♪ JOHN LITHGOW.

♪ LITHGOW.

>> James: SO NICE TO SEE YOU.

>> James: YEAH, LOOK AT THIS.

WHAT A DAY TO HAVE YOU ON WITH.

>> SO GOOD TO SEE YOU.

>> James: JOHN LITHGOW IN PERSON.

>> IN THE FLESH.

>> James: I'M SO HAPPY TO SEE YOU AS I ALWAYS AM.

HOW ARE YOU?

HOW IS EVERYTHING GOING.

HOW WAS THANKSGIVING AT YOUR HOUSE.

>> THANKSGIVING WAS LOVELY.

I HAVE A LITTLE GLAND GRANDDAUGHTER DOWN IN TUCSON, WE

SPENT AN INTIMATE THANKSGIVING, FOUR AND A HALF PEOPLE, IT WAS

JUST LOVELY.

LIKE SO MANY OF THE COVID ERA'S VENTS.

SMALLER IS ET ABOUTER.

IT IS JUST SO INTIMATE AND LOVELY.

>> WAS IT MANY PEOPLE AROUND THIS TIME, WATCH HOLIDAY MOVIES,

AND IN THE 80S YOU STARRED IN SANTA CLAUS, THE MOVIE WITH THE

LATE GREAT DUDLEY MOORE WHO I ADORE.

NOW YOU SAID THIS STD WORST MOVIE YOU HAVE EVER DONE, WHY IS

THAT?

WHY SO BAD.

>> PEOPLE BARELY KNOW ABOUT IT OVER HERE BUT I HAVE FOUND THAT

IN ENGLAND IT IS A BELOVED SEASONAL FAVORITE.

THEIR VERSION OF IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE.

IN MY MIND IT SAY HID COUNTRIES LIFE SO BUT YOU KNOW IT DID GIVE

ME A FRIENDSHIP WITH DUDLEY MOORE, THAT WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL

MAN.

>> James: YES.

>> BUT DUDLEY AND I SAT ALONE IN A SCREENING ROOM AT THE STUDIOS

AND WE WATCHED IT TOGETHER AND WE LEFT-- LEFT THE SCREENING

SHAKING OUR HEADS, I DO BELIEVE I REMEMBER HIM USING THE WORD

CAREER ENDER.

WITHIN IT WAS ADVERTISED, IT WAS PRODUCED BY THE MAD HUNGARIAN,

THE FALCON, HE WITH WAS LIKE THREE GENERATIONS OF EURO TRASH

MOVIE MAKERS.

AND THEY, EVEN WHILE WE WERE MAWKING IT THEY ADVERTISED IT AS

THE MOST EXPENSIVE FILM EVER MADE WHICH IS A RED FLAG.

YOU START BRAGGING ABOUT THAT.

>> James: YES.

>> BUT WHEN I WAS DOING IT IN LONDON, IT WITH WAS IN I BAS IN

THE BACK OF A TAXI WITH ONE NIGHT.

AND YOU KNOW HOW SMART TAXI DRIVERS IN LONDON ARE, THEY KNOW

EVERYTHING.

AND THIS FELLOW RECOGNIZED ME FROM SOMETHING ELSE.

HE SAID WHY ARE YOU DOING AISHEDZ.

I SAID I'M DOING A FILL TESTIMONY.

, OH WHAT IS IT.

>> SANT CLAS, PINEWOOD WHO IS PRODUCING IT.

>> I SAID THE FALCON.

>> THE FALCON, I HOPE YOU GOT YOUR MONEY, MATE.

>> I THOUGHT OH BOY, WE'RE IN TROUBLE.

THAT WAS MY FIRST IDEA THAT I WAS IN THE WORST MOVIE I EVER

MADE.

>> IT CERTAINLY WASN'T IN ANYWAY A CAREER ENDER AT ALL BUT WAS

THERE EVERYBODY A MOMENT IN YOUR LIFE, BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE YOU

ARE SOMEONE THAT JUST WAS BORN TO ACT.

BORN TO PERFORM.

WAS THERE EVER A MOMENT WHERE YOU CONSIDERED A DIFFERENT

CAREER PATH?

>> OH YEAH, GROWING UP I WANTED TO BE AN ARTIST.

THAT SEEMED A PROMISING PROFESSION.

MY FATHER, I GREW UP IN A THEATRE FAMILY.

MY FATHER WAS A REGIONAL THEATER PROWR.

AND I DID LOADS OF ACTING BUT JUST FOR THE FUN OF IT WORKING

WITH THE SHAKESPEARE COMPANY.

IT WAS ONLY WHEN I WENT TO COLLEGE AND FELL INTO THE

THEATER GANG AND HEARD ENOUGH LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE, I SAID

WELL, THE HANDWRITING SON THE WALL.

I'M GOING TO BE AN ACTOR.

AND I REMEMBER I AUDITIONED TO GO TO LAMDA IN LONDON.

AND TOLD MY FATHER THAT THAT WAS WHAT I WAS DOING.

I WAS A SENIOR AT HARVARD AND HE-- THIS A MAN WHO HIRED ME,

LIKE FIVE OR SIX TIMES TO ACT.

THEATER WAS HIS LIFE AND HE WAS SO UPSET THAT I WAS GOING TO GO

OF TO STUDY ACTING.

WHAT DID YOU THINK?

YOU EVEN HIRED ME.

IT WAS BOUND TO BE AN ACTOR.

WHAT DID YOU THINK I WOULD DO.

HE SAID WELL, I ALWAYS THOUGHT MAYBE BUSINESS SCHOOL.

YOU SEE HE AS A THEATRE DIRECTOR ERCK HE AILES FELT THE WITH ONE

THING HE WAS TERRIBLE AT IS ADMINISTRATIVE AND RUNNING

THINGS.

>> James: RIGHT.

>> HE THOUGHT I HAD-- HE KNEW THAT THE ACTING PROFESSION CAN

BE MISERABLE.

IT IS NOT ALL JOY AND LUXURY AND SUCCESS.

SOMETIMES THERE ARE LONG STRETCHES OF JOY ITSNESS AND

FAILURE.

>> BUT WHEN YOU LOOK BACK, AS WE ALL DO IN MOMENTS, AND YOU LOOK

AT YOUR CAREER, WHAT ARE THE MOMENTS, WHAT ARE THE JOBS THAT

YOU HAVE DONE THAT STAND OUT AS MOMENTS WHERE YOU GO WELL THAT

WAS PURE JOY, THAT WAS THE REASON I WAS DOING IT, DO YOU

KNOW?

>> LUCKY FOR ME THERE HAVE BEEN LOADS AND LOADS OF THINGS.

THIRD ROCK FROM THE SUN WAS A SIX YEAR LONG JOY RIDE.

DOING M BUTTERFLY ON BROADWAY WAS GREAT GROUNDS BREAKING

PEOPLE'S THEATER.

WORKING WITH ALL THOSE MARVELOUS ACTORS IN THE CLOWN PLAYING

WINSTON CHURCHILL, THOSE ARE JUST A FEW OF THEM.

>> THE CROWN.

>> AND YOU THROW IN SOME OF THE MOVIE EXPERIENCES LIKE A-RF,

WILD RIDE, THE TWILIGHT ZONE MOVIE.

I MEAN IT IS HISTORIC.

YOU HAVE THAT, YOU FIND A WAY OF MAKING EVERYTHING JOYFUL.

I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU DO IT BUT YOU ARE RARE THAT WAY.

I MEAN ACTING IS A VERY SERIOUS BUSINESS BUT YOU'VE GOT TO HAVE

AN EXUB RANT JOY IN DOING IT OR IT IS A REALLY TOUGH LIFE.

>> James: I JUST THINK YOU CAN'T LOSE THE JOY AND THE FACT

THAT REALLY WHAT YOU ARE GETTING IS TO PLAY DRESSUP, I ALSO DRINK

QUITE A LOT SO.

KNOW LET'S TALK ABOUT YOUR OTHER INCREDIBLE THINGMENT CONDITION

GRATES ON YOUR NEW BEST SELLER.

TRUMPTY DUMPTY WANTED A CROWN, VERSES FOR A DESPOTIC AGE.

NOW THIS IS THE SECOND OF THESE BOOKS THAT YOU HAVE DONE.

THE EXPLAIN WHAT THIS IS ABOUT.

>> THE FIRST ONE I CAME HERE AND I SANG AN ENTIRE POEM ON YOUR

SHOW, THAT BAS THE FIRST TWO YEARS OF THE TRUMP

ADMINISTRATION AND THIS IS THE OTHER YEARS, IT IS RIGHT UP

UNTIL ABOUT THE END OF APRIL WHEN I HAD TO SUBMIT THE POEM.

SO IT ENCOMPASSES AN EXTRAORDINARY PERIOD IN OUR

HISTORY, IMPEACHMENT, THE ARRIVAL OF THE CORONAVIRUS, THE

FINANCIAL CATASTROPHE AND THE BEGINNINGS OF BLACK LIVES MATTER

ACTIVISM AND IN REALTIME I WAS WRITING COMIC VERSUS AS THINGS

GOT LESS AND LESS COMMON.

SO IT IS QUITE A UNIQUE BOOK IN THE SENSE THAT IT IS A HISTORY

BOOK, IT ATTRACTS THOSE QUNS I'M VERY PLEASED.

YOU WILL READ US A PO WELL.

>> YES, THIS IS YOU WILL KAD TRUMPTY DUMPTY WANTED A ROUTE,

THE INTERESTING THING ABOUT THIS POEM IS TO LISTEN TO IT BEARING

IN MIND OF WHAT HAD HAPPENED SINCE I WROTE IT IN MARCH.

>> TRUMPTY DUMPTY WANTED A ROUT AND THE ELECTORAL LANDSLIDE TO

BIV HIM MORE CLOUT.

WITH JOBS AND PROSPERITY LENDING SOME FUEL, HE WANTED TO WALK OR

CERTIFICATE TYRANNICAL RULE.

WITH THE DOLLARRIST DIMS IN THE STATE OF DISTRESS, DUMPTY COULD

FACE THE HUGE SMELL OF SUCCESS BUT IN EVERY GOOD STORY THE PLOT

ALWAYS THINKENS.

THE HE WAS CARELESS IN COUNTING HIS CHICKEN.

A GLUE SOME PANDEMIC ASSAULTED THE GLOBE.

IRONICALLY HOBBLABLE-- HOBLING OUR HEAD GERMOPHOBE FOR WHEN

TRAGEDY STRIKES, IT CAN BE A DUPLICITOUS DUMP, TRUMPTY DUMPTY

WAS OUT ON A LIMB WITH PROSPECTS OF WIN WERE SUDDENLY DIM.

THOUGH HISTORY'S VERDICT REMAINS TO BE SEEN, HE IS ALREADY A

VICTIM OF COVID-19.

>> James: OH, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING THAT, TRUMPTY

DUMPTY WANTED A CROWN IS AVAILABLE RIGHT NOW WHEREVER YOU

BUY YOUR BOOKS, STICK AROUND,