Keegan-Michael Key Is A Shakespearean-Trained Actor

>> Stephen: HEY!
WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, YOU KNOW
MY FIRST GUEST FROM THE COMEDY SERIES KEY & PEELE.
HE'S NOW ONSTAGE IN "HAMLET."
PLEASE WELCOME, KEEGAN-MICHAEL KEY!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ( BAND PLAYING )
>> Stephen: NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN!
>> JIMMY COLBERT!
STEPHEN FALLON!
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: WE'VE SEEN EACH
OTHER AROUND TOWN BUT WE'VE NOT SAT DOWN IN A PROFESSIONAL WAY
SINCE LAST SUMMER.
>> SINCE LAST SUMMER, YES.
>> Stephen: YOU WERE ON ONE OF OUR LIVE CONVENTION SHOWS, THE
G.O.P.
>> THAT'S RIGHT, YES.
>> Stephen: YOU WERE DONALD TRUMP'S ONE BLACK DELEGATE.
>> ONE BLACK DELEGATE, YES.
AND I THINK I WAS FROM SOMEPLACE CRAZY LIKE MAINE, OR WISCONSIN.
>> Stephen: EXACTLY.
AND YOU GOT ARRESTED.
AND HOW HAS THE YEAR BEEN?
HOW HAS THE YEAR BEEN FOR YOU?
>> THE YEAR'S BEEN VERY GOOD.
I MEAN, I SPENT IS IT MAJORITY OF IT IN A DEEP FOG, IN A
PROFOUND DEPRESSION.
NO, WE WERE WORKING ON "FRIENDS FROM COLLEGE" WHEN THE ELECTION
HAPPENED.
>> Stephen: THAT'S YOUR NETFLIX SERIES.
>> THE NETFLIX SERIES I'M ON NOW.
WHAT WAS INTERESTING BECAUSE THE END OF THAT DAY WAS INTERESTING
BECAUSE WE WERE SHOOTING, IT WAS SO FUNNY, BECAUSE IT WOULD BE,
LIKE, LISTEN, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU UNDERSTAND WHERE I'M COMING
FROM.
AND, CUT, AND EVERYONE WOULD RUN TO A TV AND WATCH THE TV.
NO, WHAT -- IS THIS FICTION?
WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE?
I'M NOT SURE WHAT WE'RE WATCHING!
YOU WOULD BE LITERALLY IN A SCENE ACTING AND SOMEBODY WOULD
WHISPER, HE JUST WON NORTH CAROLINA!
WHILE YOU'RE IN THE SCENE, I LOVE YOU SO -- HUH?
I LOVE YOU -- >> Stephen: AND HE'S STANDING
OVER THERE GOING, HE JUST WON NORTH CAROLINA!
I FIND JUST CRYING ON AIR HELPS.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: JUST LET IT OUT.
IT'S FOR EVERYBODY.
>> Stephen: CONGRATULATIONS.
WHAT A PRIVILEGE AND HONOR IT IS TO BE IN "HAMLET."
>> ABSOLUTELY?
YOU'RE IN "HAMLET" AT THE PUBLIC THEATER, YOU'RE PLAYING HORATIO,
WHICH IS HAMLET'S BUDDY.
>> HIS BEST FRIEND, YES.
I CAN'T BE THE ONLY ONE WHO IS SAYING, REALLY, THAT AMAZINGLY
FUNNY GUY IS DOING THE TRAGEDY.
WHY DO YOU WANT TO DO TRAGEDY BECAUSE YOU'RE ONE OF THE
FUNNIEST GUYS I KNOW.
>> IT'S FUNNY.
MY ENTIRE CAREER -- >> Stephen: NO, ANSWER THE
DAMN QUESTION.
WATER IS FOR CLOSERS.
I'M SORRY.
( LAUGHTER ) ( APPLAUSE )
>> IT'S ABC, NOT ABD!
ALWAYS BE CLOSING, NOT ALWAYS BE DRINKING!
GET IT TOGETHER!
I WAS A DRAMATICALLY-TRAINED ACTOR, A SHAKESPEAREAN-TRAINED
ACTOR AND THAT WAS ALWAYS THE PLAN, AND MY CAREER WENT ON A
19-YEAR DETOUR INTO SKETCH COMEDY.
>> Stephen: WOW.
I'VE WANTED TO PLAY HORATIO FOR ABOUT 23 YEARS.
WHEN I WAS IN GRAD SCHOOL I REMEMBER SEEING THE BIG HAMLET
IN THE MOVIE THEATERS AND I WANTED TO PLAY HORATIO SO BAD.
>> Stephen: YOU TINTED WANT TO PLAY HAMLET?
>> I LIKE TO KEEP MY EXPECTATIONS RIGHT HERE SO
THERE'S NO DISAPPOINTMENT.
>> Stephen: AT A CERTAIN POINT DID YOU THINK I'LL NEVER GET
BACK THERE BECAUSE I'M A COMEDY GUY?
>> I DID.
THE TEAM HAS MADE A REAL EFFORT TO TURN THE SHIP BECAUSE IT'S
BEEN SOMETHING THAT'S IMPORTANT TO NEE.
JORDAN PEELE HAS BEEN EXTREMELY SUPPORTIVE IN THIS ENDEAVOR.
HE'S, LIKE, GO GET YOUR DRAMA ON, BRO!
GET YOUR DRAMA ON!
THAT'S HOW JORDAN TALKS, GET YOUR DRAMA ON!
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: SO YOU'RE DOING IT
WITH THE LOVELY AND TALENTED OSCAR ISAACS.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: WHO IS JUILLIARD-TRAINED.
>> YES.
COULD I GO ON RECORD WITH THE JUILLIARD, STEPHEN.
HE WENT TO JUILLIARD AND GOT HIS LITTLE DEGREE.
I HAVE A MASTERS DEGREE!
I HAVE A MASTERS DEGREE!
I HAVE A MASTERS DEGREE IN THEATER!
I LEARNED A WHOLE BUNCH OF STUFF IN SCHOOL AND THEY ONLY LEARNED
ACTING!
>> Stephen: WOW, YOU'RE A MASTER IN ACTING.
>> I'M A MASTER IN FINE ARTS AND ACTING.
NO, BUT HE'S SO MUCH BETTER THAN I.
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: PRINCE HAMLET HAS
WHAT WE AND THOSE IN SHAKESPEARE CIRCLES HAS (BLEEP).
>> OSCAR IS SO GOOD AT MAKING EVERYTHING REALLY CLEAR.
IF YOU'VE NEVER SEEN HAMLET, THIS WOULD BE THE PRODUCTION TO
SEE BECAUSE THE LANGUAGE IS SO ACCESSIBLE WHEN HE SAYS IT.
I GET A LITTEN ENVIOUS HE GETS THESE MONOLOGUES, AND I ENJOY
THEM, BUT HE ALSO MAKES THEM VERY FUNNY.
IT'S THE FUNNIEST PRODUCTION OF HAMLET YOU'VE EVER SEEN.
THERE IS LOTS OF COMEDY IN HAMLET.
PEOPLE THINK THERE ISN'T.
YOU GO, WHY AM I LAUGHING?
BECAUSE HE'S SO WITTY NORTHBOUND HUMOROUS AND THAT'S PART OF THE
APPEAL.
>> Stephen: HAMLET IS SMARTER THAN EVERYBODY AROUND HIM.
>> EVERYBODY AROUND HIM.
HE'S A MORALLY KIND OF AMBIGUOUS CHARACTER AT TIMES, BUT HE'S SO
WITTY.
HE'S MUCH LIKE A YOUNG AND IMPEACHOUS STEPHEN COLBERT.
( LAUGHTER ) NO, BUT HE'S GREAT.
I MISS THE MONOLOGUES.
>> Stephen: HORATIO HAS MONOLOGUES.
>> HE HAS A FEW MOMENTS.
THERE'S A GREAT MOMENT IN THE BEGINNING OF THE PLAY WHEN THE
GHOST OF HAMLET'S FATHER LEAVES AND HORATIO AND FRIENDS SEE HIM
AND HE TAKES OFF.
HE SEES THE SUN COME UP AND GETS SCARED AND HAS TO GO BACK TO
PURGATORY.
SO I USED TO HAVE A SPEECH WHERE --
>> Stephen: USED TO?
WHAT DO YOU MEAN?
>> I HAD THIS SPEECH AND IT STARTED AS A GUILTY THING UPON A
FEARFUL SUMMONS.
I HEARD HIM AND IN THE SEA AND FIRE ON EARTH AND AIR THE
EXTRAVAGANT SPIRIT ADDS TO THE CONFINED AND ADDS TO TRUTH
HEREIN THIS OBJECT MADE PROBATION.
AND THE DIRECTOR SAID, THAT WAS BEAUTIFUL.
WE'RE GOING TO CUT THAT.
I WAS, LIKE, I JUST FIGURED OUT WHAT IT MEANT!
>> Stephen: THERE ARE SO MANY AMAZING QUOTES, LINES, PHRASES
THAT COME FROM HAMLET.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: DO YOU HAVE, LIKE --
>> DO THINE OWN SELF BE TRUE.
WHEN YOU SEE SOMEONE'S TO THE MANNER BORN.
THE LADY DOTH PROTEST TOO MUCH, WE THINK.
KNOCK, KNOCK, WHO'S THERE -- THAT'S LITERALLY FROM MACBETH.
WEAR YOUR HEART ON YOUR SLEEVE IS FROM ATHEMO.
I DON'T KNOWCRATY BUT I KNOW CRAZY, JAMES BROWN.
( LAUGHTER ) YEAH, THAT'S A VERY LITERATE
JAMES BROWN.
THERE IS, OF COURSE, TO THE WINDOW, TO THE WALL, TO THE
SWEAT DROP FROM MY (BLEEP), YEP, I THINK THAT'S IN HENRY THE
5th.
>> Stephen: RIGHT BEFORE THEY GO TO THE BREACH.
>> RIGHT BEFORE ST. CHRISPIN'S DAY.
SHE WAS BLEEDING OUT OF HER EYES, SHE WAS BLEEDING OUT OF
HER WHATEVER.
>> Stephen: SHAKESPEARE.
IT WASN'T SHAKESPEARE.
IT'S -- IT'S -- IT'S VLADIMIR PUTIN.
THAT'S WHO IT WAS.
>> Stephen: THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT.
>> OR SOMEBODY WHO WORKS FOR HIM.
>> Stephen: YOU ALSO HAVE FRIENDS FROM COLLEGE, YOUR
SERIES ON NETFLIX YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT BEFORE.
I UNDERSTAND YOU BROUGHT A CLIP HERE TODAY AND IT'S ALL PEOPLE
WHO HAVE GOTTEN TOGETHER AFTER --
>> TEN OR 15 YEARS.
SINCE THEY GRADUATED IN COLLEGE, THEY'RE EITHER 40 OR RIGHT ON
THE CUSP OF 40 AND ALL LIVING TOGETHER BACK IN NEW YORK CITY,
AND THE CLIP WE'RE ABOUT TO SEE IS A CLIP WITH ME AND FRED
SAVAGE.
I PLAY AN AUTHOR AND FRED SAVAGE IS HIS AGENT AND THEY'RE TRYING
TO BRAINSTORM IDEAS FOR A NEW Y.A. NOVEL AND THEY'RE SPEAKING
TO A YOUNG LADY WHO'S PART OF THE DEMOGRAPHICS, WHAT WOULD
APPEAL TO YOU.
>> Stephen: OKAY.
JIM?
>> I'M (BLEEP) FRANKENSTEIN.
WHAT IF HE'S A HODGEPODGE OF SEXY BODY PARTS?
CHANNING TATUM.
>> ALL RIGHT, CHANNING TATUM.
I THINK THAT'S HELPFUL.
STEPHEN COLBERT, THOUGH.
WHAT?
HE'S, LIKE, THE MOST NORMAL VERSION OF EVERY PART OF A
PERSON.
>> WHAT PART OF I (BLEEP) STEPHEN COLBERT AREN'T YOU
GETTING?
>> YOU'RE AN OUTLIER IN YOUR DEMOGRAPHIC.
>> Stephen: THAT'S A GREAT SHOW!
THAT'S A DAMN GOOD SHOW AS FAR AS I COULD TELL!
( LAUGHTER ) DID SHE WRITE THAT IN JUST TO
PLAY ON THE SHOW TONIGHT?
>> WE FILMED THAT CLIP JUST FOR TODAY.
>> Stephen: WE HAVE TO TAKE A BREAK.
BACK WITH MORE KEEGAN-MICHAEL KEY.
STICK AROUND.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ( BAND PLAYING )

Keegan-Michael Key Is A Shakespearean-Trained Actor

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