Bonnie Hunt - Transcripts

Tom Snyder Interview September 1998

Bonnie is wearing a black dress, black tights, a silver cross on a chain and has a short, dark blonde bob haircut

Tom: Bonnie Hunt is among my favourite guests in the history of television. She has done her own TV sitcoms, films like Jerry Maguire, currently filming The Green Mile with Tom Hanks, that’ll be out late this year.

(While Tom is talking Bonnie is waving her arms in front of the camera)
T: She’s now waving her arms.. (camera cuts to Bonnie and she stops and laughs)
Bonnie: Whoa.
Tom: It’s a pleasure to welcome the flapper herself Bonnie Hunt to CBS. How’re ya doing toots? Ok? (Bonnie is laughing)
B: Fine, I was just teasing ya.
T: I know. Now the Green Mile with Tom Hanks..
B: (turning to crew) Yeah, Tom loved that.
T: The Green Mile I read is a film, the green mile refers to that area between the condemed cell and the electric chair. This probably is not going to be a million laughs.
B: No it’s not. It’s a drama, or a drama like my Dad would say.
T: Yeah a drama (laughs)
B: And Tom Hanks, you know it’s just wonderful to work with, or Mr Hanks as he insists on me calling him on the set. The guy’s on a power trip..
T: Now had you met him before, or worked with him before Tom Hanks?
B: Well I never worked with him before, but I did meet him many years ago he was filming Nothing in Common in Chicago.
T: With Jackie Gleason.
B: With Jackie Gleason, one of my heroes. And they were shooting at the hospital that I was working as a nurse at. And I snuck down to the area where they were shooting, and I just wanted to be near the movie, you know, just to see it happen. And ah..
Tom: Were you star struck a little bit at the time?
B: Oh god yes.
T: Yeah.
B: Yeah, and I got to meet Jackie Gleason, and said hello to Tom, and they thought that I was in the movie as an extra or something because I had my little nurses outfit on.
T: A-ha
B: And um. Later that evening actually I went to the Marue Racoon or some Jazz club in Chicago and Jackie was there, with his wife. And he was up conducting the orchestra with motions I can’t do right now, but were very funny.
T: I understand.
B: Yeah. He was great. And I went over to him and I said "Mr Gleason, I’m an actress, I work at Second City", which I was working there at night, but I was working as a nurse during the day. And he said "You look awfully familiar" and I said "well I met you at the hospital today" and he says, "Well what the hell are ya a nurse or an actress?"
T: That’s Jackie
B: And I said "It depends on the diagnosis" you know.
B: Jackie Gleason was great.
T: Do you still have like your old nurses uniform at home?
B: Oh, you and every guy in the Army has asked me that.
T: No, but do you?
B: I wear ‘em as pyjamas, with white tights and heels.
T: Husband like it ok?
B: Oh sure..
T: There’s nothing like a little nurse game, you know, to pep it up right.
B: Yeeeah..
T: Now you made this picture Only You, and I remember reading that you went to the White House for a screening of this picture. And I don’t want to get into this whole thing that’s going on at the White House because they’ve been listening to it all day long. But what’s it like as an actress, when you have a picture and it’s being screened for the first family?
B: Well, you’re getting invited to the White House it’s incredible. And I had done the movie Dave right before that where I was a tour guide "we’re walking we’re walking and we’re stopping" yeah. So I got there, and I couldn’t wait to go in, they were going to have a little dinner, and the whole cast was there, and everybody was kinda being let in. And before you went…(starts batting a piece of dust away) There’s something..
T: What’s the matter with you?
B: No there was something in the air. I saw it. It’s gone now. (laughs) Like Ed Norton. Remember when Jackie Gleason and Ed Norton they drink the grape guice?
T: Yeah.
B: They think it’s wine and they go "I feel like I’ve got hair on my face." "I couldn’t fit my head throught the manhole this morning." Anyway, I digress.
T: Will you, will you, will you. Remember when Gracie would say to Norton "will you ,will you, will you"
B: Oh c’mon. Yeah, ok.
T: Or "Stop it"
B: (laughs) Oh dear..Brings back other memories for me. But anyway..we get to the White House
T: You know when he’d say "you know what Alice, I don’t know what hour, what minute or what second, but sometime tonight you are going to the moon."
B: That’s right "You’re the type of person," this is what he’d say to Alice "You’re the type of person that would bend over on April Fools Day that wwould bend over and pick up a wallet. I wouldn’t" She goes "You couldn’t." And remember his mother in law at their wedding who would walk around saying "I’m not losing a daughter I’m gaining a ton."
T: Or when he was trying to get the money for the local pizza, he says "Alice, don’t you understand this is the biggest thing I’ve ever gotten into" and she says "the biggest thing you’ve ever gotten into (Bonnie joins in) Is your pants."
B: Oh, that show was the greatest. And I worked with Audry, what a thrill. The biggest thrill of my life.
T: Remember the time when she’s leaving and he says "don’t leave Alice, you can’t put your arms around a memory. "she says "I can’t put my arms around you."
B: Oh god.
T: But enough about that. You’re at the White House.
B: Oh yeah, well nothing compares to that. To the Honeymooners. But I’ll tell the story anyway. So we’re at the White House and before you go in you have to give your social security number..
T: Well sure.
B: And they clear you throught the secret service and all that stuff. And we get there and before we’re going to walk in, they stop myself..
T: We is?
B: My husband.
T: John?
