OUR GUEST TONIGHT IS AN EMMY NOMINATED ACTOR, WRITER AND

PRODUCER AND GENIUS, OUR FRIEND ONE OF MY FAVORITE PEOPLE ON

PLANET EARTH, MR. DAN DAN IS HERE TONIGHT!

HOW ARE YOU, DANNY?

WELL --, YOU KNOW WHAT?

RELATIVELY SPEAKING, ALL THINGS CONSIDERED, I AM WELL.

I HAVE A ROOF OVER MY HEAD, FOOD ON MY TABLE AND I'M DOING ALL

RIGHT.

>> James: CAN I BE HONEST?

YEAH.

>> James: I'M A LITTLE ANNO IT BY HOW GOOD YOU'RE LOOKING

DURING ISOLATION.

>> HAD I KNOWN YOU WERE GOING TO DO A FULL SUIT AND TIE, I WOULD

HAVE MET YOU THERE.

>> James: I'M NOT ONLY TALKING ABOUT THE ATTIRE.

MY ONLY THOUGHT GOING INTO THIS IS WHAT IS DAN'S HAIR GOING TO

LOOK LIKE DURING OUR SESSION AND HERE IT IS, IT LOOKS INCREDIBLE.

>> LET ME JUST SPECIFY, THAT THIS IS NOT WHAT MY HAIR LOOKS

LIKE DURING ISOLATION.

>> James: OH.

I WORKED ON IT TWO AND A HALF HOURS AND I DO FEEL LIKE, IN

THESE TIMES, TALKING TO YOU, USUALLY THERE IS A WONDERFUL

TEAM OF PEOPLE WHO HELP YOU THROUGH THIS PROCESS.

>> James: I KNOW.

I HAD, LIKE, A HAIR DRIER OUT, I HAD ABOUT THREE DIFFERENT

HAIR PRODUCT.

I MEAN, IT WAS A WHOLE THING.

I'M OUTSIDE TANNING JUST SO I CAN TRY TO COVER UP THE BAGS

UNDER MY EYES, IT'S A PROCESS.

>> James: YOU LOOK SENSATIONAL.

I MEAN, THIS IS ME.

PEOPLE WOULDN'T KNOW THIS, THIS IS ME DURING THE AD BREAK.

NEVER DONE THIS BEFORE, AND HONESTLY, LOVING IT.

>> I NEED A PAPER TOWEL TO BLOCK MY FOREHEAD.

IT'S FINE.

WE'RE DOING GREAT.

>> James: NOW, YOU HAVE HAD QUITE AN EXTRAORDINARY WEEK IN

TERMS OF YOU FINISHED YOUR SHOW, YOU FINISHED IT AND I TOLD YOU

PERSONALLY HOW MUCH I TRULY ENJOYED THE LAST EPISODE OF THAT

SHOW, AND THAT'S NOT AN EASY THING TO DO TO GET THE FINALE

EPISODE OF A SERIES RIGHT.

HOW HAVE YOU FELT THIS WEEK?

>> YOU KNOW, IT'S BEEN SURPRISINGLY EMOTIONAL.

I THINK, YOU KNOW, I -- WE, WHEN I WAS WRITING THE SHOW, I WAS,

YOU KNOW, EMOTIONAL WRITING THE GOODBYES, THEN YOU SHOOT THE

GOODBYES AND YOU EDIT THE GOODBYES AND AT THAT POINT I

THOUGHT THAT'S THREE DIFFERENT GOODBYES THAT I'VE NOW GOT IT

OUT.

AND I WAS DOING REALLY WELL UP UNTIL MONDAY, AND THEN IT SORT

OF HIT ME THAT AS OF THAT TUESDAY, IT WOULD ALL BE DONE

AND ALL OF OUR WORK AND MY FAMILY THAT I HAVE, YOU KNOW,

GENETICALLY AND, YOU KNOW, THROUGH THE SHOW, WE WILL BE --

WE WILL HAVE COMPLETED OUR TASK, AND IT REALLY HIT ME IN A

POWERFUL WAY, AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, WHAT I DIDN'T EVER

CONSIDER WHEN WE WERE MAKING THE SHOW WAS JUST HOW MUCH OF AN

EMOTIONAL ATTACHMENT FANS WOULD HAVE TO IT.

