WELCOME BACK.
FOLKS, YOU'VE SEEN MY NEXT GUEST ON "THE GOOD WIFE" AND "THE GOOD
FIGHT" AND "SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION" ON BROADWAY.
PLEASE WELCOME JOHN BENJAMIN HICKEY.
♪ ♪ ♪ ( APPLAUSE )
COME ON UP.
>> Stephen: NOW I JUST-- I JUST SAW YOU AND ALLISON JANNEY
AND AND THE YOUNG MAN WHO JUST WON THE TONY--
>> COREY HAWKINS.
HE WAS NOMINATED.
HE DIDN'T WIN.
>> Stephen: HAD HIM ON THE SHOW, AND AN ABSOLUTELY
BRILLIANT PERFORMANCE BY ALL OF YOU IN THE PLAY.
IT CLOSED SUNDAY.
>> IT'S SO NICE TO BE HERE AFTER THE SHOW ENDED BECAUSE WHOEVER
DIDN'T SEE IT JUST HAS TO TAKE OUR WORD FOR IT HOW GREAT IT
WAS.
>> Stephen: IT WAS AMAZING.
>> REMARKABLE PLAY.
A MASTERPIECE AND GREAT FUN.
>> Stephen: IT MUST BE AN HONOR TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT PLAY
ON BROADWAY, TO SAY THOSE WORDS AND TELL THAT STORY.
>> YES.
IT'S A BRILLIANTLY WRITTEN PLAY AND IT'S SO RELEVANT BECAUSE OF
THE WALLS WE BUILD BETWEEN EACH OTHER BASED ON CLASS AND RACE
AND EXPWRUNG OLD.
REALLY, REALLY RELEVANT NOW.
SO IT WAS GREAT FUN TO DO.
>> Stephen: WHAT'S IT LIKE TO-- I'VE NEVER DONE A BROADWAY
PLAY-- WHAT'S IT LIKE TO DO A AND RUN KNOW IT'S COMING TO AN
END?
IS ALL THE LAST NIGHTS, ARE YOU CHOKING UP?
LIKE-- >> YES, ARE YOU.
>> Stephen: TO STAY IN CHARACTER?
>> YOU'RE TRYING NOT TO BE TOO SENTIMENTAL ABOUT IT ALL.
I MEAN, YOU'RE ALSO SLIGHTLY THRILLED BECAUSE IT'S THE
GREATEST HONOR IN THE WORLD TO BE IN A BROADWAY SHOW AS AN
ACTOR.
IT'S LIKE THE EPICENTER OF THE ACTING UNIVERSE.
BUT IT'S ALSO LIKE BEING IN YOUR VERY OWN EXISTENTIAL GROUNDHOG
DAY BECAUSE YOU'RE DOING THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER-- IT'S
LIKE YOU-- IT'S LIKE IF YOU CAME HERE AND HAD THE SAME GUEST ON
EVERY SINGLE NIGHT AND SAID THE SAME THINGS TO EACH OTHER.
SO YOU HAVE TO TRY YOUR BEST TO MAKE IT VERY, VERY FRESH AND
ALIVE.
AND THE LAST FEW SHOWS, YOU'RE TRYING NOT TO CRY.
AND I'M A LITTLE BIT OF A CONTROL FREAK, SO YOU ALSO WANT
EVERYTHING TO BE PERFECT IN THE LAST FEW SHOWS.
AND IN THE LAST MOMENT OF THE PLAY THAT I HAVE WITH ALLISON
JANNEY, A BEAUTIFUL MOMENT-- AND WE WERE FEELING IT.
I MEAN WE WERE FULL OF EMOTION.
A CELL PHONE WENT OFF IN THE AUDIENCE.
>> Stephen: OH!
>> THAT WAS SO LOUD-- AND IT WAS AN OLD-SCHOOL RING, AND THE PLAY
TAKES PLACE IN 1989.
SO PEOPLE WHO WERE IN THE AUDIENCE THOUGHT, "I THOUGHT
THAT WAS PART OF THE PLAY."
NO, IT WASN'T PART OF THE PLAY.
>> Stephen: NO JURY COULD CONVICT ME.
>> NO JURY-- ABSOLUTELY.
THERE SHOULD BE A FINE.
>> Stephen: ALLISON JANNEY PLAYED YOUR WIFE, SHE PLAYS
OUISA TO YOUR FLAN.
I HEARD YOU SAY THAT SHE-- BASICALLY YOU TWO GOT STAGE
MARRIED 20 YEARS BEFORE.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
>> THIS WAS, LIKE, MY EIGHTH OR NINTH JOB WITH ALLISON JANNEY,
THE MAGNIFICENT ALLISON JANNEY.
AND 25 YEARS AGO, I THINK, WE WERE IN AN OFF-BROADWAY PLAY
TOGETHER.
WE BOTH GOT CAST IN THE MOVIE "THE FIRST WIVES CLUB."
I HOPE PEOPLE REMEMBER THAT.