B: Yeah, for now, until the career takes off. Yeah, so they stop us, and they said "we’re sorry" they say to my husband, "you weren’t cleared, there was some problem with your social security number." So my husband says "well what number is it?" And they show it to him and he says "Well that’s the wrong number" So they say "Ok" So he gives them the real number. And now we’re waiting and Marissa Tomei and the other actors and Norman Jewison are in, and now they keep coming out to get me, they’re saying "Bonnie, just come on in, your husband will be cleared in a second." And I said "no, I think I should wait and go in with my husband. Because you never know with Bill." Anyway..So..
T: There you go again.
B: There’s no need to be the single dame in that room. I got the Hilary do. (pats her hair) And ah.. We’re waiting and now 10-15 minutes has gone by, and they come over and they say..
T: I was worried about my little line about Monica..
B: Please, how about that dress, she gave that dress to her mother. My mother said, "if you sent me a dress with stains on it, I’d shout it out." Remember that stuff? (must be washing powder?) That’s an old joke.
T: I’m so glad you brought that up, because every guy in America is wondering, why would you send a soiled dress you your mother? Wouldn’t you send it to the cleaners? Or maybe throw it away?
B: I don’t understand the whole thing. I’m confused by the whole thing and I’d like to pretend that it didn’t happen.
T: So, we’re at the White House and we’re waiting for the husband.
B: I’m at the White House with my husband. So now 10-15 minutes goes by and one of the secret service guys comes out and says to my husband as he’s standing next to me "have you ever been in prison?" And I’m not listening attentively. And he says "ah no." "anything we should know about? "No." He leaves. Now half an hour is going by, and we’re standing there on the front lawn.
T: Now is Mr Jewison inside?
B: Everyone is inside except us. We’re standing on the front lawn of the White House with our six pack, waiting to get into the party. You know. So the guy says..now 40 minutes goes by, and the guy comes over and he says "there’s a little bit of a problem, it’s going to be about 10 more minutes. Miss Hunt, why don’t you come in?" And I said "no." So, I look at my husband, and he’s completely deadpan and he says Bonnie "I have something to tell you." And I said "what?" He said "My name is Peter Anderson, I’m married I have three children." I pushed him down. He said it so seriously, I completely believed him. I said, "Well of course. I could never be happily married. That would never happen. He’s a phony." Ah, so, that’s when I found out he was married with three kids. (pause) No, he’s not, but he did do that to me, and I did push him down. He has a good sense of humor.
T: In the interest of pacing..
B: Yeah. Oh very funny.
T:Could we move into the whitehouse where the Clinton’s are and Mr Jewison, and Miss Tomei?
B: Oh you want that part of it?
T: Yeah.
B: I don’t know what you’re going for. I’m never knowing with men.
T: So I’ve heard.
B: (laughs) So we go inside..
T: So he finally gets cleared.
B: Yeah, he gets cleared. I thought you wanted his little thing. Alright, so anyway we go inside, and they do pictures in the oval office.
T: Always.
B: Right.
T: Except on special occasions..
B: Certainly, there’s no cameras allowed. So we go in, and I know nothing about Bill Clinton, I’m not involved in politics. I’m just at the White House, I’ve stolen some stationary in the hallway, I’ve done what I’ve needed to do.
T: Looked around, nice place, you’ve looked it over.
B: Right. And the mood was very jovial in the oval office or I would never have made a joke. Bill had taken me down the hall to meet Deedee Meyers, because I was the tour guide. He’s like "She’s here." They were all talking about it. So we get back in the room and Bill’s..
T: So, what does he say? "Bonnie I’d like to take you down to meet Deedee Meyers?"
B: Well that’s the line he uses with all his gals. (fakes smoking) What size you wearing Tom? That’ll put it out?
B: Anyway, he goes to put his arm around me..
T: The president?
B: Well yeah, because we’re taking a photo.
T: Where’s the husband at this point?
B: He’s on the other side of Bill.
T: He’s right there. Ok.
B: Right, Bill, Mr, whatever his name is now..mud I guess
T: Mr Clinton.
B: Right, is in between us. And as he puts his arm around me, you know everybody’s watching us getting the picture taken. And I go "Whoaah Mr President" (as if he’s just groped her up) Now I have no idea. A total hush falls over the secret service. Of course now I’m going to be supened by Starr. And my mother will be up there with me "It’s not true what they’re saying about my daughter." My mother "we’re going to be big I tell ya big, this Clinton thing is going to make us big."
T: So there’s a hush over the entire room?
B: Yes.
T: They’re all saying "not her too."
B: They’re all thinking he did it. It was a horrible moment. My husband was so upset with me. Anyway, I did stay that night in the Lincon bedroom.
T: Did you really?
B: Ooh yeah. (shakes head and mouths no) Norman Jewison did.
T: Was he cordial and Mrs Clinton Cordial?
B: They were very nice. Yep, Hillary sat behind me during the film. T: Did she laugh alot?
B: Yes, but she had been (whispers and motions drinking) drinking. I don’t know if that had anything to do with it.
T: Can you blame the poor dear?
B: Really, I’d have a straw and one of those wine boxes next to the bed.
T: Let me take a fast break here and maybe some of your friends will call in tonight as they did the last time?
B: Oh no. I’ve never lived that down. Never. (I’m not sure what this is. The only other interview I’ve seen is when someone from Bonnie’s old neighborhood rings up and says her nickname is Cock. But that was in 1996)

More to come soon.

Wednesday, January 17, 1996
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Bonnie Hunt, Kevin Meany, Helen Martin
They talked about what she was watching backstage. Conan joked she was watching Tom Snyder on the monitors. Bonnie started talking about what a legendary broadcaster Tom was, and the crowd started to turn on her. - Conan asked her about her large family. She talked about how nervous her mother got when she visited Bonnie in Los Angeles. Her mom thinks everyone is a drug addict there. She thought that a valet man was a car jacker. - When Bonnie goes home to visit her family in Chicago, she goes out with them to Rush Street, a big bar and club street. She talked about the tight-lipped 'jazz face' everyone in the jazz clubs had. She told how her sister broke her bed trying to stretch out a sweater. They talked about old stars of tv and movies. She remembered Sammy Davis Jr. on the 'Tonight Show.' She loved being in LA because she met so many old time stars, like at a dinner she went to. At the dinner, one of the older stars forgot she was wearing a body mic and kept talking after she left the stage. - She did the same thing with a cute sound guy on her show. He put on her mic and walked away, and then she stared to tell one of her friends how cute she thought he was. - She related how she got hit on during her flight to NY by the guy next to her. Dick Cavett did the same thing in jest in an elevator. - Her CBS is show is coming back in March. She talked about how much she missed doing it. - She told about one guy on the show who was a real slick mover and shaker and always wanted to talk to visiting network execs. Bonnie and the others would always tell him the wrong names so he looked foolish in front of them.