SO TO READ THANK YOU LETTERS FROM PEOPLE WHO HAVE JUST, YOU

KNOW, POURED THEIR HEARTS OUT TO US OVER THE YEARS AND IN THIS

LAST WEEK HAD REALLY SORT OF EXPRESSED THAT IN THESE LONG,

BEAUTIFUL LETTERS, AND I WAS READING IT, AND IT ALL HIT ME,

AND THEN OUR CAST GOT ON A ZOOM TOGETHER AND WE WATCHED THE LAST

EPISODE, AND THEN THE LITTLE DOCUMENTARY ALL TOGETHER AS A

TEAM, AND THERE WAS A LOT OF TEARS IN THAT LITTLE QUAD ZOOM

MEETING, AND IT'S EMOTIONAL TO SAY GOODBYE.

I'M NOT GOOD WITH CHANGE, JAMES.

I DON'T LIKE IT, I'M VERY COMFORTABLE JUST WITH THE WAY

THINGS ARE.

SO TO SAY GOODBYE WAS TOUGH, BUT I THINK -- YOU KNOW, I THINK

PEOPLE LIKED IT, AND THAT'S ULTIMATELY THE MOST MEANINGFUL

THING THAT THE END OF ALL THIS IS PEOPLE LIKE THE WAY IT ENDED.

>> James: NOW, YOU MENTIONED JUST BEFORE, YOU TALKED ABOUT

LETTERS THAT YOU'VE RECEIVED FROM PEOPLE.

THERE WAS A VIDEO THAT GOT POSTED THE OTHER DAY WHICH, I

THINK I'VE WATCHED FIVE TIMES BECAUSE I THINK IT IS ONE OF THE

MOST MOVING THINGS I'VE EVER SEEN.

THIS WAS A -- ALL OF THE CAST WAS SAT AROUND A TABLE, AND I'M

WRITING THINKING THIS WAS A SURPRISE, RIGHT?

>> YEAH.

I DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS HAPPENING.

>> James: YOU WERE GIVEN LETTERS FROM MOMS AND PARENTS OF

LGBTQ KIDS WHO WERE WRITING TO YOU, THANKING YOU FOR THE HELP

THAT YOU HAVE GIVEN THEIR COMMUNITY, AND PEOPLE SHOULD

SEEK OUT THIS VIDEO AND HAVE IT BECAUSE NOTHING THAT I EVER SAY

CAN EVER DO IT JUSTICE.

I FOUND HOW MUCH IT MOVED YOU, A REALLY, REALLY QUITE BEAUTIFUL

THING TO WATCH.

TALK TO ME ABOUT THOSE LETTERS AND WHAT THEY MEANT TO YOU.

>> YOU KNOW, I THINK, AS A GAY PERSON, ALL YOU TRY TO DO IS

REPRESENT YOUR EXPERIENCE AND, IN MY CASE, I HADN'T NECESSARILY

SEEN MY EXPERIENCE REPRESENTED THAT MUCH ON TV, AND, YOU KNOW,

I THINK, ALSO, WHEN YOU'RE GIVEN THAT KIND OF OPPORTUNITY, YOU

HAVE TO RUN WITH IT AND YOU HAVE TO TELL STORIES AND YOU HAVE TO

SORT OF CUT THROUGH THE B.S., IF YOU WILL, BECAUSE I THINK THAT,

FOR SO LONG, QUEER CHARACTERS ON TELEVISION, YOU KNOW, HAVE BEEN

MET WITH EITHER TRAGEDY OR THE BUTT OF A JOKE OR A CARTOON OR

CARICATURED.

SO FOR ME IT WAS ABOUT TELLING A VERY TRUTHFUL AND THOUGHTFUL

REPRESENTATION OF MY LIFE AND MY FRIENDS' LIVES, AND I THINK, TO

HEAR THAT THOSE STORIES AFFECTED PEOPLE IN SUCH PROFOUND WAYS AND

AFFECTED CHANGE IN PEOPLE'S HOMES AND MADE PEOPLE FEEL SAFE

AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S OVERWHELMING BECAUSE I THINK BACK TO MY OWN

CHILDHOOD WHERE I DIDN'T NECESSARILY HAVE THOSE PEOPLE

AROUND AND I, YOU KNOW, WAS FEELING LIKELY UNSURE ABOUT

WHERE I WOULD GO AND WHAT I WOULD DO.

SO IT'S A FULL CIRCLE MOMENT THAT WAS VERY OVERWHELMING, AND

IF I TALK TOO MUCH ABOUT IT, I'LL GET EMOTIONAL AGAIN.

>> James: BUT I UNDERSTAND WHY.

IT'S INCREDIBLY MOVING.

>> YEAH, AND THE LETTER WAS SO BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN.

YEAH, IT WAS WONDERFUL.

