64.
>> Stephen: WHAT'S IT-- WHAT'S IT LIKE TO SEE YOURSELF AS A
64-YEAR-OLD?
>> IT'S LIKE SEEING MY DEAD GRANDMOTHER.
( LAUGHTER )
>> Stephen: IS THAT A GOOD FEELING.
>> NANA.
>> Stephen: THAT'S NICE.
THAT'S LOVELY.
>> IT WAS ACTUALLY REALLY NICE.
AND, ALSO, WHEN YOU'RE IN, LIKE, A LOT OF OLD-AGE MAKEUP,
EVERYBODY WANTS TO HUG YOU.
THEY WANT TO COME TO GRANDMA FOR A LITTLE CUDDLE.
SO I ACTUALLY REALLY ENED IT.
IT WAS ACTUALLY THE FAVORITE PART OF MY SHOW BEING GRANDMA.
>> Stephen: I UNDERSTAND YOU DON'T WATCH YOUR OWN WORK ON
SCREEN.
>> I DON'T, NO.
>> Stephen: WHY DON'T DO YOU THAT, MICHELLE WILLIAMS?
YOU'RE VERY GOOD.
PEOPLE ENJOY YOUR WORK.
OSCAR NOMINATIONS AND ALL THAT.
>> I LOVE WHAT I DO, AND I LOVE BEING INSIDE OF IT, AND THE
EXPERIENCE OF WATCHING IT TAKES ME TO THE OUTSIDE OF THE THING
THAT DI.
AND MY RELATIONSHIP WITH THAT IS NOT AS HEALTHY.
>> Stephen: EVEN-- EVEN AFTER IT'S OVER?
IT'S NOT GOING TO CHANGE YOUR PERFORMANCE AFTER YOU'VE SEEN
IT.
YOU'VE SEEN IT, AND IT'S STET SETIN STONE OR CELLULOID.
BUT IT WILL CHANGE YOU AS A PERFORMER GOING FORWARD?
>> YES, IT MAKES ME TIMID.
>> Stephen: REALLY?
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: BECAUSE YOU'LL LOOK AT THAT AND THEN YOU'LL
OVER-THINK IT.
>> I'LL JUDGE MYSELF AND THINK I'M NOT CAPABLE OF THINGS AND I
WOAT TAKE THE NEXT CHALLENGE THAT'S IN FRONT OF ME.
>> Stephen: MAYBE YOU'LL LOOK AT IT AND GO, "I'M GREAT!"
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: THE REASON I ASK,
I DON'T EYE DON'T ASK JUST OUT OF CURIOSITY, BECAUSE WE HAVE A
CLIP HERE WE'RE ABOUT TO SHOW YOU OF.
>> I'M GOING TO GO LIKE THIS.
>> Stephen: ARE YOU REALLY?
ALL RIGHT, OKAY.
DO YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON IN THIS CLIP OR DO YOU NOT EVEN
KNOW THAT?
>> I THINK-- I THINK THAT IT'S-- I THINK YOU'RE GOING TO SEE SOME
DANCING, MAYBE?
>> Stephen: YES, YEAH.
>> AND I THINK YOU'RE GOING IT-- YOU'RE NOT GOING TO SEE GRAND
MARX UNFORTUNATELY.
I KNOW, I KNOW.
BUT SHE'S-- SHE'S COMING.
>> Stephen: AND BOB.
>> YES, IT'S YOUNG GWEN AND BOB.
AND IT'S ACTUALLY I THINK WHEN THEY FIRST MEET.
>> Stephen: ANOTHER JIM.
>> WE'RE ON TO THE BRIDGE.
UNDO YOUR SKIRT AND...
♪ I ALWAYS GET ♪ >> AND HIMSELF STRAIGHT THROUGH.
SIR, SEVEN, EIGHT ♪ YOUR HEART AND SOUL
IS WHAT I CAME FOR ♪ >> WHERE DID YOU LEARN THAT?
>> I WAS DANCING BURLESQUE HOUSING WHEN I WAS 14.
>> HUH.
ONE, TWO, THREE.
BA-DUMB.
I WAS 13.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
>> WHEW!
>> Stephen: YOU CAN COME OUT NOW.
WASN'T SHE GOOD?
SHE WAS VERY GOOD.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) NOW, YOUR OWN DAUGHTER IS 13.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: YOU DON'T WATCH YOUR OWN STUFF, BUT ARE YOU OKAY
WITH HER WATCHING YOUR STUFF?
>> I MAKE THEM FOR HER.
>> Stephen: OH, YOU MAKE THE SHOWS FOR HER?
>> I TRY TO DO ONE THING A YEAR THAT KEEPS ME RELEVANT TO HER.
>> Stephen: OKAY.
WHAT IS SHE MOST HOOKED INTO OF YOUR WORK NOW?
>> "THE GREATEST SHOWMAN."
THAT'S GOING TO KEEP US GOING FOR ANOTHER-- I THINK I'VE GOT
ANOTHER SIX MONTHS OUT OF THAT ONE.
>> Stephen: IT'S LOVE TO SEE YOU.
>> IT'S ALWAYS SO NICE TO SEE YOU.