BECAUSE I SAID SO with MAGGIE CASSELLA Original air date: Thursday, May 23, 2002, 11PM ET on Star Copyright 2002 CHUM Limited - All rights reserved. http://www.star-tv.com/ Transcribed by Leah Moore The first five minutes or so are a “short commentary”. Maggie: Our guest tonight is a hairless chicken (reference to the opening commentary). No, he’s not, okay? Our guest tonight has played Jesus. He’s played Liberace and the devil. I know those two may seem the same, but, he’s also responsible for sinking the Titanic. I mean, now, there’s a resume. But you guys know him now as Mr. Bristow on the show Alias. Please help me welcome Victor Garber. *Audience cheers and applauds. Some members of the audience sing.* Victor: Wow! This is a rowdy group. M: Oh... wait. What was that you guys said? “Help me welcome Victor Garber.” Audience: Day by day. Day by day. Oh dear Lord... V: Oh... is this the-- okay... Audience: Three things I pray. V: Yeah, that’s very nice... And what a key! M: What key was that? V: I have no idea. That was the audience key. Yeah, sing along. M: Obviously we couldn’t afford a recording, so-- V: Well, that was nice. Thank you! M: It’s our first season, what can I-- V: It’s lovely. It’s nice to be here. M: We’re glad to have you. V: And thank you all for coming. This is your show?! M: It is, but that’s okay. They came to see you, actually. V: Thank you. M: Um, you’re from London, Ontario. V: London, Ontario. Anyone from London? *Cheers and applause* Yep, I grew up in London, Ontario, and I was just back there a couple of weeks ago for a benefit for the Grand Theatre. And sang, and all these people were there. And it was so, so, it was so great. It was so nice. ‘Cause I loved, I loved growing up there, and I loved the theatre. And that’s where I went. M: Well, except let’s talk about growing up for a minute, if we can. You started when you were 10. V: Yeah I did. M: Your first gig was doing what, at 10? Tom Sawyer, at the Grand Theatre. M: There you have it. V: Yeah, that was a big event for me. M: But you left at 15 to come to be some... lovely little child prodigy at the University of Toronto. V: You know I did-- the Hart House offered a theatre course for, actually, for sort of, teachers. And I didn’t realize it. I filled out this application form and said something like “If I don’t get in, I’ll die.” Really, like, subtle. But I so desperately wanted to be in the theatre so they accepted me. I guess out of pity and fearing I would kill myself. And I was actually the youngest member to ever be accepted at this. It was like a six week summer course, and it was life changing. Because at the time Yorkville was Yorkville. It had coffee houses and I used to wash dishes and play the guitar. And, you know, it was like before it was “boutique”y. Now I can’t afford to go to Yorkville. M: Well, now you can’t actually eat off the dishes in Yorkville. V: Absolutely, so that was-- yeah, it was a six week summer course and then I went back home to London and announced to my parents that I was leaving school and moving to Toronto. And I did when I was 16. I don’t advise this. I don’t advocate this. Please, please do not to this at home. But I did it, and I had to do it because the theatre, at that time, was everything to me, and music and I-- M: I mean, how did you know this? And when did you know this? What, you were 5 and you saw something and you went “I have to be on stage.”? V: You know, I think growing up my parents were musical. My mother had a TV show and they used to play broadway shows and we used to listen to show tunes. And I just thought that would be, like, the coolest thing. To be on Broadway and be in a musical. And, you know, I did it. I’m sort of amazed that it actually happened. M: And you did it. Really, starting as a child, and so we could say you were a child actor, and you didn’t end up being an ax murderer or anything, which is really good. *Laughter* V: I know, it is amazing. M: Well so far. I don’t want to piss him off! V: Well so far. There’s still time! M: As a child star-- V: Well, I wasn’t really a child star. M: Okay, as a child actor. Starting in the theatre... V: Okay. M: ...Let’s just start with theatre. V: Theatre. M: Okay... Um... 1972-Godspell. V: Yeah, in Toronto. *Cheers and applause* Not one of you ever saw that, you’re all too young. I’m looking out and you’re all like way too young. M: Now we’re in 2002 and we see you fast-forward 30 years later and you’re doing this show called Alias. *Cheers and applause* V: Yeah, It’s such a cool show. I love doing that show. M: While you didn’t turn out to be a disturbed adult, after being a child actor, your character’s a little twisted. V: He’s a little complicated. M: Let’s take a look at a clip and see just how twisted he is. V: Okay, I’m frightened now. Almost Thirty Years- Jack: You gave Khasinau the information about the safehouse. Haladki: Jack, this is a gift I’m giving you. Khasinau can save you. You should be with him! Jack: You told him that my daughter is a double agent with SD-6. Haladki: *Grunts* Jack! Look at yourself! Jack: You exposed Sydney. Haladki: Come with me! I can save you! I can save you! *Gunshot* Audience: Whoa! *Applause* V: Okay... simply, a man protecting his daughter. *Laughter* How, you know, what were my options. The guy was a rat. Have you seen the show? He was horrible! Everyone wanted him dead, and I got to kill him. *Applause* M: I don’t know. I have two questions about that clip. One- where was the blood splatter? I mean, what, ‘cause you’re a member of the team you don’t get blood on you when you shoot someone? I mean you shot him in the neck, you should have been, like, covered with brains. V: Now, well, with that-- Would you have liked that, really? With blood all over his face? M: Well I didn’t like the last show I saw when they were drilling the guys teeth... V: I know. M: ...but that didn’t stop anything. V: Well you know... Jack Bristow is very neat. He doesn’t make a mess. He shoots the guy then he walks away. M: It’s a far cry from Jesus. V: yeah, well. Audience: Day by day... V: Oh, boy! Oh, boy! Audience: Day by day... V: You have to do the Audience: Oh dear Lord, three things I pray. V: One. M: They don’t know the rest. This was the best I... V: How long did you rehearse this, it is so sad. M: Okay, I’m sorry. They don’t know the rest, but the three gay guys in the back know all the words. Shut up girls! All right, so I just want to talk about bow diverse you are as an actor. We talked about theatre. You had four Tony nominations. You won an Obie award, you won a World Theatre Award. You were nominated for two Emmy’s, you were nominated for two Gemini’s. V: Really? I must be very old. *Cheers and applause* Oh, thank you. M: I left out the Drama Desk one, I had to cheat. V: That was a nomination. I didn’t win, but I never win anything, I always get nominated. But that’s okay. I’m not bitter. M: I know. Well, but... you have to have a favorite thing to do. I’m guessing it’s theatre, over television and film. V: You know, I grew up in the theatre. It’s where I learned how to do what I do. And I was lucky to get in some really fantastic shows on Broadway and that experience is like nothing else, and I really believe every actor who wants or every kid that wants to be an actor should train in the theatre, should go to the theatre, because that’s where you really learn how to do it. And-- but-- I love doing TV, but doing theatre you have this audience, like you do here, and you have this response-- it’s live experience and there’s nothing like it. Nothing like it. M: But, you’re a singer too? I mean, you’re not going to sing for us, ‘cause we’re singing for you, tonight-- V: I will do anything for a buck. I will do anything. M: Yes, I used to be a lawyer, I’m in the same whatever. But you were actually in a group, called “The Sweet Shop”, “The Folk Shop”-- V: No, “The Sugar Shop”. M: “The Sugar Shack” I’m sorry. V: Get it right. M: Well I’m sorry, “The Sugar Shop”. V: Yeah, it was big. We did. M: Did you have long hair and bell bottoms? V: No I had an afro and a Nehru suit. M: Yes. V: Oh, come on! M: Now why don’t I have footage of the afro and the Nehru suit? V: There’s actually an album cover that is so frightening it’s, you know, it is so frightening *Shudders• Where-- Yeah, “The Sugar Shop” was a band that started in Peter Mann, who is still a composer in Toronto and a wonderful, talented guy, and we started this group based on The Mamas and The Papas, and we recorded the Centennial Song, Bobby Gimby’s “Canada”, kind of like The Mamas and The Papas, and then they started playing it on the radio and the next thing we knew we were, like, playing bars and-- M: Johnny Carson, you were on the Tonight Show. V: We were on Johnny Carson, Ed Sullivan, we did--uh-- We never got on the Merv Griffin Show. Mmm! *Snaps fingers* *Laughter* But we did well. M: So that’s what happened. You would have been known as the singer, Victor Garber. V: Well yeah. Music was my life then. Then I got into Godspell and it all changed. M: Well we’re going to talk more about the changes in Victor’s life right after this. V: The boy changes. *Cheers and Applause* *Cheers and Applause* M: Yes, we’re back with Victor Garber. And Victor, we’re going to talk about the changes in your life. I have to ask you, one role you did... um, I mean, Liberace. V: Okay. *Laughter* M: Okay. Now you look a little bit like Liberace. V: My agent called me and said “I have good news and I have bad news. The good news is you have a job, the bad news is you’re playing Liberace.” *Laughter* M: I mean... how was that? V: You know what? M: Were the costumes like 80 pounds? V: It was, I have to say, I approached this-- I just wanted to give him dignity, credibility, humanity. I didn’t want to do like a mad camp impersonation, which God knows, I could have! M: Right, right. V: But you know-- because, really, what I learned about him was that he