SO THIS IS YOUR-- YOUR HOUSE HERE.
>> Stephen: THIS IS WHERE I WORK.
THIS IS MY OFFICE.
>> AND YOUR LOVELY, LOVELY AUDIENCE.
THANK YOU, AUDIENCE.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ).
>> Stephen: NOTHING LIKE A LIVE AUDIENCE.
>> AREN'T THEY BEAUTIFUL.
>> Stephen: YEAH, THEY ABSOLUTELY ARE.
YOU KNOW, FIRST OF ALL, I UNDERSTAND THIS IS YOUR FIRST
TIME ON A LATE-NIGHT SHOW.
>> YES, INDEED.
>> Stephen: OH, THEY'RE GOING TO BE SO NICE.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH.
>> Stephen: IT'S GOING TO BE FUN.
THE PEOPLE ARE GOING TO LIKE YOU.
YOU HAD A HELL OF A YEAR.
YOU GOT AN EMMY.
YOU GOT FOUR MOVIES JUST THIS JUNE.
>> I KNOW.
WHAT IS HAPPENING.
>> Stephen: ARE YOU ONE OF THE AVENGERS?
WHAT'S GOING ON.
YOU HAVE SO MANY-- DID I HEAR THIS CORRECTLY, YOU WERE PREMED
IN COLLEGE?
>> WHY YES, I WAS.
>> Stephen: YOU WERE GOING TO BE A DOCTOR.
>> I WAS GOING TO BE A SURGEON, AND I WAS FOUR YEARS OF PREMED.
>> Stephen: FOUR, WOW, THAT'S AN INVESTMENT.
>> AND YOU GET THE DEGREE IN ANXIETY.
( LAUGHTER ) Ph.D. IN ANXIETY.
IT'S JUST DREADFUL.
>> Stephen: SO AT WHAT POINT DID YOU SAY, "NO, NO, NO.
I'M ACTING."
>> WELL, I DID THE PLAYS IN COLLEGE, YOU KNOW.
AND I THOUGHT, "OH, THAT'S JOY, AND THIS IS SORTURE."
AND I HAD A VERY WONDERFUL ORGANIC CHEMISTRY TEACHER AND HE
SAID, "COME HERE.
YOU'RE DOING WELL AND YOU'RE UNHAPPY."
AND HE WAS LOVELY.
HE SAID, "JUST BECAUSE YOU SAID YOU WERE GOING TO DO IT DOESN'T
MEAN YOU HAVE TO DO IT."
AND WHEN YOU YOUR ORGANIC CHEMISTRY TEACHER SAYS, THAT
YOUR BRAIN IS RELEASED FROM THE PRISON YOU HAD KEPT IT IN.
AND THEN I HAD AN ACTING TEACHER WHO SAID, "YOU COULD DO THIS IF
YOU WANT," QUIETLY.
NOW I COME FROM A FAMILY, A LOVING HOME, BUT THAT WAS NOT AN
OPTION.
LIFE IS TO BE LIVED SERIOUSLY.
AND BECOMING AN ACT RESIS THE OTHER DIRECTION.
>> Stephen: SURE, THAT'S PLAYING AT LIFE.
>> THAT'S IT.
LET'S GET REAL.
AND THEN MY ROOMMATE WHO WAS VERY WONDERFUL-- MARY BETH CARR,
I'M GOING TO SAY HER NAME.
SHE'S DELICIOUS.
AND SHE SAID TO ME-- WE BOTH LOST PEOPLE IN OUR LIVES.
MY FATHER DIED DURING MY SENIOR YEAR IN HIGH SCHOOL AND HER
BROTHER DIED IN COLLEGE.
SO WE UNDERSTOOD GRIEF, AND EVERYBODY OALS WAS LIVING IN A
DIFFERENT WORLD, AND WE WERE LIVING IN A WORLD OF PRETENDING
IN A WAY BECAUSE THE GRIEF TAKES A WHILE.
AND SHE LOOKED AT ME AT THE END OF SENIOR YEAR AND SAID, "DO YOU
REALLY WANT TO DO THIS?
I DON'T THINK YOU DO.
YOU WANT TO BE AN ACTRESS, DON'T YOU."
IN THOSE EARLY MORNINGS WHEN YOU CAN LISTEN-- AND BY "EARLY" I
MEAN 2:00 A.M.
I SAID I DO.
AND SHE SAID LET'S GET BUSY.
SO I AUDITIONED FOR AN ACTING SCHOOL.
>> Stephen: WHEN DID YOU TELL YOUR MOTHER?
>> MY MOTHER CAUGHT ON EARLY.
SHE'S VERY QUICK.
SHE SAID, WHAT, COURSES ARE YOU TAKING?"
THIS WAS FRESHMAN.
YEAR I SAID, "CHEMISTRY, BIOLOGY, CALCULUS, AND ACTING."
AND SHE SAID, "YOU'RE TAKING WHAT, HONEY?"
THEN SHE TRIED THIS ONE, WHICH I LOVE.
"I'M NOT PAYING FOR THAT.
ISN'T THAT CUTE.
I SAID, "MOM, YOU CAN'T JUST PICK WHAT YOU PAY FOR IN
COLLEGE, EITHER YOU PAY OR YOU DON'T."
