How many people celebrate
New Year's resolutions here?
You seem like a New Year's resolution guy.
Yeah? That's the only thing I'm gonna miss
when the pandemic ends, is, like...
Like, I'm-I'm enjoying
that now New Year's resolutions are attainable things.
Before, we just used to say shit
that would depress us after, like, a month
'cause we couldn't do it. Do you know what I mean?
But now because of the pandemic, all your resolutions
have to be shit that you just can do.
You can't go to the gym now. There's no, like,
"I'm gonna go to the..." You can't go to the gym.
I mean, you can try, but you can't really.
You never know. They'll stop you,
and then you're like, "Ah, I didn't..."
You know what I mean?
Like, the pandemic shuts your shit down for you,
which I'm gonna miss, is what I'm saying.
Now I make all my resolutions
things that I would... wouldn't do normally,
like, as a resolution but are achievable now.
So, now I'm like, "Ah, I need to catch up on all those TV shows."
That's my New Year's resolution.
Succession. I'm doing it, baby.
And then when I'm done, I'm like, "Look at this.
The year's still on track."
Do you know what I mean? I'm just in that zone.
"I need to eat all those chips before they get stale."
That's a resolution.
And you know what? I'm on track.
Everything. I've just made all my resolutions
about shit that I do in the house, you know?
Make sure I use appliances a bit more.
More microwave. You know, get it going.
You know? Use the scale in the bathroom.
You-you never think about whether your scale works or not.
I'm... This year, my resolution
is to see how high the numbers can go.
Just... You know? Like a car. You know, like, sometimes
you just rev the engine to get things going.
I want to do that on the scale, as well.
(imitating engine revving) "Get it to 250.
Come on."
That's essentially a resolution.
And I'm not failing yet.
It's actually made me realize...
This pandemic has made me realize
that resolutions are all about perspective.
You know? You think about it as things that are unattainable,
but if you make it things that you were gonna do anyways,
you're only succeeding in life.
ANNOUNCER: Coming to you from the heart of Times Square
in New York City, the only city in America,
it's The Daily Show.
Tonight, Boris partied too hard,
Klepper confronts Matt Gaetz,
and Ariana DeBose.
This is The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.
Hey! What's going on, everybody?
Welcome to The Daily Show. I'm Trevor Noah.
Let's jump straight into today's headlines.
♪ ♪
We kick things off with Donald Jumanji Trump,
America's 45th best president.
Last weekend, he was back on the rally circuit
kicking off his campaign to reclaim the Oval Office
and the White House Disney+ account.
But Trump might want to slow his roll a little bit,
because it turns out he's not the only one
making plans for his future.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump,
he is in hot water today with the New York attorney general.
Letitia James says her team has uncovered numerous instances
of "fraudulent or misleading practices
"related to the Trump Organization's
financial documents."
NEWSWOMAN: The case also turning up the heat
on Trump's children,
who James says "have been closely involved
with the transactions in question."
Investigators now taking legal action
to compel Ivanka and Don Jr. to comply with subpoenas
and appear for sworn testimony
about the company's financial dealings.
NEWSMAN: Investigators say in 2016,
Trump claimed his triplex
was worth about $327 million
because it was over 30,000 square feet.
In reality,
the A.G.'s office says it was 11,000 square feet.
They say the Trump CFO, Allen Weisselberg,
charged in a separate criminal case,
admitted the value of Trump's apartment
was overstated
by, give or take, $200 million.
Oh, no, no, no, no, no. Donald, no.
You can't exaggerate your apartment's value
by $200 million.
I mean, I get it if it was an NFT,
but this is an apartment, my friend.
I mean, at the same time,
Donald Trump does not give a (bleep).
Let's be honest. This dude will brag about himself
even if it gets him in trouble.
I bet when a cop asks him
if he knows how fast he was going, he's like,
"Yeah, I do. 400 billion miles a second,
"the fastest anyone has ever gone.
"I was so fast.
"So fast.
"Do you want to test it again? So fast.
