>> STEPHEN: WELCOME BACK.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MY NEXT GUEST IS A STAND-UP
COMEDIAN, WRITER, AND ACTOR.
HE WROTE AND STARS IN THE NEW FILM, "FIRE ISLAND."
>> YOU DON'T NEED A BOYFRIEND, YOU JUST NEED TO LEARN HOW TO
PROTECT YOURSELF A LITTLE MORE BECAUSE ALL THIS ROMANCE
( BLEEP ) IS MAKING YOU TOO VULNERABLE.
YOU'RE LIKE AN OPEN ROOM.
>> I LIKE THE ROM-COM STUFF LIKE KISSING IN THE RAIN AND STANDING
OUTSIDE MY WINDOW WITH THE BOOM BOX OR CONFESSING THINGS IN A
GAZEBO, WHAT'S WRONG WITH THAT.
>> NOTHING'S WRONG WITH THAT.
( BLEEP ) LIKE THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN IN REAL LIFE.
THE ONLY REAL THING IS YOU AND ME, ( BLEEP ) US.
>> FINE.
IF YOU'RE SO INVESTED IN THIS, I WILL TRY AND GET LAID...
>> STEPHEN: PLEASE WELCOME TO THE LATE SHOW, JOEL KIM BOOSTE
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ( BAND PLAYING )
HEY!
>> HI.
THIS IS CRAZY, I USED TO GET GROUND FOR WATCHING YOUR SHOW.
SO THIS IS SURREAL.
>> Stephen: WHY?
IT WAS LAMPOONING A POLITICS MY FAMILY LOVE.
>> Stephen: I HOPE THEY'RE WATCHING IT.
>> THEY'RE NOT.
>> Stephen: THE MOVIE "FIRE ISLAND," YOU'RE CALLING IT A GAY
"PRIDE AND PREJUDICE."
>> EXACTLY.
>> Stephen: PERFECT FOR PRIDE MONTH.
TELL US ABOUT THE CONNECTION.
>> I'VE ALWAYS BEEN A JANE AUSTIN FAN.
WHEN I WAS LITTLE WE WOULD WATCH A BBC MINI SERIES AND THAT WAS
MY MOM AND MY YEARLY TRADITION.
WE WOULD WATCH THAT TOGETHER.
I'M A BIG FAN OF THE JOE WRIGHT EDITION AS WELL.
IT WASN'T TILL I WENT TO FIRE ISLAND THAT I BROUGHT THE BOOK
TO READ.
I WAS STRUCK HOW RELEVANT IT FELT TO MY EXPERIENCE OF GOING
TO THE ISLAND AND NAVIGATING THE WEIRD CLASS SYSTEMS GAY MEN
CREATED FOR THEMSELVES.
>> Stephen: WOW.
I WENT WITH BOWEN, MY CO-STAR IN THE MOVIE, I JUST TURNED TO
HIM AT ONE POINT AND WAS, LIKE, WOULDN'T IT BE FUNNY IF I WROTE
A GAY PRIDE AND RE PREJUDICE ON FIRE ISLAND.
AND BECAME A THREAT I WOULD THREATEN TO WRITE YEAR AFTER
YEAR.
WE CAME BACK TO THE ISLAND AND I'D BRING JANE AUSTIN BOOKS WITH
ME.
IT CRYSTALLIZED AND SOUNDED LIKE A GOOD IDEA.
>> Stephen: ARE THERE PARALLEL CHARACTERS?
>> I'M ELIZABETH.
BOWEN IS JANE, AND CONRAD IS MY DARCY.
HE IS, YOU KNOW, NO OFFENSE TO COLIN FIRTH, BUT I THINK HE IS
THE BEST DARCY OUT THERE.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: THE PEOPLE WHO
AREN'T FROM THE NEW YORK AREA OR DON'T KNOW THE HISTORY OF FIRE
ISLAND, WHAT'S SPECIAL ABOUT FIRE ISLAND IN THIS REGARD?
>> IT'S JUST A SMALL SECTION OF FIRE ISLAND.
THE PINES AND CHERRY GROVE, A STRIP OF LAND OFF LONG ISLAND.
FOR CLOSE TO A CENTURY, IT HAS BEEN A SAFE HAVEN FOR QUEER
PEOPLE TO ESCAPE TO, WHERE THERE ARE NO CARS, VERY LITTLE CELL
PHONE SERVICE AND NO STRAIGHT PEOPLE.
IT WAS REALLY TRANSFORMATIVE FOR ME TO GO FOR THE FIRST TIME
BECAUSE I DON'T THINK PEOPLE SORT OF REALIZE THE WEIGHT
EQUEER PEOPLE CARRY AROUND HIM NAVIGATING STRAIGHT SOCIETY DAY
IN AND DAY OUT.
WE LOVE YOU BUT TO HAVE THE WEIGHT LIFTED SUDDENLY, IT WAS
REALLY REALLY POWERFUL, YEAH.