>> James: WELL, IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT LOVING MOMS, YOUR

MOM TWEETED THE OTHER DAY, AND I WANT TO READ THIS ALOUD TO GET

THIS RIGHT, SHE TWEETED THIS ON THE NIGHT OF THE FINALE OF THE

SHOW, SHE TWEETED, TODAY I REGRET EVERY SINGLE SECOND OF

WORRY BACK IN THE UNINFORMED '80s, WONDERING HOW THE WORLD

WAS GOING TO TREAT MY BRILLIANT LITTLE BOY.

LITTLE DID I KNOW THAT HE WAS GOING TO KICK THAT OLD WORLD'S

ASS TO THE CURB AND CREATE A BRAND-NEW ONE.

>> YEAH.

>> James: IN THE HISTORY OF HEARING YOUR --

>> WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO TO ME?

>> James: I'M SAYING, LIKE, HEARING YOUR MOM TALK ABOUT YOU

IN THAT WAY IS AN INCREDIBLY SPECIAL THING, AND HOW DID YOU

FEEL WHEN YOU WROTE THAT?

>> I WAS A COMPLETE MESS.

IT COMPLETELY KILLED ME.

I WAS, YOU KNOW, TEETERING ON THE BRINK OF BEING OKAY.

IT WAS THE LAST DAY, I WAS FEELING A LOT OF EMOTIONS, I WAS

TRYING TO KEEP THEM IN CHECK.

AND THEN MY MOM TWEETED THAT AND I READ IT AND COMPLETELY FELL

APART AND HAD JUST A SOLID CRY.

IT'S BEEN A LOT OF TEARS, WHICH I DON'T THINK ARE A BAD THING,

BUT IT WAS HEAVY, YOU KNOW.

IT'S PRETTY HUGE FOR SOMEONE TO HEAR AND I THINK TO HEAR HER SAY

THAT SO PUBLICLY, I THINK IT ONLY MEANT SO MUCH TO A LOT OF

PEOPLE, TOO, BECAUSE IT'S THE POWER OF SUPPORT AND

ENCOURAGEMENT AND ACCEPTANCE AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, YOU NEVER

KNOW WHERE I THINK THERE'S SO MUCH FEAR ASSOCIATED STILL TO

THIS DAY WITH PARENTS LOOKING AT THEIR QUEER CHILDREN AND

WONDERING WHETHER THEY'RE GOING TO TURN OUT OKAY AND, YOU KNOW,

FOR HER TO SORT OF SAY THAT AND CHAMPION ME IN THAT KIND OF WAY,

IT'S VERY LOVELY AND BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN, I MIGHT ADD.

>> James: BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN.

YEAH.

>> James: DID YOU ALWAYS FEEL THAT SUPPORT AT HOME?

I MEAN, WHO WAS THIS YOUNG DAN LEVY IN TUN INFORMED '80s.

>> ECCENTRIC, JAMES.

>> James: WAS HE?

YEAH, A BIG ECCENTRIC.

I DON'T KNOW.

I MEAN, YOU KNOW, IT'S A REALLY TRICKY THING TO BE -- ESPECIALLY

WHEN YOU'RE YOUNG AND YOU DON'T KNOW WHY YOU'RE FEELING ODDLY

SORT OF DIFFERENT THAN OTHER PEOPLE, YOU DON'T HAVE THE

TOOLS.

SO IT WAS A REALLY STRANGE TIME, AND I DIDN'T -- I WAS VERY, YOU

KNOW, ANXIOUS SOCIALLY, I THINK BECAUSE IT ALL STEMMED FROM JUST

NOT FEELING VERY MUCH A PART OF THE GROUP.

BUT WHAT CAME FROM THAT, I THINK, WAS A CURIOSITY AND A

FASCINATION WITH PEOPLE AND WITH STORIES AND STORYTELLING, AND I

THINK, IN A WAY, IF I WERE TO CONNECT THE DOTS OF MY LIFE ALL

THE WAY BACK TO WHEN I WAS A KID, I THINK BEING ABLE TO SIT

ON THE SIDELINES AND BE THE WALL FLOWER FOR SO MUCH OF MY YOUTH

LED TO THIS VERY INTENSE FASCINATION WITH HOW PEOPLE

OPERATE AND HOW HUMAN BRAINS FUNCTION AND HOW EXCITING THAT

COULD BE IN TERMS OF STORYTELLING AND GETTING TO TELL

STORIES OF DIFFERENT PEOPLE AND THEIR LIVES.

SO IT ALL, YOU KNOW, FORTUNATELY LED TO JUST A VERY POSITIVE

OUTCOME.

BUT A LOT OF THAT WAS THROUGH SUPPORT, AND I THINK, YOU KNOW,

PARENTS HAVE TO BE SUPPORTIVE.

I MEAN, I THINK THAT'S WHAT OUR SHOW, THE MESSAGE OF OUR WHOLE

SHOW IS ABOUT.

