>> James: LOOK AT YOU TWO WITHIN HI.
>> James: HOW ARE WE DOING?
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
I'M SO HAPPY YOU ARE HERE.
TYRA, WE KNOW ARE YOU HAPPY TO BE HERE ON A SHOW WITH LESLIE
BECAUSE WE FOUND ONE OF YOUR TWEETS.
LESLIE, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU FOE ABOUT THIS.
YOU TWEETED TRYING TO TAKE DOWN THIS CHRISTMAS TREE AND
PLAY@LESLIE ODOM HOLIDAY MUSIC EVEN THOUGH THE HOLIDAYS ARE NO
LONGER, I'M KIND OF OBSESSED WITH HIS VOICE.
AREN'T WE ALL, THOUGH.
>> I'VE BEEN OBSESSED FOR SO LONG.
THIS MAN'S VOICE IS LIKE, HONEY, IT'S SO UNIQUE, SOME PEOPLE
SOUND ALL THE SAME, HE HAS A UNIQUE SOUND AND I PLAY IT OVER
AND OVER AGAIN.
AND I ALSO PLAY CHRISTMAS WHEN IT'S NOT CHRISTMAS.
>> IT IS MADE FOR THAT.
>> WE DO HOPE THAT IT WOULD BE IN SEASON, OUT OF SEASON, AND IT
TWOO BECOME, THAT IS IS THE THING ABOUT CHRISTMAS ALBUMS,
THEY ARE PERENNIAL, PEOPLE LIKE THEM AND WILL BRING THEM BACK
EVERY YEAR.
>> I AM NOT GOING TO GO ON AND ON, OOH, STOP, TALKING ABOUT AVA
MARIA RIGHT NOW, NOT GOING TO TALK ABOUT THAT.
>> James.
>> SPRING AWAKENS, OH MY GOD.
>> James: LESLIE, THIS MUST BE GREAT.
OF COURSE YOU ARE A HUGE FAN OF TIE RA, WITH YOU MUST BE, WHO
ISN'T.
>> YOU ALREADY KNOW, YES, TYRA, I'M NOT GOING TO MAKE HER
UNCOMFORTABLE.
BUT FOR A TEENAGE BOY, SHE WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO ME IN MY LIFE.
THERE WERE POSTERS UP.
BUT ALSO I FEEL LIKE I WASN'T, I'M NOT LIKE YOU, YOU KNOW, I
WASN'T A MODEL, YOU KNOW.
SO I HAD TO SHALL-- .
>> James: ARE YOU TALKING TO ME?
>> I'M TALKING TO YOU.
YOU KNOW WHAT I AM SAYING, LOOK [BLEEP] OH, I'M CURSING.
THE JAW [BLEEP].
>> OH.
>> LIKE TYRA TAUGHT US WE ALL CARRY AROUND THESE CAMERAS NOW
IN OUR BACK POCKET AND YOU TAUGHT US HOW TO TAKE GOOD
PICTURES OF OURSELVE.
>> THAK YOU.
>> YOU WERE EVERYBODY'S COACH ON HOW TO TAKE A NICE PICTURE.
>> NO, I MEAN, TYRA, YOU COULD HAVE HAD A LEGIT MUSIC CAREER,
YOU RELEASED A SINGLE IN 2004, SHAKE YA BODY.
>> I RELEASED IT IT ON AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL.
I WOULDN'T CALL THAT A RELEASE, WAY CALL THAT I'M THE EXECUTIVE
PRODUCER ON THE SHOW.
>> BUT I HEAR YOU HAVE AN ALBUM'S WORTH OF MUSIC.
>> I HAVE AN ALBUM WORTHS OF MUSIC.
I HAVE ANG A SONG WITH FARRELL, SONG WITH WYCLEF WITH THE
BIGGEST PRODUCERS, DIDN'T HAVE THE VOICE, I JUST HAD ACCESS
BECAUSE I WAS A SUPERMODEL.