"NO, I'M SERIOUS.
THIS IS A ROAD TO DISTRACTION.
LET'S GET OUT OF IT."
BUT THEN SHE WAS LOVELY.
WHEN I CALLED AND SAID, "MOM, THAT MEDICAL SCHOOL THAT WE
TALKED ABOUT FOREVER."
THE ONE CHILD-- SHE SAID, "I DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT YOU.
THANK HEAVENS YOU HAVE YOUR EYE ON THE PRIZE."
BUT BEING A MOTHER OF SEVEN, SHE QUICKLY MOVED ON.
WASN'T THAT NICE OF HER.
>> Stephen: YOU'RE ONE OF SEVEN.
>> I AM.
>> Stephen: WHERE DO YOU FALL IN THE FAMILY.
( APPLAUSE ).
>> THANK YOU.
MY MOTHER DESERVES THAT.
>> Stephen: YES, OF COURSE SHE DOES.
>> SHE DOES.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) YOU KNOW.
MOTHER DO, DON'T THEY!
>> Stephen: I SAW YOU-- WHERE DO YOU FALL IN THE FAMILY?
>> NUMBER TWO.
>> Stephen: OKAY, SO MILDLY RESPONSIBLE POSITION.
>> MILDLY.
>> Stephen: I DIDN'T ACTUALLY GET A CHANCE TO CONGRATULATE
CGHT YOU WHETHER WE WERE OUT AT THE EMMIES, BUT YOU HAD THE MOST
WONDERFUL WIN.
FOR THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE FORGOTTEN WHEN YOU ACTUALLY WON,
YOUR REACTION WAS JUST PERFECT.
JIM, LET'S SHOW THIS AGAIN WHEN ANNE WON.
>> OH, YEAH, I HAVEN'T SEEN THIS.
>> ANN DOWD, "THE HANDMAID'S TALE."
( APPLAUSE ) ( APPLAUSE ).
>> OH, MY GOD.
>> Stephen: WHAT'S-- >> OKAY, I CAN TELL YOU EXACTLY.
>> Stephen: WHAT'S GOING-- >> THE MOMENT BEFORE IS A LITTLE
MORE IMPORTANT IN MY OPINION.
WELL, NOT NECESSARILY MORE IMPORTANT.
BUT WHEN I FINALLY GOT TO MY SEAT IN THE EMMYS, I DON'T KNOW
WHAT YOU ALL THINK GOESO THERE, BUT IT IS AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE,
AND EVERY BONE IN YOUR BODY SAYS, "FLEE!"
IT'S SO MUCH, YOU KNOW, PRESSURE AND ALL OF IT.
AND SO I SAT DOWN FINALLY IN MY SEAT, AND I THOUGHT, WELL, I CAN
DO THIS, FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE.
I CAN SIT IN A THEATER.
AND OUT COMES THIS GENTLEMAN, AND SO CONFIDENT-- I DON'T KNOW
HOW YOU FELT -- >> Stephen: OH, THE GAM WAS
ME.
>> THIS IS YOU.
>> Stephen: I'M NOT USED TO BEING REFERRED TO AS A GENTLE
MAN.
>> I'M SO SORRY.
>> Stephen: HAPPY TO BE THERE.
>> AND HE CAME OUT LIKE HE DIDN'T WANT TO BE ANYWHERE ELSE.
AND I REMEMBER SPECIFICALLY THINKING, "WHERE DOES HE GET THE
CONFIDENCE TO COME OUT?" THERE'S EVERYBODY IN THE WORLD
WATCHING AND HE'S AS HAPPY AS CAN BE.
AND I SAID TO MYSELF ONE SECOND LARRY, "DON'T WORRY, HONEY,
YOU'RE NOT GETTING OUT OF YOUR CHAIR TONIGHT, SO RELAX."
SO BECAUSE I DID NOT THINK THERE WAS ANY CHANCE.
WHEN THE NAME-- THAT WOULD BE MY NAME-- WAS CALLED, THE
COMBINATION OF INTENSE SHOCK AND PROFOUND GRATITUDE-- HAVE YOU
HAD THOSE MOMENTS, LIKE WHEN OUR KIDS ARE BORN.
YOU DON'T EVEN BELIEVE IT'S HAPPENING-- SORRY, I DON'T MEAN
TO GET DEEP THAT.
>> Stephen: THAT'S ALL RIGHT.
>> SO MY HUSBAND REALIZED I WASN'T GOING ANYWHERE, LIKE, UP.
SO HE LEANED OVER AND HE SAID, "STAND UP."
( LAUGHTER ) AND SO I DID WHAT I WAS TOLD.
I STOOD UP.
AND THEN I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING ELSE.
( LAUGHTER ) AND THEN HE SAID-- HE SAID, "YOU
HAVE TO WALK."
( LAUGHTER ) IS THAT THE BEST!
>> Stephen: THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE FOR.
>> MY HUSBAND.
>> Stephen: IT WAS LOVELY TO MEET YOU.
>> OH, THANK YOU.
>> Stephen: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANK YOU, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!
>> Stephen: "THE HANDMAID'S TALE" IS ON HULU.
ANN DOWD, EVERYBODY!