THAT'S THE TAKEAWAY IS LOOK AT THIS TOWN, A TOWN WHERE THERE'S

NO HOMOPHOBIA OR BIGOTRY OR INTOLERANCE OF ANY KIND.

LOOK AT HOW THESE PEOPLE HAVE GROWN AND THRIVED AND LOOK AT

HOW MUCH JOY AND LOVE COMES FROM JUST LETTING PEOPLE BE WHO THEY

ARE.

IT'S NOT A HARD CONCEPT AND, YET, YOU KNOW, IT WAS SOMETHING

THAT I KEEP HEARING MORE AND MORE ABOUT, LIKE, GROUNDBREAKING

STORYTELLING.

IT SHOULDN'T BE GROUNDBREAKING.

IT SHOULD BE JUST HOW IT IS.

SO IF THAT PHILOSOPHY CAN AFFECT SOME SORT OF CHANGE OUT THERE IN

THE WORLD THROUGH A TELEVISION SCREEN, THEN GREAT.

>> James: I CAN REMEMBER WHEN MY -- MY SON'S NINE NOW, AND I

REMEMBER ABOUT TWO WEEKS AFTER HE WAS BORN, AND I, FROM THE

SOUND OF IT LIKE YOU, I GREW UP IN A VERY SUPPORTIVE HOUSEHOLD

WHERE, YOU KNOW, MY PARENTS WERE PRETTY CHILL, PRETTY HANG LOOSE

ABOUT PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING, AND MY SON WAS ABOUT NINE DAYS

OLD AND I SAID, DAD, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S YOUR BIT OF ADVICE?

AND HE SAID -- AND I THINK ABOUT IT NOW TO THIS DAY, AND MY DAD

JUST SAID -- MY DAD JUST SAID, IT'S IMPOSSIBLE FOR YOU TO LOVE

THAT BOY TOO MUCH.

HE SAID, NO ONE ENDS UP ON A THERAPIST'S CHAIR GOING, MY

PARENTS WERE JUST TOO SUPPORTIVE OF ME, THEY JUST LOVED ME TOO

MUCH.

AND THEN HE SAID, ONE WAY OR ANOTHER, YOU WILL BE WIPING HIS

ASS FOR THE NEXT 35 YEARS.

( LAUGHTER ) >> THAT IS PRETTY STELLAR

ADVICE.

>> James: IT REALLY IS.

YOU MENTIONED JUST NOW, THE WHOLE CAST GOT TOGETHER ON A

ZOOM TO WATCH THE F FINALE AND T BRILLIANT SCREEN.

IS THE CAST GOOD WHEN IT COMES TO TECHNOLOGY?

>> MY DAD I DON'T THINK WILL EVER UNDERSTAND.

I GOT A TEXT FROM MY MOM SAYING YOUR DAD'S PHONE FROZE, CAN YOU

CALL THE LAND LINE TO WALK HIM THROUGH HOW TO RESET HIS PHONE?

SO THAT'S WHERE MY PARENTS ARE AT.

BUT I THINK WHAT PEOPLE ARE REALIZING IN ALL OF THESE KIND

OF ZOOM CHATS NOW IS THAT THE MUTE BUTTON IS A REALLY

IMPORTANT BUTTON TO KNOW WHERE -- YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO

LOCATE IT IN ORDER TO TURN IT ON AND OFF.

SO WE WERE WATCHING OUR FINALE, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, VERY FUNNY

BUT ALSO VERY SWEET AND TENDER AT TIMES.

>> James: YEP.

AND KATHERINE SIGNED ON LATE, AND KATHERINE IS GOOD WITH

TECHNOLOGY, SHE IS A PRO.

BUT SHE DIDN'T -- SHE WASN'T AROUND WHEN WE WERE HAVING THE

MUTE CONVERSATION.

SO WE WOULD JUST END UP HAVING -- SHE WOULD BE TALKING,

AND THEN I WAS, LIKE, YOU MIGHT WANT TO MUTE -- MUTE THE --

THE -- AND THEN I WOULD HAVE TO GET THE PHONE OUT AND TEXT.

SO AT LEAST AFTER EVERY COMMERCIAL BREAK SOMEONE FORGOT

TO TURN THE MUTE BUTTON OFF, SO THERE WOULD BE THIS SENTIMENTAL

MOMENT AND YOU WOULD HEAR ONE OF US CHATTING IN THE BACKGROUND TO

A FRIEND.

IT WAS MESSY, BUT I WOULD HAVEN'T HAD IT ANY OTHER WAY.

IT WAS VERY US.

>> James: FOR ALL THE FANS, WE WOULDN'T HAVE HAD A SINGLE