>> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY, WE'RE BACK HERE WITH JAMES
McAVOY.
IN AN OPENING RELAYED OUT ESSENTIALLY WHAT THE STAKES OF
YOUR CHARACTER ARE AND WHO THE MAJOR PLAYERS ARE IN THE PLAY.
ONE THING EVERYBODY KNOWS ABOUT CYRANO -- AND HERE'S A
PHOTOAGAIN OF YOU RIGHT THERE -- IS THAT CYRANO HAS THIS ENORMOUS
NOSE, ALMOST A GO DESKLY LARGE NOSE, AND THE DIRECTOR DID NOT
ASK YOU TO CHANGE YOUR FACE IN ANY WAY.
>> NO, HE DIDN'T.
NO.
NO, NO.
>> Stephen: DID YOU TAKE THAT AS A COMPLIMENT TO YOUR ACTING
SKILL?
( LAUGHTER ) OR AN INDICTMENT?
>> UM...
I'VE NEVER ASKED HIM THAT, ACTUALLY.
IT'S SOME CRAZY CONCEPT HE HAS WITH NO NOSE.
AND HE SAYS, NO, IT'S FINE WITH WHAT YOU'VE GOT.
I SAID TO HIM, WHEN YOU SAID HOW DO YOU FEEL FEEL ABOUT DOING
CYRANO, I WAS, LIKE, OH, GREAT.
I DON'T WANT TO DO IT WITH A NOSE.
A GUY WITH A BIG OLD NOSE.
HE SAYS, NO, IT'S ABOUT A GUY WHO'S OBJECT FIDE.
AND MORE THAN THAT, THREE PEOPLE WHO ARE OBJECT FIDE.
AND THE MINUTE YOU STICK ON A BIG OLD FAKE NOSE YOU REDUCE IT
TO SOMETHING FAKE.
THEN HE EXTENDED IT AND SAID IF WE DON'T HAVE NOSE, WHY HAVE WE
SWORDS, AND IF WE DON'T HAVE SWORDS, WHY HAVE WE HATS WITH
BIG FEATHERS, AND IF WE DON'T HAVE ALL THAT WHY ARE WE
PRETENDING TO BE MUSKETEERS.
HE TAKES IT BACK TO YOU'RE A SOLDIER, WHO KILLS, AND OBSESSED
WITH POETRY AND TAKE IT.
PRETTY MUCH IT'S JUST ME, MASSIVELYISM FIDE IN TERMS OF
HIS INSECURITY, ANGER, VIOLENCE, LONELINESS AND LONGING BUT WE'RE
ALL PRETTY MUCH BY AND LARGE JUST PLAYING OURSELVES.
>> Stephen: MOST PEOPLE KNOW THE STORY OF CYRANO.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: THE BASIC STORY OF CYRANO, ONE LARGE ELEMENT OF IT,
IS ROXANNE AND CRISTIAN ARE BOTH THESE SORT OF BEAUTIFUL FIGURES
WHO ARE SEEMINGLY IN LOVE WITH EACH OTHER BUT THE POETRY
CRISTIAN USES TO WOO ROXANNE IS ACTUALLY FROM THE MIND OF
CYRANO.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: THAT'S THE BASIC IDEA OF THAT PARTICULARLY GAME
PART OF THE STORY.
>> ONE OF THE ORIGINAL LOVE TRIANGLES AND IS TRAGIC, TOO.
ONE TO HAVE THE THINGS WE HIGH LIGHT OR THE WRITER HAS
HIGHLIGHTED AND JAMIE HAS AS WELL, AS FUNNY, ROMANTIC AND
TRAGIC AS IT IS THAT CERTAIN PEOPLE DIE IN IT, IT'S ALSO
QUITE MANIPULATIVE AND ABUSIVE OF ROXANNE IN THE WAY THE TWO
GUYS TREAT HER, WHETHER THEY LOVE HER OR NOT OR LACKING OR
NOT AND WHETHER THEY'RE BOTH INSECURE ABOUT THEIR LACK OF
INTELLIGENCE OF MASSIVE NOSE OR WHATEVER, THEY MASSIVELY
MISTREAT HER TO AN EPIC DEGREE, AND THE PLAY PUNISHED HIM
BECAUSE IT'S NOT HER WHO DIED, IT'S THE TWO GUYS WHO DIED.
