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00:05From 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York,
00:09it's Late Night with Seth Meyers.
00:12Tonight, Tessa Thompson.
00:14Star of She Dances, actor Steve Zahn.
00:18Comedian Mark Norman.
00:25And now, Seth Meyers.
00:28Good evening, everybody. I'm Seth Meyers.
00:30This is Late Night. We hope you're doing well.
00:32And now, if you don't mind, we're going to get to the news.
00:34Today was St. Patrick's Day.
00:36This news first reported by Wally's cue cards.
00:45During an interview last week,
00:47President Trump claimed that California Governor Gavin Newsom
00:49committed political suicide
00:51by talking about his learning disability.
00:53I don't know, man.
00:54I don't think there's such a thing as a political suicide.
00:57I used to think orchestrating a coup was political suicide.
01:02Turns out, it just gets you re-elected.
01:04Hell, Kristi Noem admitted to shooting her dog,
01:07and you still hired her for a year.
01:11During the Kennedy Center board meeting yesterday
01:13at the White House,
01:14President Trump criticized some U.S. allies
01:16for not being enthusiastic enough
01:18about helping to secure the Strait of Hormuz
01:21and added, quote,
01:22the level of enthusiasm, it matters to me.
01:24But worst case, they can always fake it.
01:30Plans were released last week
01:32for the renovation of the White House grounds,
01:35which include a 33,000-square-foot visitor center.
01:38You know, in case he ever decides to pop by.
01:42Pentagon officials reportedly barred news photographers
01:45from the press briefing room
01:46because they did not like the way some pictures
01:48made Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth look.
01:51You mean like a college basketball coach
01:53who quit smoking six hours ago?
01:56That's not the camera's fault.
01:59During a recent briefing on military operations in Iran,
02:03Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
02:04dismissed comparisons to the war in Iraq
02:06and said, quote,
02:07This is not 2003.
02:09Really?
02:10Then why are you hanging out with Kid Rock?
02:14A couple featured on the Real Housewives franchise
02:17was arrested last week
02:18after they allegedly stole over $3,000 worth of items
02:21from a Publix grocery store in Florida.
02:24In their defense, that's like seven eggs right now.
02:29Southwest Airlines announced last week
02:31it will no longer offer service to Chicago O'Hare
02:34or Washington Dulles Airport,
02:36it's, huh, I know they had flights,
02:39but when did they offer service?
02:42The U.S. Postal Service has unveiled new forever stamps
02:46that feature five different lowrider cars,
02:48so if you love lowriders and you collect stamps,
02:51you might be the only one.
02:55And finally, the Los Angeles subway system
02:58recently unveiled the most unusual items
03:00from its lost and found, including a prosthetic leg.
03:04Yet another reason why New York is better than L.A.
03:07The legs you find on the subway here are real.
03:11Hey, free leg!
03:13That was a monologue, everybody!
03:17I've got a great show for you tonight.
03:20You know it from Westworld
03:21and from movies such as Selma Creed
03:24and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
03:26She'll be starring on Broadway in The Fear of 13
03:29at the James Earl Jones Theater
03:31with previews beginning this Thursday, March 19th.
03:33Tessa Thompson's on the show, everybody!
03:37She's a fantastic actor.
03:40She's seen in That Thing You Do, Diary of a Wimpy Kid,
03:42Anaconda, as well as shows such as Silo and The White Lotus.
03:46He co-wrote and stars in She Dances,
03:48which is in theaters March 27th.
03:50Steve Zahn is on the show!
03:54And he hosts the podcast We Might Be Drunk
03:57and Tuesdays with stories.
03:58Be sure to see him perform live all over the country
04:01on his Mumbo Jumbo tour
04:03and check out his latest special, None Too Pleased,
04:05which is streaming now on Netflix.
04:07The very funny Mark Norman is here tonight!
04:10Speaking of podcasts,
04:13Darcy Carden stops by Family Trips this week.
04:16It's a great conversation.
04:17Do give it a listen.
04:18So, moving on, you guys.
04:20My wife, other day, she tells me
04:21that her friend's daughter just bought something
04:24called a dumb phone.
04:25And I said, what's a dumb phone?
04:26And she said, it's a phone that doesn't have any apps.
04:29Apparently, kids are buying these things on purpose
04:31because they think smartphones are turning their brains into goo.
04:34And, well, got me to thinking.
04:37I'm getting older.
04:40Sometimes I look around.
04:41I don't even recognize the world I'm living in anymore.
04:44Things are changing every day.
04:48And not always for the better.
04:50And it's time to talk for a moment
04:53about how things were just a little bit more simple
04:57back in my day.
05:06Back in my day, there were no dumb phones.
05:08If you wanted a phone that only served basic functions
05:12and didn't let you watch videos,
05:13you just bought a regular iPhone
05:15and took it for a ride on the New York City subway system.
05:19Because down there, it's always 2003.
05:23First, you'd lose your apps.
05:24Then, your data plan.
05:25Nobody knows how.
05:27The subway giveth, and the subway taketh away.
05:30And also, it don't really giveth.
05:34Back in my day, we didn't join run clubs
05:36to meet people we wanted to date.
05:38Back in my day, running was already a part of dating.
05:42She'd say she wanted to have kids within the year,
05:45and you'd run right the out of there.
05:52Back in my day, we weren't waiting 13 years
05:55for Grand Theft Auto 6 Liberty City Slickers.
05:58Back in my day, you wanted to do a little carjacking.
06:01You just drove to a Wendy's,
06:03parked discreetly behind a dumpster,
06:05and got down to business.
06:08It was a different kind of carjacking,
06:10but on the upside,
06:14it was a victimless crime.
06:18Back in my day, we didn't have to worry
06:19about AI slop on Facebook.
06:22Back in my day, we didn't need AI.
06:24We had regular slop on Facebook.
06:27Like the kind posted by your mom's friend, Janet,
06:30who has no inner monologue, no filter,
06:32and some pretty strong views about non-binary people
06:35that she liked to type out in all caps,
06:37directly underneath photos of a grandkids at Disney World.
06:43That's good slop, Rusty.
06:48Back in my day, dating apps weren't declining.
06:51No, sir, back in my day,
06:52declining is what women would do
06:54when you asked them out at a bar.
06:56Especially when your haircut looked like
06:58you'd personally offended the barber.
07:08Just FYI, back in my day,
07:10that also wasn't a good haircut.
07:13Back in my day, nobody was drinking raw milk.
07:16Utter sauce!
07:17Back in my day, if you wanted to kill yourself
07:19with a beverage, you drank jolt cola.
07:22One sip of that extra caffeinated soda,
07:24and there was a Seth-shaped hole
07:26in the side of my parents' house.
07:28That stuff was insane.
07:29It was like four loco,
07:30minus the alcohol, plus meth.
07:34If you're wondering why folks
07:35did so much cocaine in the 80s,
07:37it's because they needed something
07:39to take the edge off the jolt cola.
07:42Want to see what I look like on jolt cola?
07:48Speaking of beverages,
07:49back in my day, there was no prebiotic soda.
07:52If you wanted healthy soda,
07:53you drank Diet Coke.
07:54No sugar, no calories,
07:56and only 26 grams of mysterious,
07:59impossible-to-pronounce chemicals per serving.
08:02You know, for people who care
08:03what they put in their bodies.
08:07Oh, sorry about that.
08:08That must have been that all-natural potassium benzamate.
08:12Back in my day,
08:13they weren't rebooting Malcolm in the Middle.
08:15Back then, TV networks had original ideas,
08:18like rebooting 90210,
08:20or The Fresh Prince,
08:21The Gossip Girl,
08:22The Full House,
08:22Gilmore Girls,
08:23Frasier, Dexter,
08:24Mad About You,
08:25Saved by the Bell,
08:26which is all just to say,
08:27are you seriously telling me
08:29no one's making a Perfect Strangers revival?
08:33No one, for sake,
08:35they rebooted Roseanne without Roseanne.
08:39Meanwhile, Perfect Strangers
08:40just sitting there like the juiciest peach on the tree,
08:43and you're going to leave it unplugged?
08:44Bronson Pinchot is alive.
08:46Mark Lynn Baker, alive.
08:49The one woman who played the one girlfriend, alive.
08:52Look, I got your first episode right here.
08:55Ice tries to deport Balki back to Meepos.
08:58Go write it up.
09:02I and the entire audience is already laughing.
09:12Sorry, I got to make some withering eye contact
09:14with my writers real quick.
09:19Back in my day,
09:19people weren't taping their mouths shut
09:21to improve sleep quality.
09:22See, pappies!
09:24Back in my day,
09:25if you taped your mouth shut before sleeping,
09:26it's because you read one of those studies
09:28about how Americans swallow
09:30eight spiders a year in their sleep.
09:33And you weren't going to let
09:34one more of those little in.
09:42Nice try,
09:58Back in my day,
09:59there was no Shrek 5.
10:00If you ask me,
10:01making a Shrek 5 is ogre kill.
10:05Oh, I think they got it, Rusty.
10:06I just think they didn't care for it.
10:10Back in my day,
10:10we didn't have AI girlfriends.
10:12No, sir.
10:12Back then,
10:13if you fell in love
10:14with something digital,
10:15it was Clippy.
10:20Clippy,
10:20the paperclip assistant
10:21from Microsoft Word.
10:24Sure,
10:24it was just a digitally rendered paperclip
10:27with eyes,
10:27but damn,
10:29he was helpful,
10:30and he had,
10:31at the risk of sounding superficial,
10:33a perfect ass.
10:35Do we have a picture
10:36of that thing?
10:40Clippy,
10:41you're a whole last meal.
10:44Finally,
10:44back in my day,
10:45people weren't watching
10:46Heated Rivalry,
10:47a steamy show
10:48about two rival hockey players
10:50who've been secretly
10:50in love for years.
10:52Back in my day,
10:53the only heated rival
10:54we cared about in skating
10:55was Nancy Kerrigan
10:56and Tonya Hardy.
10:58Yeah,
10:58it wasn't a love story,
10:59but it had a lot
11:00of the same elements.
11:01Ice skating,
11:02fierce competition,
11:03and someone
11:04getting piped
11:05from behind.
11:12You didn't like
11:13that one, Rusty?
11:14Well, guess what?
11:15The spider's
11:16going back in.
11:18Yeah,
11:19what are you gonna do?
11:20What are you gonna,
11:20oh, look at that.
11:22Well, I'm sorry
11:23I had to do that,
11:24everybody,
11:24but sometimes
11:25it's grumpy geezers
11:26gotta grouse.
11:27This has been
11:27Back in My Day.
11:28We'll be right back
11:29with Chester Thompson.
11:43My first guest tonight
11:45is an Emmy
11:45and Golden Globe
11:46nominated actress
11:47and producer you know
11:48from shows like Westworld
11:49and from her work
11:51in movies such as
11:52Selma, Creed, Hedda,
11:53Sylvie's Love,
11:54and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
11:56She will be starring
11:56on Broadway
11:57in The Fear of 13
11:59at the James Earl Jones Theatre.
12:01Previews begin
12:02this Thursday,
12:03March 19th.
12:03Please welcome
12:04to the show
12:05Tessa Thompson, everyone.
12:19Hello.
12:20Hello.
12:21First time here.
12:23I know, which is crazy.
12:24This has been a long time coming,
12:25hasn't it?
12:25I know, I'm delighted
12:26that it's finally happening.
12:27Same, me too.
12:28And it's very delightful
12:29as well
12:29that you're on Broadway.
12:30You're making your Broadway debut.
12:32Oh, you haven't seen
12:32The Playbill.
12:33No, I haven't seen it
12:34in person.
12:34Ah!
12:36Is that like dawning?
12:40I mean, I would imagine
12:41like this might be the week
12:42where it like is all
12:43feeling very real
12:44because Thursday
12:45is the first time
12:46an audience sees it.
12:47Yeah, and this makes it
12:47feel even more real.
12:49I guess I got to do it now.
12:50Yeah.
12:51I just came from rehearsal.
12:53I was right,
12:54we're rehearsing down the street
12:55at the James Earl Jones Theater
12:57and yeah, it's feeling very real.
12:59And are you at that place
13:01where you're so excited
13:02that an audience
13:02is finally going to see it
13:03or are you like,
13:04one more day?
13:05Yeah, I'm like,
13:06one more hour.
13:08But no, to me,
13:10the audience is like
13:11the next character.
13:13Yeah.
13:13You know, like imagine
13:14doing your show
13:14without these people.
13:15I know, it's no party.
13:17It's no party.
13:18No, it's no party.
13:19And you started in theater.
13:20I mostly know you
13:21from film and television,
13:22obviously.
13:23But you did,
13:24you were in a wonderful film
13:25called Hedda last year
13:27and that, you know,
13:28is obviously based on a play.
13:29Was making that
13:30like one of the inspirations
13:32to maybe like getting on stage?
13:33Totally.
13:33I was like,
13:34I got to get back in a play.
13:35I haven't done a play
13:36in 10 years.
13:37It's where I started
13:38so it kind of feels like home.
13:40And also the process
13:41of making Hedda,
13:42we sort of rehearsed it
13:43like a play.
13:44We rehearsed for weeks
13:45and we got really close
13:46as a company
13:47and I just really missed that.
13:48This is your Broadway debut.
13:50Yeah.
13:50It's also your co-star
13:51Adrian Brody's Broadway debut.
13:56Like, it's very interesting to me
13:58because one might say like,
14:00oh, let me make my Broadway debut
14:02with somebody who's been
14:02in like a ton of Broadway plays.
14:04But both of you guys
14:05are going in together.
14:06Yeah, bad idea maybe, huh?
14:08No, we'll be okay.
14:09I mean, he did the play
14:10in London on the West End
14:11so he has done it before.
14:13But I think we're just so excited
14:15to get up there
14:16and we have an amazing cast
14:19that has been on Broadway before.
14:21We're supported by an amazing director
14:23that has done it.
14:23So, thankfully, you know,
14:25we're the newbies.
14:25It's not everybody's first, yeah.
14:26Yeah, it's not everybody's first rodeo.
14:27But it's so cool.
14:28It's an exciting time.
14:29I went to see
14:31Dog Day Afternoon the other day.
14:32Oh, my God.
14:33My co-star, Jon Bernthal,
14:34is making his Broadway debut.
14:35Congratulations on your
14:36wonderful Netflix show.
14:37Thank you so much.
14:42So, what a cool thing.
14:44When you guys were making that show,
14:46did you both know
14:47you were about to go do Broadway shows?
14:49Oh, that's very cool.
14:49Well, he knew.
14:50I wasn't sure,
14:51but I had the itch to do a play
14:53so I knew I was going to do it.
14:54I didn't know which it would be yet.
14:56He knew he was doing Dog Day
14:58because he's been working on it
14:59for like five years.
15:00So, it was so cool.
15:00But I think what I'm learning
15:02is everyone's terrified in the best way.
15:05It's like the most electrifying thing.
15:06Every day I go to rehearsal
15:07because we're at the James Earl Jones
15:09and there's this big picture
15:10of James Earl Jones himself
15:12and I literally,
15:13I'll be like running late
15:14and I'll stop
15:15and I just touch it
15:17and I'm like,
15:17thank you, sir.
15:19Thank you, sir.
15:21It's like my,
15:22it's become my ritual.
15:23Whenever the director can't find you,
15:24they're going to be like,
15:25she's with James.
15:26Yeah.
15:27It'll be like before the first preview,
15:28I'll just be in front of James.
15:30Like, help.
15:31And they're just going to walk you over there
15:32like, it's time to say goodbye to James.
15:34I take James on stage with me.
15:36They're like,
15:37uh, ma'am?
15:38Just because you mentioned
15:39your co-star, John,
15:41and you know,
15:41obviously Adrian's about to co-star.
15:42The Oscars for Sunday night,
15:44Michael B. Jordan,
15:45your co-star
15:46from the wonderful Creed movies.
15:49I can't even imagine
15:50what's that like.
15:52It was so exciting
15:54because Adrian left rehearsal
15:56to go there
15:57and I knew that he was presenting
15:59to best actor
16:00and I almost was like,
16:01Adrian, you know,
16:02you better make this happen.
16:03Oh, did you almost like
16:05slip him a fifth hand?
16:06Like, Michael B.,
16:07whatever it says,
16:08Michael B.,
16:09what you're reading.
16:10Exactly.
16:11But thankfully,
16:13he didn't need my help.
16:14It was already happening.
16:15But I was so excited for him
16:18and just,
16:19I'm like over the moon
16:20for him and for Ryan
16:21and everybody.
16:22That's fantastic.
16:23It's a very cool thing.
16:24What, this process
16:25of like doing a play again,
16:27did it come back quickly?
16:29Did you find like,
16:30oh, I'm really good
16:31at learning lines
16:31or was it like a muscle
16:33that hadn't been exercising
16:34this way for a while?
16:34Oh, that's interesting.
16:35No, it came back pretty quickly.
16:36I know I've heard that thing
16:37where people are like,
16:38I don't know what to do
16:39with my hands.
16:40Right.
16:40But it came back quickly.
16:42The thing I'm still trying
16:42to figure out
16:43and maybe you can help me
16:44with this is like,
16:45what is your ritual
16:45before you come
16:46and do the show here?
16:47Right.
16:47SNL, like,
16:48do you have a pre-show?
16:49What's your vibe?
16:50I mean, it's nice here
16:50because I, you know,
16:51like I come back
16:52and say hi to the guests
16:53beforehand.
16:54Yeah, you.
16:54But like, yeah,
16:55you don't have that
16:55going for us.
16:56So before every show,
16:57I think before every show,
16:59because you established
17:00it's close,
17:00just come over here
17:01and say hi to me.
17:02To you?
17:02Yeah.
17:03Well, good thing
17:04it's close.
17:05Maybe we'll meet halfway.
17:06Do you mind?
17:06Maybe our ritual
17:07is we'll just pass each other.
17:09But every time
17:10we have to pretend
17:10like it's a coincidence.
17:11We're like, oh!
17:13What are you doing here?
17:15And then maybe
17:15that'll be a thing.
17:16We'll get out
17:17and then like,
17:18tourists will just stand there
17:19like, this is the corner
17:19where they pretend to meet.
17:20Listen,
17:21you're going to eat your words
17:23because I'm superstitious.
17:24So now I'm like,
17:25we should probably do that.
17:27This is a play about,
17:28Adrian plays someone
17:29who is wrongfully incarcerated.
17:31Yeah, it's a true story.
17:32It's a true story.
17:33And you play basically
17:35a volunteer who sort of
17:36helps him find his freedom.
17:38Yeah, it's this incredible story
17:39of this man, Nick Yarris,
17:40who was incarcerated
17:41in Pennsylvania
17:42and in Philadelphia
17:44for 22 years
17:45for a crime he didn't commit.
17:46He was exonerated
17:47in the early 2000s
17:49after the advent
17:50of DNA evidence.
17:52But before then,
17:53he was there.
17:54And he met,
17:55over the time
17:55that he was there,
17:56a prison volunteer
17:57who was a young woman
17:58who was interested
17:59in abolition.
18:01And they eventually
18:03fall in love.
18:05Oh!
18:06Which I would say
18:07is a spoiler,
18:07except we shot a thing,
18:08so I think you get the sense.
18:10Yeah, yeah, yeah.
18:11This does it.
18:12This looks like a person
18:12who's maybe fallen in love.
18:14Yeah, the tear.
18:15That's what love will do to you.
18:18Totally.
18:20It's very intense.
18:21Obviously, this is not
18:23the lightest play.
18:24No, but it has moments.
18:26Funnily, I think that's the thing
18:27that struck me about it
18:28when I read it
18:28and made me really want to do it
18:29is it's obviously about
18:31something that is true,
18:32but there are many Nick Yarrises.
18:34There are tons of people
18:35that are incarcerated
18:36in this country
18:37for crimes they didn't commit
18:38or there's a miscarriage
18:40of justice.
18:41And then there are tons
18:42of spouses that have their,
18:44you know, partners behind bars.
18:46But inside of it,
18:47you still have to find,
18:48you know, time to love
18:50and laugh and joke,
18:52and that's the nature
18:54of being human.
18:54So, actually, the play
18:55is quite funny sometimes
18:58and sweet and moving
18:59and all the things.
19:00You talked about
19:01the pre-show ritual.
19:02Have you thought about,
19:03like, your post-show?
19:04How do you decompress?
19:05Because that's the part
19:06that I can't imagine,
19:07like doing a very intense
19:09Broadway show every night
19:10and then what you do
19:10like right after.
19:11I know.
19:12I've been trying
19:12to be good about that.
19:13So, I've been getting body work.
19:14There's this guy
19:15who's like a guru
19:16for a lot of people
19:17on Broadway.
19:18Got it.
19:20And nothing funky.
19:23Nothing, no funny stuff.
19:25I will say, like,
19:26body work became,
19:27I feel like nobody said
19:28body work until like
19:29eight years ago, right?
19:31Okay.
19:32No, but I'm just saying,
19:32like, I allow them,
19:34I mean, I think
19:34when they think about it.
19:35There's some grace.
19:36Yeah, I'm giving them
19:37grace on the term
19:38body work.
19:38Okay.
19:39But in two years,
19:40we have to be cool with it.
19:42This is massage,
19:43okay, everybody?
19:45But he was like,
19:46what do you do to wind down?
19:48Yeah.
19:48And he's like,
19:48what do you do, like,
19:49to turn your brain off?
19:50And I was like,
19:51oh, I don't do that.
19:53I just keep it moving.
19:55Yeah.
19:56Especially learning lines,
19:57but he suggested
19:58reality television.
20:00Oh, really?
20:00Yeah.
20:01So I went home that night
20:03as an experiment,
20:04and I was like,
20:04I'm just going to watch
20:05one episode,
20:06and then I watched
20:07every episode.
20:08Of all reality television?
20:10No, but I'll get there soon.
20:12Did you pick one?
20:13What did you decide
20:13to start with?
20:14I watched the new
20:15America's Next Top Model.
20:17Okay, gotcha.
20:18Has anyone seen it?
20:19No.
20:20Okay, well,
20:22the night is young.
20:24But like,
20:25wait till this is over.
20:27Don't just, like,
20:28don't just flip away now.
20:31But I don't think
20:32that's going to be my routine
20:32because what I realize
20:33is I'm not very good
20:35at moderating
20:36how much of it I take in.
20:38Do you know what I mean?
20:39So it's going to be
20:40something else.
20:40It is interesting
20:41when someone's like,
20:41you've got to decompress,
20:42so here's what you're going to do.
20:43Watch one episode of television.
20:44You're like,
20:45no, you already don't know
20:45who I am.
20:46Like, that's...
20:47No, I know,
20:47but before I was,
20:48I would allow myself
20:49to watch something,
20:50but it had to be related
20:51to the material,
20:51so I was watching, like,
20:52a lot of prison documentaries.
20:54Yeah.
20:55Alabama Solution,
20:56though, everyone should see it.
20:57An incredible film.
20:57Just truly one of the best films
20:59of last year.
20:59Or I would spend time,
21:01there are, like, places,
21:03there's a...
21:04It's really beautiful.
21:05You can write a prisoner.
21:06So there's writeaprisoner.com,
21:08and you go online,
21:08and you can see
21:09all these prisoners to write to,
21:10and I spent a lot of hours
21:12scrolling that.
21:13That's fantastic.
21:14It was cool.
21:14I mean, but that's not
21:15really decompressing.
21:16Yeah, no, that,
21:17I was going to say.
21:18That's not, like, super chill.
21:19No.
21:20So I need to find
21:21something super chill.
21:22Maybe I'll get into, like,
21:24walking?
21:26Yeah.
21:26It's a good city for that.
21:28It's a great city for walking.
21:29And then I'll walk and meet you.
21:31Yeah, yeah, yeah.
21:32Oh, my God,
21:32we'll come full circle.
21:33Wherever you are.
21:34I mean, I got it.
21:34We got it.
21:35Just make sure you confirm
21:36with me ahead of time.
21:37I don't want you walking
21:38around 30 Rock being like,
21:39Seth?
21:40Right.
21:41Just anywhere in New York.
21:43Seth?
21:43Are you here?
21:44She's like,
21:44oh, she's not from here.
21:45She thinks everybody's everywhere.
21:48Congratulations in advance.
21:50Thank you so much.
21:50Break a leg.
21:51First night of previews,
21:52and thanks so much
21:53for being here.
21:53Thanks for having me.
21:54So wonderful to finally have you.
21:55You guys,
21:56that's a thousand, everyone,
21:58The Fear of 13.
21:59We're getting previews
22:00of the James Rose-On Theater
22:01this Thursday, March 19th.
22:02It opens on April 15th.
22:04We'll be right back
22:04with Steve's On.
22:17Welcome back, everybody.
22:18Our next guest
22:19is an Emmy-nominated actor.
22:21You know from his work
22:22in films like
22:22That Thing You Do,
22:23Diary of a Wimpy Kid,
22:25and Anaconda,
22:26and shows such as
22:27Treme, Silo,
22:28and The White Lotus.
22:28He co-wrote
22:29and stars in She Dances,
22:31which is in theaters
22:32March 27th.
22:33Let's take a look.
22:34What are you guys doing?
22:36Painting feet.
22:37Can I name that musical?
22:38What's that?
22:39You guess different elements
22:41of a musical,
22:41and then you...
22:42Name that musical?
22:43Oh, I'll play.
22:44You're right.
22:45Come on.
22:45I want to name the musical.
22:47That musical?
22:48Yeah, whatever.
22:49You should give it
22:49my last one.
22:51Large cast,
22:52USA Kinda,
22:54lead character Reno Sweeney.
22:55Anything goes.
22:55I love that show.
22:57Wait, how do you know that?
22:58Please.
22:59Seriously?
23:00Well, I like musicals.
23:02Girl, what?
23:03Since when?
23:04I don't know.
23:04Since high school.
23:06Since high school?
23:06Yeah, look.
23:08There's a lot of little things
23:09you don't know
23:10about your own man.
23:11Please welcome to the show
23:12Steve Zahn, everybody.
23:27Steve, how are you?
23:29How you doing?
23:30I didn't notice the boot
23:31backstage when I said hello.
23:33Das Boot?
23:33Das Boot, yeah.
23:35I couldn't decide.
23:37I was like,
23:38do I go black leather
23:40or this monster cool?
23:41Oh, I see.
23:42So that's a fashion choice.
23:43Your foot's fine.
23:44Well, I tried wearing
23:46the left one of this, too.
23:48Oh, yeah.
23:48A little Frankenstein.
23:50I guess if you wore both,
23:51I'd be like,
23:51I don't think he hurt himself.
23:52Right, exactly.
23:54It's a sympathy boot.
23:55It's a sympathy boot.
23:56I did nothing to my foot.
23:58You, congratulations.
23:59It's always exciting
24:00to be in a movie,
24:01but this is your actual daughter
24:03in this film with you.
24:04Yes.
24:05You're co-starring
24:05with your daughter,
24:06and that's a very cool thing
24:07that I imagine
24:08was very special to do.
24:09It was amazing.
24:10Yeah.
24:11It was, yeah.
24:13And, no, truly.
24:14I mean, it's like,
24:16it's amazing to see.
24:18It is.
24:19It's layered.
24:20It's multi-layered,
24:21because, like,
24:23you get emotional just,
24:25you know,
24:25like, my home movies
24:26are in this.
24:27Yeah.
24:28So, it's,
24:29you get emotional
24:30watching home movies.
24:31You get emotional
24:32just watching your kid,
24:33you know,
24:34and then the movie is,
24:36it's a comedy,
24:37but it'll karate chop you
24:39in the throat later on.
24:40It's pretty,
24:42pretty, pretty powerful.
24:43Do you also get emotional
24:44when you see yourself,
24:45and you're like,
24:45oh, my God, that's me?
24:49It's like,
24:49it's like a hat trick.
24:50It's like me,
24:51I go like.
24:51Oh, dude,
24:52I look in the mirror,
24:53and I go,
24:54I like pretty good.
24:55And then,
24:55and then I see a picture
24:57of me or me on a show,
24:59and I go,
25:00what the ?
25:01You know, like,
25:03I look like hell.
25:04You look great right now.
25:05No, I gotta go run.
25:06No, you look good.
25:07But I can't.
25:08I have this.
25:08That's why I'm wearing it.
25:10I don't want to run.
25:11Oh, you're wearing it
25:12in case anybody suggests running.
25:14Exactly.
25:14I'm like, I can't.
25:16It's eight weeks.
25:18I want to continue
25:20congratulating you.
25:21You also wrote this film.
25:22This is the first.
25:22You've been in so many films,
25:24and you co-wrote this film
25:25with a friend,
25:26with someone you knew.
25:27Yeah, Rick Gomez,
25:28who directs the movie.
25:30Did you enjoy
25:30the process of writing?
25:32I did.
25:33Rick is an amazing writer,
25:35and he brought me
25:36into the fold,
25:37so I was like a fledgling.
25:39And we did this over lockdown,
25:41so it was kind of like,
25:43you know, Zoom,
25:44and I would have an assignment.
25:46I was like,
25:47you go write this scene,
25:48I'll write this scene,
25:49and then we'll switch,
25:50and we'll, you know.
25:51So it was really fun,
25:53and this is the first time
25:55in my career
25:55where, you know,
25:57I've been a part of,
25:59you know, hey,
25:59I got an idea
26:00to, like, sitting here
26:02and talking about it.
26:03So it's really thrilling
26:05and exhausting.
26:07I mean, making an independent film
26:08is like,
26:09it's been a part of my life
26:10for five years.
26:11This is also,
26:12there's some autobiographical
26:14elements of this.
26:15You play a dad
26:15who's taking his daughter
26:16to a dance competition.
26:18Yes.
26:18You were actually
26:19a dance dad
26:20back in the day.
26:21Oh, for years.
26:22For years.
26:24How was, uh...
26:26Do you remember
26:27the first time
26:27you went to a dance competition
26:29and what you realized
26:30you had gotten yourself into?
26:31Not necessarily,
26:32not to be like,
26:33that it's negative,
26:34but that, like,
26:34when you realize
26:35the enthusiasm.
26:35No, yeah, yeah, yeah.
26:38Yeah, you know,
26:39your kids,
26:40your kids get involved
26:41in stuff,
26:41and then, and then,
26:42and then you, you,
26:43you, some weird subculture,
26:46and then, and then
26:47you're involved.
26:47Yeah.
26:48You know, for the next,
26:48like, 20 years.
26:49Was it that?
26:50Was it, like,
26:51I mean, was it a full,
26:52like, when your,
26:53when your child chose dance,
26:54they, it was not fleeting,
26:56right?
26:56Like, they were in on it.
26:57Oh, they were totally
26:58in on it.
26:58My son was in on it,
26:59too, until he found lacrosse.
27:01Gotcha.
27:01And then it was like,
27:03but, um,
27:04but my wife
27:04was an amazing dancer.
27:06We, we met, um,
27:08on the, uh,
27:10national tour
27:10of Bye Bye Birdie.
27:11Oh, wow.
27:12In 1990.
27:13That's some real dancing.
27:14Yeah, and she was,
27:15she's an amazing dancer.
27:17So, it's kind of
27:18always been a part
27:19of our blood,
27:20and, uh,
27:20but that world is insane.
27:22It's, it's,
27:22and there's so many
27:23competitive dancers
27:24in the world,
27:25um, in the country,
27:26and it's, you know,
27:27you go to a Chattanooga.
27:29Yeah.
27:29Check into your hotel,
27:31you know,
27:32and I was, like,
27:33the props guy,
27:34and the back, you know,
27:34the backstage dude.
27:36And, um, yeah,
27:37and you're in a dark theater
27:39for three days,
27:40like, smuggling in Chick-fil-A.
27:41Did you ever,
27:43I know, I know it's, like,
27:44a stereotype of dance parents,
27:46did you ever find yourself
27:47doing, like,
27:48a small choreography
27:50along with the choreography
27:51on stage?
27:52No.
27:52Okay.
27:53Thank you,
27:54thank you for your honesty.
27:57Hey, um,
27:57you talked about,
27:58you've been working
27:59on this independent film
28:00for five years.
28:01But you, you know,
28:02you were in some of the
28:03most seminal independent films
28:04of, like, the early 90s.
28:06Like, the beginning of it,
28:07I feel like,
28:07my awareness
28:08of what an independent film
28:09could be.
28:09Yeah.
28:10I mean, uh,
28:11and this is, uh,
28:12this is a photo
28:12of you and your old friend,
28:14Ethan Hawke,
28:14reality bite friend,
28:15and the producer,
28:16Jason Blum,
28:17of Blumhouse fame.
28:18Yeah.
28:18And, uh,
28:19so this is...
28:22This is 94 Sundance.
28:24Yeah, that's 94.
28:25And was that for reality bites?
28:26Was that why
28:27you guys were there?
28:27Yeah, I think it,
28:28yeah, I think it was
28:30reality bites, yeah.
28:31And how was it?
28:32I mean, I mean,
28:32that's like,
28:33I feel like that's
28:33heyday of Sundance
28:34when you have a movie
28:35that you're probably proud of,
28:36and certainly that was one
28:37that really did make a splash.
28:39Was that just one
28:39of the coolest things
28:40in the world
28:40to be a part of?
28:41Oh, well,
28:42it was amazing.
28:43And Ethan and I
28:43were friends before that
28:44because we were doing
28:45theater here in the city.
28:46You guys,
28:47did you start
28:47your own theater company?
28:49Well, yeah,
28:50they brought me
28:51into the fold
28:51of a company
28:52called Malapart,
28:53and Jason was the producer,
28:56and, um,
28:57he was amazing.
28:58And it was,
28:59we were young actors
29:00who rented the theater
29:02on 42nd Street.
29:03Austin Pendleton
29:04was like our guru.
29:06And we just,
29:06we did plays,
29:07and it was so much fun.
29:10That's fantastic.
29:11And Ethan is actually
29:12in She Dances,
29:13you know.
29:13That's fantastic.
29:14So you reach out to Ethan,
29:15and, I mean,
29:17that's a guy
29:17who I think loves acting
29:18and loves the work,
29:20and when you call him up
29:20and you're just like,
29:21hey, I have a part for you
29:22in this,
29:22does he just show up?
29:23Yeah,
29:24and I show up for his.
29:25Yeah.
29:25I mean,
29:25you know,
29:26we had the conversation,
29:27like, I don't think
29:27we're going to go fishing,
29:28right?
29:29Yeah.
29:29We're not going to go,
29:30we're not going to go
29:31on a golf trip.
29:31So, I'll make a movie,
29:33and then you be in it,
29:34and then we can hang out.
29:35Yeah.
29:36You know?
29:36It is great
29:37when you realize,
29:38like,
29:38I don't want to do
29:39the things that other people do.
29:40I'd much rather.
29:41I like golf.
29:42Like, fishing.
29:43Which one do you like,
29:43fishing or golf?
29:44Well, fishing.
29:45Yeah.
29:46I don't like either,
29:48and I'd still pick fishing.
29:50Have you fished for a long time?
29:52Are you a...
29:52Oh, I'm an avid fisherman.
29:54Are you a good fisherman?
29:55Yeah.
29:55Okay.
29:56I fly fish,
29:57mostly, but...
29:58Did your kids get into fishing
29:59or just dance?
30:01Okay, great.
30:01Yeah.
30:02And are they either any good?
30:04Oh, yeah.
30:04My son's amazing.
30:05Great.
30:06And was there ever a time
30:07where they were too young to...
30:09Did they ever come fishing
30:10with you and ruin it?
30:13Yeah, sure.
30:14Yeah.
30:16You know?
30:17Yeah, yeah.
30:18That's good.
30:18You're very honest
30:19about what it is to be a parent.
30:21Yeah, you know.
30:21You were fantastic in White Lotus.
30:24It was, you know,
30:25obviously, you kicked off
30:26that whole thing.
30:28There's...
