>> Stephen: HELLO!
WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY!
FOLKS, MY FIRST GUEST TONIGHT IS
AN ACADEMY AWARD-WINNING ACTOR
YOU KNOW FROM "GLADIATOR,"
"NOAH" AND "BOY ERASED."
HE NOW STARS IN "THE LOUDEST
VOICE."
>> ONE QUESTION -- WHO IS YOUR
AUDIENCE?
>> EVERYONE.
WE WANT TO REACH THE WIDEST
AUDIENCE POSSIBLE.
>> WELL, I THINK THAT'S WRONG.
EXCUSE ME?
YOU DON'T NEED EVERYONE.
YOUR PROBLEM IS THAT YOU'RE
TALKING BROADCAST.
CABLE IS DIFFERENT.
CABLE IS ABOUT ONE THING, NICHE.
LOYALTY OF PASSION TO HAVE THE
FEW.
WE NEED TO PRE-PROGRAM TO THE
VIEWER WHO'S PRE-DISPOSED TO BUY
WHAT WE HAVE TO SELL.
IT'S CALLED BRINGING OUT THE
BASE.
IF WE CAN DO THAT, THEY WILL
NEVER CHANGE THE CHANNEL.
>> Stephen: PLEASE WELCOME
RUSSELL CROWE.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
( BAND PLAYING )
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
( BAND PLAYING )
>> WHAT A VERY HAPPY CROWD OF
PEOPLE YOU HAVE.
>> Stephen: THEY'RE HAPPY TO
SEE YOU, RUSSELL CROWE.
>> MUST BE REMARKABLY FUNNY THIS
EARLY ON.
>> Stephen: IT'S ALL YOU.
THE COMEDY MUST HAVE BEEN
SUPERB.
>> Stephen: THE COMEDY WAS
SUPERB BUT NOW SANTA'S HERE.
WHAT DID HE BRING IN HIS SACK?
>> WHAT IF I GOT FOR YOU THIS
YEAR, CHILDREN?
"THE LOUDEST VOICE."
>> Stephen: I'VE ONLY SEEN THE
FIRST EPISODE SO FAR.
YOU'RE PLAYING ROGER AILES FOR
THE PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO DON'T
KNOW AND IT'S ABOUT THE FOUNDING
AND DEVELOPMENT OF FOX NEWS AND
THE EVENTUAL FALL OF AILES.
FOR THOSE WHO DID NOT RECOGNIZE
YOU IN THAT CLIP AND I CAN
UNDERSTAND WHY THEY DID NOT
RECOGNIZE YOU IN THAT BECAUSE
YOU, YOU WILL BE GLAD TO HEAR,
IS VIRTUALLY UNRECOGNIZABLE AS
ROGER AILES RIGHT THERE.
IT'S A BRILLIANT PERFORMANCE,
FROM WHAT I'VE SEEN SO FAR.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: HOW LONG DID IT
TAKE YOU TO GET IN THIS OUTFIT
EVERY DAY?
>> WELL, WHEN WE FIRST STARTED,
THE PROSTHETIC PROCESS WAS SIX
HOURS.
BUT THEN, OVER TIME, WE GOT IT
DOWN LESS THAN THAT.
WE DID TWO EPISODES BEFORE
CHRISTMAS AND FIVE AFTER.
THE EPISODES AFTER CHRISTMAS WE
REFINED AND REFINED IT.
THE QUICKEST WE DID IT ONE DAY
IS 2 THUNDERSHOWERS AND 17
MINUTES -- TWO HOURS AND 17
MINUTES.
>> Stephen: SIT HOT?
TERRIBLY.
THE ONLY PART YOU CAN SEE IS A
LITTLE OF MY FOREHEAD, EYES AND
MOUTH.
THE REST IS PROSTHETICS.
IT WRAPS AROUND.
I'M DOING A LOT OF SCENES IN
SMALL OFFICES WITH 40, 50 CREW
MEMBERS WITH YOU SO IT TENDS TO
BE VERY HOT.
WHAT HAPPENS WITH THAT MAKEUP
IS, WHEN YOU SWEAT, SOONER OR
LATER, AS WATER HAS IT IS WILL
AND WAY, IT JUST STARTS TO SPURT
OUT OF YOU.
YOU WILL BE SITTING HAVING A
CONVERSATION AND YOU CAN SEE IN
THE EYES OF THE PERSON YOU'RE
TALKING TO SOMETHING DRAMATIC
JUST HAPPENED.
( LAUGHTER )
>> Stephen: WELL, IN YOUR OWN
RESEARCH ABOUT HIM, ANYTHING YOU
LEARNED THAT SURPRISED YOU ABOUT
AILS AILES?
>> YEAH, THERE WAS.
BECAUSE YOU KIND OF TEND TO SEE
HIM ONLY IN THE CONTEXT OF THE
FOX NEWS.
IF YOU KNOW ANYTHING MORE ABOUT
HIM, YOU POSSIBLY KNOW HE WAS AN
ADVISOR TO THREE PRESIDENTS, THE
NIXON CAMPAIGN, REAGAN AND BUSH
SENIOR.
BUT IN HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE,
HE LOVED THE THEATER, AND HE
PLAYED PIANO AND HE LOVED THE
SHOW TUNE.
>> Stephen: MUSICALS?
YEAH, MUSICALS.
AT 26 HE WAS THE EXECUTIVE
PRODUCER OF THE MIKE DOUGLAS
SHOW.
A HELL OF A POWERFUL POSITION AT
A YOUNG AGE.
AND THEN DID THE NIXON CAMPAIGN.
HE QUAFF GAY A QUOTE FROM THE --
POLITICAL PARTIES WILL BECOME
TELEVISION NETWORKS.
THAT'S AN INCREDIBLY DEEP THING
TO HAVE SAID AT A TIME WHEN ALL
OF US WERE JUST GETTING USED TO
THE IDEA OF TELEVISION.
HE COULD SEE THAT FAR AHEAD.
IN THE TEN YEARS LEADING UP TO
REAGAN, HE TRIED TO BE A
BROADWAY PRODUCER.
HE HAD A MINOR HIT WITH "HOT L.
BALTIMORE."
>> Stephen: OH, SURE, YEAH.
A LOT OF THINGS YOU LEARN
ABOUT ROGER YOU HAVE TO TAKE
WITH A GRAIN OF SALT BECAUSE HE
WAS A VERY THEATRICAL MAN.
SO HE SAW THINGS FROM THAT TYPE
OF PERSPECTIVE, SAME WAY AS YOU
PUT A BROADWAY SHOW TOGETHER,
HOW'S THE FIRST NUMBER GOING TO
GO?
>> Stephen: THAT'S A LOT OF
WHAT I SAW, IT'S A LITTLE LESS
ABOUT WHAT IS THE NEWS HERE AND
WHAT LOOKS GOOD ON TELEVISION,
WHAT WILL MAKE PEOPLE TURN IT
ON.
EXACTLY, TRUTH BE DAMNED.
>> NOT TRUTH BE DAMNED,
NECESSARILY, BUT TRUTH HAS ITS
PLACE.
( LAUGHTER )
IF YOU WATCH THAT NETWORK, THE
7:00 BULLETIN WITH SHEP SMITH IS
JUST THE NEWS.
THE REST OF THE TIME, IT'S
OPINION, EVEN THOUGH IT'S CALLED
FOX NEWS.
>> Stephen: I WILL GRANT IT
THAT.
I THINK SHEP DOES A FINE JOB,
BREBRET BAIER DOES A FINE JOB,
CHRIS WALLACE DID A FINE JOB
WHEN HE WAS ON FOX.
THE SHOCKING THING IS HIS
WILLINGNESS TO MAKE IT LOOK
GOOD, SOUND GOOD, TO MAKE IT
SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE WILL TURN
ON REGARDLESS OF THE WHAT THE
MESSAGE NECESSARILY IS.
BECAUSE SOME PEOPLE HAVE THEIR
BACK UP AGAINST HIS WILLINGNESS
TO TURN IT INTO ENTERTAINMENT.
>> WHAT HE IS SAYING, THOUGH, IS
PEOPLE DON'T REALLY WANT TO BE
INFORMED.
THEY DON'T WANT ALL OF THE
DETAILS.
THEY JUST WANT TO FEEL INFORMED.
THEY WANT TO THINK AT SOME POINT
IN TIME IN THEIR MIND THAT
THEY'VE GOT THAT COVERED, SO HE
WAS PLAYING INTO THAT.
ALSO, ROGER, YOU'VE GOT TO KNOW
THAT, MANY TIMES OVER THE YEARS,
IF HE HADN'T SEEN A CERTAIN BIAS
IN MEDIA, THAT FOX NEWS COULD
HAVE BEEN THE EXACT OPPOSITE
BECAUSE HE WAS LOOKING FOR THE
ENTREPRENEUR TO HAVE THE MARKET,
AND IT WAS IN HIS ESTIMATION
THAT CNN, MSNBC, CBS, ABC,
C-SPAN, THE "TIMES," "THE POST,"
EVERYONE HAD A LEFT LEANING
BENT, SO WHAT WAS AVAILABLE WAS
A CONSERVATIVE AUDIENCE THAT WAS
BEING UNDERSERVED.
THAT PROVED TO BE TRUE BECAUSE
NOW YOU HAVE ONE SINGLE NEWS
NETWORK WHICH DOMINATES HALF TO
HAVE THE AVAILABLE AUDIENCE.
>> Stephen: RIGHT.
PURELY A MARKETING IDEA.
>> Stephen: HE WON.
WELL, HE'S PUT FOX NEWS INTO
AN INCREDIBLE SITUATION, HASN'T
HE?
THAT IS A MONEYMAKING MACHINE.
THEY MAKE TWO DOLLARS BILLION A
YEAR PROFIT.
YOU KNOW, THAT'S A HELL OF A
THING WHEN YOU THINK THAT NEW
SERVICES BEGAN WITH THE
UNDERSTANDING THAT YOU WOULD
OFFER NEWS AS PART OF YOUR
BROADCAST, BUT YOU DID IT FROM
THE PERSPECTIVE OF NOT NEEDING
OR REQUIRE A PROFIT.
THE FIRST NETWORK NEWS AND
EVERYTHING, WE'RE SEEN AS A
PUBLIC SERVICE.
QUITE FRANKLY, I DON'T KNOW HOW
WE GOT AWAY FROM THAT.
>> Stephen: WE HAVE TO TAKE A
BREAK.
BACK WITH MORE RUSSELL CROWE.
"THE LOUDEST VOICE"!