was just a guy who just had kind of a weird life, and a troubled life. And so I approached it as I did anything with... just try to be honest and authentic. And ultimately it was a great experience, but I didn’t work in Hollywood for two years. M: Really? V: Yeah. M: Oh my God, branded Liberace! V: Yeah, once you do something like that, if you’re successful at all in that kind of thing, any kind of thing, then people just assume that’s who you are, and what you do, and that’s it. So, you know-- it’s M: That’s interesting, isn’t it? V: Yeah, but finally, you know everything worked out, and now I’m playing Jack Bristow. *Cheers and Applause* M: Right, who’s just like Liberace! V: There’s a little Liberace in Jack. He’s going to come out. M: Yeah, sure, the part about the murdering part. What’s interesting, you know, is that you’re labelled as a character actor. V: That’s a good thing, right? M: Well... what is it? V: Well, you know, it’s such a funny thing. I mean all actors are character actors. you know, you play characters. M: But aren’t they really saying “You’re a guy who works a lot, but we don’t really know your name?” V: Oh, a lot of people, “I know you! Are you in my bowling league?” *Laughter* I literally got that one day. Um, you know, “Hey, were you in the restaurant last week?” “No, I’ve never been to this world, I’ve never been to this town. *Laughter* I don’t know who you are.” Yeah, you know, I think I’m more recognizable because I’ve done a lot of things, but in different venues, you know? If you do, well, now, with Alias-- M: In New York, now, everybody knows you because you’re a Broadway actor. V: Yeah, Broadway, yeah, New York, but when I go out of the city, people are confused. And so am I, by the way *Laughter* I don’t know who I am. M: So, it- Do you think that it’s frustrating for you, or is it sort of a blessing because you can do your work and not V: You know what, I don’t mind anonymity. I sort of-- I gave that up with Titanic, a little bit because everything until that moment was like people really didn’t know who I was and then after Titanic came out and young people saw it like 150 times. So when I’d get on the subway in New York, and I’d get into a car and school was out, I’d literally, I’d go into like a cold sweat, because I’d see like one little 11 year-old turn... *Laughter* M (as an 11 year-old): “You sank the ship, you bastard!” V: And then it was all over and I’d have to leave the car, because they all like... turned *Laughter* and it was so frightening! That’s the age group that actually scares me the most. It’s, like, the 13 year-olds because it looks like they’re going to come up and, like, rip you apart. You know, and they are quite capable of doing that. M: And it’s not just the 13 year-olds. You have the websites. I love the “Victor-ites”. The “Victor newspage” with the breaking story this month was you didn’t win any of the awards in the fall. V: Darn! *Snaps fingers* Well, you know... I-I didn’t... it scares me. The whole internet thing scares me. I don’t- I’ve never looked at those things. People tell me about it and they print out things and I say “I don’t want to know.” because it’s so scary! M: Well interestingly enough, you have fans everywhere, and we actually have... V: Oh, this should be good. M: ...um, a tape from one of your fans, a friend, actually. Andrea Morton, from New York... V: Oh, well... M: ...sent us a tape. She’s on Broadway right now... V: She certainly is. M: ...so let’s take a look at it. Andrea: What the hell are you doing this show for? You are so desperate to be seen. Haven’t you had enough attention? Dear God, you’re on Alias, you’re doing Music Man, you schlepped down to City TV on the “Maggie Castanovas Show”? Are you crazy, nobody’s watching. *Laughter, cheers and applause* V: Yeah... I have, I genuinely have the most supportive friends and Andrea’s right up there, number one. M: Yeah, I just want to send out to Andrea *Makes gesture similar to that of Joey’s on Friends* V: Yeah, exactly. She would kill to be on this show. M: Yeah, and she’s got that Tony thing coming. *Applause* V: Yeah, she’s nominated for a Tony. She’s fantastic in Oklahoma!, and you have to go see it on Broadway. M: And the weird thing is you all started in Godspell. That’s where you met Andrea. That’s where you met Martin. Martin won a Tony for- Didn’t he win a Tony for “Little Me”? V: Yes he did, and I didn’t. M: And you didn’t... V: Thank you. M: ...Andrea won a Tony for something else. V: And I didn’t. Um hmm... yeah. And Gilda was in that, and Paul Schaffer, Eugene Levy... that was the Godspell group, yeah. M: We’re just going to hug Victor for a minute... V: I’m going to be okay. M: ...and we’re going to go to break, and gong to come back and give Victor something to do. Right after this. M: Victor, what are you doing? V: We’re currently shooting “The Music Man” here for ABC. M: And you have a Disney move coming out? V: Disney movie called “Tuck, Everlasting.”