IT WAS A WONDERFUL MOVIE.
( APPLAUSE ) YEAH.
>> Stephen: GOLDIE HAWN.
>> GOLDIE HAWN, BETTE MIDLER, AND THE GREAT DIANE KEATON.
WE WERE SO BEYOND EXCITED BECAUSE, "A," WE HAD NEVER BEEN
IN A MOVIE.
AND "B" WE WERE DEAD BROKE.
WE WERE AS BROKE AS BROKE COULD BE.
WE GOT THERE AT 6:00 A.M.
WE WAIT UNTIL 6:00 P.M., AND THERE'S A KNOCK ON OUR DOOR, AND
THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR SAYS, "HEY, YOU GUYS, YOU'RE RELEASED.
GOLDIE HAWN HAS DECIDED SHE DOESN'T WANT THE SCENE TO BE IN
THE MOVIE, AND YOU GUYS CAN GO HOME.
AND, "A," WE WERE HEARTBROKEN, BUT, BOSTON, WE WERE ALSO LIKE,
WOW IT MUST BE REALLY COOL TO BE A MOVIE STAR.
YOU GET TO DECIDE YOU DON'T WANT TO DO THIS.
BUT THE GREAT NEWS IS, WE GOT PAID, EVEN THOUGH WE NEVER
APPEARED ON FILM, AND WE STILL GET A PAYCHECK.
25 YEARS LATER WE GET A CHECK-- IT'S FOR $3.17.
>> Stephen: IT ADDS UP, THOUGH.
>> IT'S $3 I DIDN'T HAVE THE DAY BEFORE.
>> Stephen: IT AS UP AFTER A WHILE.
YOU HAVE A RADIO SHOW NOW?
>> YES, I DO.
I HAVE GOOD TASTE IN OLD FRIENDS.
ANOTHER ONE OF MY OLD BUDDIES IS ANDY COHEN.
>> Stephen: A GOOD FRIEND TO HAVE.
HE'S A FRIEND OF US OVER HERE, TOO
( APPLAUSE ).
>> YES, THE WONDERFUL ANDY COHEN.
A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, WE WERE ON THE BEACH, AND HE SAID,
"GUESS WHAT?
I HAVE A CHANNEL ONE ONED IS SIR CALLED RADIO ANDY, AND HE SAID
WOULD YOU EVER THINK ABOUT DOING A RADIO SHOW?
AND I THINK WE MIGHT HAVE BEEN A LITTLE STONED.
AND I SAID, "SURE, OF COURSE, I WANT TO DO A RADIO SHOW.
OF AND WE CAME UP WITH THIS IDEA CALLED "MY FAVORITE SONG."
AND IT'S BRILLIANT.
I SEND YOU A QUESTIONNAIRE-- AND I'M GOG SEND YOU THIS
QUESTIONNAIRE -- >> Stephen: TO ME?
>> YES, THEY SAY BARTER SYSTEM.
>> Stephen: SURE.
>> AND I ASK YOU WHAT'S WHAFS YOUR FAVORITE SONG IN HIGH
SCHOOL?
WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE ROCK 'N' ROLL SONG?
WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE DISCO SONG?
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SONG FROM HIGH SCHOOL.
>> Stephen: MY FAVORITE SONG FROM HIGH SCHOOL.
I MEAN, PURELY PEDESTRIAN.
I KNEW ALL THE WORDS TO "STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN."
>> PERFECT, PERFECT.
SO WE WOULD PLAY THAT SONG, ALL 12 MINUTES OF IT.
>> Stephen: YEAH, EXACTLY, AND THEN YOU WOULD SAY, "THANK YOU
FOR BEING HERE."
>> THAT WOULD BE IT.
WE JUST DID THE SHOW-- YOU BETTER HOPE THERE AREN'T TAPES.
( LAUGHTER ).
>> Stephen: TO QUOTE A GREAT MAN.
>> YES, YES, EXACTLY.
>> Stephen: TO QUOTE A GREAT MAN
( APPLAUSE ).
>> WE PLAY A SONG "TALK ABOUT IT, AND THE GREAT THING ABOUT
THE SHOW, WHICH WAS A SURPRISE TO ME, I'M NOT AN INTERVIEWER,
BRILLIANT LIKE YOU ARE, LEARN ABOUT A PERSON'S LIFE WITHOUT
HAVING TO TALK ABOUT THEIR LIFE.
WE ALL HAVE A SOUNDTRACK.
WE ALL HAVE MUSIC.
>> Stephen: NEXT TIME I'M GOING TO DO THAT FOR YOU.
I'LL DO IT FOR YOU IF YOU DO IT FOR ME THE NEXT TIME YOU'RE
HERE.
>> I WOULD LOVE THAT.
EVERYBODY HEARD THAT.
YOU'RE GOING TO DO MY SHOW.
>> Stephen: IT'S DONE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
"MY FAVORITE SONG WITH JOHN BENJAMIN HICKEY"
AIRS WEDNESDAYS ON SIRIUS XM.