>> Stephen: I SAID I CALLED YOUR SHOW THE "BIG BANG THIRTY."

>> OH, THAT'S ABOUT HOW LONG WE HAVE BEEN DOING IT.

>> Stephen: WELL, FINAL SEASON THURSDAY?

>> THURSDAY.

>> Stephen: NOT GIVING ANYTHING AWAY BY SAYING YOU'RE

GETTING MARRIED.

>> WEDDING BELLS.

LUKE AND LAURA ON GENERAL HOSPITAL -- WE HAD A BIGGER

WEDDING.

ANYBODY HERE OLD ENOUGH TO HAVE WATCHED LUKE AND LAURA GET

MARRIED?

( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: SUMMER OF 1979.

'80?

ELIZABETH TAYLOR WAS THERE.

>> Stephen: YES.

THIS IS NOT WHERE WE THOUGHT THIS INTERVIEW WAS GOING.

>> Stephen: BUT YOU YOURSELF, LAST TIME YOU WERE HERE JUST GOT

MARRIED TO YOUR HUSBAND TODD.

SO YOU'RE A YEAR IN.

>> WE'RE ALMOST A YEAR IN, YES.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

IT'S A GOOD THING.

>> Stephen: IT IS A GOOD THING.

>> IT'S A VERY GOOD THING.

>> Stephen: I'M A FAN OF BEING MARRIED.

MY MILESTONES IN THE FIRST YEAR YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT?

>> I WOULD SAY THE ONLY WEIRD HITCH HAS BEEN AN OCCUPATIONAL

HAZARD WHICH IS THIS, WHICH IS A RING WHICH HAS TO COME OFF FOR A

LOT OF ROLES AND SITS IN A DRESSING ROOM.

I'VE LEFT IT IN A DRESSING ROOM MORE THAN ONCE.

THE ONE I RETURN TO -- AND IT'S NOT LIKE THEY LOCK IT UP AND I

NEVER GO BACK.

THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED, TODD WAS UNAMUSED.

>> Stephen: I CAN IMAGINE.

I CAN ONLY IMAGINE WHAT THAT SEEMED TO SAY WHO DOESN'T GO TO

WORK AND TAKE OFF THEIR CLOTHES AND JEWELRY.

BUT HE'S GOTTEN BETTER ABOUT IT.

>> Stephen: DO YOU TWIST IT LIKE A DOG WITH A COLLAR?

>> I LEFT IT IN THE THEATER.

I WENT TO TWISTED AND REALIZED IT WAS GONE.

>> Stephen: SHORTLY AFTER I GOT MARRIED, I BOOKED A

COMMERCIAL, AND THEY SAID, WOULD YOU TAKE YOUR RING OFF?

I PUT IT IN AN ENVELOPE AND IN THE LOCKER, WENT HOME, IT WAS A

FRIDAY, AND I WENT -- AND I CALLED AND THEY SAID, YEAH, IT'S

LOCKED UP.

YOU CAN GET IT MONDAY. I KEPT MY HAND IN MY POCKET.

>> SHE DIDN'T KNOW?

>> Stephen: NO, SHE'S FINDING OUT NOW, 25 YEARS LATER.

( APPLAUSE ) >> OTHER THAN JUST SHEER LOVE

AND DEVOTION, I CAN'T LIVE WITH THE LEVEL OF DECEIT, IT MAKES ME

SICK.

TRYING TO HIDE SOMETHING FROM THE PERSON YOU'RE --

>> Stephen: I DIDN'T LIE.

NO, BUT BOY YOU COVERED.

OKAY.

( LAUGHTER ) WE KNOW WHAT YOU'RE MADE OF.

>> Stephen: I COULD BE PLAITS.

THAT'S RIGHT, YOU COULD.

>> Stephen: GOT RUDY OUT THERE FOR ME AND EVERYTHING.

>> OOH, MY GOD.

>> Stephen: YOU'RE ON BROADWAY.

>> YES.

>> Stephen: NEW THEATER, "THE BOYS IN THE BAND."

>> NEW PRODUCTION OF AN OLD SHOW.

>> Stephen: I'M SON FUSED ABOUT THREE THINGS.

YOU'RE NOT BOYS, THERE IS NO BAND AND THERE ARE NO

TURTLENECKS IN THIS PLAY.

