>> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY! WELCOME BACK!
MY NEXT GUEST IS AN ACTOR WHO STARS IN THE HIT CBS SHOW "FBI."
>> TWO DAYS AGO YOU SAID IT WAS 15.
THINGS HAVE CHANGED. WHAT THINGS, CURT?
DEMAND IS STRONG. SUPPLY IS WEAK.
BROTHER. >> 100% BUMP IN TWO IT'S ECONOMICS 101, MY DAYS.
THAT IS NOT ECONOMICS. THAT IS ROBBERY.
>> THIS INFLATION THING IS REAL. SUPPLY CHAIN ISSUES, LABOR
SHORTAGES, PRICES ARE SKYROCKETING.
ECONOMIST. >> WORTH EVERY >> A BOMB BROKER AND PENNY.
>> TAKE A LOOK FOR YOURSELF. >> SNAPPED THAT EARLIER TODAY.
25 BLOCKS OF C4, TWO TRIGGER MECHANISMS.
LISTEN, I COULD GO ON AND ON. BUT THE ONLY THING THAT REALLY
MATTERS THIS DAMN THING CAN BLOW UP AN ENTIRE CITY BLOCK.
>> IS HE BLUFFING? >> I SURE HOPE SO.
>> 25 AND WE'VE GOT A DEAL. >> 20'S THE HIGHEST I'M WILLING
TO GO. AND I HAVE IT ALL RIGHT HERE
WITH ME, TOO. >> COOL.
>> Stephen: PLEASE WELCOME TO "THE LATE SHOW," ZEEKO ZAKI.
♪ IT'S A FAMILY AFFAIR IT'S A FAMILY AFFAIR
♪ IT'S A FAMILY AFFAIR
LOVELY TO MEET YOU. WELCOME.
THIS IS YOUR FIRST LATE-NIGHT APPEARANCE ON THIS SHOW.
>> THIS IS. >> Stephen: I JUST HAD
SIGOURNEY WEAVER OUT HERE. >> YES.
>> Stephen: AND I FOUND OUT SOMETHING UNUSUAL WHICH IS YOU
HAVE MET HER BEFORE? >> I HAVE.
>> Stephen: BUT NOT PROFESSIONALLY.
>> CORRECT. >> Stephen: HOW SO?
>> SO I GOT SIGNED ABOUT 10, 11 YEARS AGO, AND ONE MONTH AFTER
THAT WAS NEW YEAR'S. I WENT HOME TO WILMINGTON,
DELAWARE, AN AREA MY BUDDY HAS A FARM THERE WHERE THEY SHOT "THE
VILLAGE." SIGOURNEY SUPPOSEDLY BECAME
FRIENDS WITH THE OWNER OF THAT FARM.
I MET HER AT THAT NEW YEAR'S AND TOLD HER I GOT SIGNED A MONTH
AGO AND I ASKED HER FOR ANY ADVICE.
SHE SAID, "IF YOU WANT TO MAKE MONEY, GO TO L.A.
IF YOU WANT TO ACT, COME TO NEW YORK."
>> Stephen: SO WHERE DID YOU GO?
>> I WENT TO L.A. FOR A LITTLE BIT, AND HERE WE ARE.
( APPLAUSE )
AGENT O.A. ON THE "FBI." I LEARNED THAT DICK WOLF
ORIGINALLY WROTE THE PART AS A LATINO CHARACTER, BUT WHEN YOU--
YOU WENT IN AND AUDITIONED, THEY DECIDED TO CHANGE THE CHARACTER.
>> THEY DID. >> Stephen: WHEN DID YOU
DISCOVER THAT, WAS IT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE AUDITION?
WEN DID YOU FIND OUT? >> NO, IT WASN'T.
SO IT ACTUALLY WAS WHEN THEY SENT ME NEW WORDS, NEW LINES, A
NEW SCRIPT FOR THE SCREEN TEST, WHICH IS THE LEVEL AFTER A
PRODUCER SESSION WHEN I AUDITIONED IN FRONT OF DICK
WOLF. THERE WAS ARABIC IN THE NEW
MYSELF, ARE THEY GOING A WHOLE SIDES, AND I THOUGHT FOR DIFFERENT
ARE THERE GOING TO BE A BUNCH DIRECTION? OF
ARAB ACTORS IN THE ROOM. AND WE GOT TO BE ON THE SET OF
"S.V.U.," WHICH WAS REALLY EXCITING.
I WAS THE ONLY ONE THERE AND THAT WAS THE MOMENT.
AND IT WAS KIND OF MY CHANCE NOT TO MESS UP.
AND HERE WE ARE. >> Stephen: YOU SEEM LIKE A
FAIRLY FIT YOUNG MAN. >> IT'S BEEN A JOURNEY.
>> Stephen: DID YOU DO THIS? DID YOU GET FIT TO PLAY THE PART
OR DID YOU COME PRE-RIPPED?
WHEN I GOT THE PART. >> Stephen: UH-HUH.
