( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ♪♪
>> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY!
WELCOME BACK!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) JON, WHAT'S THAT SONG?
>> Jon: "HAPPY JOE."
IT'S CALLED "HAPPY JOE."
HE SWINGS AND HE GETS HAPPY.
>> Stephen: IS THAT AN ORIGINAL?
>> Jon: YES.
>> Stephen: WOW, THAT'S FANTASTIC.
>> Jon: FROM SEASON ONE.
>> Stephen: FROM SEASON ONE OF THE SHOW.
>> Jon: BRINGING IT BACK FROM SEASON 7.
>> Stephen: HAPPY ANNIVERSARY YESTERDAY.
YESTERDAY WAS THE 6 6th ANNIVERSARY OF THE SHOW.
WHAT A LONG STRETCH IT'S BEEN.
>> Jon: COULDN'T HAVE PREDICTED THAT ONE.
MY FIRST GUEST IS THE EMMY AWARD-WINNING ACTOR YOU KNOW
FROM "AMERICAN HORROR STORY," "RATCHED," AND "MRS. AMERICA."
SHE NOW STARS IN "IMPEACHMENT: AMERICAN CRIME STORY."
>> I HAVE TO SAY, YOU'RE SUCH A KNOCKOUT.
I ASSUMED YOU WOULD BE DATING SOME BILLING D.C. PLAYER.
>> UM -- >> Stephen: WHAT?
I'M NOT DATING.
>> Stephen: WHY NOT?
I'M KIND OF IN SOMETHING.
>> Stephen: AND YET YOU FEEL LONELY.
>> YES, AFFIRMATIVE.
>> Stephen: WELL, THAT'S NO GOOD.
TELL ME ABOUT HIM.
>> IT'S JUST HE'S UNAVAILABLE.
>> Stephen: SOMEONE LONG DISTANCE?
SOMEONE FROM WORK?
SOMEONE IMPORTANT.
IS THAT WHY THEY SENT YOU HERE?
>> WE SHOULD GET BACK, RIGHT?
>> STEPHEN: PLEASE WELCOME SARAH PAULSON!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> HI.
>> Stephen: HI.
LOVELY TO SEE YOU.
>> LOVELY TO SEE YOU, TOO.
I'M OUT OF BREATH.
>> Stephen: YOU WERE PLAYING AIR EVERYTHING.
>> TRYING TO DO WHAT JON DOES WHICH IS NOT EASY.
>> Stephen: WE HAD YOUR LOVELY PARTNER HOLLAND TAIFERL ON.
>> SHE HAD A GREAT TIME.
SHE WAS NERVES.
>> Stephen: WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?
>> SHE'S A PRO BUT SHE GETS NERVOUS.
I'M REALLY WINDED.
>> Stephen: CAN WE GET HER AN OXYGEN TANK, PLEASE?
>> I'M OKAY.
WHAT WAS YOUR QUESTION?
>> Stephen: HAVE YOU RECENTLY BEEN TESTED FOR COVID IS MY
QUESTION.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: YOU REALIZE WE'RE NOT SEEING SYMPTOMS HERE.
>> NO, THIS MORNING.
>> Stephen: YOU'RE FINE.
TEMPERATURE'S OKAY FOR NOW.
>> Stephen: I WAS GOING TO SAY YOU GUYS ARE GLAM, GLAM, GLAM,
CELEBRITY POWER COUPLE.
WHAT IS IT LIKE TO BE -- HAVE YOU ACCEPTED YOUR ROLE AS A
CELEBRITY POWER COUPLE?
>> NO, BECAUSE ALL WE DO IS SIT AROUND THE SWEAT PANTS AND WATCH
TEFERLINGS.
WE'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE.
ARE YOU GOING ANYWHERE BESIDES HERE?
>> Stephen: I GO HERE AND HOME TO THE REFRIGERATOR AND GET ICE
CREAM.
>> CORRECT.
THAT SOUNDS WHAT I'M DOING ON AN AVERAGE SUNDAY NIGHT.
>> Stephen: YOU'RE NOW PLAYING LINDA TRIPP.
>> OH, GOD, YES.
>> Stephen: I DON'T WANT TO TAKE THIS FOE TO OUT YET BECAUSE
IT'S SO GOOD.
THIS IS THE RAMIFICATIONS OF PLAYING LINDA TRIPP.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: YOU SAY THIS IS THE HARDEST ACTING ROLE OF YOUR
ENTIRE LIFE.