Ask me what I've been drinking. All of it."
And, look, I get on Trump for a lot of stuff,
but I can't get mad at him for this
because deep down, he's just a landlord.
And this is what every landlord in New York does.
They'll say an apartment has three bedrooms.
Then you get there, two of the bedrooms
are somehow in the kitchen.
But it's still the best deal for your budget
so you sleep in the dishwasher.
I mean, it is what it is.
All right, but let's move on to the question
everyone's been asking--
what the hell happened to that package I ordered?
Well, it turns out your asshole neighbor
didn't swipe it off your front porch this time.
It actually got snatched long before that.
If you ordered something from Amazon and didn't get it,
it could be in this mess.
This is the scene in Los Angeles,
as trains carrying crates of orders are being robbed,
with packages strewn around the tracks.
NEWSMAN: As freight trains slow down or come to a halt,
the thieves leap on board with bolt cutters,
open giant containers
and take whatever they want.
This is what they leave behind--
all these boxes,
some empty, some not.
Look, this box was full of COVID home testing kits,
a precious product,
tough to buy at many pharmacies.
This Amazon envelope wasn't even opened.
The thieves just tossed it away.
This track strewn with boxes
stretches as far as you can see in both directions.
This entire area was cleaned up in mid-December,
which means that all of this
came from train robberies in just the last month.
Goddamn.
Did you see that mess?
It's like a Thomas the Tank Engine episode of Hoarders.
This shit is crazy.
And how could this happen in Joe Biden's America?
The president loves trains.
And now they're getting robbed all willy-nilly?
That's not right, people.
This is like if, during the Clinton administration,
everyone was robbing blow jobs.
It's unacceptable.
I mean, what if those packages contained,
like, your grandmother's blood pressure medication?
Depending on how you feel about your grandmother,
that could be a disaster.
And the worst part is that,
when they don't want the packages,
they just leave them on the ground.
I mean, they even ditched COVID tests,
which is just dumb.
Those tests are worth more than the actual train.
And you know what this means, right?
Yeah, knowing how picky these robbers are
is gonna make Valentine's Day extra stressful.
Because either your surprise gift doesn't show up
and your girl is pissed off
or it does show up
and she's still pissed off.
"Well, if this necklace was so great,
why didn't anyone steal it off a train, you cheap-ass bitch?"
And, no, I don't think these robberies should be used
as an excuse to have more police in America.
I know people are gonna say that.
You don't need more police for this.
All you need is to fill one random train car
with angry bees.
(buzzing)
Problem solved.
All right, finally,
let's talk about a major new development
in criminal justice reform.
News anchor, drop a beat.
NEWSWOMAN: Jay-Z and Meek Mill teaming up to support
a proposed New York state law that would block lyrics
from being used during trials.
NEWSMAN: Both Jay-Z and Meek Mill signed a letter saying...
NEWSWOMAN: The rappers are joined by other artists,
including Fat Joe, Big Sean,
Kelly Rowland and Robin Thicke,
in imploring lawmakers to sign the Rap Music on Trial bill
and turn it into law.
Yeah, that's right. When someone gets arrested,
prosecutors dig up any rap lyrics they might have written
and then they present them like it's a confession.
Which is ridiculous, people.
Rap is an art form.
Right? These songs are performances.
The rappers aren't just reading out their journals.
Just because you rap about killing someone
doesn't mean you did it.
It's just that a lot of words rhyme with "kill."
"Chill," "hill,"
"windowsill,"
"Uncle Phil."
All of the words you need in a rap song.
And you don't want worries about legal trouble
to interfere with musical freedom,
especially not rap music.
Because throwing in the word "allegedly"
after every rap lyric really screws with the flow.
♪ I bomb atomically, allegedly. ♪
"People are saying I bomb atomically."
And if we're being honest, it's not a coincidence
that they only do this with rap music.
Because this is just another way of targeting Black people.
I mean, half of country music songs
are about the singer burning their ex's car
because they cheated.
But I've never seen any of them prosecuted for it.
So I hope this law gets passed.
I mean, the only downside is that criminals are gonna use it
as a loophole to hide evidence.
Every Wall Street board meeting is now gonna have
an emcee in the corner.
"All my homies in the back,
"move your accounts to the Cayman Islands!
(mimics air horn)
"They can't use that, right?
Yeah, we got them, Goldman Sachs."
By the way, when I first heard that they wanted
to stop prosecutors from using rap lyrics in trials,
I thought that they meant
the prosecutors were the ones rapping.
Grammar's a really interesting thing
that shapes how you see things.
'cause I thought, like,
the prosecutors were actually in court like,
"Hi. My name is. What? My name is...
District Attorney Theodore Wozniak."
But all right, enough of that.
Let's move on to our top story which is about Boris Johnson,
Prime minister of the United Kingdom
and the only kid to make it out of the Village of the Damned.
Right now, he's embroiled in a huge scandal
over secret COVID parties.
So let's catch up on all the latest
in our ongoing segment, "Keep Calm and Party On."
♪ ♪
You may remember the outrage across Britain
a couple of months ago when Boris Johnson was accused
of throwing a secret party in the middle of lockdown.
Against his own COVID rules, by the way.
But the truth is, there wasn't a secret COVID party.
Turns out, there were many secret COVID parties,
and now Boris may have partied himself right out of a job.
SHEPARD SMITH: And the walls seem to be closing in
on Boris Johnson.
NEWSWOMAN: A new poll, in fact, for "The Observer" newspaper,
shows 63%,
nearly two of every three Britains, want Johnson out.
SMITH: As many as 20 conservative members
of Parliament say they plan to submit letters of no confidence.
54 letters are required
to trigger a no-confidence vote in Parliament.
Prime Minister Johnson has faced calls to resign
after reports that 10 Downing Street hosted parties
over the past two years.
The events were held
when the United Kingdom government imposed strict
COVID restrictions on gathering.
I recognize the enormous sacrifice that people have made.
I apologize for misjudgments that may have been made
in Number Ten by me and anybody else.
But please can I ask him to wait for the inquiry to conclude?
NEWSMAN 2: One misjudgment that really hurts--
the apology to Her Majesty the Queen
over parties allegedly held in Downing Street
the night before Her Majesty sat alone
at the funeral of her husband.
You know, this sucks for Queen Elizabeth.
I haven't seen her that disappointed
since she found out what Prince Andrew did on his vacations.
"Apparently, these are not the only photos, Andrew."
And I can hardly blame her, you know.
I mean, her husband had just died,
and here they were, throwing parties
without her.
I mean, come on. This is her first chance in 70 years
to catch some fresh dick, and no invite?
Yo, that shit is messed up.
Oh, you don't think people move on?
You need to grow up.
But you can see why so many people have turned
on Boris over his scandal.
Because while he was having parties,
the people of Britain were dealing with severe lockdowns.
And I'm not talking about American lockdowns.
I'm talking about real lockdowns.
Like, there were curfews.
The government limited how many people you could see.
People weren't even allowed to have anyone over for Christmas.
Yeah, if Santa came down your chimney,
you'd have to shoot him dead.
But they don't have guns in the U.K.,
so you just have to beat him to death.
And look, I know Boris isn't the only political leader
who's been caught partying against his own rules,
but he might be the only one trying to pretend
that he doesn't know what a party is.
Prime Minister Johnson maintains he believed it
to be an official work event, not a party.
NEWSMAN 2: Now an email leak showing 100 people were invited
to socially-distanced drinks in Downing Street
and to even "bring their own booze."
NEWSWOMAN: The idea that you walked into the garden,
there's 40 people there,
the tables are laid out with food and drink,
-and there's alcohol being served... -Yeah.
...in the middle of a lockdown,
and you think that's a work event--
that is just ludicrous, isn't it?
You are just taking the mickey out of the British people.
-It wasn't just a... -No. Well, I-I...
(stammering) I, uh, nobody told me,
and nobody-nobody said that, uh,
this was something that was against the rules.
