>> Stephen: HEY! <i> ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )</i>
WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY! LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MY NEXT
GUEST TONIGHT IS AN ACTOR YOU KNOW FROM "MINDHUNTER,"
"FROZEN," AND "HAMILTON." NOW HE'S IN "THE MATRIX:
RESURRECTIONS." NOW HE'S IN "THE MATRIX:
RESURRECTIONS." >> Stephen: PLEASE WELCOME BACK
TO THE LATE SHOW, JONATHAN GROFF ♪ ♪ ♪<i>
( APPLAUSE )</i> ♪ ♪ ♪<i>
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )</i> >> Stephen: HELLO, JONATHAN
GROFF. >> HELLO, HELLO. >> Stephen: GOOD TO SEE YOU
AGAIN. GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN. >> IT'S SO GOOD TO SEE YOU. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME BACK. >> Stephen: HERE'S THE THING,
I HAVE SEEN THE MOVIE BECAUSE I'M SUPER COOL AND SPECIAL. AND CAN I-- CAN WE-- WHAT CAN I
SAY ABOUT WHO YOU ARE? LIKE, WHAT CAN I REVEAL? CAN WE REVEAL ANYTHING, OR--
YOU'RE A BADDIE. >> YOU COULD SAY THAT. >> Stephen: IS THAT FAIR? YOU'RE A BADDIE. OTHER THAN THAT, WE SHOULD JUST
LEAVE IT? >> I MEAN MAYBE... I DON'T KNOW THE RULES. I DON'T KNOW THE RULES. >> Stephen: I DON'T KNOW,
EITHER. >> BUT I HAVE AN INTERACTION
WITH KEANU. >> Stephen: THAT IS VERY
EVOCATIVE OF SOME OF THE OTHER SCENES WE SAW IN THE ORIGINAL
"MATRIX" TRILOGY. I'LL LEAVE THAT EXPLANATION
RIGHT THERE. >> OKAY, PERFECT. >> Stephen: IT CAME OUT IN
1999, THE ORIGINAL. YOU WERE QUITE YOUNG AT THAT
POINT, ONE IMAGINES. WERE YOU A FAN? WHEN DID-- WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST
ENCOUNTER WITH THE "MATRIX" MOVIES? >> I WAS 14 WHEN IT CAME TO THE
THEATERS. AND A COUPLE OF-- SO I DIDN'T
SEE IT THEN. >> Stephen: BECAUSE? >> IT WAS RATED "R," AND I
WASN'T ALLOWED TO GO. >> Stephen: I FORGOT. I FORGOT. IT'S GOT THE SEXY. >> YEAH, YEAH, EXACTLY. SO THEN A COUPLE OF YEARS LATER,
I WENT WITH MY FRIENDS TO THE BLOCKBUSTER VIDEO, BLOCKBUSTER
VIDEO. >> Stephen: I REMEMBER THAT. >> REMEMBER THAT. >> Stephen: SURE, THAT WAS
FUN. >> THAT WAS FUN. >> Stephen: I MISS THAT. >> AND WE GOT THE VHS. >> Stephen: SURE, REWIND. >> EXACTLY. THOSE EMPTY BOXES AND YOU WOULD
SEE IF THE MOVIE THERE WAS OR NOT. AND WE WERE VERY EXCITED "THE
MATRIX" WAS THERE AND WE HAD OUR MINDS BLOWN. >> Stephen: WHAT WAS IT LIKE
TO AUDITION? YOU HAVE SEEN THIS MOVIE, IT'S A
SEMINAL MOVIE, IT'S SORT OF CHANGED SCIENCE FICTION MOVIES
IN KIND OF A PROFOUND AWAY WAY. IT'S A BRILLIANT FILM. WHAT'S IT LIKE TO GO AUDITION TO
BE PART OF THE CONTINUATION OF THIS INCREDIBLE SERIES? >> I DIDN'T KNOW WHEN I WENT--
SO CARMEN CUBA, WHO IS THE AMAZING --
>> Stephen: YOU WENT IN TO AUDITION NOT KNOWING ANYTHING? >> SHE TEXTED ME AND SHE SAID,
"THERE'S A VERY EXCITING MOVIE WITH A VERY EXCITING DIRECTOR. WILL YOU FLY TO SAN FRANCISCO
AND MEET SAID DIRECTOR ON YOUR DAY OFF FROM 'LITTLE SHOP OF
HORRORS'." I SAID, YES, AND THEN I FOUND
OUT IT WAS LANA WACHOWSKI AND IT WAS "THE MATRIX." AND I THOUGHT I'M NOT GETTING
THERE, BUT I WOULD LOVE TO MEET LANA, I'M A HUGE FAN AND WENT TO
SAN FRANCISCO. >> Stephen: WHAT ABOUT THE
TRAINING? DID THEY JACK IT INTO THE BACK
OF YOUR HEAD AND FEED IT IN, BECAUSE THEY CAN DO THAT NOW. THEY CAN DO THAT. ELON MUSK IS WORKING ON THAT
NOW, THE CHIP IN THE HEAD. WHAT SORT OF TRAINING ARE WE
TALKING HERE? >> IT WAS TWO MONTHS OF TRAINING
WITH MY FRIEND AND TRAINER ERIC JOHNSON IN NEW YORK TO GET READY
FOR THE FIGHT TRAINING, WHICH WAS ABOUT FOUR MONTHS. >> Stephen: YOU HAD TO TRAIN
FOR THE TRAINING? >> I HAD TO TRAIN FOR THE
TRAINING. >> Stephen: WOW. DID YOU GET BIG. LIKE I'M SURE YOU'RE ALREADY
FIT. MUSICAL THEATER GUYS ARE ALWAYS
READY TO GO, YOU'RE DANCERS. >> HAVE THE DANCE BELT ON
ALWAYS, JUST IN CASE. >> Stephen: ME, TOO. >> RIGHT. I CAN TELL. >> Stephen: IT'S ON RIGHT NOW,
IT'S COMFY. >> I CAN SEE IT. TAP SHOES AND A DANCE BELT ALL
THE TIME. >> Stephen: 100%. 100%. >> YOU HAD TO TRAIN FOR THE
TRAINING. AND THEN WHEN I GOT IN FOR THE
FIGHT TRAINING, I WALKED INTO THE TENT, AND KEANU IS THERE IN
HIS JUJITSU OUTFIT, COVERED IN SWEAT, GOING LIKE
BOP-BOP-BOP-BOP-BOP. AND I WAS LIKE WHAT? WHAT? CARRIE-ANNE WAS FIGHTING--
MOSS. THE CARRIE-ANNE MOSS, SHE IS
LOOKING LIKE SHE HASN'T AGED A DAY AND IS FIGHTING LITERALLY 20
PEOPLE. AND I THOUGHT, WOW, AM I REALLY
GOING TO STEP ON THIS MAT? BUT I JUST PUT ONE FOOT IN FRONT
OF THE OTHER. I TOOK ALL OF MY ANXIETY, TURNED
IT INTO RAGE, AS THE CHARACTER. THEY CALLED ME "THE SAVAGE" IN
THE TRAINING TENT. >> Stephen: WOW. >> YEAH. AND I JUST, LIKE, WENT FOR IT. >> Stephen: NOW, YOU SAID-- I
HEARD THAT YOU SAID THAT STAGE FIGHTING IS LIKE MAKING LOVE. AND I'M CURIOUS WHY-- WHY IS
THAT? BECAUSE IT'S ALL FAKE? >> Stephen: WHY IS IT? WHY IS THAT THE CASE? <i> ( APPLAUSE )</i>
IS IT, LIKE, ABOUT TRUST AND CONTROL AND STUFF LIKE THAT? >> YOU'RE EXACTLY RIGHT. >> Stephen: OKAY. >> IT'S A-- IT'S A PHYSICAL
DIALOGUE. SO... ( LAUGHS ). >> Stephen: IF YOU EVER-- IF
YOU EACH CUT AN ALBUM OF LOVE TONGZ OF SONGS THAT'S GOT TO BE
THE NAME OF THE ALBUM. JONATHAN GROFF: "PHYSICAL
DIALOGUE." YOU IN A HEADBAND LIKE OLIVIA
NAUGHTON JOHN. >> YES! YES INSPECT JOHN TRAVOLTA IN
"STAYING ALIVE." THERE ARE NO LINES. IT'S LIKE DOING A LOVE SCENE
BECAUSE YOU'RE TELLING THE STORY WITH YOUR BODY. IT'S MORE INTENSE IN A FIGHT... ( LAUGHS )
BECAUSE-- AND KEANU KIND OF TAUGHT ME A LOT ABOUT THIS. THERE'S, LIKE, AN AGREEMENT
BETWEEN YOU AND YOUR PARTNER. YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE CONTACT. YOU'RE GOING TO PUT... ( LAUGHS )<i>
( APPLAUSE )</i> >> Stephen: I'M LISTENING. <i> ( LAUGHTER )</i>
GO ON! >> YOU'RE GOING TO HIT EACH
OTHER,s BUT YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE A PHYSICAL AGREEMENT THAT
YOU'RE NOT GOING-- YOU'RE NOT GOING TO GO ALL THE WAY. YOU'RE GOING TO DO IT--<i>
( LAUGHTER )</i> <i> ( APPLAUSE )
( CHEERING )</i> >> Stephen: GO ON. <i> ( LAUGHTER )</i>
SO CLOSE, SO CLOSE. AND THERE'S A CAMERA... >> AND THERE'S A CAMERA. AND... >> Stephen: YOU KNOW. >> AND A DIRECTOR. >> Stephen: A DIRECTOR. AND THERE'S CRAFT SERVICES AND A
UNION, YOU KNOW, MAKING LOVE. >> THE PARALLELS ARE END MS.
>> Stephen: THEY SURE ARE. SPEAKING OF THE PARALLELS OF
MAKING LOVE AND, SHALL WE SAY, PHYSICAL AWAKENING, WE ARE
COMING UP-- YOUR BREAKOUT ROLE WAS BROADWAY'S "SPRING
AWAKENING" IN 2006. THERE YOU ARE. <i> ( APPLAUSE )</i>
LEAH MICHELLE. I JUST WANT TO POINT OUT-- SO
Y'ALL IN NOVEMBER, THE ORIGINAL CAST CAME TOGETHER FOR THE
50th ANNIVERSARY OF THE BROADWAY DEBUT. LOOK AT YOU GUYS NOW. HOW DID YOU GET HOTTER? HOW IS THAT-- TIME GENERALLY
DOES NOT MAKE PEOPLE HOTTER. YOU GUYS ARE SCORCHINGLY SEXY
HERE. >> MY GOSH. THANK YOU, STEPHEN. >> Stephen: NO, THANK YOU! THANK YOU! WE'RE THE ONES WHO GET TO SEE
IT. THANK YOU. >> OH, WOW. >> Stephen: ANY ADVICE ON THE
REST OF US HOW TO STAY KNOW-- >> YOU'RE KILLING IT. YOU LOOK GREAT. >> Stephen: THANKS. YOU CAN COME BACK ANY TIME. <i> ( APPLAUSE )</i>
>> YEAH, WE DID -- >> Stephen: YOU CAN COME BACK
ANY TIME, MAN, ANY TIME. >> THANK YOU. WE DID THE SPRING AWAKENING
CONCERT AS A BENEFIT FOR THE ACTORS FUND
( CLEARS THROAT ) YOU GOT THIS. >> Stephen: I GOT SO EXCITED I
FORGOT TO SWALLOW. IT'S A WONDERFUL FUND. >> SINCE MARCH OF 2020, THE
ACTORS FUND HAS GIVEN OUT $24.2 MILLION TO PEOPLE IN THE
ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY. <i> ( APPLAUSE )</i>
EVERYBODY IN THE THEATER, YOU KNOW, ALL THE THEATER ACTORS
LOST THEIR JOBS, AND THIS ORGANIZATION CAME IN AND SAVED
THE INDUSTRY. SO, ALSO, HBO AND RADICA MEDIA
PAID FOR US TO DO THIS CONCERT AND ARE MAKING A DOCUMENTARY
ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE THAT'S GOING TO COME OUT THIS SPRING. <i> ( APPLAUSE )</i>
>> Stephen: WELL, JOHN THARNG A PLEASURE AS ALWAYS. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING
HERE. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH VERY HAVING
ME. >> Stephen: "THE MATRIX:
RESURRECTIONS" IS IN THEATERS AND ON HBO MAX ON DECEMBER 22. JONATHAN GROFF, EVERYBODY. WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK.
