Brie Larson's Career Kicked Off with a Sketch for Jay Leno's Tonight Show

-Last time you were here --
Since you came here, you won an Oscar for "Room."
So congrats. You were great! -I did.
[ Cheers and applause ]
-The speech was great. You had a great speech.
-I did! -You looked great.
It was just a -- It was a cool moment,
just being a fan of yours, to watch that.
-Thank you. -So thank you.
Thank you for being here. Your career started here.
Well, not here,
but "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno."
-Yeah. Yeah. Before you were you, and I was me.
-Yeah! You were you on a different thing.
And I was me in a different space.
-Exactly, yeah. -No, let's not confuse people.
You were on "The Tonight Show."
You were on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno."
-Yeah, my first job ever was doing a skit
for Jay Leno, "The Tonight Show."
And they liked what I did, so they kept bringing me back.
I think I did like a dozen or two
of these, like, fake commercials.
It's kind of where I learned that I had comedic timing.
-Yeah, it's -- -[ Laughs ]
-I want to show a clip 'cause it's very, very cute.
How old are you?
-I think I'm like 8. Maybe I'm 7.
-And did you meet Jay? -I did.
-Well, not in this skit, in another one.
But also a guy was playing, like, Jack from Jack in the Box,
and I was, like, way kind of more into him
'cause he was, like, really famous to me.
-More than Jay Leno was? Well, you were a kid.
-Well, I was like 7. Yeah. I loved Jack in the Box.
-You did. Yeah. -Yeah.
-How was Jack in the Box? Who is under the mask?
-I don't know. He wouldn't take it off.
I think it was part of his contract.
He had to keep it on. Yeah.
-So it was, like, a giant ping-pong-ball head.
-Yeah, and fully committed to the character.
Yeah. I learned a lot from him.
[ Laughter ]
-Was he, like, hanging around the hallways and stuff,
just Jack in the Box just having conversations?
-Yeah, well, you know, he's got that deadpan voice,
and he's, like, really got a dry sense of humor.
-The real guy's real voice is the guy under the thing?
-I think. -No!
-I was 8!
-Oh, so in your head, maybe it was like --
[ High-pitched voice ] Did he talk like this?
-I don't think that's what his voice sounded like.
-[ Normal voice ] That was Jay Leno. I was doing Jay Leno.
[ As Jay Leno ] That's kind of like a high voice.
Welcome to "The Tonight Show."
-Yes. Jay was there. Jay was awesome.
It was like my first --
Well, my second real, like, famous-person autograph.
The first one I got was Meat Loaf,
and then I got Jay Leno.
-This is so interesting to me. -I know. It's fascinating.
-Where did you see Meat Loaf at? Jack in the Box?
-I never met -- -You ordered a meatloaf --
-Everything was happening at the Jack in the Box.
-Everything happens at Jack in the Box.
-No, our old neighbor in our apartment complex
made his fat suit for "Fight Club."
[ Laughter ] I know.
-Was Meat Loaf in "Fight Club"? I totally missed that.
-It's Hollywood. Yeah. -Wow.
And so you got to meet him. And he was nice, as well?
-Yeah. I think the fat suit was made out of bird seed.
These are true stories. This is not me hallucinating.
-This is the most fascinating interview,
and we didn't even get to the clip yet.
-Yeah, I'm sorry. Yeah. We got to get to that.
-Here's Brie Larson on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno."
-With the new Road Kill Easy-Bake Oven,
just find your favorite road kill,
chop it up...
add Easy-Bake batter, and cook.
-Thanks, Road Kill Easy-Bake Oven!
[ Cheers and applause ]
♪♪♪♪
-That was so cute. -Ah!
-You look like one of the Muppets.
It's so cute. -It's so good.
-With a cleaver? I mean, how fun is that?
-It's so good. -Yeah.
See, I love when you -- But now you can also
dramatically act, as well, obviously -- we saw in "Room."
Tell me about this new one.
Tell me about "The Glass Castle."
-It's just -- It's fantastic.
It's based off of this memoir that Jeannette Walls wrote,
and I get to play a real person, Jeannette Walls.
-Yeah, it's a true story. -Yeah, true story.
She was a gossip columnist in the '80s,
and then she decided to tell the truth about her past,
which was that she had this very unconventional upbringing,
was basically raised homeless.
And she entrusted us to tell her story.
And that's what I'm here to talk about.
-Yeah, and, I mean, a great cast, as well.
Woody Harrelson, who we love.
Woody Harrelson. I mean, he's fun, right?
-Me too. Yeah. He's the best! -Isn't he great?
-Did you get to hang out with him at all on set?
-Yes. Yeah, of course. Well, we hang out a lot.
I mean, I've known him for a while,
and he's kind of just like a -- like an awkward dad.
He's always, like, trying to take photos of me,
and they don't really turn out, and they're really embarrassing.
-Why? Because he just doesn't know how to...?
-Yeah, I think so.
He doesn't really know technology -- He's a dad.
You know, doesn't really know technology that well.
-Does he have an iPhone? -I don't think so.
Maybe he has a really old, like, flip phone.
I don't know. But he's always, like, bringing people together.
Like, you'll show up for dinner,
and it's like, oh, Jennifer Lawrence
and like, oh, some guy he just met last night playing beer pong.
And you're like, "Okay." Like, everything's the same.
-It is fun that way, right?
-Yeah. -Oh, that's great.
I want to show everyone a clip of Brie Larson
and Woody Harrelson in "The Glass Castle."
Take a look at this.
-Your mom and I did everything we could for you, okay?
-We took care of each other because you were too drunk to!
It was your job to protect us, and you didn't even try!
-That ain't true, okay?
You got some kind of weird revisionist history going on.
-It is true. -You were a happy kid.
-Dad, stop talking. -And they were happy kids!
-Stop talking! -And we looked after you!
-Stop talking!
Talking is not trying!
You talked my whole goddamn life!
I believed you.
[ Cheers and applause ]
-From that little girl chopping to that.
-I know. Can you believe it? -We love you, pal.
Brie Larson, everybody!

Brie Larson's Career Kicked Off with a Sketch for Jay Leno's Tonight Show

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