It was a breach of the, of the COVID rules,
or we were doing something that wasn't, uh, a work event.
Yeah, n-nobody told me.
I-I didn't know it was a party.
How do you know what a party is unless somebody says,
"It's a party"?
How could you not know that that was a party?
I mean, it's not a work event.
They said, "Bring your own booze."
That never happens for a regular work meeting.
No one's ever like,
"We really need to figure out our fourth quarter projections,
so grab some tequila, because daddy's making margaritas."
And also, am I the only person who finds it weird
that the leader of the government is the one saying,
"Nobody told me that this was against the rules.
Nobody told me." Nobody told you? They're your rules!
Your rules to deal with a global pandemic.
This isn't your kids' birthdays.
You got to remember this shit.
Now, Boris' own former top aide says that he did
warn Boris that the party broke COVID rules.
And that Boris has been lying under oath
to Parliament about it.
But maybe these parties are just emblematic
of how Boris thinks COVID rules didn't apply to him.
Like, apparently, back when Boris had COVID,
he refused to stay in isolation, and it got so bad
that his staff-- and this is completely true--
had to put chairs in the doorway to his office
to block him from leaving.
Yeah.
Honestly, I was shocked when I read this.
Mostly because I didn't know it was that easy to
stop British people from going places.
Turns out, if Africa just put a couple of chairs
in front of England, we could have stopped colonialism.
So, as of now, Boris is in big trouble,
or, as they say in England, trouble.
And really, if you're a prime minister
who's been breaking the lockdown rules
that you imposed on everybody else,
you have to resign.
Or...
you can do this:
NEWSMAN: New this morning, the British Prime Minister,
Boris Johnson, has announced the end of all
pandemic restrictions in the United Kingdom, saying
the people will no longer be asked to work from home,
masks no longer required in schools,
the mandate to wear masks in public removed as well.
NEWSWOMAN: According to The Guardian,
the swift change is seen as an attempt by Johnson
to quell conservative anger
over his lockdown-breaching parties at Downing Street.
Having looked at the data carefully,
the cabinet concluded
that once regulations lapse,
the government will no longer mandate
-the wearing of face masks anywhere. -(cheering)
Oh, shit!
Boris went from B-Y-O-B to D-G-A-F.
You can't break the rules if there are no rules!
"That's right, everybody, no masks.
"Everybody, no restrictions.
And no more haircuts, bitches."
And yet you could you argue that
suddenly lifting restrictions is just a cheap
and dangerous attempt to curry public favor
at the cost of spreading a lethal virus.
But on the other hand,
restrictions are lifted, baby,
so break out the liquor, Britan.
It's time for a work event.
(slurps)
All right, when we come back,
Jordan Klepper has a very polite conversation with Matt Gaetz
and it goes very well for everybody.
You don't want to miss it.
Welcome back to The Daily Show.
It has now been a year
since a patriotic group of heroes
stormed the Capitol to save democracy
by hanging Mike Pence.
So, to give the day the honor it deserves,
we sent Jordan Klepper down to the Capitol
for a January 6th edition
of Jordan Klepper Fingers the Pulse.
♪ ♪
KLEPPER: It's been just over a year
since the attack on the U.S. Capitol,
so last week, I went back to Washington D.C.
But now I'm ready for anything.
This time I'm prepared.
Contact number in case I get thrown in jail.
Money belt in case I need to bribe an Oath Keeper
when they take over the city.
If that doesn't go down, uh, I got Potbelly's money
when I leave out of Union Station.
But unlike last year,
today there was a peace, a quiet,
a calm that almost suggested
perhaps our country is truly healing
from the events of that day.
And then we found this guy
screaming at CNN's John King broadcasting from a balcony.
(bleep) you (bleep), yo!
Y'all (bleep) fake news bullshit, yo!
Bunch of garbage, John King!
I was trying to get across to people in the world, man.
I watch CNN. I watch Fox News every day.
Chris Tucker, Hannity.