AND YOU MISS ALL THAT BEHIND THE PAGEANTRY AND THE LEXICAL
GYMNASTICS AND THE JOY AND THIS PANACHE, WHICH SHOULD EMBRACED,
BUT IF IT BECOMES TOO MUCH PANACHE, YOU FORGET THE FACT
THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO KILL PEOPLE AND MISTREAT THIS BEAUTIFUL,
INCREDIBLE WOMAN, WHO'S OBJECT FIDE FOR HER BUTTE WHEN SHE'S SO
MUCH MORE.
>> Stephen: AND CYRANO HAS SO MUCH ANGER
( APPLAUSE ) >> SO MUCH ANGER.
>> Stephen: AND THAT THE SOMETHING I KNOW FROM LOVING THE
PLAY, BUT FROM YOUR PERFORMANCE, TOO, THERE'S SO MUCH RAGE IN
THAT CHARACTER.
>> HE'S REALLY REALLY ANGRY.
HE'S -- BUT I THINK HIS ANGER IS A EARE SPOONS TO THE WAY THE
WORLD TREATS HIM, BUT ALSO ALSO HIS ANGER IS A MECHANISM BY
WHICH HE KEEPS THE WORLD AT BAY.
THERE'S A WHOLE AMAZING BET WHERE HE HAS TO PRETEND TO BE
SOMEONE ELSE TO BUY TIME FOR THE TWO LOVERS TO GET MARRIED, HE
PRETENDS TO BE A MAN VISITING FROM THE MOON.
IT'S ABSURD AND A LITTLE SURREAL, BUT BY THE END OF IT,
HE STARTS TO REALIZE AND EXAMINE HIS OWN LIFE AND EXISTENCE, AND
HE REALIZES THAT WHEN HE'S ON THE MOON, THIS MOON MAN, HE CAN
LOOK AT THE WORLD AND THE WORLD IS PERFECT, BUT HE CAN ONLY SEE
THE WORLD AS A BEAUTIFUL, PERFECT PLACE IF HE'S REMOVED
FROM IT AND DISTANCED FROM IT.
THE MINUTE HE'S WITH IT, HE HAS TO LIVE IN THE HORRIBLE WORLD
WITH PAIN AND MISTREATMENT WHERE PEOPLE ARE MISTREATED AND
SLAVERY EXISTS AND PEOPLE TREAT PEOPLE BADLY, BUT IF HE KEEPS
HIMSELF SEPARATE, HE CAN BE THE POET THAT CREATES THE BEAUTY.
THAT'S PART OF WHAT THE ANGER IS, AS WELL, AS MUCH AS HE LONG
FOR ROXANNE AND THIS NORMAL LIFE, WHATEVER THAT MEANS, HE'S
TOO SCARED TO ACTUALLY TAKE IT BECAUSE THAT'S THE THING AS WELL
ABOUT THE FAKE NEWS, YOU SEE SO MANY OF THE FAKE NEWSES, AND
REALLY I'M, LIKE, SOMEONE WOULD TAKE YOU TO BED WITH THAT NOSE
AND LOVE YOU AND GET THEIR KINK ON EVERY NIGHT BECAUSE OF YOUR
NOSE, YOU KNOW.
( APPLAUSE ) YOU WILL FIND THAT PERSON.
AND THE FAKE NOSE, IT SORT OF DIMINISHES THE SADNESS OF HIS
LACK OF SELF-WORTH THAT HE FEELS FOR HIMSELF REGARDLESS OF WHAT
THE WORLD PUTS ON HIM.
>> Stephen: JAMES, GOOD TO HAVE YOU BACK.
WELL SAID.
"CYRANO DE BERGERAC" OPENS TUESDAY AT THE BROOKLYN ACADEMY
OF MUSIC.
JAMES MCAVOY, EVERYBODY!
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH A PERFORMANCE BY
ARLO PARKS.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ( BAND PLAYING )