AND FARRELL WOULD BE LIKE I NEED TO HEAR YOU SING ON THE PHONE, I
AUDITIONED AND DID REALLY WELL BUT FARRELL'S LOOKED THROUGH THE
WINDOW AND I AM SINGING AND I COULDN'T GET THE WORDS OUT.
THE SONG WAS CALLED PLAYBOY, AND I REMEMBER-- PLAYBOY.
♪ AND NOW CAN I DO IT, I AM NOT GOING TO SING IT, BECAUSE HE
WOULD HAVE TO PAY ME FOR SINGING HIS SONG ON THE TV.
I DON'T HAVE NERVES FOR RUNWAY AND HOSTING BUT THEN.
>> IT'S LIKE YOU HAVE NERVES FOR THE THING THAT YOU DON'T EVERY
DAY, LIKE YOU KNOW, I FEEL THAT WAY WHEN I'M TRYING TO TAKE A
PICTURE.
ONCE WHEN I DO A TALK SHOW I GET VERY NERVOUS.
>> James: DO YOU REALLY, I SHOULD CONGRATULATE YOU.
YOU DID AN AMAZING JOB HOSTING THE TONY AWARDS, IT WAS A
BRILLIANT NIGHT, WERE YOU FANTASTIC.
DID YOU ENJOY IT?
I MEAN WHAT I AM THINKING ALWAYS IS DID EVERYTHING ABOUT WELL,
DID YOU HAVE FUN.
>> IT WENT PRETTY WELL.
I THOUGHT OF YOU A LOT BECAUSE YOU HOSTED THIER THAT HAMILTON
WAS NOMINATED.
>> AND YOU WON, NOT JUST HOW MANY NATURED BUT YOU WON.
>> BUT I DID HAVE FUN.
I WASN'T EXPECTING TO HAVE FUN.
I WANTED TO BE PROFESSIONAL.
I WANTED TO DO A GOOD JOB BUT I ACTUALLY HAD A LOT OF FUN,
EVERYTHING WENT PRETTY SMOOTHLY.
THERE WAS A BUMP IN FROM ONE THE COMMERCIALS, THEY TRIED TO
SURPRISE ME AND NOT PLAY THE MUSIC.
THEY HAD THE AUDIENCE CLAP, SO I STOOD THERE SIX TO SEVEN SECONDS
LOOKING AT THE CAMERA, LIKE-- OH, WE'RE BACK.
I THOUGHT IT WAS BROADWAY.
I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO HAVE MUSIC.
>> James: IT'S THE WORST.
BUT YOU DID A BEAUTIFUL THING.
YOU PAID TRIBUTE TO TEACHERS AND ARTS EDUCATION -- EDUCATION,
YOUR FIRST ACTING TEACHER, I THINK THIS IS YOUR ACTING
TEACHER THERE WAS AT THE SHOW.
YOU INVITED YOUR FIRST ACTING TEACHER TO THE SHOW.
I MEAN THAT SOUNDS LIKE A BEAUTIFUL THING TO DO.
WHAT DID IT MEAN TO HAVE HER THERE.
DID SHE GIVE YOU A NOTE.
>> SHE OBVIOUSLY WAS DOING NOTES.
SHE WAS MY FIRST ACTING TEACHER, MY FIRST PERFORMING ARTS
TEACHER, MY COLLEGE, COLLEGE AUDITION, MAUREEN BOOKER IS THE
HER NAME.
IT MEANT EVERYTHING.
OUR RELATIONSHIP HAS TRANSILINGSED, MOSTLY TO GIVING
NOTES ABOUT MARRIAGE AND FATHERHOOD, STILL TEACHING ME.
>> ALWAYS TEACHING.
>> James: TYRA, YOU HAVE A TEACHING GIG, YOU TEACH A COURSE
ON PROFESSIONAL BRANDING AT STANFORD.
>> PERSONAL BRANDING, YEAH.
>> James: WE ACTUALLY FOUND YOUR PROFILE ON RATE MY
PROFESSORS.COM, ALL RIGHT.
WHICH SAY WEBSITE I DIDN'T KNOW EXISTED.
>> WHAT THE HELL IS RATE MY PROFESSORS.COM.
>> I THINK IT IS EXACTLY WHAT IT SAYS A QUNS THEY ARE GRADING ME.
>> James: THIS IS WHAT SOMEONE SAID, TOUGH GRADER, LOT OF HOME,
PARTICIPATION, IN SEPARATIONAL.
DOES THAT SUM YOU UP.
>> A LOT OF PARTICIPATION, SO YOUR GRADE HAS RA LOT TO DO WITH
HOW MUCH YOU ARE RAISING YOUR HAND AND GIVING SOMETHING TO
THAT CLASS.
I DO COLD CALL BUT TOUGH GRADER, REALLY?
I DON'T THINK SO.
DANG.
>> James: THAT'S WHAT THEY SAID.
IS THAT SOMETHING YOU WANT TO GO BACK TO.
>> I LOVE, YEAH, I TOOK A BREAK BAWFS THE PANDEMIC.
AND IT IS ALL ABOUT PERSONAL BRANDING AND HOW THEY
CAN-- DIFFERENTIATE THEMSELVES FROM THE COMPETITION, LIKE
LESLIE ODOM, JR., HIS CHRISTMAS ALBUM IS THE BOMB, NOT BECAUSE
IT IS BETTER BUT BECAUSE IT IS DIFFERENT.
AND ALL OF HIS MUSIC AND VOICE IS DIFFERENT.
SO I TEACH MY STUDENTS DIFFERENT IS BETTER THAN BETTER,.
>> James: LOOK, IF YOU LIKE, LESLIE ODOM, JR., ARE YOU GOING
TO LOVE HIS NEW FILM, CONGRATULATIONS ON THE MANY
SAINTS OF NEWARK, LESLIE.
I THINK IT GOING TO BE MASSIVE.
FOR ANYONE WHO DOESN'T KNOW, TELL US WHAT IT IS ABOUT AND WHO
YOU PLAY.
>> THE FILM CENTERS AROUND FORB FANS OF THE KSH-- IT CENTERS
AROUND CHRISTOPHER'S FATHER, CHRISTOPHER PLAYED BY MICHAEL,
HIS DAD-- THIS IS A FILM ABOUT A PVOTAL SUMMER IN YOUNG TONY
SOPRANO'S LIFE BUT AT THAT TIME THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON IN HIS
LIFE WAS THE MOST.
>> SO AN ORIGIN STORY BUT IN A ROUNDABOUT WAY, I PLAY THIS GUY
AND I WORKED FOR HIM.
>> WHEN YOU AUDITIONS FOR THE FILM YOU HAD ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA
WHAT YOU WERE AUDITIONS FOR, RIGHT?
HOW DOES THAT, WITHOUT, HOW DO YOU EVEN DO THAT.
>> THEY DO IT DIRTY IN HOLLYWOOD, THEY DIDN'T SEND ME A
SCRIPT, THEY DIDN'T SEND I CAST SCRIPTIONZ, THEY WERE MAINLY
SAYING YOU CAN'T DO ANY RESEARCH.
BUT I DECIDED TO JUST KEEP WALKING TOWARDS-- I COULDN'T
DENY WHEN I PICKED UP THE SCENES I WAS INSPIRED.
SO I THINK MY EXPERIENCE MAYBE WAS A LOT LIKE THE ORIGINAL
CAST, THEY DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO COMPARE IT TO.
THEY WERE JUST GETTING GREAT SCRIPTS AND TRYING TO DO BETTER
THAN LAST YEAR.
>> James: YOU ARE FANTASTIC IN IT.