-You watch Chris Tucker? I love that guy. -Yeah.
-I watch all of you guys, you know? It's like... -Money Talks.
-Yeah. -Rush Hour.
I wear that shirt, says "Eff Biden."
I say (bleep) Joe Biden.
I respect our president.
It's important to have respect for the office of the president.
-Exactly. Exactly. -And at the same time
wear a shirt that says "(bleep) Biden."
I mean, for me, yes.
Do you understand the inherent contradiction in that?
Yes, I do. I do. I do. I do. I definitely do.
When we drove by, I saw you screaming
up at the second floor there at John King from CNN
-saying go (bleep) himself. -Right.
I see what you're saying. Now, I mean, what I did there,
that was not...
That was me, my personal opinion towards John King
and the me... a-and fake news CNN.
Yeah. So, the fake news CNN should go (bleep) itself.
-Yeah. Respectfully, yes. Yes. -Respectfully. Okay, right.
-Mm-hmm. -Now, do I want my kids to see me saying that?
No, of course not.
But, I mean, we all have our days.
You-you did have your k...
I-I saw your kid in the car.
Correct. I have all four of my kids in the car.
-Oh. So they... -But they don't... They don't understand.
-They're not of age to understand. -Okay.
-Yeah. -Okay. So, they did see.
-They just don't understand. -Correct, yeah.
KLEPPER: Unfortunately, our nation's leaders
were respectfully divided on how to best remember the day.
On the one hand, you had the Democrats
condemning the attacks as only they know how.
We're privileged to have a contribution
from one of the great creative talents of our time,
Lin-Manuel... Miranda.
KLEPPER: And on the other hand, there were people
like Representative Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene
who were unapologetic about what happened.
They were even planning an event of their own.
We're proud of the work that we did on January 6
-to make legitimate arguments... -That's right.
...about election integrity.
So we're gonna make those arguments today
-in a press conference at 2:15. -Absolutely.
And we're actually gonna go walk the grounds
that-that patriotic Americans walked,
from the White House to the Capitol.
KLEPPER: Ah, a solemn walk in front of the media
to reenact the events of January 6.
Plenty of time for me to ask some questions
as they patriotically sauntered down--
Oh, shit. They're just getting into their cars.
Please get out of the way.
Oh, well.
I'll catch him at one of the other sedition reenactments.
Of course, there were some who witnessed the events firsthand
who have a different attitude towards the rioters.
When it comes to insurrectionists, (bleep) 'em.
I don't give a (bleep).
-Can I quote you on that? -Yeah.
KLEPPER: Representative Ruben Gallego was inside
with fellow congressmen of both parties,
just yards away from the violence.
Look, I was scared for the country.
I was scared for my colleagues.
Um, I was pissed off.
The thing I remember the most is seeing the-the fear
in the eyes of some very young staffers.
I was here that day.
It was... chaotic.
I got called an asshole just over there.
Was it by a member of Congress or...
-The guy had a pitchfork. Do you... -(laughs)
Do you know the pitchfork guy?
Is he a member of Congress or is he a...
Uh, he might be. Uh, probably from the Freedom Caucus.
Yeah, the guy was talking with a pitchfork.
If he's not in Congress,
he's definitely running in the midterms.
Probably is a frontrunner, yeah.
KLEPPER: Later, outside the halls of power,
Democrats gathered for a vigil,
hoping the country would never have to go through
a horrible day like that again.
But, down the road,
there was another vigil...
We're outside a jail right now,
going to vigil number two.
...where they chose to look on the bright side
of the potential treason.
What would you call the events of January 6?
A wonderful, glorious event.
People were excited that day.
January 6 was the greatest day of my entire life.
-Okay. You're obviously not a police officer. -And...
There was no insurrection that day.
If there was any intention on our part,
we would have been actually freaking armed.
If there was intention, people would come with, uh...
-We would have been. -With zip ties
or bear spray or a pitchfork.
Belt-feds. (laughs)
What about the people who did come with zip ties,
bear spray and pitchforks?
Well, those aren't arms.
Those were just minimal defensive measures.
Who is the-the candlelight vigil for?
The... all the... all of the patriots.
All of the 140 patriots, the, uh...
-the police officers who were injured that day. -Yeah.
-Yeah. -So it's for the police officers who were...?
No, it's... (stammers)
Well, this is for the-the patriots that are in prison.
The people arrested for injuring the police officers that day?
It was some people standing up
to say, you know, "Stop the steal."
We're here, uh, at the site
of where the January 6th protestors are being detained.
This is a vigil for them.
Their rights have been taken away.
So criminal justice is obviously a big issue for you.
I'm interested in protecting everyone's rights.
Are you going to Rikers island
to protest the 15 people who died last year?
Uh, I-I am not.
KLEPPER: Even a year later, selected victimization
was still trending hot.
At the end of the day,
it might have felt that nothing has really changed,
that we were locked in an endless loop,
talking about the same things with the same people.
I felt like that.
Apparently, for a good reason.
I saw you in Hershey. That's right. How've you been?
Well, hanging in there. How have you been?
I've-I've, uh, witnessed, uh, a near downfall of democracy.
It's been... it's been a busy... it's been a busy year or two.
-(laughing) -Yeah, yeah.
-It has. -It's been a little hectic.
KLEPPER: A hectic year indeed.
Thank you so much for that, Jordan.
And if you want to see even more from Jordan's trip,
check out the link below for additional scenes
available only on the Web.
All right, when we come back, I'll be talking to the star
of the critically-acclaimed remake of West Side Story,
Ariana DeBose, so don't go away.
Welcome back to The Daily Show.
My guest tonight is award-winning actor,
singer and dancer Ariana DeBose.
She's here to talk about starring as Anita
in West Side Story.
-("America" playing) -(indistinct chatter)
♪ ♪
Hey! Hey! Hey!
-Ariana DeBose, welcome to The Daily Show. -Oh, thank you.
-(laughs) -Thank you so much. (laughing)
I don't think I was supposed to put my hands
-on the table yet. -No, no, we're talking.
We're talking. What are you talking about?
Um, yeah, welcome. It's really good to have you here,
especially now.
Like, you know, some people,
if they're Broadway aficionados, have seen you.
You know, you've-you've been...
Just I think you've been grinding
-at this thing in Broadway ten years. Right? -Yeah. Yeah.
Where you've done everything.
Every different type of production.
You're a consummate performer, singer, dancer, actress,
everything all in one.
But it feels like this is your moment.
Like, it-it... You know where the "overnight success"
-comes together after ten years? -(laughs)
-Yes. -It feels like that's that moment.
Does it feel the same way for you?
Ye... Uh, I hesitate to say it, but yes.
-Um... -Why do you hesitate?
'Cause I'm really enjoying it. Like, I'm having fun.
I don't want it... want it to go away.
You know, moments, they're moments.
They're, like, they're-they're fleeting.
-Ephemeral. Fleeting. -No. No, no, no, not at all.
-But, like... -Like, COVID is a moment,
-and look how long it's going for. -(laughs)
You know what, you're not wrong.
-Yes. -So, um, I'm just...
Um, whatever it is, however anyone interprets it,
I'm just enjoying whatever this is while it lasts,
and it... 'Cause it's been really fun.
I mean, it's not every day you get it to make a movie
with Steven Spielberg and what you're asked to execute
-is actually something that you do. -Right.
(laughs) I was like, "Oh.
"I have to do other kinds of homework,
"but the bones of what this job is,
-I got that. This is great." -I love that.
-I love that. And, I mean, it... -Yeah.
You know, it's-it's also unique to be in a position
where you're having fun,
the audience is having fun watching you have fun
and then the critics are having fun as well.
Like, that's the perfect combination
-of what you'd like in art, you know? -Mm-hmm.
'Cause-'cause, uh, Screen Actors Guild nomination, right?
-Yeah. -Eh, uh, Golden Globe winner.
-Congratulations. Right? -Thank you. Thank you very much.
Um, like, it-it just feels like you-you're in this world, uh--
-NAACP Award as well, I should mention, yes? -Yeah.
-That's also another nomination. -Yeah. I was--
I was really honored by-by--
I'm honored by it all.
I'm-I'm very grateful for the opportunities to be seen,
-especially for artists of color. -Right.
Like, it feels like we're all starting to have
-a different kind of moment right now. -Mm-hmm.
And most of our work is not only being seen
but considered and valued in different ways.
And so that's...
really the heart of why I'm so excited.
I think it's an honor for anyone who gets to talk to you
because of what you're doing
and all of the mediums you're doing it in.
Like, "triple threat" gets thrown around a lot.
-It does. -You know? People are like, "Oh, you're a triple--
You're a singer. You're a dancer."
But you really are that. You know?
-SNL was one of the best examples. -Thank you.
-Congrats, by the way. -Oh, my God, thank you.
I-- Thank you. I had a lot of fun on that show.
You looked like you did.
You did so well that--
Like, I've seen people crush it on SNL.
I have seen very few people crush it to the point
where people watching are like, "Where-Where's her SNL?
-Where's her show?" -(laughs) Now, that would be fun!
-No, people were saying that. -I would love that.
People were like, "When is Ariana doing her own thing?"
Well, that's cool. L-- I'm-I'm actually not-not so shy
about the fact that I really want to bring the,
like, variety show back.
Like, I really want to do it.
So if anybody wants to hit me up on that,
-cool, cool. Um... -(laughs)
It seems like to me you are soon becoming
the puzzle piece that everyone is gonna have to figure out
-how to fit around. -(chuckles) That's cool.
I've never been-- I've never had that.
-I don't feel like I've ever had that. -No, I-I...
-So that's nice. -I genuinely feel like that is what
you are-- you are very quickly becoming.
I mean, West Side Story is...
(stammers)
Few films get remade
with as much pressure as this one has had.
-Yeah. -You are playing a role
that is arguably one of the most important roles
in not just film history,
but then, like, in the history of so many Latina actresses,
-Yeah. -...where they go like, "This was... this was it."
-Yeah. -You know, this was the Rita Moreno moment
-that changed film for a lot of people. -Yeah.
-It had an influence in your life. -Yes, it did.
I saw it when I was, gosh, I guess,
it felt like six or seven, you know?
And I didn't understand who she was.
But I understood she sort of looked like me.
And I wanted to dance just like her.
And then, not until my adulthood
did I really understand the full spectrum
-of what "West Side Story" did for her. -Mm-hmm.
-What-what... and what she came to mean to our community. -Mm.
But then, also, the struggles that she faced,
after winning an Oscar, you know?
It's like, she became the first Latina to win an Oscar,
-and then, all of a sudden, there was no work. -Right.
So she had to find other ways to expand her career.
And I... as...
It makes me very sad that that was her experience,
but also when you look at her breadth of work,
she showed you that Latinas are not...
-We don't just do this. We do this. -Mm.
And that's really cool.
I mean, I think specifically related to "West Side Story,"
my being Afro-Latina-- that makes me especially proud
-of what I've been able to accomplish. -Mm-hmm.
Because we really are not represented on screen.
And...
I don't think that any film is a perfect film,
but I do think the fact that we...
that my inclusion in this film works--
-we're the beginnings of getting it right. -I like that.
And if Steven can do it, one of the greatest directors,
of all time-- 'cause he is--
um, then I think everybody else can.
He's one of the greatest directors of all time,
but you said... you said "no" to him
-when he asked you to read lines... -(laughing)
-in the audition. -Well, I... I did.
But that was simply because, uh, I had found out
about this audition very, very last minute.
-I was on Broadway at the time. -Uh-huh.
I was playing Donna Summer,
which was a very challenging role for me,
and leading a company takes a lot out of you.
And I don't make a habit of going into a room
with anyone in it and being unprepared. Do you?
-No, no, but I... -Do you like being unprepared?
But if it... Like, that's-that's the difference.
If I walked into a room,
and Steven Spielberg was in this room...
Let's say I waked into the elevator in this building,
and then, it was Steven Spielberg, and then, he said,
"Trevor, I need you to read these lines,"
I'd just start reading the lines.
-You'd start reading them? -I wouldn't be like,
"No, Steven Spielberg. I haven't prepared." I would just read.
You said... you said "No."
I said "No," 'cause I wanted... I was like, "This is..."
"I'm not prepared to show you a viable interpretation
-of this character." -Wow.
"And I would rather do that than..."
I'd rather give you something that's usable
than give you something that's like, "Oh, my God.
Thank you so much for coming in, and next."
Like, I wanted... If I was gonna do it,
it already took a lot of guts for me to walk into the room
because I didn't actually believe
that I'd ever be considered
-for the job, let alone get the job. -Mm-hmm.
Um, then I was gonna do it and do it well.
In a way, I feel like you saying no to
doing it incorrectly, and wanting to do it your way
and the best way possible is part of your character.
-Like, that's, that's who Anita sort of -(laughing)
-is in West Side Story. -She is. That is.
It is. That is who she is at her heart.
And I think a lot of my characters, like,
-there are different bits of me within them. -Mm-hmm.
And that is the part of me that is Anita, so...
Before I let you go,
-I would love to talk about one of the most... -(chuckles)
just, like, amazing moments in-in film,
and-and that is when a character
who has created a moment in history comes back to the film.
-Obviously, I'm speaking about Rita Moreno, -Yeah.
Who comes back in West Side Story,
playing a different role,
but comes back as an executive producer.
And then you're in a scene with her.
I wonder if that-if that was a lot of pressure for you.
Was there any moment that you shared with her
where you were like, "Okay, this is...
"this is my thing that have I sort of inherited from her,
and I have the opportunity to turn it into what I want"?
I mean, we...
we spoke briefly at the beginning of the process,
but she was very supportive,
-Thank God. (laughs) -(laughing)
She made me feel very comfortable.
And just encouraged me to bring everything
-that made me unique to the character. -Oh, nice.
And just let me-- gave me permission,
in her own energetic way, to fly.
And, now, the scene you're talking about,
is... it's deep, heavy subject matter.
And so I sort of shifted into just focusing on
who the characters were,
and playing the truth of the characters.
Because if I had actually thought about,
"All right, now you're going to yell at Rita Moreno."
-(laughing) -(laughs)
I don't think anybody,
if it hadn't have been me,
I don't think anybody would have been comfortable doing that.
Right. Right.
Well, you know what, you did it.
You-you looked more than comfortable.
I mean, you-you're just sailing.
And, uh, congratulations on the award.
Congratulations on the nominations,
and everything that you are going to achieve.
-Thank you for joining me on the show. -Thank you.
Thanks for having me.
NOAH: West Side Story is in theaters right now.
You definitely want to go and watch it.
We're gonna take a quick break,
but we'll be right back after this.
Well, that's our show for tonight, but before we go,
America is facing its worst blood shortage in more than
a decade, largely, in part, due to the drop in donations
since the start of the pandemic.
But giving blood is easy.
And just one blood donation can save up to three lives.
So, if you'd like to help end this blood crisis,
you can sign up online with the American Red Cross.
Call 1-800-RED-CROSS,
or find a donation site near you
through America's Blood Centers at the link below.
Until tomorrow, stay safe out there,
get your vaccine,
and remember, if you're
throwing a work party that's against COVID regulations,
do the safe thing,
and kill everyone who attended.
Now here it is, Your Moment of Zen.
Anyone in this room didn't just pop out of nowhere.
You are...
What you become is what you became from where you came from.
So, if you have a mother, a father,
sister, brother, an aunt, a great aunt and uncle,
anyone in your family, or a teacher or mentor
that you've looked up to that's instilled in you
something to go forward and to achieve your dream,
that is a very important person.
We had nothing, but we had everything because we had love.