>> Stephen: YOU ALSO HAVE CAST IN THIS MOVIE THE GREAT MARGARET
CHO IS IN THE MOVIE.
IS SHE LADY KATHERINE.
>> NO, MRS. BENNETT.
>> Stephen: OKAY.
YOU A LONG-TIME FAN OF HEARSE?
>> SHE CHANGED MY LIFE.
>> Stephen: HOW SO.
HE COMPLETELY BLEW OPEN MY OWN CONCEPTION OF WHAT WAS
POSSIBLE FOR MYSELF IN THIS INDUSTRY.
I MEAN, I CAN DRAW A STRAIGHT LINE FROM ALL AMERICAN GIRL TO
THIS MOVIE BECAUSE I THINK THAT SHOW IS THE FIRST TIME I EVER
SAW MYSELF REPRESENTED ON SCREEN, AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, I
JUST REMEMBER SITTING INCHES AWAY FROM THE TV WATCHING THE
SHOW, BEING ENTHRALLED AND, YEAH, IT WASN'T UNTIL I SAW
MARGARET THAT I THOUGHT, OH, I COULD DO THAT, I COULD BE AN
ACTOR, I COULD BE ON TELEVISION.
>> Stephen: YOU'RE NOT JUST A PERFORMER AND THIS IS NOT JUST
THE STAR OF THIS.
YOU ALSO WROTE IT, YOU'RE ALSOEN EXECUTIVE PRODUCER OF IT.
DO YOU ENJOY BEING THE BOSS?
>> YEAH, I GUESS.
>> Stephen: THERE'S A LOT OF PRESSURE.
>> I'M A LITTLE BOSSY.
IT WAS REALLY GRATIFYING, THOUGH.
I THINK I'VE ALWAYS LOOKED UP TO PEOPLE, LIKE, YOU KNOW, ISSA RAY
AND PEOPLE WHO ARE DOING IT ALL.
SO TO GET THERE AND ACTUALLY HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO IT
AND TO BE REALLY GOOD AT ALL OF IT --
( LAUGHTER ) ( CHEERING )
-- WAS REALLY GRATIFYING, YEAH.
>> Stephen: I UNDERSTAND THAT COMEDY WASN'T THE FIRST CHOICE,
THAT ORIGINALLY YOU WANTED TO WRITE DRAMAS.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: WHAT HAPPENED?
I WENT TO SCHOOL AND MY EMPHASIS WAS IN P PLAY WRITING.
I WANTED TO WRITE FOR "THE WIRE."
I KEPT WRITING PLAYS ABOUT MATRICIDE AND INCEST AND PEOPLE
WOULD COME AND FIND THEM TO BE SO FUNNY.
AND I WAS, LIKE, WHAT IS HAPPENING?
AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S IN ME.
IT DEVELOPED AS A DEFENSE MECHANISM GROWING UP, AND I
COULDN'T HELP BUT WRITE REALLY FUNNY CHARACTERS.
SO EVENTUALLY I MOVED TO CHICAGO TO BE A PLAYWRIGHT AND ACTOR.
I GOT FRUSTRATED.
AT THE TIME, ASIAN PEOPLE, WE WEREN'T HAVING THE CONVERSATIONS
WE'RE HAVING ABOUT DIVERSITY RIGHT NOW.
I GOT CALLED IN TO BE A CHINESE DELIVERY BOY FIVE TIMES IN ONE
YEAR IN CHICAGO.
I WAS REALLY FRUSTRATED WITH THAT AND DECIDED TO TRY STANDUP
BECAUSE IT FELT THE ONLY OUTLET I COULD BE MYSELF AND TELL AN
HONEST VERSION OF MYSELF ON STAGE AND THE REST IS HISTORY.
>> Stephen: THERE ARE FAMOUS LINES FROM JANE AUSTIN, IN
GENERAL, BUT ALSO PRIDE AND PREJUDICE SPECIFICALLY, AND I'M
WONDERING WHETHER YOU COULD TRANSLATE THEM FROM EARLY 19th O
MODERN DAY "FIRE ISLAND."
>> I CAN TRY.
>> Stephen: IT IS A TRUTH UNIVERSALLY ACKNOWLEDGED THAT A
SINGLE MAN IN POSSESSION OF A GOOD FORTUNE MUST BE IN WANT OF
A WIFE.
>> SO THAT ONE I THINK TRANSLATE PRETTY SEAMLESSLY INTO EVERYBODY
KNOWS IF YOU'RE A GUY WITH A BIG ( BLEEP ) YOU HAVE A LOT OF
OPTIONS.
( LAUGHTER ) ( APPLAUSE )
>> Stephen: STOP RIGHT THERE.
NOT GOING TO GET BETTER THAN THAT.
OR SO I'VE HEARD.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: "FIRE ISLAND" IS STREAMING NOW ON HULU.
IT'S JOEL KIM BOOSTER, EVERYBODY.
JOEL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK.