JON, I AM SUPER EXCITED ABOUT
OUR FIRST GUEST TONIGHT.
THE GUY DOES NOT DO LATE-NIGHT
TV.
HE IS A TWO-TIME OSCAR WINNING
ACTOR, HUMANITARIAN, AND
EXPEERENTIAL JOURNALIST.
PLEASE WELCOME THE GREAT SEAN
PENN.
♪ ♪ ♪
( APPLAUSE )
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
>> Stephen: ARE YOU GOOD?
ARE YOU GOOD WITH ME CALLING YOU
"THE GREAT SEAN PENN."
I DON'T CALL EVERY GUEST THE
GREAT.
YOU HAVE TO EARN IT.
BUT YOU REALLY ARE ONE OF OUR
GREAT ACTORS.
ARE YOU OKAY WITH BEING CALLED
GREAT?
>> I THINK IT'S AN AFFIRMATION
OF YOUR DISCERNMENT.
( LAUGHTER )
( APPLAUSE )
>> Stephen: I JUST WANT TO
WARN MY PRODUCERS, I MIGHT NEED
A THESAURUS FOR THIS INTERVIEW.
SEAN PENN, THANK YOU FOR BEING
HERE.
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU DID A
LATE NIGHT SHOW.
>> DON'T REMEMBER.
>> Stephen: YOU DON'T
REMEMBER.
SO IT COULD BE LAST WEEK OR IT'S
JUST BEEN A LONG TIME YOU DON'T
REMEMBER.
>> IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME.
>> Stephen: WELL, THANKS FOR
BEING HERE.
IT'S AN HONOR TO HAVE YOU.
>> IT'S AN HONOR TO BE HERE.
>> Stephen: YOU ARE HERE FOR A
PURPOSE, THOUGH.
THIS IS NOT JUST HANGOUT TIME.
>> THAT'S RIGHT.
>> Stephen: YOU'RE HERE
BECAUSE YOU HAVE A RELATIONSHIP
TO A BOOK THAT'S COMING OUT.
>> CORRECT.
>> Stephen: AND THE BOOK IS
CALLED-- IT MIGHT TAKE ME A
SECOND TO DESCRIBE IT HERE.
DO YOU WANT TO JUMP IN AND
DESCRIBE IT.
THE BOOK IS CALLED:
>> "BOB HONEY WHO JUST DO
STUFF."
ONE MIGHT THINK YOU ARE HERE
BECAUSE YOU WROTE IT.
>> NO.
>> Stephen: YOU DID NOT WRITE
IT.
>> NO, THIS IS SORT OF AN
INTERESTING THING.
>> Stephen: I HOPE SO.
( LAUGHTER )
>> OR IT WILL BE MY LAST TIME ON
LATE NIGHT TV.
>> Stephen: NOT AT ALL.
NOT AT ALL.
THERE ARE A LOVE THINGS WE CAN
TALK.
>> IN 1979 I WENT AS A KID TO
THIS WRITERS' CONFERENCE IN KEY
WEST, FLORIDA.
AND THIS WRITER, JAMES LEO HURL
HE WAS DOING A SEMINAR, AND I
WENT TO THAT.
AFTER EVIDENCE GOING DOWN TO MY
ROOM-- I HAD DRIVEN DOWN THERE
FROM LOS ANGELES.
>> Stephen: HOW OLD WERE YOU?
>> I WAS 19.
>> Stephen: OKAY, DIG IT.
>> AND YOU COULD DRINK ON THE
COAST AT THAT TIME AT 18.
>> Stephen: IN KEY WEST, YOU
CAN DRINK ANY TIME YOU WANT.
>> YOU CAN CAN DO ANYTHING.
SO I WENT TO THE PASSION PIT BAR
AT THE LAVENDER FARM.
>> Stephen: THAT SOUNDS MADE
UP.
GO AHEAD.
>> THIS IS ALL GOING TO SOUND
MADE-UP IS THERE OKAY.
>> LISTEN, IT'S KIND OF LIKE
WHAT WE WERE WATCHING IN THE
DEBATES LAST NIGHT?
( LAUGHTER )
( APPLAUSE )
>> Stephen: THE FACT CHECKERS.
I WANT POLITIFACT FACT CHECKING
THIS.
OKAY.
PASSION PIT BAR AT THE FAN
DJANGO DWRIL.
>> AT THE LAVENDAR FARM.
THERE WAS A TERRIBLE PIECE OF
COMMERCIAL ART.