30:30There's a scene in the movie
30:32where the girls are doing
30:33a Jennifer Coolidge impression.
30:34Yeah, yeah.
30:36And then, is it true
30:37that you shared it with Jennifer?
30:39I, well, I...
30:40My daughter does this amazing...
30:42So, Rick, they were rehearsing the scene
30:44and Rick was like,
30:46hey, just do an accent
30:47or, you know, an English accent
30:49or whatever.
30:49Just do the scene
30:50without getting nervous about it.
30:52Just run the lines.
30:53So, they did Jennifer...
30:55They just did it as Jennifer Coolidge.
30:57Right.
30:57Yeah.
30:57And which they had been doing on set.
31:00Audrey does a great Jennifer Coolidge.
31:02So, she made a little thing for Jennifer.
31:07And when we were at the Emmys,
31:08I played it for her.
31:09And she was like,
31:09hi, this is Audrey.
31:11I'm kind of sick.
31:12I'm going to do an imitation of you.
31:13And then she did it.
31:14I played it for Jennifer.
31:17And then Jennifer was like,
31:18I need to make one for her.
31:21And so, she was like,
31:23hi, this is Audrey.
31:25I'm really kind of sick.
31:27So, Jennifer did an Audrey impression.
31:30Yes.
31:31I mean, she's on another level.
31:33She's on another level.
31:35She's so funny.
31:38You've been in so many movies I love,
31:39really, right?
31:40Out of Sight, one of my favorite movies of all time.
31:41But Rescue Dawn is a movie like,
31:44because, again, I know you do like drama and comedy,
31:46but that was a movie that, you know,
31:47was unlike anything I'd seen you in before.
31:50It's you and Christian Bale.
31:51This is a fantastic Werner Herzog movie.
31:53And this is a movie that you desperately wanted to do.
31:56Oh, yeah.
31:57And what do you do when you really want to part?
31:58Like, how do you go about getting it?
32:00Well, usually it is the kiss of death.
32:03Like, you're not going to get it.
32:04Right.
32:04Because when they can sense, you want it.
32:06I think so.
32:06Yeah, I think that's right.
32:07It's like, and so, no, I just told my agent.
32:10So, I was like, I have to meet him.
32:12And I met him, and I went to his house, like, in L.A.,
32:15and he cooked me a steak.
32:16Yeah.
32:17On a fry pan in his kitchen, and we talked.
32:19It was insane.
32:20Yeah.
32:22But luckily, I got the gag.
32:23And so, Werner Herzog, who, and Christian Bale,
32:26like, I feel like they're both people who, like,
32:27they seem so serious, but I hear in real life
32:31they're both really funny.
32:32They are really funny.
32:34Christian Bale is one of the funniest guys
32:35I've ever worked with.
32:36That's fantastic.
32:37I mean, on set, just screwing around.
32:40We had so much fun.
32:42We laughed so, and we're prisoners of war.
32:44Yeah.
32:45You're literally, like, shackled.
32:47I feel like you're shackled.
32:48We were shackled together.
32:49It was horrible.
32:49We laughed so hard.
32:52I feel like that's Werner Herzog's dream come true.
32:54We were walking away from Werner,
32:56and the camera was behind us,
32:57and he was like,
32:58turn around, turn around, turn.
33:00Look at the camera.
33:01Look back, look back.
33:02And we were laughing so hard.
33:06We were like, you turn around, man.
33:08I can't turn around.
33:10Werner gets me.
33:10Tell Werner Herzog, like, you turn around.
33:12You turn around.
33:15It's like, yeah, we got to cut that.
33:16We can't have the POWs laughing this hard in this scene.
33:19It was so fun.
33:20Hey, man, what a joy to have you here.
33:22Congrats on the film.
33:23It's really lovely.
33:25Thank you so much.
33:26You guys, this is Steve Dawn.
33:27She dances in theaters March 27th.
33:30We'll be right back in March 97th.
33:36We'll see you next time.
33:47Our next guest is a very funny comedian
33:50who hosts the podcast We Might Be Drunk
33:52and Tuesdays with Stories.
33:53He's performing nationwide on his Mumbo Jumbo tour
33:56and his latest special, None Too Pleased,
33:58is streaming now on Netflix.
34:00Let's take a look.
34:01Yeah, I like to drink.
34:02I've cut back quite a bit.
34:03I used to have a real problem in my 20s.
34:06We used to get drunk, play these crazy games.
34:08You guys ever play, uh, driving?
34:13You kill somebody, you lose.
34:16Please welcome to the show,
34:17Mark Norman, everybody!
34:31How are you?
34:32Hey, good.
34:33Good to be here.
34:34Congrats on your special.
34:36Right off the bat, you filmed it in Boulder,
34:38and you sort of admit to the audience,
34:40never been there before.
34:41Never been, and never again.
34:44No, no.
34:45No, it's a great place.
34:46How'd you choose it?
34:47We sold a bunch of tickets, and we said,
34:49hey, let's shoot it there.
34:50We sold out three shows, and we had, you know,
34:53three options, so we did it there.
34:55And what was your take on Boulder,
34:57having been there for the first time?
34:58It's a cute, crunchy town with a lot of Black Lives Matter
35:02signs and no black people.
35:03Interesting.
35:05Yeah.
35:05Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
35:06Yeah, it's adorable.
35:09Safe, white, mountain town.
35:13You opened the special with a montage.
35:16You did it when you walked out here.
35:17You have sort of a signature move.
35:19It's like this fist pump move that you do.
35:21When you come on stage,
35:22when did you develop a signature,
35:25I'm on stage now move?
35:27Well, I used to do so many horrible shows,
35:29as you know, doing comedy,
35:31that I would try to, like, pump up the audience.
35:34Like, hey, we're going to have fun,
35:35and they'd go, no, you suck.
35:38So that's where that came from.
35:39And then at the end, I say, I'm Kevin Hart,
35:41and they're like,
35:42because I was so embarrassed to say my own name
35:44because I did horribly.
35:45Yeah.
35:46And it's a nice homage.
35:48I think he really appreciated it.
35:49Yeah, sure.