NO ONE WEARS BLACK TURTLENECKS, THIS IS FALSE ADVERTISING.

I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO SEE SOME SORT OF GERMAN

EXPRESSIONIST.

>> NO, THERE ARE NO TURTLENECKS IN THE PLAY.

FIRST OFF, THE PURVIS PARKER AND QUADREVION HENNING IS, I THINK,

A REFERENCE TO A LINE IN A JUDY GARLAND FILM -- I THINK IT'S

JUDY GARLAND WHERE THE GUY SAYS DON'T BE NERVOUS JUST GO IN

THERE AND SING LIKE YOU DID FOR WITH BOYS IN THE BAND.

I DON'T REALLY UNDERSTAND THIS, SO THERE'S THAT.

( LAUGHTER ) THE TURTLENECKS IS BECAUSE THIS

IS THE 50th ANNIVERSARY PRODUCTION OF THIS PLAY WHICH IS

FIRST IN 1968 WHEN IT WAS VERY, VERY GROUNDBREAKING.

THIS WAS THE FIRST KIND OF INSIGHT INTO WHAT GAY LIFE MAY

LOOK LIKE FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE, AND FOR THOSE WHO DON'T KNOW, IT

ALL TAKES PLACE AT A BIRTHDAY PARTY FOR ONE OF THE MAIN

CHARACTERS PLAYED BY ZACH QUINTO AND (BLEEP) HITS THE FAN DURING

THE EVENING, BUT IN THE PROCESS YOU GET A LOT ABOUT THE WAY

THESE MEN TALK AND RELATE TO EACH OTHER.

>> Stephen: IN PRIVATE BECAUSE THEIR SEXUALITY HAD TO BE

HIDDEN.

>> YES.

>> Stephen: IT'S SET IN 1968, YES, BUT WE DON'T HIT OVER THE

HEAD WITH THAT.

YOU DON'T NEED TO.

BUT, YES, IN GENERALLY.

IT'S NOT UPDATED.

WHAT WAS MY POINT?

THE TURTLE FIX.

REALLY, THE QUESTION HE'S ASKED --

( LAUGHTER ) THIS WAS A MIMIC, A COPY OF ONE

OF THE ORIGINAL VERY POPULAR PUBLICITY STILLS DONE FOR THE

GUYS.

DO YOU HAVE ANY MORE QUESTIONS?

( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) I DON'T KNOW WHERE ELSE TO GO.

>> Stephen: LET ME SEE.

PLEASE, FLIP THROUGH.

>> Stephen: IS THERE A LEXUS IN THERE?

>> NO, NOR DO I DRIVE ONE IN REAL LIFE.

>> Stephen: IN 1968, WHICH STRUCK YOU MORE PERFORMING THIS,

HOW MUCH HAVE CHANGED OR HOW MANY THINGS HAVE STAYED THE

SAME?

>> AT THE ONSET, I WOULD SAY THAT HOW MUCH HAS CHANGED.

YOU KNOW, THE FIRST TIME I EVER READ THIS PLAY WAS RECENTLY WHEN

THEY DISCUSSED BRINGING IT BACK AND WOULD I WANT TO BE A PART OF

IT AND I HAD READ IT AND I HAD NEVER SEEN IT AND I HAD NEVER

READ IT.

I THOUGHT WHAT IS THIS BECAUSE THERE'S SO MUCH FRUSTRATION IF

THESE GUYS DESERVEDLY SO BECAUSE TO HAVE THE PRODUCT OF THE TIME

THEY WERE IN AND THERE ARE MANY THINGS ABOUT THAT THAT SEEM

FOREIGN.

HOW FORTUNATE THEY SEEM SO FOREIGN, BUT THE MORE WE'VE

WORKED ON IT, DEALT WITH IT AND PARTICIPATED IN THE

CONVERSATIONS OF THE PLAY, YOU'RE, LIKE, THERE IS A LOT OF

DIFFERENCES BUT THERE IS SO MUCH SIMILAR LATER, AND EVEN ON THE

VERY FIRST DAY OF REHEARSAL, THIS MAY SOUND STRANGE BUT TO BE

IN A ROOM FILLED WITH OTHER GUY ACTORS, THERE WAS A CERTAIN

PARLANCE, A WAY OF TALKING WITH EACH OTHER, THAT IMMEDIATELY WAS

ITS OWN LANGUAGE AND WAY OF BEING THAT WE ALL FELL INTO

IMMEDIATELY WITH EACH OTHER, AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT IS -- I

MEAN, I GUESS THAT'S THE BAND, YOU KNOW, IF ONE WAY OF LOOKING

AT IT.

SO I DON'T KNOW.

I THINK THAT'S WHY IT'S REALLY FUN TO DO THIS RIGHT NOW.

I THINK ESPECIALLY RIGHT NOW, YOU KNOW, TWO STEPS FORWARD ONE

STEP BACK SEEMS TO BE THE WAY A LOT OF PROGRESS GOES.

>> Stephen: THIS SPECIFICALLY DOESN'T NEED UPDATING DEPENDING

ON WHERE YOU ARE IN THE COUNTRY?

>> IN THE COUNTRY, ABSOLUTELY NOT.

>> Stephen: OR THE WORLD.

YOU KNOW THE MOVIE LOVE SIMON THAT JUST CAME OUT?

>> Stephen: NO.

YES, YOU DO.

ABOUT THE GAY GUY IN HIGH SCHOOL THAT CAME OUT.

CONT IT CALLED "LOVE SIMON"?

>> Stephen: NOW I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.

>> MY POINT IS I READ A COUPLE OF ARTICLES THAT ARE ESSENTIALLY

SAYING -- I LOVED IT BY THE WAY, BUT THERE ARE A COUPLE OF

ARTICLES THAT ARE, LIKE, IT'S TOO LATE.

>> Stephen: WHAT DO YOU MEAN TOO LATE?

>> THAT WE WERE BEYOND THIS NOW, THE KIND OF TALE OF COMING OUT

THAT THIS WAS.

AND I THOUGHT MAYBE IF YOU'RE A 30-SOMETHING--YEAR-OLD WRITER

LIVING IN NEW YORK OR L.A. IT MIGHT BE I DON'T NEED TO SEE

THIS, OBVIOUSLY.

BUT THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE IN OTHER PLACES THAT, YES, YOU DO

STILL NEED TO SEE IT.

NEVER MIND THAT, IT'S TOO LATE, TELL IT TO HEAR MAT SALLY.

HOW MANY ROMCOMS DO WE FEED?

NOTHING WRONG WITH THEM.

>> Stephen: IT'S TIME FOR MARY MET SALLY.

>> EXACTLY.

LET ME GET SICK OOF TOO MANY GAY ROMCOMs THEN, THANK YOU VERY

MUCH, BRING IT ON.

WE'LL SEE.

>> Stephen: WHAT'S IT LIKE TO BE BACK ON THE GREAT WHITE WAY?

>> IT'S HELP.

THERE'S NOT A MORE ATHLETIC EXPERIENCE AS AN ACTOR.

>> Stephen: WHAT DO YOU MEAN ATHLETIC.

>> YOU SORT O OF FEEL IT OUT HER YOU'RE TELLING A STORY IN FRONT

OF A LIVE AUDIENCE WITH EVERYTHING AND NO CAMERA.

CAMERAS DO CUT IT OFF.

NOBODY SEES MY FEET.

THERE'S MY FOOT.

( LAUGHTER ) BUT THERE IS SOMETHING -- IT'S

ALWAYS -- I DIDN'T PLAY SPORTS.

I WAS SCARED OF THE BALL.

( LAUGHTER ) BUT I'M NOT SCARED ON STAGE, YOU

KNOW.

I WAS SCARED OF GETTING HURT PHYSICALLY, BUT ON STAGE FOR

WHATEVER REASON, I'M NOT SCARED OF GETTING HURT.

I UNDERSTAND HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO TELL THE STORY AND HOW

IMPORTANT IT IS TO WIN THE GAME.

I COULDN'T GIVE A (BLEEP).

I DO CARE ABOUT TELLING A STORY, THOUGH.

DID THAT MAKE SENSE?

I DIDN'T NOT HAVE CAFFEINE BEFORE THIS APPEARANCE AND I'VE

NEVER TALKED FASTER IN MY LIFE.

>> Stephen: YOU FIT A LOT IN THAT WAY.

JIM, PLEASURE.

>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

>> Stephen: "THE BOYS IN THE BAND" IS ON BROADWAY.

JIM PARSONS, EVERYBODY!