WHAT MAKES IT SO HARD TO PLAY LYNN TRAY TRIP?
>> SO MANY THINGS.
CHIEFLY, ANYTIME YOU DECIDE TO PLAY A PERSON FOR WHOM MANY
PEOPLE HAVE A LOT OF SCORN FOR -- SHE'S SORT OF DETESTED,
SHE'S THOUGHT OF AS SORT OF A HATEFUL WOMAN, WHO I WOULD ARGUE
NOT A HATEFUL WOMAN BUT A WOMAN WHO DID LATEFUL THINGS, AND I
THINK THERE'S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A PERSON WHO IS
WORTHLESS AND ONE WHO MADE TERRIBLE MISTAKES.
I'M NOT SANCTIONING THE BEHAVIOR, KIDS, I'M SIMPLY
SAYING THAT WHEN I DECIDED TO DO IT, I HAD TO FIND A WAY TO
UNDERSTAND THE CHOICES SHE MADE AND, IN PURSUING THAT, I FOUND
THINGS ABOUT HER THAT I FOUND WERE QUITE REDEEMABLE.
>> Stephen: REMIND THE PEOPLE WHO MAY NOT REMEMBER THE LATE
90s, WHAT WAS HER INVOLVEMENT IN THE SCANDAL?
>> LINDA TRIPP IS ESSENTIALLY THE LYNCH PIN.
SHE IS WHY WE KNOW WHAT HAPPENED WITH MONICA LEWINSKY AND BILL
CLINTON.
SHE TAPED THESE CONVERSATIONS AND TURNED THEM OVER TO KEN
STARR.
>> Stephen: AND HER MOTIVATION WERE WHAT?
>> HER MOTIVES WERE COMPLICATED.
THEY COME OUT IN EPISODE 10 SO I'M NOT GOING TO TELL YOU KNOW.
BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, LINDA BELIEVED SHE WAS GOING SOMETHING
GOOD FOR MONICA WHO COULD NOT GET OFF THIS LOOP ABOUT THE
PRESIDENT AND HER RELATIONSHIP, AND, ALSO, SHE WAS SO DISGUSTED
WITH WHAT BILL CLINTON WAS DOING WITH THIS YOUNG INTERN.
>> Stephen: SHE'S IN GOOD COMPANY THERE.
>> IT'S AN ABUSE OF POWER IN A LOT OF WAYS.
>> Stephen: PERHAPS THE MOST FAMOUS ABUSE OF POWER IN A
WORKPLACE EVER.
>> AND PERHAPS LINDA FELT THE PRESIDENCY WAS NOT BEING TREATED
WITH ENOUGH RESPECT.
>> Stephen: YOU BROKE YOUR WRIST.
>> YES, I -- >> Stephen: WHY.
I HAVE A SNEAKING SUSPICION IT WAS THE GHOST OF LINDA TRIPP
BECAUSE I FELL UP THE STAIRS AND I THINK -- YEAH, UP THEM.
>> Stephen: YES.
NOT LIKE, OOOH, DOWN!
NO, JUST WALKING UP SOME AVERAGE STAIRS AND BROKE MY WRIST, AND I
ALSO, THE FIRST SCREENING WE HAD OF "IMPEACHMENT" HERE IN
NEW YORK I TRIPPED ON THE RED CARPET GOING TO TAKE MY PICTURE
AND I SAID, THIS IS STARTING TO GET WEIRD.
LINDA TRIPP IS TRIPPING ME.
I THINK THE SHOW JUST CAME ON, IT WAS ON FOR THE FIRST TIME TWO
NIGHTS AGO.
SHE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS GOING TO BE AND UNTIL SHE KNEW
SHE HAD DECIDED SHE HAD TO MAYBE TAKE ME DOWN.
>> Stephen: EVEN THOUGH LINDA TRIPP IS NO LONGER WITH US, BUT
IN HEAVEN YOU CANNOT SEE TV BEFORE IT'S BROADCAST?
>> YOU CANNOT.
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: NOW, NOT THE FIRST
TIME YOU'VE PLAYED A FAMOUS HISTORICAL FIGURE.
YOU PLAYED MARSHA CLARK IN THE O.J. SIMPSON STORY.
( APPLAUSE ) >> I'LL TAKE IT WHEREVER I CAN
GET IT.
>> Stephen: HOW FAR DO YOU GO TO GET AN HISTORICAL FIGURE
RIGHT?
>> WELL, WITH LINDA, UNLIKE WITH MARSHA, THERE WAS SO MUCH TAPE
OF LINDA WALKING OUT OF HER HOME, SO I WAS ABLE TO REALLY
STUDY THE WALK WHICH WAS A VERY SPECIFIC WALK, ENDLESS TAPES OF
HER WALKING OUT OF HER HOUSE.
WITH MARSHA, IT WAS STUFF I COULD SEE IN THE COURTROOM.
SO I NEVER GOT HER IN HER NORMAL LIFE.
BUT I DID A DEEP DIVE AND TRIED TO FIGURE OUT WHAT PERFUME
MARSHA WORE IN THE TRIAL.
THE ODOR, WHAT WAS IT DOING WHEN SHE WAS GETTING UPSET AND HOT
AND THE FRAGRANCE FLYING OFF HER WRIST IN A DIFFERENT WAY, I
DON'T KNOW.
I FOUND OUT FROM A MUTUAL FRIEND WHAT THE PERFUME WAS AND DECIDED
TO GO TO PERFUME WEB SITES TO DETERMINE -- BECAUSE APPARENTLY
PERFUMES HAVE DIFFERENT ITERATIONS.
SO THE PERFUME SHE WORE BACK THEN -- ARE YOU BORED?
>> NO.
ARE YOU REALLY INTERESTED?
( LAUGHTER ) THERE IS LIKE A CHUTE
ROOMPERFUME MESSAGE BOARD THAT YOU CAN GO TO AND THEY TALK
ABOUT THE DIFFERENT ITERATIONS OF THE PERFUMES AND THE 2000
VERSION WAS NOT AS GOOD AS THE '98 VERSION.
I FOUND THE VERSION SHE WORE AND IT SMELLED LIKE A BOTTLE OF PEA.
IT WAS BAD.
I TALKED ABOUT THIS IN A DESCRIPTION OF THE SHOW AND SHE
WASN'T HAPPY WITH MY DESCRIPTION.
MARSHA DECIDED TO GO BUY THE SAME ONE I HAD TO SEE WHAT IT
WAS AND SHE ALSO GOT IT ON EBAY AND SHE TOO THOUGHT IT
SMELLED LIKE A BOTTLE OF PEA AND TURNED OUT THE PERFUME HAD
TURNED.
SO I WAS WEARING TURNED BAD PERFUME BUT MY COMMITMENT TO
MARSHA WAS SO STRONG THAT I WAS WILLING TO --
( APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: THIS IS YOUR
COMMITMENT TO LINDA TRIPP HERE.
TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED HERE.
>> SO LINDA HAD A VERY DIFFERENT EYEBROW SHAPE THAN I DID.
IT WAS KIND OF DRAWN ON.
THE ONLY WAY TO DO WAS WIPE OUT MY OWN EYEBROWS AND I HAD TO
BLEACH AND SHAVE THEM TO NOTHINGNESS.
I WALKED AROUND LIKE THIS ABOUT A YEAR.
ETH NOT A GREAT LOOK, GUYS.
>> Stephen: THIS IS -- ( AUDIENCE REACTS )
>> DO YOU SEE THE AMOUNT OF DISTANCE YOU CAN TRAVEL FROM
HERE TO THE TOP OF THE HEAD IS REALLY INTENSE.
>> Stephen: IT'S A SEVERE LOOK.
>> YOU NEED YOUR BROWS AS A MID-LINE POINT ESPECIALLY IF YOU
HAVE A LARGE FOREHEAD.
>> Stephen: JUST TO BREAK UP THE TRIP.
>> BREAK UP THE TRIP TO THE TOP OF THE HEAD.
>> Stephen: JIM, PUT IT BACK UP THERE.
WE KNOW WHICH PERSON IS THE AIL JEN PRETENDING TO BE HUMAN
BECAUSE THEY FORGOT THAT WE HAVE EYEBROWS.
>> THEY FORGOT.
>> Stephen: BUT THEY LOOK FANTASTIC.
>> THEY'RE PAINTED ON.
>> Stephen: THIS IS VERY JOAN CRAWFORD.
>> BRING ME ALL THE PUPPIES.
YES, EXACTLY.
>> Stephen: WE HAVE TO TAKE A QUICK BREAK.
COME BACK WHEN WE RETURN I'LL ASK SARAH WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO
HAVE MONICA LEWINSKY TO BE ONE OF THE PRODUCERS OF THE SERIES.
STICK AROUND.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ♪♪