THEY WOULDN'T HAVE CALLED YOU IN IF YOU HADN'T BEEN A FEW STEPS
TOWARDS RIP-COME OM. >> I HAD POTENTIAL.
>> I DIDN'T WANT THE CAKE TO >> Stephen: GOOD BONES. BE
I WANTED TO SEE IF ANYONE FULLY BAKED. ELSE,
YOU KNOW, COULD HELP ME OUT. >> Stephen: WAS THERE-- SO,
WHAT'S YOUR SITUATION? WHAT DO YOU DO?
ARE WE DOING PALEO? WHAT ARE WE DOING?
>> WE START OFFSIDE WITH P90 "X." IT'S UNDER THE ORIGINAL.
>> Stephen: IT'S MUSCLE CONFUSION.
>> IT IS, ABSOLUTELY. WITH TONY HORTON.
>> Stephen: I START OFF WITH THE CONFUSION AND NEVER GET TO
THE MUSCLE. >> I'M STILL CONFUSED.
>> Stephen: YEAH, OKAY. >> SO I LOST 120 POUNDS.
>> Stephen: HOLY COW! >> THANK YOU.
>> Stephen: IS THIS AN INFOMERCIAL.
WE'RE ON LATE ENOUGH.
100 POUNDS BEFORE I GOT THE ROLE, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, THE
JOURNEY, GIVE OR TAKE 20. >> Stephen: HOW LONG DID IT
TAKE YOU TO LOSE THE 100-PLUS? >> I DID IT ABOUT I THINK 11
YEARS, 12 YEARS. YEAH, IT TOOK A WHILE.
>> Stephen: THAT'S NOT A CRASH DIET.
>> FOR ME, THE QUICKER IT 10 BUCKS A YEAR. LEAVES
THE QUICKER IT COMES BACK IS THE IDEA.
SLOWLY WHICH WAS INTERESTING SO I WANTED TO DO IT VERY TO KIND OF
LINE UP WITH ACTING BECAUSE I WOULD BE A DIFFERENT ACTOR EVERY
YEAR, NEW HEAD SHOTS EVERY YEAR, AND KIND OF EVOLVED THAT WAY.
WE LANDED ON A PHYSIQUE AND WHICH IS EXCITING. FACE
I'D LIKE TO KEEP FOR A WHILE. >> Stephen: GOOD LUCK WITH
>> IF EVERYONE'S OKAY WITH THAT. THAT.
>> Stephen: EVERYBODY WANTS TO KEEP IT.
THE 11 YEARS YOU WEREN'T
ALL THE TIME. >> CORRECT.
>> Stephen: WHAT DID YOU DO? WHAT WAS YOUR SIDE HUSTLE?
I DID A LOT OF WEIRD STUFF. >> MY SIDE HUSTLE, FUNNY ENOUGH,
WAS IN THE INDUSTRY, WHEN I MOVED TO ATLANTA ABOUT, LET'S
SAY, SEVEN YEARS AGO, MY PLAN "B" WAS OF COURSE WAITING TABLES
AT RESTAURANTS, THINGS LIKE THAT.
BUT I DECIDED TO OPEN UP AN AUDITION TAPING SERVICE CALLED
"ATLANTA FOR ACTORS." I FIGURED IF I COULD HAVE MY
PLAN "B" AND "A" IN THE WORLD. >> Stephen: YOU BOUGHT A
CAMERA? >> I BOUGHT A CAMERA.
I HAD MY BUDDY PARKER DAVIS FROM BACK HOME AND HE WOULD READ WITH
THEM, BECAUSE HIS READING SKILLS WERE BETTER THAN MINE.
AUDITIONS. WE WOULD TAKE KIDS, AND I WOULD TAPE THE PEOPLE LIKE
AND THAT WHOLE SPECTRUM IS 80 YEARS OLD. KIND
OF HOW I GOT MY TRAINING. >> Stephen: DID YOU EVER THROW
YOURSELF ON THE TABLE AND SAY I CAN DO BETTER AT THIS.
ROLLING. NO, FUNNY ENOUGH, MY >> THANKS, MAN, KEEP IT MANAGER
SENT ME THE AUDITION FOR "FBI" FROM ONE OF HIS LATINO CLIENTS,
BECAUSE IT WAS A LATINO ROLE. IN THE SAME I WAY I DID IT, PUT
ON TAPE, AND HE SAID I HAD A CALL-BACK THAT THEY NEVER ASKED
ME TO DO IN THE FIRST PLACE. AND HE PUT THE AUDITION INTO A
DROP BOX, SENT IT OFF TO CASTING.
>> Stephen: AND HERE YOU ARE. >> HERE WE ARE, YES.
>> Stephen: LOVELY TO MEET YOU.
THANK YOU FOR COMING BY. >> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> Stephen: "FBI" AIRS TUESDAYS AT 8:00 P.M. ON CBS!
ZEEKO ZAKI, EVERYBODY. WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK.