MY FIRST GUEST IS A SEVEN-TIME EMMY AWARD WINNER
WHO IS NOW STARRING ON BROADWAY IN "SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION."
PLEASE WELCOME ALLISON JANNEY.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: THANK YOU VERY
MUCH!
HI YA!
>> HI YA!
>> Stephen: NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
>> NICE TO SEE YOU, TOO.
>> Stephen: LAST TIME WE WERE TOGETHER, IT WAS HERE RIGHT
BEFORE THE CONVENTIONS?
>> I CAN'T REMEMBER ANYTHING THAT HAPPENED BEFORE YESTERDAY.
SO YOU'RE ON YOUR OWN.
>> Stephen: I KNOW THE FEELING.
HOW ARE YOU DEALING WITH THIS NEW ADMINISTRATION?
>> I'M HAVING A LITTLE BIT OF A PROBLEM.
>> Stephen: YOU HAVE A LEVEL OF EXPERTISE, YOU INHABITED THE
GREATEST WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY OF ALL TIMES.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> I CAN'T THINK OF A CHARACTER
I WOULD LIKE TO BE MORE LIKE AND AM NOTHING LIKE.
>> Stephen: YOU'RE NOT LIKE C.J.?
>> NO, I WISH I COULD BE LIKE HER AND I FEEL SORRY ABOUT
MR. SPICER.
HE'S REMARKABLE BECAUSE SHE'S ALWAYS IN A STATE OF FIGHT AND
FLIGHT AT THE SAME TIME.
>> Stephen: NOT EASY.
THAT'S NOT EASY.
( LAUGHTER ) >> AND I HAD AARON IN MY COCKPIT
AND HE'S NOT SOMEONE I'M SURE KNOWS HOW TO FLY A PLANE.
>> Stephen: OR A COCKPIT.
OR A COCKPIT.
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: NOW, WHEN ARE WE
GOING TO GET A REUNION OF THE WEST WING?
WE'VE HAD THE GILMORE GIRLS.
>> WE'VE LITTLE REUNIONS OURSELVES NOT ON CAMERA BUT
BEHIND CAMERA.
>> Stephen: CAN I GET INVITED TO ONE OF THOSE?
>> YES.
>> Stephen: STOP BY.
I'M TRYING TO GET THEM TO COME SEE "SIX DEGREES OF
SEPARATION."
SO I'LL LET YOU KNOW AND WE'LL GO OUT ON THE TOWN.
>> Stephen: HARTY SHEEN.
AND RICHARD AND THEY'RE ALL FANTASTIC PEOPLE.
I LOVE THEM.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) I WILL MAKE THIS HAPPEN.
>> Stephen: YOU, I UNDERSTAND, HAVE A THEATER BACKGROUND FROM
WAY BACK, YOU STUDIED THEATER AT CANYON COLLEGE.
>> YEAH, BECAUSE THERE WAS NOTHING ELSE I COULD DO.
I HAD TO MAJOR IN PSYCHOLOGY AND I HAD TO DEAL WITH RATS.
I COULD NOT DO IT.
I COULDN'T DEAL WITH THE RAT LAB PART OF PSYCHOLOGY.
SO I -- >> Stephen: CAN YOU -- GO
AHEAD, PLEASE.
>> YOU'RE SO CUTE.
>> Stephen: YOU'RE CUTER.
( LAUGHTER ) >> SO I WENT INTO THE THEATER
DEPARTMENT AND THEY BUILT THE NEW THEATER --
>> Stephen:ATES QUIET AREA.
HAD FRIENDS THAT GO THERE, VERY QUIET.
>> BEAUTIFUL AREA OF THE COUNTRY AND THEY BUILT THIS BEAUTIFUL
THEATER AND ONE OF THEIR VERY FAMOUS GRADUATES CAME BACK TO
DIRECT THE FIRST PRODUCTION IN THAT THEATER AND WHO DO YOU
THINK THAT WAS?
>> Stephen: ALLISON JANNEY.
NO, PAUL NEWMAN.
>> Stephen: OH!
WOW!
>> HE WENT BACK TO DIRECT THE FIRST PLAY AND I GOT MYSELF CAST
IN THAT PLAY, BY HOOK OR CROOK.
>> Stephen: YOU GOT TO MEET HIM.
>> MEET HIM AND WORK WITH HIM.
JOANNE WOODWARD WHO WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN GETTING ME TO
COME TO NEW YORK AND DO THEATER AT THE NEW YORK PLAY HOUSE.
THEY STARTED MY -- >> Stephen: WHAT WAS YOUR
AUDITION FOR PAUL NIEWMEN?