IT WAS A FIBERGLASS, FULL-SIZE
BAR PATRON WITH A GLASS SITTING
IN A SEAT.
AND I WONDERED AT THE TIME
LOOKING AT IT-- I MEAN, A
TERRIBLE PIECE OF ART.
AND I WONDERED AT THE TIME
LOOKING AT IT, YOU KNOW, WHEN
THE PLACE WAS CROWDED, WERE
PEOPLE FRUSTRATED THAT THIS
PIECE OF ART WAS PERMANENTLY
EMBEDDED IN THAT SEAT?
( LAUGHTER )
YOU KNOW, MAYBE A DATE HAD TO BE
ON THE OTHER SIDE OF IT.
AND THEN I REALIZED THAT, FIRST
THINKING MAYBE IT WAS THE
ALCOHOL.
BUT THIS WAS NOT A COMMERCIAL
PIECE OF ART.
IT WAS A HUMAN BEING WITH VERY
LITTLE CAPACITY FOR ANIMATION.
( LAUGHTER )
>> Stephen: SO THERE WAS
ACTUALLY A MAN SITTING THERE.
>> IT WAS A MAN IS THERE THAT
YOU THOUGHT WAS A HIDEOUS PIECE
OF ART?
( LAUGHTER ).
>> WHICH-- WHICH WAS A
FASCINATING THING.
( LAUGHTER )
SO I WENT AND I SIDLED UP NEXT
TO HIM.
WE ENDED UP IN CONVERSATION THAT
I QUICKLY HAD TO TRANSLATE FROM
LYRICS TO MELODY BECAUSE I
DIDN'T UNDERSTAND A WORD OF WHAT
HE WAS SAYING.
THOUGH IT SOUNDED LIKE
INTELLIGENT ENGLISH.
HE WAS SPEAKING A LOT OF
ACRONYMS, AND SOME IN METAPHOR,
SLANGS, SCIENTIFIC TERMS.
AND EITHER CASE, MY MOTHER WAS
MAKING GREETING CARD THAT WERE
KIND OF INTERESTING AT THE TIME.
AND I BROUGHT UP THAT IN SMALL
TALK.
HE GOT FASCINATED BY THAT.
AND I KIND OF THREW HER UNDER
THE THE BUS BECAUSE I WANTED TO
GET AWAY FROM THE CONVERSATION
BY GIVING HIM HER ADDRESS.
( LAUGHTER )
AND HE COULD CORRESPOND --
>> YOU WERE JUST PIMPING OUT
YOUR MOM'S ADDRESS IT TO A GUY
SO HE WOULD STOP TALKING TO YOU
EVEN THOUGH YOU APPROACHED HIM?
>> YEAH, I APPROACHED HIM, AND
THEN I THOUGHT I'D LIKE TO--
IT'S FASCINATING, BUT I CAN'T BE
IMMEDIATELY RESPONSIVE TO THIS.
I NEED TO THINK ABOUT WHAT THIS
GUY IS SAYING.
SO ANYWAY, I NEVER HEAR FROM HIM
AGAIN.
BUT MY MOTHER HAD CORRESPONDED
WITH HIM.
( LAUGHTER ).
>> Stephen: SINCE 1979.
>> NO, THEN.
ASK SHE SOLD HIM ABOUT 500
GREETING CARDS.
>> Stephen: ASK YOUR MOM STILL
MAKE GREETING CARDS?
>> NO, SHE STOPPED WITH GREETING
CARDS THING, TOO MANY STRANGERS
ASKING FOR THEM.
ANYWAY, SO WHAT HAPPENED THEN,
IS, LIKE, MAY, THIS YEAR, MY
MOTHER CALLED, AND SAID THAT A
MANILA ENVELOPE, SOMETHING LIKE
FAN MAIL GOT TO HER ADDRESS.
I SAID,"THROW IT AWAY SM.
AND SHE SAID, "WELL, IT SOUNDS
LIKE SOMEBODY I REMEMBER.
PAPPY PARIAH."
AND I REMEMBERED THAT NAME.
>> Stephen: RIGHT, IT'S ON THE
BOOK RIGHT HERE.
( LAUGHTER ).
>> AND WHAT-- WHAT CAME IN THIS
ENVELOPE.
>> Stephen: PAPPY PARIAH,
WRITTEN BY PAPPY PARIAH.