35:49And then, you know, I do it in the city,
35:50and you get these Norwegian guys like,
35:51we saw Kevin Hart, you know?
35:53It's just a short, white guy.
35:56Your special's coming out on, say, Patrick's Day.
35:58Is this a coincidence,
35:59or is this a holiday that means a lot to you?
36:02No, no.
36:03They picked the date,
36:04and I don't argue with Netflix,
36:06and they gave me this date,
36:08and I'm not Irish at all.
36:09You're not Irish.
36:09No.
36:10No, no.
36:10I like the Irish.
36:11They're good people.
36:12My wife is kind of Irish,
36:13but, yeah, she's drunk right now.
36:16But, yeah, the Irish are fun
36:18because they're the only group
36:20that doesn't ever get offended.
36:21Like, think, we have a drink
36:22called the Irish Car Bomb.
36:24That's the thing that's killed
36:25thousands of Irish people.
36:26You can't be like,
36:27let me get a Holocaust on the rocks, you know?
36:29So, yeah.
36:30And, you know, we changed
36:32all the Native American team names
36:34to, like, Commanders or Guardian,
36:35Fightin' Irish,
36:36just a drunk, ugly,
36:37you know, ready to go.
36:39That's true.
36:40They have no problem with that.
36:41No, Irish Goodbye, Irish Coffee,
36:43I'm gonna beat you
36:43like a red-headed stepchild.
36:44No one says they're Irish,
36:45but come on.
36:47We know.
36:48You talk about your wife
36:49in your special.
36:50Met her backstage.
36:51Yes.
36:52Lovely.
36:52Three years married.
36:54Yes.
36:55We've been together forever.
36:56Great gal.
36:57Love her to pieces.
36:59Cute.
36:59Mother of my child.
37:00Yeah, that's nice.
37:01I'm wild in the bedroom.
37:04Now, you know, my friends,
37:06a lot of them are single.
37:07You know, we're comedians,
37:08so we're all male man-childs.
37:11So, they're always like,
37:13same woman for the rest of your life, huh?
37:15Every day for the rest of your life?
37:16I'm like, you've clearly never been married
37:17because she's a different person
37:18every single day.
37:19Yeah.
37:20Right?
37:21Yeah.
37:22On Monday, she's on top of the world.
37:24By Tuesday, she's like,
37:24what's the point?
37:26I always say my wife's mood
37:27is like the stock market, you know?
37:29Someday, she's up.
37:30I don't know how it happened.
37:31Next day, she's like,
37:31I hate her family.
37:32I'm like, ah, I should have pulled out.
37:35Yeah.
37:35You met her at a show,
37:37or I guess it started at a show.
37:40Explain this.
37:41Well, it was Epstein's Island.
37:42No, no.
37:42Um, I met her, uh, joking.
37:46I'm a comedian.
37:47They didn't do shows there.
37:49That's true.
37:49No, yeah, she was at a show
37:51with a hot, hunky date,
37:52and I had a decent set,
37:54and then went home with me.
37:56Really?
37:57Yes.
37:57That's really well done.
37:58Congratulations.
38:00That guy was Jimmy Fallon.
38:02Yeah, so, take that, Jimbo.
38:05Your son's just over a year old.
38:08Yeah, a year and two months.
38:09That's fantastic.
38:10Congratulations.
38:11Cute and fat and gay.
38:13I love him.
38:14Yeah.
38:15Wow.
38:15I can tell.
38:16You can, huh?
38:17Well, he's breastfeeding.
38:18He's miserable, but, um, uh, no, uh, no, he's a great kid, but, you know, as a comedian, I'm always
38:26on the road, so I'm always, you know, away from my son. I wear my Jamaican nannies with my kid
38:30more than me, you know? Like, the other day, she sent me a video of his first words. That didn't
38:34hurt. What hurt is he had a Jamaican accent.
38:36Oh, no.
38:36Yeah. Yeah. She was like, you hungry? He was like, yeah, I'm on. So, no, he's a good kid.
38:42You, uh, uh, I'm shocked by this. I mean, we all have done, uh, weird venues in our pursuit of
38:47stage time as comedians.
38:48Yes. Um, this was the New York Comedy Festival, uh, last year.
38:52Oh, yeah, yeah. Uh, you did a show in a sauna.
38:55Yeah, yeah. Look at that.
38:57So, that's you, and these are people that are fully in, just, like, explain how this happened and how it
39:03went.
39:04Yeah, this looks like I'm performing in hell, doesn't it?
39:06Yeah. Um, but, yeah, yeah, it was, uh, I'll do a show anywhere.
39:10The guy asked me, and I said, I could probably squeeze it in.
39:12I had to go there, put a towel on, and just not get a boner.
39:16Yeah.
39:16And how'd you do? Do you feel like, in the end, you did all right?
39:19I did all right. A couple of gay guys hit on me, which, to me, is a win.
39:22Yeah.
39:23Hey, uh, congratulations on the special, uh, and, uh, you got tour dates everywhere.
39:28You're staying very busy.
39:29Thank you. Yeah, I gotta pay the bills, and, uh, it's, it's a catch-22.
39:33I have a special out now.
39:34Some people want to come see you, but I have no material.
39:36Yeah.
39:37It's what all of us do.
39:39We're just constantly chasing for the next jokes.
39:41Hey, I saw you at the beacon.
39:42You were a killer.
39:43Oh, thank you very much.
39:44That's great.
39:44Well, that's high praise from somebody who writes as many jokes as you.
39:49That's high praise.
39:49Great, great writing.
39:50Mark Norman, everybody.
39:51None you believe, TV, not Netflix.
39:52Check out his tour.
40:07Come join the audience at Late Night, live in Studio 8G.
40:11For tickets, head over to LateNightSethTickets.com.
40:14Follow us at Late Night Seth on all social media platforms.
40:16Subscribe to Late Night Seth on YouTube.
40:19Find us online at LateNightSeth.com.
40:22And subscribe to the Late Night Podcast, featuring a closer look, guest interviews, and more.
40:27Available wherever you listen to podcasts.
40:37I want to thank my guests.
40:38Tessa Thompson, Steve Jobs, Mark Norman, everybody.
40:41Dave LaWanda, we love you.
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