Transcript of October 25, 2004 Late Late Show interview between Rosie Perez and Anthony LaPaglia. Transcribed by Kimberly Chapman. Disclaimer: all rights belong to CBS and The Late Late Show. This transcript is provided for fan enjoyment only, particularly for overseas fans who could not see the interview. Rosie: Please welcome Anthony LaPaglia. Audience: cheers and applause Rosie: So how ya doin'? Anthony: I'm doing great - Rosie: You look great! Anthony: So do you! You're doing great. Rosie: Oh, thank you. Yes. Yeah, yeah...do you remember the first time we met? Anthony: Are you kidding? Uh, we did a movie together...I think, is it thirteen or fourteen years ago? Rosie: Fourteen years ago. Anthony: Fourteen years ago. And I remember, uh, we were sitting in a rehearsal room, waiting for...director said, "We've got this girl from New York." Was it your first job or your second job. Rosie: My second. Anthony: Right. And this guy said, "I think she's done one job before. We've got this girl from New York. Um, she's fantastic." And so the rest of the cast, we were sitting and we were waiting and Rosie walked in and she was incredibly quiet. Rosie grins at audience, audience laughs, Anthony makes an incredulous face. Anthony: So shy! Hardly said a word. But at some key moment said, like, "That's [fucking bullshit]." Oops! Anthony claps his hand over his mouth. (Swear words were beeped but easily understandable.) Rosie lets out a whooping giggle as Anthony continues to cover his mouth and blush. Rosie applauds. Anthony: I couldn't stop it... Anthony covers his eyes, blushes more, Rosie and audience continue to laugh and applaud. Anthony: [stammers a bit] That's going to be beeped out for sure. But there was just this one moment where you - Rosie: I'm so glad you cursed! I was so terrified of letting a slur out. Anthony: Oh my god... Rosie: Or a curse word out. I'm so glad it was you. Anthony: I just broke the curse for you in trying to recall that story. But I remember we all sat there going, "Woooooooow! She's great!" And then I think we were doing them as we got to know you more, it was just like...it was so refreshing because most actors are...you know...kinda putzes... Audience laughs Anthony: And Rosie came from, you came from the hip-hop world. Rosie: Yes I did. Anthony: And there was this whole other energy that came with it. And one of the things I really remember is...and I don't know if I'm remembering this correctly or not, you had some...you had a boyfriend? Rosie: Yes. Anthony: And his name was Spike or S- or...but all I remember thinking is, "That guy is packing for sure." Audience laughs Anthony: That's all I could...that's all I can remember is that guy was definitely packing. Rosie: Well do you know what happened? Anthony: What? Rosie: They couldn't...it was a movie where...it's called Criminal Justice and I played a crackhead. I was the fattest crackhead, by the way. Anthony and audience laugh Anthony: That's not true! Rosie: It is true because when I saw that craft service table I was like, "[singing in choral angelic voice]" You know? Like oh my god. Anthony: It's M&M central, I know. Rosie: And, uh, my boyfriend came to drop me off...and, um...[waves] Hi, I just want to give a shout out to my ex-boyfriend, my first love, and I hope you get out soon. [thumbs up] Anthony and audience laugh Anthony: I knew it! Rosie: And they needed, uh, a guy to play the crack dealer. Anthony: Right! That's right! And they went - Rosie: And the director...my boyfriend is just sitting there, visiting, you know, took me to the audition - Anthony: Yeah, I remember. Rosie: I mean, to the set, and he's just sitting in the waiting room and the casting director goes, "Oh my god, you're perfect. Come on, get in." And he's like, "Yo, what the f, what are you f'in' talkin' 'bout?" She goes, "Save it! Save it!" Everybody laughs Rosie: And he ended up getting the part as my crack dealer. Anthony: I remember. I remember him sticking his head through the door, like in the scene, you know? [gruff voice] "Whaddya got? Whaddya want?" Whatever it was, anyway. But that was my first, that was my first experience with you. But from the first moment in rehearsal when that came out of your mouth, I was just in love with you. Rosie: Aw! Anthony: I thought this is the...and you know, in life as an actor, you work with lots and lots of different people, and sometimes you stay in contact with them and often you don't. But there are certain people that stay in your mind and they're kind of always your friend in your head no matter what. Audience laughs Anthony: I have lots of little friends in my head. Everybody laughs Anthony: And, she, uh yeah...and you've always kind of remained one of those. Rosie: Thank you. Thank you. Audience applauds Rosie: So...so... Anthony: I always think of you so fondly whenever I think of you in that movie. Rosie: Really? Thank you. Anthony: And Forest too, Forest. Rosie: Forest. Anthony: Forest Whitaker was in the film as well. He was also out of his mind and fantastic. Rosie: Out of his mind! Anthony: Yeah. Rosie: Out of his mind. Anthony: Remember that night he spent in jail? Like he chose to stay in a working prison, in character, and he spent the night in a cell with like murderers and stuff and I was like, "I'm all for method acting but you're on your own." Audience laughs Rosie: Exactly. Anthony: I ain't goin' there. Rosie: Well, Without a Trace, it's a hit. It's a hit and I'm so proud of you. Anthony: Yeah. Rosie: Because you are... Audience cheers Rosie: ...so talented. Anthony: Thank you. Rosie: Really. Anthony: Thank you. Rosie: So talented. And by the way, you look cute as hell. You look really good! Anthony: Thank you sweet- ...you know, uh, you know, occasionally I scrub up in the wash... Rosie: Oh that's good, good. Anthony: ...take a shower. Rosie: But you won a Golden Globe for it, right? Anthony: Yes. Yeah. And, uh...[blushes, starts fiddling with his pant leg] Rosie: And what about the Emmy? Did you get the Emmy? Anthony, laughing: No, I didn't win the Emmy. Rosie: Oh. Anthony: No, that was cool, though. It's one of those things, where, um, it's terrible when you become the favourite. I hate being the favourite. I like being the guy, the underdog, instead. But in this particular Emmys, whatever the reasons were, the pundits were saying, "Oh yeah, he's going..." that I was going to win. And I kept, uh...[cocks head and closes eyes as if in discomfort]...aw, that's the kiss of death. I'm not gonna...it's never going to happen. I wish they wouldn't do that! And at that same time there was a friend of mine, an actor from Australia named Vince Colosimo and he was staying at my house, but he was doing like five or six episodes of The Practise with James Spader. And he came home one night and he had a tape with him. And he said, "I just want you to watch my work in this and tell me what you think." So, you know, we throw in the tape, and I'm watching and forget him [makes pushing motion with arm], I'm watching James Spader going, "Oh my god, this is...he's amazing. This is the best performance ever." So when I saw that, when people would say to me, "Oh yeah, you're a lock, you're going to win," I'd say, "You know what? James Spader's gonna win it." I actually won eight hundred bucks and a bottle of Cristal betting against myself - Rosie: Oh no! Audience laughs Anthony: - with my friends. I said, "I bet ya, I bet ya two hundred bucks that he wins for sure." And so I won eight hundred and a bottle of Cristal which is probably more than the Emmy's worth anyway. So...so...but the right guy won it. He was amazing. Rosie: Wow, that's so generous of you. Audience applauds Anthony: He really was amazing. Rosie: We have to take a break but we'll be right back with Anthony LaPaglia. Rosie: Welcome back, I'm here with Anthony LaPaglia. And, um, you got married? And you have a wonderful child, right? Anthony: Yes, I, uh, I married a beautiful, beautiful girl, Gia Carides, and uh, we have a little daughter, 21 months old, Bridget. I just want to say, "I love you," she's my new girlfriend. Rosie: He wants to give a shout out to you. Anthony: Yeah, a shout out to Bridget and all her homies in Brentwood. Everybody laughs Rosie: So I wanted to know that uh, you went on a death-defying helicopter ride? Anthony: Oh well part of the show, one of the shows last year we were supposed to be in Baghdad, but it was actually Simi Valley, but uh... Audience laughs Anthony: But they had these old Huey helicopters, the old military ones that have no doors on the sides. And one of the scenes was us flying into Baghdad, so we're all strapped in with the helmets and stuff. And I'm saying to the guy, "You know, like, there's no doors on these things, so when you bank and stuff, can you fall out?" And he's like [southern accent], "Yeahup!" Everybody laughs Anthony: And he's like, "You can if you're not strapped in, make sure you don't undo your seat buckle. So he was some crazy helicopter pilot, and so we go up there, and these things are so incredibly loud, your teeth fall out. You can't hear yourself, you can't even hear yourself think. And the guy's screaming over the back, "You wanna go for a little joy ride?" And I was like, "Yeah, sure." And he was, "We're gonna go close to the mountain." And I was like, "How...close...to the mountain we goin'? We talkin' fifteen feet or are we talkin' three hundred feet?" Anyway, so he took us on this amazing ride around the mountains out there, and I've never been so kind of exhilarated and scared at the same time. And those guys that fly those things...they're out of their mind. Audience laughs Rosie: They are. Anthony: Yeah, totally. I mean you look at it and you go, "If one bold comes out of that, the whole thing..." [makes bursting motion with his arms] They look like if one bolt comes off, the whole thing's going to fall apart in the sky. Rosie: And yeah, and then the thingy that goes around? Anthony: Yeah, yeah, yeah...the the...what's it called? Everybody laughs. Anthony (to audience): Yes, propeller. Thank you so much! Rosie: Thank you! Anthony (pointing): You're going to get the show bag at the end. Rosie: Thank you. But if they got too close it also would explode too. Anthony: Well there's been, you know, there's been the odd person that has made the mistake of walking into the tail. Yeah, a couple people have not fared well tangling with the propeller. Rosie: Unh. Anthony: Yeah, that's happened. Rosie: Yeah and I hear... Anthony: But it was fun. Rosie: It was fun? Anthony: Yeah. Rosie: Did you, do you still play soccer? Anthony: Yes. Rosie: Yeah? Anthony: Yes. I just, I recently...about three and a half months ago, I was like crippled for about five years because I had a bad hip. But I kept playing anyway, just because...I'm masochistic. But I ended up getting, uh...I got a hip replacement, um, made of titanium alloy. Rosie: Cool! Anthony: Stuck in about three and a half months ago. And I've started playing again. And it's fantastic! I feel like, like when I was eighteen. The bad part is that the other one feels like what it is: a forty-five year old hip. Rosie and audience laugh Anthony: It's not as good as the new one. Rosie: Well do you have any of those weird superstitions, you know, like those athletes do? Anthony: Yes. I'm not superstitious about anything in life, but when I play soccer, I have a whole set of, like, rituals that are like...I can't wear green. Green's just like a bad luck colour. And ever since I was young and I played, if I wore green, I had the worst game ever. And recently this friend of mine sent me a fantastic green goalkeeper's jersey - I play goalkeeper - a goalkeeper's jersey from England, and I thought, "This is such a...I gotta wear this thing. This is the greatest jersey." So I wear it, in a game, and within ten minutes I've conceded three goals. Rosie: Ohhhhh. Anthony: That green jersey came off! It was outta here! Rosie: But you wear pink now, right? Anthony: I...I wear pink jerseys. Rosie: Isn't this you here? [holds up a photo of two soccer players wearing pink, hugging] Anthony: Is this...no that's not me! Audience laughs Rosie: That's not you? Anthony: I'd like that to be me! Rosie: Embracing your fellow man? Audience laughs Anthony: You understand nothing about soccer! That's a celebration of scoring a goal! You don't understand how hard that is! If you could score a goal, you'd hug him too! Rosie laughs, pats Anthony's arm Rosie: Oh well you know, Without a Trace airs Thursday night right here on CBS...