>> I BASICALLY TOLD -- YOU HAD TO GET UP AND TALK ON STAGE
ABOUT ANYTHING YOU WANTED AND I DECIDED I WAS GOING TO TALK
ABOUT -- BECAUSE I KNEW I WAS GOING TO APPEAL TO HIS LOVE OF
RACE CAR DRIVING, AND I HAD JUST GOTTEN -- I CAN'T TELL YOU WHAT
YEAR BUT I GOT A VOLKSWAGEN CHIRACO, AND I MADE UP THE STORY
ABOUT IT BECAUSE I GREW UP IN DAYTON, OHIO, AND I SAID IT
USUALLY TAKES TWO HOURS AND 50 MINUTES TO DRIVE TO CANYON BUT I
CAN MAKE IT IN AN HOUR AND TEN WHEN THE COPS ARE NOT THERE AND
I CAN PUNCH IT -- I MADE UP THE WHOLE STORY AND PROBABLY HAD
NOTHING TO DO WITH THE REASON I GOT THE PART BUT I'D LIKE TO
THINK I CAT FISHED HIM INTO -- >> Stephen: YOU SEDUCED PAUL
NEWMAN IS WHAT YOU WERE TRYING TO TELL ME WITH YOUR LOVE OF
VOLKSWAGENS.
>> NO, RACE CAR DRIVING!
>> Stephen: RACING.
SOUNDS LIKE YOU WERE DESCRIBING TRAFFIC.
( LAUGHTER ) ALL ASPECTS OF CAR.
NOW, THE PLAY YOU'RE IN RIGHT HERE --
>> "SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION."
>> Stephen: A BEAUTIFUL PLAY.
IT IS.
>> Stephen: THE ETH THE ETHEL BARRYMORE THEATER.
>> JOHN PLAYED DR. DRE, GORGEOUS PERFORMANCE.
BEAUTIFUL ACTORS IN THIS PLAY, SUCH A TIMELY PIECE, FOR THOSE
WHO SAW FIRST TIME, IT RESONATES EVEN MORE NOW.
IT'S THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PLAY, AND I'M SO HONORED TO BE A PART
OF IT, AND I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO -- YOU HAVE TO COME SEE IT.
>> Stephen: I WOULD LOVE TO.
TELL ME WHEN MARTIN SHEEN IS GOING TO BE THERE.
( LAUGHTER ) I REALLY WANT TO GO SEE IT.
THE PLAY IS FAMOUS FOR BEING BEAUTIFUL BUT ALSO THETITE
APPROXIMATELY "SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION" HAS BECOME SORT OF A
BIWORD IN A GAME.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: IN OUR CULTURE.
THE IDEA BEING THAT EVERYONE IN THE WORLD, THERE ARE ONLY SIX
DEGREES OF SEPARATION BETWEEN YOU AND ANY OTHER PERSON SO
WE'RE ALL CONNECTED.
>> YES, EXACTLY.
>> Stephen: LET'S TALK ABOUT THE PRESIDENT, FOR A SECOND.
DO YOU HAVE SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION BETWEEN YOU AND THE
MOST POWERFUL MAN IN THE WORLD?
>> YES, I DO, ABSOLUTELY.
I WAS CAST IN A WOODY ALLEN MOVIE CALLED SEE CELEBRITY "BACK
WHEN, AND I HAD TO PLAY THIS REAL ESTATE AGENT AND WAS AT
THIS BIG, FANCY PARTY -- I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT THE CIRCUMSTANCES
WERE, BUT I WAS AT THIS PARTY, IT WAS, LIKE, 25 TABLES OF
PEOPLE, AND THEY'RE FILMING MY SCENE AND MY CHARACTER HAS TO
SAY, OH, YES, I'VE GOT A FABULOUS TRI-PLEX ON EAST 83r
83rd STREET, YOU MUST COME LOOK AT IT.
I'M MAKING UP LINES, BUT WOODY ALLEN SAYS TRIPLEX OR TRI-PLEX
(PRONOUNCING).
I SAID, TRIPLEX.
HE SAID, YOU BETTER FIND OUT.
THE GIRL SAID, THAT MAN IN REAL ESTATE IS SITTING OVER THERE
DOING A CAMEO, HE WAS FIVE TABLES OVER THERE ACROSS THIS
HUGE ROOM, AND THERE WAS DONALD TRUMP.
I SAID, WELL, I GUESS I'LL GO ASK DONALD TRUMP, AND I MARCHEDO
OVER AND SAID, EXCUSE ME, MR. RUMP, I'M ALLISON JANNEY I'M
PLAYING A SMALL PART OVER THERE AND HOW DO YOU PRONOUNCE
TRIPLEX -- WELL, YOU DO HIM BETTER THAN ME.
I CAN'T DO HIM.
HE SAYS I LIKE TRIPLEX (PRONOUNCING).
SO I MARCHED OVER AND DID ANOTHER TAKE AND WOODY ALLEN
CAME OVER AND SAID, WHICH IS IT?
I SAID, MR. TRUMP SAID TRIPLEX (PRONOUNCING) SO WE'LL GO WITH
THAT, AND HE STARTED WALKING AWAY AND I SAID, BUT I LIKE TRIPLEX (PRONOUNCING) BETTER.