>> AND WHAT CAME IN THIS
ENVELOPE WAS A MANUSCRIPT WITH A
DEDICATION TO ME SAYING HE
WANTED ME TO BE THE EXECUTOR OF
IT.
>> Stephen: IS HE DID DEAD?
>> THIS IS WHAT'S INTERESTING.
NO.
( LAUGHTER )
( APPLAUSE )
THE-- THE RETURN ADDRESS WAS A
LAWYER'S ADDRESS IN THE CAYMEN
ISLANDS.
SO THEN WHAT HAPPENED IS THAT
AUDIBLE, YOU KNOW WHO DO KIND OF
BOOK ON TAPE THING FOR AMAZON.
>> SURE, SURE, SURE, DIGITAL
BOOKS.
>> THEY CAME INTO THIS THING.
AND HE HAD WANTED ME TO TRY TO
GET IT, YOU KNOW, HEARD BEFORE
THE THE ELECTION.
AND THEY CAME IN GREAT, AND IT'S
KIND OF --
>> IT'S A QUICK WAY TO PUBLISH.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO ACTUALLY PRINT
IT.
YOU JUST DO AN AUDIO BOOK.
>> AND IT'S THE NEW AGE OF
LITERATURE.
UP PEOPLE TO HAVE INFORMATION--
I CLEARLY WANT PEOPLE TO HAVE
THIS INFORMATION BECAUSE WHAT I
READ WAS SOMETHING I FELT WAS
IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE TO HEAR
NOW.
HE DEMANDED IT BE BEFORE THE
ELECTION.
>> Stephen: I READ THE BOOK,
TOO.
I GOT A SIMILAR-- I GOT A PHONE
CALL FROM THE MIDDLE OF THE
NIGHT ON THE FIRST DAY OF MY
VACATION IN AUGUST, AND IT WAS,
LIKE, A GRAVELLY VOICE, LOS
ANGELES PHONE NUMBER, SOMEBODY
SAID, "WOULD YOU READ THIS
BOOK?"
>> RIGHT.
>> Stephen: AND I SAID, "I'D
LOVE TO, SEAN."
( LAUGHTER )
( APPLAUSE )
AND HE GOES-- I DON'T KNOW WHO
YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.
I TONIGHT KNOW WHO YOU'RE
TALKING ABOUT.
AND SO I READ THE BOOK AND IT'S
LIKE A BIT OF A MYSTERY,
SOMETHING OF A THRILLER.
THE MAIN CHARACTER, BOB HONEY,
WHO JUST DO STUFF, MIGHT BE A
MURDERER, MIGHT BE AN ASSASSIN,
MIGHT BE C.I.A., MIGHT BE
INSANE.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: MIGHT BE ONE OF
OUR GREATEST LIVING ACTORS.
IS THERE ANYTHING-- IS AND OF
THIS BASED ON-- DID PAPPY PARIAH
KNOW YOU WELL ENOUGH THROUGH
YOUR MOTHER'S LETTERS THAT ANY
OF THIS REFLECTS YOUR OWN LIFE,
SEAN PENN?
>> I LIKE TO THINK THAT IT WILL
REFLECT EVERYBODY'S LIFE, OR I
WOULDN'T HAVE WANTED TO SHARE
IT.
>> Stephen: BUT NOT
EVERYBODY-- BECAUSE THIS
CHARACTER ALSO HAS SPENT TIME,
LIKE, IN THE MIDDLE EAST.
THIS CHARACTER HAS ALSO SPENT
TIME WITH DRUG LORDS WHO ARE
FASCINATED BY ESCAPE TUNNELS.
( LAUGHTER )
THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS THAT
YOU MIGHT RELATE TO OF THIS MAIN
CHARACTER.
>> OH, THERE'S FOE QUESTION I
RELATE TO A LOT OF IT.
( LAUGHTER ).
>> Stephen: WELL, I WANT TO
GET INTO SOME OF THE THINGS IN
YOUR LIFE THAT MIGHT BE RELEVANT
TO THIS BOOK WHEN WE COME BACK.
BUT WE HAVE TO SERVE SOME
CORPORATE MASTERS.
ARE YOU DOWN WITH THAT?
>> YES, WHICH IS LARGELY WHAT
THE BOOK IS ABOUT, CORPORATE
MASTERS.
SO LET'S HIT IT.
>> Stephen: WE'LL BOW DOWN TO
OUR CORPORATE MASTERS AND BE
RIGHT BACK WITH MORE SEAN PENN.
